Mission and Purpose Statement
To protect and serve the common interests of its newsmedia members, to help members inform and thereby strengthen their communities, and to foster the highest ideals, ethics and traditions of journalism, a free press and the news profession. The California News Publishers Association shall achieve its mission by engaging in conduct that will achieve the following purposes:
Protect
Protect the News Publisher Business. Mindful of news publishers’ unique role in society, CNPA shall work to protect the rights of members to create and distribute the news without interference, to minimize the burdens of regulation on all aspects of news publishing operations and generally to improve the legal and regulatory environment for doing business in California.Enhance
Enhance First Amendment Freedoms. CNPA shall work to advance the constitutional rights of all Californians to free speech and a free press.Ensure
Ensure the Public’s Right to Know. CNPA shall ensure the civil right of access to information concerning the conduct of the people’s business by fighting for strong open meeting, public records, court access laws and the adjudication of printed and published newspapers as the official source for communicating vital information to the public.Recognize
Recognize Publishing Excellence and Journalistic Achievement. CNPA shall recognize and expose news publishing industry best practices and trends and produce journalism awards competitions to honor journalistic achievement annually at the California Journalism Awards Gala.
Executive Team
Charles Ford Champion II
President and CEO (chuck@cnpa.com)
Charles Ford Champion II
President and CEO (chuck@cnpa.com)
chuck@cnpa.com
610-613-3122
Cecelia Drake
Chief Revenue Officer (cecelia@cnpa.com)
Cecelia Drake
Chief Revenue Officer (cecelia@cnpa.com)
cecelia@cnpa.com
916-288-6011
Ashley Bryant
Director of Finance (ashley@cnpa.com)
Ashley Bryant
Director of Finance (ashley@cnpa.com)
ashley@cnpa.com
Board of Directors
Bill Nagel
Chairperson
Bill Nagel
Chairperson
Bill Nagel is the publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Martha Diaz Aszkenazy
Chairperson-Elect
Martha Diaz Aszkenazy
Chairperson-Elect
Martha Diaz Aszkenazy is publisher of the weekly San Fernando Valley Sun and El Sol newspapers.
Simon Grieve
Immediate Past Chairperson
Simon Grieve
Immediate Past Chairperson
Simon Grieve is COO of Outlook News Group in La Cañada Flintridge.
Lisa Friedman Bloch
Director
Lisa Friedman Bloch
Director
Lisa is the publisher, editor and writer of the Beverly Hills Courier
Arturo Carmona
Director
Arturo Carmona
Director
Arturo Carmona is senior adviser at ImpreMedia’s La Opinión in Los Angeles.
Erik Cushman
Director
Erik Cushman
Director
Erik Cushman is publisher of Monterey County Weekly and has been with the newspaper since 1999.
Julian Do
Director
Julian Do
Director
Julian Do is director of media relations at Ethnic Media Services, a national ethnic media network based in San Francisco.
Jeff Glasser
Secretary-Treasurer
Jeff Glasser
Secretary-Treasurer
Jeff Glasser is vice president and senior counsel for the Los Angeles Times.
Ron Hasse
Director
Ron Hasse
Director
Ron Hasse is the publisher of the Orange County Register and president of the Southern California News Group.
Paulette Brown-Hinds
Director
Paulette Brown-Hinds
Director
Paulette Brown-Hinds is publisher of the Black Voice News and managing partner of BPC MediaWorks, which she founded in 2004.
Vandana Kumar
Direcrtor
Vandana Kumar
Direcrtor
Vandana Kumar is publisher of San Jose-based India Currents, founded in print in 1987 and fully digital since 2017.
Terri Leifeste
Director
Terri Leifeste
Director
Terri Leifeste is vice president and group publisher at Santa Maria California News Media, Inc.
Silas Lyons
Director
Silas Lyons
Director
Silas Lyons is director of Gannett’s Center for Community Journalism. He is based in Redding.
Charlie Plowman
Director
Charlie Plowman
Director
Charlie Plowman is the owner of Outlook News Group in La Cañada Flintridge and the publisher of its six newspapers in neighboring communities.
Von Raess
Director
Von Raess
Director
Von Raess is president of Monrovia-based Beacon Media, which publishes 21 Los Angeles-area newspapers.
Steve Strickbine
Director
Steve Strickbine
Director
Steve Strickbine is president of Times Media Group, which includes Pasadena Weekly, The Argonaut, Ventura County Reporter and Los Angeles Downtown News.
Michael Yamashita
Director
Michael Yamashita
Director
Michael Yamashita is publisher of the Bay Area Reporter and was the paper’s longtime general manager.
2021 CNPA Annual Report
