11th Annual California Journalism Awards

Recipients of 11th Annual California Journalism Awards

The John Jacobs Award from print special feature/enterprise reporting: John Hill and Dorothy Korber of The Sacramento Bee won for a body of work that broke the story of top level California Highway Patrol officers' misuse of workers compensation and pension funds. Hill and Korber found that CHP chiefs claimed injuries at the end of their careers, paving the way for lucrative, untaxed medical pensions. Those and other stories led to statewide measures to curb abuses and to the resurrection of the CHP's workers' comp fraud unit.
• Click HERE to view the series.

The John Jacobs Award for print daily coverage: Gary Delsohn, Herbert Sample and Dan Smith of The Sacramento Bee won for a body of work relating to former Secretary of State Kevin Shelley's questionable use of federal election funds. Reporting by Delsohn, Sample and Smith led to the state personnel board's first-ever rebuke of a constitutional officeholder.

• Click the titles to view articles.
        Shelley staffers call him abusive
        Shelley controversy deepens
        Voter-outreach work had a partisan tilt
        Once-rising star fights for his political life
        Shelley: Neck pain ties to anger issues

For excellence in radio reporting: John Myers of KQED Public Radio in San Francisco for three stories: an enterprise story on budget woes for the state's campaign finance watchdog agency; a look at the changing political climate for the influential interest group, the California Correctional Peace Officer Association; and a report on possible conflicts of interest regarding the workers compensation crisis and Governor Schwarzenegger's fundraising.

• Click HERE to listen to Political Watchdog
• Click HERE to listen to Prison Guards Political Clout
• Click HERE to listen to Schwarzenegger Workers Comp Fundraising

For excellence in television reporting: Randy Paige, Frank Snepp and Richard Alvarez of KCBS-TV in Los Angeles for reports on the energy industry's influence on the five state public utilities commissioners who determine how much profit the energy companies are allowed to make.

• Click HERE to view the video, temporarily disable any Pop-up Blocker and then click LAUNCH:  Power Plays, Randy Paige Reports

The Katherine M. Macdonald Award for excellence in student journalism: Kristin Mayer of the University of Southern California who wrote a story for the Capitol Weekly on the fight to put the open primary initiative on the November ballot.

• Click HERE to view Senate and Assembly Quickly Pass Measure to Battle Open Primary Initiative.
• Click HERE to view Three gangs around USC area.