Comstock’s 2023 stories, designs, photographs and illustrations took home 20 awards in the California News Publishers Associations’ annual California Journalism Awards, held in-person in Los Angeles this year for the first time since the pandemic.

“It was a great night being in a room with hundreds of journalists from all over California,” says Comstock’s Editor Judy Farah, who traveled to LA to attend the ceremony. “It was inspiring to see the great journalism being done. I couldn’t be more proud that Comstock’s was honored with so many awards.

I was especially thrilled at winning the top honor for our 12-page fentanyl special report, which spotlighted the crisis in our community and state,” she continues. “And I was beyond thrilled when Gabriel Teague’s stunning photo of lowriders in West Sacramento beat out the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Bee and others for Best Feature Photo in the entire state! Comstock’s is doing exciting things and getting noticed for it.” 

Here are all our awards, with links to the winning content.

First Place for General Excellence: Fentanyl Crisis Special Report by Graham Womack, Judy Farah, Dakota Morlan, Ruvi Palafox and Fred Greaves

Comstock’s won first place in its division for general excellence for this issue, which tackled the fentanyl crisis rampaging the Capital Region. The judges wrote: “Comstock’s special report on fentanyl led a California lawmaker to introduce legislation to help fight the deadly drug. So smart to include the graphic showing how emojis are used in social media to represent various drugs. News you can use at its best.”

First Place for Transportation Reporting: “Share the Road” by James Stout

Sacramento is home to a thriving bicycle scene, and an increasing number of people choose to get around by bike rather than car. However, the city and surrounding region are developed to prioritize cars over bikes and pedestrians, leading to some dangerous situations. Can a ragtag team of city planners, activists and academics get together to make Sacramento safer on two wheels?

First Place for Housing and Land-Use Reporting: “Free Parking?” by Michael Scott

After World War Two, cities in America were planned for cars and parking. But with more people using mass transit and downtowns seeing less traffic post-pandemic, do we really need all those parking spaces now? (Senior Editor Jennifer Fergesen, for whom parking lots are a personal aesthetic bugbear, contributed reporting.)

First Place for Print Inside Page Layout & Design: “Battling for Bucks” by Ruvi Palafox

Art Director Ruvi Palafox incorporated the bold purple of the Sacramento Kings for the layout of this feature on Capital Region sports teams’ economic rivalry with the Bay Area, which also won third place for sports feature.

First Place for Tourism/Travel reporting: “Off the Beaten Track” by Steve Martarano

Comstock’s popular Off The Beaten Track offers new adventures and places for our readers to explore, from historic temples to beautiful gardens and hidden hideaways. Contributor Steve Martarano travels to each location himself, takes the photos and tells the stories. We submitted Steve’s columns on Bok Kai Temple in Marysville, Sugar Pine Lodge in Iowa Hill, Crystal Hermitage Gardens in Nevada County, The Workshop in Benicia and Foster’s Bighorn in Rio Vista.

First Place for Feature Photo: “Boulevard Dreams” by Gabriel Teague

Feature photo was an “open” category in which all the publications in the CNPA competed against each other regardless of size or distribution numbers. That means Comstock’s got Best Feature Photo in the entire state for Gabriel Teague’s colorful photos of lowriders.

Second Place for Illustration: “Light the Beam” by David Garibaldi

Comstock’s scored a coup when renowned performance artist David Garibaldi agreed to create a cover for us when the Sacramento Kings broke their 16-year NBA playoff drought. Garibaldi depicted the bright purple beam that shoots from the Golden 1 Center every time the team wins and fans chant “Light the Beam!”

Second Place for Housing and Land-Use Reporting: “The Rise and Fall of the Mall” by Ed Fletcher

Once the reigning symbol and geographic center of American middle-class prosperity, many aging malls are struggling to draw shoppers. Contributor Ed Fletcher delved into the history of malls, including their ties to white flight, car culture and the decay of urban downtowns, and explored how some of the area’s former mall sites may be converted to more diverse uses.

Third Place for Layout & Design: “Bracing for the AI Revolution” by Ruvi Palafox

No artificial intelligence was involved in the design of this arts feature, which voices local artists’ concerns and hopes for the future of their field in the age of generative AI.

Third Place for Health Reporting: “Beyond the Bottle” by Russell Nichols

In the past decade or so, UC Davis has unexpectedly become a global hotspot for science related to human breast milk. Several startups have spun off from the university to create products inspired by the original superfood, and at the university hospital doctors and researchers are developing ways to provide the benefits of breast milk to babies who can’t feed normally. Contributor Russell Nichols talked to all of them for a thoughtful, sensitive feature story.

Third Place for Sports Feature: “Battling for Bucks” by Judy Farah

Sacramento only has one major sports team — the Sacramento Kings. This story looks into how the city is losing money to sporting events in San Francisco and what city and sports officials are doing to make up for the lost income.

Third Place for Illustration: “Cultural Capital” by Angelo Esquivel

Asked to illustrate the economics of the arts scene in Sacramento, local artist Angelo Esquivel created this sweeping spread depicting the city and some of the many forms of art made here. On the right is a set of hands in a pinstriped suit, representing investors that can fund the arts; on the other is a set of hands representing artists that hope to receive that bounty.

Third Place for Food Writing: “Star Power” by Marybeth Bizjak

In 2019, the Michelin guide came to Sacramento for the first time in its history. It returned in 2022 after the pandemic waned to give stars and other accolades to even more restaurants. We checked in with the awarded restaurants to see how the stars affected their business.

Fourth Place for Health Reporting: “Conscious Conception” by Rachel Leibrock

In vitro fertilization has become more commonplace as people find different ways to start a family. Comstock’s looks into the journey of three couples who used IVF to make a family.

Fourth Place for Housing and Land Use Reporting: “‘Mystery City’ Unveiled” by Graham Womack

The proposal by Silicon Valley millionaires and billionaires to build the perfect city in Northern California caught the attention of the nation. Comstock’s talked to these mysterious developers to learn more about their utopian plan.

Fourth Place for Agricultural Reporting: “Strawberry Fields Forever?” by Sen Saetern

Sacramento is home to one of the country’s largest populations of Iu Mien people, an Indigenous group from Vietnam who partnered with the US military during the Vietnam War. Many who came as refugees after the war now run the strawberry farms that pepper the region. But the younger, American-born generation shows little interest in keeping these businesses going. Writer Sen Saetern, himself an American-born Iu Mien, spoke to some of the young people who are keeping their family’s legacies going.

Fifth Place for Labor Reporting: “Bridging the Job Gap” by Kate Gonzales

As workers in the trades start to retire, there’s a growing need to have younger workers replace them. This story takes a look at some of the innovative programs that are training the next generation of construction workers, electricians and auto mechanics.

Fifth Place for Environment Reporting: “Give Bees a Chance” by Becki Robins

California’s bees and other insects pollinate thousands of different kinds of plants, including important food crops. Many are “pollen specialists,” which means they pollinate only one specific plant species. When plants disappear, pollinators do too, and vice versa. Contributor Becki Robins reported on the people working to help pollinators help us.

Fifth Place for Editorial Cartoon: “Dilemma of the Month: Can I Fire an Intern?” by Jefferson Miller

Jefferson Miller’s illustrations for the Evil HR Lady column are always a delight. He infuses his retro personal style with a touch of Slug Signorino (longtime illustrator of the syndicated column The Straight Dope) for us, complete with Easter eggs in each illo that add humor for the careful eye. (See the “World’s Best Intern” mug overturned on the desk?)

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