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Dear Reader:

When I wrote to you just over a month ago, I shared with you that our news organization had never covered a story with as many impacts on all our lives as the COVID-19 crisis.

Then on May 25, George Floyd, lying on his stomach in handcuffs, was killed by Minneapolis police in full view of stunned bystanders with cell phone videos capturing the final nine minutes of his life.

What already seemed like an immensely challenging time for our staff and the community became much more complicated. Like journalists across the country, our team stepped up to simultaneously cover two emotional news stories that were shaking our souls, our confidence in government and our sense of well-being.  

We're living in a world that feels very chaotic, divided and in pain. It is in times like these--when people are especially hungry for, and in need of, truthful information--that the importance of good local journalism is so clear.  

Our team of journalists has been working harder than ever, under unprecedented circumstances, to bring you accurate, fact-based local news in an increasingly polarized and stressful environment. Like many of you, they are mentally and physically exhausted and emotionally drained. Yet they are as committed as ever to covering the news and the difficult issues we are facing, while also being mindful of other important stories. 

Similarly, as an organization devoted to the examination of important issues and shining light where there has been darkness, we are compelled to find ways to create meaningful discussion and engagement among members of the community. We hope you will be a part of that journey.

As our community undertakes difficult conversations about racial inequalities and considers concrete steps to reform police and other policies, practices and priorities, we are committed to doing everything we can to keep the energy and momentum of the protests over the last few weeks alive so that George Floyd's killing, and those of many others, spurs us on to action. 

Next Thursday, June 25, we will host a virtual Town Hall meeting, "Race, Policing and the Color of Justice," featuring a panel of individuals who are engaged in achieving meaningful reforms at a local level. The following week, we'll be presenting a second forum featuring the owners of several black-owned restaurants discussing their unique challenges. Watch for invitations to these free events in the next few days. 

We are acutely aware of our responsibilities as the primary local news organization serving our community. In spite of our efforts to hire and retain a diverse staff, our results are mixed, especially with regards to African Americans. We can do better at reflecting all parts of our community.  

Thank you to all those who are supporting local journalism through your membership subscription. Your support means we can retain and recruit an outstanding and diverse team of employees. There has never been a time when the importance of a trusted local news source was more obvious than today.

If you value local journalism and have not become a subscribing member yet, we ask you to consider joining the thousands of other locals supporting our reporting efforts and become a member today.

Thank you,

Bill Johnson
Founder and President

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Dear Friend of the Mountain View Voice:

If you're reading this email it's because you've been receiving, reading and valuing the award-winning local journalism our reporters and editors are working hard to produce every single day.

You are likely a regular reader of Express, our daily email news digest that gives you a short summary of that day's local news and upcoming events along with links to the stories. Express allows you to stay on top of what's happening in the community, at city hall, in the schools and during important breaking news events. It's also your gateway to the more comprehensive coverage on our website. 

But as much as you value the work our team is doing, you haven't yet taken the step of actually helping to sustain it by becoming a subscribing member.* 

Our future depends on readers like you understanding the immense challenges that are threatening local media all across the country and, yes, even here. 

The pandemic has exacerbated the problem because, with so many independent businesses hurting, up to half of advertising revenue has disappeared. That is a crisis in itself.

But you may not realize that the plight of local news organizations was already dire in pre-COVID times. The future of local journalism is in doubt because of a steady decade-long decline in local advertising brought on by the disruption of independent local retail by online shopping. Newspapers all across the country are facing this challenge.

I'm often asked by readers and friends why we are turning to readers for support when we seem to have "plenty" of advertising. I explain that our costs are largely fixed and that every advertising category has steadily eroded over the last 10 years, as it has all over the country. When revenues decline, most news organizations cut costs and in doing so diminish the quality of what they do. It's a downward spiral that we are determined to avoid. Instead, we have chosen to operate at a loss, helped temporarily by a PPP loan, with confidence that our readers will accept the challenge of paying for something they value.

To secure the future of our company, we had already begun to shift our business model to one built on reader support rather than on advertising. We can only succeed in this transition, however, if current readers like you -- those who read our daily Express news digest, visit our website for the latest local news or read the print edition -- do your part by becoming a subscribing member.

So I humbly ask that you consider doing your part to ensure the stability of this critical community resource. Think about how the last six months would have been had our team of journalists not been bringing you trustworthy reporting on COVID, the fires and all the other local news that impacts your life and the community.  

As we transition to a reader-supported business model we have set an ambitious goal of a thousand new members each month between now and the end of the year. For the cost of just a couple of coffees a month, you can become a part of our growing community of supporters and help keep local news coverage alive and well.

With gratitude,

Bill Johnson
President & Founder
Embarcadero Media

Will you help sustain local journalism and become a subscribing member today?

Trusted Leaders Support Pat

Pat comes to this race with a unique breadth of knowledge and experience:

• Civil engineer who understands infrastructure, land use and environmental protections

• Extensive experience working across disciplines and agencies to get things done 

• Active Mountain View resident for 36 years 

• Environmental Planning Commissioner for 9 years

• Council Member 2015-2018 and Mayor in 2016

• Currently serves on San Francisco Bay Conservation & Development Commission, Alta Housing Board, Water Now Alliance Leadership Council, Carbon Free Mountain View Board, Santa Clara County Roads Commission and as President of the Cooper Park Neighborhood Association

Vote for Pat by November 3rd

Organizations That Endorse Pat

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Youth Rising Up:
Can Gen Z Lead on Social Change?

