Jim Newton
@jnewton100.bsky.social
Writer, editor, teacher: Blueprint magazine at UCLA. Author of biographies. Next up: “Here Beside the Rising Tide”
As the world takes in the scope of the @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social victory in New York, Blueprint’s Jon Regardie looks at the roots of that campaign in LA politics. Great piece.
From L.A. to N.Y. | UCLA Blueprint
blueprint.ucla.edu
November 5, 2025 at 4:23 PM
As the world takes in the scope of the @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social victory in New York, Blueprint’s Jon Regardie looks at the roots of that campaign in LA politics. Great piece.
Are you a Deadhead in Southern California? Or someone interested in counterculture? Or California history and politics? If so, please join me and legendary professor Varun Soni for what promises to be a fun and engaging evening.
Dead Ahead: Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead, and an American Awakening—Book Talk and Reception
calendar.usc.edu
October 21, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Are you a Deadhead in Southern California? Or someone interested in counterculture? Or California history and politics? If so, please join me and legendary professor Varun Soni for what promises to be a fun and engaging evening.
My latest for CalMatters, a reflection on the ways we interact with homelessness.
Opinion | For many Californians, reducing homelessness comes down to the encampment next door
Statistics do little to convey the seriousness of homelessness in California. What often matters most is how much people encounter it.
calmatters.org
October 2, 2025 at 9:46 PM
My latest for CalMatters, a reflection on the ways we interact with homelessness.
My latest for @calmatters.org, on Senator Alex Padilla, President Donald Trump and the politics of redistricting.
'These are not normal times': Why Alex Padilla changed his tune on nonpartisan redistricting | Opinion
Sen. Alex Padilla says "there's too much at stake" for Democrats to remain idle in a political arms race between red and blue states.
calmatters.org
September 19, 2025 at 4:57 PM
My latest for @calmatters.org, on Senator Alex Padilla, President Donald Trump and the politics of redistricting.
So thankful to my friend @rabcarian.bsky.social and to Writers Bloc for a lively and heartwarming conversation last night about @jerrygarcia.com, the @grateful-dead.bsky.social and American counterculture, all of which feels very timely and important. Thank you!
September 14, 2025 at 2:02 AM
So thankful to my friend @rabcarian.bsky.social and to Writers Bloc for a lively and heartwarming conversation last night about @jerrygarcia.com, the @grateful-dead.bsky.social and American counterculture, all of which feels very timely and important. Thank you!
Flattered and delighted to wake up to this lovely piece in Essential California by my old friend and colleague, the great Jim Rainey.
Why the Grateful Dead are one of California's greatest natural phenomena
Your morning catch-up: 60 years of Deadheads, 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro’s parents charged with murder and more big stories.
www.latimes.com
August 27, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Flattered and delighted to wake up to this lovely piece in Essential California by my old friend and colleague, the great Jim Rainey.
Delighted to join @thebrianlehrershow.bsky.social for this fun conversation about Jerry Garcia, the Dead and the counterculture. Thank you for having me!
This month marks 30 years since the passing of Jerry Garcia. @jnewton100.bsky.social, author of 'Here Beside the Rising Tide: Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead, and an American Awakening,' talks about Garcia's legacy—and his politics of living freely. www.wnyc.org/story/the-po...
The Politics of Jerry Garcia | The Brian Lehrer Show | WNYC
This month marks 30 years since the passing of Jerry Garcia, the iconic frontman for the Grateful Dead.
www.wnyc.org
August 16, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Delighted to join @thebrianlehrershow.bsky.social for this fun conversation about Jerry Garcia, the Dead and the counterculture. Thank you for having me!
One great thing about writing a book is the conversations it creates. I was thrilled to have one of those with Scott Shafer about @jerrygarcia.com
30 Years After His Death, A Reflection On Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia’s Political Legacy | KQED
This week marks 30 years since the death of Grateful Dead frontman and San Francisco native Jerry Garcia. Despite Garcia's disdain for government and politics, he navigated his band through the counte...
www.kqed.org
August 6, 2025 at 7:34 PM
One great thing about writing a book is the conversations it creates. I was thrilled to have one of those with Scott Shafer about @jerrygarcia.com
The book is in the world! Delighted to kick it off with the great Amrit Singh and his dedicated colleagues at Spectrum News. More coming!
New book examines intersection between Jerry Garcia and American counterculture
"Inside the Issues" looks at the book
spectrumnews1.com
August 5, 2025 at 9:08 PM
The book is in the world! Delighted to kick it off with the great Amrit Singh and his dedicated colleagues at Spectrum News. More coming!
How happy does this make me? I’m in San Francisco, celebrating the dedication of “Jerry Garcia Street” with the magnificent Trixie Garcia. Bliss.
August 1, 2025 at 7:57 PM
How happy does this make me? I’m in San Francisco, celebrating the dedication of “Jerry Garcia Street” with the magnificent Trixie Garcia. Bliss.
Wrapped the audio version of “Here Beside the Rising Tide,” my @jerrygarcia.com counterculture book this morning. Thanks to Tim Miller and York Recording in LA for pulling it off! Book and audio will be released Aug. 5.
July 12, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Wrapped the audio version of “Here Beside the Rising Tide,” my @jerrygarcia.com counterculture book this morning. Thanks to Tim Miller and York Recording in LA for pulling it off! Book and audio will be released Aug. 5.
My latest for @calmatters, on the political theater unfolding in Los Angeles.
