The Last City Room

New York: Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin's Press, 2000. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Boris Yaro (Author photograph). [10], 259, [1] pages. Inscribed by the author on the fep. Inscription reads For Dana and Ray--With joy! Al Martinez 10/15/00. DJ is in a plastic sleeve. Al Martinez (July 21, 1929 - January 12, 2015) was a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He also was known for his writings for several television shows, such as Hawaii Five-O in 1978, the short-lived 1980 police drama B.A.D. Cats, and Out on the Edge, a 1989 television movie starring Rick Schroder. His writings focused mainly on political, health, and social issues within the Latino American community. Martinez's first job within the journalism realm was with Richmond Independent in 1952 as a reporter. By 1955, he was working for the Oakland Tribune and writing columns that reflected his humor and perspective on life. In 1972, Martinez was offered a position with the Los Angeles Times, where Martinez spent the rest of his journalism career. Martinez was most noted for his work in the Los Angeles Times. He was let go in 2007. However, he was rehired shortly after. He was let go once again in January 2009 when he was 79. Al Martinez contributed to three Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. Martinez also won a lifetime achievement award from the California Chicano News Media Association in 2002. Martinez also received recognition for his columns by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the California Newspaper Publishers Association. Martinez received an Emmy nomination in 1992 for his screenplay writings for "Out on the Edge" Al Martinez' most notable awards include the National Headliner Awards and a National Ernie Pyle Award. It's almost a tradition in the city room of The Herald for journalists to collapse at their desks, having worked, imbibed, and smoked themselves into the grave. On these occasions the behavior required by the dead man's erstwhile colleagues -- a group of cynical old news hounds with skin the color of faded newsprint-- is to applaud, simultaneously hailing their fallen comrade and signaling an opening in the city room. It is in this manner that William Colfax, an ambitious young reporter, earns a coveted position as a staff member of this long respected newspaper. Colfax accepts the offer mere minutes after his predecessor's body has been carted away. The Last City Room depicts the decline of an influential newspaper in San Francisco during the turbulent early 60s. As the conservatism of the old guard, led by The Herald's publisher and his bylined minions, clashes with the radical leaders ascending to power in the city, Colfax quickly realizes that the golden days of The Herald are long over. With his past threatening to ensnare him between the two warring factions, Colfax's struggle quickly becomes one of not simply proving himself as a reporter, but of maintaining his independence and integrity as a journalist. The Last City Room is a provocative evocation of a time when the carefully modulated social fabric of the country was just beginning to show signs of uncertainty. It is a tribute to the end of a newspaper and the beginning of a new era.