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Were Joan Didion and Eve Babitz really two sides of the same coin?
In "Didion & Babitz," Lili Anolik reconsiders two Los Angeles icons.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-08/joan-didion-eve-babitz-lili-anolik-review
Letters to the Editor: Why a country this vast and diverse needs the electoral college
Though not the primary concern of the founders, large-population states dominating federal policy is kept under control by the electoral college.
Letters to the Editor: A college professor on the pressure to inflate students' grades
"My evaluations by students were great, which I took as a success," says a former professor. "Now I wonder."
Opinion: I thought I had my L.A. cycling commute down. Turns out, I'd been missing the obvious
I've biked the same route to and from my Los Angeles job for years. Then another cyclist made me see the downside of routine.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-08/cycling-los-angeles-commute-beach
Sexism, campaign errors, media malpractice: Why Kamala Harris lost, according to readers
'I'm a nobody, and the somebodies thought that the outrageous remarks of a comedian would flip Latino voters in Pennsylvania,' one reader says
Litman: Will Trump launch a reign of terror against his list of enemies? There's little to stop him
The Justice Department has been largely separated from White House influence since Watergate. The president-elect has made it clear that it won't be anymore.
Abcarian: Don't fall into total despair, Harris supporters. There was some good election night news
Voters in seven of 10 states affirmed the right to abortion. Two Black women will serve in the Senate. And Ron DeSantis got slapped.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-07/trump-election-harris-abortion
Editorial: California doesn't have to choose between public safety and criminal justice reform
Voters rolled back reform by passing Proposition 36 and ousting progressive prosecutors in L.A. and the Bay Area. But we shouldn't return to harmful lock-'em-up policies.
Granderson: There's no mystery. White women handed Trump the election
We are not 'better than this.' 'This' — the racism, the sexism — has always been a major part of who we are.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-07/white-women-vote-donald-trump-kamala-harris
Editorial: Americans voted for Trump. Here's what they chose — and the hope for all those who didn't
Voters picked a leader who embraced authoritarianism, division and dehumanization. Those who chose Kamala Harris, including in California, aren't without recourse.
Opinion: Elon Musk bought himself a starring role in Trump's second term. What could go wrong?
Trump's win poses an urgent threat to the republic, and the campaign promises he made to the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, prove it.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-06/elon-musk-donald-trump-tesla-spacex
Calmes: Coming soon to Washington — America's dark ages
Once upon a time, it was possible to believe Donald Trump would set aside rancor and lies and be a president for us all. Now, God help us.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-06/election-donald-trump-jd-vance
Opinion: Foreign interference is now the norm, and it could fuel more violence under Trump
Other nations aren't just interested in tilting U.S. elections. Russia tried to stir up domestic terrorism by fomenting polarization.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-06/russia-election-trump-presidency-violence
Letters to the Editor: From dread to elation, readers to react to Donald Trump's victory
Some readers worry that Trump's election heralds an era of authoritarianism in America. Others emphasize Democratic missteps and say he's what the voters want.
Commentary: Did you see all the signs opposing California's same-sex marriage measure? Neither did I
In 2008, my Laguna Beach street was lined with signs for Proposition 8, a gay marriage ban. This year's Proposition 3 is to undo the unenforced measure.
Letters to the Editor: Democrats in Sacramento shouldn't forget that they serve Republicans too
The majority governs in a democracy, but what happens when we have a supermajority? Sacramento Democrats, don't forget you serve all Californians.
Letters to the Editor: The mussel invasion of California waterways that didn't have to happen
In 2022, the EPA was asked to better regulate water discharges from ships. The agency punted, and now California has a potentially disastrous mussel problem.
Letters to the Editor: Targeting transgender people says a lot about the Republican Party
Transgender people make up a small minority of Americans. It's too bad they must suffer demonization because of the GOP's fear of social change.
Letters to the Editor: Trump's disgraceful, violent rhetoric against Liz Cheney
Trump should be more careful with his violent rhetoric, says a reader: 'As we have seen, advocating violence tends to bring it back to you.'
Abcarian: Trump would allow RFK Jr. to infect the body politic with crackpot theories
Yet another reason to fear a Trump and Vance victory: unleashing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the country's public health agencies.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-05/trump-robert-kennedy-jr-election-health
Opinion: Post-election violence is likely. Here's how to contain it
Whether Trump or Harris wins, U.S. conditions of winner-take-all elections and deeply divided parties mean there's a strong chance of political violence. Our job is not to panic.
