Addressing the Crisis in Community News in California

Key Goals

1. Maintain the initial levels of support already agreed to by Google and California (including the public-private match requirements)
2. Expand the size of the program, by getting other technology companies to pay their fair share
3. Focus on retaining and hiring local reporters, including through small and ethnic outlets, and broadcasters
4. Maintain editorial independence and stability for local news outlets

Distributing Support

• Support should mostly be tied to the number of local reporters  
• Assure that small newsrooms are adequately supported, through a higher per capita benefit level for smaller newsrooms and new hires 
• Include radio and TV local news (public and commercial)

Financing the Program

• Increase the program’s size to $125 million per year by increasing the number of technology companies that contribute. To do this, the legislature would…
  • Assess a small fee on the largest tech companies that don’t contribute
  • Cap the amount that any given company would have to pay in a year 
• Keep the $30 million state commitment in year 1, grow that in future years (still a modest commitment compared to the $750 million film production tax credit) 

Protecting News Outlets from Political Interference

• Mechanisms should be established to ensure that elected officials can’t favor or punish outlets based on content. This could be a refundable tax credit for employment paid for by a dedicated revenue stream outside the appropriation process, or putting the $30M  in the Governor’s 2025 budget into escrow so the program would be “forward funded.”