Driving the news: The project, Public Matters, officially launched last week as a partnership between KPBS, Voice of San Diego and inewsource, with funding for three years from a $3 million donation by Joan and Irwin Jacobs.
Between the lines: It will include KPBS' election coverage, including Spanish translation, and the station will host community conversations with hopes of addressing political polarization.
Voice of San Diego's annual Politifest, featuring candidate debates and panel discussions, will slide under the Public Matters banner.
The nonprofit will revive its San Diego 101 series, aimed at explaining local government to give residents the tools to engage with it.
It will also include inewsource's Documenters program, which trains and pays local residents to attend and cover public meetings. They'll focus specifically on public access issues at the polls and at meetings.
What's next: Amita Sharma, KPBS' public matters investigative reporter, told Axios she plans to cover how national threats to democracy funnel down to San Diego County.
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