Covering The San Francisco Bay Area & Sacramento Valley Since 2001
The Golden Bay Times Story  My name is Mauricio, and I am the owner and publisher of The Golden Bay Times. Long before this publication became my life’s work, baseball was the dream I chased. I dropped out of college during my sophomore year and spent the next eight years playing ten seasons of professional independent league baseball. I know that sounds odd, but back then, a full season in these leagues was roughly half the length of a Major League Baseball season. In other words, each year consisted of a spring and summer season. Although I never made it to the major leagues, I have never taken what I accomplished for granted, nor have I ever considered falling short of that original dream a failure. I was blessed to play a kid’s game well into adulthood and get paid to do something I loved. Along the way, my career taught me lessons that have stayed with me ever since: discipline, perspective, and the determination to keep pushing forward despite the odds. I knew that chapter of my life would eventually come to an end, so I had to decide what would follow. I wanted a career with purpose, something that would keep me connected to people, places, and stories. Broadcasting interested me, but I had no clear path into that world. Writing, however, had always come naturally to me, and journalism felt like a direction worth pursuing. During my final off-season as a player, I put that new goal into motion. That decision led to the creation of Golden Bay Magazine in 2001, along with plenty of night classes in writing and journalism books for self-study. At first, it was just a hobby, more or less a way to practice before stepping into a professional company where I could pursue my new dream of working in sports journalism. But by the time I was ready to enter the field professionally, I realized the traditional route was not the one I wanted to take. I was approaching my 30s, and the idea of waiting years to slowly climb a ladder someone else controlled did not appeal to me. So rather than ask for a seat at someone else’s table, I decided to build one of my own. I officially retired from baseball in 2002. By 2006, Golden Bay Magazine had gone from a hobby to a career move. The publication was born from a simple but persistent frustration. At the time, I could not find a single printed source that brought together the things that make a region come alive: sports, theater, concerts, travel, local attractions, and the many ways people can spend their time well. Useful information existed, but it was scattered. You had to dig for it. I also noticed that many visitors, business travelers, and even locals faced the same problem. They had time to explore, but no smart, convenient, one-stop guide to help them do it. That became the foundation for what I wanted Golden Bay Magazine to cover. The original version began as a 12-page monthly newsletter-style guide featuring event listings, sightseeing ideas, sports schedules, and short editorials. It was distributed free throughout San Francisco hotels, travel kiosks, and the airport. What started as a practical solution soon became something more. It became a publication with its own identity, shaped by curiosity, usefulness, and a genuine love for the region it covered. In 2009, I taught myself web design and launched my first website. That step opened the door to a much wider world. It allowed me to expand coverage throughout the Bay Area and created new opportunities for me as both a writer and photographer. Over time, I earned credentials to cover professional sports and local events in a more direct and meaningful way. By 2011, I had fully stepped away from print and committed to digital publishing. The years that followed were spent refining, redesigning, and steadily expanding what the publication could become. Then came the pandemic, which forced many of us to reconsider what mattered and what might come next. For me, it became an opportunity to begin again with renewed purpose. The publication was reintroduced as The Golden Bay Times, a name that better reflected its broader vision. Coverage expanded beyond the San Francisco Bay Area to include the Sacramento Valley as well, allowing me to tell more stories across a wider landscape. Today, The Golden Bay Times covers sports, concerts, theater, comedy, travel, and community life across 15 counties. But the story is still being written. The current site already includes local travel coverage on the homepage, and a dedicated travel section is planned for spring 2027. I am also developing a weekly 30-minute YouTube travel show focused on California destinations, with the hope of expanding its reach in the years ahead. In April 2027, I will produce and host Pressbox Conversations with Mauricio Segura, a podcast created to complement my sports coverage pages. And as the years continue, there will always be more to come. Thank you for visiting the site. You have probably already noticed that The Golden Bay Times does not follow the polished formula of many modern entertainment websites, and that is entirely by design. I never wanted it to feel generic. I wanted it to have character. I wanted it to feel like something made with intention, not something assembled from a template. It may not look like everybody else’s publication, and I am perfectly fine with that. What matters most to me is offering strong content, a distinct voice, and a publication with a personality all its own. --Mauricio October 1, 2026 | ||