People

Garth Stapley began this week as editorial-page editor at The Modesto Bee, the newspaper reports. He had been a reporter in Modesto since 1993. Stapley has a journalism degree from Sacramento State and a Master’s degree from Stanislaus State, where he studied international relations. He succeeds Mike Dunbar, who retired after 31 years at The…

Chuck Leishman is now publisher of the North Coast Journal in Eureka, Judy Hodgson told readers recently. Hodgson founded the weekly newspaper in 1990 and will stay on as CEO. Leishman, who had been general manager since 2012, previously worked in advertising at the Chico News & Review and Sacramento News & Review, and was…

Frank Pine becomes executive editor of Digital First Media’s Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News reports. He will continue to oversee the 11 titles in the company’s Southern California News Group. “In uniting the Bay Area and SCNG newsrooms under Frank’s leadership, we are strengthening our already formidable news teams and creating new opportunities…

Deborah Petersen last fall became editor in chief of San Francisco Media Co.’s San Francisco Examiner and SF Weekly. She has worked for the Hartford (Conn.) Courant and The Mercury News. Most recently, she was editorial director at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Stuart J. Emmrich has joined the Los Angeles Times’ masthead as an assistant managing editor responsible for Lifestyle coverage. Emmrich had been with The New York Times for 16 years, where he worked as Styles editor, Travel editor, Escapes editor and, most recently, as an editor at large. “Stuart Emmrich is one of America’s most…

Paula Patton, publisher of Digital First Media’s Times-Standard in Eureka since 2013, will retire in late January, the newspaper reports. She previously had been a newspaper executive at the Appeal Democrat in Marysville, Lompoc Record and Napa Valley Register. “I’ve always told my staff that if 50 percent of our readers think we’re doing a…

Neil Chase will become chief executive officer of CALmatters, a CNPA Digital News Member, on Jan. 2, the nonprofit news organization said. Chase has been executive editor of Digital First Media properties The Mercury News and the East Bay Times since 2016 and previously had been a senior vice president at Federated Media Publishing, managing…

Mike Wolcott will become editor of Digital First Media’s Chico Enterprise-Record and Oroville Mercury-Register on Jan. 1, said NorCal Community Media Publisher Jim Gleim, who is also E-R publisher. For four years, Wolcott has overseen the NorCal Design Center at The E-R, which produces the 11 daily newspapers and six weeklies in NorCal Community Media.…

Foon Rhee last week introduced himself as the new executive editor at the Sacramento News & Review. He had been associate editor and editorial board member at The Sacramento Bee since 2010 and previously was a reporter for The Charlotte Observer and an editor for The News & Observer and The Boston Globe. Eric Johnson,…

Tim Ritchey will become group publisher of McClatchy’s Merced Sun-Star, The Fresno Bee and The Tribune in San Luis Obispo when Ken Riddick departs at year end, The Fresno Bee reports. Ritchey, who is also VP/Advertising for McClatchy’s West region, will continue to oversee The Modesto Bee, where he has been general manager since December…