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What to expect

Drought, craggy sidewalks, bikes, public safety, Mideast peace, gender and race issues, politics: If it’s in the news right now, The Times’ Opinion section covers it.

Expect to read about a broad range of issues in our newsletter, focusing on the most pertinent, discussed topics of the day. Expect to read pieces that challenge your own opinions or, if you agree with the article, add complexity to or present a novel take on an issue. Expect smart writers, thoughtful contributions from readers and encouragement to participate in ongoing discussions.

While the weekly Opinion newsletter features mostly editorials, Op-Ed articles and columns, reader engagement is a key component of what we do. If you have any suggestions for our newsletter, please let us know.

Your host

I’m Paul Thornton, The Times’ letters editor and a California native and lifelong resident.

I learned how to read partly by sharing the morning L.A. Times with my grandparents, so this place seemed like a good fit when I started working here as an intern in 2004 and then permanently as researcher for the opinion pages in 2005. In the years since then, I’ve written for the Opinion L.A. blog and the editorial page, worked as a web producer and edited the letters page. I was raised in Glendale but split my time between Northern and Southern California, graduating from UC Berkeley before coming to The Times.

In my job as letters editor, I have developed a deep respect and gratitude for the contributions of our readers, and a keen awareness of how the commentary we feature can affect the discussion on a topic. I hope to reflect that in our newsletter.