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Golden State @GoldenStateOrg

Your home for fearless, informed commentary and news on California, via Los Angeles. Not controlled by billionaires. Give to us: givebutter.com/NY2Duo

Joined November 2025
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12 Photos and videos
L.A. is worse than politically divided, says @JonRegardie, and the June 2 election results prove it. golden-state.org/what-happen…

What happened to L.A.? Election results show a deeply fractured city

It wasn't long ago that the city was united by transformative leaders. Now disagreement over how City Hall should be run and what it should prioritize is increasingly leading to deep-seated distrust.

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Mariel Garza sat down with Republican strategist and "Latino Century" author Mike Madrid to discuss the California vote count and preview Steve Hilton vs. Xavier Becerra. greattransformation.substack…
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A USC sociologist who researches guard violence against incarcerated people isn't at all surprised that the "gladiator fighting" prosecutions out of L.A. County's Los Padrinos juvenile hall are failing. golden-state.org/gladiator-f…

The L.A. juvenile hall 'gladiator fights' are part of a bigger, violent guard culture

And occasionally indicting 'bad apple' officers won’t fix the problem, as the cases now falling apart at the Los Padrinos juvenile hall show.

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She wants to keep it. He's actively trying to kill it. Mariel Garza and Steven Maviglio discuss their disagreement over California's top-two primary days after the June 2 election. youtube.com/watch?v=ar2KSWcq…

Meet the man trying to get rid of California’s jungle primary

California is one of three states, along with Washington and Alaska...

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What's the biggest threat to democracy? A veteran poll worker worries it's us. golden-state.org/poll-worker…

I am a poll worker. It's my small way of protecting democracy

After working in L.A. vote centers for eight elections, I have come to understand that our own negligence and disinterest are the biggest threats.

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Karen Bass made it into the November runoff with about a third of of the vote. That's not good, plus other takeaways from California's June 2 primary. golden-state.org/june2-elect…

L.A.'s mayor is in trouble, and other other takeaways from California’s June 2 primary

The race for governor, mayor of Los Angeles and other seats haven't been called yet as ballots continue to be counted. But the results so far have been revealing. Here are our top takeaways.

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Last year, more people died in L.A. traffic than were killed in homicides. So why wasn't that part of the public safety discourse in the mayoral primary? Or does a preventable death not count when a car's involved? golden-state.org/traffic-dea…

The public safety crisis you barely heard about in the L.A. mayor's race

For the third straight year, traffic deaths outnumbered homicides in Los Angeles. Why wasn't this a major issue in the mayoral primary?

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In 2022, Yvonne Yiu spent $5.7 million of her own money on a failed state controller campaign. Two years letter, she spent $2.8 million running for a state Senate seat, blanketing District 25 in attack mailers and nasty YouTube ads. Now she's back at it. golden-state.org/board-of-eq…

Who to vote for Board of Equalization? How about no one?

After spending millions of her own money on two failed state campaigns, a former Monterey Park City Council member is among three unimpressive candidates trying to get a seat on this do-nothing board.

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Holding onto your ballot? That was fine for a while, but now it's time to vote. Mariel Garza follows her "Guide to voting ... guides" with more resources to help stuck voters get unstuck before June 2. golden-state.org/still-undec…

Still undecided in the primary? Here's help

With early voting, there is no need to put off casting a ballot until the last minute -- unless you are stymied by the plethora of choices. Luckily, plenty of organizations are sharing their specia...

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Adam Miller is a City Hall outsider. But his success in business and creation of nonprofits addressing homelessness and disaster response give him serious credentials for the job of L.A. mayor, says Jim Newton. golden-state.org/an-l-a-tech…

An L.A. tech maven trying to tackle homelessness issues deserves voters’ attention in mayor’s race

Miller combines dedication to the city and seriousness of purpose with a little tech-bro swagger. But he's come late to the party and hasn't made much headway.

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Vote centers open today across L.A. County. We interviewed the two major Los Angeles mayoral candidates who didn't get to share a debate state with incumbent Karen Bass or the other top challengers. First up, affordable housing advocate Rae Huang. youtube.com/watch?v=iwJHe9k5…

"It is really hard to live here": For Rae Huang, running for L.A....

The Rev. Rae Huang is one of two major candidates challenging Los A...

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Previously, we interviewed Adam Miller, a tech company and homelessness services nonprofit founder. youtube.com/watch?v=vDGNd7sV…

Adam Miller is an L.A. City Hall outsider. But he's not like Spencer...

Adam Miller is one of a few major Los Angeles mayoral candidates ru...

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Just because a City Council race in L.A. lacks a progressive-vs.-moderate matchup doesn't mean there isn't a lot at state. Veteran journalist @JonRegardie a detailed look at the race to replace the termed-out Bob Blumenfield in District 3. golden-state.org/not-much-dr…

Not much drama, but plenty at stake in the West Valley council race

The race to replace termed-out Bob Blumenfield lacks a progressive-vs.-moderate battle, but the candidates still have key differences on homelessness, business development and more.

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Metro rail isn't a perfect system despite all the fanfare over the D Line extension under Wilshire. But it is improving -- and in the process making Los Angeles a better place. See you on the train. golden-state.org/d-line-wils…

The subway I have been waiting for my entire L.A. life

Metro’s D Line extension is not just functional. It’s the fruition of the dream of rail transit spanning nearly the length of one of the most heavily traveled transportation corridors in the U.S.

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We're having our "Spring Survival" drive. Help us out!
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Give here: golden-state.org/give/

These readers are sustaining Golden State — add your name to the list!

Golden State survives because of the subscription fees of members and donations from people who care about sustaining fact-based, homegrown, watchdog commentary journalism in California. We have no...

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Say Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco take the top two spots in the June 2 primary. Neither could win in November without moderating themselves -- and that's the point of our so-called jungle primary system. golden-state.org/top-two-wor…

‘Top two’ works, even if it's Hilton vs. Bianco for governor on the November ballot

There's an effort to repeal California's jungle primary because of the potential for a Democratic shutout. But same-party matchups are a healthy feature of the system, not a flaw.

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🚨 ALERT: Golden State's had a great run, but we need your help to make it past the end of the year. Today's a great day to support local journalism! golden-state.org/give golden-state.org/#/portal/si…
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MacArthur Park has been a hotbed of open drug use and crime for decades, but it has drawn intense media scrutiny in the last year. The five candidates running for LA City Council District 1 tell us their plans for the park. golden-state.org/city-counci…

What these L.A. City Council candidates want to do with MacArthur Park

Media attention and growing anger by residents has turned the park, long a hotbed of crime and drug use, into a major political issue. I asked the Council District 1 candidates about it.

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Check back next week for a piece on the Council District 1 candidates' responses to a question on addressing the park's problems.
Paul Thornton@PaulMThornton
May 8
I write this from MacArthur Park, two days after a big federal/LAPD raid called "Operation Free MacArthur Park." Surprise: the place ain't "free." instagram.com/p/DYFp6GFj72a/
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