You need a library card account from the county library to access the Merced County Library databases.
You can use UC Merced Library databases by visiting the campus in person.
Below are just two of the many news databases available through the UC Merced Library that may be helpful for your research, though you can visit the library's wider list of databases that contain newspaper content.
"Your New York Times Academic Pass" (3:51) by Odyssey Learning Project is licensed under CC BY 3.0
This video walks you through how to set up your NYT Pass. Although the instructions are for another university, the instructions are the same except that when you register, you will use your MCCD email address. You also need to be on campus for the initial registration.
You may also want to visit the Merced College Library's NYT Pass guide.
"Using NewsBank to Find News Sources" (4:33) by NSC Library
"Newspaper Source (EBSCOhost) -- Overview" (3:23) by Lincoln Land Community College Library is licensed under CC BY 3.0
"How do you find newspaper articles and news items in Nexis Uni?" (clip starts at 1:10 and ends at 3:40) by University of Amsterdam
"California Digital Newspaper Collection" (clip starts at 1:05 and ends 4:30) by Santa Monica College Library is licensed under CC BY 3.0