"He decided to teach a journalism class. The final project? Create a bilingual newspaper. The class and a group of volunteers paid for printing costs by throwing a fundraiser, and collecting a dollar at the door from everyone who showed up. With the resulting $400 in donations, El Tecolote - Spanish for owl - was born. The publication's first ever-staff consisted of about 10 volunteers, half Gonzalez's students and half Mission residents who wanted to write and contribute."
"At first, the publication used garages and whatever space it could find in the Mission and the Excelsior as its home, including five to seven years at El Centro Latino on Potrero Street. The founders also hosted monthly fundraisers to finance its operations in its first decade, selling menudo and hosting dances. In 2000, the paper was able to buy the building that has remained its home ever since."
"Over five decades later, Gonzales says that El Tecolote has become the longest running bilingual newspaper in California. Those long years, said Gonzales, have been a "dream come true." During those 55 years, El Tecolote has documented a changing Mission. An investigative series published in the early 1970s found that it took an average of four minutes longer for Spanish speakers who called 911 to get assistance, due to a lack of Spanish-speaking operators."
Juan Gonzales launched a bilingual newspaper project in 1970 after creating a journalism class at SF State, raising $400 through a fundraiser to print the first issue. The initial staff of about ten volunteers combined students and Mission residents. The paper operated from garages and community spaces, funded early operations with monthly fundraisers and cultural events, and purchased its long-term building in 2000. Over 55 years, El Tecolote chronicled changes in the Mission, uncovered disparities such as slower 911 response times for Spanish speakers, and became California's longest-running bilingual newspaper.
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