Goldberg: Will Tuesday's election mark a historic 'realignment' of GOP and Democratic voters?
Republicans and Democrats aren't necessarily staying in their lanes in 2024. 'Realignment' won't break up the logjam of U.S. politics, it will just make it more hypocritical.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-05/election-democrats-republicans-political-party
Commentary: Why grade inflation is spreading from high school to college — and how it hurts learning
In Los Angeles and beyond, research has shown that grades are generally going up even though test scores and other measures of actual learning are not.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-05/grade-inflation-high-school-college-education
Opinion: Are you sensing impending doom? Want to go in on a fallout shelter?
With our planet's history of close calls, it seems practical these days to get a doomsday bunker, if you can convince someone rich enough to buy one for you.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-05/fallout-shelter-doomsday-nuclear-attack
Opinion: Republican gerrymandering will shape control of Congress, and potentially the White House
For Democrats to take the House would be like drawing an inside straight from a rigged deck.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-05/republican-gerrymandering-house-control
Granderson: America has been divided far too long. The way forward is together
This election is a chance to unite. Keeping people apart has always been the oxygen that hate needs to survive.
Letters to the Editor: Going from a Brooklyn Dodgers fan in the 1950s to a 'nervous wreck' in 2024
A reader shares her memories of rooting for the underdog Dodgers as a kid growing up on Long Island in the 1950s.
Letters to the Editor: A wounded nation votes in an election one candidate says is rigged. God help us
Few Americans seriously thought our elections were rigged. Now, as the 2024 vote comes to a close, about one-third of us believe lies about the last election.
Letters to the Editor: Take vaccines off the market? That's one way to solve overpopulation
A reader asks, 'So, is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. anti-vaccine in order to expand worldwide pandemics and thus contain our population explosion?'
Letters to the Editor: Elephants don't belong in zoos. Here's how sanctuaries should house them
An animal rights activist says there must be a balance struck between zoos that put elephants on exhibit and sanctuaries that don't allow visitors.
A gay couple's messy surrogacy journey is just the start of this very funny novel
Tom Pyun's fast-paced 'Something Close to Nothing' uses everything from Meryl Streep to hip-hop dance to remind us that gay parents are as impulsive and conflicted as anyone else.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-04/something-close-to-nothing-tom-pyun-book-review
Editorial: Election results may take time. That's a fact, not grounds for conspiracy theories
Spread the word: We may well not know whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump was elected for days. A healthy democracy can afford to be patient and accurate.
Letters to the Editor: The real reason disadvantaged patients wait so long in the ER
Medicaid underpays providers, leading to doctor shortages that drive disadvantaged patients to hospital emergency rooms.
Letters to the Editor: This pro-Trump opinion piece was 'amazing' for all the wrong reasons
Kamala Harris never set off a riot at the U.S. Capitol. She isn't a felon or an adjudicated sexual abuser. This election shouldn't be a close call.
Letters to the Editor: The U.S. has a democracy problem thanks to the electoral college
Multiple issues poll at two-thirds support among voters, but little gets done. The electoral college deserves blame. We need constitutional reform.
Calmes: What do women want? Not Donald Trump
Kamala Harris could win because women can't stomach a candidate that wants to grope, assault and 'protect' them 'whether they like it or not.'
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-03/calmes-women-and-trump
Commentary: The best and only way to defend democracy from Trump's attacks? Get out and vote
Voting rights are under attack in this election, in big ways and small, from Donald Trump and his allies. But don't despair, do something. The best way to defend your right to vote is to exercise...
Abcarian: Transgender issues aren't a top voter concern. Why is Trump's campaign obsessed with them?
The former president and other Republicans have spent tens of millions on ads demonizing trans people and attacking Kamala Harris for supporting them.
Opinion: I've written novels about a female president since the 1980s. I'm ready for fiction to become reality
Among the similarities between Kamala Harris and my fictional president: Both are intensely qualified candidates for the highest office in the land.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-03/kamala-harris-hillary-clinton-shirley-chisholm
Letters to the Editor: There's still affirmative action in college — for rich kids and athletes
"There seems to be no doubt that, as a contribution to society, we value athletes far more than we value educating minorities," says a reader.
