Tom Schultz
Staff Reporter
Tom Schultz is a Santa Ynez Valley-based general assignment reporter thrilled to have boomeranged back to the News-Press after nearly 20 years.
Schultz was previously a general assignment and beat reporter at the News-Press for almost a decade from 1998 to 2007 — covering breaking news, government, crime, healthcare, education, science, business, lifestyle and the occasional obituary. During this tenure, he contributed to two award-winning teams recognized by the California Newspaper Publishers Association (CNPA) for stories on agriculture and the 2003 San Simeon earthquake.
He returned to the News-Press in early 2026 as a freelance contributor, before formally rejoining the newsroom staff several months later.
Schultz began his journalism career at the Santa Barbara City College student newspaper, The Channels, followed by a News-Press internship in 1995. While earning a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park, he also interned at the Hartford Courant, the Plain Dealer and the Los Angeles Times, working in its Metro, Valley and Washington, D.C. newsrooms.
An Ohio-born Southern California transplant, Schultz has also worked as a marketing writer, editor and content manager for companies focused on learning content and technology platforms, including Lynda.com, LinkedIn and Degreed.
In 2025, Schultz earned a certification in professional editing from UC Berkeley Extension after completing a two-year continuing education program.
Email: tom.schultz@newspress.com
Read stories by Tom Schultz here.
