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.
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...
Says a man born into great wealth, and who appointed the richest cabinet in U.S. history (per Forbes). I bet none of them cringed when they saw their 2026 health care premium notifications.
December 3, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Says a man born into great wealth, and who appointed the richest cabinet in U.S. history (per Forbes). I bet none of them cringed when they saw their 2026 health care premium notifications.
Reposted by Mariel Garza
An entire room full of powerful old white people smiling and laughing as the president dehumanizes black immigrants and the first black president.
Just fucking pathetic.
Just fucking pathetic.
Trump, continued: "What the Somalian people have done to Minnesota is not even believable. It’s not even believable. And a lot of it starts with the governor. A lot of it starts with Barack HUSSEIN Obama, because that’s when people started coming in... They want to kiss our country good night."
December 3, 2025 at 9:59 PM
An entire room full of powerful old white people smiling and laughing as the president dehumanizes black immigrants and the first black president.
Just fucking pathetic.
Just fucking pathetic.
Reposted by Mariel Garza
California shut down its last coal plant last week and nobody even noticed, it made so little little difference.
Meanwhile solar is up 17% and gas is down 17% from 2024. I have a few highlights... www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/ding-dong-...
Meanwhile solar is up 17% and gas is down 17% from 2024. I have a few highlights... www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/ding-dong-...
Ding dong, coal is dead
At least in California.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:25 PM
California shut down its last coal plant last week and nobody even noticed, it made so little little difference.
Meanwhile solar is up 17% and gas is down 17% from 2024. I have a few highlights... www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/ding-dong-...
Meanwhile solar is up 17% and gas is down 17% from 2024. I have a few highlights... www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/ding-dong-...
For a book no one seems to like, it sure is getting a lot of attention.
"All the surf and smoke and Didionesque stylings in the world cannot disguise the central problem with ‘American Canto’: It is not honest," Helen Lewis argues. theatln.tc/3UOQskEP
December 2, 2025 at 11:28 PM
For a book no one seems to like, it sure is getting a lot of attention.
Reposted by Mariel Garza
Cover Reveal!
“The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy" arrives on August 4, 2026.
How extremist tech billionaires are dismantling democracy to crown themselves as kings—and what we can do about it.
Please pre-order! ➡️ www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ne...
“The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy" arrives on August 4, 2026.
How extremist tech billionaires are dismantling democracy to crown themselves as kings—and what we can do about it.
Please pre-order! ➡️ www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ne...
November 26, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Cover Reveal!
“The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy" arrives on August 4, 2026.
How extremist tech billionaires are dismantling democracy to crown themselves as kings—and what we can do about it.
Please pre-order! ➡️ www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ne...
“The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy" arrives on August 4, 2026.
How extremist tech billionaires are dismantling democracy to crown themselves as kings—and what we can do about it.
Please pre-order! ➡️ www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ne...
Can’t say I agree about not improving LAX — it’s a mess. But the author has a good point about air travel, and I enjoy fact-based arguments that challenge my assumptions.
If that's your jam too, consider sending some of your #GivingTuesday dollars our way this year at givebutter.com/NY2Duo
If that's your jam too, consider sending some of your #GivingTuesday dollars our way this year at givebutter.com/NY2Duo
'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.
open.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Can’t say I agree about not improving LAX — it’s a mess. But the author has a good point about air travel, and I enjoy fact-based arguments that challenge my assumptions.
If that's your jam too, consider sending some of your #GivingTuesday dollars our way this year at givebutter.com/NY2Duo
If that's your jam too, consider sending some of your #GivingTuesday dollars our way this year at givebutter.com/NY2Duo
My latest missive from California in @globeopinion.bsky.social
Gavin Newsom isn’t running for president (yet), and he’s already winning - The Boston Globe
Is his front-runner status a blessing or a curse?
www.bostonglobe.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:56 PM
My latest missive from California in @globeopinion.bsky.social
Reposted by Mariel Garza
NEW: California is having its most wide-open governor’s race in decades. Why’s that?
Billionaire Tom Steyer and Rep Eric Swalwell are the latest -- and maybe not the last -- candidates to jump into the contest.
Like nature, political ambition abhors a vacuum.
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
Billionaire Tom Steyer and Rep Eric Swalwell are the latest -- and maybe not the last -- candidates to jump into the contest.
Like nature, political ambition abhors a vacuum.
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
Commentary: California is having its most wide-open governor's race in decades. Why's that?
Billionaire Tom Steyer and Rep. Eric Swalwell are the latest — and maybe not the last — candidates to jump into the contest. The lack of a prohibitive front-runner signals opportunity.
www.latimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:16 PM
NEW: California is having its most wide-open governor’s race in decades. Why’s that?
Billionaire Tom Steyer and Rep Eric Swalwell are the latest -- and maybe not the last -- candidates to jump into the contest.
Like nature, political ambition abhors a vacuum.
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
Billionaire Tom Steyer and Rep Eric Swalwell are the latest -- and maybe not the last -- candidates to jump into the contest.
Like nature, political ambition abhors a vacuum.
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
Reposted by Mariel Garza
Jesus Christ
Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino responds “roger that” to a tweet reading “big or small, deport them all.”
November 16, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Jesus Christ
Reposted by Mariel Garza
Mexican entrepreneurship knows no limits…
Behold the ICE officer piñata 🪅
Behold the ICE officer piñata 🪅
August 7, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Mexican entrepreneurship knows no limits…
Behold the ICE officer piñata 🪅
Behold the ICE officer piñata 🪅
This is super depressing for us old-school journalists. But it also has the uncomfortable ring of truth.
