California Sun Podcast

New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson discusses her new book, "We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine," which explores the California author's prescient understanding of how entertainment would colonize American political life. Wilkinson examines Didion's work through the lens of a Hollywood insider and cultural critic, revealing how she anticipated our drift toward manufactured realities and endless performance — from Ronald Reagan's performative presidency to modern reality television-style governance.

Rep. John Garamendi, a Bay Area Democrat, draws on his experience during two terms as California's insurance commissioner to discuss the state's insurance challenges. Garamendi argues that the state's current insurance chief, Ricardo Lara, has surrendered much of his authority to industry, creating market instability while failing to require transparency. Garamendi also discusses farmers' concerns over tariffs and market access, and water issues that have become increasingly politicized at the national level.

Journalist Chris Roberts discusses the long-forgotten history of the U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory at San Francisco's Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Following atomic bomb tests in 1946, the Navy towed radioactive ships to San Francisco, creating a research program that exposed more than a thousand people to varying levels of radiation. Roberts' seven-part series in the San Francisco Public Press, "Exposed," details how the lab conducted human experimentation with questionable consent, incomplete record-keeping, and environmental contamination that plagues redevelopment efforts today. The former shipyard remains a Superfund site marred by cleanup fraud scandals, while surrounding communities face potential health impacts that remain largely unstudied.

In a two-part Fresnoland investigation, journalist Gregory Weaver exposed the false promise of California's Williamson Act, a tax break created in 1965 to protect agricultural lands from suburban sprawl. The program, tax records showed, now primarily benefits 120 mega-farms that collect roughly half of its $5 billion tax shelter, benefiting Wall Street investors and foreign pension funds. Weaver's reporting details how the system ultimately harms small farmers and depletes precious public resources.

Randy Shaw is the director of San Francisco's Tenderloin Housing Clinic, founder of the Tenderloin Museum, editor of Beyond Chron, and author of the newly updated book "The Tenderloin: Sex, Crime, and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco." For over 45 years, he has advocated for this unique neighborhood which has maintained its character and resisted gentrification. Shaw discusses the Tenderloin's rich history as a refuge for marginalized communities, its struggles during the Covid-19 pandemic when it became a "containment zone" for homelessness and drug problems, and his hopes that Mayor Daniel Lurie will fulfill promises to improve safety and support local businesses.

Dr. Shayan Rab, associate medical director at Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, explains his revolutionary, if controversial, approach to helping mentally ill homeless individuals. As the county's first street psychiatrist, he created the Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement, or HOME Team, despite resistance from some quarters over concerns about liability and diagnostic protocols. His innovative program combines medical treatment, housing assistance, and human connection. While challenging conventional wisdom, Dr. Rab's work has become a model for how to approach the intersection of mental health and homelessness.

Lili Anolik, author of the new book "Didion & Babitz," delves into the complex and largely unexplored relationship between literary icons Joan Didion and Eve Babitz in 1960s Los Angeles. Through newly discovered letters and extensive research, Anolik explains how these contrasting personalities — Didion's calculated reserve and Babitz's uninhibited sensuality — shaped our understanding of them and the era. Their story illuminates broader themes about women's voices in American letters, the nature of literary persona, and the price of artistic ambition.

As the first Latina chancellor of the California State University system, Dr. Mildred García is seeking to transform the nation's largest public university system. Beyond focusing on diplomas and graduation rates, she is emphasizing career success and employment outcomes for CSU's more than 460,000 students. Her vision includes integrating artificial intelligence education, allowing campuses to reflect their unique communities, and launching programs like Second Start, which helps students who dropped out restart their studies.

Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA and the University of California's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources reveals why Los Angeles' recent devastating fires weren't just another disaster, but a harbinger of California's volatile future. Swain explains how climate change created the conditions for unprecedented destruction, and how "hydroclimate whiplash" — or dramatic swings between wet and dry periods — is reshaping our understanding of extreme weather events and challenging traditional approaches to disaster response.

Stephen Pyne, a renowned fire historian, discusses how climate change is creating unprecedented conditions for "mean fires" that overwhelm traditional firefighting approaches. He challenges the "war on fire" mindset, arguing instead for viewing fire as a biological force requiring public health-style interventions. Pyne talks about the need to distinguish between urban and wildland fire management, advocating for both hardened cities and controlled burns in wild areas. Drawing from historical lessons and Australia's experience, he warns that without fundamental changes in our approach, California's fire conditions will only worsen.

