Westlake Village : Publisher Resigns Newspaper Position

Steve Holt, publisher of The Acorn, a weekly newspaper serving the western San Fernando Valley and eastern Ventura County, announced Thursday that he will resign to pursue other interests.

The parting was amicable, Holt said. Ron Latimore has been promoted from editor to publisher of the paper.

Holt, 48, a former reporter for the paper, said he wanted to get back into writing. “I went back to journalism school as a middle-aged man,” he said. “That was my intent, to be a writer.”

Holt, who lives in Thousand Oaks with his wife and two children, said he will apply to area daily newspapers for a job as a reporter.

“Steve has been an excellent teacher for me,” Latimore said. “I value him as a friend, as well as a colleague. I wish him the best of success.”

After graduating from Pepperdine University in 1988, Holt went to work as a reporter at The Acorn. A year later he was promoted to editor. In March of this year he was named publisher.

The Acorn, which has editorial offices in Westlake, is owned by Baker Communications Inc. of Beverly Hills. Founded in 1974, it is delivered free to 35,000 homes in Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, the Westlake portion of Thousand Oaks and Oak Park, both of which are in Ventura County.

Latimore said the paper is searching for a new editor.