Free Admission

Brews & Views welcomes CEO of CalMatters Neil Chase, Common Cause Media & Democracy Program Manager Maya Chupkov, and Advisor for Coastside News Group Marie C. Baca in conversation with Lenny Mendonca, Former Chief Economic and Business Advisor at State of California, and founder of the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company.

Hear from local and regional experts about government support, policy and budget solutions that can help sustain independent, local, and diverse media. The digital age has shattered newspapers’ business model, turning many communities into “news deserts” with no local journalism. Media industry consolidation has also played a role in the decline of local journalism. In recent years, many smaller newspapers have become part of larger conglomerates that are focused wholly on profits, usually at the expense of local reporting.  Find out how philanthropic efforts and community support can be part of the solution.

Admission and snacks are complimentary. Beer, wine and other beverages will be available for sale at the event. Dine at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company afterwards and ten percent of evening dining proceeds will benefit the Cabrillo Education Foundation.

Guest and Moderator Bios

Neil Chase, Chief Executive Officer of CalMatters

Formerly Executive Editor at The Mercury News and the East Bay Times and has worked as a journalist at the San Francisco Examiner, Arizona Republic, CBS MarketWatch and The New York Times.

Maya Chupkov, Media & Democracy Program Manager at California Common Cause

Maya joined Common Cause after serving as the Director of Strategic Communications at the Public Advocates Office at the California Public Utilities Commission. Before that role, she worked as the Communications Director for the Council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO), developing and implementing media and political advocacy initiatives around affordable housing and land use issues.

Marie C. Baca, Advisor to Coastside News Group and the New Mexico Local News Fund

Marie is an award-winning business and technology journalist whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Albuquerque Journal and Semiconductor Engineering, among other publications. Marie holds a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University and a master’s degree from Stanford’s Graduate Program in Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

Lenny Mendonca, Moderator

Co-founder of the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, Former Chief Economic and Business Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom of California. He is a Senior Partner Emeritus of McKinsey & Company and a Lecturer on Inequality at the Stanford Business School.