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 increased our support for the local business community in Vallejo through free trainings and our new best of contest. We continued our impactful investigations into Vallejo police, schools and other malfeasance, including taking legal action against the city of Vallejo. We received new support from the California Local News Fellowship and other vital partners. And 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 continued supporting local Vallejo businesses and launched our first-ever Best of Vallejo & Benicia contest.
• We held two free seminars for small businesses and nonprofits to help them learn about media and event promotion.
• We hired a local news fellow through the California Local News Fellowship program, a Vallejo native who is focused on health and science reporting.
• We sued the city of Vallejo with First Amendment Coalition for withholding video of a police shooting in violation of the law.
• The ACLU called for an investigation into the Vallejo City Attorney's Office and extensively cited our reporting. 
• We continued our investigations into hiring issues in the Vallejo Police Department, including revealing how one officer was disqualified by three other agencies before he was hired in Vallejo and the threats faced by Vallejo's former police chief.
• We revealed troubling incidents in Vallejo schools, including new details about a former high school volleyball coach accused of molesting students and the background of a substitute teacher caught on video dragging a student out of class.
• 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 led to a judge's order that the state can seize over $50 million in assets from the cemeteries. 

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

• We won third place in beat reporting from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for our coverage of homelessness.
• We won two California News Publisher Association awards: Third place in investigative reporting for our coverage of a Benicia teacher accused of sexual abuse and fifth place for our coverage of the 2024 election.

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!