Gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter must be looking better now to those initially put off by her shouting at a staffer.

www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...

Golden State is a proud #localnewsday newsroom. We're the only non-profit news organization dedicated to fact-based, reported commentary and analysis about the ideas affecting Angelenos and Californians. Check us it at golden-state.org @goldenstateorg.bsky.social

No One at Waffle House Remembers FEMA Official Who Says He Teleported In

How much I love that the NYT reported out insane claim: "Indeed, among roughly two dozen workers and regulars interviewed this week at Rome’s three Waffle House locations, none said they were aware of anyone traveling to the 24-hour restaurants by paranormal means." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/u...

Trump signs executive order limiting mail-in ballots; California leaders say they'll fight President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday purporting to place new federal controls on voting by mail in states such as California.

Trump signs executive order purporting to place new federal controls on voting by mail, repeating his gobbledygook about fraud.

California leaders immediately respond with promises to fight the order in court.

@kevrector.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

A wild ride through the rollicking, rockin' early history of Rolling Stone A new book explores how the magazine thrived by exemplifying – and critiquing – the counterculture that exploded in San Francisco in the mid-1960s.

Back in the day, L.A. Times Opinion vet Susan Brenneman worked for Rolling Stone. She’s the perfect person to review a new book looking at the “wild rise” of a magazine started by a UC Berkeley dropout. www.golden-state.org/a-wild-ride-...

And of course it's now bouncing through the right-wing outrage echo chamber.

Clearly they don't know how much Angelenos love their mountain lions #P-22forever

How the world's largest wildlife crossing became the target of right-wing hate Southern California's landmark $114 million wildlife crossing is almost complete.

So this is the "waste, fraud and abuse"Christopher Rufo has been dispatched by the Manhattan Institute to find in California? Lame.
https//www.sfgate....

'Smog and Sunshine' is a book-length love letter to L.A. and regulation A book by UCLA law professor Ann Carlson shows how L.A.'s decades-long battle to clean its air can serve as a blueprint for fighting climate change.

Listen to the author of 'Smog and Sunshine' talk about how LA fought the powerful auto industry -- and won cleaner skies. Also a @goldenstateorg.bsky.social
review of the book itself. www.golden-state.org/smog-and-sun...

LA is not a bloomin' desert The official look and feel for the games shows, once again, that LA28 doesn't really understand our city

Nailed it, @awalkerinla.bsky.social

"Live shot of me: 💀

I hate to break it to the well-paid consultants who put together this creative brief, but LA is not a desert."

www.torched.la/la-is-not-a-...

Trump, Who Calls Mail-in Voting ‘Cheating,’ Just Voted by Mail

Why would he even need to, he spends so much time at Mar-a-lago. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/u...

This is how it starts

Sweltering in your rental this week? You can thank the California Legislature for that California has repeatedly failed to enact cooling standards for rental housing. That's unacceptable in a warming world – but thankfully, L.A. leaders are finally stepping up.

There are heating standards in temperate California, but none for cooling? Crazy. Paul Thornton explains why at @goldenstateorg.bsky.social www.golden-state.org/sweltering-i...

Cesar Chavez: Labor icon, Mexican-American hero ... rapist? The Democratic establishment is rushing to offer support for women who say they were sexually assaulted by the late civil rights figure. But justice demands more than strongly worded statements.

Rep. Norma Torres is right: There should be a full investigation. There could be more women with stories and life-long trauma. www.golden-state.org/cesar-chavez...

I'm writing about this for @goldenstateorg.bsky.social . I'd love to hear from people about how this could effect politics in California. Will people be able to separate the man from his political legacy? Ping me or email mariel@golden-state.org

Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years

It's like an earthquake just hit the California political world. Chavez isn't (wasn't?) just a revered labor figure, he is (was?) a legend, a rallying cry, an icon for Democrats -- like Ronald Reagan is to Republicans. Great reporting from the NYT.

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/u...

