In summary
Newton’s addition to the CalMatters Commentary section is part of a larger effort to increase voices offering perspectives on statewide public policy issues.
The CalMatters commentary section is continuing to expand, this time with the addition of a new contributor, Jim Newton.
Newton is a veteran journalist who spent 25 years at the Los Angeles Times, as well as a heralded book author and teacher. Starting this week, he’ll be writing a bi-monthly column for CalMatters.
“As an accomplished author and longtime journalist in Los Angeles, Jim Newton is among the leading experts able to assess and explain the historic challenges facing California’s most important city,” says CalMatters Editor Dave Lesher. “We are very glad he’ll be contributing to CalMatters and helping all of us better understand the local issues that are so important to the future of this state.”
Newton has been covering power and politics in Los Angeles for decades and was brought on to help expand CalMatters’ coverage with a statewide perspective on Los Angeles issues.
At the L.A. Times, Newton worked as a reporter, editor, bureau chief and columnist. He was editor of the editorial pages from 2007 to 2010.
Newton has received numerous national and local awards in journalism, including being part of two staff efforts – coverage of the 1992 riots and the 1994 Northridge Earthquake – that were awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
Newton teaches communication studies and public policy at UCLA and founded Blueprint, a UCLA magazine addressing the policy challenges facing California and Los Angeles. He is the author of four history books: “Man of Tomorrow: The Relentless Life of Jerry Brown”; “Justice for All: Earl Warren and the Nation He Made”; “Eisenhower: The White House Years”; and “Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace,” a collaboration with former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.