Dan Morain
@danmorain.bsky.social
Author of “Kamala’s Way, An American Life,” working on another book, ex-LAT reporter, ex-SacBee editorial page editor, ex-CalMatters.org, current grandpa, dog walker.
Smart analysis in the Golden State Report, @goldenstateorg.bsky.social, showing why Trump’s demand to drill offshore from California’s coast won’t happen. open.substack.com/pub/goldenst... An aside: Assemblyman Pete Wilson drove the drilling ban in 1969. Ronald Reagan was governor.
No, Trump won’t be able to drill off California’s coast
The administration wants new drilling off the 1,100-mile coastline. Fat chance: This is probably illegal and faces overwhelming backlash.
open.substack.com
January 13, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Smart analysis in the Golden State Report, @goldenstateorg.bsky.social, showing why Trump’s demand to drill offshore from California’s coast won’t happen. open.substack.com/pub/goldenst... An aside: Assemblyman Pete Wilson drove the drilling ban in 1969. Ronald Reagan was governor.
I don't think there has ever been the level of buzz for a politician's memoir as I'm seeing for Gavjn Newsom’s “Young Man In a Hurry." NYT: The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026 www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/b... (I’ve preordered it.)
The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026
www.nytimes.com
January 9, 2026 at 6:12 PM
I don't think there has ever been the level of buzz for a politician's memoir as I'm seeing for Gavjn Newsom’s “Young Man In a Hurry." NYT: The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026 www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/b... (I’ve preordered it.)
Paul Thornton of The Golden State Report writes about the deep anger among survivors one year after the Altadena fire. open.substack.com/pub/goldenst...
H/t @paulthornton.bsky.social @goldenstateorg.bsky.social
H/t @paulthornton.bsky.social @goldenstateorg.bsky.social
A year later, L.A. fire survivors are hopping mad and still want answers
If you thought the one-year anniversary of the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires was going to be all about unity and hope, you haven't been paying close attention.
open.substack.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Paul Thornton of The Golden State Report writes about the deep anger among survivors one year after the Altadena fire. open.substack.com/pub/goldenst...
H/t @paulthornton.bsky.social @goldenstateorg.bsky.social
H/t @paulthornton.bsky.social @goldenstateorg.bsky.social
Sam Quinones, author Dreamland and Least of Us, reports the latest on the scourge that is high purity meth. Such an important story. The sources are notable. (Venezuela is not one). open.substack.com/pub/samquino...
Why The Purity of Methamphetamine Matters
A new report emphasizes once again how pure the meth is coming from Mexico, making it especially devastating in terms of addiction, homelessness, and mental illness.
open.substack.com
January 8, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Sam Quinones, author Dreamland and Least of Us, reports the latest on the scourge that is high purity meth. Such an important story. The sources are notable. (Venezuela is not one). open.substack.com/pub/samquino...
Doug LaMalfa was always willing to talk and often had witty observations of the happenings in the Capitol. He helped ensure Paradise got its share of federal aid after the Camp Fire. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
GOP lawmaker Doug LaMalfa dies at 65
The Republican represented a rural northern California district.
www.politico.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Doug LaMalfa was always willing to talk and often had witty observations of the happenings in the Capitol. He helped ensure Paradise got its share of federal aid after the Camp Fire. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
And then there is this. One thing California does not need. www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...
Federal appeals court strikes down California open-carry gun ban
A federal appeals court ruled that California’s ban on openly carrying firearms in most counties is unconstitutional, citing Supreme Court precedent and historical tradition.
www.sfchronicle.com
January 3, 2026 at 3:53 PM
And then there is this. One thing California does not need. www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...
Dramatic decline in the number of homicides in San Francisco and Oakland. Still too many but it’s an important story that ought to get national attention. H/t @sfchronicle.com www.sfchronicle.com/crime/articl...
S.F., Oakland see fewest homicides since Cold War era
Oakland saw its fewest homicides since 1967, and San Francisco’s were the lowest since 1954.
www.sfchronicle.com
January 3, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Dramatic decline in the number of homicides in San Francisco and Oakland. Still too many but it’s an important story that ought to get national attention. H/t @sfchronicle.com www.sfchronicle.com/crime/articl...
Reposted by Dan Morain
A note: one our most-read stories this year was actually published in 2024 - @danmorain.bsky.social's profile of Republican legislator Frank Lanterman who led the effort to transform how CA cared for people with severe mental illness
capitolweekly.net/the-republic...
capitolweekly.net/the-republic...
