Greetings! Real talk, folks: One of the things I love the most about doing this podcast is the opportunity to indulge my inner fan and talk to some of the cool Californians I’ve enjoyed reading, listening to, or otherwise observing over the years.
With that in mind, this episode featuring Erika D. Smith is one of my favorites this season. Erika is a columnist and reporter I’ve admired since her days at The Sacramento Bee, where she wrote before joining the Los Angeles Times in 2018. Her official beat is covering California diversity, a charge that has taken her from the uppermost reaches of the state (where she bonded with the Modoc County Sheriff’s Department over their respective Jeeps) to the vast sea of stories in and around Southern California.
Erika has written evocatively about housing, homelessness, local and state politics, social justice, and so much more, and it was a thrill to get to know her a bit and bring her own story and perspective to you. I know you’ll enjoy this thoughtful—and thought-provoking—episode of What is California?
Meanwhile, thank you for your ongoing listenership and readership! Please continue to share and refer folks to the show, and if you feel like chipping in a few shekels to help keep the lights on and the cat fed at What is California? HQ, you can become a supporter at Patreon. I’d be terrifically grateful.
Enjoy the show, and remember: Keep your eye on the bear! 🐻
Episode Notes
Erika D. Smith is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.
I do think there’s a lot of geography tied to people’s values and interests. I’ve enjoyed exploring different parts of the state and getting to know people who very much identify with where they’re from and care a lot about it for various different reasons. [They] oftentimes feel like other people in other parts of the state don’t understand where they live and what they do and what their life is like—which is probably true. But I think it’s interesting to hear that same statement repeated again and again from so many people from different parts of the state.
Notes and references from this episode:
Erika D. Smith - Los Angeles Times column archive
Erika D. Smith - Sacramento Bee column archive
Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine's racial equity problem, by Erika D. Smith
California forgot transgender people in vaccine equity push, by Erika D. Smith
How one California county managed to stay coronavirus-free, by Erika D. Smith
Holly Mitchell: 'Queen' of Black politics in LA, California, by Erika D. Smith
Sister Libby Fernandez Q&A, by Stu VanAirsdale, Sactown Magazine
L.A. should take a lesson from Sacramento on how to clear a homeless encampment, by Erika D. Smith
A week later, here’s what happened to some of the homeless people booted from Echo Park, by Erika D. Smith
Episode 1: Gov. Jerry Brown, What is California? podcast
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