| Even as he built a media empire headlined by Fox News, Rupert Murdoch never gave up his love affair with newspapers. He even once toyed with buying the L.A. Times. |
| That never happened. But this week the Murdoch family announced another sort of L.A. invasion. The family's News Corp. said that early next year it will open the California Post, a West Coast version of the New York Post, the tabloid known for screaming headlines, Page Six gossip and right-of-center politics. |
An infusion of populism and irreverence |
| The news provoked groans on the left and cheers on the right. But one veteran Los Angeles editor said that — setting politics mostly aside — L.A. and California will benefit from an infusion of tabloid-style populism and irreverence. |
| "I grew up in New York with the tabloids, and they just inject this different energy into the media market," said Maer Roshan, editor of the Hollywood Reporter and previously Los Angeles Magazine. "I think it's a good thing for L.A. and it's a good thing for L.A. media." |
| The Post comes to the state at a time when the information landscape is in flux. Facing reduced advertising and weak subscription numbers, among other challenges, the Los Angeles Times has slashed its workforce, though it still maintains what is believed to be the largest news staff west of the Mississippi River. |
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| A California Post mock-up handout focuses on the plight of business owners in L.A. (New York Post Media Group) |
| Others, such as radio and web operator LAist, have also cut back, while new players have emerged. The nonprofit L.A. Local News Initiative plans to add more than three dozen journalism jobs, partly by bolstering the ranks of LAist, Boyle Heights Beat and other outlets. Another nonprofit, L.A. Reported, plans to get off the ground in the fall. And Los Angeles Public Press already offers a progressive alternative, with extensive coverage of recent ICE raids and other topics. |
| The California Post will offer something entirely different. That became clear with the series of mock front pages it presented this week. One showed a gang of minibike riders who took over a downtown intersection in late July. "TAKE BACK OUR STREETS!" the headline roared. Another gushed over actress Sydney Sweeney's "anti-woke" bluejeans ad with the headline "WE DREAM OF JEAN-Y." |
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| California Post mock-up handout features Dodger Shohei Ohtani and refers to his home-run streak. (New York Post Media Group) |
| Roshan said he found during his time editing Los Angeles Magazine that audiences crave a populist take on the issues of the day, including homelessness and crime, in contrast to the "high-minded" L.A. Times. |
| The editor said that tabloids such as the Post feed on archetypes — the several dozen characters in a city or state whom "everyone knows and talks about." That formula has helped make the New York Post the eighth most visited news website in the U.S., according to June figures. |
| Roshan expects the California Post to also feed on "this anti-elite sentiment that is going around now," with a tone that will appeal to everyday citizens who feel left out. |
| The Post hopes to reach beyond politics to gain a foothold in one of the nation's bluest states. Although California went more than 2 to 1 for Vice President Kamala Harris over Donald Trump in 2024, that still leaves millions in the state (and nearly 1.2 million in L.A. County) who voted for the former reality show host. The California Post plans to wow them with its promise of "an antidote to the jaundiced, jaded journalism that has sadly proliferated" in the state, according to News Corp. Chief Executive Robert Thomson. |
| During News Corp.'s earnings call on Tuesday, Thomson sounded as though he's relishing the fight. "Soon," he proclaimed, "all will not be quiet on the Western Front." |
Today's top stories |
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| The Palisades fire consumes a home on Jan. 7, 2025 in Pacific Palisades. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) |
Hundreds of deaths may be linked to the Eaton and Palisades fires, a new study suggests |
- New research argues that the Eaton and Palisades fires may have been far more deadly than what's reflected in coroner reports.
- Although the immediate effects of wildfire and other climate-driven disasters are starkly apparent in hard-hit communities, the lingering consequences can be challenging to quantify.
- Toxic smoke exposure and environmental damage stemming from wildfires can linger for months, and even years, after the flames are extinguished.
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Tired of waiting for the city, Angelenos paint their own crosswalks |
- Angelenos are taking matters into their own hands to improve street safety by painting crosswalks at precarious intersections.
- The city's transportation department said crosswalks needed to comply with accessibility requirements before permanent installation.
- Sometimes the city removes the paint stripes; sometimes it moves to make them permanent.
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Federal agents use a Penske rental truck as a 'Trojan horse' to raid an L.A. Home Depot |
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Homeowners say the Army Corps botched L.A. fire cleanups. The agency's internal documents concur. |
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What else is going on |
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Commentary and opinions |
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This morning's must reads |
| | | A bloody frying pan, a small house fire and a dead wife. | | | |
Other must reads |
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| Keep up with California | Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. | | | | | |
For your downtime |
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| Bookstore Romance Day is Aug. 9, 2025. (Photo illustration by Avery Fox / Los Angeles Times; Photo by Getty Images) |
Going out |
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Staying in |
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A question for you: How do you shake the summer doldrums? |
| Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. |
And finally ... from our archives |
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| Firefighters monitor a burn operation during the 2018 Mendocino Complex fire near the town of Ladoga. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) |
| On Aug. 7, 2018, the Mendocino Complex fire in Northern California became the biggest ever recorded in California at the time, eventually burning nearly 500,000 acres. Only two years later, it was surpassed in size by the August Complex fire, which was the state's first — and, to date, only — million-acre fire. |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
| Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Diamy Wang, homepage intern
Izzy Nunes, audience intern
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
| How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com. |
