Mariel Garza
@marielgarza.bsky.social
Co-founder and exec editor of golden-state.org and contributor to @BostonGlobe Opinion. Former L.A. Times editorials editor and member of the now-defunct editorial board.
Join us on Tuesday at 8:30 PM to unpack the debate between mayoral candidates Karen Bass and Nithya Raman, featuring L.A. Material’s @matt-hamilton87.bsky.social, Golden State Report’s @marielgarza.bsky.social and Bloomberg’s @erika-d-smith.bsky.social. Register now for free: buff.ly/oC1vbMI
@danmorain.bsky.social met Xavier Becerra's parents. Steve Hilton's attacks are shameful, he says www.golden-state.org/xavier-becer...
I met Xavier Becerra's parents. Steve Hilton's attacks are shameful
There are plenty of reasons to criticize the Democratic frontrunner for governor. His hardworking parents' immigrant background isn't one of them.
golden-state.org
Thanks to those who tuned in to our webinar about why "independent" editorial boards can't protect journalism, and a special thanks to our panelists: @marielgarza.bsky.social, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @sulliview.bsky.social, and @dicktofel.bsky.social. Did you miss it? Watch it here:
A paper tiger for the press: Why ‘independent’ editorial boards can’t protect journalism
YouTube video by Freedom of the Press Foundation
youtube.com
Listen at lapodcast.org and join us as a paid subscriber today! Thanks @mikebonin.bsky.social @godfreyplata.bsky.social and @marielgarza.bsky.social 🌟
LA Podcast
LA Podcast covers the news, policies, and major issues facing Los Angeles, a city which is both staggeringly complex and culturally oversimplified. Hosted by Alissa Walker, Mike Bonin, and a rotating ...
lapodcast.org
Jon Healey, my excellent former editor and colleague at the LA Times editorial board, came out of retirement to write the smartest critique of Proposition 40, the billionaire tax, I have yet to read. www.golden-state.org/smart-way-to...
There's a smart way to tax billionaires. It isn't Prop. 40
The wealth tax on California's Nov. 3 ballot is so badly flawed that it's enough to make you wonder about the true intention of its sponsor.
golden-state.org
My colleague @PaulMThornton spent A LOT of time researching and reporting on Prop. 45 for @GoldenStateOrg Why? Because it’s a pretty big change to the state’s environmental review process and voters should know what they are getting if the say “yes.”
It's a virtual panel so please come. As a former editorial board member of the L.A. Times, Sacramento Bee and L.A. Daily News, I definitely have some thoughts.
Freedom of the Press Foundation@freedom.press · 2w ago🔔 Can the judiciary oversee Paramount's self-appointed editorial board? Hear from journalists who saw how these boards work (or don't), with @marielgarza.bsky.social, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @sulliview.bsky.social, and @dicktofel.bsky.social. 🗓️ Oct. 5, 1 pm ET RSVP: freedom.press/editorial-bo...
California's Nov. 3 ballot is filled with complicated measures. @goldenstateorg.bsky.social is publishing deeply reported assessments from independent, veteran journalists. No spin, no paywall. But free to you doesn't mean free to do. So
I am incredibly grateful to @marielgarza.bsky.social and the @goldenstateorg.bsky.social team for offering me a chance to write about the McClatchy layoffs. Please do me the favor of reading it 💕 www.golden-state.org/sacramento-b...
California loses another editorial board at the worst possible time
I went from wrapping up endorsement interviews for The Sacramento Bee to being laid off in another round of cuts at hedge fund-owned newspapers.
golden-state.org
If you don't subscribe to Dan Morain's Substack newsletter, you should. @GoldenStateOrg had the honor of republishing his latest, a story about his talk with Rahm Emmanuel on community colleges and California's future. www.golden-state.org/californias-...
California’s future relies on community colleges. Rahm Emanuel has thoughts
The former Obama chief of staff and Chicago mayor talks AI, jobs, vocational education and the "law of physics" in the 2026 midterm.
golden-state.org
One of the things that gave the former LA Times editorial board credibility on proposition endorsements was that it met with both proponents and opponents. It seemed like whoever, or whatever, wrote this editorial didn’t do that. www.golden-state.org/la-times-edi...
The L.A. Times' undead 'editorial board' rises to go after Prop. 40
The billionaire-owned newspaper publishes its first editorial since March 2025 — despite not having any editorial writers — to oppose the billionaire tax. What gives?
golden-state.org
A post-Citizens United world needs Prop. 4, which would end California's 1988 ban on public campaign financing. www.golden-state.org/a-post-citiz...
