Four Hollywood Foreign Press Association members were among those honored with nominations for the 65th annual Southern California Journalism Awards. Ruben V. Nepales, Lena Basse, Janet R. Nepales, and Barbara Gasser were each recognized for their professional achievements.

The Southern California Journalism Awards were born during the Cold War at a time when television was still in its infancy and the internet didn’t yet exist. Presented by the Los Angeles Press Club, the honors today seek to boost and celebrate that rich history and legacy by recognizing the best work of SoCal journalists across various fields and platforms. For 2023, Ruben Nepales, Janet Nepales, and Basse each received four nominations apiece, while Gasser received two nods.

Ruben Nepales was nominated as Entertainment Journalist of the Year, as well as for Best Individual Blog, for his Only in Hollywood column, which appears in Rappler.

Janet Nepales was nominated in the online category of Entertainment News on Film/Broadcast for her piece on Puss in Boots: The Last Wish co-director Januel Mercado making his feature film debut.

Basse was nominated in the audio journalism category of Best Personality Profile/Interview, for her conversation with Ukrainian writer-director-editor Iryna Tsilyk, as part of the HFPA’s “Golden Globes Around the World” podcast series.

In the Foreign Correspondents Feature section, Gasser was nominated for her “Arnold Schwarzenegger: ‘Good Climate’” feature. Basse was additionally nominated for her feature “Svyatoslav Vakarchuk: ‘To Dream How We Will Be Good Again,’” and Ruben Nepales was nominated in the category as well.

In the Foreign Correspondents Columnist or Critic section, Basse was nominated for her first-person article for the HFPA’s website “Ukraine Is Not Dead, Nor Its Glory and Freedom.”

Also among foreign correspondents, Gasser was nominated in the Personality Profile section for a feature for Maxima. Janet Nepales was nominated twice in the same category for a piece on Nope actor Brandon Perea, as well as for the aforementioned Puss in Boots: The Last Wish feature on Januel Mercado.

In the Entertainment News or Feature section, Basse was nominated for a piece on Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery for DayNightTV in Ukraine, while Janet Nepales was nominated for a piece spotlighting Al Pacino’s recollections on the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, and Ruben Nepales was nominated for a piece examining Ana de Armas’ preparation and work portraying Marilyn Monroe in Blonde.

The winners of the 65th annual SoCal Journalism Awards will be announced at an awards gala on June 25, which will take place at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.