California Approves $10 Million for Google News Partnership

California will allocate $10 million for a joint project with Google to fund local newsrooms under spending legislation state lawmakers cleared early Saturday.

The budget bills (AB/SB 155) represent a first step in carrying out an agreement by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D) and Alphabet Inc.'s Google to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into state newsrooms to help bolster local coverage. The legislation would create the California Civic Media Program and give the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development discretion over how the money is spent.

The $10 million for initial funding is less than the originally ...