Those 'Neighbors First' mailers are just another clunky astroturf campaign Under the barest of inspections, well-funded influence operations posing as grass-roots movements fall apart. It's no different with Neighbors First, the Marin County-based organization blanketing L.A...

A well-funded influence operation posing as a grass-roots movement? Marin County-based Neighbors First is blanketing parts of L.A. in attack mailers; we've seen efforts like this before.

Not-so-fun historical fact: Nazi Germany's henchman tried to infiltrate the movies before World War II. Reviewer Adam Henig says "Hollywood vs. Nazis" is a thriller, but he has problems with the book being marketed as nonfiction.
www.golden-state.org/nazis-in-hol...

Swalwell just made a messy governor's race worse. Here’s a way to fix it. In 2009, California lawmakers banned write-ins in general elections. Bad move, but it's not too late for Democrats to undo it as a "Plan B" if two Republicans make it to the November ballot.

Buh-bye Eric Swalwell.

Now California Democrats have to clean up his mess. Problem is, 17 years ago the state Legislature did away with a fail-safe solution that could have been deployed in a November governor's race with two MAGA Republicans: write-in voting.

Goodbye Southwest Airlines, hello Southworst I got my first bitter taste of the remade carrier last week. With bag and seat fees, Southwest’s private-equity overlords have stripped the once-beloved airline of everything that made it special.

The "enshitification" of Southwest Airlines is here, brought to you by its new private-equity overlords.

When we started Golden State, we bet readers would stand up for fearless nonprofit opinion journalism for California.
Your support keeps that going. Click the link in our profile to see how you can sustain Golden State with a donation or a membership on #LocalNewsDay.

Bye-bye, L.A. political machine: 2026 election marks the golden age of choice Moving the city elections to even years kicked off a new era of competition. That's good for Angelenos, who will choose their slate of leaders rather than having it decided by the political establishm...

The 2026 LA primary brings more competition than some recent elections. That makes life harder for a flotilla of elected officials seeking another term, but the choice is great for voters. Mt @goldenstateorg.bsky.social piece. www.golden-state.org/bye-bye-l-a-...

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

Bye-bye, L.A. political machine: 2026 election marks the golden age of choice Moving the city elections to even years kicked off a new era of competition. That's good for Angelenos, who will choose their slate of leaders rather than having it decided by the political establishm...

Rejoice, L.A. voters! In a year with so many incumbents running for reelection, you have real choices on your ballot. It wasn't always this way, says @jonregardie.bsky.social.

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-...

'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...

'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.

Angelenos of a certain age grew up with "Smog Alerts." Kids growing up in L.A. today might not even know what those are. Listen to a discussion of how L.A. got here with Ann Carlson, author of the new book, "Smog and Sunshine."

Making sense of California's wild governor's race YouTube video by Golden State Report

Golden State's Mariel Garza discusses the cancelled USC debate, the top-two primary, the L.A. mayor’s race, Citizens United and other important topics with Josh Gohlke of Laughing Leads to Crying.

My family was imprisoned in camps for Japanese Americans. They'd be horrified by today's immigrant roundups. His uncle, forced into the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming, enlisted during World War II and died in France. The country he served then looks terrifyingly like the country sending immigran...

His family was imprisoned during World War II because they were Japanese American. Now, former L.A. Times company historian Darrell Kunitomi has a warning for America.

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.

Thank you, @paulthornton.bsky.social, for reminding everyone that California legislators keep talking about requiring air conditioning in rental housing but backing off when landlords and developers fight back: goldenstatereport.substack.com/p/sweltering...

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.

It's March, it's freakishly hot, and you wonder: Why is my landlord required to provide heating but not air conditioning? Relief is on the horizon in L.A., but it's not coming soon enough.

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.

Mariel Garza: “The offenses outlined in the story include crimes and a possible cover-up by union officials.”
open.substack.com/pub/goldenst... h/t @goldenstateorg.bsky.social

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.

Justice for survivors demands more than just strongly worded statements denouncing Cesar Chavez, says @marielgarza.bsky.social.

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

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.

Could our long, national nightmare finally be ending? A bill in the California Legislature uses a novel legal theory that could nullify the 2010 Citizens United decision.

Welcome to election deception season California voters will be inundated with calls, texts and mailers from political campaigns that aren't always straightforward about their intent. Golden State is here to help.

The billionaire-backed "Transparency Act" tries to pull a fast one on voters. Golden State is here to help Californians handle this and other deceptive campaign ploys.
www.golden-state.org/welcome-to-e...

Trolling is not winning. It is capitulation As Michelle Obama reminded us in 2020, even in difficult times, swagger and vulgarity doesn’t have to be “who we are.”

In a world filled with Trumps and Newsoms, be a Zohran Mamdani.

California's bullet train is over budget and overdue — but still very necessary High-speed rail from the Bay Area to Southern California will help mitigate the climate-wrecking infrastructure we've already built. It's worth the wait and cost.

High-speed rail from the Bay Area to Southern California will help mitigate the climate-wrecking infrastructure we've already built. It's worth the wait and cost.

www.golden-state.org/californias-...

Of course Californians are pissed off. The largest and richest state has been kicked to the political curb But they don't have to take it. Here's how Golden Staters can use their collective influence to push for transformational reforms, some once unthinkable, before another would-be king crowns himself.

Californians don't have to take political marginalization lying down. Here's how they can use their collective influence to push for transformational reforms, some once unthinkable, before another would-be king crowns himself.

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

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.

How one Adelanto detainee went from fighting deportation to making the coerced decision to leave the United States, where he has lived since he was 6, has a business and started a family.

Until LAX adopts a true traffic solution like congestion pricing, you might want to bookmark this video, which recommends a personal hack to avoid the "horseshoe" entirely.

California's English-language law turns 40 soon. What it robbed from young Latinas like me My parents didn't speak Spanish with me, making me neither "Mexican enough" nor "American enough." Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show helped me reclaim my voice and identity.

California's English-language law turns 40 this year. Here's what it robbed from a generation of Latinos taught to be ashamed of speaking Spanish.

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.

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

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.

The California governor's race is a mess. Kamala Harris can fix it by reversing her decision last July not to run.

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.

Jane Ganahl's granddaughter doesn't eat animals and is fine with gay marriage. To some, this looks like indoctrination -- and Ganahl is fine with that.