L.A. Times - Commentary

Contributor: Americans are getting a rare break from an expensive law

Veronique de Rugy — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 18:30:00 GMT

The Jones Act benefits a few special interests at the cost of all of us. So why won't it just die?

Contributor: Keeping mentally ill Angelenos in jail doesn't help anyone

Clemens Hong — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:10:00 GMT

Recent legislation in Sacramento creates new obstacles to diversion, forcing judges to send more people to inappropriate settings where they won't get better.

Contributor: Americans won't let COVID be erased from our memories

Sarah E. Wagner and Martha Greenwald — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:03:00 GMT

The losses at the height of the pandemic were real. The peril and exhaustion of essential workers. No effort to punish Anthony Fauci changes any of that.

Calmes: Hegseth is purging people of color. Trump's war is killing them

Jackie Calmes — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:01:00 GMT

Suddenly we have a new measure of how much women and minorities (and immigrants) contribute to protecting America: the casualty toll in Trump's war against Iran.

Contributor: Bias is hindering journalism, but maybe not how the right and left assume

Tom Rosenstiel — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:06:00 GMT

The ideology starts with who is attracted to journalism in the first place. Their values are not shared by most Americans on the left or the right.

Contributor: SAT scores are another way UC schools are closing their doors to diversity

Aditi Hariharan — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

If the UC system is serious about equity, the answer isn't to reinstate a test that measures proximity to wealth and resources.

Column: The GOP isn't always the best party for conservatives

Jonah Goldberg — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:32:00 GMT

Conservatives should celebrate when conservative Democrats are nominated, even if that's bad for Republicans, electorally.

Contributor: How Democrats can repair the broken Supreme Court

Adam Schiff — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:03:00 GMT

Eliminate conflicts of interest. Enforce ethics rules. Add term limits and more justices to dilute Trump's lingering influence.

Op-comic: He's 13 and going gray and somehow still a puppy

Navied Mahdavian — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:03:00 GMT

My dog, Stanley, is still little, but he's not young. Is he still the baby of the family?

Contributor: Military spouses aren't interested in staying silent

Melissa A. Sullivan — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

It's ironic that the very people with the most at stake are the same individuals who are barred from expressing themselves.

Contributor: Boeing can turn its latest problem into its next growth spurt

Bruno S. Sergi — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:03:00 GMT

The company is still an American industrial champion, but much of the growth on which its commercial future depends will come from elsewhere.

Contributor: Graphic novels are reinventing the ridiculous power of satire

Tim Disney — Sat, 8 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

In this fraught moment, the most absurd voices are the bravest, most honest and most important.

Contributor: One key element is missing from the Israel-Gaza peace deal

Daoud Kuttab — Fri, 7 Aug 2026 14:56:29 GMT

The missing element is Israel.

Contributor: Do Republicans realize they're doing socialism out in the open?

Veronique de Rugy — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 18:30:00 GMT

Federal ownership of private companies has become routine for this administration, even as they busily point fingers at the left.

Granderson: Don't let Abdul El-Sayed's identity eclipse his actual politics

LZ Granderson — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 17:19:39 GMT

Questions about his electability have little to do with his résumé and more to do with him being the son of Egyptian immigrants who prays five times a day.

Contributor: How Americans can defend their right to vote

Pam Fessler — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 10:08:00 GMT

Voting is the greatest power most Americans have. You also have the power to protect that right.

Calmes: The nonsense of deporting immigrants who came legally and do much-needed work

Jackie Calmes — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 10:01:00 GMT

The U.S. is losing millions of essential workers as President Trump enacts his campaign's stupidest ideas.

Contributor: Artificial intelligence can imitate us, but it cannot truly design or invent

Carlo Ratti and Mario Carpo — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Leading voices have described generative AI as an "existential risk" that could spell the end of humanity. Not so fast.

The Pentagon is waging a war on critical thinking

Jon Duffy — Wed, 5 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

A proposal to eliminate civilian tenure at military academies would weaken the minds and the might of America's future leaders.

Contributor: Schools keep calling moms, reinforcing old assumptions and roles

Laura K. Gee, Kristy Buzard and Olga Stoddard — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 19:24:00 GMT

Many schools still view mothers as the default parent to contact, even when fathers are more available. That's a problem.