The Republican who emptied the asylums - Capitol Weekly
Frank Lanterman won an assembly seat in 1950 with one goal: securing a steady water supply for his family’s land holdings and subdivisions in the Verdugo hills community of La Cañada outside Los Angel...
capitolweekly.net
December 30, 2025 at 9:27 PM
A note: one our most-read stories this year was actually published in 2024 - @danmorain.bsky.social's profile of Republican legislator Frank Lanterman who led the effort to transform how CA cared for people with severe mental illness
capitolweekly.net/the-republic...
capitolweekly.net/the-republic...
One giant writes about another. George Skelton on Lou Cannon. I love the Dodgers game anecdote. www.latimes.com/california/n...
Column: Reagan biographer Lou Cannon always played it straight and true
Reagan biographer Lou Cannon always played it straight and true
www.latimes.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:53 PM
One giant writes about another. George Skelton on Lou Cannon. I love the Dodgers game anecdote. www.latimes.com/california/n...
Local journalism matters. H/t @senatorglazer.bsky.social www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/12/27/t...
'The canary in the democracy mine is local journalism' | Vince Bzdek
The threat to local journalism and the accountability it brings to government is one of the most important issues facing Colorado right now.
www.coloradopolitics.com
December 28, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Local journalism matters. H/t @senatorglazer.bsky.social www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/12/27/t...
I met Robert Lindsey when I was a young reporter covering federal courts in LA and later as a San Francisco-based reporter for the LA Times. He was a quiet and fiercely competitive journalist but took the time to talk with a rookie. The NYT obituary: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/b...
Robert Lindsey, Times Reporter and Reagan Ghostwriter, Dies at 90
www.nytimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 4:08 PM
I met Robert Lindsey when I was a young reporter covering federal courts in LA and later as a San Francisco-based reporter for the LA Times. He was a quiet and fiercely competitive journalist but took the time to talk with a rookie. The NYT obituary: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/b...
A true giant: Lou Cannon Dies at 92; Journalist Chronicled Reagan as an Author www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/b...
Lou Cannon Dies at 92; Journalist Chronicled Reagan as an Author
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 4:06 PM
A true giant: Lou Cannon Dies at 92; Journalist Chronicled Reagan as an Author www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/b...
Reposted by Dan Morain
Mariel Garza @marielgarza.bsky.social of the Golden State Report @goldenstateorg.bsky.social has a weird definition of fun. www.golden-state.org/why-im-stoke...
Why I'm stoked about California's wide open 2026 governor race
It may not rise to the level of absurdity of the 2003 recall, but the large cast of campaign characters suggests a pretty entertaining time leading up to the June primary. That's good for me, and for ...
www.golden-state.org
December 12, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Mariel Garza @marielgarza.bsky.social of the Golden State Report @goldenstateorg.bsky.social has a weird definition of fun. www.golden-state.org/why-im-stoke...
The lede: “Crime in San Francisco just keeps falling and falling.” Wait. I thought it was a failed city. Whaddya know. www.sfchronicle.com/crime/articl...
Crime in San Francisco is declining even faster than other cities. Will the trend continue?
Crime decreases this year have beaten even last year’s historic lows in San Francisco. This data shows how much it’s fallen — and where it hasn’t.
www.sfchronicle.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:11 PM
The lede: “Crime in San Francisco just keeps falling and falling.” Wait. I thought it was a failed city. Whaddya know. www.sfchronicle.com/crime/articl...
Latest Public Policy Institute of California survey: Job approval of U.S. Supreme Court is 29% among California adults while 68% disapprove. SCOTUS's job approval was 57% in 2017, with 32% disapproving.
Heck of a job, CJ Roberts.
See Q-27: www.ppic.org/wp-content/u... h/t @ppicnotes.bsky.social
Heck of a job, CJ Roberts.
See Q-27: www.ppic.org/wp-content/u... h/t @ppicnotes.bsky.social
www.ppic.org
December 11, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Latest Public Policy Institute of California survey: Job approval of U.S. Supreme Court is 29% among California adults while 68% disapprove. SCOTUS's job approval was 57% in 2017, with 32% disapproving.
Heck of a job, CJ Roberts.
