Golden State
@goldenstateorg.bsky.social
Fearless, informed news and commentary in CA via LA. Not controlled by billionaires. Co-founded by ex-LATers Mariel Garza and Paul Thornton.
https://golden-state.org
https://givebutter.com/NY2Duo
https://golden-state.org
https://givebutter.com/NY2Duo
Reposted by Golden State
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.
Reposted by Golden State
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 3:56 PM
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...
Housing for a retired senior would be cheaper in Arkansas. But ... Arkansas? North Dakota? Nebraska? Really? Litquake co-founder Jane Ganahl isn't ready to trade Yosemite and Lake Tahoe for lower rent just yet.
www.golden-state.org/retire-to-ar...
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 3:40 PM
Housing for a retired senior would be cheaper in Arkansas. But ... Arkansas? North Dakota? Nebraska? Really? Litquake co-founder Jane Ganahl isn't ready to trade Yosemite and Lake Tahoe for lower rent just yet.
www.golden-state.org/retire-to-ar...
www.golden-state.org/retire-to-ar...
California has an LAX-sized blind spot on climate change. Expanding roads into the airport to size it for mega-events like the Olympics is folly, writes @gspeng.bsky.social.
www.golden-state.org/climate-arso...
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www.golden-state.org/climate-arso...
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'Climate arson': A scientist's case against LAX's Olympic expansion
Aviation is a "hard to abate" greenhouse gas emitter. Sizing LAX for mega-events like the Olympics is a huge mistake, says a scientist.
www.golden-state.org
December 2, 2025 at 5:45 PM
California has an LAX-sized blind spot on climate change. Expanding roads into the airport to size it for mega-events like the Olympics is folly, writes @gspeng.bsky.social.
www.golden-state.org/climate-arso...
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www.golden-state.org/climate-arso...
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It's #GivingTuesday, and Golden State needs your help. We've done a lot on a shoestring budget, and with Rupert Murdoch's "California Post" bringing rage-baiting commentary to L.A., we need to do more. Support us: givebutter.com/NY2Duo
December 2, 2025 at 4:32 PM
It's #GivingTuesday, and Golden State needs your help. We've done a lot on a shoestring budget, and with Rupert Murdoch's "California Post" bringing rage-baiting commentary to L.A., we need to do more. Support us: givebutter.com/NY2Duo
"I was wrong, back in the ’70s, when I decided being female was a curse. I should tell my daughters what I’ve learned since: The real curse is on men who double down on misogyny as women pass them by."
The manosphere is a moment. The future is still female
We are at an inflection point where American men may ultimately have more to lose if misogyny doesn’t migrate to the discard file.
www.golden-state.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:47 PM
"I was wrong, back in the ’70s, when I decided being female was a curse. I should tell my daughters what I’ve learned since: The real curse is on men who double down on misogyny as women pass them by."
Meet Gil Duran, the man calling out the California tech fascists who are undermining democracy.
Meet the man calling out the tech fascists who are undermining democracy
YouTube video by Golden State Report
www.youtube.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Meet Gil Duran, the man calling out the California tech fascists who are undermining democracy.
There's fact-based, biting commentary, then there's the kind of California Derangement Syndrome that will animate the opinion journalism of Rupert Murdoch's LA version of the NY Post. No thanks, says @marielgarza.bsky.social
www.golden-state.org/l-a-to-n-y-p...
www.golden-state.org/l-a-to-n-y-p...
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 21, 2025 at 5:07 PM
There's fact-based, biting commentary, then there's the kind of California Derangement Syndrome that will animate the opinion journalism of Rupert Murdoch's LA version of the NY Post. No thanks, says @marielgarza.bsky.social
www.golden-state.org/l-a-to-n-y-p...
www.golden-state.org/l-a-to-n-y-p...
He's a big deal in the world of EV advocacy. Nowadays, you can find Plug In America co-founder Paul Scott during rush hour in front of an Arco in Santa Monica telling drivers that their tank of gas fuels Donald Trump.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYIA...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYIA...
Your tank of gas fuels Donald Trump, says this longtime EV activist
YouTube video by Golden State Report
www.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:22 PM
He's a big deal in the world of EV advocacy. Nowadays, you can find Plug In America co-founder Paul Scott during rush hour in front of an Arco in Santa Monica telling drivers that their tank of gas fuels Donald Trump.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYIA...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYIA...
L.A., which trumpets itself as a haven for immigrants and oppressed communities, is letting the historic Latino gay bar Silver Platter die. Patricia Escárcega (@holynopales.bsky.social) digs into the demolition approval process to show why this is a travesty.
www.golden-state.org/shame-on-l-a...
www.golden-state.org/shame-on-l-a...
