Dear Friends,
Two decades ago, the Davis Vanguard was founded with a simple but vital mission: to shine a light on criminal justice, local governance, and the issues that matter most to our communities. As we reflect on this milestone, we recognize that none of this work would have been possible without supporters like you.
Your contributions over the past five years have allowed us to sustain watchdog reporting, hold powerful institutions accountable, and give voice to those who might otherwise go unheard. Because of that support, the Davis Vanguard has been able to deliver meaningful impact over twenty years.
In 2007, our coverage of the Khalid Berny case—where a Clarksburg farmer faced 170 misdemeanor charges for allegedly roaming goats—exposed charge stacking and procedural irregularities that led to the dismissal of all charges. In 2009, when Luis Gutierrez-Navarro was fatally shot by Yolo County sheriff’s deputies, we provided independent analysis of ballistic evidence that raised serious questions about the official clearance, years before such scrutiny became common.
In 2017, our reporting on former Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness’s racist public remarks led to his removal from the investigation into the UC Davis Picnic Day incident, reaffirming the role transparency plays in public trust. In 2019, through our Court Watch project, we documented allegations of prosecutorial misconduct involving a child witness in San Francisco, placing those claims into the public record as the prosecutor’s political stature grew.
In 2024, we revealed that the Davis Police Department dismissed an officer after discovering his prior involvement in the 2019 in-custody death of Mario Matthews at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center, exposing critical failures in background screening and oversight. And in 2025, our sustained coverage contributed to the overturning of Ajay Dev’s 378-year sentence after courts found mishandled evidence and ineffective counsel—one of the most consequential innocence cases we have reported.
At a time when local journalism is under extraordinary strain, your support has allowed the Davis Vanguard to remain independent, persistent, and unwilling to look away. You have invested not simply in a publication, but in accountability and democratic oversight.
As we look ahead, the need for rigorous, local investigative journalism has not diminished—it has intensified. Court monitoring, public records work, long-form investigations, and mentoring the next generation of journalists all depend on readers who believe this work matters.
If the Davis Vanguard has informed you, challenged you, or helped strengthen public accountability in our community, we invite you to support the work in whatever way feels right to you. Your continued involvement—whether through a one-time gift, ongoing support, or simply sharing our reporting—helps ensure that this journalism continues.
Thank you for being part of this community and for helping make the next chapter possible.
If you believe in this work, please consider becoming a supporter today:
https://davisvanguard.org/donate
Checks or DAF:
Davis Vanguard
PO Box 4715
Davis, CA 95617
Sincerely,
David Greenwald
Executive Director
