On Monday, the board of directors of the Texas Democracy Foundation—the parent nonprofit of the Texas Observer—announced that Gabriel Arana is no longer editor-in-chief of the Texas Observer.
Arana had led the Observer since he took over as interim editor-in-chief in 2021. He chose not to immediately comment on the board’s decision. The board did not disclose specific reasons to staff. Arana was part of a staff effort that helped save the Observer when it was threatened with closure in March 2023.
Separately, as part of its budget planning process, the board announced that it was eliminating two editorial positions—digital editor and editor-at-large—resulting in the layoffs of Kit O’Connell and Gayle Reaves, who were also on staff during last year’s financial crisis.