California v. Citizens United The Supreme Court upended the political landscape in 2010 with a decision that allowed corporations to spend unlimited cash to influence elections. One state lawmaker has a plan to set things right.

There's a burgeoning effort to rein in dark money at the state level. Josh Gohlke explains at @goldenstateorg.bsky.social California v. Citizens United www.golden-state.org/california-v...

California's bullet train isn't a fantasy -- it's actually getting built in the Central Valley. I think it's worth the wait and the cost.

I know I blew it by being two days late on payment, but man this massive late fee to register my rented adu with the city of Los Angeles housing dept puts even credit card companies to shame.

Come back, Kamala Harris. California needs you Yes, she declined the option to run for governor. But that was seven months ago — and before the field of Democrats got so crowded it means two Republicans might advance to the general election.

Re-upping my appeal to @kamalaharris.com to change her mind and jump into the race for California governor. There's still time!
www.golden-state.org/come-back-ka...

When the media covers war, every other topic fades Trump will do anything to distract from the political damage of the Epstein files

If you've been around long enough, you remember the shameful flag waving during the early days of the Iraq War.

Read @sulliview.bsky.social--->

open.substack.com/pub/margaret...

Brava Rep. Crockett: "“Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person. This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track. With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win..."

Open Letter to the Democratic Candidates for Governor - California Democratic Party Open Letter to the Democratic Candidates for Governor: California Democrats have no shortage of strong candidates to consider in the race for Governor – current and former Congressmembers, statewide e...

Kamala Harris hasn’t yet taken my suggestion in a recent @goldenstateorg.bsky.social piece to jump into the governor’s race. So now the California Democratic Party chair is publicly calling for less-viable candidates to drop out before the March 6 deadline.

cadem.org/open-letter-...

Newsom vs. Harris: The frenemies primary? - The Boston Globe Their ambitions appear to be on a collision course.

These two California superstars rose in tandem as products of the (once?) powerful San Francisco political machine. Their have paths paralleled, but have not yet crossed. Things are gonna get interesting.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/03/o...

One Adelanto detainee's decision to leave everything behind California will be the lesser for my friend's coerced decision to depart the United States, where he built a business, a family and a life.

This is a powerful and infuriating piec by David Freed. open.substack.com/pub/goldenst... h/t @marielgarza.bsky.social @paulthornton.bsky.social @goldenstateorg.bsky.social

Column: Recent events make you wonder: How much do men really hate women? The blatant and casual misogyny in the Epstein files and elsewhere is difficult to square with our egalitarian ideals.

Right on, @rabcarian.bsky.social

Sigh.

www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

LIVE SOON: Live with Golden State and California Curated Starting Feb 20 at 1:00 PM EST

Paul Thornton of @goldenstateorg.bsky.social talks to Erik Olsen at californiacurated.com this morning at 10 on Substack live. Should be an interesting talk about the fascinating geology, ecology and geography of California. Check it out
open.substack.com/live-stream/...

Casey Wasserman and the Epstein moral panic Resign over cringey emails sent to Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003? Those demanding the LA28 chairman's head over this should get a grip.

@paulthornton.bsky.social goes where few Angelenos have: Casey Wasserman and the Epstein moral panic open.substack.com/pub/goldenst...

Is it indoctrination to teach my granddaughter to have empathy? If so, I’m fine with it. As a lifelong Californian, I’m acutely aware that my common-sense and compassionate life lessons could be viewed as wacko left-wing brainwashing by many.

Is it indoctrination to teach my granddaughter to have empathy?

Maybe a little of both, but so what? open.substack.com/pub/goldenst...

Only in today's America are the lessons once universally embraced in kindergarten classrooms deemed by some to be left-wing indoctrination.

This is a really touching piece on grandparenting by a great writer.

A Pilot Fired Over Kristi Noem’s Missing Blanket and the Constant Chaos Inside DHS Secretary faces fire for confrontational immigration crackdown and self-promotional style; White House to wind down Minnesota operations.

Was it a magic blanket? Lined in gold and unicorn fur?
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...