It's Thursday. We're adding new songs to our California soundtrack. Plus, a federal appeals court says the state's ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines will remain on the books for now. |
 | | Spencer Gabor |
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I'm planning a road trip this weekend along California's coast, and I already know what I'll be listening to for many hours in the car. |
The California soundtrack is a project of this newsletter that tries to capture all of the Golden State in music. Our sprawling playlist is a work in progress, based largely on your recommendations for songs spanning the past century that in some way reflect this complex and vast state. |
Today I'm adding a few dozen new tracks to the mix. |
Among them are "Super Hyphy" by Keak da Sneak (2005), "Camarillo Brillo" by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (1973) and "Bakersfield" by Social Distortion (2011). |
You can peruse the full song list here — the latest additions are in bold — or listen here. |
As always, feel free to email your own song recommendation and a few lines about why you think it deserves inclusion to CAToday@nytimes.com. Please include your name and the city where you live. |
Here, lightly edited, are some thoughts readers have shared about their choices: |
"San Francisco Knights" by People Under the Stairs (1998) |
"The infinitely catchy refrain of this song says it all: 'On a warm San Francisco night ….' L.A.-based People Under the Stairs hit the nail on the head — what could be better than cruising San Francisco on a warm late-summer evening with your friends? A warm breeze and orange sunset on the Ocean Beach boardwalk; bonfires and laughter dotting the landscape; strolling the streets of the Mission, taking in the sights and smells and vibrancy of the city and all its people; heading up to Twin Peaks or any of the many lookout spots to see the twinkling lights as night falls. This is paradise on earth, and People Under the Stairs capture the magical essence of the City by the Bay." — Henry DeRuff, San Francisco |
"California" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1978) |
"I left my little life in Ohio and moved to California for all its beauty, opportunities and freedom in 1978. I think the music is beautiful, and the lyrics are a very good reflection of how others feel about someone leaving them for California." — Gundy Rettke, Seaside |
"Santa Cruz" by the Thrills (2003) |
"This is the single off their album 'So Much for the City,' which is itself like a homage to a road trip through California. Whenever I have doubts about California, I cue up this upbeat album with its silly lyrics and imagine experiencing the state for the first time. The inane refrain is sticky: 'Santa Cruz, you're not that far.'" — Irwin Speizer, Carmel |
"Surfer Joe" by the Surfaris (1963) |
"Joe comes from 'down in Doheny,' wins a surf meet in Huntington Beach, becomes a Marine at Pendleton and gets busted surfing the Trestles. Can't get much more California than that!" — Daniel Nowak, Bernalillo, N.M. |
"City of Angels" by Bill Withers (1976) |
"From one of our greatest songwriters — Bill Withers is able to capture the hope and dreams those of us who move here hold. As a fellow transplant from West Virginia this holds a little extra meaning." — Blair Lord, Monrovia |
"Goodnight, California" by Kathleen Edwards (2008) |
"California has been our home for 16 years and, like Kathleen, we are Canadian. This wonderfully moody and atmospheric song places you, as Kathleen sings, 'sitting in this corner bar' like so many in small towns across the beautiful Golden State." — Fred Abbott, San Francisco |
"Pink Pony Club" by Chappell Roan (2023) |
"'Pink Pony Club,' a recent song by Chappell Roan, is about a young woman who moves from her conservative upbringing in Tennessee to Los Angeles to dance in a queer nightclub in West Hollywood. Her mother is horrified by her daughter's life choices. And while the protagonist is partially apologetic, she is having too much fun dancing in her heels to return to her home state. |
As a recent immigrant here, I find so much of the song relatable (save for dancing in a nightclub). It's about discovering where you belong, where you are free, and breaking free of familial tradition, and of course celebrating California as a promised land for all that. I moved here from Ontario, Canada, last year, and my 6-year-old daughter and I sing along to the song as if it were about our move to California, and finding our metaphoric dance club. The irony is my daughter will one day go searching for her version of the Pink Pony Club, and it may not be in California." — Joshua Errett, Oakland |
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 | | A custom-made semi-automatic hunting rifle with a high-capacity detachable magazine is displayed at TDS Guns in Rocklin.Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press |
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- A panel of 11 judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has put on hold a lower court's ruling that California's ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines was unconstitutional, allowing time for the state to appeal, The Los Angeles Times reports.
- California has become the first state to ban the use of the term "excited delirium," used to describe someone who becomes aggressive or distressed from mental illness or stimulant use, as a cause of death.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills that allow affordable housing to be built on land belonging to nonprofit colleges and religious institutions, bypassing most local zoning and environmental review regulations, The Associated Press reports.
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- Two men who were sexually abused by a teacher when they were boys in the 1990s won a $135 million judgment against a Southern California school district and the abuser.
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- A man who was arrested in connection with a possible antisemitic hate crime at a Fresno bakery may have been involved in vandalizing a synagogue, The Los Angeles Times reports.
- The California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to grant protections to the Inyo rock daisy, which grows only near Death Valley National Park, after a public outcry over mining operations nearby, The Los Angeles Times reports.
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 | | A view of Mendocino village from the Mendocino Overlook.Lucille Lawrence for The New York Times |
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Today's tip comes from JM Sorrell, who lives in Northampton, Mass.: |
"In the early 1990s, I lived in San Francisco for three years. My favorite place to visit includes the drive itself. It's up the 101 to Cloverdale, then the 128 to Mendocino County. Small wineries and redwood forests on a magical drive that ends oceanside. South to Elk and stay oceanside in a cottage there. Shopping and cafes in Mendocino as well as a visit to the art school to see what's for sale. Return trip to San Francisco? Route 1 along the Pacific Ocean as long as possible, then cut back over to 101 in Marin County. Who needs to leave Northern California when there is so much beauty?" |
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. |
Today we're asking about love: not whom you love but what you love about your corner of California. |
Email us a love letter to your California city, neighborhood or region — or to the Golden State as a whole — and we may share it in an upcoming newsletter. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
 | | A rally in support of the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, in San Diego in 2020.Sandy Huffaker/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
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And before you go, some good news |
Lizbeth Sanchez Olivera knew she wanted to pursue medicine from the moment she first laid eyes on an anatomy book. |
An undocumented immigrant from Mexico, Sanchez Olivera came to the United States with her family at 3 years old. She fell in love with medicine at a young age and soon dreamed of becoming the first member of her family to attend college and earn a Ph.D. |
But her journey to higher education was often marked by adversity: Between paying tuition with no financial aid and caring for her mother, who became ill while she was in college, Sanchez Olivera sometimes considered quitting. |
In 2012, however, the tides changed. The U.S. enacted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, known as DACA, authorizing immigrant children to work and study in the U.S. without risk of deportation. With that boost, Sanchez Olivera was able to finish her degree, earn a laboratory internship and write a study in a prominent medical journal. |
Today, roughly 10 years later, Sanchez Olivera is working on her doctorate at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in L.A. She's well on her way to that white coat. "You just have to keep on going," she told ABC News in an interview. "When we think that it's the hardest, you're almost there." |
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya |
Maia Coleman, Briana Scalia and Kellina Moore contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
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