Mariel Garza

California's bullet train isn't a fantasy -- it's actually getting built in the Central Valley. I think it's worth the wait and the cost.

I know I blew it by being two days late on payment, but man this massive late fee to register my rented adu with the city of Los Angeles housing dept puts even credit card companies to shame.

Come back, Kamala Harris. California needs you Yes, she declined the option to run for governor. But that was seven months ago — and before the field of Democrats got so crowded it means two Republicans might advance to the general election.

Re-upping my appeal to @kamalaharris.com to change her mind and jump into the race for California governor. There's still time!
www.golden-state.org/come-back-ka...

When the media covers war, every other topic fades Trump will do anything to distract from the political damage of the Epstein files

If you've been around long enough, you remember the shameful flag waving during the early days of the Iraq War.

Read @sulliview.bsky.social--->

open.substack.com/pub/margaret...

Brava Rep. Crockett: "“Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person. This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track. With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win..."

Open Letter to the Democratic Candidates for Governor - California Democratic Party Open Letter to the Democratic Candidates for Governor: California Democrats have no shortage of strong candidates to consider in the race for Governor – current and former Congressmembers, statewide e...

Kamala Harris hasn’t yet taken my suggestion in a recent @goldenstateorg.bsky.social piece to jump into the governor’s race. So now the California Democratic Party chair is publicly calling for less-viable candidates to drop out before the March 6 deadline.

cadem.org/open-letter-...

Newsom vs. Harris: The frenemies primary? - The Boston Globe Their ambitions appear to be on a collision course.

These two California superstars rose in tandem as products of the (once?) powerful San Francisco political machine. Their have paths paralleled, but have not yet crossed. Things are gonna get interesting.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/03/o...

One Adelanto detainee's decision to leave everything behind California will be the lesser for my friend's coerced decision to depart the United States, where he built a business, a family and a life.

This is a powerful and infuriating piec by David Freed. open.substack.com/pub/goldenst... h/t @marielgarza.bsky.social @paulthornton.bsky.social @goldenstateorg.bsky.social

Column: Recent events make you wonder: How much do men really hate women? The blatant and casual misogyny in the Epstein files and elsewhere is difficult to square with our egalitarian ideals.

Right on, @rabcarian.bsky.social

Sigh.

www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

LIVE SOON: Live with Golden State and California Curated Starting Feb 20 at 1:00 PM EST

Paul Thornton of @goldenstateorg.bsky.social talks to Erik Olsen at californiacurated.com this morning at 10 on Substack live. Should be an interesting talk about the fascinating geology, ecology and geography of California. Check it out
open.substack.com/live-stream/...

Casey Wasserman and the Epstein moral panic Resign over cringey emails sent to Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003? Those demanding the LA28 chairman's head over this should get a grip.

@paulthornton.bsky.social goes where few Angelenos have: Casey Wasserman and the Epstein moral panic open.substack.com/pub/goldenst...

Is it indoctrination to teach my granddaughter to have empathy? If so, I’m fine with it. As a lifelong Californian, I’m acutely aware that my common-sense and compassionate life lessons could be viewed as wacko left-wing brainwashing by many.

Is it indoctrination to teach my granddaughter to have empathy?

Maybe a little of both, but so what? open.substack.com/pub/goldenst...

Only in today's America are the lessons once universally embraced in kindergarten classrooms deemed by some to be left-wing indoctrination.

This is a really touching piece on grandparenting by a great writer.

A Pilot Fired Over Kristi Noem’s Missing Blanket and the Constant Chaos Inside DHS Secretary faces fire for confrontational immigration crackdown and self-promotional style; White House to wind down Minnesota operations.

Was it a magic blanket? Lined in gold and unicorn fur?
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Bondi Suggests Culver City Has a Crime Problem. Culver City Has a Problem With That.

“The only crime here is like the $18 strawberry at Erewhon.” lol, so true

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/u...

I mean, did Lutnick traffic his kids' nanny to Epstein is not a question I'd have thought of asking... But what is this about?

My phone camera roll is filled with pictures like this one.

Howard Lutnick’s Epstein Story Doesn’t Make Any Sense The commerce secretary has no answer for his misleading statements about his dealings with the sex offender.

“I did have lunch with him, as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation,” Lutnick said. “My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. "

"Nannies" plural? How many are we talking about here? Do they each get one?

I Went to the March for Billionaires A celebration of the 0.01 percent was also a funeral for irony.

Finally, more details about the odd "March for Billionaires" by The Atlantic's Matteo Wong: "The event topped out, by my count, at 18 pro-billionaire attendees, who hoisted signs with slogans such as Tip Your Landlord and Property Rights Are Human Rights. " www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

Frankly I am surprised. Any connection to Epstein or Maxwell is politically toxic rn.

Congestion pricing can save LAX -- and the rest of L.A. too Use the notoriously traffic-choked "horseshoe" at LAX as a proving ground for congestion pricing. If Angelenos like what they see (and they very likely will), perhaps they'll warm to it for other road...

Can the dreaded LAX horseshoe be improved with tolls? As a regular uses of SoCal's FasTrak flex lanes, I'd try it out for sure. www.golden-state.org/congestion-p...

Fortunately, some answers found in this S.F. Examiner story. He's a startup founder who aspires to be a billionaire. Didn't anyone tell him this was a one-time tax on current billionaires?
www.sfexaminer.com/news/technol...

Yes, there really was a 'March for Billionaires' rally in San Francisco The march drew only about a dozen participants, but organizer Derik Kauffman said it was meant to be a sincere protest against a potential new tax on the state's wealthiest residents.

This story leaves me with more questions than answers, such as: What does organizer Derik Kauffman do? What's his motivation for protesting? Is he employed by a company that could move and he could lose his job? This is basic information I expect from a news story. www.latimes.com/california/s...

Councilmember Nithya Raman to run for L.A. mayor, challenging onetime ally Karen Bass Raman would immediately pose a formidable challenge to Bass. She was the first council member to be elected with support from the Democratic Socialists of America.

A surprise twist in L.A.’s mayoral race drama, which could seriously hurt Bass’ reelection prospects www.latimes.com/california/s...

Conservative Group to Stage Alternate Halftime Show With Kid Rock

Now that's just embarrassing.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/a...

Gavin Newsom's sweetheart deal for plastic pushers The governor pushed an exemption that would undermine California's revolutionary law to phase out single-use packaging that's not being recycled or composted. It's not too late to get it back on track...

When he signed SB 54 in 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom called it a "nation-leading" law fighting plastic pollution. Now, because of him, the law is in limbo. Here's how Californians can get it back on track.

Gavin Newsom's sweetheart deal for plastic pushers The governor pushed an exemption that would undermine California's revolutionary law to phase out single-use packaging that's not being recycled or composted. It's not too late to get it back on track...

I have been quietly seething for years over the increasingly trashy state of LA and California. Just ask my friends — I am obsessed! The only thing keeping me sane was the promise of SB 54. www.golden-state.org/gavin-newsom...

When @marielgarza.bsky.social writes a piece about trash, you *have* to read it.

So did we just give up on the ACA subsidies or what?

Asking for struggling entrepreneurs and small business owners, like myself.

Did Karen Bass just lock up reelection as L.A. Mayor this year? I'd bet on it. Her most prominent challenger, Austin Beutner, dropped out of the race this morning, citing the death of his daughter in January: "She was a magical person, the light of our lives. We are still in mourning."