Streetsblog California has been publishing as a separate news site from Streetsblog Los Angeles and Streetsblog San Francisco for a couple of months now. While we are grateful for the support of the California Endowment in funding this effort, we feel the time is right to start building the infrastructure to support and grow this website beyond our main funding source.

To that end, we’re both kicking off a mini-fundraising drive and putting out a call for volunteers to be part of a “Streetsblog California” steering committee.

But first, we have special prizes for anyone who donates between now and July 6th. Every donor who either donates $50 or more or pledges a monthly donation of $5 or more will receive the first-ever “Streetsblog California” T-shirt. The design is different than any other piece of Streetsblog schwag you may have picked up over the years, combining the Streetsblog style with a bit of California flair. Anyone that donates less that $50 will be entered in a raffle for a chance to win their own piece of Streetsblog California flair.

But we don’t just need money to keep going, we need your time and creativity. Each publication of the Southern California Streets Initiative has a local steering committee that aids with event planning, fundraising, and editorial content. If you’re a regular reader and would like to help us out, let me know at damien@streetsblog.org. I’ll be doing a call for potential steering committee members in July outlining the duties (and perks!) of the steering committee before signing people up.

Last, in addition to the rotating ads that appear on the right and top of the screen, Streetsblog California has inked an advertising deal with Foothill Transit to be our first regular advertiser. Look for their ads to appear soon.