If there is one lesson we at the Daily Journal have learned over the last 10 years, it's don't mess with the Jumble. Hell hath no fury like a Jumble reader scorned. If we run an old Jumble by mistake, the switchboard will light up like the proverbial Christmas tree as soon as 6 a.m. and the morning is all-consumed by inquiries about what happened, how we plan on ensuring it won't happen again, what the hell is wrong with us and, most importantly, what are the answers?
In short, we try our very best not to mess up the page 2 puzzle. Though we like to pride ourselves on our emphasis on fair and accurate local news coverage -- a lot of times we get people saying, "I love your paper, I love the Jumble!" And so it goes for many newspapers. We offer a little something for everyone and hope enough people read and advertise to keep us in business.
Which they have for exactly 10 years. Today, we reached a milestone. It was Aug. 18, 2000 that this little paper that could first graced the streets of San Mateo with an eight-page paper announcing a protest over plans to knock down the Main Street Garage in San Mateo to put in a movie theater and a controversy in Burlingame over a large-scale office building at the former Burlingame Drive-In. The stories have developed over the years -- the Main Street Garage is long gone and the downtown San Mateo movie theater is about to celebrate its seventh year of existence. The Burlingame Drive-In is still an empty patch of land but we'll get back to you on that since we hear there is another development proposal in the works.
In the works has been a key phrase for us the past 10 years. It seems as if we are always a work in progress. It is as it should be for a daily newspaper covering a dynamic and ever-changing community. The stories we've covered vary day to day, but there is always something new to cover. And that's the way we like it. Resilience is another adjective that could be assigned to us. We may complain about small stuff, but when it comes time to get to work, we are ready at a moment's notice.
Over the years, we've dealt with strife like any other small business -- like when a dispute between our former property owner and the people from who we subleased resulted in a week without air conditioning in the middle of a very hot August. I felt like Hemingway in the Spanish Civil War with sleeves rolled up and fans running full blast. There was also that time a reporter decided to make pancakes in the newsroom and instead created a fireball. On 9/11, another reporter cut short her honeymoon to cover a story. Then there was the series of wicked storms three years ago that knocked our power out and we spent hours on the phone with PG&E trying to convince them that we wouldn't be able to put out a paper without some immediate assistance. It was the only time in which we contemplated not printing an edition. But that didn't seem to be an option. Because sending the paper to the press is what we do. And we did.
We had the BALCO scoop back in 2003 when a source called to let us know that there was some sort of major police activity in the industrial area of Burlingame. We were the only paper to have a front-page story on the bust and kept on the story for months. We knew it was a big story with widespread ramifications, but there is something about having reporters from Paris and ESPN call looking for information that just seemed to solidify the impact.
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The yellow ribbon controversy in Burlingame attracted national attention as did the Belmont smoking ban. Both Daily Journal scoops. There was the time that Bill Silverfarb wrote that the "South San Francisco: The Industrial City" sign was an eyesore and should be taken down. I disagreed, and wrote as much in a column. It was the quickest turnaround of a maelstrom of malice to words of gratitude and kindness I had ever seen. If Bill was to be in South City's doghouse, I was to be the hero. All within a few days. It was fun.
The stories are manifold and there is no way I can recount every one.
We've had good quality workers go on to greener pastures and many still keep in touch. And the core of our newsroom remains strong with conversations that can turn from the diminished quality of paper towels at City Hall to city pension obligations and the state budget impact on local services at a moment's notice. We genuinely like and care for each other and take our jobs seriously. From my perspective, it's the makings of a perfect company.
So here's to another 10 years serving the Peninsula. We've had our moments of joy, pain, strife and victory. It's been a blast. And I promise not to mess with the Jumble.
Jon Mays is the editor in chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com.
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