Shame on L.A. for letting this historic Latino gay bar die
For six decades, the Silver Platter near MacArthur Park has been a refuge. But at a time when LGBTQIA+ people and Latinos are being terrorized, City Hall is allowing a developer to demolish the bar.
www.golden-state.org
November 19, 2025 at 4:11 PM
L.A., which trumpets itself as a haven for immigrants and oppressed communities, is letting the historic Latino gay bar Silver Platter die. Patricia Escárcega (@holynopales.bsky.social) digs into the demolition approval process to show why this is a travesty.
www.golden-state.org/shame-on-l-a...
www.golden-state.org/shame-on-l-a...
Does Texas' new districts getting thrown out mean Prop. 50 -- sold as a tit-for-tat response to Texas -- is moot? Nope, because there is no actual triggering language in the CA law that voters passed on Nov. 4, writes @paulthornton.bsky.social
So long to Texas' new districts. In California, Prop. 50's maps are here to stay
Sold as California's response to mid-decade redistricting in Texas, Proposition 50 doesn't actually include triggering language based on what any other state does.
www.golden-state.org
November 18, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Does Texas' new districts getting thrown out mean Prop. 50 -- sold as a tit-for-tat response to Texas -- is moot? Nope, because there is no actual triggering language in the CA law that voters passed on Nov. 4, writes @paulthornton.bsky.social
Could some of L.A.'s homeless service workers soon end up homeless themselves? In the first piece for our community forum "Soapbox," one such worker worries for herself and her colleagues.
I work in L.A. homeless services. Is the county about to put me on the street?
Employees of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority have already had a rough year of cuts. Now, the county's refusal to hire us to new jobs means homelessness workers could soon become homeless.
www.golden-state.org
November 17, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Could some of L.A.'s homeless service workers soon end up homeless themselves? In the first piece for our community forum "Soapbox," one such worker worries for herself and her colleagues.
We got part of the band back together. Watch our conversation with Josh Gohlke, also a former L.A. Times Opinion colleague who left in the dark days after the 2024 endorsement mess.
Also: some firsthand insight into insidious self-censorship and the L.A. nonprofit media landscape.
Also: some firsthand insight into insidious self-censorship and the L.A. nonprofit media landscape.
Watch: How we got from the L.A. Times to Golden State
Golden State's co-founders talk with a former L.A. Times colleague about the newspaper owner's ethically questionable meddling, the failings of billionaire- and corporate-owned media and the future of...
www.golden-state.org
November 14, 2025 at 7:15 PM
We got part of the band back together. Watch our conversation with Josh Gohlke, also a former L.A. Times Opinion colleague who left in the dark days after the 2024 endorsement mess.
Also: some firsthand insight into insidious self-censorship and the L.A. nonprofit media landscape.
Also: some firsthand insight into insidious self-censorship and the L.A. nonprofit media landscape.
Reposted by Golden State
A good read by @nataliekorach.bsky.social and @status.news. Murdoch's move into Los Angeles, in the works for months, was a big motivator for us to launch @goldenstateorg.bsky.social. Competition is healthy, but it shouldn't only be billionaire-backed media telling the California story.
The Murdochs are staking a claim to the West Coast, courting advertisers and setting up shop on the Fox studio lot for the launch of the California Post, Status has learned.
Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/california...
Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/california...
Murdoch’s California Dream
The Murdochs are staking a claim to the West Coast, courting advertisers and setting up shop on the Fox studio lot for the launch of the California Post, Status has learned.
www.status.news
November 14, 2025 at 5:09 PM
A good read by @nataliekorach.bsky.social and @status.news. Murdoch's move into Los Angeles, in the works for months, was a big motivator for us to launch @goldenstateorg.bsky.social. Competition is healthy, but it shouldn't only be billionaire-backed media telling the California story.
Hooray, ultra-processed foods will be off the menu in CA schools -- in 10 years, that is. Journalist Minerva Canto says that's too long and points to districts that have done it on their own in two years.
www.golden-state.org/healthier-sc...
www.golden-state.org/healthier-sc...
Healthier school food is on the way — in 10 years
The long implementation period belies the urgency of the crisis. By the time California's ban on dangerous ultra-processed takes full effect, today's school kids may have school-aged kids of their own...
www.golden-state.org
November 13, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Hooray, ultra-processed foods will be off the menu in CA schools -- in 10 years, that is. Journalist Minerva Canto says that's too long and points to districts that have done it on their own in two years.
www.golden-state.org/healthier-sc...
www.golden-state.org/healthier-sc...
Incredibly grateful for the support so far. This is an ongoing fundraiser, and we want to be able to pay journalists a fair wage for their work. Please give / subscribe -- links in the bio!
November 13, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Incredibly grateful for the support so far. This is an ongoing fundraiser, and we want to be able to pay journalists a fair wage for their work. Please give / subscribe -- links in the bio!
Reposted by Golden State
Please read, and join me in supporting, Golden State, a terrific and brand-new journalism project focused on California, from veterans of the LA Times. Congrats to Mariel, Paul and their growing team on the launch.
We're podcasting! Check out co-founder @marielgarza.bsky.social's chat with L.A. mayoral candidate Austin Beutner. They talk wildfires, housing, affordability, the Olympics and, yes, Donald Trump.
