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Paul Thornton

@paulthornton.bsky.social
163 followers 33 following 494 posts

Co-founder, Golden State, California's home for fearless, informed, nonprofit opinion journalism. Ex-L.A. Times. I like trails and horror films. golden-state.org @goldenstateorg.bsky.social

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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 11h
I maintain: The best way to access Yosemite by car is from the east, via Tioga Pass. It's closed much of the year, but the scenery can't be beat.
sfchronicle.com
California is building a $400 million shield to protect Yosemite’s most dangerous highway
The drive to Yosemite has one notorious choke point. California’s fix is unlike any other.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 13h
And here's a quick guide -- I'm at the end.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 13h
I had a lot of fun putting this together w/ @marielgarza.bsky.social for @goldenstateorg.bsky.social. We asked independent journos and commentators (as in, not affiliated with any of the campaigns) to share their picks for all 14 props on the CA ballot. www.golden-state.org/ballot-picks...
golden-state.org
It's time to vote. Here's how Golden State's staff and contributors marked their ballots
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Yousef Baig @yousefbaig.bsky.social · 18h
Billionaires and hedge funds may be eagerly killing editorial boards at legacy outlets, but it’s great to see Golden State step into the void.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Well, do read until the end :)
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Those stuffy old terminals were the scenes of a lot of tearful goodbyes growing up. I'll miss them, much as they need to go.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Well I guess this isn’t Paris….
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Always read @danmorain.bsky.social. It's hard to find a wiser or more experienced California journalist than him.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Typo alert. Should be “accept some bad things happening for the benefit of A.I.”
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
They made me leave my non-plastic water flask outside too, but I went thirsty and declined to pay so I could sustainably drink from a disposable bottle.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
At the Prop 40 / Bernie rally in DTLA, where you’d have to be a billionaire to afford a beer.
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jonregardie.bsky.social @jonregardie.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Did you know that an item on the November ballot would allow the LA City Council to meet just once a week, rather than the current 3 times? If you were unaware of the impacts of Measure EE, that may be by design. My @goldenstateorg.bsky.social piece. www.golden-state.org/measure-ee-f...
golden-state.org
This ballot measure would give the L.A. City Council a break — from you
Tucked inside Measure EE is a provision slashing the number of required weekly council meetings from three to one, reducing the opportunities for the public to address their elected representatives.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Shame that the only scheduled debate between Hilton and Becerra didn’t have a local CA journalist asking questions.
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Dan Morain @danmorain.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2222 to provide money to help journalism. That’s great and much appreciated. Some of those journalists will write critical pieces about Newsom’s policies. That’s how journalism works. Much as he gets annoyed by some coverage, he understands that. I wish all pols did.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
What's an environmentalist YIMBY to do on Prop. 45?
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Fun fact: If you visit the site of the immunology research institute that will almost certainly get $4.2 billion if Prop. 38 passes, you'll find a fenced-off building still under construction.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
There's been a lot of terrible news for civic-minded opinion journalists in California lately. Robin Epley, who was just laid off from the Sacramento Bee, poignantly defends her work and that of her colleagues, under assault by the hedge funds that own so many newspapers now.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Twenty five years ago, I woke up to an answering machine (!) message that struck me as a tasteless joke.
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Dan Morain @danmorain.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I didn’t always agree with the Bee’s opinion journalists’ takes but that’s not the point. Their opinion pieces and endorsements were informed, reported and honest, and they were a vital part of the civic discourse. The layoffs will weaken democracy in Sacramento and California.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The L.A. Times editorial board breaks its nearly 18-month silence to oppose the CA billionaire tax.
latimes.com
Editorial: Vote no on Prop. 40. It ignores education, housing and safety
The reality is that one-time taxes create a fiscal cliff, which leads to new and additional taxes when the money runs out.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Why I get that sinking feeling on almost every mountain hike I take on a generously shaded trail.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
We're back from our brief summer hiatus (I nearly melted in south Texas) with a piece on a data privacy bill making its way through Sacramento.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
My Norwegian grandfather had 11 siblings; my mom, at least 50 first cousins. That's a big family. I have three children. By today's standards, that's a big family.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
We at @goldenstateorg.bsky.social get to pat ourselves on the back every now and then, yes?
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Story time. I was biking near LA Trade Tech some years ago. An angry man in a black sports car braked hard after pulling in front of me. I was livid. He sped away but only to the next stoplight. I caught up and screamed bloody murder: "YOU JUST TRIED TO KILL ME." He looked at me like hey, NBD.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
The federal workers who take care of almost 200 million acres of land -- more than the land area of Texas -- have been through a lot lately.
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Golden State @goldenstateorg.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
The franchise that backed Jackie Robinson and his integration of baseball and gave us Fernandomania is "doubling down on the huge mistake it made with last year’s visit to the White House," writes Oscar Garza www.golden-state.org/a-sorry-doub...
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
I had a fun conversation with @bubbathefish.bsky.social about pollution, car dependency, safer streets and so many other issues facing Southern California cities. What does that have to do with In-N-Out? Read to find out!
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
I’m a journalist who’s criticized Trump so where’s my China money
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Every ex-president needs to forcefully condemn this primetime fever dream, preferably together.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
This is born years of riding across LA on e-bikes, acoustic bikes, busses and trains. Of course, better cycling infrastructure would be *the* game changer to fix a lot of problems.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Much gratitude to Haaland, Solbakken & co for giving me something to talk about with my Norwegian family besides Donald Effing Trump.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
I avoid Yosemite Valley, and you should too. Here's my small list of gobsmackingly gorgeous places to go in California that aren't about to break from summer overtourism.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I took an even more normal walk today. Brazil — just, wow. VI SKAL VINNER VM
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
The filthy fireworks air blob is migrating east.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
If “safe and sane” fireworks are legal in your city, it’s for a good cause. And that often short-circuits discussions on air quality, noise and safety when city councils consider banning them. Me in L.A. Reported today. Happy 4th!
lareported.substack.com
Fire fight
The unlikely allies keeping fireworks legal in dozens of L.A. County cities
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
"Semiquincentennial" is an unnatural utterance. Put another way: Would you *ever* say "one-half-of-five-centuries-th" instead of "250th"?
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
I saw an add from Chevrolet about its “fastest ever” EV, which was of course a big SUV. Early on one of the biggest selling points for EVs was their “zippy” acceleration. Evidently we never moved past that. My Bolt is sluggish compared to other EVs. It’s still plenty fast for its 3,800 pounds.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Totally normal neighborhood walk.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Evelyn G. Aleman is major voice advocating for immigrant families in LAUSD whose letters I sometimes published in the LAT over the years. She knows of what she speaks.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Imagine looking at this and thinking “fuck it Mars is the future.”
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
In which I eat humble pie for breakfast... (BTW -- alt for Norge! This is the old country's year.)
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Is there something about warehouse fires that makes them extraordinarily difficult to put out? Californians deserve answers about the massive logistics facilities popping up everywhere.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
🔥
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
That Boyle Heights fire blowing smoke into my area smells awfully toxic….
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Mariel Garza @marielgarza.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
What I've been working on with some amazing professors, students and journalists at USC Annenberg for the last few weeks. Take a moment and sit with these stories.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
And Mookie’s e doesn’t matter. Still amazing to see.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Shit. Mookie, meet Hanley. Still love you tho.
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Paul Thornton @paulthornton.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
There is a ton of out-of-town political analysis floating around (I'm looking at you, WaPo and NYT) that divines a helluva lot more from Los Angeles' election than what the data actually show. Think of this piece by @jonregardie.bsky.social as a locally sourced corrective.
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