The California Report Magazine

At the California Museum’s New ‘Unity Center,’ Conversations Trump Confrontations This week the California Museum in Sacramento is celebrating a new exhibit called the Unity Center, and it’s opening the same weekend far-right rallies in Northern California are expected to draw white nationalists. That’s an eerie coincidence, because the idea for the center began nearly 20 years ago when Sacramento was reeling from a string of hate crimes linked to white supremacists. Host Sasha Khokha checked out the exhibit. Abandoned Bikes Get New Life After Burning Man Festival It’s that time of year again: Burning Man. The festival began in the ‘80s on a beach in San Francisco. But now, people gather in a desert outside Reno, Nevada. Thousands of “burners” will travel there from all over the world, and many will be bringing along bicycles. After it’s over, most of the festival’s structures and artworks will be ritually burned or packed up and taken away. But that’s not always true of the bikes. Kerry Klein at Valley Public Radio has this story about how some Burning Man bikes end up almost 400 miles away, at a Central Valley middle school. Family Ties Bind New Albums from Douyé and The Sons of the Soul Revivers Each month, The California Report's Suzie Racho and our jazz critic Andrew Gilbert get together to talk new releases. They’re here on this week’s show with a couple of albums with strong family ties: Los Angeles singer Douyé’s ‘Daddy Said So’ and ‘Live at Rancho Nicasio’ from The Sons of The Soul Revivers. The Family Biz: San Jose’s Kitazawa Seed Company This week we continue our occasional series, Family Biz, about small, family-owned companies in California. The Kitazawa Seed company was founded 100 years ago in San Jose by a Japanese immigrant who sold vegetable seeds to other Japanese Americans hungry for the tastes of home. The business almost went under several times. During World War II, the Kitazawas were locked up in an internment camp. Decades later, the company was saved yet again -- by a different Japanese-American family. But the two families never really talked about what this company represents. That’s what drove Maya Shiroyama, a 61-year-old from Oakland, to finally visit Tom Kitazawa, the last surviving son of the company’s founder. Reporter Alyssa Jeong Perry was there for that meeting, and brings us this story about a historic company that defied the odds. Pinning Down One Man’s Button Obsession We’re going to end our show with a treasure hunt. It’s not gold we’re looking for, but rather a button. The kind that say stuff like “Vote for Kennedy” or “I Love California.” While most people don’t give these things a second thought, The California Report’s Ryan Levi introduces us to a man who’s spent the last 50 years seeking out this treasure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices