It's Thursday. You told us how you savor the season. Plus, video footage reveals new details of the Paul Pelosi attack. |
 | | Visitors walked through the Holiday Road light attraction at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas earlier this month.Photo by David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images |
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PALM SPRINGS — The holiday season is upon us. |
On a recent visit to this desert retreat, I walked a main drag decked out with giant inflatable Santas, bauble-covered Christmas trees and twinkling lights draped over just about everything. Palm Springs had become a winter wonderland, but a distinctly California one. |
Under awnings decorated with mistletoe, diners sat outside enjoying the 70 degree weather. Palm trees towered over tinsel-wrapped lampposts. And the entire festive scene was amid a backdrop of massive brown mountains and cloudless blue skies. |
For most Californians, winter doesn't usually resemble a snowy paradise. But, as you well know, we savor the holiday season nonetheless. |
You've been writing to me about how you mark this time of year, whether with a chilly walk by the beach, a batch of tamales or stargazing in the desert. Here's some of what you shared, lightly edited: |
"My friends and I have been baking together every holiday season for the past 25 years. We call it the annual 'bake-a-thon.' The bakers consist of my girlfriends, who are now in their 70s — we've been friends since kindergarten at Carthay Center Elementary School — as well as their daughters and granddaughters. |
The host is our dear friend Suzy, who opens her Culver City home and kitchen to us every year. Each person brings their favorite cookie recipe and we bake together. Another friend travels from Ojai with our favorite coffee cake, which is made from the recipe we grew up with from the L.A. Unified School District. After we bake, we put all the cookies out for display, fill tins and containers and share the bounty. Suzy makes a delicious homemade lunch and we leave her home full of good food and wonderful memories." — Judith Penchansky, Culver City |
"I come from a mixed family background, and luckily, both sides really center around food. Each year, we kick off the holiday season with a Hanukkah feast complete with latkes, brisket, kugel and challah — perhaps also some rugelach or mandel bread. Then, on Christmas Eve, after my brother has finished prepping sauces, meat and masa, we all get together to wrap tamales while my mom makes beans, rice and veggies. For us, it always comes back to latkes and tamales. Foods that bring comfort, joy and a sense of home." — Leanne Greenberg, Mountain View |
"Every year on Dec. 26, my husband, kids and I spend the day at the beach — no matter the weather. We bundle up with coats, beanies and blankets, paired with our flip flops. We make a stop at our favorite local coffee shop for some warm drinks to take with us. After all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, it's such a relaxing breath of salty ocean air." — Ashley Pansoy, San Jose |
"My husband and I leave home a few days before the new year every December to spend time camping and hiking in one of California's many desert parks. Though it gets dark some seven hours before midnight and it's often a struggle to stay awake, we make it a point to ring in the new year while stargazing under the vast night sky. Bundled up, we look out at light emitted by celestial objects years ago, steeped in quiet reflection. This ritual serves as a reminder that being in touch with life's timeless side is within reach." — Edith de Guzman, Los Angeles |
Tell us: How do you celebrate the holidays? Email us your California traditions and memories at CAToday@nytimes.com. |
 | | Members of the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans listened to public comment during a meeting in Oakland on Wednesday.Jeff Chiu/Associated Press |
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- Ending "crime-free" housing: A Southern California city agreed to pay $1 million and end a discriminatory housing program aimed at evicting criminals, The Associated Press reports.
- Arrows: Huntington Beach residents have been finding arrows embedded in roofs and elsewhere on their properties, which suggests that someone might be shooting them into the air, The Associated Press reports.
- Settlement: A Mojave Desert community and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department will spend nearly $1 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit alleging they discriminated against Black and Latino renters, The Los Angeles Times reports.
- Rescue: Local police officers and the U.S. Coast Guard rescued a dozen migrants from a boat that washed ashore in Orange County, The Los Angeles Times reports.
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- Domestic violence allegations: Rolando Castro, the mayor of Mendota, abruptly resigned from the City Council after his arrest on Sunday on allegations of domestic violence, The Fresno Bee reports.
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- Paul Pelosi attack: At a hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors presented the fullest account to date of what they say happened during the attack on Paul Pelosi, and shared video footage captured from police body cameras. The suspect told the police he was targeting other politicians and celebrities, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Tom Hanks.
- Campus harassment: Cisgender and transgender women at California State University's Maritime Academy face repeated sexual harassment, homophobia and transphobia, The Los Angeles Times reports.
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 | | Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. |
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Today's tip comes from Jeff Green, who lives in Monterey. Jeff recommends the Pulgas Water Temple in Redwood City: |
"Off a country road near suburban Woodside, the San Francisco Water Department in 1938 erected this beautiful stone structure and reflecting pool surrounded by cypress trees to commemorate the 1934 completion of the 167-mile Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct (while carries water from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in the Sierra Nevada to the Bay Area). This lesser-known attraction is free and a wonderful place for a few moments of tranquillity (as parking is limited to 30 minutes)." |
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. |
 | | A California condor perched in a pine tree in the Los Padres National Forest.Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press |
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And before you go, some good news |
Amid ominous warnings about the collapse of Earth's web of life and the consequences for human civilization, the California condor has become a powerful symbol of what conservation can achieve, The Guardian reports. |
Condors were nearly extinct in the 1980s, and the few remaining were captured in 1987 for a multimillion-dollar intensive conservation program. Today, there are more than 200 in the wild, and local people are already starting to notice. |
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya |
Briana Scalia and Isabella Grullón Paz contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
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