Lawmakers OKs bill for taxpayer funding of local media outlets overseen by Newsom administration

California lawmakers have passed a bill sending millions of dollars to local media outlets, though it comes with a catch.

The subsidy program will be overseen by an appointee of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The big picture: Last week, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 155, which creates the California Civic Media Program. • The program provides $10 million to local media outlets, given in the form of grants by the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, which is known as GO-Biz.

Zoom in: GO-Biz Director and former White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers will oversee the program. She was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. • While the program consists of a nine-person panel that will be appointed by Myers to help distribute funding, the group will serve in purely an advisory cap