How to contact an inmate?

I have a bit of an odd question, maybe. I would very much like to contact an inmate in California, but I live in outside of the states. I don’t want to make a phone call or send a physical letter (takes forever + phone calls are not doable for me), and all these online-pay-to-email-services doesn’t seem to work for the facility I want to contact. Is there any other way to go to contact an inmate, or is a physical letter/phone call the only way? We used to be big time texters but he isn’t allowed a personal phone.

If it’s relevant information, we are lovers and he is serving 30 years. I will not disclose for what or who he is.