Why We Came to California, and Why We Stay

A year and a half ago, I left the Los Angeles neighborhood that I had lived in for a decade and relocated to San Francisco. The move was daunting — just me and my rescue cat, Kit, in a quiet apartment overlooking Golden Gate Park.

I felt awed by the beauty of the Bay Area, but the transition wasn’t all roses. Building a social life from scratch, I soon learned, was considerably harder than it had been in my 20s. I had heaped more tumult onto an already stressful, pandemic-inflected few years.

There was, however, one helpful constant: the community built in this newsletter. As I’ve often said here, the observations, suggestions and notes that you send me are drops of delight in my inbox. And they’ve allowed us to find connection and common ground in a time when that feels increasingly rare.

Together we’ve chronicled California culture, creating a comprehensive Golden State playlist, reading list and movie list. We’ve tapped into the California psyche by sharing how we mark time with disasters and rely on wacky roadside attractions to tell us that we’re almost home.

And, of course, we’ve discussed why we continue to live in California, despite its myriad problems. Hundreds of you have sent me thoughtful emails over the years about your experiences in the state — how your family arrived here, what you adore about your block, your favorite places to visit on summer break. Reading these missives feels like indulging in a conversation among friends.

Today, as I end my tenure leading this newsletter, I’m sharing some of my favorite California love letters from you. Thanks for sending them in.

“I’ve traveled the world and there is something distinctive and unique about the light in Southern California. It’s brighter, shinier, warmer. My first year of graduate school in Boston was freezing, wet and gray. When I returned home to California for winter break and stepped off the plane in December, I felt the light of the sun in my bones. The sky was so blue. It was visceral and unforgettable.” — Darlene Salmon, San Diego

“My introduction to California came in 1965 when I was en route to Japan, and ultimately Vietnam, compliments of the United States Marine Corps. As a young man who had grown up in rural Arkansas, I was apart from my wife and young son for a questionable cause. While housed in bachelor officers’ quarters on Treasure Island, I heard for the first time Tony Bennett’s ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco.’ The song was special as I heard it innumerable times on Armed Forces Radio along with many other homesick Marines. Some 35 years later, my wife and I moved to Santa Monica, and five years later, San Francisco, where we overlook the Bay Bridge from our apartment.” — George Proctor, San Francisco

“As a native of Los Angeles, I remember back in the 1980s when my boyfriend at the time drove me on the back of his motorcycle one winter. We traveled up to Mount Baldy to see the snow, then we rode all the way to Santa Monica Beach to watch the sunset — all in one day. How many people can say that?” — Pamela Fender, Rohnert Park

“I love the state — north and south, east and west. I always answer, ‘I wasn’t born here, but it’s where my life began.’” — Kay Wilson, Desert Hot Springs

The rest of the news

• A global technology outage on Friday disrupted airlines, medical services and scores of other services around the world. That included the cancellation of numerous flights, forcing delays at California airports.

• Tesla sales have fallen in California for the third quarter in a row, according to a report from the California New Car Dealers Association.

• Federal prosecutors charged at least a dozen people with using a trucking company to operate a statewide drug network, seizing nearly 13,000 pounds of methamphetamine, guns and other illegal drugs, The Mercury News reports.

• A federal appeals court reinstated charges against two members of a neo-Nazi group who attacked counterprotesters at several pro-Trump rallies in California in 2017, overturning a lower-court ruling that the men were unfairly prosecuted.

Southern California

• Underrated, overlooked and almost too pretty to be taken seriously: Here’s how to spend 36 hours in San Diego.

• Representative Maxine Waters wants to halt a $2 billion transit project that would connect SoFi Stadium to a Los Angeles rail line ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games, calling the project “totally unnecessary and totally much too costly,” The Los Angeles Times reports.

Central California

• Migrant detainees awaiting the results of their deportation cases and asylum claims in two private Kern County detention centers began a hunger strike over living and working conditions, CalMatters reports.

Northern California

• San Francisco’s mayor, London Breed, said the city would begin “very aggressive” sweeps of homeless encampments next month, following a Supreme Court ruling that upheld a ban on homeless people sleeping outside, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

• The Athletics will be going without a city name while the team plays home games in Sacramento starting in March, before their planned move to Las Vegas in 2028.

• A first-time buyer put her savings to work in the expensive Bay Area housing market, using the local tenancy-in-common model to find something she could afford.

And before you go, some good news

This is one of my favorite recent stories from The Times. It’s about something very real — that boys are increasingly falling behind in school — but told through the lens of charming male kindergarten teachers, who are a rarity in their field.

The photos of giggling children and engaged teachers are gorgeous and delightful. And so are the quotes.

“I had a kid come today and say, ‘I love you, Mr. Towle,’” said Jeffrey Towle, 36, who teaches in Long Beach. “To have that is so rewarding. It changes the way you see yourself.”

A programming note

Starting next week, this newsletter will be a little different. It will still arrive in your inbox every weekday morning, but with a curated collection of New York Times articles about California, instead of my voice guiding you through the news each day.

My California-based colleagues and I will occasionally use this newsletter to explain a big story, and we’re increasingly investing in more in-depth reporting and daily news coverage of the state that you’ll find elsewhere on our website. Many of our readers also receive the Morning newsletter, and our California reporters hope to make occasional appearances there to explain our state to a wider audience.

Though the California Today newsletter is changing, The Times remains more committed than ever to covering California. And I’ll still be reporting on the Golden State as a national correspondent based in the Bay Area. (Send me your story ideas!)

Thank you for subscribing to California Today, and we hope you continue to enjoy the newsletter in its new format. If you’re no longer interested in receiving this newsletter, manage your newsletter subscriptions here.

Thanks for reading. Take care, and see you around. — Soumya

P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword.

Halina Bennet and Luke Caramanico contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at [email protected].

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