Contributor: Trump's hubris rivals the fallen heroes of ancient Greek mythology

Jonah Goldberg — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 18:30:00 GMT

The president recently suggested he was the most powerful man who ever lived. This is not an exaggeration. It's also not true.

Contributor: Weight loss from GLP-1s is leaving behind Black and Latino Californians

Jerel Ezell — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 10:02:00 GMT

Despite their elevated need, racial minorities receive significantly fewer prescriptions for these powerful weight-loss drugs.

Contributor: Women's pro baseball returns, built on the shaky foundation of Title IX

Kelly Candaele — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 10:02:00 GMT

After 70 years, a new organization is taking the place of the 'League of Their Own' that ended in the 1950s.

Too many kids are forced to grow up too soon, especially girls

Lisa McCarty — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Children who take on the role of caregivers for parents can struggle with sleep, social skills and academic performance and have problems with anxiety and drug abuse.

Contributor: HOAs can actually be a force for good

Daniel Kramer and Madeline Carr — Mon, 3 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The question is whether homeowners associations will continue reinforcing yesterday's aesthetic norms at an environmental cost or become partners in creating more sustainable futures.

Contributor: Wildfires will only get worse until the U.S. stops ignoring the climate crisis

Felix Horne — Sun, 2 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The smoke drifting south may come from Canadian forests, but the political winds making it worse are blowing in from Washington.

Contributor: Censorship never stops with just two words

Angel Eduardo — Sat, 1 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The Los Angeles City Council is claiming ultimate authority to ban the use of any terms officials deem offensive during public meetings. It won't end there.

Granderson: In the voting booth, it's the year of the not-at-all-close call

LZ Granderson — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:20:00 GMT

You're either OK with the Trump administration proposing more cuts to Medicare while spending millions to spray-paint statues with gold — or you're not. You either love it when ICE kills Americans or you hate it.

Contributor: What happens when the U.S. drives away the world's best talent?

Veronique de Rugy — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The possibility that bright young people will decide America is no longer worth the trouble should terrify us.

Calmes: Trump is still playing a reality-TV role

Jackie Calmes — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:16:00 GMT

Rarely has the president's recasting of reality to fit his chosen narrative been so evident on varied fronts — and so grotesque — as in recent days.

Contributor: Children affected by gun violence need support, or they may continue the cycle

Jessie Milo — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:01:00 GMT

As part of my amends to victims, I have an obligation to break cycles of gun violence, and that is what California's Thrive Act would do.

Contributor: Why so many Latinos in the U.S. are anti-immigrant

Eladio Bobadilla — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Reactionary politics are not simply imposed on Latinos; they have repeatedly found traction within those communities themselves.

Contributor: Sending armed agents to reporters' homes is a threat to free press and whistle-blowers

Gabe Rottman — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 10:12:00 GMT

Government searches, subpoenas and other legal demands targeting journalists' materials, sources and communications represent extraordinary government overreach.

Contributor: As L.A.'s sidewalk vendors cut corners, restaurants pay the price

Jot Condie — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Owners of compliant brick-and-mortar spots feel routinely undercut by food stands that face almost no regulatory enforcement.

Column: Democratic socialists pose no real threat to America's free markets

Jonah Goldberg — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Socialism means different things to different people, and that makes all the difference.

Contributor: Major news outlets and Democrats are pretending weather isn't affected by climate

David Helvarg — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

It takes great effort to discuss the burning and flooding around the world without acknowledging their cause.

Contributor: College degrees no longer last a lifetime. UC schools can help graduates keep up.

John D. Skrentny and Mary L. Walshok — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Today's workers need the ability to acquire skills and make radical changes as old career paths disappear and new ones emerge.

Contributor: Why are 4,000 National Guard still patrolling Washington?

Jon Duffy — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Military missions, especially ones conducted within the U.S., require continuing justification, not just continuing authorization.

Contributor: Wonder why the birthrate is falling? Look how we treat mothers

Christine Michel Carter — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Women considering motherhood are reading the fine print. Have the baby, but do not complain about child care. Have the baby, but do not expect paid leave.

Contributor: Botox is quietly killing the art of acting

Nicole Ackermann — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

We celebrate women for their strength and achievements, yet expect them to erase all evidence of the years and experience that produced them.

