The Monterey Herald, informally known as the The Monterey County Herald, is a daily newspaper digitally produced and published in print at Chico, California, and written at Monterey, California, serving Monterey County. It is owned by Media News Group, which is owned by Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund in New York City largely managed by the millionaires Randall D. Smith and Heath Freeman, who have a national reputation for downsizing and dismantling newspapers. In the 1900's, hundreds of people worked for the Herald. As of July 2026, there are less than six journalists responsible for a coverage area twice the size of Delaware.
Earlier papers known as the Monterey Herald While there were two original papers known as the Monterey Herald, they were common to the modern paper only in their name.
Monterey Weekly Herald (1874–1876)
The first capitol of California, and the original County Seat, was the city of Monterey. The County Seat, however, left Monterey in 1873, and the newsmen followed, leaving the city without a newspaper. In the Fall of 1874, two entrepreneurs named George Clevenger and Steve Clevenger (in some sources, spelled Cleavenger) started a newspaper called the Herald. In various sources, it is called the Monterey Herald, the Weekly Herald, or the Monterey Weekly Herald. Steve Clevenger was an "energetic young man," and a former typesetter from San Jose. In August 1875, Steve Clevenger sold his interests in the Herald to the printing house Walton & Curtis, with plans to move to San Jose.
Walton & Curtis, the publishing house, was partially the namesake of Edwin Emmet CurtisFull name found at the bottom of first page of The Hand Book to Monterey and Vicinity., who by 1889 was listed as the telegraph editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. The other half was W. H. F. Walton. Their most notable printing was the book The Hand Book to Monterey and Vicinity.
In September 1875, the Monterey Herald stated that: "cash is scarce... we are prepared to receive pianos, wheelbarrows, stove-wood, abalones and small sized whales in payment of subscriptions." By October 1875, W. H. Fitz Walton (also known as W. H. Walton Wright) had sold his own interest in the Monterey Herald to Curtis and Manuel Robert Merritt. M. R. Merritt, born in Monterey in 1855, had formerly worked as a printer at the Monterey Republican and as the owner of the Castroville Argus, the paper formerly established by Juan B. Castro (namesake of Castroville).
The Herald "died" on April 8, 1876. The editor of the paper wrote an obituary for the paper which read: "Aged 1 year and 47 numbers. Who killed the Herald? 'I' said Monterey. 'With my poor pay, I killed the Herald." Gone to meet the Monterey Union, Gazette, and Republican. Requiescat in pace."
Monterey Herald (1909-1910) On May 30, 1909, another publication named the Monterey Herald started production. Harry H. Green was the office foreman, formerly of the Salinas Democrat, and B. J. O'Donnell was the city editor. In mid-July, the reporter J. S. Cantwell, nicknamed Can't, left his position in Santa Cruz to work at the Herald. At the end of July, Frank Willard Kimball was brought in as managing editor, in those days known as the editing tripod. Kimball immediately got to work trying to re-establish Monterey as the County Seat, using his paper to accomplish this.
In February 1910, L.R. Grover sold the Monterey Herald to George Schultzberg and J. J. McIntosh, two local area schoolteachers. Newspapers at the time reported that Schultzberg aspired to use the paper to secure the Republican nomination against the Superintendent of the county school district. In March, Schulzberg withdrew his name for the race for Superintendent, and told his fellow journalists that: "I did not buy the newspaper to further my political aspirations... Monterey needs a newspaper."
On April 19, 1910, articles of incorporation were filed for the Weybret-Lee Publishing and Printing company in Monterey. The directors were George Schultzberg, W. T. Lee, F. Weybret, George R. Higby, and Clement H. Wilson, all residents of the Monterey Peninsula. Lee and Weybret were owners of a job notice printer, and merged their printing operation into the Herald.
On April 27, 1910, the new Monterey Herald Publishing Company was incorporated with the Monterey county clerk's office. The new directors were named S. A. Davis, H. H. McLeroth, and William Sandholdt, Jr. In May 1910, Bernie J. O'Donnell retired from Stanford University and resumed his position at the Herald. At the end of June, 1910, William Sandholdt, the editor of the Monterey Herald was in Salinas on "law business."
On July 8, 1910, the Monterey Herald announced that it was ceasing production.
History
Peninsula Daily Herald (1922–1929)
As early as January 1922, rumors circulated in the Monterey Bay area that a newspaper was being planned to open sometime that February. It was to be called the Peninsula Herald, and jointly owned by Harold Hayes and Allen Griffin. That January, the men were already recruiting journalists to staff the newspaper, which was to be 8 pages, and distributed to Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel, New Monterey, and Del Monte. Two competing newspapers did exist in the area; the Monterey Cypress and the Pacific Grove Review. One of their first hired journalists was Warren J. Hall.
On June 15, 1922, the first issue of the Peninsula Daily Herald was published. At the top of the front page on the issue of June 21 were the words "Greetings Monterey Peninsula." In the upper right corner, an arrow pointed at the newspaper's logo, next to the words "To a Greater Monterey Peninsula, straight ahead."
On the morning of July 16, 1922, the Peninsula Daily Herald Company, registered in Monterey, filed articles of incorporation with the Monterey County Clerk's office in Salinas. Listed on the filing as directors were E. A. Hayes, Allen Griffin, and Phyllis H. Griffin. Allen Griffin and Phyllis Hayes Griffin had been married since 1917.
