iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

The passing of Lou Cannon is truly the end of an era of political journalism. The masterful Reagan biographer was so gracious to me in my 1998 coverage of the CA gubernatorial race, and provided analysis for TV pieces I did on the Dem primary. A pro’s pro. I remain grateful.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

If an elected official is praised by a columnist and the two of them happen to be pretty good personal friends, might not that friendship color the columnist’s viewpoint?

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

The celebrity is the indefatigable CA legislative historian, not a journo has-been!

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

On the road to the Final Four…

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Survive and advance. 😈 🏀

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Reposted by John Myers

The Athletic @theathletic.com · 28/03/2025

The Duke Blue Devils outlasted the Arizona Wildcats 100-93 to seal a berth in the Elite Eight 💪 ⚪️ Cooper Flagg | 30 PTS | 6 REB | 7 AST 🔵 Caleb Love | 35 PTS | 4 REB | 1 AST

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

It’s frustrating to see good reporters, some who are former colleagues, file stories that have more color (descriptive details, lyrical prose) than context. Context is the most consistently overlooked ingredient in modern daily journalism.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Morro Bay remains one of my favorite places, years after I was lucky enough to work down on this part of the coast for KSBY-TV…

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

News reporting swings back and forth between access and exclusivity. Few (no) reporters will turn down a meaningful “get”… and none should quietly acquiesce to a ban on an outlet’s access. The business is competitive, yes, but only as long as rights are respected.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

A good newsroom will explain this week in detail how the companies that pay US auto workers rely heavily on parts from MEX & CAN, painting a clear picture of North American alliances. A lazy newsroom will focus on the threat to “your Super Bowl guacamole,” severely underplaying the issues at hand.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Nothing is better than beating Carolina at Cameron. NOTHING. 😈🏀

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Please, editors: No more columns from writers who have only an opinion, and no actual expertise in a subject. The era of “Here’s my take” feels like it’s long since passed.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Maybe I should be posting about politics or government stuff, but instead I’m passing along a huge endorsement of the “SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night” series on Peacock. Ep. 2 is a wonderful look at the sketch of the century!

media.tenor.com

a man is playing a guitar and singing into a microphone while another man is holding a drum stick .

Alt: SNL: More Cowbell!

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Context. Context. Context. Context.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

I’ll be surprised if anyone had “Mt. McKinley” on their bingo card today. Or have I missed some groundswell in my departure from daily political news?

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

Too little of the social and traditional media coverage so far has taken a breath before casting blame. We’d be better off with more discussion along the lines of this take from NPR.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

You’ve got your work cut out for you…

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

Interesting point and, to me, another good reason to focus on more traditional budget-year revenues and expenses when discussing the out-years, no? These leftover funds are a big deal… but they don’t feel reliable enough to fully count on when framing a narrative about 2-3 year budget health.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

I definitely think there’s a “trend” story here (hello, press corps). But also fascinating to me is that it feels like a bit of a “miscellaneous” entry in the ledger. For example, DOF says FY24-25 began with $35.8B carried over from prior year. But what were the original sources of that cash?

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

Couldn’t help myself, had to pore over these with some coffee. I’m sort of fascinated by the evolution of the “Prior Year Balance” and its importance in making the numbers work. What do you think is a good layperson way to think about the source(s) of that money?

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

Kings crushed the Celtics. Can’t believe I’m typing that. (And without Fox!)

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

Happy New Year, all. It’s champagne and war tonight with my 16 year old.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

The passing of President Carter should give us a moment to reflect on the nature of public service, far beyond terms in elected office. A reflection, too, of a kind of politics we left behind a long time ago.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

NBA referee Bill Kennedy is the GOAT when it comes to telling the crowd how a coach’s challenge panned out. 🏀 #GoKings

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

The CNN evening show’s format — all panel convo on all topics in the news, all the time — is exhausting. But it also reflects the familiar broadcast news crutch of “Hey, let’s talk about the news.” It used to be confirmed largely to news/talk radio (my gig in 2002) and even then was vacuous.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

