Please, No, Not a Water-Related Fact!

Californians Know Next To Nothing About the Gazillions of Gallons Of H2O They Consume. What Single, Unfamiliar Fact Should They Learn?

Where does your water come from? Ask many Californians that question, and the most common answers will be the tap or the bottle. Surveys show we know very little about our major sources of water­­­—the Colorado River, the Hetch Hetchy Valley, and especially, the threatened Bay Delta. In advance of a Zócalo/Occidental College event in San Francisco, “How Can San Francisco’s Bay Delta Be Saved?” we asked experts: What is one thing every Californian should know about water (but probably doesn’t)?

My Two Oaklands

My Hometown Depends on Movement. Which Direction Should We Go Now?

This spring, the city of Oakland was awarded two very distinct honors within one week. The Movoto blog officially named Oakland “The Most Exciting City in the Country,” as measured …

The Beautiful Truth of ‘Fruitvale Station’

Do Not See This Movie For Its Tragedy But For Its Cockeyed, Utterly Californian Optimism

In this state, our fictions are often better teachers than the truth.

The most significant California film in years is Fruitvale Station, based on the shooting death of a 22-year-old …

San Francisco, Almost the Capital of the World

The City's Campaign to Host the United Nations Failed, But Left a Legacy You Can See Today

In today’s San Francisco, there are traces of the dream that gripped the city in the spring of 1945, when diplomats from around the world gathered to draft a charter …