Free Press

Local communities are alerted to government fraud & corruption, corporations dumping toxic waste in local waterways, sex trafficking, public safety needs, policy failures, and so much more.  Local journalism keeps the government and corporations accountable, and can shine lights on who and what we all really are. Local journalism connects us and all the dots. 

However Billionaires and Private Equity firms continue to purchase our local media only to defund, and drastically alter the content, quality, voice & benefit of local news for communities across #OurCalifornia.  We deserve better.  Local journalism must be treated as the public good it is in order to hold power to account.  As your Governor I will:

• Alter State Nonprofit-Charities tax-code to include local and independent journalists/journalism/newspapers;
• Municipalize large press that is currently owned by billionaires and private equity;
• State legislation will be used to challenge Federal tax exemption status – and I’m willing to take it to the Supreme Court (Anti-Injunction Act and any legal precedents in accordance w/ taxpayers right to fight tax rules including challenging tax exemption status with the Second Circuit’s Competitive Political Advocate Theory)
• I am eager to work with Fair Warning, CalMatters, Bay City News Foundation, Alhambra Source, EdSource, Bay Nature Institute, California Health Report, Boyle Heights Beat, BenitoLink, Open Vallejo, Cityside, LA Taco, San Francisco Public Press, San Jose Spotlight, inewsource, Mission Local, Knock-LA, Voice of OC, The G.W. Williams Center for Independent Journalism, KPBS, Center for Investigative Reporting, The Chronicle of Social Change, Public Citizen, Real Sludge, Voice of San Diego, Institute for Nonprofit News,  Grassroots Policy Project, Sustainable Economies Law Center, Institute for Policy Studies& other grassroots and impactful organizations, pillars in journalism, government transparency, labor, human rights, investigative journalism and research communities to ensure the needs of ALL in #OurCalifornia are inclusive and sustainably met;
• In the true spirit of Upton Sinclair’s End Poverty in California campaign, I will call on fellow Citizens, Socialists, Governors, and fellow Socialist Gubernatorial campaigns across this country to adopt and implement the same.