'I'm in one of his TV shows': The federal government is staging political theater in Los Angeles | Opinion
Since Trump sent the military to L.A., everything about the ICE protests and the federal response to them has lacked a connection to reality.
calmatters.org
July 10, 2025 at 6:02 PM
My latest for @calmatters, on the political theater unfolding in Los Angeles.
First reviews of my forthcoming book are in and exciting. So grateful for the chance to put this book out in the world and to @publisherswkly.bsky.social for taking note of it. Thank you!
Here Beside the Rising Tide: Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead, and an American Awakening by Jim Newton
Biographer Newton (Man of Tomorrow) serves up a sympathetic meditation on the Grateful Dead; its quixotic frontman, Jerry Garcia...
www.publishersweekly.com
July 10, 2025 at 3:54 PM
First reviews of my forthcoming book are in and exciting. So grateful for the chance to put this book out in the world and to @publisherswkly.bsky.social for taking note of it. Thank you!
My latest for @calmatters.org on the destructive impact of ICE raids in Los Angeles.
LA’s community of undocumented immigrants is hiding, leaving a hole in the fabric of the city | Opinion
Los Angeles’ large, productive, and now very afraid community of undocumented immigrants has slipped into the shadows. Here's how it hurts us all.
calmatters.org
June 27, 2025 at 3:17 PM
My latest for @calmatters.org on the destructive impact of ICE raids in Los Angeles.
My thoughts on the unrest in Los Angeles — and Trump’s role in provoking it. Thanks to @politico.com
Opinion | Why California Became Trump’s Favorite Target — and Why the State Isn’t Backing Down
There’s much more at stake for Trump — and Californians — than deportations.
www.politico.com
June 10, 2025 at 4:56 PM
My thoughts on the unrest in Los Angeles — and Trump’s role in provoking it. Thanks to @politico.com
Trump makes life difficult for cities, and he’s doing extra damage to Los Angeles. My latest for @calmatters.org calmatters.org/commentary/2...
Los Angeles has a Donald Trump problem. It’s making the city's bad budget even worse | Opinion
As Los Angeles confronts a major budget deficit, President Donald Trump's economic policies and abrupt actions are making it much harder.
calmatters.org
May 21, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Trump makes life difficult for cities, and he’s doing extra damage to Los Angeles. My latest for @calmatters.org calmatters.org/commentary/2...
What a dick.
#GVerse #Attention: The #OrangeBuffoon had a meltdown about #ABCNews asking him about the jet that Qatar is giving him.
May 13, 2025 at 8:12 PM
What a dick.
Article 1, Sec. 9, Clause 8 of the Constitution: “No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present …from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
How does a $400 million plane from Qatar not violate that?
How does a $400 million plane from Qatar not violate that?
May 12, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Article 1, Sec. 9, Clause 8 of the Constitution: “No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present …from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
How does a $400 million plane from Qatar not violate that?
How does a $400 million plane from Qatar not violate that?
How long until Trump blames this on Biden?
Thousands of flights into or out of New Jersey’s main airport have been derailed, with 94 cancellations and 112 delays after 9 a.m. Tuesday and more than 2,800 delays in the past seven days, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware
Here’s what to know.
Here’s what to know.
Days of delays and cancellations are causing chaos at Newark Airport
An outage briefly left air traffic controllers “unable to see, hear or talk to” planes last week, a union spokesperson said.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 6, 2025 at 10:23 PM
How long until Trump blames this on Biden?
My latest for CalMatters, on hard work of reviving LA’s MacArthur Park: calmatters.org/commentary/2...
'We're here every day': Inside the painstaking effort to heal LA's troubled MacArthur Park | Opinion
Several nonprofits are working to resuscitate MacArthur Park in L.A., cleaning streets, treating drug overdoses and calming gang tensions.
calmatters.org
May 1, 2025 at 3:47 PM
My latest for CalMatters, on hard work of reviving LA’s MacArthur Park: calmatters.org/commentary/2...
This is what happens when the brain of a racist melts down: x.com/atrupar/stat...
Aaron Rupar on X: "asked by Stephen A. Smith about his Harvard shakedown, Trump starts ranting about Harlem and says "I got a very high Black vote" https://t.co/ZoKFaAx7xs" / X
asked by Stephen A. Smith about his Harvard shakedown, Trump starts ranting about Harlem and says "I got a very high Black vote" https://t.co/ZoKFaAx7xs
x.com
May 1, 2025 at 2:33 AM
This is what happens when the brain of a racist melts down: x.com/atrupar/stat...
Imagine that at the outset of WWII, Japan had seized California, Oregon and Washington, and a third power then proposed settling the conflict by having the US cede that territory to Japan to avoid further hostilities. Would we have welcomed that?
April 23, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Imagine that at the outset of WWII, Japan had seized California, Oregon and Washington, and a third power then proposed settling the conflict by having the US cede that territory to Japan to avoid further hostilities. Would we have welcomed that?
This was not a model editorial, but it is certainly the right conclusion for the jury to reach since there is zero evidence of malice.
Breaking News: A federal jury ruled against Sarah Palin in her yearslong defamation lawsuit against The New York Times.
Jury Rules Against Palin in Libel Case Against The New York Times
After two hours of deliberation, a jury rejected Sarah Palin’s claim that she had been defamed in the newspaper’s 2017 editorial.
www.nytimes.com
April 23, 2025 at 7:37 PM
This was not a model editorial, but it is certainly the right conclusion for the jury to reach since there is zero evidence of malice.