"She’s not trying to rebuild her reputation as a journalist—she’s building a different kind of brand entirely, one where being interesting matters more than being ethical, where attention is the only currency that still spends."
The best thing I have read about her. www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
The best thing I have read about her. www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
The Olivia Nuzzi Comeback Is Everything Wrong With Modern Media
Olivia Nuzzi’s comeback isn’t a personal scandal story—it’s proof that today’s media rewards access, personality, and controversy more than ethics.
www.mediaite.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:05 PM
This is super depressing for us old-school journalists. But it also has the uncomfortable ring of truth.
I have some thoughts about the N.Y. Post's expansion in California. open.substack.com/pub/goldenst...
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.
open.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:45 PM
I have some thoughts about the N.Y. Post's expansion in California. open.substack.com/pub/goldenst...
Reposted by Mariel Garza
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
Reposted by Mariel Garza
A former Palantir exec just published an extortion letter in the Washington Post: Democrats must fund tech oligarchs, abandon antitrust, and create 15 deregulated corporate zones—or “lose.”
When I challenged her, she blocked me.
Tech’s moral rot, exposed:
www.thenerdreich.com/silicon-vall...
When I challenged her, she blocked me.
Tech’s moral rot, exposed:
www.thenerdreich.com/silicon-vall...
Silicon Valley’s Extortion Letter to Democrats
Ex-Palantir Exec Warns Democrats to Bow Down or Lose the Future
www.thenerdreich.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:14 PM
A former Palantir exec just published an extortion letter in the Washington Post: Democrats must fund tech oligarchs, abandon antitrust, and create 15 deregulated corporate zones—or “lose.”
When I challenged her, she blocked me.
Tech’s moral rot, exposed:
www.thenerdreich.com/silicon-vall...
When I challenged her, she blocked me.
Tech’s moral rot, exposed:
www.thenerdreich.com/silicon-vall...
Reposted by Mariel Garza
Huang could complicate Bass’ reelection bid, luring away left-of-center voters at a time when the mayor faces criticism over the Palisades fire, the budget and several other issues.
The larger the pool of candidates, the more work Bass will have to do to avoid an expensive runoff campaign.
The larger the pool of candidates, the more work Bass will have to do to avoid an expensive runoff campaign.
Could she be LA's Mamdani? Rae Huang, a community organizer, announces her mayoral campaign.
with @davidzahniser.bsky.social
with @davidzahniser.bsky.social
She's challenging Bass from the left. Could she become L.A.'s Mamdani?
Rae Huang, a 43-year-old community organizer and democratic socialist, is waging a long-shot campaign for L.A. mayor, focusing on free buses, public housing and police abuse.
www.latimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Huang could complicate Bass’ reelection bid, luring away left-of-center voters at a time when the mayor faces criticism over the Palisades fire, the budget and several other issues.
The larger the pool of candidates, the more work Bass will have to do to avoid an expensive runoff campaign.
The larger the pool of candidates, the more work Bass will have to do to avoid an expensive runoff campaign.
The writer says Nuzzi worked on the book while in a "self-imposed exile in Los Angeles." C'mon! This isn't some rural outpost -- L.A. is celebrity central and the hub of the freaking entertainment universe! People come here to be seen, not to hide.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/s...
Olivia Nuzzi Did It All for Love
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:23 PM
The writer says Nuzzi worked on the book while in a "self-imposed exile in Los Angeles." C'mon! This isn't some rural outpost -- L.A. is celebrity central and the hub of the freaking entertainment universe! People come here to be seen, not to hide.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/s...
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.
Remember all that fanfare about California banning ultra-processed food from school lunches? Well, hurry up and wait. It will take about a decade for it to be fully implemented -- plenty of time for it to get watered down.
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 11:49 PM
Remember all that fanfare about California banning ultra-processed food from school lunches? Well, hurry up and wait. It will take about a decade for it to be fully implemented -- plenty of time for it to get watered down.
www.golden-state.org/healthier-sc...
www.golden-state.org/healthier-sc...
Reposted by Mariel Garza
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...
Reposted by Mariel Garza
Marc Sandalow in the Golden State Report open.substack.com/pub/goldenst... h/t @marielgarza.bsky.social
Pelosi’s out. Goodbye to 'San Francisco Democrats' dominance as power shifts south
The former speaker's retirement from Congress marks the end of a historic era of political power held by Bay Area Democrats and the rise of SoCal's influence.
open.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Marc Sandalow in the Golden State Report open.substack.com/pub/goldenst... h/t @marielgarza.bsky.social
Paul and I started Golden State as a labor of love. But our savings accounts are getting light, and we need to be able to pay ourselves and the excellent writers working with us. I hope you can help me raise money for Golden State via @givebutter givebutter.com/NY2Duo
Support Golden State
Fearless. Informed. Californian.
givebutter.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Paul and I started Golden State as a labor of love. But our savings accounts are getting light, and we need to be able to pay ourselves and the excellent writers working with us. I hope you can help me raise money for Golden State via @givebutter givebutter.com/NY2Duo
A little bit more about @goldenstateorg.bsky.social
November 12, 2025 at 5:47 PM
A little bit more about @goldenstateorg.bsky.social
For those wondering what I spent my post-LA Times year doing, the answer is this 👇
Please check it out!
Please check it out!
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 5:36 PM
For those wondering what I spent my post-LA Times year doing, the answer is this 👇
Please check it out!
Please check it out!