Letters to the Editor: Don't think elections are 'religious wars'? Look at abortion rights
A columnist said we need to stop treating elections like 'religious wars.' But that's exactly what they've become thanks to the far right.
Opinion: Voting in America is still secure. But a dark anti-election movement seeks to change that
Trump associates have backed efforts to twist Americans' democratic impulses toward disenfranchising their countrymen.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-03/2024-election-voting-united-states
Collected letters of Oliver Sacks offer a glimpse into the neurologist's mind
The late author's correspondence shows a restless intellect roving far beyond what we saw in his books 'Awakenings' and 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.'
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-02/oliver-sacks-letters-review
Letters to the Editor: Readers discuss The Times' non-endorsement in the presidential race
The vast majority of letter writers say the L.A. Times wrongly withheld an endorsement in the presidential race; some welcome decision.
Granderson: Trump would gut Social Security and Medicare just as boomers need them
Billionaire backers of the former president are counting on tax cuts, no matter the toll they would take on most Americans.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-01/trump-cut-social-security-medicare
Commentary: I was lucky to see a baby elephant up close, but it's time to rethink keeping these majestic animals in zoos
I will always cherish the time I spent with a baby elephant being hand-reared at the Oakland Zoo. Now, 28 years later, the zoo made the right decision to retire its last elephant.
Letters to the Editor: Voting third party isn't 'against Kamala Harris.' It's about so much more
For hundreds of millions of people around the world, having a Democratic president in power over Trump doesn't help them much.
10 books to add to your reading list in November
Critic Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 promising new titles — fiction and nonfiction — to consider in November.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-01/november-book-reviews-fiction-nonfiction
Opinion: Why I'm voting for Donald Trump
As a GOP conservative, I've nearly upchucked on the Trump roller coaster ride. But like millions of others, I prefer a center-right government to whatever Harris is offering.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-01/election-donald-trump-kamala-harris
Letters to the Editor: I'm a Republican who worked for Barry Goldwater in 1964. In 2024, I'm voting for the Democrat
"I have not left the Republican Party; the Republican Party has left me," says a reader who is voting against Donald Trump.
Letters to the Editor: Why is L.A.'s teachers union taking a position on arms sales to Israel?
UTLA has every right to advocate for teachers and students. It should not be speaking for its members on matters such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Opinion: Israel is weaponizing hunger against Palestinians. Here's how the U.S. can stop it
As war continues in Gaza, President Biden must demand that Israel allow the unrestricted entry of food and other humanitarian aid at land crossings.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-31/israel-war-palestinians-hunger-humanitarian-crisis
Editorial: ER patients are still being hurt by racial and gender biases
Patients in pain shouldn't have to advocate for themselves in the emergency room. Stronger laws are need to reduce treatment disparities.
Litman: Does freedom itself depend on the outcome of this election? Donald Trump's probably does
If Kamala Harris wins, the former president faces sentencing in New York, more trials and likely incarceration. But he can make most of it go away with a victory.
Opinion: What Venezuela's turn away from democracy means for U.S. migration
The country's questionable election result and crackdown on dissidents will push more asylum seekers north.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-31/united-states-venezuela-immigration-darien-gap
Letters to the Editor: Why is VA land used for sports facilities when veterans are homeless?
When so many veterans in L.A. are homeless, the use of VA land in Westwood for sports facilities seems unconscionable, says a reader.
Opinion: Happy Halloween? Living with unease, uncertainty and the uncanny in a scary season
An amalgam of All Saints' Day and Samhain that nearly coincides with election day, Halloween continues to encompass competing ideas of the otherworldly and in-between.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-31/halloween-all-saints-day-samhain-election-2024
Calmes: If Harris falls short, blame Democrats and the media on this issue
Bidenomics has been spectacularly successful but not enough voters understand that: It's the misinformation about the economy, stupid.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-31/election-kamala-harris-donald-trump-gdp-economy
Letters to the Editor: Manzanar is a 'sobering reminder of what our country is capable of doing to its own citizens'
A reader takes issue with a Times article's description of Manzanar as not much more than the decaying remains of a prison camp.
Letters to the Editor: Kamala Harris isn't fear-mongering. She's telling the truth about Trump
If Trump loses, things will be bad. If Trump wins, things will be bad. Kamala Harris' rhetoric reflects this awful reality.