Robert Allen Griffin, known as Allen Griffin, had previously been the senior editor of his high school newspaper, editor of several newspapers at Stanford University, and creator of the Stanford Illustrated Review. During World War I, Griffin had been the commander of Company F, 364th Infantry Regiment, 91st Infantry Division – known as the "Wild West Division" – where he had earned the Distinguished Service Cross.
Everis Anson "Red" Hayes was the son of Mary Hayes Chynoweth, who alongside his brother J.O. Hayes, had been the owner of the San Jose Mercury, the San Jose Herald, and later the San Jose Mercury-Herald. Hayes had served seven terms in the United States Congress representing California, leaving that career in 1919. Everis Anson Hayes was Phyllis's father, and Allen's father-in-law.
In 1927, the Herald moved into the newly built Carmel stone chalk rock building at the corner of Washington Street and Pearl Street. The building had been designed by A. Nostovich and built by A. C. Anthony. Originally, the building had a mission tile roof. Alternatively, the building is known as the J. C. Anthony Building, but J.C. Anthony designed and built dozens of buildings in the area, so it is most commonly referred to as the Old Herald Building. The words The Herald are still carved into the arched panel above the main door.
Monterey Peninsula Herald (1929–1986)
Griffin bought Monterey Cypress American and consolidated it with his paper, later renamed the Monterey Peninsula Herald. Allen returned to the military during World War II. He served as deputy chief of the ECA China Mission and set up the first United States operation on Formosa after the collapse of Free China.
In 1949, Edward Kennedy was hired as the Herald's editor-in-chief. Kennedy, as an Associated Press correspondent, had won celebrity, and considerable criticism, in the closing days of World War II by announcing Germany's surrender one day before that announcement was supposed to have been made.
In 1951, Robert K. Bullock, who had joined the Herald in 1949, was made sports editor. By the 1970's, newspapers in the region referred to him as the "Dean of Monterey Bay Area Sports Journalism."
In 1953, The Herald moved into its new headquarters building at the corner Pacific Street and Jefferson Street, in the old Monterey neighborhood of Spaghetti Hill. That building is now on the campus of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. It was remodeled in the Bay Area Style, associated with William Wurster.
Phyllis Hayes Griffin died in 1956, still a co-owner of the Herald alongside Allen Griffin, despite their earlier divorce.
In September 1963, Allen Griffin, then 70 years old, named Pete Arthur Jr. (full name Franklin K. Arthur Jr.) as his replacement to the office of publisher and editor. Arthur had formerly been a reporter at the San Bernardino Sun, and was at that time the New York Bureau Chief of the Associated Press. He left his posting at the AP for the Herald, where his former colleague Edward Kennedy, who was now assistant editor, was appointed associate editor. Allen Griffin took up a position as President of the publication.
Six days after the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, on Sunday morning, Edward Kennedy was crossing the street, and was hit by a 24-year-old woman driving a sports car. He suffered multiple fractures, and was rushed to Monterey Community Hospital. While performing his autopsy, doctors discovered a tumorous lump in his throat, and declared that Kennedy had died of cancer, not the accident. A small memorial plaque in Seaside memorializes him for having given the world an extra day of peace.
Block and Blade (1967–1992) In 1967, the Herald was acquired by the famous Block family and Blade Communications, owners of the Toledo Blade. At that time the paper had a circulation of 30,000. Griffin remained at the paper, and ensured that management policies would remain the same. Griffin retired three years later, in 1970.
In 1971, an employee at the Toledo Blade, Albert Cross, came to work at the Monterey Peninsula Herald for the first time, working for both papers simultaneously. In 1980, Cross was named managing editor of the Herald. In 1981, he was named executive director of the Blade.
In July 1974, a severe case of cancer forced Pete Arthur to retire as publisher and editor of the Herald. He died 4 months later, in November.
Also in November 1974, Nancy Griffin, daughter of Allen Griffin and part-owner of the Herald, died.
In 1976, Fred Hawes, the advertising manager of the Herald for over three decades, who had joined the paper in 1922 as a paperboy, retired. He died the following year.
In 1980, Jimmy Costello, who had been hired as a reporter at the Herald in 1939, and had served as the City Editor for over 20 years, retired from a 42 year career. He died two years later.
In July 1981, Allen Griffin, the founder of the newspaper, died.
In August 1981, the Herald started started morning publication for seven days a week. Prior to this, from 1974, it had only been an afternoon publication from Monday to Friday, with morning editions on Saturday and Sunday.
In 1982, Joe Livernois was hired as Editor.
In 1982, photojournalist Robert Fish captured a photograph which was published in the paper of a rescue worker walking out of the waters of Monastery Beach, holding a dead and drowned little boy. This sparked outrage among community members who said that the publication showed a lack of respect for the boy and his family.
In January 1983, Pat Griffith was made managing editor.
In September 1983, Richard B. Gifford retired from his position as General Manager of the Monterey Peninsula Herald. Albert Cross was appointed to replace him.
In February 1984, members of the Local 98 of the Newspaper Guild, the labor union, went into contract talks with management negotiators. A tentative agreement was reached in April 1984.
The Herald