Contributor: How Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis forever changed comedy

Rosario A. Iaconis — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

'Saturday Night Live,' Jerry Seinfeld and Adam Sandler all owe a debt to the suave Italian crooner clowning around with his gawky Jewish buddy.

Granderson: Why are Nolan Wells' parents still waiting for answers?

LZ Granderson — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Nearly three weeks after his body was found floating in the water, results from Wells' autopsy, conducted by the Jackson County coroner, have not been released.

Contributor: Waymos save lives. So why are some people still skeptical?

Veronique de Rugy — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 18:30:00 GMT

After more than 220 million miles driven throughout the U.S., the brand's vehicles have been involved in 94% fewer crashes causing serious or fatal injury compared with human drivers.

Contributor: Censoring is out. Bullying is in.

Simona Grossi — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

A new legal test is needed so the government can't continue to retaliate against protected speech.

Calmes: Trump's undermining of U.S. elections is not a simple partisan issue

Jackie Calmes — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The president's dud of a prime-time speech, during which he baselessly called U.S. elections "catastrophically short" of being safe, only confirmed many people's fears.

Contributor: America's wildlife refuges may no longer protect the animals

Ryan Huling — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The Trump administration is proposing a land shift that would designate 95% of wildlife refuges available for hunting.

Contributor: Anyone who wanted Lindsey Graham's career had to appear straight. And the closet persists.

Darren Rosenblum — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

He said unambiguously: 'I'm not gay.' But at the top rungs of power, almost everyone is straight or pretends to be.

Contributor: Californians have a rare chance to rein in CEQA and support housing

Matt Fleming — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The California Environmental Quality Act is used to stall and derail development for lots of reasons, mostly not environmental.

Op-Comic: Making the transition away from our objects

Bryn Durgin and Navied Mahdavian — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

An infant need prompts us to turn a blanket or stuffed animal into the source of comfort we crave. Even when the objects are gone, that need remains, as does the power to meet it.

Contributor: The unfair double standard polyamorous relationships face

Christina Fialho and Megan Burke — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Nonmonagmous relationships are fighting "the poly presumption," as the biggest obstacles have never been jealousy, logistics or commitment.

Contributor: Keep antivax politics out of foster parent licensing

Naomi Schaefer Riley and Emily Putnam-Hornstein — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:02:00 GMT

In 2019, federal guidance required that all children living in the household must 'be up to date on immunizations.' New standards are silent on the topic.

Contributor: Air conditioning alone won't save us from killer heat

Sara Yassi — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Climate control isn't the problem. The mistake was designing cities that require more and more energy to cool our homes each year.

Contributor: America is at war. Pete Hegseth is focused on beards and hormones.

Jon Duffy — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The Defense secretary is working to replace military standards rooted in mission with standards that reflect his personal image of the American warrior.

Granderson: Voters want what the Democrats' left wing offers

LZ Granderson — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:04:00 GMT

The emergence of democratic socialists has caused some soul-searching, but the answers aren't mysterious. Just ask the public.

Contributor: This next batch of elected senators will decide the fate of Social Security

Veronique de Rugy — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:30:00 GMT

We won't be able to tax our way out of this one.

Calmes: Send Trump a message that the ICE killings have consequences

Jackie Calmes — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:02:00 GMT

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) could block confirmation of the president's personal lawyer to be the next attorney general.

Contributor: AI, like a hovering parent, protects students from the failures they need

Mark Shpall — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:01:00 GMT

Students are increasingly shielded from discomfort, and so they enter adulthood unprepared to face life's inevitable challenges.

Contributor: Hollywood will stop fueling racism when audiences demand better

Sue Obeidi and Jose Antonio Vargas — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:01:00 GMT

Two new films, 'Citizen Vigilante' and 'Run, Fight, Hide: Infidels,' use streaming platforms and social media to cash in on xenophobia.

Contributor: California schools are on the frontlines of fighting homelessness. Now they have funding.

Margaret Olmos — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Last school year, California districts identified 298,254 students experiencing homelessness. The real number is almost certainly higher.

Contributor: There's an effective way to treat drug addiction — but you may not like it

Sally Satel and David Farabee — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Many Americans would resist using tax dollars to pay people to stay sober. But that's the approach the data suggest.

