Bonnie Eslinger

E X P E R I E N C E 

Reporter/ Daily News

June  2010 to present

Reporter covering San Mateo County government and Peninsula cities. Following such stories as the Redwood City Saltworks development, San Mateo County's proposed new jail, Facebook's relocation to Menlo Park, municipal outsourcing of city services, East Palo Alto's anti-gang initiatives, and the dissolution of local redevelopment agencies.

Local News Editor/Reporter, San Francisco Examiner

August 2004- January 2010

Hired to be the newspaper’s education reporter, switched beats to cover Mayor Gavin Newsom and City Hall in 2005 and promoted to editor in 2007.

As a reporter, covered breaking news and followed a wide range of stories, including the city’s affordable health care program, the efforts to legalize gay marriage; the fight to close down an aging power plant in Potrero Hill; the achievement gap in public schools, development plans for Bayview Hunters Point; the impacts of San Francisco’s budget deficit, and the city's environmental initiatives.

As editor, was responsible for managing daily print and online news coverage: working with reporters to assign and develop stories, monitoring breaking news and wire, editing copy, choosing art, prioritizing story placement, and updating online stories and blogs.  Planned and executed long-term news projects, including investigative pieces and enterprise packages.

Journalism/English teacher, Arrowsmith Academy

September 1997 to August 2004                                 

Taught and developed curriculum for freshman and sophomore English classes and oversaw production of the school newspaper for this private Berkeley high school.

Editor, Passionfruit Magazine

May 1998-June 1999                                                              

Co-created and edited a women’s travel journal that garnered a “Best New Title” nomination from Utne in 1999.

Reporter, Modesto Bee

October 1996 to September 1998

Bay Area stringer: helped cover flood crisis in December 1996.                                                             

Freelance Reporter

September 1996 to June 1999

Contributing writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, West County Times, and Santa Cruz Sentinel.

Research Assistant, Robert Scheer/Los Angeles Times         

December 1995 to May 1996