• by Ray Schultz , September 10, 2024

A coalition of business and philanthropic leaders has raised $15 million to support newsrooms in the Los Angeles area. In addition, the group has launched a nonprofit entity called the L.A. Local News Initiative to assist them.  

The first project will be to launch a local news organization to operate Boyle Heights Beat, a bilingual community newsroom. And similar publications will be started next year.

“This effort comes at a critical moment,” says Giselle Fernandez, anchor at Spectrum News and a member of the L.A. Local News Initiative board. “Local news in L.A. is in jeopardy and trust in traditional news media is at a low, giving rise to misinformation and an assault on the truth.”

The Initiative has also formed collaborative partnerships with 20 media outlets and universities throughout Los Angeles. 

Searches are being conducted for a founding chief executive officer and executive editor. 

Anchor funding is being provided by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the Spiegel Family Fund, and the American Journalism Project, and support is also being given by the Annenberg Foundation, Weingart Foundation, California Community Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, Jane and Ron Olson, Leslie Weisberg and Jim Hyman and Monica C. Lozano. 

Several philanthropies have supported the growth of the Boyle Heights Beat, including:

• The California Endowment 
•  Elevate Youth California with funding through Proposition 64 
•  Emerson Collective 
•  California Humanities 
•  California Local News Fellowship 
•  USC Good Neighbors Campaign 
•  Stuart Foundation 
•  LAUSD Community Challenge Grant 
•  Civic Space Foundation 

“Without local journalism, we lose accountability, history, and a connection to our communities,” says Lorenzo, the former editor, publisher and CEO of La Opinion. “The coalition of media organizations, philanthropies, and individuals who’ve come together to revitalize local news in Los Angeles are building toward a future where we have a resilient, sustainable, independent local press that holds decision makers to account, and equips all Angelenos to thrive and engage in their communities.”

The governing board members also include Kevin Merida, former executive editor of the LA Times; Gerun Riley, president of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, and Michael Ouimette, chief investment officer of the American Journalism Project.