The resignation of Mariel Garza, the editorial editor of the LA Times, marks a significant moment in the paper’s internal dynamics and its approach to the 2024 election.
Garza stepped down after the paper’s billionaire owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, reportedly blocked the editorial board from endorsing Kamala Harris for president. This decision comes as a sharp departure from the LA Times’ tradition of endorsing Democratic presidential candidates, a practice the paper has followed since Barack Obama’s first run in 2008.
Garza’s frustration stemmed from the editorial board’s inability to publicly endorse Harris, a move that, in her view, was a natural progression after a series of editorials denouncing Donald Trump and his threats to democracy.
For Garza, the endorsement wasn’t about swaying voters—especially in Harris’s home state of California, where the paper’s readership is overwhelmingly liberal—but about making a statement of conscience in a critical moment for American democracy.
In her resignation letter, Garza made it clear that staying silent was not an option for her, seeing it as a failure to stand up during “dangerous times.”
Soon-Shiong’s reasoning for not allowing the endorsement was tied to a broader approach. He publicly stated that he wanted the editorial board to draft an analysis comparing both candidates’ policies—positive and negative—so readers could make their own informed decisions. But when the board opted for silence instead of a direct endorsement, Soon-Shiong accepted their decision.
This move isn’t entirely new for Soon-Shiong, who also overruled the editorial board in 2020 when they sought to endorse Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic primary. Instead, the paper ultimately backed Joe Biden over Donald Trump in the general election.
Soon-Shiong’s involvement in editorial decisions has sparked concerns among some reporters, particularly given his daughter’s political activism, raising questions about the boundaries between ownership and newsroom independence.
For Garza, the decision to block an endorsement of Harris was the final straw. Although she didn’t expect the endorsement to sway the election, especially in deep-blue California, it was about taking a stand—a sentiment that contrasts sharply with Soon-Shiong’s desire for neutrality.
