| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner | Matthews family |
| Publisher | Robert Matthews |
| Editor | Jon Mendelson |
| Managing editors | Kelsy Ramos |
| Sports editor | Bob Brownne |
| Photo editor | Glenn Moore |
| Founded | April 2, 1898[1] |
| Headquarters | 10th St., Tracy, California |
| Sister newspapers | Patterson Irrigator, Scotts Valley Press-Banner, San Lorenzo Valley Press-Banner |
| Official website | www.tracypress.com |
The Tracy Press is a weekday newspaper published in Tracy, California, United States. Established in 1898, the Tracy Press has been operated by the Matthews family since 1943. It is currently one of the few family-owned newspapers in California still in existence. As of 2010[update], the paper has an average weekly circulation of over 19,000 and covers both *Tracy, California and Mountain House.[2]
Bob Matthews is the publisher. In 1999, former publisher Samuel H. Matthews was given the Philip N. McCombs Achievement Award by the California Press Association.
Leading up to the 2006 U.S. Congressional Election, Tracy Press articles and editorials were widely discussed in state and national news and opinion forums, from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee[3] to Amy Ridenour's National Center for Public Policy Research blog,[4] due to the Press being the hometown newspaper of the embattled United States Representative Richard Pombo. The Tracy Press-sponsored forum held October 6, 2006 turned out to be the only time that Pombo and challenger Jerry McNerney faced voters on the same stage after Pombo declined debate invitations from groups such as the League of Women Voters.[5][6]
As of 2010, the once-daily newspaper has scaled back publication to a once-a-week schedule, with the paper being published on Friday, with current news available every day on their website, www.tracypress.com.[7]
In 2010, the Tracy Press received an award for its coverage of the Sandra Cantu kidnapping and murder case. Press photo editor and reporter Glenn Moore has also been honored several times by the California Newspaper Publishers Association for his news, sports and feature photographs, and editor Jon Mendelson has received similar CNPA awards for his columns, which appear in the opinion and sometimes news sections of the paper.
The Tracy Press filed a California Public Records Act request in 2007, seeking copies of e-mails sent from the personal e-mail account of Tracy Vice Mayor Suzanne Tucker. The e-mails were sent to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory officials and concerned the manner in which a public forum about a research lab would be conducted. Since the e-mails were about city business, attorneys for the Tracy Press argued that copies should be made available to the public.
A San Joaquin County Superior Court judge ruled against the Tracy Press, saying that since the e-mails were created and kept on Tucker's personal computer, and were never used, owned, possessed or sent by the City, they are not public records.
The Tracy Press appealed the ruling and the California Court of Appeal (3rd District) ruled in favor of the City of Tracy on procedural grounds.[8]