Column: The Iran war could shape American policy for decades

Jonah Goldberg — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Trump's strategy may be a mess, but the results could still have lasting effects on international relations.

Climate change isn't taking food off your table

Bjorn Lomborg — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

No matter what's happening across the globe, humanity just keeps getting better at growing food.

Contributor: Crucial task of protecting workers now falls to local enforcement

Terri Gerstein — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:02:00 GMT

A lawsuit in San Diego alleges exploitation of supermarket sushi chefs. The federal government has largely abdicated responsibility for labor protections.

Contributor: Sanctions are making Venezuela's earthquake toll so much worse

Mark Weisbrot — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 10:03:00 GMT

The nation was already facing a humanitarian crisis before last month's natural disaster.

Contributor: From Cleveland with love, some advice on losing LeBron

Lori Wald — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 10:01:00 GMT

He has been our superstar (twice) and many hope he'll return (again). Sometimes the hope is enough.

Granderson: When a young Black man dies mysteriously in the South, assume nothing

LZ Granderson — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 10:03:00 GMT

History explains why the family of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old who went missing on July 4 in Mississippi, has already hired a civil rights attorney.

Contributor: What a 700-year-old Italian fresco can teach America today

Veronique de Rugy — Thu, 9 Jul 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Ambrogio Lorenzetti's visual treatise on political economy holds important lessons for Republicans and Democrats alike.

Calmes: Trump decries 'communism' while his government takes ownership of companies

Jackie Calmes — Thu, 9 Jul 2026 10:11:00 GMT

As former Republicans recently said, 'Trump is the closest we've ever come to communism.'

Contributor: Medicare's new approach to halting fraud is paying off

Mehmet Oz and Kim Brandt — Thu, 9 Jul 2026 10:07:00 GMT

One key to success has been to finally acknowledge the scale of the problem and adapt appropriately.

Contributor: Facebook's effort to silence a critic is backfiring spectacularly

Amy Wallace — Wed, 8 Jul 2026 18:55:00 GMT

Recent tactics of the social media site's parent company, Meta, made at least 8 million people curious to read the very book that the company is trying to suppress.

Contributor: Howard Zinn spoke to this moment, even decades ago

Dave Zirin — Wed, 8 Jul 2026 10:33:00 GMT

'A People's History of the United States' deepened the public's understanding of American values and current events. No wonder politicians peddling false nostalgia hate him.

Contributor: The crucial medical question that AI can't ever answer

James N. Weinstein and Ogan Gurel — Wed, 8 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

AI can be very knowledgeable. Doctors can have excellent judgment. But ultimately the patient's own priorities often determine which treatment approach is best.

Column: The right and left need to control the radicals in their own parties

Jonah Goldberg — Tue, 7 Jul 2026 18:00:00 GMT

The GOP's habit of calling Democrats "Communist" and the Democrats' habit of calling the GOP "fascist" hardly started with Trump.

Contributor: The global reading crisis that started with smartphones

David Shelley — Tue, 7 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Kids who read for pleasure experience 'vastly improved mental health,' according to a new report.

Contributor: Why won't Trump just tell us what the Iran war cost?

Jon Duffy — Tue, 7 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The administration owes Americans a serious accounting of what has been lost and what future spending is supposed to fix.

Contributor: The troubling takeaway when experts game out election threats

Aaron Tang — Mon, 6 Jul 2026 10:02:00 GMT

An experiment invited notables to respond in real time to hypothetical election threats such as federal seizure of uncounted ballots. Don't assume safeguards will protect American voting.

Contributor: Can we get rid of small talk, please?

Elana Rabinowitz — Sun, 5 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Conversations should be like clothes and come in different sizes.

Abcarian: Thanks to social media, tanning makes an unfortunate comeback among teen girls

Robin Abcarian — Sun, 5 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Years of warnings from skin and cancer doctors seem to fly right over the heads of the TikTok generation.

Contributor: Argue about American values. What could be more American?

Ian Ayres — Fri, 3 Jul 2026 10:02:00 GMT

Do more than read and hear the Declaration of Independence. We should talk about what it means.

