The Californianist

In 1981, two decades after the Battle of Chavez Ravine, Fernando Valenzuela had one of the most magical seasons in baseball history for the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is the story of that season, the legend of El Toro, and the thousands of Latino fans his performance inspired.

Southern California's very own Gold Rush, the Citrus Boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, transformed the landscape and its global reputation, all whilst those who worked the orchards struggled to find a home in the land of dreams.

In a swift and turbulent decade, from 1533 to 1543, Spanish conquistadores went from being wholly ignorant of the existence of California, to sailing all the way to present day Marin County. From Cortés to Cabrillo, this is that story.