Open Vallejo is pleased to announce the addition of Matthew Brown as our newest investigative reporter. With a strong commitment to holding the powerful to account, Matthew brings a wealth of experience to our award-winning newsroom.
Matthew joins Open Vallejo from the Vallejo Times-Herald, where he focused on investigative and city government news. His reporting exposed critical issues such as Vallejo’s failure to investigate alleged bad-faith negotiations in a multimillion-dollar land deal and concerns over the handling of confidential courthouse records in Solano County.
Previously, Matthew served as a Dow Jones News Fund Multiplatform Editing Fellow at the San Francisco Chronicle. He also interned at POLITICO’s California bureau, focusing on housing and technology policy in the state capitol.
Matthew holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Berkeley, where he served as managing editor of the student-run newspaper, The Daily Californian. As managing editor, Matthew revitalized the newsroom’s investigative desk, leading coverage that revealed university officials’ plans to wall off the historic People’s Park, sexual assault allegations against a local political candidate, and a faculty harassment scandal that sparked months of protest. The paper won multiple awards under his leadership, including top prizes from the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the California College Media Association.
Matthew’s dedication to investigative journalism and his record of impactful reporting make him a valuable addition to Open Vallejo. Today is his first day. He can be reached by email at [email protected] and by phone or Signal at (707) 408-2493.