See Q-27: www.ppic.org/wp-content/u... h/t @ppicnotes.bsky.social
Heck of a job, CJ Roberts.
See Q-27: www.ppic.org/wp-content/u... h/t @ppicnotes.bsky.social
My father, for one.
As the Supreme Court prepares to take up Trump’s extremist effort to end birthright citizenship, let’s remember this isn’t only about the children of current undocumented people. It’s also about tens of millions of second & third generation citizens whose citizenship would be immediately in doubt.
December 6, 2025 at 5:56 PM
My father, for one.
What an incredible life this heroic man led. He was denied the right to vote and struggled to get adequate health care and yet gave so much: Charles Norman Shay, Tribal Elder and World War II Hero, Dies at 101 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/u...
Charles Norman Shay, Tribal Elder and World War II Hero, Dies at 101
www.nytimes.com
December 6, 2025 at 5:53 PM
What an incredible life this heroic man led. He was denied the right to vote and struggled to get adequate health care and yet gave so much: Charles Norman Shay, Tribal Elder and World War II Hero, Dies at 101 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/u...
Jane Ganahl’s essay speaks for many of us.
You get what you pay.
You get what you pay.
Affordability is no "con job" when it comes to California's rental market. But when the option is freezing in Fargo, you hold on, writes Jane Ganahl in @goldenstateorg.bsky.social www.golden-state.org/retire-to-ar...
Retire to Arkansas? The rent's too damn high in California, but I’m staying
It's a struggle to afford life in the Golden State for middle-income seniors. But if your family, and your heart, is here, the only option is embracing frugality.
www.golden-state.org
December 5, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Jane Ganahl’s essay speaks for many of us.
You get what you pay.
You get what you pay.
“Double tap” is the worst euphemism of the year. Maybe ever.
December 3, 2025 at 12:13 AM
“Double tap” is the worst euphemism of the year. Maybe ever.
Hard to be surprised by stuff Trump does. But this pardon is something: “He once boasted that he would ‘stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses.’ He accepted a $1 million bribe from El Chapo to allow cocaine shipments to pass through Honduras.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n...
The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:49 AM
Hard to be surprised by stuff Trump does. But this pardon is something: “He once boasted that he would ‘stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses.’ He accepted a $1 million bribe from El Chapo to allow cocaine shipments to pass through Honduras.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n...
A “breaking news” reporter based in Seoul, South Korea, covers a mass shooting in Stockton, California. It reads like it. “4 Dead After Shooting at Banquet Hall in California” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/u...
4 Dead After Shooting at Banquet Hall in California
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 6:03 PM
A “breaking news” reporter based in Seoul, South Korea, covers a mass shooting in Stockton, California. It reads like it. “4 Dead After Shooting at Banquet Hall in California” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/u...
Mariel Garza interviews @gilduran.com of Nerd Reich in Golden State Report @goldenstateorg.bsky.social “Even the ones who aren't politically radical in their own voice like (Apple Chief Executive) Tim Cook are bowing down, bringing him gold trinkets.” I look forward to Gil Duran’s book.
November 28, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Mariel Garza interviews @gilduran.com of Nerd Reich in Golden State Report @goldenstateorg.bsky.social “Even the ones who aren't politically radical in their own voice like (Apple Chief Executive) Tim Cook are bowing down, bringing him gold trinkets.” I look forward to Gil Duran’s book.
Johnson certainly didn’t protect California Republicans. I can’t imagjne they’d be big supporters. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Why Mike Johnson is losing control of the House
Thanks to a coalition of Democrats and disgruntled Republicans, more discharge petitions have succeeded in the past two years than the prior three decades combined.
www.politico.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Johnson certainly didn’t protect California Republicans. I can’t imagjne they’d be big supporters. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
@marielgarza.bsky.social of Golden State takes on what Vanity Fair, in true East Coast style, called the “Cali” Post. www.golden-state.org/l-a-to-n-y-p... If only the Herald Examiner could come back.
L.A. to N.Y. Post: Drop Dead
There are plenty of things to criticize about California and Los Angeles, but GOP-talking points disguised as independent commentary don't really add to the conversation.
www.golden-state.org
November 23, 2025 at 6:40 PM
@marielgarza.bsky.social of Golden State takes on what Vanity Fair, in true East Coast style, called the “Cali” Post. www.golden-state.org/l-a-to-n-y-p... If only the Herald Examiner could come back.