Southern California’s festival season arrives with books and thumping bass

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Thursday, April 13. I’m Vanessa Franko, an assistant editor on the audience engagement team, and I’m making sure I am stocked up with sunscreen for the next few weeks.

Even though festival season is practically year-round in Southern California, April is when things kick into high gear. Two major events are happening over the next two weekends: the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

When I first started covering Coachella back in 2007, I had heard of the fest as a music fan but it had not yet become the global brand it is today. (It would still be another year before the festival made headlines for Prince covering Radiohead and Roger Waters sending off a giant pig into the nighttime desert sky.)

While 125,000 or so people will gather under the sun at the Empire Polo Club in Indio from Friday through Sunday — and again the following weekend for an encore — millions more will tune in via YouTube. In 2019, YouTube said the stream had 82.9 million live views the first weekend alone.

But one thing you won’t get from the YouTube feed is the feeling of the bass thumping through your body at the Sahara Tent. Writer August Brown took a deep dive into the beloved stage where Daft Punk built its pyramid, where Madonna returned to her club roots, and where the likes of Avicii, Skrillex, Calvin Harris and Rihanna broke pop-EDM wide open.

The Times will have a team on the ground, reporting live as Bad Bunny, Blackpink and Frank Ocean make history as Coachella’s first slate of headliners of color. And our music team also compiled their picks for 12 must-see artists, whether you’re watching in person or at home.

While Coachella is a destination for music fans, the L.A. Times Festival of Books is for lovers of the written word.

Ahead of the Festival of Books, we asked 95 writers to tell us the written works that define Los Angeles. The result is the Ultimate L.A. Bookshelf project, which includes 110 pieces covering everything from crime and mysteries to the best memoirs and essays.

Among their more than 500 picks were a few standouts that received multiple mentions. We’ve compiled the best of the best, the 26 works they recommended again and again.

Festivities kick off with the 43rd annual L.A. Times Book Prizes on April 21 before two days of panel discussions on the University of Southern California campus April 22 and 23.

The lineup includes actors such as Matthew Perry, Laura Dern and Diane Ladd speaking as well as Stacey Abrams, Katie Porter, Lois Lowry, Gabrielle Zevin, Michael Connelly and James Elroy.

In addition to those guests and many other distinguished authors, L.A. Times staff will be on hand to discuss coverage and answer questions at our Ask a Reporter stage.

Beyond our website, you can follow our coverage of both events live on the L.A. Times and L.A. Times Entertainment Instagram accounts.

And now, here’s what’s happening across California:

Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing.

L.A. STORIES

Severe mental illness upended an ophthalmologist’s life. This couple took over the doctor’s Malibu house, gave him drugs and drained his fortune. Then they watched him die. Los Angeles Times

All in the Source Family. Although the Source Family disbanded in 1978, fascination with the group, which some call a cult, has surged, with documentaries, books and multiple reissues of the group’s music. And now, Hollywood is getting involved. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Kenneth Mejia’s unorthodox style and campaign helped him to unseat a career politician for the L.A. controller job. Now, two former employees allege that he created an uncomfortable environment at work and on the campaign. Mejia’s office denied the accusations. Los Angeles Times

Going once, going twice — or not. The blocky pyramid-esque Ziggurat building in Laguna Niguel (legal name Chet Holifield Federal Building) was put up for auction last month after the federal government identified it as a surplus property. The government set the opening bid at $70 million, but there were no takers. Orange County Register

INVESTIGATION

Women say they faced sexual abuse and harassment on a ship where future mariners train. In recent years, California State University’s Maritime Academy did not disclose accusations of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment to the U.S. Maritime Administration, and the school has not followed consistent procedures for handling wrongdoing on the Training Ship Golden Bear, a Times investigation has found. Los Angeles Times

HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The pipeline responsible for a crude oil leak off the Orange County coast is going back into service. Houston-based Amplify Energy Co. said federal regulators approved restarting the 17.3-mile pipeline, which runs from an oil platform in federal waters off Huntington Beach to a processing plant in Long Beach. The October 2021 leak sent at least 25,000 gallons of crude into the ocean. Los Angeles Times

More Californians need to prepare for a cascade of climate disasters. Southern Californians know the dangers of floods after wildfires, but as fires burn hotter with deeper burn scars, scientists are figuring out how Northern California is different. San Francisco Chronicle

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

How’s this for American spirit? If you’ve ever spent time on the eastbound 91 Freeway in Corona (hopefully not during rush hour, because yikes) you’ve probably seen that bicentennial-themed mural on the Prado Dam that was covered with graffiti. After a multiyear legal battle, the art will be restored to its former glory. The Press-Enterprise

There’s gold under them hills, maybe. John D. Lawrence was an actor and Hollywood executive. He was also a mapmaker, and one of his creations claims there’s a mother lode beneath Mt. Kokoweef, about 100 miles northeast of Barstow. Los Angeles Times

The “Song of the South” is coming to a close at Disneyland. Splash Mountain, the log flume thrill ride themed around the dated and racist 1946 film, will close next month for a remodel. It will reopen in 2024 as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, themed around 2009’s “The Princess and the Frog,” Disney’s first animated film to star a Black princess. Los Angeles Times

AND FINALLY

Today’s California landmark is Borrego Springs from Danny Becerra:

Danny Becerra’s daughters in Borrego Springs, Calif.

(Danny Becerra)

Danny writes:

What are California’s essential landmarks? Fill out this form to send us your photos of a special spot in California — natural or human-made. Tell us why it’s interesting and what makes it a symbol of life in the Golden State. Please be sure to include only photos taken directly by you. Your submission could be featured in a future edition of the newsletter.

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