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Senate panel: state procurement and advertising practices leave Latino and ethnic media behind
Summary
Panelists at a California State Senate select committee hearing urged procurement reform, revived spending transparency and capacity-building to direct more state advertising and contracts to minority-owned and community media, citing implementation gaps in AB 1511 and systemic RFP barriers.
SACRAMENTO — Lawmakers and industry representatives told a California State Senate select committee that the state’s procurement and advertising practices are failing to direct sufficient dollars to Latino, ethnic and community media, hampering minority-owned businesses and local civic infrastructure.
At a hearing hosted at TikTok’s Los Angeles facility, State Senator Susan Rubio, chair of the Select Committee on Minority Economic Development, said the committee would gather recommendations to return to the Legislature. Panelists including Michelle O’Grady Caballero, Jay Torres, Arturo Carmona and Thomas Trujillo described a consistent pattern: complex, nonstandard RFP processes; large contract scopes and reserve requirements that disadvantage small firms; and weakened statutory implementation that leaves agencies unaccountable.
"This is infrastructure, not entertainment," Sen. Marielena Durazo said, arguing that when…
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