Since expanding into 12 neighborhoods early this year, The LA Local took another step ahead last month by adding Long Beach Post and Long Beach Business Journal into its portfolio.
Founded on the mission to expand hyper-local news coverage, The LA Local has raised more than $19 million in philanthropic investments since its inception in 2024. It also established over 20 collaborative partners across Californian universities and publications, including The LAist and CalMatters.
Though The LA Local has covered local businesses in its county-wide grasp – ranging from Koreatown and Pico Union to Inglewood and South L.A. – Long Beach Business Journal will be its first dedicated business outpost.
“Long Beach post was one of our media partners from the very beginning, part of that ecosystem of local news organizations that we have been collaborating with and trying to deepen partnership with,” said Michele Siqueiros, founding chief executive of The LA Local. “It was a great opportunity to expand our reach and support and sustain a thriving newsroom for Long Beach.”
Expanding bandwidth
Joining The LA Local will allow the newsroom to slow down and listen to the needs of the community by expanding its bandwidth, said Melissa Evans, chief executive of the two operations and now managing director of Long Beach at The LA Local. The pair of publications came together in 2023 under the nonprofit banner of Long Beach Journalism Initiative. It has seven full-time employees – serving half a million residents in the second largest city in the county.
“I’m doing this because I know the value of local news. Our work has tangibly changed city processes … but we had no bandwidth on the operational side,” Evans said. “I’m really excited to be hearing from our readers in the business community and seeing what needs they have and how we can work with them.”
Evans shared that the first step would be finding a community engagement person and taking “intentional” steps to map out coverage gaps before considering adjustments in its operations.
The local news landscape remains challenging. Northwestern University’s The State of Local News Project reported last year that close to 40% of all local U.S. newspapers have disappeared within two decades. The LA Local has stayed afloat with a combination of philanthropic, corporate and membership revenue.