Richard Price returns with a story of urban disaster, grit, hustle and even hope
'Lazarus Man,' the 'Clockers' author's first novel in nearly a decade, examines New York through a tenement collapse and its aftermath for a cast of characters.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-30/richard-price-lazarus-man-review
Letters to the Editor: Worried about refinery closures? EVs are easier and cheaper than ever
Don't be afraid of EVs. They're easy to use and cheap to maintain, and they prevent you from being affected by refinery closures.
Opinion: Mexico's new president should tackle the country's festering human rights catastrophe
Claudia Sheinbaum can do more than her predecessor to resolve disappearances and murders linked to gangs and past governments.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-30/mexico-president-disappeared-claudia-sheinbaum
Letters to the Editor: L.A. is a global capital for classical music. Why don't we hear about that?
If the L.A. Times wants the world to know this city is more than palm trees and Hollywood, it should proudly tell its history as a modern capital for classical music.
Abcarian: Many could vote against Kamala Harris over the war in Gaza. Here's why that's a mistake
Muslim and Arab American voters are among those upset by President Biden's policy on Israel and the Middle East. But Donald Trump would be a disaster for Palestinians.
Letters to the Editor: I attended Trump's Madison Square Garden rally. It was terrifying
'It was a rollicking party where the theme was hate,' says a reader. '"Throw them out" is the new "Lock her up."'
Opinion: Voters with a 'party-over-reality' bias may play a decisive role in the election
New research indicates that anyone, regardless of party affiliation, can easily fall victim to misinformation when it aligns with their political views.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-29/misinformation-election-voting
Letters to the Editor: Steve Garvey deserves to lose, and it's not because he voted for Trump
In running for Senate, Steve Garvey 'took the field with no glove, no warm-up or even any training or awareness of the game,' says a reader.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/story/2024-10-29/steve-garvey-deserves-to-lose
Letters to the Editor: For fascism to be defeated, ordinary people must rise up and say 'no'
The story of a Norwegian schoolteacher's resistance during World War II has lessons for Americans today: It's time to tell the fascists 'no.'
Commentary: Trump is using his racism to regain power. Silence will let him ride bigotry to another term
Trump is hoping to ride racism and xenophobia into office again. Americans must show him how wrong he is.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-29/la-trump-racism-immigration-election
Opinion: The U.S. alone is saddled with an electoral college. How did that happen?
The American founders are justifiably famous for their political wisdom. So why did they build the strange contraption called the electoral college?
Letters to the Editor: Don't pave over the majestic Eastern Sierra for housing. Do this instead
People flock to the Eastern Sierra because of the open space. The solution to the housing shortage is to increase density in existing towns.
Goldberg: Donald Trump or Kamala Harris? Here's how I'm going to vote in this election and why
I'm a critic of the former president, but I'm also a conservative who believes the vice president is an underwhelming candidate who is wrong on a number of issues.
Granderson: Trump's Madison Square Garden lineup tells you everything you need to know
Look at who speaks for campaigns and flocks to rallies. You'll see the candidates' true colors.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-28/trump-madison-square-garden-rally-racist
A long-awaited biography of Johnny Carson proves he's the Everest of celebrity subjects — tempting but perilous
'The Tonight Show' uber host has been off the air longer than he was on it. Does Johnny Carson's legend live?
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-28/johnny-carson-tonight-show-bill-zehme-biography
Opinion: I'm a doctor in East L.A. and Beverly Hills. I want to treat obesity the same way in both places
In under-resourced parts of Los Angeles, people develop life-altering, preventable diabetes complications related to obesity. These patients rarely live to grow old.
Commentary: A second Trump administration could make abortion restrictions even worse
Even though state governments set abortion laws now, a Trump administration hostile to abortion access could have a significant and disturbing impact on reproductive rights. Here are some of the ...
Opinion: Sisters may fight, but they also form revolutionary bonds
Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson, Kamala and Maya Harris and Venus and Serena Williams are only a few of the many powerful sisters who together have changed history.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-28/heart-ann-nancy-wilson-maya-kamala-harris-sisters
Letters to the Editor: When do campus protests on Israel cross the line into antisemitism?
Making the distinction between legitimate campus protests and antisemitic behavior should never be used to justify calls for violence against Israel.
Letters to the Editor: Are they praying for Trump, or are they giving a salute?
