2 L.A. Times Editorial writers resign after owner blocks presidential endorsement

Two more Los Angeles Times editorial staff members have resigned after the newspaper's owner blocked the editorial board's plans to endorse Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

Editorial writer Karin Klein and Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Greene both stepped down Thursday. This follows the resignation of Editorial page editor Mariel Garza, which was reported Wednesday.

"The latest resignations of talented journalists is a huge loss for the newsroom and the editorial board in particular. We stand by our colleagues who have been wrongly and unfairly blamed for this decision not to endorse," L.A. Times Guild Unit Councilmember Hugo Martin said in a statement Friday.

The Editorial Board was set to endorse Harris, but L.A. Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong asked the board to instead do a factual analysis of the policies of Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump during their time at the White House.

"The board was asked to provide (its) understanding of the policies and plans enunciated by the candidates during this campaign and its potential effect on the nation in the next four years," Soon-Shiong wrote on social media platform X. "In this way, with this clear and non-partisan information side-by-side, our readers could decide who would be worthy of being president for the next four years."

The L.A. Times Guild Unit Council & Bargaining Committee said it was "deeply concerned about our owner's decision to block a planned endorsement in the presidential race."

"We are even more concerned that he is now unfairly assigning blame to Editorial Board members for his decision not to endorse," the guild said in a statement Thursday. "We are still pressing for answers from newsroom management on behalf of our members."