Sacramento columnist Marcos Bretón named McClatchy’s new California Opinion Editor
Marcos Bretón, who has been a columnist at The Sacramento Bee since 2007, was announced on Monday as The McClatchy Company’s new California Opinion Editor.
In his new role with The McClatchy Co., which owns The Bee and operates in 30 media markets across the country, Bretón will lead The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board and work closely with opinion editors in each of the company’s California markets.
“I’m thrilled Marcos is in this new role. He’s long been a strong voice in Sacramento, and he cares passionately about his community and California,” said Peter St. Onge, McClatchy’s Opinion Editor. “He’s shown he’s the right person to lead this team in providing local, urgent and thoughtful opinion journalism to Bee readers.”
Bretón, 58, is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience covering California. The son of Mexican immigrants, Bretón is married and is the father of two daughters. Breton has worked at The Bee since 1989; first as a news reporter, then as a sports columnist, and then as a news columnist.
“Being named California Opinion Editor is the greatest honor of my career,” Breton said. “When I first moved to Sacramento, I thought it would be for two years. It’s 31 years later, and I’ve stayed because I love this institution, and I draw inspiration from my colleagues who work so hard every day to keep journalism alive in Sacramento. It’s going to be my job to produce compelling opinion journalism, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Bretón, a graduate of the School of Journalism at San Jose State University, is a former Alicia Patterson Foundation fellow and the author of two baseball books published by Simon & Schuster and Warner Books, respectively. He is a past winner of the Ruben Salazar Award from CCNMA Latino Journalists of California and was a three-time finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.
Colleen McCain Nelson, The Bee’s executive editor and McClatchy’s regional editor for California, said Bretón was selected for the job, “So that we remain focused on serving our readers with local, reported and urgent opinion journalism.”
Nelson said Bretón’s columns have given a voice to those without one while holding those in power accountable.
“His opinion journalism has connected the dots for readers on the complexities of Sacramento and California,” Nelson said. “Marcos championed marriage equality before same-sex marriage was legal and confronted police brutality before George Floyd.”
She noted Marcos has been a passionate voice for The Bee, and that his experience and vision will inform our work.
“I’m thrilled that Marcos will be leading our Sacramento Bee Editorial Board and will be working with the opinion journalists in all of McClatchy’s California newsrooms,” Nelson said. “We’re committed to providing our readers with unique, community-focused opinion journalism that they can’t find anywhere else, and Marcos will ensure that we deliver on that promise.”
This story was originally published June 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Sacramento columnist Marcos Bretón named McClatchy’s new California Opinion Editor."
