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When San Francisco resident Sowmya Karlamangula tells people she works at The New York Times, she usually gets the same reaction: a look of confusion.
“The people I interview there say, 'Oh, you flew out here for that?'” she said in a recent conversation. “I usually respond that there are a lot of Times reporters in California. We have two bureaus.”
Karla Mangla, who writes the California Today newsletter, joined the Times in July 2021 from the Los Angeles Times, where she covered health news.
“I was tired of writing about COVID,” she said, so when The Times approached her about the opportunity to cover news in California, she didn't hesitate.
Karla Mangla grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, having moved from the Midwest to the suburbs at age four. She now lives in the Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco, but much of the inspiration for her daily weekday newsletter comes from her surroundings. For example, last year she wrote about the rise of Burmese cuisine after seeing a number of Burmese restaurants in her neighborhood. She recently reported on how California got its name, answering a long-held question.
In a phone interview, Karlamangula spoke about what she likes most about reporting from California and her goal of covering all 58 counties in the state. The following conversation has been edited and condensed.
How do you decide what to feature in your newsletter?
It's a combination of what I think is interesting, what I think readers would benefit from, and what my editor is focusing on. One of the differences between writing a newsletter and being a reporter is that I think about the newsletter every week. We put out five newsletters a week, are they all providing value to our readers? Are they skewed too much toward light news or too much toward heavy news? This is the newsletter that gets in people's inboxes first thing in the morning, so we need to be a little gentler. People don't want to click on a newsletter at 6:30 a.m. to find out that the world is going to be on fire a year from now.
I want to help explain things to people who have seen certain news headlines but don’t fully understand the context, like why the president of UCLA is testifying before Congress or what the Santa Cruz City Council is doing about the collapse of the waterfront boardwalk.
How much local coverage is there?
When I took over the newsletter, I had a goal to visit and report from all 58 counties in California. I visited 50 counties. Most days I write from my apartment. But this is a job that means, say, flying to San Diego and spending four days there and reporting on a few stories for the newsletter.
I'm often asked to cover breaking news in the state. I was in Half Moon Bay last year when the shooting happened there. A few weeks ago, I got a call from my editor at 6 a.m. asking me to go to UCLA and cover the protests against the Gaza war.
You've written a lot about California's recent rebranding. Change of slogan, Hollywood Boulevard redesign and DisneylandIs there a reason why all of this is happening now?
California is a big place, and it's constantly changing, so that's always happening. I think the tourism board is trying to get ahead of the situation where people outside of California only see California through a political lens and not as a fun place to vacation. I feel like California is always trying to maintain a delicate balance and find the right way to present itself.
What is the biggest challenge in writing California Today?
We're trying to find stories and perspectives that are representative of 39 million people. California has such a wide variety of identities, places and geographies. It's really hard to narrow down what we write about, where The Times can add value and where my reporting experience and expertise can add value.
What kind of feedback do you most commonly receive from readers?
The emails from readers are amazing. They're like, “This newsletter and a cup of coffee is what gets me started in the day. I really appreciate all the hard work you all do.” I get emails like this once a day. This newsletter is a kind of public service. It's free. You all really invest in it.
What does a perfect day in California look like to you?
For me, a perfect day in San Francisco is visiting Golden Gate Park and walking around watching all the people. In Los Angeles, the weather is always the same. In San Francisco, the weather is a bit more variable, and living here and visiting the park when the weather is nice is a great joy for me. I honestly have never experienced such shared joy before.
What do you like most about living in California?
The diversity of the terrain. There's a lot you can see in one day, from beaches to snowy mountains. There are a lot of national parks here, each one looks completely different.
What do you hate most?
Prices are high. The cost of living is not that high.