Assembly BillPassed first houseGovernment
AB 155: Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development: California Civic Media Program.
What AB 155 does, verified December 13, 2025
The bill aims to establish the California Civic Media Program to support a robust and dynamic press corps. This program will be administered by the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. To achieve this goal, a $10 million fund will be established, which will be continuously appropriated from the general fund. The fund's public moneys will be allocated by the director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. An advisory board consisting of 9 members will provide recommendations for allocating private moneys in the fund. The total expenditure of public money from the fund cannot exceed the total aggregate expenditure of funds from private sources in any given fiscal year. The program is intended to enhance the public good, and it will take effect immediately as part of the budget bill.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
4Second ChamberCurrent
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Grayson. (2025-09-08)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions16 total · showing 5
| Sep. 13, 2025 | Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Grayson. |
| Sep. 11, 2025 | Read second time. Ordered to third reading. |
| Sep. 10, 2025 | From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (September 10). |
| Sep. 08, 2025 | Senate Rule 29.3(b) suspended. (Ayes 28. Noes 8. Page 2568.) |
| Sep. 08, 2025 | From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. & F. R. |
Latest bill textAmended version, September 8, 2025 · 1,210 words
| Amended IN Senate September 08, 2025 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 155
| Introduced by |
January 08, 2025 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 155, as amended, Committee on Budget. Budget Act of 2025. Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development: California Civic Media Program.
Existing law establishes the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to serve the Governor as the lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. In this regard, existing law authorizes GO-Biz to make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature on new state policies and to provide data, information, and assistance, as specified.
This bill would establish the California Civic Media Program to be administered by GO-Biz in the advancement of specified goals, including enhancing the public good through supporting a robust and dynamic California press corps, as provided. The bill would establish the California Civic Media Fund, as a continuously appropriated fund, and would appropriate $10,000,000 from the General Fund to the California Civic Media Fund, for use by GO-Biz for purposes of the program. The bill would require GO-Biz to direct allocations of public moneys in the fund, and the director of GO-Biz to establish and appoint a 9-person advisory board comprising designated membership to provide recommendations to GO-Biz for the allocation of private moneys in the fund, as specified. The bill would prohibit, in any fiscal year, the total expenditure of public money from the fund from exceeding the total aggregate expenditure of funds from private sources, as provided.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.
This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact statutory changes relating to the Budget Act of 2025.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Article 15 (commencing with Section 12100.160) is added to Chapter 1.6 of Part 2 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to read:Article 15. California Civic Media Act
12100.160.
This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Civic Media Act.12100.161.
(a) The California Civic Media Program is hereby established under the administration of the office in the advancement of the following goals:(1) Enhancing the public good through supporting a robust and dynamic California press corps and reinforcing the vital role of journalism in our democracy.
(2) Empowering Californians by fostering greater understanding of and access to information about their communities and governmental structures.
(3) Ensuring the sustainability of existing and new online publications with an emphasis on community-facing journalism.
(4) Supporting California-based state and local news organizations, particularly those serving underserved and underrepresented communities.
(5) Strengthening journalism that facilitates social integration, promotes civic engagement, and addresses inequalities among underserved communities.
(b) (1) The director shall establish and appoint a nine-person advisory board, consisting of the following members:
(A) Two at-large members.
(B) Two members representing the California News Publishers Association, or a successor entity.
(C) One member representing the American Community Media, or a successor entity.
(D) One member representing the Local Independent Online News Publishers, or a successor entity.
(E) One member representing the Latino Media Collaborative, or a successor entity.
(F) One member representing the California Black Media, or a successor entity.
(G) One member representing the Media Guild of the West, or a successor entity.
(2) Each entity described in subparagraphs (B) to (G), inclusive, of paragraph (1) may recommend candidates to the director.
12100.162.
(a) (1) There is hereby created in the State Treasury the California Civic Media Fund to be administered by the office. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, all moneys deposited in the fund, including state General Fund appropriations and private bequeaths, donations, gifts, or grants, are continuously appropriated to the office for purposes of this article. Public moneys shall be accounted for separately from private moneys in the fund.(2) (A) The office may accept contributions from private sources, including private for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
(B) All contributions provided pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be deposited in the fund.
(b) The office shall direct the expenditure of public moneys in the fund, consistent with the purposes and subject to the restrictions set forth in this article.
(c) The office may solicit recommendations from the advisory board, but shall retain sole discretion and control over the expenditure of public moneys in the fund, consistent with the requirements of this article.
(d) (1) The advisory board shall make recommendations to the office on allocations of funds contributed by a private party. If the private funds are held by a third-party administrator designated by the donor, the office shall provide instructions to the administrator for the expenditure of those funds.
(2) In considering the allocation of moneys from private sources, the advisory board may seek to allocate moneys to publishers on a pro rata basis based on the number of journalists employed by a publisher in the state, with the goal of increasing the total number of journalists employed in the state.
(e) (1) No more than 7.5 percent of the fund may be used for the administration of this article.
(2) Public moneys in the fund shall be expended in furtherance of the purposes of this article.
(3) The office may enter into an agreement with third parties for purposes of administering programs funded, in whole or in part, with public moneys allocated from the fund.
(4) In expending public moneys in the fund, the office shall prioritize allocations to support local and community news organizations.
(5) In any fiscal year, the total expenditure of public money from the California Civic Media Fund shall not exceed the total aggregate expenditure of funds from private sources, whether contributed to the Fund, or contributed to a third-party administrator that holds and disburses those funds pursuant to an agreement with the office.
SEC. 2.
The sum of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to be deposited into the California Civic Media Fund, established pursuant to Section 12100.162 of the Government Code, for purposes provided in Article 15 (commencing with Section 12100.160) of Chapter 1.6 of Part 2 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.SEC. 3.
This act is a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill within the meaning of subdivision (e) of Section 12 of Article IV of the California Constitution, has been identified as related to the budget in the Budget Bill, and shall take effect immediately.It is the intent of the Legislature to enact statutory changes relating to the Budget Act of 2025.
Text of AB 155 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions