It's Wednesday. I'm sharing the latest additions to our California playlist. Plus, climate scientists warn of a "global wildfire crisis" in a landmark report. |
 | | Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell and David Crosby performing during the Big Sur Folk Festival in 1969.Robert Altman/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images |
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Today I'm back with a new edition of the California Soundtrack, our ever-evolving project that tries to capture the spirit of the Golden State through music. |
The most recent version of the playlist included 101 songs but, as I've gathered from your emails, those selections barely scratched the surface. So I've added dozens more, including Chuck Berry's "Promised Land" (1964), "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty (1989) and the "California Saga" series (1973) from the Beach Boys' album "Holland." |
You can peruse the full list of California songs here (the latest additions are in bold) or listen here. |
As always, the California Soundtrack is a work in progress that we'll continue editing and building. You can email your recommendations to me at CAToday@nytimes.com. |
Below I'm sharing some of your arguments for inclusion, but first I'll explain some of my picks. I've added "Our House" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1970) and "How to Disappear" by Lana Del Rey (2019). (Stay with me — they'll connect.) |
As you perhaps already know, Graham Nash wrote "Our House" while sitting at the piano in Joni Mitchell's house in Laurel Canyon when the two were dating. It's a love song, yes, but specifically an L.A. love song: A light drizzle keeps them indoors, Mitchell picks flowers for a new vase she bought earlier that day in the Valley and two cats play outside in the yard. |
In "How to Disappear," Del Rey tells of an old, troubled relationship on the East Coast that she traded for peace under "the California sun." |
"Now it's been years since I left New York / I've got a kid and two cats in the yard," she sings, the final image most likely a reference to the domestic bliss of "Our House." |
"A cool, easygoing song that always makes me think of driving through Southern California in the summer with my windows down." — Tierra Terrell, San Diego |
"California Bloodlines" by John Stewart (1969) |
"I spent the summer of the Watergate hearings in Tulare, ending a long relationship. By day, I hid from the Central Valley heat, watching the hearings; at night I drank cheap red and watched trucks roll by on I-95, not far from my apartment window. Stewart's poignant anthems were balm for my soul." — Kirsten Lagatree, Woodland Park, N.J. |
"When I moved to San Francisco in August 2018, this is the song that I played as I drove across the state line. This song evokes the perfect mix of joy and relaxation to quell my nerves for my solo cross-country move." — Emily Nurminen, San Francisco |
"It was the song of the summer in San Diego in 2007 or so. It's about ending a relationship before it gets ugly, when you can still appreciate each other. It's upbeat and has a free spirit, a very California feel and message: Be who you are, love fiercely while you can, and growth/change is part of life — no hard feelings." — Sarah Machado, San Diego |
"There's something funny about a song about 'warm' San Franciscan nights. It's been some years since I lived in San Francisco, but for me, the song evokes the specific nighttime energy that San Francisco has. Also, if ever you were lucky enough to be in a warm San Franciscan night, surely you'd write a song about it, too." — Sean Fisher, New Orleans |
"California" by John Mayall (1969) |
"Would you like to be transported into a top-down convertible cruising the P.C.H. south of Big Sur? Yes? Of course?" |
Then crank up this nine-minute classic from John Mayall's seminal 'Turning Point' album, get past the insipid vocals and tune in to native son Johnny Almond on the sax and flute. Ahhhh" — Thomas F. Cushing, Napa |
"Having grown up on the East Coast, I had a fascination with California. When the Counting Crows were big during my 20s in '90s Atlanta, this song always made me dream about what it might look like to live here. (I now know what it's like, having moved here at the end of 2008.)" — Molly Boblett, Oakland |
"The song opens with the line 'Drive west on Sunset to the sea' and also includes the line 'Here come those Santa Ana winds again.' The vibe of the song perfectly encapsulates what has become known as yacht rock: smooth, laid-back, sexy. An ideal song to evoke a California mood." — Michael Baum, Monterey |
If you read one story, make it this |
 | | Firefighters on the outskirts of Bredbo, Australia, in February.Matthew Abbott for The New York Times |
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- Climate change: A landmark United Nations report released on Wednesday estimates that the worldwide risk of highly devastating fires could increase by up to 57 percent by the end of the century."The heating of the planet is turning landscapes into tinderboxes," said the report, which was produced by more than 50 researchers from six continents.
- Supreme Court: President Biden has interviewed at least three candidates for his Supreme Court nomination, including a California Supreme Court judge. The president had promised he would choose a nominee by the end of the month.
- Beehive thefts: In the past few weeks, 1,036 beehives worth hundreds of thousands of dollars were reported stolen from orchards across California. Beekeepers are now struggling to protect their hives, The Associated Press reports.
- California freeze: Freezing temperatures are expected across large swaths of California between Wednesday and Friday, The Associated Press reports.
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- School masks: The Los Angeles Unified School District dropped its outdoor mask mandate on Tuesday, The Los Angeles Times reports.
- Speed limits: The L.A. City Council approved a proposal to reduce speeds on more than 177 miles of city streets, NBC Los Angeles reports.
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- Meth, a mother and a stillbirth: An imprisoned mother who pleaded guilty to "manslaughter of a fetus" in 2017 is asking for her case to be reopened, CalMatters reports. The case in Kings County has alarmed abortion rights advocates.
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- Mass arrest: Nearly three dozen men were arrested on suspicion of various sexual assault crimes in an operational sweep by the San Jose police, NBC Bay Area reports.
- Inmate death: A man sentenced to life in prison for murder was killed by two other inmates, officials said. His death is being investigated as a homicide, The Associated Press reports.
- College housing: A state senator introduced legislation that would exempt public colleges from an environmental review process that often slows construction, The Associated Press reports.
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 | | Cody James for The New York Times |
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 | | Kim Kulish for The New York Times |
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"East Bay residents have a volcano in their backyard at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve. The volcano under Sibley hails from the Pliocene epoch, when it was active enough to create the structures under the East Bay ridges from Inspiration Point in Tilden Regional Park out eastward to Moraga. While exploring the rolling hills, intriguing ridges and valleys of the park, you might come upon one of two labyrinths, which provide a rest and time for meditation. Exposed cliffsides showcase the area's geologic history. It's especially beautiful at sunset." |
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. |
The Los Angeles musician Sasami's "darkly menacing and openly heartfelt" new album. |
 | | A bride on a balcony at San Francisco City Hall on Tuesday.Jim Wilson/The New York Times |
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And before you go, some good news |
Yesterday was 2/22/22, arguably the most special date of the decade. And across California, couples flocked to courthouses to tie the knot on this lucky Twosday. |
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya |
Correction: Yesterday's newsletter incorrectly described Lanhee Chen's opponent in the race to be California's controller. The incumbent, Betty Yee, has termed out, so he would face another Democrat in the general election. |
Briana Scalia and Mariel Wamsley contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
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