Paul Thornton is the Los Angeles Times’ letters editor. He joined the editorial pages in 2005 as a researcher and occasional editorial writer and also served as a Web producer. A UC Berkeley graduate, he lives in Alhambra with his wife, two sons and two cats.
Latest From This Author
A third-party voter apologia helpfully reminds us that voting is an expression of one’s priorities and values more than a strategic act.
Reform ballot measures for L.A. city and county governments signal local voters’ desire for more responsive and more ethical leadership.
Somis, a rural community in Ventura County, was used to close calls. This was different. My mother-in-law was lucky; some neighbors weren’t.
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?
Trump’s total ignorance of history informs his fascist tendencies. Thankfully, knowing actual history can be an antidote.
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.
Members of The Times’ editorial board spent weeks interviewing candidates and researching ballot initiatives. These are the endorsements based on that work.
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.
Hurricane Helene has destroyed parts of inland cities in the eastern U.S. Now will climate change be an issue in the presidential campaign?