Keep local journalism alive and thriving in Solano County

Local journalism is in trouble. A recent Gallup poll shows that trust in media is at an all time low and only 31% of Americans trust the news media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. The rise of the internet and cable news has allowed for more diversity of media than ever before, which has enormous benefits, but has also allowed bad faith actors to build an audience by spreading lies and division.

Meanwhile,  Facebook and Google have monopolized the online advertising business, choking the main revenue source of publishers and leaving them with fewer reporters trying to cover more news and limiting their ability to do the job well.

Reporters everywhere are overworked, underpaid, and confronting anger and disappointment from readers who used to get a higher quality news product.

That's why we're here.

At the Vallejo Sun, we're striving to bring Vallejo and Solano County the fair, accurate and complete news product it deserves.

We founded the Vallejo Sun in 2021 because we saw a need for in-depth reporting about local government, policing, and extremist movements in the region. In 2022, we expanded to cover Vallejo’s rich arts and culture.

This year, we emphasized the crucial role that journalism plays in a healthy democracy. We worked to be more transparent about our process and ethics, to listen to feedback from our readers, and increase our engagement with the community. We continued our award-winning election coverage and launched new features. We brought on new contributors who helped us expand our coverage. We're growing and learning all the time.

Please, join us in this work through with a tax deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation. Your contribution is an investment in building community and ensuring the future of local, independent media.

Why our readers say they support us

"Since major news platforms have been swallowed by billionaires and global corporations, and local news has dwindled to practical irrelevance, it is more important than ever to have independent local news outlets unafraid to dig below the surface and bring the truth out into the sunlight. The Vallejo Sun brings a vital, vigorous, and fresh perspective to all things Vallejo, and it gives me hope for Vallejo itself that there are hardworking individuals dedicated to keeping us informed. It is no small task to stay on top of what is happening in Vallejo and then bring this information to the rest of us."

- Hal Childs, 34-year Vallejo resident

"My husband and I purchased a home in the east Vallejo Hills 11 months ago. I knew very little about Vallejo when I first moved here. We have always been involved in our community wherever we lived. I started researching and stumbled upon The Vallejo Sun. It has helped us tremendously with getting acclimated and learning about our new community. I also found the individual interviews on the political leaders running for mayor and city council to be helpful with our voting choice. The Vallejo Sun has been instrumental in helping us to adapt to our new region by keeping us aware of the happenings in Solano County."

- Tracy Levy

"I subscribe to the Vallejo Sun because I can never find local information about Vallejo. I see the 'Sun' as growing and maturing in bringing our local news to us.  It’s refreshing to have a news organization that is trying to keep us informed."

- Jody Levy

"I subscribed to the Vallejo Sun because the city paper didn’t cover import local issues anymore. Most of their coverage was local sports and news from the AP wire. The Sun has been able to enlighten me on a number of issues and I look forward to reading it each week."

- Steve Quinlan

"I subscribe to the Sun because it writes about and keeps me informed about what is going on with the police. I live in Benicia, but am frequently in Vallejo and the police are a grave concern of mine."

- Kathy Kerridge

"I appreciate the balanced and in depth articles The Vallejo Sun delivers. The Vallejo Sun's in depth coverage of the local election candidates and issues were open and fair minded, a refreshing escape from the usual hidden agenda and biased vitriol found in the local fish wraps and bird cage liners."

- Tom Hurley  

"The Vallejo Sun has become a needed outlet for information and intelligent discussion in Vallejo. It has become an essential part of many Vallejo citizens and surrounding areas to keep up with what is going on in the city. I enjoy getting the emails on a timely basis."

- Don Jordan

Here's some of what we've accomplished this year

• We co-published this story with the San Francisco Chronicle recapping the story of Vallejo police Detective Mat Mustard, who was featured in the recent Netflix documentary "American Nightmare."
• With the help of the First Amendment Coalition, we fought back when an attorney for a fired Vallejo police officer tried to stop us from publishing new revelations about his record.
• We brought to light a disturbing case involving the arrest of a Benicia teacher who had previously faced criminal allegations of lewd conduct with students. We published a series of stories about our findings, and then our reporter went to court with the help of the First Amendment Coalition to compel the release of records in the case.
• We were instrumental in bringing the Vallejo Police Department into compliance with state law regarding its use of military equipment. The police had done nothing to comply with the law, which took effect in 2021, until we asked about it.
• Our reporting on the conditions of cemeteries owned by Vallejo businessman Buck Kamphausen were cited in a case by the state Department of Justice, which is trying to seize $10 million from the cemeteries due to fiscal mismanagement.
• We recruited a new advisory board of industry leaders to help guide us as we grow and develop.
• We launched our new Vallejo Vignettes column, which highlights reader-submitted stories of something fun, quirky or inspiring that happened in Vallejo. 
• We interviewed nearly all of the candidates running for local office in 2024 to help Solano County voters make an informed decision.
• We launched a new Spanish language section and translated all our election coverage into Spanish.
• We introduced a new upgraded events listing to make it easier than ever to find events in Vallejo and the surrounding area.

Here's some of the awards we've won this year

• A Society of Professional Journalists Northern California award for best community coverage, awarded to city reporter Ryan Geller for the breadth of his stories on taxes, education and homelessness.
• Three California News Publisher Association awards: First place in healthcare coverage for "Man died in Kaiser Vallejo waiting room eight hours after seeking treatment for chest pain," third place in homelessness reporting for Ryan Geller's coverage of homelessness and third place in in-depth coverage for a series of stories on Vallejo police pursuits.

Help us continue to illuminate Solano County with a tax deductible donation today!

And please help us spread the word by sharing this campaign with friends, family and colleagues. Thanks for your support!