Steve Lopez launches Golden State, a new column focused on aging

The following announcement was sent on behalf of Editor at Large Scott Kraft and Deputy Managing Editor Hector Becerra:

In more than two decades at the Los Angeles Times, Steve Lopez has helped define the role of a metro columnist, holding officials and institutions to account and exploring the major challenges of our times: housing and homelessness, income inequality, and elder and end-of-life care.

Now, we are thrilled to announce that Lopez is launching a new column, Golden State, which will explore the challenges, and occasional thrills, of aging.

Nearly 6 million people 65 and older live in California, and that number will nearly double by 2030. That growing demographic grapples daily with care-giving shortages, age discrimination, isolation and health issues. Many seniors cannot afford to retire — and they are the fastest-growing sector in our unhoused population. They are negotiating relationships with adult children and with grandchildren. In some instances, they’re raising their grandchildren. At the same time, many people 65 and older continue to be at the top of their game, while their children look on in envy.

Lopez is uniquely qualified to tackle this subject. His most recent book, published in November, is a deeply personal voyage of discovery on aging: “Independence Day: What I Learned About Retirement From Some Who’ve Done It and Some Who Never Will.”

We’re excited to follow Lopez as he surveys this vast new landscape with the seniors who populate it. His first Golden State column published online today and will appear in Sunday’s paper.