The Chronicle is reporting that a number of local powerbrokers, including Mayor Gavin Newsom, got together this week to discuss the idea of turning the Chronicle into a nonprofit operation, but Hearst continues to say it’s not interested.

Attendees included Wells Fargo heir F. Warren Hellman, former Chronicle publisher and Chamber of Commerce head Steve Falk, Farallon Capital executive Margaret Sullivan, former Chron managing editor Robert Rosenthal and Chron Guild leader Carl Hall. Nobody from Chronicle management attended. The Chron story stated:

Among ideas floated at the meeting were converting the newspaper into a nonprofit or into what’s known as an L3C, a low-profit limited liability company whose main role is helping society rather than making money, according to several attendees. There also was some talk of using existing newsroom staff and resources to form a separate, nonprofit online media operation covering the area, those people said. …

Hellman “was there to ask people about how a nonprofit might work and the challenges facing the newspaper industry,” he said.

• March 23: Plan hatched to turn Chron into a nonprofit