Dear Vallejo Sun reader,

I'm writing because the Vallejo Sun just passed a major milestone: Our second year anniversary. While this is cause for celebration, it remains to be seen whether we can keep going for another year. So I'm also asking for your help.

We founded the Vallejo Sun in 2021 because we saw a need for in-depth reporting about local government, policing, and extremist movements in the region. In 2022, we expanded to cover Vallejo’s rich arts and culture.

We hope you've enjoyed our in-depth reporting on police, local government, schools and arts, and have found our extensive event listings useful. We think it's important to bring you the best information available. But we can't do it without your help.

This year we've overcome some challenges. Our founding member John Glidden departed for a new role with the county. Upheaval at social media companies has made it harder for news publishers to reach consumers.

But we remain committed to bringing you the news and added six new contributors in the last year. These new voices have expanded our breadth of coverage and brought you even more of the in-depth news you've come to expect from us.

For the first time, you can make a tax deductible contribution to the Vallejo Sun through our fiscal sponsor, the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation. Your contribution means more work for local journalists and more thought-provoking, impactful stories.

Click here to make a tax deductible donation to the Vallejo Sun.

Click here to become a paid subscriber to the Vallejo Sun.

Here's some of what we've accomplished this year:

• Our investigation into domestic violence nonprofit SafeQuest Solano took nearly a year of painstakingly documentation. We found that SafeQuest had allowed an executive to live in a safe house rented from the city of Fairfield for $1. Since our report, U.S. Rep. John Garamendi and state Sen. Bill Dodd have both said the allegations against SafeQuest should be investigated.
• We exclusively published explosive whistleblower testimony from a former Vallejo police captain, including allegations that the head of the Vallejo Police Officers Association had lowered the department's standards to get himself promoted.
• We revealed that the Vallejo Police Department illegally shared Automated License Plate Reader data with out-of-state law enforcement agencies.
• We compelled the Fairfield Police Department to release police body camera video of a police shooting in Vallejo through legal action. Here's our reporter Scott Morris talking about it on KTVU.
• We promoted local arts and events, like the Underground Slapz show on Ozcat Radio. Here's our arts reporter Gretchen Zimmermann making an appearance on the show — where numerous Vallejo artists have gotten their start.

Here's some of what we want to do with your help in our third year:

• We are the only publication in Vallejo carefully tracking what's happening — and not happening — with development of the waterfront. Your donation will help us keep digging into those issues.
• We want to do more follow up on past stories, such as what happened with proposed projects in the city that appear to have gone nowhere. Your donation means more consistency in news coverage.
• We want to report more on environmental justice issues, with more emphasis on their impact on residents. Your donation means more attention on local refineries and other polluters.
• We want to add new arts contributors — especially to report on all the great music in Vallejo. Your donation means more opportunities for writers and artists.
• We want to revamp our event listings so that it's easier than ever to find Vallejo events. Your donation means more publicity for local events.
• We want to bring you more of the same in depth coverage of police, housing, local government and education that you've come to expect from us. Investigative journalism takes a lot of time — your donation means that we can spend that time doing it.

Help us illuminate Solano County with a tax deductible donation today!

And please help us spread the word by sharing this campaign with friends, family and colleagues. Thanks for your support!