Key California Legislative & Policy Victories This Year Represent Major Progress for Latino & Ethnic Media

Latino Media Collaborative partners in Sacramento for AB 1511 meetings with legislators on April 10th, 2024. From left to right: Sharon Guevara (Latino Media Collaborative), Martha Diaz Aszkenazy (San Fernando Valley Sun), Armando Varela (La Opinión), Héctor Félix Jr. (El Informador del Valle), Juan Esparza Loera (Vida en el Valle), (Photo Credit: Sharon Guevara)

The Latino Media Collaborative is thrilled to share major policy victories in California that will pave the way for work across the country to impact Latino and ethnic media as well as the journalism sector as a whole. This year represents a major step forward in advancing a multi-year campaign to ensure that California adopts equitable policies in ad spending and increased investment in the state’s journalism sector. AB 1511 is one of these major victories, a piece of legislation that sets in motion a process to prioritize ethnic and community media in the state’s advertising, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom last week. Authored by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, this law will mandate state agencies to increase their advertising spending in media outlets that serve California’s diverse populations. Sponsored by the Latino Media Collaborative, AB 1511 ensures that more state resources are directed towards ethnic media, creating a foundation for their financial sustainability. Agencies will be required to report annually on their progress, promoting transparency and accountability.

Arturo Carmona, President of the Latino Media Collaborative, highlighted the importance of the bill, saying, “This law ensures that state advertising investments go where they are needed most, creating an economic lifeline for these media outlets while also connecting more Californians to critical state programs.”

Additionally, the LMC played an important role in advancing equity concerns and Latino media priorities to inform negotiations between the Governor’s office, the California Newspapers and Publishers Association, key stakeholders, and Google. These efforts all led to the enactment of an unprecedented agreement in California resulting in tens of millions of dollars for journalism in the state. Although imperfect, it represents a step forward where the LMC will have one (1) seat in the Board of Directors that will manage the fund and we were able to carve out a sizable amount of funding for ethnic and community media. While the bill was far away from what we wanted and needed to protect journalism in California, we believe it is a step in the right direction.

California is home to over 300 ethnic media outlets that play a crucial role in informing communities with culturally relevant content. Yet, many of these outlets are financially vulnerable due to a lack of government investment and shifts in advertising models. AB 1511 aims to address this by increasing state advertising support for these platforms.

A Path Toward Equity

AB 1511 will remain in effect until July 1, 2028, providing several years of support for ethnic media outlets. State agencies must create strategic plans for outreach to these communities, and the Department of General Services will develop a reporting template by December 2025 to monitor progress.

Martha Diaz Aszkenazy, publisher of the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol Newspaper, emphasized, “Display ads are the lifeblood of community newspapers. The passage of AB1511 creates a win-win for both ethnic media and the state.”

AB 1511 is a pivotal step in ensuring that California’s diverse communities continue to receive vital news and information through the media outlets they trust.

Learn more about the Latino Media Collaborative: https://www.latinomedia.org

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