Santa Cruz Sentinel Editor Tom Honig will step down Friday after more than 35 years at the newspaper and 15 as editor. He will be replaced by current managing editor Don Miller. MediaNews Group does not plan to appoint a new managing editor, according to a story in the Sentinel.

Since MediaNews bought the paper earlier this year, nine positions out of 38 in the newsroom have been cut, Honig said.

Honig’s career began when the Sentinel was privately owned by the McPherson family. In 1982 it was sold to Ottaway Newspapers, a subsidiary of Dow Jones. Last year, Ottaway sold several of its newspapers, including the Sentinel, to Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., which in turn sold it to the Denver-based MediaNews earlier this year. In May, the Sentinel’s press was shut down, printing was moved to San Jose, and its building in downtown Santa Cruz was sold. Last month, the newspaper moved its office to Scotts Valley, where it opened for business with a staff of 92 (including those who distribute the paper) — down from a high of 132.

“If I had two wishes, this is what they’d be: that people would stop complaining about hard-working, honest mainstream journalists long enough to appreciate the work they do — and second, that the people could be paid what they’re worth,” Honig said.