Simar Khanna becomes the sixth editor of The Orinda News effective Feb. 1.
On Feb. 1, Simar Khanna took the reigns as editor of The Orinda News. She continues a proud tradition begun in 1985 when Ann O’Connell-Nye resurrected the “newsletter” and began regular publication of the New Orinda News in 1986. Hillary Hoppock, Bill Glazier, Lynn Leonard and Sally Hogarty followed as subsequent editors.
With a BA in journalism from San Francisco State, where she was editor of the student newspaper, Khanna brings a plethora of experience to The Orinda News. From 1994-2010, she worked for the San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle, where she climbed the ranks from copy editor to section leader of some of the paper’s most popular offerings, including “96 Hours” and “East Bay Life.”
Khanna went on to the East Bay Times (EBT) in 2014, where as Deputy Metro Editor she oversaw news coverage and contributed to the newspaper’s website while promoting content on social media. She left her position at the EBT in 2018 and currently, is a contributor to the niche online magazine India Currents, which serves Indian expat communities around the world.
Khanna also helped open and run a trendy Indian fast-food restaurant in San Francisco’s financial district, holds a California broker’s license and speaks English, Punjabi, Hindi and Spanish.
In addition to journalism, one of Khanna’s passions is travel and says she dreams of living a nomad life with stints in different parts of the world. She got a taste of that last year when Khanna spent a month in Mexico. She says it was one of the most enriching experiences of her life and believes building connections between cultures is vital.
To reach Khanna, email editor@theorindanews.com. To read articles in The Orinda News online, go to www.TheOrindaNews.com. The site is updated with news stories which break after print publication and contains additional photos of events covered in the print edition.
