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What to expect
Drought, craggy sidewalks, bikes, public safety, Mideast peace, gender and race issues, politics: If it’s in the news right now, The Times’ Opinion section covers it.
Expect to read about a broad range of issues in our newsletter, focusing on the most pertinent, discussed topics of the day. Expect to read pieces that challenge your own opinions or, if you agree with the article, add complexity to or present a novel take on an issue. Expect smart writers, thoughtful contributions from readers and encouragement to participate in ongoing discussions.
While the weekly Opinion newsletter features mostly editorials, Op-Ed articles and columns, reader engagement is a key component of what we do. If you have any suggestions for our newsletter, please let us know.
Your host
I’m Paul Thornton, The Times’ letters editor and a California native and lifelong resident.
I learned how to read partly by sharing the morning L.A. Times with my grandparents, so this place seemed like a good fit when I started working here as an intern in 2004 and then permanently as researcher for the opinion pages in 2005. In the years since then, I’ve written for the Opinion L.A. blog and the editorial page, worked as a web producer and edited the letters page. I was raised in Glendale but split my time between Northern and Southern California, graduating from UC Berkeley before coming to The Times.
In my job as letters editor, I have developed a deep respect and gratitude for the contributions of our readers, and a keen awareness of how the commentary we feature can affect the discussion on a topic. I hope to reflect that in our newsletter.
Latest Opinion Newsletters
Reform ballot measures for L.A. city and county governments signal local voters’ desire for more responsive and more ethical leadership.
If you care about democracy or vulnerable Americans, there’s no other way to say it: Trump’s victory is unmitigated bad news for us.
In 2016, a researcher on authoritarianism told us to write down our values before the Trump presidency began. Is it time to start defining our limits again?
Presidential endorsements are statements of values and aspiration for the direction of the country. When we opine on so many other issues, why should we be silent when it comes to one of the most consequential?
Trump’s total ignorance of history informs his fascist tendencies. Thankfully, knowing actual history can be an antidote.
It’s dismaying that we have gotten to the point that it’s so scary to be an election worker that we are recruiting former military personnel to operate polling places.
Members of The Times’ editorial board spent weeks interviewing candidates and researching ballot initiatives. These are the endorsements based on that work.
As much as I want this presidential election to be over, I’m afraid of what comes next.
Local newspapers and government agencies try not to lie to you during a hurricane or an election. Follow them when your life and democracy depend on it.
Any individual, company, industry or labor union willing to spend many millions of dollars can collect the signatures needed to put a law directly on the ballot, bypassing elected lawmakers.
