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Jennifer Best on Muck Rack

Jennifer Best

As seen in: Noozhawk, Yahoo News, Yahoo Sports Canada, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., EIN News, NewsBreak, Fresno Bee, The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Weekly, EIN Presswire, Santa Maria Times and
Covers:  Wheelchair sports; city government; features; wine; travel

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Jennifer Best’s Journalist Portfolio

Growing frequency of commercial launches prompts change in Jalama Beach park evacuations

Growing frequency of commercial launches prompts change in Jalama Beach park evacuations

With the growing frequency of commercial launches, Santa Barbara County and Vandenberg Space Force Base are d…

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Santa Maria airport ups hangar rent 50% to meet costs

Santa Maria airport ups hangar rent 50% to meet costs

The Santa Maria Public Airport board has increased hangar rents 50% in an effort to begin addressing mounting…

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Sierra backcountry offers obstacles, bugs, beauty following epic winter

Sierra backcountry offers obstacles, bugs, beauty following epic winter

Deep in the northwestern corner of Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park, just south of the Sierra National Fore…

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Articles

County supervisors waive Dare 2 Dream Farms transient tax backlog, a first since 2018 ordinance Original

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By Jennifer Best
| Santa Maria Times Verified
A Lompoc Valley farm family breathed a sigh of relief Monday when the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to waive $64,840 in transient occupancy tax, interest and penalties related to their farm stay operation. It was the first transient occupancy tax appeal to win county approval since the Short-Term Rentals and Homestays for the Inland Area Ordinance went into effect in 2018. “If the appeal is denied, there’s really not a way for us to pay back this amount.
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Kimberly Savage is back to running after winning cancer fight

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By Jennifer Best
| Santa Maria Times Verified
Kimberly Savage is an athlete. She’s used to her body hurting. She’s used to the kind of pain and exhaustion training for and running marathons brings. Couple that with a professional career, family life and the joys of parenthood, and perhaps it’s no surprise she missed the real message her body was sending: colorectal cancer. “The lesson I would have people take from this is don’t false diagnose yourself. If you’re having symptoms, especially gastro symptoms, get it checked out.
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Cancer survivor Gilbert Rea continues to be master of the BBQ pit

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By Jennifer Best
| Santa Maria Times Verified
Gilbert Rea thought he was too young to be having a heart attack in his backyard on a beautiful autumn day in 2010. When he found out it was chronic lymphocytic leukemia, he was gobsmacked. “When they told me, I was in my mid-50s thinking, ‘How does this come about?’ But people all ages get this stuff. There’s no rhyme or reason,” Rea said from his Orcutt home. Rea, who is Mission Hope Cancer Center's 2026 Day of Hope Santa Maria Ambassador, was raised in Nipomo before moving to Orcutt.
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Interview

What was your first job as a journalist?

Unpaid: elementary school newspaper; paid: Daily Utah Chronicle

Awards

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CNPA Journalism Awards

2025 - Local News Coverage - multiple awards

2nd place recognition for coverage of homelessness in Santa Maria 2nd place recognition for a profile story on the retirement of Solvang librarian Carey McKinnon. 5th place for coverage of local government (shared with mike Hodgson of Santa Maria Times) for our series of stories about a Santa Barbara County decision to limit the number of roosters kept on agricultural parcels

CNPA Journalism Award

2024 - Feature Story

2nd place Feature Story for "Sierra backcountry offers obstacles, bugs, beauty following epic winter" which ran 9/4/2023 in Santa Maria Times. The print awards were announced by the California News Publishers Association during its July 13 awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

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CNPA Journalism Award

2024 - Writing

3rd Place, writing category, for story "Sierra backcountry offers obstacles, bugs, beauty following epic winter" which ran 9/4/23. The story also earned 2nd place in the Feature Story category.

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California Mid-State Fair

2006 - Professional Photography

Second place child portrait in the professional category

John Swett Award

1999 - Education coverage

Top award for coverage of education. The award particularly noted "In Plain English," a package covering the proposed Unz initiative, second-lantuage students at every level of education.

California Newpspaper Publishers Association

1999 - Public issue coverage

"In Plain English" - Santa Maria Times

John Swett Award

1998 - Certificate of Merit for Continuous Coverage of Education

Santa Maria Times - education beat reporter covering 14 school districts in two counties

Pulitzer Prize

1998 - Pulitzer Community Newspapers Award of Excellence

"In Plain English" package, Santa Maria Times, April 1998

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National Newspaper Association

1997 - Weekly Newspapers - Health Issue Coverage

"Littlest Lives," New Times, Jan. 30, 1997

National Newspaper Association

1996 - Weekly Newspapers - Environmental Coverage

"Condors," New Times