CalMatters and Grist are pleased to announce the hire of reporter Katie Rodriguez to cover the impacts of climate change in California’s Central Valley, from agricultural impacts to the energy transition.
“The best way to cover a community is to have a reporter there on the ground,” said Kristin Go, editor-in-chief at CalMatters. “Katie’s experience will help us better tell the stories of how the Central Valley — which is crucial to California’s economy — are dealing with everything from water scarcity to the future of agriculture.”
Rodriguez was previously a reporter for the Monterey County Weekly/Monterey County Now, covering agriculture, water issues, oceans, and energy, as well as Big Sur, Carmel Valley, and the County Board of Supervisors. Her writing — which has largely focused on how food systems fit squarely at the center of our most important environmental, political, and economic questions — has been published in Civil Eats, The Washington Post, Inside Climate News, Ag Alert, USA Today, The Guardian, Politico, and Outside Magazine, among others. She is also a photographer, with her images appearing in outlets such as Oaklandside, the San Francisco Chronicle, and CalMatters.
“The partnership between CalMatters and Grist is a match made in heaven; the stories I’ll be reporting from this part of the state lend themselves to both outlets seamlessly,” Rodriguez said. “The storytelling opportunities in the Central Valley are endless. It’s a very dynamic time to cover food systems and energy and economics, all of which are undergoing huge changes in the face of a warming planet.”
The hire marks the continued expansion of Grist’s Local News Initiative, which aims to bolster coverage of climate change in communities across the United States through partnerships with local newsrooms. Grist has reporters embedded with WABE in Georgia, Interlochen Public Radio in Michigan, WBEZ in Illinois, Blue Ridge Public Radio in North Carolina, Verite News in Louisiana, The Salt Lake Tribune in Utah, Flatwater Free Press in Nebraska, Mountain Journal/Montana Free Press in Montana, and KERA in Texas.
Rodriguez starts in November. She will be an employee of CalMatters and will report from different locations in the Central Valley, with Fresno being her first stop. She will report local stories for CalMatters, which will be shared for free with a statewide and regional network of syndication partners. Grist will also adapt Rodriguez’s stories and bring them to its nationwide audience and publishing partners.
“The Central Valley presents a unique yet challenging place to report on the impacts of a warming planet, from its vast agricultural industry to its fossil fuel legacy, its complex politics to the sheer size of the region,” said Grist editor-in-chief Katherine Bagley. “Katie brings a deep understanding of California communities and climate science to this role. I can’t wait to read her coverage.”
