Monterey County Weekly’s newest reporter wants to hear from you.

Hi everyone.

I’m Katie Rodriguez, Monterey County Weekly’s newest reporter. I’ll be covering quite a variety of topics and issues, including agriculture, oceans, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, criminal justice and the County Board of Supervisors. 

You’re probably thinking, “well, that’s an array of topics, how is she going to know everything?!” to which I am honored to open my email inbox and welcome any and all hello’s, hot takes and yes, story suggestions and hat tips.

I’m here as a reporter with the California Local News Fellowship, a state-funded program to bolster local news across the state. I could not be more excited and thrilled to get a chance to learn the ins and outs of Monterey County, and I will do my best to really immerse myself in the place, people, and get caught up on the history that makes the county what it is today.

A bit about me, I’m a California native who has lived up and down this state. I studied marine biology at UC Santa Cruz and got to know the local waters of Monterey Bay at John Hopkins, Moss Landing and Del Monte State Beach. Probably a highlight of my life was diving in the “big tank” at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Open Sea exhibit.

A hundred dives later, bad ears shoved me out of that and into new adventures, and I pivoted to what became journalism in 2016 working for a media conglomerate. Since then, I’ve dabbled in working on farms (the smaller ones), helped produce documentaries, gone fly fishing and reported on everything from AI in supermarkets to caregiver shortages to misinformation. I studied journalism at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, living in San Francisco and loving every second of it (a controversial statement, I’m aware.) 

Enough about me, let’s grab a coffee––I’m excited to be here. You can reach me at katie@montereycountynow.com or 394-5656, extension 102.

Newsletter

A new reporter in the house. Carmel street addresses remain elusive. Sunset Music Series extended.