Projects
To Save Our Coast:
Proposition 20 and the Creation of the California Coastal Commission
The 1970s is often referred to as the environmental decade, and perhaps no action better exemplifies the aims and achievements of this period more than California’s Proposition 20. Passed by voters in 1972, Prop. 20 established the regulatory body that became known as the California Coastal Commission - an agency widely recognized as the international flagship of coastal regulation. This documentary tells the story of that grassroots campaign through the voices of those who waged it, showing how a diverse group of underdogs took on the state's most powerful corporations to save the California coast for the people.
In A Field All His Own:
The Life & Career of James C. Scott
This film documents the life and groundbreaking career of famed Yale political scientist James C. Scott. For over fifty years, Scott has stood as a giant in the humanities and social sciences, authoring a string of works that have been recognized globally for their impact on numerous fields of study. The film offers the first look at the scholar and thinker behind the books, tracing his intellectual journey from a small Quaker school in New Jersey to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Mario T. García:
A Pioneer In Chicana/o Studies
In the early 1970s, a generation of scholars sought to bring the Mexican American civil rights movement into the corridors of higher education, creating the academic discipline that became known as Chicana/o Studies. Mario T. García would prove to be one of the most prolific and influential Chicano historians of this founding generation, authoring over twenty books in a career that would span nearly five decades. The film offers an indepth look at the scholar behind these historical works and the academic field he helped shape.
The Legacy of Big Sur Cannabis
Since the 1960s, Big Sur has stood as one of the most innovative and legendary regions of cannabis production in California. From the seedless growing technique of sinsemilla to famed strains such as Big Sur Holy Weed and S.A.G.E., Big Sur’s contributions to cannabis have long been recognized around the world. This short documentary, featured at the California State Fair in 2023, traces the history of cannabis cultivation and culture in the region.
Project conducted in partnership with Emi Kuboyama of Stanford University and filmmaker Jon Ayon. Documentary film and website charts the history of Japanese American Redress through the first hand perspectives of those who fought for the historic program, as well as the government professionals who carried it out. See the film and website at: japaneseamericanredress.org
Winner of the 2023 Autry Prize in Public History.
Western History Association
Bill Lockyer:
A Life In California Politics
In California politics, few names have proved as long lasting as that of Bill Lockyer. First elected to office in 1968, he would serve in the State Assembly and Senate before holding the constitutional offices of Attorney General and Treasurer. In a forty-six career that spanned six governorships, from upstart Ronald Reagan to the eternal Jerry Brown, Lockyer came to carve out his own political legacy in California. Voter databases and targeted mailings were a Lockyer creation, as were campaign lawn signs. In the legislature, he pushed through historic legislation such as the four-hour delivery law, public campaign finance, and famed “napkin deal” (tort reform.) As Attorney General, he took on Microsoft and energy giants like Enron, while also pioneering DNA and forensic programs that made California the true model for the CSI television shows. And as Treasurer, he guided the Golden State through the bankruptcies and debt crisis of the Great Recession. If not for the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown, Bill Lockyer would have been a shoe-in for California Governor. This film charts Lockyer’s long career, highlighting the accomplishments and observations of one of the long-serving legends of California politics.
Forthcoming 2025
Forthcoming
The Travels of Ollie Baba:
Three Decades In The Cannabis Industry
No product in the world is steeped in more myth and mystique than cannabis. This film peels back the curtain to offer an inside look at the culture, practices, and evolution of cannabis cultivation through the thirty-year career of grower Oliver Bates, President of the Big Sur Farmers Alliance. Starting in the dark days of prohibition, and progressing through the opening markets of medical marijuana and the wild west of legalization, Bates’s story offers a rare look at the development of cannabis production in the West as it advanced from sacred plant to consumer commodity. His journey not only spanned new avenues of cultivation but also large swaths of the West: undercover grows in the mountains of Big Sur; some of the first local medical grows in Monterey county; multi-acre farms in the famed Emerald Triangle; massive indoor laboratories in Oregon, Colorado, and California. The travels of Ollie Baba also highlights a personal journey, one that sees a professional take his craft to the very limits only to circle back to find peace once again back home at the roots.