| California's land use battles are legion, and legend. The state's public policy has often tilted toward saving nature — the redwoods, the spotted owl, endangered salmon — when humanity's encroachment became too intense. |
| But who's looking out for the creatures at the top of the ecological heap? The message of the new L.A. Times Studios documentary "Leaving the Point" is that humankind also deserves a fair hearing when it comes to habitat preservation. |
Point Reyes' cattle ranchers vs. environmentalists |
| The documentary focuses on Point Reyes in Marin County, a fantastic landscape of ocean, wetlands and scrubland, rendered semi-mystical by the constant ebb and flow of the fog. |
| It is also the scene of an intense, yearslong fight between ranchers who have raised cattle beside the sea for more than 150 years and environmentalists, intent on clearing humans aside to create better conditions for species like the majestic tule elk. |
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| A cow looks on at Historic C Ranch in Point Reyes Station. (Josh Edelson/For The Times) |
| Most of us would love it if the operators of the Point Reyes National Seashore could figure out a way to accommodate both. But the conclusion of "Leaving the Point," which premiered last week, is that the ranchers and their workers — mostly low-income and Latino — have gotten short shrift in the campaign to help nature succeed in the beautiful country north of the Golden Gate. |
| "There's a movement now to remove people off the landscape," says Kevin Lunny, whose family has ranched on the point for nearly 80 years, "and a lot of these people that want to get rid of us are the ones saying, 'Oh, we want to eat local and we want to eat organic.' " |
The quiet victims of man vs. nature |
| The film by Mill Valley native Michael Fearon also centers on the displacement of the immigrant workforce that serves many of the ranches, suggesting they got less consideration than the elk and egrets. At a hearing with U.S. Rep Jared Huffman (D–San Rafael) one woman asks: |
| "I'm just wondering if you'll have a plan for a workforce after the residents who live on ranches have to be evicted and you lose everyone who works at the grocery stores and makes you food." |
| Point Reyes has been roiled by the land use fight for years, and no one has covered it better than my colleague, Jessica Garrison. What her story earlier this year made clear is that there is no clear hero or villain in the debate, just well-intentioned people, whose priorities diverge. |
| It's hard not to be charmed by the Lunnys or by Lola Rodriguez, her husband and children, all pitching in to clean houses and pursue the American dream, of a life safe — for a time — from the poverty that surrounded them south of the border. The Lunnys have run their cattle ranch and related businesses for decades, while the Rodriguezes are newer to the area, providing invaluable domestic labor to ranching families. |
| Simultaneously, who wouldn't want to make more room for the noble elk, nearly killed off in the 1800s by overhunting and advancing ranches? The ranchers' displacement allows 17,000 acres of the National Seashore to be free of fencing, so the elk can roam and forage in peace. |
| "Leaving the Point" delivers both the viewpoints, but the deepest embrace of the humans and what they are losing. The larger frame captures our outrageously beautiful state, which once again proves worth fighting for. |
Today's top stories |
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| The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced changes to the recommended vaccination schedule for adults against COVID-19 and for children against chickenpox. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) |
CDC announces change in COVID-19 and chickenpox vaccine recommendations |
- The CDC is now recommending that children under the age of 4 no longer get a combination vaccine that protects against four diseases: the chickenpox (also known as varicella), measles, mumps and rubella.
- Instead, the CDC now recommends two separate shots, one just against chickenpox, and the other that protects against measles, mumps and rubella.
- The CDC has also now officially lifted its recommendation that adults under age 65 get the updated COVID-19 vaccine.
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Parking will soon cost more in the city of Los Angeles |
- Meter prices will jump by 50 cents per hour for the city's 35,000 paid spaces, with the new costs expected to be in effect by the end of October, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
- Prices currently range from $1 to $8.50 per hour depending on the location.
- The City Council last week also unanimously approved charging for parking on Sundays and extending the hours that motorists will pay to park in metered spots.
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A billionaire's son sold investors on the 'ultimate man cave.' Was any of it real? |
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Who is spending money on Prop. 50, the redistricting measure on California's November ballot |
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More big stories |
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Commentary and opinions |
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This morning's must read |
| | | D4vd's fans are dissecting his songs for clues, after the badly decomposed body of a 15-year-old girl was found in the trunk of a Tesla he owned. | | | |
Other great reads |
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| Keep up with California | Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. | | | | | |
For your downtime |
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| A 50/50 chicken bowl from the new Jade Rabbit in Santa Monica. It comes with both spicy Sichuan chicken and orange mango chicken. (Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times) |
Going out |
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Staying in |
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And finally ... the photo of the day |
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| Ted Koerner, 66, sits in the shade with his dog Daisy May as his new home is being built in the aftermath of the Eaton fire in Altadena on Sept. 30, 2025. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) |
| Today's great photo is from Times photographer Genaro Molina at the home of Ted Koerner, who might be the first one to rebuild a house in Altadena. |
| Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
| Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
| How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. |
