Center for Investigative Reporting Announces 11-Person 'California Watch' Team

By: Joe Strupp The Center for Investigative Reporting has announced its 11-person team of journalists working on its new California Watch project.

"This dynamic and accomplished group of journalists will drive our investigative reporting focusing on California, and be part of creating an innovative and entrepreneurial venture that will be part of the solution to the crisis facing journalism today," CIR Executive Director Robert J. Rosenthal said in a statement.

The announcement adds that, "California Watch is being launched at a time when the state is confronting one of the worst budget crises in its history, the recession is inflicting pain and hardship on millions of Californians, and the need for oversight is greater than ever."

It noted that more than 700 journalists applied for positions with California Watch.

"We have built one of the largest investigative teams in the state at a critical time," Editorial Director Mark Katches said in a statement. "We will focus on delivering stories that shape the debate and prompt change."

The staff includes: Agustin Armendariz, data analyst and reporter;
Chase Davis, money and politics reporter; Christina Jewett, health and welfare reporter; Corey G. Johnson, K-12 education reporter; Mark S. Luckie, multimedia producer; Erica Perez, higher education reporter; Lisa Pickoff-White, multimedia producer; Lance Williams, money and politics reporter; and Robert Salladay, special advisor and contributing editor.

That team reports to Katches, who is working with Rosenthal and California Watch Director Louis Freedberg.

"California Watch is a response to the diminished capacity of newsrooms in the state to cover critically important issues affecting all Californians," the announcement added. "These include the state of our public schools and community colleges, the impact of budget cuts on the health and welfare of individuals and communities, and the influence of money on politics. Other beats will be added within the coming year."

For more on the project, see the CIR Web site, here.