Jim Carlton, reporting for the Wall Street Journal, takes us beyond the headlines and into the thick of Los Angeles’ wildfire battles. For a recent article, he embedded with a wildfire strike team in Topanga Canyon, where he witnessed the harsh realities faced by the men and women fighting flames in some of the most punishing terrain. From the relentless grind of hand crews to the life-saving precision of aerial bombardments, Carlton gives us an unforgettable look at what it takes to stand against the inferno.

David Ulin, one of Los Angeles's most perceptive chroniclers and an editor of Joan Didion's collected works, reflects on the city's unprecedented urban wildfires through the lens of history, identity, and belonging. Ulin talks about how disasters in Los Angeles paradoxically forge deeper connections between Angelenos and their landscape. Drawing parallels to 9/11 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, he explores how this watershed moment — with its destruction of thousands of structures across a burn area of roughly 60 square miles — may reshape Southern California's future. 

From their Venice Beach studio, Charles and Ray Eames revolutionized design in post-war Los Angeles, shaping the modernist ethos of California and beyond. Known for their groundbreaking Case Study House No. 8, furniture, and films, their work seamlessly blended art, science, and functionality. In this week's conversation, Daniel Ostroff, editor of "An Eames Anthology," shares fresh insights into the married couple's philosophy and enduring relevance. Drawing from four years of curating their writings and his own work with the Eames organizations, Ostroff talks about the design team's moral vision and multidisciplinary impact in the year of the 75th anniversary of the Eames House.

Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, housed in a former San Francisco church with Greek columns that echo the ancient Library of Alexandria, discusses his three-decade mission to preserve humanity's digital knowledge and culture. Now facing unprecedented challenges, including a major cyberattack and legal battles with publishers over the site's distribution of copyrighted materials, Kahle reflects on the growing threats to digital preservation while reaffirming his commitment to universal access to all knowledge. We begin the year by looking back. 

James Tejani discusses his new book "A Machine to Move Ocean and Earth," which reveals the untold story of how the Port of Los Angeles was carved from 3,400 acres of marshland to become the Western Hemisphere's busiest container port. Unlike San Francisco's natural harbor, this massive engineering project defied both nature and expert opinion. Tejani explores how Civil War generals, Mexican landowners, railroad barons, and government scientists shaped the port's development. Now handling roughly $300 billion in cargo annually, the port represents both tremendous economic success and significant environmental transformation.

After a devastating oil tanker collision in San Francisco Bay in 1971, John Francis made an extraordinary decision that would reshape environmental activism. He chose to stop using motorized transportation and took a vow of silence that would last 17 years. His remarkable journey, captured in the new short documentary "Planetwalker," evolved into a profound meditation on human connection and environmental consciousness. In this conversation, we talk with Francis and the film's directors, Nadia and Dominic Gill, about a story that offers insights into how environmental activism has changed over 50 years, revealing the powerful connection between how we treat each other and how we treat our planet.

Architectural critic Aaron Betsky challenges conventional thinking about our built environment in his new book "Don't Build, Rebuild," in which he makes the case for transforming existing structures rather than constructing new ones. From San Francisco's empty offices to Los Angeles's historic core, Betsky explores how this approach can not only address housing shortages and climate change but also preserve the soul and stories embedded in our buildings. He discusses the economic challenges, policy hurdles, and gentrification paradox while arguing that reimagined architecture can be more beautiful and meaningful than new construction, carrying within it the patina of human experience.

Veteran journalist Joe Mathews offers a post-election analysis of California's future, arguing that the state's path lies not in isolation but in building global alliances — particularly at the local level. While many focus on tensions between the state and federal governments, Mathews suggests California's cities should forge connections with counterparts worldwide who face challenges from authoritarian forces. As national governments falter globally, he argues, local governance becomes increasingly crucial. Drawing from his international expertise, Mathews outlines how California's communities could learn from places all over the world.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Emily Hoeven examines Gov. Gavin Newsom's heightened relevance following the Democrats' stunning presidential defeat. As the party searches for new leadership, California's ambitious governor seems poised to step onto the national stage. But can the telegenic leader of the world's fifth-largest economy translate his West Coast progressive agenda into a winning formula for Democrats nationwide? Hoeven offers her sharp insights on whether Newsom has what it takes to become the kind of Democrat America would embrace. 

Elsa Devienne takes us behind the iconic beaches of Los Angeles to reveal a hidden history of transformation, conflict, and reinvention. The author of "Sand Rush," Devienne discusses how L.A.’s shores went from eroding, polluted strips in the 1920s and '30s to expansive public spaces that defined the city’s image and culture. She details the social and political forces that played out, from the exclusion of minority communities to today’s ongoing battles over coastal access. With echoes of "Chinatown" and insights into today’s wealth-driven coastal fights, Devienne’s work helps illuminate Los Angeles' evolving identity.