MTV, ostensibly still titled “Music Television,” is showing… Titanic. I know I’m a GenX guy from the launch of the network and that music faded a long time ago, but come on.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

Final thought for now: California prides itself on a strong system of direct democracy. But the results of close ballot measure races (Prop32 min wage lost by 216K votes out 15+M cast) may not reflect the actual views of Californians who would be most impacted by the issues at hand. ✌️-30-

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

The gaps are higher in other counties, noticeable in communities but stubborn, too, in some large urban areas. While foolish to assume we’ll ever really know why these Californians are disengaged, clearly elections aren’t a huge deal to them. And it belies any candidate’s boast of a “mandate.”

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

I also can’t help but wonder how some local campaigns would have turned out in areas with a wide gap between registered and eligible — in other words, a possibly notable enthusiasm gap. Ex: San Joaquin County… 69% of reg voters showed up, but that’s only 51.7% of residents who are eligible.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

The eligible voter percentage in CA has been stuck below 60% for at least the past three decades of prez cycles, except for 2020. Even with the huge changes in access (automated DMV, e-day registration), the relative interest hasn’t moved much.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

Something about 2020 — issues/pandemic, access to voting, fewer life distractions while kept at home, etc. — really helped Californians home in on their civic duty. Nor did 2024 seem to provide more of a motivating factor to the “eligible but not registered” group of Californians, per state data.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

I spent the morning reading final CA voting data (once an election reporter…) Hard to ignore how truly anomalous 2020’s high turnout (~81%) was… with 2024 looking more like historic norms of 70%-75% of registered voters casting a ballot. (And presidential elections are typically more popular.)

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

Can’t help but wonder, while wishing a speedy recovery to the former speaker, how long it might’ve taken most Americans in her situation to have received similar care.

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Reposted by John Myers

Scott Graves @shg29.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

What’s a Budget Bill Jr.? What does “sweeping” have to do with the #CABudget? Find out in @calbudgetcenter.bsky.social's "Glossary of State Budget Terms"! We've added 20+ new terms as part of our fall 2024 update. If you've got ideas for more, let me know! #CALeg calbudgetcenter.org/resources/gl...

calbudgetcenter.org

Glossary of State Budget Terms

State budget terms defined

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

We rolled a little in Sacramento.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Always on the 🎄 of this relocated North Carolinian.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

43 years later, I discover that Kim Carnes sang of making a “pro blush” in “Bette Davis Eyes”… and not a “probe lunch.” (I have no idea what I thought a probe lunch was… or what it consisted of!)

media.tenor.com

a woman in a black suit and tie is singing into a microphone .

Alt: Kim Carnes sings Bette Davis Eyes.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Not exactly Dewey Defeats Truman, but the Kings lost tonight…

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Appreciate the kind words. As suggested, opinion journalism has a murky future. (Note: That’s not to say that “the sky is blue” statements of fact by journos should be considered opinion and in need of “the other side” false balance.) Bottom line: what’s going on at LAT is an existential crisis.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

I’m worried about my former LAT colleagues as they navigate what comes next. The owner has selected a well-known commentator to join the board and has hinted he may remake the whole team. Those kinds of unilateral decisions will diminish everyone’s credibility. The stakes are high. -30-

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Had the good doctor had a hands-on approach earlier, or had he selected someone for the job of publisher rather than anointing himself “executive chairman,” a reasoned debate could have ensued about what he believed how the ed board should behave. But he didn’t. And the timing feels…suspicious.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

They are passionate about their work. They are professionals and The Times’ owner never seemed to express concerns in almost 6 years of ownership before this election cycle. His silence was, I assumed, an acknowledgment that newspaper owners are best when they leave journalism to journalists.

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John Myers @johnmyersca.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

I have sparred with at least one member of the ed board since taking a high-profile comms job, for what I still believe was an editorial lacking logic and an appreciation of reality. But… and a huge but… I have always respected the work of editorial writers. They do not cut corners…

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