A post-Citizens United world needs Prop. 4
It doesn't require state and local governments in California to adopt public campaign financing systems, only lifts an outdated ban.
golden-state.org
PODCAST: We’re joined by @marielgarza.bsky.social, executive editor of the Golden State Report. Garza spoke with us about why she and her colleagues have launched a new independent media venture, and what she’s watching in the LA mayors race. capitolweekly.net/mariel-garza...
Mariel Garza and the Golden State Report - Capitol Weekly
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: We're joined by Mariel Garza, co-founder and executive editor of the Golden State Report. Garza was a longtime reporter and editor for mainstream California news organizations,...
capitolweekly.net
Two months before the Nov. 3 midterm, Trump's attempt to thwart mail balloting is causing chaos and could effectively deny the vote to millions of Americans. State and local election officials say they're getting ready. LINK: www.golden-state.org/california-m...
California is struggling to coexist with mountain lions, black bears and newly returned wolves. Which makes it tricky timing politically for an effort to return grizzlies to the Golden State. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/03/o...
California killed its grizzlies. Now it wants them back. - The Boston Globe
A new proposal would explore bringing the state’s iconic predator back. But California isn’t ready for 800-pound bears — yet.
bostonglobe.com
Californian here. That's not happening.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3mo agoTrump claims California has "brownouts and blackouts every weekend"
Wouldn't it be a hoot if this was ground zero for the cyclosporiasis.
Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 3mo agoThe Trump National Golf Club in Northern Virginia has a pest control problem and a litany of health violations. That includes swarms of small flies observed in a storage room, several perishable food items stored above 41 degrees, and improper storage of raw steak, fish and burgers.
I like to explain how @goldenstateorg.bsky.social is different from other publications by saying we write more about ideas than events. In other words, not so much breaking news as breaking *views* Here's one: www.golden-state.org/a-denser-l-a...
A denser L.A. doesn't have to be an ugly L.A.
How one group is betting that a plan for abundant and affordable housing that is also beautiful will have Angelenos clamoring to say 'yes please.'
golden-state.org
The statewide trend did not bear out in LACo, per @goldenstateorg.bsky.social All the tax measures passed here.
CalMatters@calmatters.org · 4mo agoOpinion | So what’s behind what appears to be a shift among California’s voters, who are overwhelmingly Democrats? It’s probably a reaction to the state’s ever-increasing costs of living. cal.news/4vvNICf 📝 Dan Walters 📸 Jules Hotz
Boyle Heights was just the latest: California's megawarehouses are burning, and the public deserves answers. www.golden-state.org/californias-...
California's megawarehouses are burning, and the public deserves answers
The Boyle Heights blaze was the third logistics center to burn since April, imperiling the health of nearby residents. What's going on?
golden-state.org
This @lamaterial.com story is for anyone wondering wtf happened to election endorsements at the L.A. Times. lamaterial.com/p/la-times-e...
The Endorsement Vacuum
Politicos bemoan the first modern election where the L.A. Times made no local endorsements.
lamaterial.com
Cool. Now do the Crossroads caucus. There's at least one, and he's running for mayor.
L.A. Material@lamaterial.com · 4mo agoFive alumni from Harvard-Westlake, one of L.A.’s toniest private schools, ran for office this cycle. Here is how they performed in recent L.A. elections. Read for free: lamaterial.com/p/the-harvar...
Is it time to dump California's top-two primary? @stevenmaviglio.bsky.social thinks so. I spoke with him for the @goldenstateorg.bsky.social podcast this week about why he thinks this system needs to go. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar2K...
Meet the man trying to get rid of California’s jungle primary
YouTube video by Golden State Report
youtube.com
www.golden-state.org/june2-electi...
L.A.'s mayor is in trouble, and other other takeaways from California’s June 2 primary
The race for governor, mayor of Los Angeles and other seats haven't been called yet as ballots continue to be counted. But the results so far have been revealing. Here are our top takeaways.
golden-state.org
And blames voters for the quality of the candidates.
AmyAlexCA@amyalexca.bsky.social · 4mo agoLoL, #MAGA Lite Mediocre WM who doesn’t even live in #CA purports to diagnose my home state in context of yesterday’s elections. Surprise! He quotes 47 and tacitly approves of #BigTech pawn Mark Mahan, the mayor of #SanJose who just got Shellacked in the #Gov race. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/03/o...
