New digs, old clip files and a birthday boy

TONY DODERO

Anyone who has ever visited the Daily Pilot offices on 330 W. Bay St.

can appreciate the excitement that we all felt as we moved into our

new offices Friday and over this weekend.

The Bay Street address has been a great home for this newspaper

for longer than I’ve been alive, but it was definitely showing its

age.

The plumbing system wasn’t too sturdy, the ceilings were sagging

and there was this worn-out, flophouse look about the place, largely

because of us newsroom folks, who never met a scrap of paper we

didn’t like.

When we got to our new surroundings, though, I could see our

reporters, writers, editors and photographers with a new skip in

their step.

Thanks to the help of a great team, including our project leader,

Lana Johnson, and our liaison at the Times, Brad Patterson, our move

went about as smooth as it could. Special thanks to all the movers,

phone people and Times employees who assisted with the move and

welcomed us on Friday.

The Daily Pilot staffers were impressed with the new furniture,

decor and especially the cafeteria.

Tom Griggs, one of our copy editors, said spending many years in

the Marine Corps left him used to the Navy gray and olive drab colors

at the old building. So he was super-impressed with our new

surroundings.

Here’s what others had to say, starting first with managing

editor, S.J. Cahn.

“Somehow it feels more like a newsroom,” he said of the new

offices. “I’m still trying to figure exactly why that is. It might be

that there are more of us all in one place. It’s great having windows

and being able to see outside. Now we can do weather stories from our

desks, without having to get up.”

That my dear readers is a jab at me since I’m always forcing the

writers to do weather stories against their will.

Speaking of the writers, they were delighted with the veggie

burgers in the new cafeteria and sounded generally happy to be in

such a nice, new setting.

“Two words: Star bucks,” said police and courts reporter Marisa

O’Neil. “Actually, that’s one word. But glad they have it in the

cafeteria for those late-breaking news nights.”

As for the move, part of what has consumed me over the last few

weeks is what to do with our old clip files and photographs that are

housed in a room we called our library, or in newsroom jargon, the

morgue.

Clip files are literally newspaper clippings of stories that are

filed by category. There is one for the non-existent Pacific Coast

Freeway, for example, and a one titled “Snowbirds,” tourists from

northern, snowy climes, who vacation here in sunny Southern

California during the winter.

I found clip files for Hubert Humphrey, Bal Week, elections back

to the 1960s and one thick file devoted to a guy named Judge Gardner.

There are also lots of clip files for people and places and things

that I have never heard of.

Because I consider these files a part of Newport-Mesa history, I

have been reluctant to throw away any of these clippings or old

photos.

But in our new offices at the Times building at 1375 Sunflower

Ave. in Costa Mesa, we don’t have nearly the same room for a library.

And today, we do things so much sleeker and faster electronically

that old clip file libraries are themselves ready for the archives.

So, I’ll be putting on my space-planner hat in the coming weeks

and hopefully preserving that history the best I can.

Another concern I have is keeping our readers in touch with us. So

once again, I’m going to run a list of our new contact information,

and stay tuned Monday for ads in the paper that also have our new

information.

Remember, we are changing from the 949 area code to the 714 area

code. Here goes:

* New mailing address: 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, 92626

* New main phone number: (714) 966-4600

* New main fax number: (714) 966-4679

* New newsroom fax number: (714) 966-4667

* New city desk number: (714) 966-4619

* New sports number: (714) 966-4616

* New sports fax number: (714) 966-4668

* New photo number: (714) 966-4692

* New photo fax number: (714) 966-4698

* My new number: (714) 966-4608

* Publisher Tom Johnson’s new number: (714) 966-4605

*

On a final note, I have to send a shout-out to my little boy,

Nathan, who turned 1 on Thursday.

Li’l Nate, as we call him, was born on Oct. 14, which happens to

be the birthday of one of my best friends, Mike, and our late former

Advertising Director Judy Oetting, who passed away last February from

pancreatic cancer.

That day will always have a special spot in my heart for many,

many reasons.

Happy birthday, Nate, Mike and Judy.