Sacramento Bee publisher departs amid pandemic rescheduling

Gary Wortel, president and publisher of The Sacramento Bee will be leaving the company effective immediately. He is one of the four executives across McClatchy whose jobs are being eliminated to reduce expenses and maintain journalism operations as the economic effects of the pandemic tighten.

Lauren Gustus, an editor, will take on the role of president of The Sacramento Bee. She will also continue working her existing roles including acting as director of community funding.

“I am eager to connect more deeply with readers and stakeholders across the region,” Gustus said. “Our path to sustainability will be forged when we are in an authentic relationship with our communities and when we together make a commitment to share critical news and information with those who need it.”

“Local community journalism has never been more important than during the coronavirus crisis,” Wortel added. “I’ll miss working with a great team of journalists but everyone should know that The Sacramento Bee is in great hands under Lauren’s leadership.”

However, despite these setbacks, the Bee still added journalists to its team to cover Asian American and Latino community issues in a partnership with Report for America.