Best wishes for Sam

The sad day has finally arrived. Tomorrow marks the end of the road for Sam Gonzaga's tenure at the Press-Telegram.

We'd like to wish her the best as she continues her journey, and many more happy successes. The loss of such a talented reporter is going to be quickly felt, not only in the newsroom, but among the communities she covers.

Karen Robes and Steve Carr offered the following:

Samantha Gonzaga is one of the most versatile reporters in the newsroom. She started at the paper 4 years ago, working her way up from general assignment weekend reporter, to a beat covering five cities - Downey, Cerritos, Bellflower, Lakewood and Paramount. Sam could have chosen a smaller beat, but she didn't, because of her dedication and determination to make sure all our communities are represented equally. Sam has covered everything from the always-riveting Leadership Long Beach, Long Beach Library foundation and kiddies on the beach. Also covered numerous gang shootings in the street, court sentencings, and was witness to the largest wildfire on Catalina Island. We will all miss Sam's energy and twisted sense of humor in the newsroom.

Let's all wish he luck in her new venture in urban planning.

Come out to the Puka Bar tomorrow to say farewell and good luck to Samantha. We're told the shindig starts at 8. Looks like we got some bad info. Turns out the party's over and done with already.

Photo by Steven Georges