A new company, Valley Oak Press, will acquire the newspapers, printing plant and associated assets from Galt-based Herburger Publications, Inc. Terms of the transaction, effective Jan. 1, were not disclosed.
David Herburger, owner and publisher, is coordinating the asset transfer to Bonnie Rodriguez, managing editor at the company and longtime editor of the Galt Herald.
The assets also include the Elk Grove Citizen, River Valley Times in Rancho Murieta and Valley Community Newspapers in Sacramento.
Rodriguez has been with the publishing company for more than a dozen years. She had production roles in Utah newspapers prior to moving to California. Rodriguez told CNPA she plans to build connections in the diverse communities served by the newspapers. That includes bolstering their digital footprints and enhancing their sales potential.
The Herburger family has owned the company since 1959, when Roy and Mary Herburger, David’s parents, acquired The Herald and then The Citizen. Roy Herburger was CNPA president in 1996; David is a former CNPA Board director.
The company’s commercial press prints its own papers along with many other community papers and trade publications. Rodriguez noted that the company’s South Sacramento County press will continue to run while others have gone silent.
