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Phil Willon. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Phil Willon

California Politics Editor

Phil Willon is the California politics editor based in the Sacramento bureau of the Los Angeles Times and oversees coverage of state politics and the state capital. From regional water boards to the White House, Willon has reported on and written about almost every level of government and politicking imaginable. He previously covered Gov. Gavin Newsom, the 2022 and 2018 governor’s race and the 2016 U.S. Senate race. Before heading north, Willon covered Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and roamed Southern California’s mountains and deserts as the newsroom’s state correspondent in the Inland Empire where, years before, he served as the L.A. Times Inland Empire Edition editor. Prior to joining The Times, Willon served as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for the Tampa Tribune. At the Tribune, Willon also covered Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles, Hurricane Andrew and the investigation leading to the arrest of serial killer Danny Rolling. He began his newspaper career as the Kent Island correspondent for the Capital in Annapolis, Md. Willon grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from UC San Diego.

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