The Swanton Berry Farm, on Highway 1 north of Santa Cruz, became California's first organic commercial strawberry farm when it was launched in 1983.
We're sending you three food-related articles in this week's edition of The Newsletter, counting the Recipe of the Week, which we started including here a few months ago with little fanfare. I haven't tried this week's yet, but I did make last week's Easy Asparagus-Mushroom Bake with Eggs and Cheese (and mushrooms and onions). Like many Californians, I had just picked up a bunch of the season's first local asparagus, and this simple dish was the perfect way to enjoy it.
At the farmers market today we got some more asparagus—it'll be on our table once or twice a week for a while. Also found some beautiful shallots, leeks, celery, cauliflower, and multicolored chard. Food shopping and cooking are two of my favorite hobbies (if we can call such basic human activities hobbies), and here in California, with our abundance of local ingredients, it's easy to develop these ordinary activities into a kind of art form.
I was fortunate to be living in Santa Cruz in the 1970s when it was a birthplace of the organics movement. For fun, I took a horticulture class at Cabrillo College from the great Richard Merill, author of the groundbreaking book Radical Agriculture. Meanwhile up at UCSC, Alan Chadwick's garden and the farm now known as the Center for Agroecology were the first such projects at any university in the United States. These ideas were pretty revolutionary back then, and I'm psyched that so many Americans now seek out chemical-free, sustainably produced food. I believe it's one of the most important choices we can make for our own health and that of the planet.
That's not to say that I don't enjoy an In-N-Out cheeseburger, animal style, once in a while. Fast food is a rare treat in my family, determined by necessity but savored when the time is right. In fact on a road trip a couple weeks ago down I-5, where the only available nourishment is fast food, I had my first Taco Bell taco in a long while, followed by a bean-and-cheese burrito, and they were sublime. It caused me to remember that when I had my first taste of Taco Bell after moving to San Jose from New Jersey, having never before encountered a taco or a burrito, it reinforced the notion that I really had found my home at last.
Yes: From organic farming to Taco Bell, from the McDonald brothers to Alice Waters, California is a world leader in culinary innovation. And the most important export from the Golden State, home to both Silicon Valley and Hollywood, may be food. Read on.
• California is Seeing a Historic Rise in the Number of Black Women Running for Office
At least 24 Black women are running for seats in the California Legislature this year, resulting from years of work cultivating new leaders and growing confidence among voters.
(03/04/2024) → CalMatters
• California Schools Gained Billions During COVID-19. Now the Money is Running Out
California schools got $23.4 billion in federal pandemic relief money. Low-income schools that got the most may be hardest hit when the funds expire this year.
(03/04/2024) → CalMatters
• California’s Fast Food Workers are Getting a Raise. But the Labor-Industry Truce is Fraying
Republicans want to scrap the law, accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom of corruption in dealings with a Panera Bread franchisee who is a major campaign donor. McDonald’s franchisees are funding a committee that is attacking Democrats who supported the law and are seeking local office in the primary.
(03/03/2024) → CalMatters
• Two Rare Tornadoes Seen in Central California
A tornado stuck Kings county briefly, and another touched down in Madera county, as favorable conditions came together during a powerful winter storm which swept the region.
(03/02/2024) → Los Angeles Times
• Waymo Approved to Start Robotaxi Service in Los Angeles and San Mateo Counties.
On March 1, the California Public Utilities Commission gave approval for driverless taxi company Waymo to expand service into Los Angeles and San Mateo counties.
(03/01/2024) → Los Angeles Times
• Study Finds Almost 50% of San Francisco Drug Users Not Residents
A report of a 12 month study which ended in February indicates almost half of those cited for drug usage were not residents of the city, leading to questions about city approaches to drug addiction.
(03/01/2024) → Los Angeles Times
• Wildfires Are Killing California’s Ancient Giants. Can Seedlings Save the Species?
Ecologists estimate that up to 14,000 sequoias have been killed in recent wildfires. The National Park Service for the first time has begun replanting some severely burned areas.
(02/26/2024) → CapPublicRadio
• Will CA Voters Like ‘Newsom Recall, the Sequel’ Any Better?
Conservative activists who worked on the failed recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021 have launched another attempt, arguing that conditions in California only worsened in the two-and-a-half years since then as Newsom’s attention shifted to national politics.
(02/26/2024) → CalMatters
• Meet Some of the Biggest Donors Shaping California's U.S. Senate Race
Here are the biggest donors in the 2024 California Senate race, both for and against the top candidates: Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, Steve Garvey and Barbara Lee.
(02/26/2024) → Los Angeles Times
• What California College Students Think About Online Classes
EdSource asked students at California colleges and universities why they are choosing between online or in-person options.
(02/26/2024) → EdSource
• What California Voters Want to Know About the 2024 Election
Voting in California can be complicated. Here are answers to some common questions, plus what the leading U.S. Senate candidates say they would do if they’re elected.
(02/26/2024) → CalMatters
The Swanton Berry Farm, on Highway 1 north of Santa Cruz, became California's first organic commercial strawberry farm when it was launched in 1983.