Contributor: Despite the justices, Congress can end birthright citizenship

Josh Hammer — Fri, 3 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Ending birth tourism would respect the intention of the 14th Amendment.

Contributor: Alcohol should be marginalized like smoking

Emma Fenske — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 19:28:00 GMT

Drinking causes 1 in every 20 deaths worldwide. Perversely, because its harms are so widespread and longstanding and well known, many people accept them.

Contributor: Who should keep sidewalks passable? Denver solved the dilemma

Wes Marshall — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 10:05:00 GMT

Most cities don't even know which sidewalks need fixing. Two cities show how to do better.

Calmes: The Supreme Court failed the test posed by Trump

Jackie Calmes — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 10:01:00 GMT

The conservative justices seem willfully obtuse about this executive's autocratic impulses.

Contributor: Bloody brawl of humans, dogs and a bear threatens Californians' fragile detente

Steve Searles — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

After the most recent bear encounter in Mammoth Lakes, fear and misunderstanding are again taking over.

Contributor: American upheaval: How the past 25 years divided a nation

Warren Bass — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Republicans called the 1990s a "holiday from history" — but after 9/11, history roared back.

Granderson: How to be better stewards of the nation into our fourth century

LZ Granderson — Thu, 2 Jul 2026 09:40:00 GMT

The abandoned infrastructure of the cotton boom, the auto industry and mining shows us what not to do as data centers are debated and built.

Contributor: Theodore Roosevelt, the 'melting pot' and the meaning of America

Bruce J. Schulman — Wed, 1 Jul 2026 10:39:00 GMT

Should American identity be defined by race and ethnicity? Or by fealty to a set of ideas?

Contributor: Night shifts are deadly, not just inconvenient

Lynne Peeples — Wed, 1 Jul 2026 10:17:00 GMT

California's workplace safety systems are the perfect proving ground for policies that recognize the hazards of disrupting circadian rhythms.

Contributor: Birthright citizenship should never have been in question

Erwin Chemerinsky — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 19:30:00 GMT

The Supreme Court handed a rare loss to President Trump Tuesday.

Column: Democrats' newest ideas have been failing for centuries

Jonah Goldberg — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Rent freezes, wealth taxes and price controls have all been tried and tested — and none of them actually work.

Contributor: 19th century reformers made this country more equal, inclusive and strong

Brian DeLay — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:16:00 GMT

Remember the generations of Americans who decided to honor the founding's accomplishments through improvement rather than veneration.

Contributor: The revolution was a road map, not a destination

Cynthia A. Kierner — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:14:00 GMT

As we mark the semiquincentennial, we should celebrate what the founders achieved — and be mindful of what they did not.

Contributor: Mental health care isn't ready for psychedelic side effects

Laura Zam — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:01:00 GMT

Accelerated FDA approval will invite recklessness. But don't block these important medications. Take steps to prepare.

Contributor: Los Angeles' homelessness strategy needs a next act

Louis Abramson — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Encampments are ugly signposts of the city's crisis, but they were also once a roadmap to help those in need. We need a new plan.

Contributor: The Supreme Court just handed the president even more power

Erwin Chemerinsky — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:25:00 GMT

In its ruling of Trump vs. Slaughter on Monday, the justices upended a 90-year-old precedent on firing heads of independent agencies.

Contributor: How the American experiment could last another 250 years

Samuel Cohn — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:12:43 GMT

Other empires have stumbled after centuries, but we can learn from their mistakes.

Contributor: The Trump administration continues killing without answers

Jon Duffy — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Legislators have finally begun to recognize the dangers of unchecked executive force.

Contributor: The rise of Democrats' left wing will hurt democracy

Matt K. Lewis — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 15:34:08 GMT

Republicans have now been gifted a fresh crop of candidates they can plaster across campaign ads from Iowa to Texas as a national cautionary tale.

Granderson: How fearmongering sets policy, from 'marihuana' to solar to A.I.

LZ Granderson — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 10:00:00 GMT

We forfeited our solar lead and our hemp industry. Should we compete in A.I.?

Contributor: Justices' decisions slam closed the courthouse doors

Erwin Chemerinsky — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:38:58 GMT

No one disputes that prison guards egregiously violated Damon Landor's rights. But after Thursday's ruling, he is left with no remedy.