Newsom signs San Diego lawmaker's bill for local journalism tax credits – KPBS

Newsom signs San Diego lawmaker’s bill for local journalism tax credits  KPBS

Starting in 2027, Assembly Bill 2222, authored by Assemblymember Chris Ward, D-San Diego, and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, will provide qualifying digital, broadcast and print news organizations with credits based on the number of journalists they employ or hire. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill co-authored by a San Diego lawmaker Wednesday that will create refundable employment tax credits for local newsrooms, with an aim of helping California news organizations retain their staff members and hire new journalists. The bill, also known as the Community NEWS Act, provides credits of $20,000 per full-time journalist for the first five journalists, $15,000 for each additional full-time journalist, and an additional $15,000 for each new full-time journalism position.

Qualified part-time journalists would net credits of $7,500 each. The tax credit will be in effect for taxable years between 2027 and 2031. Qualification benchmarks include having at least 33% of a newsroom's audience in California, carrying liability insurance, publicly publishing a policy regarding error corrections, and not being controlled by a Political Action Committee. "Local journalism is the backbone of an informed democracy, and today California made clear that the people doing this essential work are worth investing in," Ward said in a statement. "At a time when newsrooms are shrinking, misinformation is spreading, and independent journalism is under attack, the Community NEWS Act