The Pacific Sun was founded in 1963 in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, and is the second longest running alternative weekly in the nation, behind only The Village Voice

The Village Voice

The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...

. With a readership of around 80,000, the paper is distributed throughout Marin County

Marin County, California

Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...

, just north of San Francisco

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

 in the San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...

.

The paper is owned by Embarcadero Media

Embarcadero Media

Embarcadero Media is the parent company of the Palo Alto Weekly, Palo Alto Online, the Pacific Sun and several other community Weeklies and Websites. Founded in 1979 by William Johnson....

, who purchased it from longtime owner Steve McNamara in 2004. Sam Chapman, former Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer

Barbara Boxer

Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....

(who worked as a reporter for the Pacific Sun early in her career), is the paper's publisher until 2010. Gina Allen is the current publisher while Jason Walsh serves as the editor.

The paper is published every Friday.