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Under the name The Daily Bee, the first issue of the newspaper was published on February 3, 1857, proudly boasting that "the object of [the Sacramento Bee] is not only independence, but permanence." At this time, the Bee was in competition with The Sacramento Union , a newspaper founded in 1851. Although the Bee soon surpassed the Union in popularity, the Union survived until its closing in 1996, leaving the Sacramento Bee to be the longest running newspaper in Sacramento's history.
Although the first editor of the Sacramento Bee was famed journalist Rollin Ridge , James McClatchy soon took over the position by the end of the first week.
Also within a week of its creation, the Bee uncovered a state scandal which led to the impeachment of Republican California State Treasurer A. Ronald Button .
The Sacramento Bee has won twelve Pulitzer prizes in its history, including many for its progressive public service campaigns promoting free speech (the Bee often criticized government policy, and uncovered many scandals hurting Californians), anti-racism (the Bee supported the North during the Civil War and publically denounced the Ku Klux Klan), worker's rights (the Bee has a strong history of supporting unionization), and environmental protection (leading numorous tree-planting campaigns and fighting against environmental destruction in the Sierra Nevada. A full list of awards won by the Bee can be found here.
The mission statement of the Sacramento Bee, located at their website:
A newspaper is not solely about news and information. It’s about people, their real life stories and how we understand them. Our readers and our community are the most important part of the equation. They are why we are here and why our mission is to be the most valued regional news and information provider through superior performance in business and journalism.