California Sun Podcast

Julian Guthrie’s past work has taken us up close and personal with many of Silicon Valley’s most notorious alpha males, including Larry Ellison and Elon Musk. Now she takes us on a journey with the "alpha girls" who braved the male-dominated world of venture capital in Silicon Valley. Their personal stories will shape the future of women in tech, and their professional work impacts us all.

Mark Arax, a long-time California journalist, talks about the epic history of water in the Golden State. His new book, "The Dreamt Land," is a real-life "Chinatown," examining the water wars fought between farmers, activists, corporations, and governments. The story of the movement of water in California appears as a Rosetta Stone for understanding how these arteries of water literally and figuratively tie the state together

Robin Williams’ story is woven into the fabric of both the Bay Area and Hollywood. His drive for success and fame, coupled with always wanting to show us a piece of ourselves, is a very California story — especially as told by N.Y. Times culture reporter Dave Itzkoff, whose book "Robin," is just out in paperback.

When Roy Choi was growing up in Southern California, he led a double life around food. What was in his refrigerator at home was not what he wanted to be seen eating in the school lunchroom. It gave him insights about the ways food was really about culture, and about how, later in life, he might use his culinary skills to bridge divides and change the world.

David Talbot has never been accused of being shy about his views. The founder of Salon and longtime voice for so-called San Francisco values now sees his adopted home as a tale of two cities. In his best selling book "Season of the Witch," he celebrated the “flowers in your hair” culture that brought a new generation to San Francisco in the 1960s. Today, he sees a global center of tech capitalism that is fighting for its soul and worse yet, may be co-opted by Los Angeles.

Leslie Berlin wrote the book on Silicon Valley. The Project Historian for the Silicon Valley Archives at Stanford, she has profiled microchip discoverer Robert Noyce, and her book "Troublemakers," about Silicon Valley in the 1970s, has been called a “landmark event.” Berlin takes us back to the ’70s, when Ronald Reagan referred to those in the valley as “pioneers of tomorrow." She still sees the region today as “the golden child of the Golden State.”

Randy Shaw, executive director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, is a long-time housing activist in the Bay Area and author of the book, "Generation Priced Out." He shares his views about the controversial housing measure SB 50, gentrification, the tech boom, rent control, and the consequences of 30 years of failing to build enough housing in California.

Richard Walker, professor emeritus of geography at U.C. Berkeley, is a student of the renown Marxist geographer David Harvey. Walker brings an approach to his analysis that includes, economics, urban design, politics, and the environment, as well as the history of California. He’s the author of several books, including his most recent: "Pictures of a Gone City: Tech and the Dark Side of Prosperity in the San Francisco Bay Area

Nancy Clare, a longtime Southern California journalist, explains why Beverly Hills is no ordinary city. She tells how the gilded enclave shaped the region's politics, movies, and the battle for water, and gave it a special place in the evolution of Los Angles.

Audrey Cooper, the editor in chief of the San Francisco Chronicle, reminds us that while we often turn our eyes toward Washington, it's local and regional journalism that actually shapes how we live, vote, and earn a living. She shares her vision of local news and the Chronicle's future.

Dr. Tom Hoffman has had an interplanetary journey without ever leaving NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. It’s taken him from Neptune to his current role as project director on the Mars InSight mission. He gives us an up-close look at Mars exploration and explains how JPL is ground zero in the quest for interplanetary travel.

Mike Fitzgerald just retired after 30 years as a reporter and columnist for the Stockton Record. He is one of those rare journalists who comes to embody the place he writes about. Fitzgerald discusses his hometown's branding problem and why he holds such a deep appreciation for Stockton, the Delta, and the San Joaquin Valley.

Mike Davis, author, MacArthur fellow, and professor emeritus at U.C. Riverside, shares his alternative civic history of Southern California in which the rush to build edge cities, freeways, and subdivisions paved the way for what he sees as nature’s revenge. Davis’ literary tour de force against Los Angeles exceptionalism — 1990’s “City of Quartz” and 1998’s “Ecology of Fear” — remain as relevant as ever and inform his discussion in this week’s conversation.

David Kipen, author, journalist, and cultural historian of Los Angeles has scoured libraries, archives, and private estates to assemble a kaleidoscopic view of the unique city of Los Angeles. He shares 500 years of writings in and about the city and the distinct role it has played in the hearts, minds, and imaginations of the public.

Teacher strikes in Los Angeles and Oakland, along with charter school legislation now working its way through Sacramento, could reshape the future of public education in California. Mariam Pawel, Pulitzer-prize winning reporter and biographer of Cesar Chavez and the Brown family, joins us on this week’s podcast for a look at the roots of these movements, and how they are changing our perception of teachers.

There’s no better way to understand the issues and people shaping California today than through its colorful and complex history. Few understood the depth of that history better than Dr. Kevin Starr, the late author of a definitive eight-volume history of California. His work is the gold standard for the Golden State. Dr. Starr died two years ago, but we kick off the California Sun podcast with a special conversation I had with Dr. Starr about California from 1950 to 1963. As you will hear, it’s a time that shaped so much of the California we live in today.