Michelle Iracheta

When I helped launch the Redwood City Pulse in 2021, I had no idea just how much it would come to define my work, my sense of purpose and my relationship with the community I now call home. The Pulse wasn’t just a job, it was, and still is, a passion project. A leap of faith into the heart of Redwood City. A city I didn’t grow up in, but quickly grew to love.

Before the Pulse, I was a breaking news reporter at the Houston Chronicle, chasing hurricanes, refinery explosions and late-night crime scenes. When Bill Johnson, CEO of Embarcadero Media, approached me with the idea of launching a brand-new news outlet specifically for Redwood City, I was all in. He wasn’t just looking for a traditional editor. He was looking for someone who could help shape a newsroom built for a new era of journalism — digital-first, community-rooted and unapologetically local.

After more than three years of planning and a delay due to the pandemic, the Redwood City Pulse officially launched on October 15, 2021, with a soft launch in the days before. From the beginning, we were greeted with curiosity, some excitement — and plenty of skepticism.

People asked, “Who are you? Are you from here? Why do we need another news source?” Others would say, “We already get our news from the Daily Journal.” And I understood that reaction. But I would always respond with, “That’s great — it’s important to get your news from multiple sources. We’re here to add to that coverage with hyperlocal stories, the kind that come straight from the neighborhoods, schools, and boardrooms of Redwood City. We want to hear from you — tell us what to cover.“

To earn that trust, I knew I had to go beyond the editor’s desk. I spent that first year fully immersed in the community. I attended city council meetings, board meetings, school events. I introduced myself to nonprofit leaders and city officials. I showed up to mixers and coffees and farmers markets. We joined the local Chamber. I shook hands, passed out cards, gave out my personal number and email. I wasn’t just editing stories. I was building a brand and a relationship with the city, one interaction at a time.

As a Latina journalist, this work carried personal weight. Redwood City is home to many underserved communities and I saw my own family’s story reflected in theirs. I knew what it meant to not always be heard, to be left out of the narrative. That’s why building trust wasn’t just a professional goal and it was deeply personal. I wanted to make sure the Pulse told stories for everyone, especially for those who are so often left out.

Most journalists stay behind the scenes, separate from sales or marketing. But the Pulse was different. As the founding editor, I was the face of the publication. That meant putting myself out there and making sure people knew what we were about. I wanted people to see that this wasn’t some distant corporate news startup. We were a local project run by people who genuinely cared.

One of the best decisions I made was hiring Leah Worthington as our first lead reporter. Leah was not only sharp and talented, but collaborative, kind and deeply curious. She brought experience from California Magazine and podcasting work at The Edge, with a background in science writing that made her an incredibly thoughtful storyteller. She covered redistricting, civic engagement, and, in truth, helped lay the foundation for our podcast, Redwood City Election Watch. Leah was instrumental in shaping the Pulse’s editorial voice and I’ll always be grateful we built this together.

The Pulse approached reporting with a clear purpose: to explain what’s happening, not just report what happened. Our stories went beyond council vote tallies and we gave readers the “why it matters.” We covered redistricting, school board decisions, elections, housing developments, housing and homelessness, public safety, and later, the sprawling investigation into Sheriff Christina Corpus. We published daily newsletters, introduced blogger voices and launched a podcast. We emphasized transparency, fact-based reporting and reader input.

We were also part of something bigger. As Bill shared in his launch-day letter and as he told Daily Journal one month before, the Pulse was built on the values that made Embarcadero Media a trusted name across the Peninsula — fairness, independence, and community service. With initial support from the Google News Initiative and Canadian tech firm Village Media, we had the infrastructure to build something sustainable, but we knew credibility would come from being on the ground.

That’s why I say: the work that meant the most wasn’t in the headlines, but it was in the conversations. The people who pulled me aside at the farmers market with a story tip. The parents who forwarded our newsletter to their friends. The officials who told me, “We needed this.” The residents who trusted us to tell their stories. I still read their notes, emails, listen to their voices.

More than anything, the Redwood City Pulse has been a love letter to this city. One built not on where I came from, but on how I showed up. On the belief that Redwood City deserves strong, ethical, community-centered journalism. And on the conviction that local news can still bring people together.

If you’re reading this on my website, thank you for being part of that journey. And if you ever have a story to share, you already know how to reach me.