65054.
(a) The Ethnic Diverse, Ethnic, and Community Media Program is hereby established in the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications, an office within the Office of Planning and Research in the office of the Governor, for the purpose of helping state departments integrate ethnic and community media into their marketing, advertising, or outreach strategies.(b) For the purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:
(1) (A) “Ethnic media” means any organization that produces news or culturally relevant media that serves ethnic, racial, or cultural communities residing in California, including priority populations, racial and linguistic minorities, immigrant communities, indigenous groups, and other historically underserved and underrepresented groups.
(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), “priority populations” for purposes of this article, mean members of underserved, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach communities, including, but not limited to, people who are any of the following:
(i) Asian American.
(ii) Black or African American.
(iii) Immigrants or refugees.
(iv) Native American or members of Tribal communities.
(v) Latinx.
(vi) LGBTQ+.
(vii) Limited English proficiency (LEP).
(viii) Middle Eastern or North African.
(ix) Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
(x) People with disabilities.
(xi) Religious minorities.
(xii) Low-income communities.
(2) “Ethnic media outlet” means an entity that provides a substantial amount of ethnic media content through broadcast, print, or digital means, including television, radio, or online outlets on a daily, weekly, or other regular interval, and that has continuously produced that content for at least one year.
(3) “Community media outlet” means a nonprofit organization,
small business, or microbusiness, as defined in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 14837, in which at least one-half of the content is originally produced community news and cultural content of specific interest to a community, city, neighborhood, or region in the state through broadcast, print, or digital means, including television, radio, or online outlets on a daily, weekly, or other regular interval, and that has continuously produced that content for at least one year.
(4) “Office” means the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications.
(5) “Program” means the Ethnic
Diverse, Ethnic, and Community Media Program established pursuant to subdivision (a).
65054.1.
The office shall assist state agencies and departments in marketing, advertising, and outreach to priority populations identified in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 65054. Assistance may include, but is not limited to, the following:(1)Developing and maintaining a database of eligible ethnic media outlets and community media outlets.
(2)Conducting education and outreach campaigns to agencies and departments to advocate for the importance of ethnic and community media, and promoting inclusive and equitable engagement strategies.
(3)Advising agencies and departments on tailoring ethnic and community media strategies for specific communities.
(4)Advising agencies and departments on tailoring outreach campaigns for specific communities.
(5)Cultivating relationships with ethnic and community media outlets.
(b)(1)On or before January 1, 2029, the office shall submit to the
Legislature, and publish on the office’s internet website, a report that includes all of the following information:
(A)Each state agency or department that paid for placement of marketing or outreach advertising material pursuant to a contract.
(B)A list of ethnic media outlets and community media outlets that received a contract to place marketing or outreach advertising material.
(C)The amounts paid by each state agency to each media platform pursuant to a contract, including pursuant to a subcontract, to place marketing or outreach advertising material.
(D)The recipients of the spending, including the individual advertising contract
and the amount of the contract.
(E)A list of all languages in which marketing or outreach advertising material has been provided.
(F)An analysis of the major challenges the program has faced, if any, the ongoing efforts to address those challenges, and recommendations to improve the program.
(2)A report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795.
(3)The requirement imposed pursuant to this subdivision is inoperative on July 1, 2029.
(c)The office may make any regulations that are reasonably necessary to effectuate the purposes of this
section.
65054.2.
(a) A state agency or department that expends funds on marketing, advertising, or outreach shall direct expenditures to ethnic media outlets and community media outlets serving the populations identified in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 65054 as follows:(1) From July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, inclusive, at least 30 percent of an agency’s annual total of expenditures on marketing, advertising, and outreach shall be directed to ethnic media outlets and
community media outlets. Of the amount directed to ethnic media outlets, state agencies shall seek to direct at least 25 percent to outlets that are small businesses, including microbusinesses, as defined in Section 14837 of the Government Code.
(2) From July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, inclusive, at least 40 percent of an agency’s annual total of expenditures on marketing, advertising, and outreach shall be directed to ethnic media outlets and community media outlets. Of the amount directed to ethnic media outlets,
state agencies shall seek to direct at least 25 percent to outlets that are small businesses, including microbusinesses, as defined in Section 14837 of the Government Code.
(3) Beginning July 1, 2027, at least 50 percent of an agency’s annual total of expenditures on marketing, advertising, and outreach shall be directed to ethnic media outlets and community media outlets. Of the amount directed to ethnic media outlets, state agencies shall seek to direct at least 25 percent to outlets that are small businesses, including microbusinesses, as defined in Section 14837 of the Government Code.
(b) The set-aside for spending on ethnic media outlets and community media outlets shall not apply to each marketing, advertising, or outreach campaign, as long as the agency meets the minimum thresholds described in subdivision (a) as a percentage of its annual total spending on marketing, advertising, and outreach.
(b)
(c) A private agency or intermediary that receives funds intended to purchase advertising communications or outreach for the state in ethnic media outlets or
community media outlets shall transmit at least 80 percent of those funds directly to the outlets, and shall reserve no more than 20 percent for administration, commissions, or communications managed by the agency or an intermediary. This requirement shall not apply to spending for communications or outreach that does not involve advertising in ethnic or community media.