L.A. Times Editor Resigns After Publisher Declines to Endorse Kamala Harris

Mariel Garza, editor of the Los Angeles Times, resigned on Wednesday following a dispute with the paper’s owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, over the refusal to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president. The disagreement comes just days before the 2024 presidential election, where Harris is facing off against former President Donald Trump.

Garza expressed her frustration in an interview with the Columbia Journalism Review, stating that the decision not to endorse Harris amounted to silence at a crucial moment. “I want to make it clear that I am not OK with us being silent. In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up,” she said, framing her resignation as a form of protest.

The newspaper’s editorial board had planned to publish an endorsement of Harris, which Garza supported. However, the endorsement was ultimately blocked by Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner who bought the L.A. Times in 2018. Garza suggested that Soon-Shiong’s stance carried undertones of sexism and racism, further fueling her decision to step down.

Soon-Shiong responded to the controversy on social media, clarifying his reasoning for withholding the endorsement. He explained that he had instructed the editorial board to conduct a balanced analysis of both Harris and Trump, focusing on their policies during their tenures and the impact of their proposals for the next four years.

In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Soon-Shiong wrote, “With a clear and non-partisan comparison, our readers could decide who is worthy of being President for the next four years.” He added that the editorial board had instead chosen to remain silent, a decision he ultimately accepted.

Soon-Shiong’s explanation has sparked a backlash, with many Harris supporters accusing him of interfering in the editorial process. Several commenters announced that they were canceling their L.A. Times subscriptions in protest of what they perceived as an unjust decision.