Yolo County Local News & Information Ecosystem

Yolo County, home to more than 220,000 residents, sits to the west of California’s state capital, Sacramento. This 2025 local news and information ecosystem assessment draws on both qualitative and quantitative data to present a snapshot of Yolo County — both the supply of local news and information and the community’s demand. Impact Architects applied our Local News and Information Ecosystem Framework originally developed in 2020 in order to set a baseline for ecosystem health and to identify strengths and opportunities.

However, this is unique in IA’s body of ecosystem work in that this project was done in partnership with a community access media organization, Davis Media Access, rather than a funder or news ecosystem backbone organization. DMA’s deep community knowledge and relationships proved invaluable in bringing a variety of residents’ perspectives into the research process.

Some key findings detailed in the report include:

• The need for more expanded Spanish-language and bilingual media

• The need for a backbone institution for the news and information sector

• A call for deeper reporting on local governance, agriculture (including farmworkers’ voices), education, and perspectives and experiences of immigrants and people of color, which are often missing or misrepresented

• An opportunity for news outlets to connect communities to vital resources like nonprofit and government services.