was a nonprofit investigative news organization that focused on public affairs issues in California. Its work under that of the nonprofit , which founded it.

California Watch was founded in 2009 and is based in Berkeley, Calif. In March 2012, CIR with the Bay Area nonprofit news site The Bay Citizen under the auspices of CIR. The new organization had a , of which about 40 had been CIR staff, and a 2012 budget of $10.5 million. CIR’s staff in Berkeley, Sacramento, and Orange County and focuses on .

Nearly all of California Watch’s initial  was provided by three foundations, which funded the organization with $3.7 million in startup grants. Since then, it has worked to broaden its funding base and has to a projected $4.8 million in 2011. It hopes to eventually develop a model that’s also based on individual memberships, sponsorship, and licensing.

Through California Watch, CIR charged a to provide its stories to other news outlets. The Watch had a regularly updated website, though its primary focus is on collaborating with other California news outlets. Its editors referred to it as a “boutique wire service,” and they often of an investigative report to personalize it to each news outlet, including several for local ethnic media.