An Update to the California Playlist

Today I’m back yet again with updates to the California Soundtrack, our project that tries to capture the essence of the Golden State in a single playlist.

I’ve added dozens of songs based on your recommendations. Some of the most requested in this round were “Monterey” by the Animals (1968), Frank Zappa’s “Valley Girl” (1982) and John Mayer’s “Queen of California” (2012).

You can peruse the full list of California songs here (the latest additions are in bold) or listen here.

As always, the California Soundtrack is a work in progress that we’ll continue editing and building. Email your Golden State song recommendation and a few lines about why you think it deserves inclusion to [email protected].

And now for some of your latest picks:

“Running Red Lights” by the Avalanches (2020)

“Rivers Cuomo singing ‘California life is all right with me’ was on repeat through the pandemic helping remind me how grateful I feel to live in the Golden State.” — PeterKoshland, Berkeley

“Mission in the Rain” by the Jerry Garcia Band (1976)

“California might be sunny and nice, but it is also dark and rainy, a weather perfectly caught by Jerry Garcia and his lyricist Robert Hunter on this beautiful song telling of a melancholy walk through the rain in the Mission district of San Francisco. And I learned about the reality of the San Francisco melancholy when moving to America and to the East Bay in 2008. And yes, ‘There’s some satisfaction in the San Francisco rain.’” — Ulf Olsson, Emeryville

“Whittier Blvd.” by Thee Midniters (1965)

“This ‘cruising song’ could be heard at night from the cars of high school teens — often, a ’56 or ’57 Chevy — on the major thoroughfares of many California cities — not just Whittier.” — Jim Davis, Northridge

“Sausalito Summernight” by Diesel (1980)

“In 1980 I was working at a small radio station in the West of England. Two of my fellow engineers had taken a vacation in the U.S.A., renting an R.V. and traveling through California. It being the ’80s, the only way to document their journey was with 35-millimeter slides. The (seemingly) hourslong slide show they created when they got back used the Diesel track for a part of the presentation. The song never got any airplay in the U.K. and none of us could have pointed out the location of the city on a map.

Twenty years later, I started a new chapter in my career, and found myself living in, of all places, Sausalito, where I have now retired.” — Doug Ford, Sausalito

“Beverly Hills” by Weezer (2005)

“Just so darn catchy and really a testament to Weezer’s ability to toe the line between being iconic rockers and a band of nerds that we all can identify with.” — Michael Messina, Sacramento

“Boys of Summer” by Don Henley (1984)

“I was living in Palo Alto in 1985 with my first ‘real job,’ but my friends were moving away because we could not buy houses (funny how things don’t change…). I took a job in Knoxville, Tenn., and would listen to this song driving in my new convertible (which I bought in California) and get really melancholic — ‘Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach.’

I realized I made a very bad move; it took me one year, five months and nine days to make it back here.” — Scott Boutwell, Geyserville

For more:

• The songs that have gotten us through the pandemic.

• The best and worst moments from the 2022 Grammys.

• Five minutes that will make you love Renaissance music.

If you read one story, make it this

A giant earthquake. A massive flood. Wildfires followed by choking smoke. An ice storm that knocks out the power for days. Can you build a structure that could withstand them all?

The rest of the news

• The next phase of the pandemic? The rush to recast Covid as endemic may be missing the point.

• Effects of climate change: One in three Americans say they have personally been affected by an extreme weather event in the last two years, according to a new Gallup poll.

• Record high heat across California: A summerlike heat wave swept across much of California on Thursday, with temperatures reaching 80 degrees in some places. The heat wave is expected to last through Friday, The Associated Press reports.

• No more crab fishing: California’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery will be closed this month because humpback whales are getting caught in fishing gear, The Associated Press reports.

• Police funding: Major California cities allocated millions of dollars of Covid relief aid to their police departments, The Guardian reports.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

• Joshua Tree boom: An explosion of Airbnbs is fueling debate about whether the nature of life in California’s southeastern deserts is changing forever.

• College bribery trial: The trial for Jovan Vavic, a former water polo coach at the University of Southern California facing bribery and fraud charges, wrapped up on Thursday, The Associated Press reports.

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

• Warehouse pollution: Fresno County residents are worried that a proposed distribution center would add to already hazardous pollution in the area, The Fresno Bee reports.

• Condor deaths: A man who started a wildfire in Big Sur that killed 12 endangered California condors and seriously injured a firefighter was convicted of arson on Thursday, The Associated Press reported.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

• Saving Chinook salmon: Unable to return to their spawning grounds, Chinook salmon face extinction. Officials have introduced a controversial plan to save them, The Los Angeles Times reports.

What we’re eating

Cacio e pepe with peas and favas.

Where we’re traveling

Today’s travel tip comes from James Clifford, who recommends visiting the campus of U.C. Santa Cruz:

Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to [email protected]. We’ll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter.

What we’re recommending

The first major museum retrospective by the video artist Ulysses Jenkins, at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.

Tell us

What’s the best part of spring in California? Email us at [email protected] your submission may be included in a future newsletter.

And before you go, some good news

The New York Times invited teenagers to suggest words to fill in gaps in the English language.

Their entries captured the way students are navigating the coronavirus pandemic, the complexities of life online and the existential feelings caused by the various challenges their generation faces. Here are some of our favorites:

tacine (adjective) by Paul Norberg, Cupertino

noscipate (verb) by Olivia Liu, San Jose

fsh (noun) by Neel Chellapilla, Cupertino

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back on Monday. Enjoy your weekend. — Soumya

P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Night vision? (five letters).

Miles McKinley and Mariel Wamsley contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at [email protected].

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