Senate BillChaptered/SignedGovernment
SB 155: Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development: California Civic Media Program.
What SB 155 does, verified December 8, 2025
The bill establishes the California Civic Media Program to be administered by the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. The program aims to enhance the public good by supporting a robust and dynamic California press corps. To achieve this goal, a fund will be created, and $10 million will be allocated from the general fund to support the program. The fund will be used to support the program's objectives, and the Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development will establish an advisory board to provide recommendations for the allocation of private funds in the program. The total expenditure of public money from the fund cannot exceed the total aggregate expenditure of funds from private sources in any given year. The program is designed to be self-sustaining, with the goal of eventually relying on private funding to support its activities. The pr…
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Last action: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 649, Statutes of 2025. (2025-10-11)Alert me
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| Oct. 11, 2025 | Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 649, Statutes of 2025. |
| Oct. 11, 2025 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Sep. 22, 2025 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m. |
| Sep. 13, 2025 | Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 29. Noes 7. Page 3030.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. |
| Sep. 12, 2025 | In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending. |
Latest bill textChaptered version, October 11, 2025 · 1,128 words
Senate Bill No. 155
CHAPTER 649
An act to add Article 15 (commencing with Section 12100.160) to Chapter 1.6 of Part 2 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to economic development, and making an appropriation therefor, to take effect immediately, bill related to the budget.
[ Approved by Governor October 11, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 11, 2025. ]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 155, Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review. 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 consisting of 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.
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.Text of SB 155 as chaptered, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions