Scott Linesburgh, editor
Scott Linesburgh launched Stocktonia in 2022 to fill the void in professional, accurate, nonpartisan, local news coverage caused by the decline of legacy newspapers in the area. In its first year of publication, Stocktonia won several awards for its coverage of financial scandals at the local school district. He was a reporter and editor for The Stockton Record for 33 years, and national publications, such as USA Today, have featured his work.
Cassie Dickman, assistant editor/reporter
Cassie Dickman joined Stocktonia as the lead education writer when the site launched in 2022, and has won multiple awards for her coverage of financial issues at the Stockton Unified School District. She has also worked for the Stockton Record and Sacramento Bee and is an adjunct journalism professor at several local colleges.
Aaron Leathley, reporter
Aaron Leathley is a reporter based in Stockton. Previously, she covered business, public safety and government accountability matters for The Stockton Record, where she worked for three years. Aaron holds a Master of Journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, where she covered Richmond City Hall for the student newspaper. Before that, she earned her Bachelor of Arts from New York University Abu Dhabi, where she studied Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic.
Lillian Perlmutter, reporter
Lillian Perlmutter is NEWSWELL’s first organization-wide investigative reporter, focusing on immigration and based at the San Diego border. She previously covered Latin America as an independent journalist in Mexico City, where she wrote for over 25 news outlets and magazines, including Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times and The New Republic. Her award-winning reporting has received support from the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and the Women’s Media Center. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in politics and foreign languages from Scripps College in 2021.
Chris Woodyard, reporter
Chris Woodyard is an award-winning veteran journalist and blogger. He was Los Angeles bureau chief for USA Today and previously worked as a reporter for the Houston Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Las Vegas Sun and other major news outlets.
Daniel Garza, content coordinator
Daniel Garza is a longtime Stockton resident with a background in digital storytelling, audience engagement and multimedia production. He leads Stocktonia’s coverage of education, community events and positive local stories, while also helping grow the newsroom’s presence across newsletters, social media and public events. He previously served as editor-in-chief at Fat City Feed, where he helped build the nonprofit news site from the ground up.
Annie Barker, photojournalist
Annie Barker comes to Stocktonia on a multi-year program as a Report for America corps member and Catchlight fellow. A Michigan State University graduate with two bachelor’s degrees in journalism and creative advertising, she has been a staff photographer at The Everett Herald in Washington State and a photo intern at the Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press and Deseret News, as well as a photo fellow with Boyd’s Station, a nonprofit journalism and arts residency program in Kentucky.
Shi Bradley, reporting intern
Shi Bradley is a master’s student at Arizona State University and is pursuing a degree in mass communication. She has interned and is a freelance writer with Yahoo! Finance. Bradley also does freelance work for Phoenix New Times’ arts, music and food sections. Previously, Bradley worked as an editorial intern for Times of San Diego and will be working this fall semester as an investigative reporting intern for Stocktonia. Bradley has also held intern roles at PBS, The Arizona Republic and Phoenix Magazine.
Vincent Medina, reporting intern
Vincent Medina grew up in Los Angeles County and was previously a reporting intern at The Sacramento Bee and Idaho Statesman. He was recently a staff reporter at the Norwalk Patriot and Downey Patriot. Medina is an alum of California State University, Long Beach, where he received a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Mike Fitzgerald, contributing columnist
Mike Fitzgerald has more than 30 years experience covering Stockton and San Joaquin County, over 25 years of it as a highly respected and trusted columnist. He specialized in investigative pieces and finding the unique stories and people who makes Stockton what it is.
Bob Highfill, wine columnist
Bob Highfill has earned the Certified Specialist of Wine certificate from the Society of Wine Educators and the Level 3 certificate from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), and he will take you on a journey to meet the growers and winemakers who make Lodi such a special place. Bob spent more than two decades as a reporter and editor at The Stockton Record.
Robyn Jones, multimedia contributor
Robyn Jones was Stocktonia’s first intern when the site launched in 2022. A Stockton native, Robyn attended Lincoln High School, San Joaquin Delta College and University of LaVerne.
Andrea Baltodano, reporting contributor
Andrea Baltodano is a journalist based in California, with more than eight years of experience covering topics ranging from local governance to sports and community issues. As a bilingual reporter, Andrea’s fluency in English and Spanish allows her to connect with sources and communities often left out of traditional narratives. She is pursuing a degree in political science and journalism, with the goal of shaping policy through responsible, solutions-focused reporting.
Sammy Jimenez, reporting contributor
A native to San Joaquin County, Sammy Jimenez has focused on creating meaningful media for the community. At San Joaquin Delta College, he has learned to love all forms of digital media, his major. He has served two terms in student government and also works in digital media as a freelancer. In addition to his position at Stocktonia, he also interns with Delta. He hopes to work in news and film.
Annie Biebl, reporting contributor
Annie Biebl is a Sacramento-based journalist with bylines in several publications throughout the Central Valley. She holds an associate degree in journalism and is currently pursuing her bachelor’s at Sacramento State. Through her reporting, Annie strives to keep readers informed, engaged and connected by providing meaningful perspectives and essential information.
Andrea Rivera, reporting contributor
Andrea Rivera is an award winning journalist. She graduated from San Joaquin Delta College with her Associate’s Degree in Journalism, and is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at California State University Sacramento. She has the skills and tools for reporting, writing, photography, and editing and thrives on educating the community.