Readers express shock over a photo of Trump supporters extending out their right arms as they pray for the former president.
Letters to the Editor: I'm from a military family. Generals warning of a president's fascism is a really big deal
It's deeply ingrained in military officers to defer to the commander in chief. When they start speaking out about Trump's fascism, we must listen.
Column: Poisoned, imprisoned and essentially killed by Putin, Alexei Navalny somehow never lost hope
The Russian dissident's posthumous memoir, "Patriot," is funny, tragic and somehow optimistic about the future of his beloved country.
Letters to the Editor: Sending a million people to Mars could wreck the Earth
We don't talk enough about a serious side effect of Elon Musk's effort to colonize Mars: His massive rockets belch greenhouse gases here on Earth.
There's a new reason your neighbors bought a weapon — gun culture 3.0
Americans on the left and the right are starting to arm themselves against perceived threats of political violence.
Calmes: The Top 10 reasons to vote for Kamala Harris for president
It doesn't hurt that she's not Donald Trump. But there are plenty of other reasons to be for a Harris presidency.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-27/election-kamala-harris-top-10
Opinion: Israel answers Iran. These three questions about war in the Mideast remain
Netanyahu has ignored U.S. advice about his wars in Gaza and Lebanon. On Iran, though, he may have taken Biden's concerns seriously.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-26/iran-israel-bombing-hamas-gaza-lebanon
Letters to the Editor: Centrist voters are powerless in presidential primaries. We must fix this
Centrist voters see the two parties' stranglehold on presidential nominations as a problem. California's primary model provides a solution.
Letters to the Editor: Is that sloth really smiling? Kids need to learn to spot online fakes
Kids still have the most powerful tool to spot deepfakes online: their brain. A teacher says she's helping her students use theirs.
Commentary: My grandfather's teacher, murdered for resisting Nazis, has lessons for Americans today
In the 1940s in Norway, as in the U.S. now, politicians tried to replace state curricula with warped fascist-approved histories. Principled educators were sent to concentration camps.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-26/fascism-education-norway-teacher-strike-resistance
A Jane Austen retelling that actually has something new to say
In Nikki May's 'This Motherless Land,' a young woman's journey from Nigeria to England leads to a rude awakening about class, race and family resentment.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-26/jane-austen-nikki-may-this-motherless-land
Granderson: A 'Trump economy' robs from the American people to enrich the elite
The former president would serve billionaire buddies like Vladimir Putin and Elon Musk.
Opinion: The restaurant lover's guide to picking a president
There's a reason candidates make stops at local eateries. It's shorthand for connecting with voters. So who's the winner when it comes to breaking bread?
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-25/restaurant-election-kamala-harris-donald-trump
Opinion: Why this Angeleno is rooting for the New York Yankees
I traded New York for L.A. decades ago. But I'm loyal to the Yankees and that has everything to do with my dad.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-25/dodgers-yankees-world-series
Letters to the Editor: Fernando Valenzuela, a generous friend and a really great golfer
Fernando Valenzuela loved to golf -- not at an exclusive private club, but at a public course in Montebello, says a reader.
Litman: Elon Musk's voter lottery looks illegal. Too bad he'll probably get away with it
The billionaire and Donald Trump backer gave away millions to induce registrations in swing states. But violations of election law are often hard to address.
Letters to the Editor: 'Gutted': Readers react to The Times' non-endorsement in the presidential race
Several readers threaten to cancel subscriptions over The Times owner's decision on the editorial board's presidential endorsement. One says it's the right call.
Opinion: Vivid pinks, greens and Dodger blue mark the joy of October in Southern California
People say California has no seasons, especially no autumn with vivid foliage. They've never been here in October.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-24/southern-california-dodgers-fall
Calmes: When Donald Trump cites history, watch out
Trump admits he doesn't read history but his default is clear: He wants to repeat some of America's worst mistakes, not learn from them.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-10-24/when-donald-trump-cites-history-watch-out
Letters to the Editor: Kamala Harris' imperfections vs. Trump's dangerous incompetence
A reader notes that a nuanced article on Kamala Harris' record as a prosecutor was easier to find than ones raising alarm about Trump's obvious unfitness.
Letters to the Editor: Food pouches for kids and preteen 'skinfluencers' -- parents are failing
"It's children either acting like adults or babies, and it's not even their fault," says a reader. "Where is the parenting?"