The Santa Barbara News-Press has hired two reporters to continue leading the nonprofit news organization into the next era.
Joining the paper is Julianna Lozada, a graduate of Columbia University. She covered wildfire recovery, immigration raids and several other topics for the Southern California News Group, which was recently a Pulitzer Prize finalist for its Palisades and Eaton fire coverage.
Lozada, who lives in Santa Barbara, will work as a general assignment reporter, with a focus on Kindergarten-through-12th grade education.
“It is an honor to not only continue the legacy of this historic institution but also shape its future as a nonprofit,” Lozada said. “My goals as a reporter are to report on stories that empower communities to make informed decisions and understand the forces that shape their everyday lives. I hope to be an accessible source of news especially to underserved communities.”
Tom Schultz already has a storied history with the News-Press as he previously worked at the paper from 1998 to 2007. He was hired when the paper was owned by the New York Times and was one of the leading forces to unionize the newspaper under later ownership by Ampersand Publishing.
Schultz, a graduate of the University of Maryland, is also an alumnus of the Santa Barbara City College newspaper, The Channels.
He brings a high-level of experience and journalistic ability, at a time when the newspaper is re-establishing itself as a leading source of news in the county. From fires and floods to City Hall and county government, Schultz has covered it all.
“It’s great to be back. I expect people will wonder, ‘Why?’ or ‘Why now?’” Schultz said. “For me, it comes down to a few things. First, my recent freelance work reignited my enthusiasm for reporting. Journalism is meaningful work, and it’s incredibly rewarding. I’m also committed to seeing the new News-Press thrive, and covering Santa Barbara and the surrounding area is the best way I can help make that happen.”
Schultz will focus on Santa Barbara County coverage.
“My daughter is 9, and I love the idea of her growing up with a reporter dad, especially since she hasn’t really seen that side of me before,” Schultz said. “It’ll be great to visit her school, talk with students about a free press, help with the yearbook, and share why journalism matters.”
The Santa Barbara News-Press maintains a downtown office at 1219 State Street, in the same building as the CEC hub. It is a locally run and managed newsroom that is partnered with NEWSWELL, a nonprofit organization that provides back-end support that enables local journalists to focus on reporting the news.
The newspaper returned to daily online publication in late 2025, under this new nonprofit model.
The News-Press has also hired a third full-time reporter set to start on July 1. The newspaper will formally introduce this forthcoming addition to the team closer to their start date.
Lozada and Schultz join the paper as full-time reporters a couple weeks ahead of the launch of the News-Press paid summer internship program. Six student reporters will work for 12 weeks this summer to strengthen our newsroom, covering everything from courts and crime to immigration and sports. The News-Press will report more details on the program soon.
You can reach Lozada at julianna.lozada@newspress.com and Schultz at tom.schultz@newspress.com
For a full newsroom list, visit www.newspress.com.
