Mark Z. Barabak

Two L.A. Times columnists debate the merits, and demerits, of the California’s governor podcasting side gig. He’s certainly attracted national attention — much of it critical.

Eric Swalwell has received countless death threats, been physically accosted and sneezed on. Republican colleagues tell him they fear similar reprisals if they stand up to the president.

The fancifully named Department of Government Efficiency is grounded in a fundamental misapprehension of how the federal government works. The recklessness and destruction is not a bug but a feature.

The governor’s latest endeavor is a show coddling right-wing provocateurs. It’s not only cringey, it’s a glib diversion from the job he should be doing.

Conversations with an assortment of residents show most have no clue who’s running in 2026. But they want someone fully committed to the job and not treating the governorship as a stepping stone to the White House.

A rancher living on the border with Mexico says life is less fearful now that hundreds of migrants aren’t crossing his property each day. The latest installment in series on Trump’s America.

Rob Bonta’s parents fled a dictatorship and now he fears one is coming to America. He says battling the Trump administration in court is more important than running for governor in 2026.

Times columnists Mark Z. Barabak and Sammy Roth agree the country has never seen anything like the weeks since Trump took office. Where they differ is how best Democrats should respond.

Rather than confronting Trump, California’s governor is showing restraint and using flattery to ensure the state gets the federal disaster relief it needs and deserves. That’s a smart strategy.