Student, Sales Clerk, New Mom: This 20-Year-Old Is Not Your Average City Council Member
Last fall, voters across the country — and here in California — elected a record number of women to office, and we followed some of their campaigns for our series “The Long Run.” In Fresno County, Jewel Hurtado is settling into her new role as a City Council member in Kingsburg. She’s only 20 years old. She’s also a new mom, a college student, and she holds down a part-time job. The California Report’s Mary Franklin Harvin spent one very long day with her to see how she’s balancing it all.
Nowruz From Afar: What Persian New Year Means to Me
The beginning of Spring marks the start of Nowruz, or Persian New Year, which falls on the spring equinox. Throughout Iran and its diaspora, people celebrate through rituals that symbolize rebirth and renewal. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the Iranian revolution, when millions of people fled Iran in search of a new life all over the world. Today, Nowruz is a secular way for Iranians of all faiths to stay connected to their homeland. But what about the Iranian-Americans who’ve never been to Iran? People like 26-year-old Candice Navi, an artist from Los Angeles who relies on Persian traditions like Nowruz to feel closer to her family’s heritage. She brings us this essay.
Remembering Dick Dale, King of Surf Guitar
California surfers and musicians alike are mourning the death of the godfather of surf rock: Dick Dale, who passed away March 16 at the age of 81. With his blistering, reverb-heavy style, Dale basically created a new genre of music in the early 60s. Unlike most of the Beach Boys, Dale really was a surfer, taking up the sport after his family moved from Boston to Southern California in 1954. Reporter Steven Cuevas has covered Dick Dale over the years here on The California Report Magazine, and this week as a remembrance, we feature an excerpt from Steven's first profile of the musician, from back in 2002.
It’s Not the Cut, It’s the Style: Santa Maria’s Barbecue Tradition
Memphis has ribs. Texas has brisket. What's California's signature style of barbecue? As part of our Golden State Plate series, which looks at the origin stories behind some of California's iconic drinks and dishes, Diane Bock tells us about a Central Coast delicacy once considered scrap meat.
Letter to My California Dreamer: Finding 'Home' in Palo Alto's '70s Counter Culture
For our series "Letter to my California Dreamer," we've been asking you, our listeners, to write a letter to the person in your family who first came to the golden state with a dream. This week's letter comes from listener Wendy Earl, and she wrote it to herself. Wendy remembers Palo Alto in the 1970s, back before it became Silicon Valley, back when it offered refuge to hippies and misfits.