(This is the third installment in a weekly series with people who don’t work in journalism commenting on the news. Photography by Kevin Fiscus. If you’d like to participate, message or tweet me.)

Meet Ronnie Ledesma.

He’s 43, moved from Oxnard to Sacramento at 10 years old, lives in Arden Arcade and works with small businesses as the owner of GooTank Marketing.

Ronnie and I first connected in 2011 on Twitter. A shared-interest in the potential of professional soccer in Sacramento sparked that first conversation. We didn’t meet in real life until 2014.

We reconnected last week over Blue Bottle iced coffee from The Trade Coffee & Coworking to talk about media consumption, the city of Sacramento and his thoughts on the news.

If you’re engaged on social media with other locals, you may have come across Ronnie. He co-founded Social Media Club Sacramento, serves as the marketing director of TEDxSacramento and sits on the Social Media Club global board of directors as the chapter management director.

“The re-invention of Sacramento is what I’ve been excited about,” he says

He says some are surprised that he knows people from all walks of life, from the businessman to the cosplayer. He credits his grandfather, a barber who donated his services to the less fortunate, with instilling a sense of openness.

“I have always been an extrovert,” Ronnie says. “I certainly enjoy people.”

The self-described “over-the-top optimist” loves Sacramento and makes an effort not to worry about what may or may not happen.

You’ve got to press him to get him to talk about what he doesn’t like (poor customer service).

“I like ideas and the execution of ideas,” he says, “which is probably why I like marketing so much.”

Ronnie answered the following questions by email about how he gets the news. Text submitted April 2.

How do you get your news?
I get all the news I need from The Week. It’s a fantastic newsweekly that combines numerous perspectives on the news from a variety of news outlets, domestic and international. Oftentimes an article will present opposing views all in one space. It’s a quick read and keeps me up-to-date on current events.

Locally, I rely on the Sacramento Business Journal. I’m a subscriber. Sometimes I’ll pick up the Sacramento News & Review or visit SacBee.com.

https://instagram.com/p/klnhalKM4H/

 

In general, social media is a great news provider, especially Twitter. Sometimes I’ll use Facebook, but lately I’ve not spent much personal time (compared to work time) on Facebook.

What’s the first news event you remember?
Wow. I vividly remember everyone talking about “Roots”. Does that count? I hate that Hollywood is news, so let’s not count that.

I vaguely remember the death of Elvis, although it meant more to the adults around me than it did to me.

I remember the dread of imminent nuclear destruction. I’m sure that was fostered by news.

Then there was Mount St. Helens, John Lennon’s assassination, Ronald Reagan, but my personal timeline of those events doesn’t exist. I can’t tell you any dates.

Aside from “Roots” and nuclear destruction, my most vivid experience of a news event was 9/11.

What content do you pay for?
I pay for The Week. I’ve been a subscriber for a decade maybe: a long-time for sure. I also pay for the SBJ. I’m probably in my third year or so as a subscriber.

What’s the last great thing you ate?
I just finished a delightful bowl of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries covered in blackberry yogurt. Pretty much everything I eat is great. Seriously, from a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos to a bowl of homemade black beans with an over-easy egg on top.

Who’s doing it right in news?
The Week for presenting numerous sides of a topic in the smallest space and time possible. It doesn’t try to entertain me, and I can read the news that interests me most first, and then read the rest at my convenience. And the ads aren’t annoying. I can move through the news quickly, whereas radio and television requires a lot of waiting for the news you want most.

Name the three most important issues facing Sacramento.
I wish I could tell you. I have no idea. I love Sacramento and I’m satisfied overall with what’s happening here. I can’t imagine a better place in the U.S. to live.

What do you absolutely hate about the news?
Entertainment and celebrity news. Hate. It.

Also, non-stop updates on breaking stories when there’s not really anything new to share. Also, I don’t like advertising pop-ups on news websites. Not only have I stopped visiting news sites that do that, I’ve also stopped sharing links to stories on sites like that.

I hope they figure out a better way to approach this — maybe run non-pop-up ads but then limit content, as in, “subscribe to read the complete story.” Still, I can get the full story or a similar story, entirely free, and without pop-up ads at some other source.

What’s the most important issue to you that’s not being covered well enough?
Once upon a time before the internet, perhaps, in my mind, there may have been an issue not covered well. Now, however, I’m satisfied with the information I’m able to find on issues I’m interested in.

If you could be anywhere, an-hour-and-a-half drive away, where would you be?
Point Reyes National Seashore because I love the Pacific. Of course, this assumes absolutely no one else on the roads and a steady velocity of 60-70 mph.

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Follow Ronnie (@ronnieledesma) on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.