Valley Voice, area news outlets recognized at California Journalism Awards

This article was updated on May 19 after the California Journalism Awards website was edited to add additional categories.

Valley Voice staff earned seven awards in the 2024 California Journalism Awards, hosted by the California News Publishers Association (CNPA), which judged the Voice against similarly-sized publications. The awards were presented at the yearly California Journalism Awards gala on May 17 at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City Hotel.

Catherine Doe, the Voice’s publisher, received multiple awards for reports filed in 2024.

She received two for a series of reports on nonpayment lawsuits against Toor Farming: second place in the Agricultural Reporting category and second place in the Coverage of Business and the Economy category.

Her initial story detailed beekeeper Robby Robinson’s journey from Texas to the Toor family’s home in an attempt to get paid, as well as lawsuits filed by other companies and vendors in Fresno, Tulare, and San Joaquin county courts.

Her follow-up story reported that multiple lawsuits were dropped, presumably after payment arrangements were made. Robinson told Doe that he received payment in full a few weeks after the first article was published.

“Robinson’s story personifies the importance of local journalism,” said Doe. “A modest bee keeper living in a small rural community in Texas was finally paid $9,000 mid-December for services rendered to the Toors in March.”

“It was an unexpected Merry Christmas,” Robinson told Doe.

Doe also received a first place award in the Coverage of Local Government category for her series of reports on the City of Visalia’s logo controversy. Her reports covered the introduction of a new logo, the public backlash, the city’s subsequent open submission process, and the end result.

Her two reports on Visalia’s BMX track controversy and the city’s response also earned a second place award for Housing and Land Use Reporting.

Dave Adalian, a writer for the Voice, was awarded first place in the Housing and Land Use Reporting for his in-depth look at attempts by residents of the Westlake Village Mobile Park to halt construction of a Sam’s Club next door.

Adalian also took a third place award in the Environment Reporting category for his reports on the area’s groundwater sustainability agencies.

The stories dived into how area growers, water agencies, and governments dealt with the requirements of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act – including infighting and lawsuits – which required the creation of groundwater sustainability agencies across the state that would manage groundwater in their respective areas.

Tony Maldonado Jr, a writer for the Voice and the web production manager, took a second place award in the In-Depth Reporting category for a report on lawsuits filed against the City of Lindsay by the city’s former police chief and finance director.

The report examined the two lawsuits’ allegations, including claims that the two were interviewed by the Tulare County District Attorney’s Public Corruption Division, as well as public records published by the city.

All entries were in a division for publications with a print circulation of 4,300 or less, less than 199,000 monthly unique online visitors, or 3 or fewer full time employees.

Other area outlets were also honored at the awards:

• The Visalia Times-Delta took three awards in the Breaking News, Artistic Photo, and Coverage of Business and the Economy categories.
• The Business Journal took 30 awards across the Food Writing/Reporting, Agricultural Reporting, Best Newsletter, Breaking News, Home Page Layout & Design, Illustration, Labor Reporting, Print Front Page Layout & Design, Print Special Section, Print Special Section Cover, Sports Feature Story, Technology Reporting, Audience/Community Engagement Award, Coverage of Business and the Economy, Coverage of Youth and Education, Fine Arts Writing/Reporting, Housing and Land Use Reporting, Social Media Innovation Award, and Tourism/Travel Writing/Reporting categories.
• The Fresno Bee took 13 awards across the Food Writing/Reporting, Best Podcast, Columns, Breaking News, Homelessness Reporting, Profile Story, Investigative Reporting, Community Focus Award, Coverage of Business and the Economy, Coverage of Local Government, Coverage of Youth and Education, and Public Service Journalism categories.
• Fresnoland took 12 awards across the Best Newsletter, Best Podcast, Environment Reporting, Health Reporting, Homelessness Reporting, Investigative Reporting, Writing, Public Service Journalism, Community Focus Award, Coverage of Youth and Education, Enterprise News Story or Series, Religion and Faith Writing, Video Journalism-News, and Video Journalism-Other categories.
• GV Wire took 14 awards across the Columns, Breaking News, In-Depth Reporting, Labor Reporting, Writing, Coverage of Local Government, Coverage of Youth and Education, Local Coverage of Election 2024, and Religion and Faith Writing categories.
• The Bakersfield Californian took seven awards across the Food Writing/Reporting, Editorial Comment, Environment Reporting, Labor Reporting, Print Special Section, Arts and Entertainment Coverage, and Local Coverage of Election 2024 categories.
• SJV Water was awarded in the Agricultural Reporting category.