Goodbye from IB Patch Editor Khari Johnson

Thank you, Imperial Beach, for all your support over the years. 

Last Wednesday I was laid off along with hundreds of other Patch.com employees and I am no longer editor of Imperial Beach Patch or La Mesa-Mount Helix Patch.

I feel blessed that I got to learn in the last three years why so many people have chosen to spend their lives in Imperial Beach or moved away and came back. 

I understand why sunset walks on the pier, in the estuary or near the mouth of the Tijuana River are among the best kept secrets in San Diego and can change a person’s life.

I’m glad I got the chance to treat West Coast Cafe like an office. To all the Nicholass the cat fans and regulars I met at the cafe, talking to you everyday made living without an office bearable. I’m really happy I got to get to know you and many of your families.

I will miss getting to know everyday and extraordinary people that live in IB and covering issues like local politics, U.S. Navy, environment, U.S.-Mexico border, local schools, crime and Imperial Beach City Council.

There was a lot of transition: a sandcastle competition ended and another began and Seacoast Inn, El Camino Motel and 9th and Palm were demolished. 

Thanks to everyone who shared kind words about me on Patch, my Facebook wall and a recent San Diego Reader article. Thanks again for the incredible poem, Gidge.

People who love their neighbors and town supported IB Patch and helped propel the site forward with comments and story tips that helped inform news coverage and create a virtual town square.

My goal as editor was to ensure that every day a reader visited the website they saw interesting, relevant news about Imperial Beach that could not be found anywhere else. 

Most days I think we were able to do that.

For more than three years I looked for ways to report accurate, interesting stories that share some local flavor and connect people with volunteer opportunities, info about how to stay safe and ways to improve their community or be part of democratic processes.

I’m glad IB Patch has been left in the hands of a pretty eclectic, talented group of people – IB Patch bloggers and readers. I hope people keep sharing and continue to use the site to stay up to date, post events, blog and enjoy a connection with their neighbors.

I’m proud to have built the site from scratch with an award-winning team of columnists and freelancers, the majority of whom live in IB.

One thing most people don’t know is that I visited journalism classrooms at Southwestern College about once a semester since the site launched in 2010 to talk about journalism today or what Patch was trying to do at the time.

The majority of freelancers IB Patch hired were Southwestern College students or graduates. It is so gratifying to me to know that some reporters who worked as freelancers for IB Patch now have full-time jobs in newsrooms around Southern California.

What’s next for me? 

Next month I’m going to move to Finland to live with my daughter Sophie and her mother Tiina Aisla. 

I’ll be in IB before I leave but if you want to contact me email kharijohnson@gmail.com. To keep up with my next assignment visit kjohnsonmedia.com.

To all the Patch editors: I hope you land on your feet. Local Editors I knew in San Diego and other parts of the country were devoted to their communities of coverage and worked long hours to produce stories that couldn’t be found anywhere else.