Gabriela Martinez When she was a little girl, she’d video her mom cooking, and she’d ask her questions on video about what she was doing. She’d video her sisters trying on dresses. And she’d video herself reporting “the news” as if she were a television newscaster.  For almost as far back as she could remember, Valencia resident Gabriela Martinez harbored a dream of being a TV journalist. She takes pride and joy in sharing information with her Hispanic community, disseminating stories and resources to the community so people know what’s going on and have the tools to help make important life decisions. That’s exactly what Martinez currently does as a communications specialist with the city of Santa Clarita.  “I grew up in South Gate, a Mexican American community,” she said during a recent interview from her desk at Santa Clarita City Hall. “I saw the lack of resources, I saw the lack of information, and I was like, ‘I need to do something.’”  Martinez took a big step in her journey toward her goal in 2011 when she received her bachelor’s degree in communications from California State University, Long Beach. After that, she worked various jobs, including one as a substitute Spanish bilingual immersion teacher.  Some years later, she thought she could get closer to her journalism dreams by taking bilingual journalism classes at California State University, Fullerton. While there, she took advantage of the TV and radio stations on campus, building upon her experience and expanding her portfolio of work.   A screenshot from “Al Día,” a Spanish-language, student-produced newscast, of Gabriela Martinez reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic in June of 2020 at California State University, Fullerton. Screenshot courtesy of Gabriela Martinez In 2020, after only four months at the school, a talent acquisition manager from NBC Universal’s Telemundo came across Martinez’s reports on her Instagram page and offered her a job.  “I posted all my reels, all of the work that I was doing on campus,” Martinez said. “This recruiter sent me a DM (direct message) and said, ‘Hey, I’m a recruiter from Telemundo NBC. Great job with your work.’ At first, I was like, ‘Is this real?’ The recruiter said, ‘Hey, there’s an opportunity here to do both English and Spanish stories for Telemundo on NBC in Arizona.’ I said, ‘Let’s go.’ I booked the first flight out, and I started my career there.”  Much of the work Martinez was doing, she said, was what she called “fun morning newscasts.” Those at Telemundo said they liked the “bubbly” fun she portrayed in her work on Instagram, and so, they gave her the opportunity to shine in that light.  In her new job, Martinez became a helping hand for the community. Among other things, she helped Spanish-speaking students find career fairs in the area, directed parents of students to workshops to learn about federal student aid and how to apply for college, and taught people how to get access to health care.   Through television, Martinez even helped strangers apply for citizenship and get a library card.   “It’s like teaching them, sharing information that’s very helpful to them in different areas of their life,” she said. “In Arizona, there’s monsoon season. Just informing the community of what to do in case of an emergency — I loved that, and to see the impact that you have in the community. I saw that people really listened. They really cared.”  Martinez was connecting with people in various communities throughout Arizona. And while she was doing what she cared so much about, she was not putting down any roots in any one place.   She wanted that in her life.  “I was everywhere,” she said. “One day I was in Goodyear, the next day I was in Tempe, the next day I was in Phoenix. But I really wanted to grow roots in one community.”  So, she returned home to Los Angeles. Once back, she made a goal to find work where she could communicate with a community, but in a local government setting that wouldn’t place her all over the state. In such a position, she could put down those roots she’d talked about.  “I made a list, and I checked it twice,” she said with a laugh. “I had a map from Sacramento all the way down to San Diego. I just went down the list, looking at the communities.”  When she came upon Santa Clarita, she knew it was the perfect place for her.  Martinez got her job as a communications specialist with the city of Santa Clarita in August 2023. Among her duties, she works on city marketing campaigns, which includes writing copy, shooting and editing photographs, and editing video. She also organizes city events like October’s Día de Muertos and February’s “The Big I Do” for Valentine’s Day, each taking place at the Canyon Country Community Center.   City of Santa Clarita Communications Specialist Gabriela Martinez in front of the city hall sign on Feb. 26, 2025 in Santa Clarita, Calif. Katherine Quezada/The Signal One of Martinez’s first tasks when she started the job was to launch Ciudad de Santa Clarita, the city’s Spanish social media pages. She immediately saw the impact these pages had on the Spanish-speaking community.  “I knew that we were directly helping,” she said, “because people were thanking us for the information. They’d ask questions, and we were able to answer their questions instantly. People were just so grateful for the communication that we’ve had on social media.”  Martinez said that what she’s now doing with the city isn’t so different from what she’s done so many times with her parents over the years. Her mom and dad, who are immigrants from Mexico, didn’t speak much English. Growing up, she often translated for them and helped them fill out paperwork. She said she understood the language struggles her parents faced, and now she’s helping people similarly.  From left: Paz Martinez and Gabriel Martinez — Gabriela Martinez’s mom and dad — go to the bullfights in May of 2024 during the National Fiestas of Aguascalientes in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Gabriela Martinez Martinez’s parents couldn’t be prouder. During a telephone interview, in which Martinez translated, her mom, Paz Martinez, and her dad, Gabriel Martinez, spoke about how they knew, since their daughter was a little girl, that she would make communications her career.   Martinez’s dad recalled a time some years ago when his daughter would speak at beauty pageants before large crowds. She had such a command over the people, he said. She was never shy and, in fact, very much in her element.  Gabriela Martinez (left) shares time with her dad, Gabriel Martinez, after being crowned Nuestra Belleza Jalisco USA, American cultural ambassador to Jalisco, in September 2012 in Pomona, California. Photo courtesy of Gabriela Martinez Both parents added that they’ve found so much satisfaction in seeing their girl do what she loves and thrive in such a way.  In January, during the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake, Martinez saw an increase in followers on the city’s Spanish social media. The Spanish-speaking community really wanted to know what was going on, she said, and she felt she was able to play a large part in connecting with them.  At the height of the blaze, Martinez went once again in front of the camera, this time, not as a journalist, but as the subject. In a social media post, she shared how she felt about Telemundo interviewing her to share with the Hispanic community what was going on.   “I’ve always been proud of my roots as a journalist, covering stories that mattered, both in English and Spanish,” she wrote in the January post. “Back then, my focus was on asking the right questions, amplifying voices and telling stories that deserved to be heard. Today, I find myself on the other side of the microphone as the city communications specialist, humbled to be sharing vital information during moments that deeply affect our community — like the Hughes Fire.  “This opportunity to connect with and inform our Spanish-speaking community during such critical times is a full-circle moment for me. It reminds me why I started in this field: to build trust, empower people and ensure that no one feels left out of the conversation. Grateful for the journey, the growth and the chance to make a difference.”  Know any unsung heroes or people in the SCV with an interesting life story to tell? Email share@signalscv.com.  City of Santa Clarita Communications Specialist Gabriela Martinez on Feb. 26, 2025 in Santa Clarita, Calif. Katherine Quezada/The Signal The post Faces of the SCV: City specialist connects with Spanish-speaking community appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less