Weekend Reads: Oct. 22-24
The relay race from hell, "evapotranspiration," and 8 other stories to consider in your quest to understand the Golden State
Happy Friday! Greetings from What is California? HQ, where for the first time in what feels like eons, I awoke to the sound of rain. Not just the delicate whisper of showers, either, but the full-throated chorus of an atmospheric river drenching Sacramento. Is it raining today where you are? If you’re anywhere in California, I really hope so.
We had a great podcast this week, welcoming the fantastic Los Angeles Times columnist Erika D. Smith to the show. Erika has covered California for nearly 10 years, giving voice to the voiceless and turning out surprising and revealing dispatches from across the vast reaches of this state.
(Plus, in the intro, it’s time for a vibe check and to think seriously about what handmade gifts you should prepare for the Great Supply Chain Disruption holiday season of 2021. Ho ho ughhh, amirite?)
I hope you'll consider checking some of these out if/when you are so inclined:
Despite a Punishing Drought, San Diego Has Water. It Wasn’t Easy. - Jill Cowan, The New York Times
Thirty years ago, according to this report from one of my favorite California writers, San Diego County residents faced such draconian drought cutbacks that they put bricks in their toilet tanks to make them flush less water. Chastened by that experience, the region enacted a series of strategies and measures—from conservation to desalination—that ensure a supply that the local water authority today says is sustainable through 2045, drought be damned. Show-offs.
Why more California women are running for office — and winning - Lara Korte, The Sacramento Bee
Women representing both the Republican and Democratic parties have surged into elected office over the last decade, filling 38% of municipal seats statewide and nearly a third of the seats in the California Legislature. Why? Says one strategist: “I think you have these moments, and they’re often driven by hugely important news events, where women realize that no one’s going to come to save them, and that they have to step in themselves.”
Satellites reveal the secrets of water-guzzling farms in California - Dan Charles, NPR
This is fascinating: Flummoxed by Central Valley farmers who’ve shielded their well-drilling, ground-depleting ways, scientists and regulators have turned to satellite data to track water usage based on the types of crops and the resulting “evapotranspiration”—water consumed and released into the air. (And probably the name of an unreleased Radiohead track on Thom Yorke’s hard drive.)
The last days inside Trailer 83 - Hannah Dreier, The Washington Post
I mentioned this on Twitter the other day, but this story about the last survivors of the Camp Fire to vacate a FEMA trailer park in Chico is a perfect news feature: The reporting, the visuals by Melina Mara, the nuance and context, the relevance and urgency, the observations and empathy, giving a voice to the voiceless... It’s a haunting reminder of the inhumanity of bureaucracy and an unforgettable portrait of family loyalty. It’s pretty much as good as journalism gets.
How Adobe became Silicon Valley’s quiet reinventor - The Economist
Is there anything more satisfying than observing highly skilled people performing what they do at its highest level? That’s all I could think as I read about Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen and his company’s evolution from the creators of canonical software like Photoshop and Acrobat to the proprietors of a trusted, cherished cloud-tech ecosystem used by millions. Am I a fanboy? So what! In an era when other Silicon Valley brahmins are in various stages of meltdown, crisis, litigation, and/or diabolical contempt for the user, this report on Adobe’s exquisitely competent, humane reboot really hits the spot.
Want to make California a better place? Move - Joe Mathews, SF Chronicle
The idea behind this provocative op-ed isn’t to leave California altogether (though I guess that’s cool now), but to move a few ZIP codes or even a few streets in any direction. What good does that do? For starters, it restores the flow of vacancies in the housing market, helping eliminate Proposition 13-fueled property tax inequities along the way. I’m still mulling this one over a few days after reading it… you might, too.
What Drives the Runners Who Participate in the Relay Race From Hell? - Tanner Garrity, InsideHook
This one starts with “coconut-water-colored urine” and concludes with a triumphant bacchanal of endurance runners in Las Vegas. In between is the epic account of The Speed Project, the most sadistic-sounding expedition I’ve ever read about: An invitation-only, 350-mile relay run from the Santa Monica Pier to San Bernardino and through the Mojave Desert to Vegas. It’s enough to give you goose bumps—of inspiration or terror, probably both.
California could see more rattlesnakes in future due to climate change - Jennifer Schmidt, San Luis Obispo Tribune
Great news from the Central Coast, where rattlesnakes happily sun themselves in unseasonably broiling weather before going in search of scarce water among the birdbaths and yards of the warm-blooded neighbors. 😳 Keep your eyes peeled, SLO.
A US small-town mayor sued the oil industry. Then Exxon went after him - Chris McGreal, The Guardian
Speaking of climate change, here’s another glimpse of our future: Coastal cities suing Big Oil to pay for defenses against rising seas and floodwaters threatening their communities, and Big Oil countersuing with allegations of collusion by civic leaders. The mayor of Imperial Beach, a tiny town in the southernmost part of the coast, has had enough. Haven’t we all?
And finally…
Why California farmers are growing more cilantro than ever - Kim Bojórquez, Merced Sun-Star
Amid the hand-wringing about fallowed fields and uprooted almond orchards, can’t we all agree that California—indeed, the world—is better off with more cilantro? Moreover, I’ll always take any excuse I can get to post one of the most mesmerizing videos I’ve ever seen… behold “Cilantro Bae.” Sounds like he’s going to be busy.
Thanks for reading, and have a safe, happy weekend!
-Stu