Thursday, June 30, 2022

California Today: Best part of summer

Finding joy in a season of calamities.
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By Soumya Karlamangla

California Today, Writer

It's Thursday. What Californians love about an often calamitous season. Plus, a wildfire in the Sierra Nevada.

Boats in Bodega Bay last year.Jim Wilson/The New York Times

California isn't known for its distinct seasons, but if it were, summer wouldn't be a top pick.

The warming weather is leading to megafires and worsening drought. Often, it is just way too hot.

But Californians adapt and find joy in the summer season. (Or we're just clinging to our memories of less calamitous summers.)

For the past few weeks, you've been writing to me about your favorite parts of the season, including the bounty at farmers' markets, outdoor movies and long evenings picnicking with friends.

Here's some of what you shared:

"Living in Los Angeles with our around-the-year beautiful weather, it can always feel like summer. But, for me, summer hasn't officially started until the Hollywood Bowl opens.

Built into the Hollywood Hills, the natural amphitheater has incredible acoustics and is one of my favorite places on Earth. If someone offers me Hollywood Bowl tickets, I don't even ask what the show is! Just being at the Hollywood Bowl is a magical way to spend a summer night." — Debbie Peiser, Venice

"When summer comes, it means California's rich bounty of food shines at its best. The farmers' markets open (if not open year-round). It may just be me, but there seems to be an air of optimism and gratitude at these markets: farmers and vendors smiling and proud of their bounties, and children learning about the joy of food with their parents or classmates.

Summer is a time for great food and entertaining outside. It's the time of year we entertain most at home, when the warm evenings cool off slowly. The coastal breeze coming in just after dark is a great, natural alarm bell that usually sends our guests home." — Frank Petkovich, St. Helena

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"My favorite part of the season is when it ends and 'locals' summer' starts. Kids go back to school, the tourists go home, the water cools off, but the sun still shines and it's just us and our neighbors at our local beach." — Dylan Marie Connor, Encinitas

"I used to live 20 minutes inland from Huntington Beach just six years ago. It's astounding how much hotter it is inland (at least 10 degrees), even a little jaunt away from the beach. Now I'm five minutes from the beach, and I cannot put into words what the ocean breeze does for my sanity and soul. This crisp ocean breeze saunters right through my backyard every summer day at about 4 p.m." — Jen Lane, Huntington Beach

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Dockworkers at the Port of Los Angeles in March.Coley Brown for The New York Times

The rest of the news

  • Supply chain: As West Coast dockworkers near the end of their contract, many others have a stake.
  • Out-of-state abortions: In a surprise to abortion rights advocates, California won't spend public money to help people from other states travel to California for the procedure, The Associated Press reports.
  • Guns: A data breach at the California Department of Justice leaked the personal information of every Californian with a permit to carry a concealed weapon, The Los Angeles Times reports.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
  • Los Angeles mayor's race: Rick Caruso spent $176 per vote in the mayoral primary, while Karen Bass spent less than $12 per vote, according to an analysis by Crosstown.
  • Ex-U.S.C. coach: A former assistant soccer coach at the University of Southern California who created fake athletic profiles for the children of wealthy parents in the sprawling college admissions bribery scheme avoided prison time, The Associated Press reports.
  • Skyscraper project: The Los Angeles City Council cleared the way for a cluster of new high-rises that would bring more than 700 homes to the edge of Echo Park and Chinatown, The Los Angeles Times reports.
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
  • Tower District: One man is dead after a fire broke out at a home in central Fresno, ABC 30 reports.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
  • San Francisco D.A.: Voters chose to oust San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin this month in a major recall election, but he's contemplating another run, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
  • Obituary: Mary Fuller McChesney, an artist and a historian who documented California's postwar art scene and created Aztec-inspired sculptures of bears and goddesses, died at 99.
  • Wildfires: A fire in the Sierra Nevada destroyed four structures and remains a threat to at least 500 others, The Associated Press reports.
Creamy, lemony pasta.Christopher Testani for The New York Times

What we're eating

Easy summer pastas you can make in 30 minutes or less.

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The Ventura Botanical Gardens in 2021.Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Where we're traveling

Today's tip comes from Steven Karp, who recommends the Ventura Botanical Gardens: "The gardens are carved into the hillside with spectacular views of the ocean. So peaceful, and dogs are allowed twice a week."

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.

Black's Beach in San Diego is one of the best surfing beaches in the nation.Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images

And, before you go, some good news

The University of California San Diego sits directly atop Black's Beach, a surfing beach in La Jolla and one of the best in the nation.

So perhaps it's unsurprising that the university's surf team has earned seven team national titles, or that it offers a class where students can shape their own surfboards.

Now, the university is offering surf scholarships, Stab Magazine reports.

Makena Burke, a pre-med student and a surfer from Ventura, recently received $5,000 to help fund her U.C. San Diego education on the condition that she competes for the school's surf team.

Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya

P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword, and a clue: Palindromic title (five letters).

Briana Scalia and Isabella Grullón Paz contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com.

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