It's Not Goodbye, Pacifica

It’s been unforgettable, Pacifica.

Nearly two years ago, I landed here with the task of launching a hyperlocal news website. At first, I knew little about this smallish coastal city nestled between the hills and ocean on Highway 1 (nine knots on a rope, I’ve heard it called). I’d done about as much research online as is possible before starting—read the local blogs, newspaper stories online, took a look at demographics and so on—but in place like Pacifica, there’s only so much you can learn without total immersion.

What I found while living first in the Manor District and then in Rockaway, where I still reside, and talking with folks, attending meetings and local events, is nothing what I expected.

Pacifica’s issues, and the stories laced throughout them, are infinite.

The story of Pacifica’s budget deficit represents the struggle nearly all small American cities face today. The struggle over the future of the Sharp Park Golf Course is indicative of international tensions between conservationists and those that seek greater economic development. Pacifica’s schools face drastic shortages, and it begs the question, are we investing too much or too little in public education in the U.S.? The triumphs and follies of Pacifica’s local government harken quandaries in how elected and appointed officials should act at every level of government.

What happens in Pacifica touches at the heart of all that is important in our nation today, and so I found in these nine knots on a rope not a small, sleepy town, but a conduit into American life. 

To me, perhaps the most surprising revelation from the last two years living and working here is that I fell in love with Pacifica.

After living in Seattle during and after college, I considered myself a big city person, but the allure of Pacifica—the natural beauty, the tight sense of community, the quiet and the mystery—won me over.

It has been my honor to serve as the editor of a website that attempts to mirror life here. 

But it’s time for a change. 

Today is my last day as a local editor at Patch. My reasons for leaving are many, but few are negative. I’ve had a great time serving you, the readers, and I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.

I’ve taken a position at a cloud content production and editing startup in San Francisco, and I’m excited by the nature of the work I’ll do there. I’m also looking forward to returning to freelance journalism. Look for my byline in San Francisco publications and perhaps on Patch sites as I continue to chase my passion. 

Perhaps most of all, I look forward to just living here in Pacifica, soaking it all up without the responsibilities of an editorship, and truly enjoying the Coastside and all of its trappings. 

Maybe I’ll even stay involved in local issues to some degree, either through writing or other means. You never know.

Thank you to all Pacifica Patch readers and contributors, and to the many great community leaders who opened their arms to me and helped the site along.

I’ll see you around town.