People

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…

Melissa Murphy will become editor of the Santa Cruz Sentinel next week, said Jim Gleim, publisher of Digital First Media’s NorCal Community Newspapers. Murphy has been managing editor of The Reporter in Vacaville since October 2017 and previously was news editor. In Santa Cruz, she succeeds Kara Meyberg Guzman, who resigned in September. Jack F.K.…

Davis Taylor, group publisher of Hanford-based Lee Central California Newspapers, adds its Napa-based group to his oversight, The Napa Valley Register reports. Taylor had been interim publisher in Napa since August.

Tim Grieve, McClatchy’s VP/News since 2016, will depart following the midterm elections. McClatchy’s four regional editors will now report directly to President and CEO Craig Forman.

Rob Galloway, publisher of the Tahoe Tribune, adds oversight of the Record-Courier in Minden-Garderville, NV. Both are Swift Communications properties.