7:00 - 8:35 p.m.
Thursday, August 6
Presented to you virtually on Zoom

Panelists

Moderator

We Want Your Feedback on
Town Square Commenting

Still making up your mind?

With the election just two weeks away, we know that many of you are still trying to sort through the choices and get your ballots in.

Our reporters and editors have been working tirelessly over the last several months to research the backgrounds of candidates, conduct interviews, moderate debates and identify the issues and backgrounds that distinguish them. It's one of the more important and solemn duties we have as journalists and we take the responsibility very seriously.

To help with your own decision making, we've compiled and organized our coverage of all the races and ballot measures into an online 2020 Voter Guide. Within this guide you can find stories, interviews, videos and our endorsements. We encourage you to use this information, along with other sources, to help you determine your choices. 

Our reporters have more years of experience covering local politics than those at any other news organization serving the region. It's another example of the value to readers of strong and independent journalism. 

But this coverage doesn't come free. Our future depends on readers like you understanding the immense challenges that are threatening local media all across the world and, yes, even here.

As you reflect on the importance of this election, we hope you will also consider how good local journalism contributes to a healthy community and democracy.

Please join thousands of your neighbors and become a subscribing member. If you are already a member under a different email address, you can ignore this email. We thank you very much for your support. 

And don't forget to vote!

Bringing you fact-based journalism takes work. Sustaining it takes your support.

There is a lot of news out there, but it's hard to find independent, fact-based journalism you can depend on, especially during these unprecedented times. Our journalists are working around the clock to provide the best coverage possible of our local community. However, advertising revenue is a fraction of what it once was. And so we must fight for our own survival while continuing to bring you vital news and information.

But there's hope. Thousands of your friends and neighbors have stepped up to help sustain our reporting efforts. By becoming subscribing members, they have embraced the idea that the value they receive is worth at least $5 a month. However, many more like them need to do the same to allow us to retain our talented journalists.

Will you join them in supporting the local journalism you depend on and become a subscribing member today?

Survival Stories: How three Peninsula eateries are adapting during the pandemic

6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 27
Presented to you virtually on Zoom

Panelists

Moderator

We all feel tremendous empathy for those residents whose loved ones have been victims of COVID-19, as well as the large number of people who have lost their jobs or been furloughed. As we enter the eighth week of sheltering in place it seemed like a good time to give you a brief update on how we're doing.

As our reporters work hard to keep you informed on the crisis and the heroic work of health care professionals, nurses and first responders, I feel immense gratitude and pride for how the community has responded. With so much uncertainty about the future, every one of us is trying to thoughtfully sort out our plans for when and how we safely return to a new "normal."

Our team at the Mountain View Voice is remaining in operation (albeit mostly from home and, for some, on a reduced schedule) as an essential business. Our employees are therefore struggling with the dual stresses of covering an emotional and continuing breaking news story and coping with social isolation and the needs of their extended families.

At the same time, the closure of businesses and shelter-at-home orders meant very few businesses had anything to advertise, forcing us to make the difficult decision to suspend our print edition on March 29. Like many other businesses, we face an unprecedented business crisis. 

Thankfully, we have been able to continue reporting online with the support of hundreds of Mountain View residents who have become subscribing members in the last seven weeks. And two weeks ago we were also relieved to receive an SBA PPP loan that will offset some of our losses. We are hoping to be able to resume our print edition soon after businesses are able to reopen. But the high cost of printing and mailing a printed newspaper makes this far from certain. Whether we determine we can resume the print edition or not, we are firmly committed to continue to serve the community with the high quality and trusted online local news coverage you have come to expect and that we have been providing for many years. 

You may not realize that the plight of local news organizations was already dire, and the future of local journalism in doubt, because of a steady decade-long decline in local advertising brought on by the disruption of independent local retail by online shopping. Newspapers all across the country are facing this challenge, and many simply can't afford to continue.

To secure the future of our company, we had already begun to shift our business model over the last two years to one built on reader support rather than on advertising. We can only succeed in this transition, however, if current readers like you -- those who read our daily Express news digest, visit our website for the latest local news or have read the print edition of the Voice -- do your part by becoming a subscribing member.

We frequently hear from readers and friends who believe they are subscribers because the Voice was delivered to their home or because they receive Express every morning by email. Unfortunately, that's not the case. 

If you are reading this email, it means that you are NOT a subscriber to either the Mountain View Voice or our website under the email address I am using to reach you today. (If you think you may have used a different email address to subscribe, you will know if you are receiving "Local Scoop," the newsletter we email exclusively to active subscribers on the second week of each month. Scoop provides a glimpse inside our journalism, invitations to subscriber-only events and occasional free tickets to local entertainment events.)

Your support is more important to our future now than ever before. It will allow us to retain an outstanding team of journalists who are vital to our community staying well-informed. There has never been a time when the importance of a trusted local news source was more obvious than today.

If you value local journalism, please do your part to keep it thriving. Help us reach our goal of 600 new subscribers by the end of June and become a member today.

Thank you,

Bill Johnson

Founder and President
Embarcadero Media

Let''s make this official.

At a time when the truth matters more than ever, we're deeply committed to bringing you fact-based, independent journalism. Our ability to continue this work depends on the support of readers like you.

We need your commitment to fulfill ours.

Make it official and become a subscribing member for as little as $5 per month.