California Senate Bill SB1358

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/20/26
• Refer: 3/4/26
• Refer: 3/25/26
• Refer: 4/6/26
• Refer: 4/8/26
• Report Pass: 4/14/26
• Refer: 4/14/26

Caption

An act to amend Section 65054 of, and to repeal and add Section 65054.3 of, the Government Code, to amend Section 2783 of the Labor Code, and to add Chapter 2.6 (commencing with Section 11100) to Part 2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code, relating to news outlets.

Impact

The bill's passage would institutionalize the requirement for state agencies to develop plans for allocating funds to ethnic media outlets without a sunset date, which had been previously set for 2029. It also mandates the establishment of a database of these media outlets, which will allow for more effective targeting and ensure that advertising dollars reach the intended communities. By enforcing that a substantial portion of advertising contracts, particularly those valued between $5,000 and $350,000, must be awarded to small businesses or community-focused outlets, it encourages wider economic participation among these media businesses.

Summary

Senate Bill 1358, introduced by Senator Rubio, is aimed at enhancing state expenditures on ethnic and community media outlets. The bill seeks to extend indefinitely existing laws that mandate state agencies to focus their marketing, advertising, and outreach efforts towards these media outlets, which serve various racial, ethnic, and linguistic minority communities. A significant change included in this bill is the requirement for state agencies to direct at least 40% of their annual advertising budgets to ethnic and community media. This move is intended to better allocate state funds in a manner that reaches historically underserved populations.

Sentiment

General sentiment around SB 1358 appears to be positive, particularly among advocates for ethnic and community media. Supporters argue that diverting more funds to these outlets is essential for promoting equitable information access in diverse communities. However, there may be some contention from those who question the efficiency and possible bureaucratic implications of this approach to advertising and marketing expenditures.

Contention

Notable points of contention involve the bill's provisions regarding the labor classification of newspaper distributors. The bill extends an exemption related to the ABC test for determining employee status for certain newspaper workers, which could potentially stir debate among labor rights advocates. Critics might argue that this exemption complicates worker protections within the broader discussions of media and advertising, particularly as it relates to ensuring fair labor standards within these settings.