Dan Morain
danmorain.bsky.social
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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...
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
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
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
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
Reposted by Dan Morain
December 11, 2025 at 7:09 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...
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
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
www.ppic.org
December 11, 2025 at 11:39 PM
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
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
Jane Ganahl’s essay speaks for many of us.
You get what you pay.
December 5, 2025 at 4:55 PM
“Double tap” is the worst euphemism of the year. Maybe ever.
December 3, 2025 at 12:13 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...
The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:49 AM
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
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
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
@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