When Sophia Bollag moved to Sacramento in
2016 after graduating from Northwestern University,
she knew covering politics and the governor
of the most populous state in the country would be
challenging, but she couldn’t have imagined the
position she found herself in earlier this year.
“My beat was basically the governor, health
care policy and the budget,” says Bollag, 26, who
joined The Sacramento Bee in November 2018. “So
that beat has gotten much bigger. … The biggest
change, in terms of the work I’m doing, there’s
certainly more of it.”
As the lead reporter for The Bee’s coverage of
Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s response to
the coronavirus pandemic, Bollag estimates that
as of mid-May, she had written more than 70 stories
about the crisis. She knows how important it is
to provide accurate information to her readers.
“I’ve always taken that responsibility seriously,
but it’s never felt so real and urgent as it
does right now,” Bollag says. “Partly because I am
experiencing it along with everybody else, which
is not usually the case with stories I cover. …
Usually, you’re reporting on things that happen
to other people. This is something that is happening
to everyone all at once.”
Bollag grew up in Hercules and Orinda and has
lived in Sacramento since she landed an internship
with the Los Angeles Times to cover state
politics after earning a degree in journalism from
Northwestern. She also covered state government
for The Associated Press for nearly two years before
joining The Bee.
Since the governor issued a shelter-in-place order
on March 19, the way Bollag covers her beat has
changed dramatically. “That first news conference
I remember covering when Gov. Newsom talked extensively
about coronavirus … the room was packed
… (and everyone was) jockeying for space, trying to
get in a question. Now, that’s unimaginable.”
Like many others in the region, Bollag works
most days from her apartment, usually covering
the governor’s briefings via conference call,
though she did attend the news conference on
May 14 when Newsom unveiled his updated budget
proposal that calls for cuts in state spending
to make up for a $54.3 billion deficit brought on
by the pandemic. “It was very different,” Bollag
says. “There were like nine reporters and a dozen
staffers, and we were all spaced out.”
At the peak of The Bee’s coronavirus coverage,
visits to sacbee.com were up about 2.5 times, according
to Scott Lebar, The Bee’s managing editor.
Bollag says she’s also had an increase in feedback
from readers, some complimenting her for the
questions she has asked the governor, others asking
about unemployment benefits or how to reach
state officials. “We’re sort of that access point for
our readers,” she says.
Bollag credits her colleagues for providing
nearly around-the-clock coverage throughout
the pandemic. “There are a lot of stories I’m very
proud of, and I’m really proud of the whole team,
figuring out how to (cover) this,” Bollag says. “I feel
more motivated than ever to work hard and push
for answers from the public officials I cover.”
“Pursue jobs where you’ll be able to do
engaging, challenging work that you love.
That’s always been my priority while
navigating the journalism industry, and
it’s served me well as a guiding principle
in an often chaotic job market.”
BY TOM COUZENS
July 2020 | comstocksmag.com 53