He supported L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. Now he wants her job
Austin Beutner, a former L.A. Unified superintendent, says City Hall has come up woefully short on wildfires, homelessness, housing and affordability.
goldenstatereport.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Please read, and join me in supporting, Golden State, a terrific and brand-new journalism project focused on California, from veterans of the LA Times. Congrats to Mariel, Paul and their growing team on the launch.
Reposted by Golden State
A little bit more about @goldenstateorg.bsky.social
November 12, 2025 at 5:47 PM
A little bit more about @goldenstateorg.bsky.social
California deserves journalism rooted in truth — not big money influence.
Former L.A. Times editors @marielgarza.bsky.social & @paulthornton.bsky.social launch Golden State — an independent home for fact-based news, analysis & commentary. Read more @ golden-state.org
#MediaIntegrity
Former L.A. Times editors @marielgarza.bsky.social & @paulthornton.bsky.social launch Golden State — an independent home for fact-based news, analysis & commentary. Read more @ golden-state.org
#MediaIntegrity
November 12, 2025 at 5:33 PM
California deserves journalism rooted in truth — not big money influence.
Former L.A. Times editors @marielgarza.bsky.social & @paulthornton.bsky.social launch Golden State — an independent home for fact-based news, analysis & commentary. Read more @ golden-state.org
#MediaIntegrity
Former L.A. Times editors @marielgarza.bsky.social & @paulthornton.bsky.social launch Golden State — an independent home for fact-based news, analysis & commentary. Read more @ golden-state.org
#MediaIntegrity
We're podcasting! Check out co-founder @marielgarza.bsky.social's chat with L.A. mayoral candidate Austin Beutner. They talk wildfires, housing, affordability, the Olympics and, yes, Donald Trump.
He supported L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. Now he wants her job
Austin Beutner, a former L.A. Unified superintendent, says City Hall has come up woefully short on wildfires, homelessness, housing and affordability.
goldenstatereport.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:02 PM
We're podcasting! Check out co-founder @marielgarza.bsky.social's chat with L.A. mayoral candidate Austin Beutner. They talk wildfires, housing, affordability, the Olympics and, yes, Donald Trump.
Reposted by Golden State
Austin Beutner -- former LA schools, deputy mayor and LAT publisher -- now wants to be mayor. He sat down with @marielgarza.bsky.social and @goldenstatereport.bsky.social to talk fire response, Donald Trump, immigration raids and what he sees as a failure in leadership at City Hall.
He supported L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. Now he wants her job
Austin Beutner, a former L.A. Unified superintendent, says City Hall has come up woefully short on wildfires, homelessness, housing and affordability.
goldenstatereport.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Austin Beutner -- former LA schools, deputy mayor and LAT publisher -- now wants to be mayor. He sat down with @marielgarza.bsky.social and @goldenstatereport.bsky.social to talk fire response, Donald Trump, immigration raids and what he sees as a failure in leadership at City Hall.
Reposted by Golden State
This is a great piece by @marielgarza.bsky.social for @goldenstatereport.bsky.social -- a peak into what might have been the most jubilant election night watch party, hosted by L.A.'s democratic socialist City Council members. Interesting comments by @nithyaraman.bsky.social and Eunisses Hernandez.
November 5, 2025 at 6:14 PM
This is a great piece by @marielgarza.bsky.social for @goldenstatereport.bsky.social -- a peak into what might have been the most jubilant election night watch party, hosted by L.A.'s democratic socialist City Council members. Interesting comments by @nithyaraman.bsky.social and Eunisses Hernandez.
Reposted by Golden State
Seriously, if Julie Marquis -- healthcare journalist and Pulitzer winner -- has a devil of time with insurance, billing, claim denials, the dreaded "explanation of benefits" and all the other features of American healthcare, then the rest of us are truly screwed. From @goldenstatereport.bsky.social
Insane by design? I'm a veteran healthcare reporter, and I can tell you the American system is nuts
As a journalist and parent, I've had a front-row seat to the “complexification” of American healthcare, which demoralizes and depletes users. We have to fix it - or at least not make it worse.
goldenstatereport.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Seriously, if Julie Marquis -- healthcare journalist and Pulitzer winner -- has a devil of time with insurance, billing, claim denials, the dreaded "explanation of benefits" and all the other features of American healthcare, then the rest of us are truly screwed. From @goldenstatereport.bsky.social
Reposted by Golden State
A good time to read this piece by @holynopales.bsky.social in @goldenstatereport.bsky.social -- "What do the Dodgers owe Latino fans?"
One answer: not another White House visit.
One answer: not another White House visit.
November 4, 2025 at 12:03 AM
A good time to read this piece by @holynopales.bsky.social in @goldenstatereport.bsky.social -- "What do the Dodgers owe Latino fans?"
One answer: not another White House visit.
One answer: not another White House visit.