E-mail: aarons@patch.com
Phone: 650-219-9731
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Birthday: July 10

I'm the editor of Palo Alto Patch and joined this company, in part, because I believe it is paving the way for the future of journalism. I have worked in video, radio and print and my stories have appeared on NPR, CNN, Salon.com and PBS/Frontline. I shared a Polk Award for climate change coverage and a Peabody Award for my participation in coverage of the killing of an unarmed passenger by a BART police officer. I graduated from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2006.

My attraction to journalism was born out of two ideals: to do good in the world and for myself. Journalism provides me both a creative outlet and a sense of service.

Philosophically, I believe in Durkheim's notion of 'social facts,' not Hume's relativist view of human consciousness. The effect of socialization on citizens in a democracy requires social actors, such as journalists, to do their part to keep government and other institutions of power in check.

Politics 

As Thomas Jefferson said: "If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves."

Religion

I am a disciple of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster .

Local Hot Button Issues

High-speed rail seems to be the most volatile issue in town right now, but the school calendar, traffic congestion, the landfill closure, the airport's future and green tech are all huge.