In California, massive nut heists were underway for two years before the industry figured out they were the target of a well-organized theft ring. “Nut theft has exploded into a statewide problem. More than 35 loads, worth at least $10 million, have gone missing since 2013.” At Outside, Peter Vigneron reports on these daring nut […]
California
Posted inBooks, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
Chasing the Harvest: ‘It Used to Be Only Men That Did This Job’
In this oral history, a produce truck driver and former lettuce worker recounts the sexual harassment she faced while working in the fields of Salinas Valley, California.
Posted inBooks, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
Chasing the Harvest: ‘If You Want to Die, Stay at the Ranch’
In this oral history, a former sheepherder describes the loneliness and medical hardship he experienced while tending sheep in California’s Central Valley.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Accidental Get Away Driver
How one man drove right into the center of a daring and dangerous crime, and came out the other side with a renewed faith in life and a new son.
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘The Ocean Is Boiling’: The Complete Oral History of the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill
On January 28th, 1969, crude oil erupted from a rig off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, triggering a worldwide alarm that energized the nascent environmental movement.
Posted inBusiness & Tech, Food, Nonfiction, Quotes
Who Says Healthy Food Can’t Be Accessible and Affordable?
Daniel Patterson, and the challenges of bringing fast healthy food to the impoverished neighborhoods trapped in food deserts.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes
‘Because California Moves Through You’
Essayist Lynell George muses on California and the two cities—Los Angeles and San Francisco—that own a part of her heart.
Posted inEditor's Pick
State of Being: Envisioning California
“California, the best of it, is what lives and prospers in a liminal, unnamed space—somewhere between dreams, disappointments, and recalibration.” An essayist describes how California—Los Angeles and San Francisco in particular—moves through you.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Is There a Lost Galleon in the Desert?
Alexander Nazaryan recounts one man’s search for a Spanish galleon that legends say traveled up the Sea of Cortez into California’s desert interior and never got out.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
How A Simple Mistake Can Put You on the Street: Why Grandpa is Homeless
At Pacific Standard, Rachel Nuwer reports on the aging homeless population of California and how something seemingly innocuous — like forgetting to renew your driver’s licence on time — can instigate a downward spiral into poverty and homelessness that skyrocketing rent and street-inflicted trauma can extend, sometimes indefinitely.