SoCal Connected Investigates How Chevron Avoided Paying Millions in Taxes and the Fundraising Power of Kickstarter.com

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by Meghan Stettler

on February 29, 2012 1:25 PM

SOCAL CONNECTED INVESTIGATES

HOW CHEVRON AVOIDED PAYING MILLIONS IN TAXES AND THE FUNDRAISING POWER OF KICKSTARTER.COM

Episode airs March 2 at 9 p.m.

Los Angeles, CA - February 29, 2012 - This week on SoCal Connected, correspondent Vince Gonzales investigates how, for over a decade, El Segundo's Chevron has avoided paying millions of dollars in taxes--and why it may not be their fault. Then, correspondent Judy Muller takes a look at the power behind the fastest-growing funding raising site on the web, kickstarter.com, which launched the dreams of two unique SoCal entrepreneurs.

"SMALL TOWN, BIG OIL"

In the tiny South Bay city of El Segundo, oil runs deep. The town was named after Chevron's (then Standard Oil) second refinery, which was built 100 years ago. Just about everyone in the community knows someone who works for Chevron, which sponsors community events like 4th of July fireworks and little league games. So what happens when an outsider discovers the hometown company may not being paying its fair share of taxes? Watch as correspondent Vince Gonzales reveals the threats, secrecy and politics well at play in a small town with big oil. The Producers are Karen Foshay and Lata Pandya.

"KICKSTARTER"

A growing number of entrepreneurs are raising money through web sites like kickstarter.com, a popular funding platform that reported over 100 million dollars in pledges last fall. Correspondent Judy Muller takes a look at how this evolving trend changed the lives of two Southern California home-spun businesses--a mom who designed a special gluten-free, organic ketchup and a student director who clenched over a quarter million dollars to film an action series. The producer is Rick Wilkinson.

SoCal Connected airs Friday, March 2^nd at 9 p.m. with encore airings on Saturdays at 6 p.m., Sundays at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Mondays at 10 p.m.

The Executive Producer of SoCal Connected is Bret Marcus. Co-Executive Producer is Justine Schmidt. Anchor is Val Zavala.

About SoCal Connected

SoCal Connected, winner of the Peabody and duPont-Columbia awards, 14 Emmy® Awards, 15 Golden Mikes, 18 LA Press Club Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best News Documentary and Los Angeles Magazine's "Best New Local TV Program" of 2009, airs Fridays (9:00 p.m.), with encores Saturdays (6 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.), Sundays (1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.) and (6:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.) and Mondays (10:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.) exclusively on KCET. For more information, to view episodes online or to post comments, please visit http://www.socalconnected.org.

SoCal Connected is made possible through the generous support of The Ahmanson Foundation, serving the Los Angeles community since 1952; Jim and Anne Rothenberg; The Maddocks-Brown Foundation; The Elizabeth Hofert-Dailey Trust; The John Randolph Haynes & Dora Haynes Foundation; The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and UCLA.

Press Contacts

Nick Jones or Liza Nedelman, MPRM Communications

323-933-3399; socal@mprm.com