It's Wednesday. We've updated our California Soundtrack with your recommendations. Plus, 60 museum shows on science and art are coming to Southern California next year. |
 | | Spencer Gabor |
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A road trip along the length of our state, from the sun-baked beaches of San Diego to the lush redwood forests of Humboldt County, or any segment in between, would not be complete without the perfect playlist. |
Essential for the drive is a set of songs that reflect the kaleidoscopic scenery that whizzes by, as traffic-packed urban sprawl gives way to expansive farmland and snow-capped peaks in the distance. This ideal soundtrack is what we've been striving to curate in this newsletter over the past several months, an all-things-California playlist based largely on your recommendations. |
Today, I've added about 20 tracks to the California Soundtrack. Among the most requested this round were "Telegraph Ave" by Childish Gambino (2013), "Pacific Coast Highway" by Burt Bacharach (1969) and "Why I Came to California" by Leon Ware (1982). |
You can peruse the full list here (the latest additions are in bold) or listen here. |
As always, the California Soundtrack is a work in progress. 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. |
"Gone Hollywood" by Supertramp (1979) |
"The opening song on the 1979 album 'Breakfast in America' about a guy stuck in a 'dumb motel near the Taco Bell' who perseveres to become 'the talk of the boulevard.' The slow-burning sax and achy falsetto captures urban Los Angeles's simultaneous promise and hopelessness, and the anxious internal monologues of its creative aspirants trying to make it their own." — Austin Lyke, Santa Monica |
"Sausalito" by Conor Oberst (2008) |
"The rhythm is great, and the lyrics incorporate many of the iconic elements of the state: the desert, the sun, the stars, the road, both love and desolation and, of course, the ocean and the dream of living on a houseboat: 'Let the ocean rock us back and forth to sleep.'" — Lisa Rossbacher, Santa Fe, N.M. |
"California" by Lorde (2021) |
"She talks about not wanting 'California love' because she feels like the adoration that she receives from Hollywood is fake. She looks back at it wistfully, but deep down she knows that it's not genuine." — Monique Reed, Lakewood |
"West Coast" by Coconut Records (2007) |
"For me, it speaks to the feeling of being a transplant to California and feeling torn between everything I love about California and everything I miss about those I left behind. Now that I've moved back to the East Coast, it has extra poignancy for me and comes to mind every time I travel back to the Bay Area for work." — Sarah E. Brummett, Brightwood, Va. |
"Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses (1987) |
"G.N.R. are one of the most successful bands in the history of popular music to come out of Los Angeles, so it's no surprise that one of their biggest hits is about their home turf. Los Angeles isn't written about as 'the big city' nearly as much as New York is, so the song is a refreshing, if dark, take on the City of Angels. I'm sure many people actually assume 'Jungle' is written about New York City but, no, it is Los Angeles through and through." — Dino Ladki, West Hollywood |
"Highway 101" by Social Distortion (2004) |
"No California song compendium is complete without at least one song by the iconic Southern California band Social Distortion, whose music has been in the background of my life since moving here to attend Cal State Fullerton in 1991. |
However, hands down, 'Highway 101' is my favorite, inexplicably moving me to tears each time I hear it. The song's driving guitar riffs, rhythm and heartfelt lyrics delivered by Mike Ness evoke Southern California memories and reflect my longing for the Southland even though I am still here." — Denise Santos, Glendora |
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- Pricey tomatoes: Tomato goods, including ketchup, spaghetti sauce, tomato soup and salsa, might be more expensive the next time you go to the grocery store, KNBC-TV reports.
- Budget deficit: Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to release his revised budget proposal this week, setting the stage for debates on how to fill a multibillion-dollar deficit in a budget that legislators must approve by June, The Sacramento Bee reports.
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- P.S.T. art: Next year, institutions in Southern California will stage some 60 shows on art and science as part of a cultural collaboration known as Pacific Standard Time, thanks in part to a $17 million donation from the Getty.
- Lakers love: Terrance Burney, an airline employee, has stood outside the Crypto.com Arena after most Los Angeles Lakers games, holding inspirational signs and hoping that whoever sees them feels happier, lighter or maybe even newly confident.
- Clean energy: The Port of Long Beach released plans to construct the largest offshore wind turbine facility in any U.S. port, The Los Angeles Times reports.
- All-electric: The city of South Pasadena's police fleet is going all-electric, with the transition expected to be complete by February, The Associated Press reports.
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- Climate change: In the Central Valley, farmers are investing in avocados, mangoes and agave as the state's climate warms and shifts what crops can be grown, CalMatters reports.
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- Seeking dismissed charges: The FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is seeking dismissal of several of the charges against him, claiming that the high-powered law firm representing FTX in its bankruptcy has been doing the government's bidding.
- Rename Berkeley?: The decision by Trinity College in Dublin to remove George Berkeley's name from its library, an acknowledgment of his racist legacy, has ignited debate at U.C. Berkeley over whether the school and the surrounding city should follow suit, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
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 | | Tourists sailing on San Francisco Bay.Robert Alexander/Getty Images |
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Today's tip comes from Deborah Novachick, who lives in San Francisco. Deborah recommends sailing on San Francisco Bay: |
"We live all around it and cross over it on bridges or under it on BART. But too few of us get out on it. The most beautiful views of the San Francisco skyline, our stunning bridges, and Alcatraz and Angel Islands are from the Bay. The best way to take it all in is on a majestic sailing vessel like the magnificent Matthew Turner two-masted, square-rigged tall ship. Worth the ticket price, and the proceeds fund their educational programs for kids. There are also ticketed sails on several other tall ships docked in San Francisco and Sausalito. But the Matthew Turner is the biggest. Or you can take the Vallejo Ferry, or one of the other shorter ferry rides for about $10 to $20 round trip for adults. Kids are free. There are also ticketed adventure sails on smaller boats. However you get out there, it's a shame to miss experiencing the Bay Area from on the water. It's definitely my favorite place to visit." |
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. |
 | | Lizett Lopez makes homemade gorditas, while Maria Verdin cooks picadillo rojo with potatoes, one of several gordita fillings available at Lucy's Gorditas in Fresno.Craig Kohlruss/The Fresno Bee |
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And before you go, some good news |
Lizett Lopez opened a new Mexican restaurant in Fresno last month called Lucy's Gorditas, in honor of her mother, who died during the coronavirus pandemic. |
With help from her six brothers, Lopez is cooking up her mother's recipes for gorditas and sopas, and even introducing Mexican customers to new dishes. Angel Lopez, her oldest brother, told The Fresno Bee that the restaurant's ties to his mom brought a certain kind of joy. |
"There's a satisfaction to sharing the food, especially for people who have never tried it," he said. "There's something really special when someone first tries it and they really enjoy it and they keep coming back." |
As the Fresno Bee reporter Bethany Clough, who covers restaurants, writes: "If food is made with love, this restaurant was built on it." |
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya |
Briana Scalia, Shivani Gonzalez and Johnna Margalotti contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
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