Have you heard? Rupert Murdoch’s media empire is expanding into Los Angeles, and don’t expect the “California Post” to produce anything substantially different from the shallow, rage-baiting missives about California that you are used to seeing in the New York Post.
Too bad the Los Angeles Times Opinion section is just a shell of itself and not ready for the rhetorical battle to come.
If you don’t want billionaires writing the California story, this is your chance to support an upstart, totally independent nonprofit publication doing the type of responsible nonpartisan commentary and analysis that’s so rare these days. Golden State is committed to fact-based analysis and reporting to boost civic engagement and educate voters. Our goal is to provide a curated forum for ideas, policies and people without any worry we might offend a billionaire owner.
Yes! I support fearless, nonprofit journalism for California.
Golden State can grow and add more voices, but only with the support of readers. We’re funded not by rich guys with agendas, but by modest subscription fees and donations from people who support our mission. So, please, if you’re looking for a place where your Giving Tuesday dollars can help sustain democracy and also stick it to media barons, consider a one-time gift. It’s tax deductible.
We offer an incredible bang for your Giving Tuesday buck. Just check out the golden-state.org archive to see what we’ve already done on a shoestring budget. We’ve been able to do this because we have deep roots in the community and the professional credibility to get amazing people to work with us. Imagine what we can do with more resources.
Here's what your gift supports
- Informed, smart commentary from experts, community members and journalists to contrast with the shouty, agenda-driven chatter by other news outlets and scores of social media trolls.
- Local and state election coverage. There’s no longer a functioning editorial board at the L.A. Times, which means there will be no more heavily reported election endorsements. Bad timing, because next year’s elections will be among the most consequential of our lifetime. But fortunately for Californians, Golden State co-founder Mariel Garza is the former head of the L.A. Times editorial board. We’re committed to using the same formula of deep reporting to provide crucial context to the races and candidates.
- Interviews with California newsmakers. We have launched a podcast that asks probing and sometimes impertinent questions of interesting and important people. Check out our conversations with tech journalist Gil Duran, L.A. mayoral candidate Austin Beutner and California independence advocate and columnist Joe Mathews.
- A weekly column by Mariel Garza, a veteran journalist who has been writing about state and local politics for more than two decades at the L.A. Times, Sacramento Bee and L.A. Daily News.
- Video journalism and community outreach by Paul Thornton, who as the L.A. Times’ longtime letters editor co-produced an award-winning video series featuring readers sharing their fascinating life experiences. That same focus on community participation now lives at Golden State.
- More powerful articles by our journalist contributors, such as Julie Marquis, Patricia Escárcega and Jon Regardie.
- Live events around Los Angeles and California.
We really need your support to continue building on what we’ve started. Any contribution helps.
Sincerely,
Mariel Garza and Paul Thornton
