A number of media and philanthropy leaders in the region have joined forces to raise $15 million to launch the L.A. Local News Initiative and support independent press in the area.
The L.A. Local News Initiative will be overseen by board chair Monica Lozano, the  former editor, publisher and chief executive of La Opinión; Kevin Merida, former executive editor of the Los Angeles Times; Giselle Fernandez, an anchor at Spectrum News; Gerun Riley, the president of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation; and Michael Ouimette, chief investment officer of the American Journalism Project.
“Without local journalism, we lose accountability, history and a connection to our communities,” Lozano said in a statement. “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.”
Initial funding comes from anchors The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the Spiegel Family Fund, and the American Journalism Project. 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 Lozano are also backers.
“This collaboration will serve Angelenos throughout our community, helping us feel more connected to the place we live and more empowered to engage meaningfully in civic and cultural life,” Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc. said. “I’m excited to see the philanthropic community come together to invest in a thriving local press ecosystem.”
The initiative will start by launching a news organization to operate the Boyle Heights Beat. It will launch similar publications in additional communities starting next year and also plans on investing in LAist. It has also formed partnerships with 20 media outlets and universities that are working together to bring journalism to more people than each would alone.
“It can be easy from afar to think the decline of local news is a problem isolated to rural America, but millions of residents in Los Angeles lack the information they need to participate in their communities or to understand the decisions at the city, county, and state level that affect their lives,” Sarabeth Berman, chief executive of the American Journalism Project said. “This is an important initiative for Los Angeles and is poised to be a leader among a new generation of local news organizations that are rising to the moment.”
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Westlake-based L.A. Care Health Plan and Woodland Hills-based Health Net plan to invest $90 million in the next five years to help people who are experiencing homelessness get preventive care.
The two launched two programs in July to further this goal, which will help an estimated 85,000 Angelenos.
The larger program, the Field Medicine Program, is a $60 million program that delivers preventive and urgent health care, chronic disease management, social services, primary care and access to medicine in people’s “lived environments,” which includes the streets. Nineteen providers are participating in the program.
“The Field Medicine Program is grounded in the philosophy that every Medi-Cal beneficiary, regardless of housing status, is entitled to the same level of service and a true medical home,” John Baackes, the chief executive of L.A. Care, said. “The program is designed to develop a countywide network of primary care providers who can provide that medical home and all the services associated with high-quality primary care in a way that will be easier for individuals experiencing homelessness to access.”
“To address homelessness, support must extend beyond physical housing. It requires whole-person care for these vulnerable individuals,” Martha Santana-Chin, Plan Chief Product President at Health Net, said. “This investment continues to underscore our belief that every person deserves a safety net for their health, regardless of age, income or current state of health. We are excited to partner with L.A. Care Health Plan on another incredible initiative that will serve Angelenos.”
The other program, Skid Row Care Collaborative, is designed to help those in Skid Row. The program has $30 million of funding for enhanced services and additional facilities on Skid Row.
