A former reporter wins a Pulitzer – for journalism

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Daily Breeze reporters Rebecca Kimitch, left, and Rob Kuznia celebrate in the newsroom after winning a Pulitzer Prize for stories on corruption in the Centinela Valley Union High School District. (Robert Casillas / Daily Breeze)

Exciting news came earlier this week for some local journalists. The Los Angeles Times won two Pulitzer Prizes for cultural commentary and for drought reporting. And The Daily Breeze, based in Torrance, won a Pulitzer for local reporting for an investigation into a cash-strapped local school district.

It was the first-ever Pulitzer win for the South Bay paper. Reporters Rob Kuznia and Rebecca Kimitch and editor Frank Suraci got the award. For Kuznia though, the award comes a little late, because he left journalism six months ago to go into public relations. He spoke to KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis about the award.