Paul Huntsman, Chairman of the Salt Lake Tribune, founds a California newspaper

The Coronado News starts in Southern California.

The CEO of the nonprofit Salt Lake Tribune has launched a new website and weekly newspaper in Southern California.

Paul Huntsman is the owner of The Coronado News, a startup in the small town of about 20,000 that’s on an island south of San Diego.

In an editorial published on thecoronadonews.com last week, Huntsman wrote that after buying a home in Coronado last year, he took note of beach closure signs in the area. The closures are the result of “sewage intrusions,” he wrote, but he noted that “very little” has been reported about them.

“Coronado’s pristine beaches are among the most beautiful in the world,” he wrote, “and I longed to learn more about the causes, effects, and possible remedies for this far-reaching environmental and health problem on the island.” …In light of the beach closures and sewage spills on our beaches in Coronado, why not get a team together to address this?”

The Coronado News launched online in late January and its first free weekly print edition was mailed to residents last month.

In his editorial, Huntsman — who is chairman of The Salt Lake Tribune’s board of directors and editorial board — told readers that he bought the Tribune in 2016 “to put the paper back in local hands and to provide a sustainable way forward for locals.” to find journalism.”

“After four long, frustrating years, I made the decision to transform The Salt Lake Tribune into the nation’s first nonprofit daily,” he wrote. Two years later, he wrote, “massive losses turned into cash surpluses.”

The Coronado News is non-profit.

The California city is already home to two other newspapers — the weekly Coronado Eagle & Journal (coronadonewsca.com) and the online newspaper coronadotimes.com. But, Huntsman wrote, he hopes his new paper will “raise the level of competition, which will benefit the community at large.”

“A great church deserves a great newspaper,” he wrote. “We are here to stay and look forward to building this for the benefit of our community.”