Los Angeles Times Editorials Editor Resigns After Owner Patrick Soon-Shiong Blocks Presidential Endorsement

Mariel Garza, the editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times, has resigned in protest after the newspaper’s owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, blocked the editorial board’s plans to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president. The decision was communicated to Garza by Terry Tang, the paper’s editor, on October 11, 2024.

Garza expressed her dissatisfaction with the owner’s decision, stating, “I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not OK with us being silent,” and emphasized the importance of speaking out in “dangerous times”.

The editorial board had intended to endorse Harris, and Garza had already drafted the outline of a proposed editorial. This is not the first time Soon-Shiong has intervened in the editorial board’s endorsement decisions; in 2020, he prevented the board from endorsing Senator Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic presidential primary.

Soon-Shiong, who purchased the Los Angeles Times for $500 million in 2018, has been involved in several editorial decisions that have led to internal tensions. Despite his significant role in rescuing the paper from the financially troubled Tribune Company, his actions have raised questions about the editorial independence of the newspaper.

Garza, a veteran journalist who joined the Los Angeles Times in 2015, was promoted to editorials editor in April 2024. Her resignation highlights the ongoing debate about the role of newspaper endorsements in political campaigns and the potential impact of owner interference on editorial content.