David Greenwald’s “accidental career” impacts hundreds

Courtesy photo: David Greenwald

Article by Harlow Hamilton

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

In 2006, a Davis High student was arrested on a school night, in her pajamas. This incident turned into a major ordeal, and ended with the Davis chief of police resigning and the city council disbanding the human relations commission. This is when David Greenwald decided to take matters into his own hands and created The Davis Vanguard.

A political science graduate student at UC Davis at the time, Greenwald formed the Vanguard to report on issues that were not getting covered. “I wasn’t really expecting anyone to read what I wrote (…), and then from there, it grew and people started reading and commenting,” Greenwald said. 

Catherine Kavalauskas, a current intern supervisor for the Vanguard, explains how every day, people are faced with the injustices of the court system. These affect more than just the accused on the individual level, but also their families, friends and communities. 

When it comes to leading The Vanguard, Greenwald uses a “democratic and delegative leadership style,” according to Kavalauskas, ensuring all members are actively involved in the organization’s mission of promoting transparency and accountability in local court systems..

The Vanguard, now, is not like a typical newsroom; it is entirely remote. “It was kind of a disadvantage, but I’ve since turned it into an advantage,” Greenwald said. He values the fruits of his labor: on one hand, he exposes injustice, and on the other, he gets to work with “bright young kids,” through The Vanguard’s internship program. 

Before the pandemic, Greenwald would drive out to San Francisco and work with students at their office, and attend court in person. “(That’s) kind of a novelty now,” he said. 

Once COVID-19 hit, having to move everything online changed this structure entirely. To this day, interns continue to watch court sessions remotely, and most meetings are held over Zoom. 

“Covid actually turned out to be one of the best things for us,” Greenwald said. Since the pandemic, The Vanguard has expanded to UCLA, San Francisco, Sacramento and Berkeley, with hopes of creating future programs to mentor students across the region.