Business
California Department of Tax and Fee Administration Announces New Taxpayers’ Rights Advocate
Sacramento – The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) announced the selection of Claudette Yang as the Department’s new Taxpayers’ Rights Advocate and Small Business Liaison.
Sacramento – The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) announced the selection of Claudette Yang as the Department’s new Taxpayers’ Rights Advocate and Small Business Liaison.
CDTFA’s Taxpayers’ Rights Advocate Office assists taxpayers who are unable to resolve a matter through normal channels, when they want information regarding procedures, or when there are potential rights violations in an audit or the collection of taxes or fees.
Yang, a resident of Fair Oaks, began her career with the Board of Equalization (BOE) in 1993 as a tax representative in the Sacramento office. She has held several positions during her tenure at the BOE and CDTFA, including in the Tax Policy Bureau, Offer in Compromise Section, Field Operations Division, and as a technical advisor in the director’s office.
“Claudette’s knowledge and experience give her a unique perspective to help taxpayers navigate our tax processes,” said CDTFA Director Nick Maduros. “Claudette and her team in the Office of the Taxpayers’ Rights Advocate stand ready to help taxpayers and are a powerful voice for their rights.”
Yang earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton, in 1993.
Business
Google’s New Deal with California Lawmakers and Publishers Will Fund Newsrooms, Explore AI
Gov. Gavin Newsom, California lawmakers and some newspaper publishers last week finalized a $172 million deal with tech giant Google to support local news outlets and artificial intelligence innovation. This deal, the first of its kind in the nation, aims to invest in local journalism statewide over the next five years. However, the initiative is different from a bill proposed by two legislators, news publishers and media employee unions requiring tech giants Google and Meta to split a percentage of ad revenue generated from news stories with publishers and media outlets.
By Bo Tefu, California Black Media
Gov. Gavin Newsom, California lawmakers and some newspaper publishers last week finalized a $172 million deal with tech giant Google to support local news outlets and artificial intelligence innovation.
This deal, the first of its kind in the nation, aims to invest in local journalism statewide over the next five years. However, the initiative is different from a bill proposed by two legislators, news publishers and media employee unions requiring tech giants Google and Meta to split a percentage of ad revenue generated from news stories with publishers and media outlets. Under this new deal, Google will commit $55 million over five years into a new fund administered by the University of California, Berkeley to distribute to local newsrooms. In this partnership, the State is expected to provide $70 over five years toward this initiative. Google also has to pay a lump sum of $10 million annually toward existing grant programs that fund local newsrooms.
The State Legislature and the governor will have to approve the state funds each year. Google has agreed to invest an additional $12.5 million each year in an artificial intelligence program. However, labor advocates are concerned about the threat of job losses as a result of AI being used in newsrooms.
Julie Makinen, board chairperson of the California News Publishers Association, acknowledged that the deal is a sign of progress.
“This is a first step toward what we hope will become a comprehensive program to sustain local news in the long term, and we will push to see it grow in future years,” said Makinen.
However, the deal is “not what we had hoped for when set out, but it is a start and it will begin to provide some help to newsrooms across the state,” she said.
Regina Brown Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media, said the deal is a commendable first step that beats the alternative: litigation, legislation or Google walking from the deal altogether or getting nothing.
“This kind of public-private partnership is unprecedented. California is leading the way by investing in protecting the press and sustaining quality journalism in our state,” said Brown Wilson. “This fund will help news outlets adapt to a changing landscape and provide some relief. This is especially true for ethnic and community media journalists who have strong connections to their communities.”
Although the state partnered with media outlets and publishers to secure the multi-year deal, unions advocating for media workers argued that the news companies and lawmakers were settling for too little.
Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) proposed a bill earlier this year that aimed to hold tech companies accountable for money they made off news articles. But big tech companies pushed back on bills that tried to force them to share profits with media companies.
McGuire continues to back efforts that require tech companies to pay media outlets to help save jobs in the news industry. He argued that this new deal, “lacks sufficient funding for newspapers and local media, and doesn’t fully address the inequities facing the industry.”
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of September 25 – October 1, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 25 – October 1, 2024
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of September 18 – 24, 2024
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