Greetings from What is California? HQ, where we receive no fewer than seven California-centric newsletters in the ol’ inbox every day. This adds up to dozens of newsletters every week, and thus hundreds and hundreds of links to stories covering news and notes from around the state.
One thing you learn pretty quickly from subscribing to all these newsletters is how redundant many of them are—at least in terms of the stories they cover. Their voices and styles and formats may vary, but the reality is that if you read one, you’ve generally read them all.
Except for “Essential California.”
The Los Angeles Times’ flagship newsletter offers a trove of terrific coverage straight from the Times, as well as a sampling of important stories from other news outlets around the state. And thanks to the newsletter’s writer, Justin Ray, you also routinely get unique stories that are original to the newsletter itself. Justin has carried this tradition forward from his predecessors at EC, applying his distinct voice and perspective on such coverage as his series about Black police chiefs in California and his look back at the historic 1997 Dunbar Armored heist of $19 million in cash.
I have been a huge fan of the EC newsletter for years (I literally wouldn’t know the weather forecast without it), and it was a pleasure to invite Justin on the show to discuss what goes into reading, selecting, and organizing the most “essential” stories in our state on a daily basis. Plus, I learned all about fighting off gophers in the Central Valley, and Justin’s choice for his favorite Californian is most unexpected and cool.
Thanks for listening, as always… and keep your eye on the bear! 🐻 ❤️
-Stu
Episode Notes
Justin Ray is the writer of the “Essential California” newsletter at the Los Angeles Times.
I want to stretch the limits. I want to write about things that you may not have heard of, be that some trial in Los Angeles for male birth control or some crazy thing that’s happening in a small town in California. I wanna tell you about new things. I had the idea that there are a lot of people who felt the same way–that we’re getting a lot of the same stories about Newsom, about coronavirus–and I don’t think people want another newsletter to talk about that. I mean, that’s not servicing our readers.
Notes and references from this episode:
@by_justin - Justin Ray on Twitter
Essential California newsletter - Los Angeles Times
“Male birth control: A promising new trial in California, and why reproductive autonomy matters,” by Justin Ray, LA Times
“‘When I came out, I saw blood’: Teacher stops stabbing at high school,” by Justin Ray, LA Times
@sherlyholmes - Julia Wick on Twitter
“Fresno schools make a controversial decision about police on campuses,” by Justin Ray, LA Times
“An infamous heist revisited: The story of a gigantic robbery in downtown L.A.,” by Justin Ray, LA Times
“San Francisco Mayor London Breed expresses regret for her own French Laundry outing,” - Maura Dolan, LA Times
“Counting Cash At Dinner: The L.A. TACO Guide To The Restaurants Jose Huizar Dined At While Allegedly Collecting Bribes,” - Lexis-Olivier Ray, LA TACO
@TrevellAnderson - Tre’vell Anderson on Twitter
“A conversation with Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong,” - by Justin Ray, LA Times
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Produced, hosted and edited by Stu VanAirsdale
Theme music: Sounds Supreme
Twitter: @WhatCalifornia
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