Vote in SPJ/LA's Online Board Election
Watch your inbox! SPJ/LA will be conducting its annual online election for the chapter's Board of Directors over a three-day period this week.
Voting for SPJ/LA members will take place from 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16. until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18.
SPJ/LA members will receive an email on Thursday with a link to the online ballot, along with a password. Look for an email from vote@electionsonline.com (please check "spam" and "promotions" folders too.)
The chapter used member information provided by SPJ's national headquarters for the ballot list. Members were required to renew or sign up by Dec. 10 to be eligible to vote.
Results will be announced next week.
Seven candidates are competing for six seats this year. Please read more about them below.
New board members will begin their three-year terms on Jan. 1, 2022.
Joel Bellman has been a committed member of the SPJ/LA Pro Chapter since he joined as a journalism graduate student, and is a long-serving Board member. He currently chairs the Advocacy Committee, and previously chaired the Ethics, Freedom of Information, and Nominations Committees. His undergraduate and graduate degrees are in journalism, and his journalism experience includes award-winning work in Los Angeles radio, and several years as an editorial writer and columnist for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner newspaper. Currently, he writes on a variety of news, media, politics, and culture subjects, and has a monthly column for the Canyon Chronicle in Topanga. He also handled political communications for three Los Angeles County Supervisors, where he interacted with hundreds of reporters and advocated for greater openness and transparency within Los Angeles County government.
Kate Cagle is a Los Angeles-based anchor and investigative reporter for Spectrum News 1 SoCal with more than a decade of experience reporting for television, digital and print. She’s established herself as a trusted source for accurate, thorough and compassionate reporting on the region’s homeless crisis and criminal justice system. Born in Anchorage, Alaska, Kate grew up in Texas before graduating from USC in 2010. Her career has taken her all over the West, with stints in Palms Springs, Portland and San Francisco before returning to L.A. to raise a family. In 2018, Kate helped launch Spectrum News 1 SoCal. It’s a tough time to be a journalist, Kate says, and she believes it’s more important than ever to foster an ethical, supportive environment. She’s seen first-hand the benefit of a strong network of colleagues willing to counsel peers, organize for a safer working environment and speak out when necessary.
Alexi Chidbachian has worked in journalism for more than six years and loves what she does. She is currently a digital news producer at FOX11 Los Angeles. She was born and raised in LA and love working in her hometown. She was previously a producer in Fresno at KSEE24/ CBS47 where she worked on the evening and nightly newscasts as well as producing special shows. Before moving to Fresno in 2017 she interned at KFI AM 640 as well as producing the morning show at KCSN 88.5. She earned her degree in Journalism from Cal State Northridge, where she spent much of her time as president of SPJ’s local college chapter.
Brittny Mejia is a Metro reporter at the Los Angeles Times, where she writes narrative pieces with a strong emphasis on the Latino community and others that make up the diversity of L.A. and California. She has dreamt of being a journalist since she was in elementary school and was the second in her family to go to college. She serves as a community liaison for the paper’s Latino caucus and hopes to utilize her diverse perspective in a role on the board.
Rick Montanez is an award-winning broadcast journalist with 15 years of experience reporting the news from Idaho to Colorado and across California. Rick is currently reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9 News here in LA. This is his sixth year covering news in Southern California. He also spent 5 years working for NBC4. Rick grew up in Montebello, so reporting on the happenings in SoCal is his passion. He has covered everything from the state’s worst wildfires to terror attacks and Hollywood red carpet events. Rick joined SPJ/LA a few months ago as an associate board member. Now, he’s running for a seat on the Board of Directors. Rick recognizes the important work SPJ/LA does to advocate for, recognize and celebrate the contributions made by journalists across the southland. Rick understands the power of reporting. He’s looking forward to supporting and learning from his fellow SPJ/LA members.
Navid Nonahal is a past president of the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. After serving three consecutive years as president of SPJ/LA, Nonahal continues her involvement on the board as chair of the Membership Committee. She’s also a member of the chapter’s Banquet Committee. Nonahal was recently recognized by the national organization as the recipient of SPJ’s Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Pro Member Award for her outstanding contributions to the local chapter of which she has been a part of since 2010. As a freelance journalist, Nonahal has contributed to Tehran International Weekly Magazine by reporting on international and national news pertaining to Iran. Nonahal graduated from California State University, Northridge with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
David Zahniser has served the past two years as president of the SPJ/LA's board of directors, leading the organization as it revamped its website, strengthened its social media presence and renewed its focus on advocacy and support for journalists in need. He has been a reporter for the Los Angeles Times since 2007, covering local politics and city government. Prior to that, he wrote for the L.A. Weekly, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Daily Breeze, the Pasadena Star-News and the Claremont Courier. He is a graduate of Pomona College and lives in Los Angeles.
CONTACT: Tom Bray, tom.bray.home@gmail.com, 951-756-3738