Elk Grove Citizen

The newspaper was first published by Harry W. Preston on Feb. 21, 1909.^[2] A few months later Preston was charged with assaulting a Chico woman.^[3] He fled and was later arrested.^[4] Preston plead guilty and was sentenced to 160 days in jail.^[5]

In 1912, A. P. Bettersworth purchased the paper,^[6] and sold it in 1915 to William C. Brill.^[7] He then owned and operated the paper for 37 years until selling it in 1953 to Henry R. Tweith, who published The Galt Herald.^[8] In 1959, Tweith sold both papers to Roy Herburger.^[9] He operated the paper until he retired in 1999. The business was handed over to his son David Herburger.^[10]

In 2004, the Elk Grove Unified School District named a newly constructed elementary school after Roy Herburger in his honor.^[11] He died in 2018 at age 87.^[10]

In 2021, Herburger Publications, Inc. sold its papers to Citizen managing editor Bonnie Rodriguez and her company Valley Oak Press.^[12][13] She sold the paper about two years later to Paul V. Scholl, owner of Messenger Publishing Group based in Carmichael.^[14]