Open Vallejo

Open Vallejo is an award-winning, independent, nonpartisan newsroom serving the public interest. The only nonprofit news organization serving Vallejo, we produce nationally recognized, deeply researched investigative and explanatory reporting that drives real-world change. 

Our inaugural investigation, Vallejo police bend badges to mark fatal shootings, won the prestigious Selden Ring Special Citation for Investigative Reporting in 2020. In the 20 years prior, Vallejo police shot someone roughly every four months, often fatally; following that investigation, the department went six years without another fatal shooting. The story also had statewide impact: when California passed a landmark 2021 law banning law enforcement gangs, both houses of the state legislature cited the badge-bending revelations. 

Our other investigations have revealed a mayoral candidate's history of domestic violence; how senior city officials illegally destroyed evidence in badge-bending shootings; a man's death in custody that the city kept hidden for nearly a decade, and a group of bright, AI-obsessed young people with ties to Vallejo who authorities have linked to half a dozen homicides across the country. Our explanatory reporting has helped elucidate everything from how the Vallejo Police Department's staffing challenges affect response times to how people can access free groceries in times of need. We also provide other community resources, including a free obituary service for Solano County residents.

Open Vallejo is a project of the Informed California Foundation, a periodical publication, wire service and press association that produces and supports impactful, responsive, local accountability journalism in communities across the state. We will soon launch a series of tools, trainings, resources, and technologies to support other communities and newsrooms nationwide.