Talk:California

Are White Hispanics "minorities"?

As stated above, Hispanic is not an option for race on the census. It's an additional category for ethnicity. There are Hispanics of all races. Combining all Hispanics into one group, excluding White Hispanics from inclusion among all Whites, and then declaring them "minorities" is not only inaccurate, it is insulting and racist. Were Italians, Greeks or Jews "non-white" 100 years ago? What are they now? How are White Hispanics different, and why are they being called "non-white"? What is the agenda here? It seems some sort of distortion is being done intentionally. Based on the ACS already cited in the article it should read:

According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, California's population is:[41]

   * 76.4% White
   * 12.5% Asian
   * 6.7% Black or African American
   * 2.6% Multiracial
   * 1.2% Native American

   * 36.6% are Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.197.6.148 (talk • contribs) 17:12, 27 November 2010

Wyoming

In the inital history paragraph it describes the original make-up of the then called California, there is no verification on the listing which normally I would understand but in this case is needed as Wyoming was never a part of that area. So a footnote ref or removal Wyoming from they listed land area would help the veracity of the article. Thanks all — Preceding unsigned comment added by BespokeFM (talk • contribs) 17:45, 19 June 2011

Mexico as a bordering country

The introduction mentions Oregon, Nevada and Arizona as bordering states, but completely ignores the border to Mexico. I think that should be changed 2001:630:12:242C:89D8:6C09:5D33:F6D5 (talk) 19:32, 7 March 2013 (UTC)Mo

It certainly should. A model to draw on is Texas, which says "Texas shares an international border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas to the south, and borders the U.S. states of New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast and Louisiana to the east." Suitably Wikilinked, of course. HiLo48 (talk) 07:03, 8 March 2013 (UTC)

Spelling correction

in the article San Francisco is listed as having the "21th" largest airport. Please change this to 21st. Thanks Zeppelincheetah (talk) 07:20, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

Done. Thanks for spotting that. AlexiusHoratius 13:58, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

Edit needed

There is an edit needed in the Politics section. The number of total registered voters is the same as the Democratic voters. The total registered voters should read 18,245,970 according to the existing reference link. Mswan57 (talk) 13:26, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

 Done Thanks for the note. Binksternet (talk) 13:40, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

Almonds are chief exports

I would like to add a bit about how California exports a LOT of almonds. It is their chief agricultural export and there is no mention in the article. Here is a video about it from the Almond Board of CA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6-upla2Fr8

Unfortunately, youtube is not often considered a reliable source in and of itself, and the Almond Board of CA isn't necessarily a reliable source, so if a reliable source can be found to state that almonds are the largest exported item from California, then we would consider it.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 19:54, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

This article here states that it's the states largest agricultural export item, and this source from the Census Bureau says that it's the 6th largest export of California, by value.

If the content is added, it should be added to the agriculture section, or to the almond article.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 20:01, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

Various sources describe California as being the world's leading almond exporter, supplying about 80%[1] to 85%[2] of Global demand in 1993, not counting the nuts eaten in California and the rest of the US. There was a big expansion period starting in the 1960s. Surprisingly, the almond industry relies to a large degree on pollination supplied by bees that are trucked around the US depending on which crop is flowering. Binksternet (talk) 21:08, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

I think if we are going to include this, it should be along with the top ten other exported products of the state in the economy section. Otherwise, if we are only going to state that almonds are the state's chief agricultural export, it might be better in the sub-article Economy of California.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 04:22, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

Good idea. A list of top ten agricultural products by cash value would be perfect in the Economy section, at the agriculture paragraph. Or if a list of aggie plus non-ag exports can be put together, such a list could be its own paragraph pertaining to exports. This list of CDFA stats could be useful. This USDA report from 2011 puts the top ten aggie products in this order by cash value: 1) milk and cream 2) shelled almonds 3) grapes 4) cattle & calves 5) nursery 6) berries and strawberries 7) hay 8) lettuce 9) walnuts 10) tomatoes. Very few reliable reports exist to gauge the relative value of marijuana growing in California, but some observers put it in the top ten. NORML puts it at the very top of the list [3] and Time magazine agreed with that assessment in 2009.[4] The official reports do not include this shadow crop. Binksternet (talk) 04:50, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

Lets be consistent and not include marijuana, otherwise it could be WP:SYNTH. If there was a paragraph on the economy of illegal drugs (although marijuana is legal in California for medical purposes only), then I can see a mention of marijuana's value to the economy, but otherwise, IMHO it is out of place.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 18:00, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

I have added the top three products from the USDA source, if we want to include the top ten, I am not opposed to it; but why only list the top ten agricultural products?--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 18:41, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

Needs Update

Prop 8 has now been overturned by the federal courts and gay marriages are now legal. Correct, US Supreme did not overturn prop 8, the Federal District Court did, and the US Supreme held that the proponents of Prop 8 lacked standing ... same result, gay marriages are now legal in CA. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.210.202.40 (talk) 20:39, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

California's unemployment rate needs to be updated. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in California is 8.5% as of June 2013. This places California with the 11th highest unemployment rate. Here is the source: http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm

174.68.68.142 (talk) 19:46, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

LA KISS

The "Sports" section needs to add the newly formed arena football team, the "LA KISS." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.213.145.99 (talk) 21:15, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

More Information for "19th century"!

In November 1818, the Franco-Argentine privateer Hipólito Bouchard including harassment for a few weeks in Alta California (The Corsair Cruiser Argentina). They landed about a league from the fort, in a cove hidden by the heights. The resistance of the fort was very weak, and after an hour of combat Argentina flag was hoisted. The Argentines took the city for six days, in which burned the fort, the barracks of the artillery, the governor's residence and other Spanish possessions. This heralded the end of Spanish colonial rule in the region. Likewise be checked more regularly whenever the arrival of British and American ships bound for Vancouver and Seattle and Portland areas respectively.

(taken from the Wikipedia's article "California" in Spanish: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/California#La_colonia See also the Wikipedia's article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippolyte_de_Bouchard#California_and_Central_America) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pedeelewiki (talk • contribs) 17:00, 12 October 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 24 October 2013

There's a typo for the no. of white people under the 'demographics' section, currently it says 22,2000,000. Maybe an extra 0 there? 110.174.154.108 (talk) 14:58, 24 October 2013 (UTC)

Fixed. Thanks, 110.174.154.108. Acalamari 15:11, 24 October 2013 (UTC)

Natural Areas for Tourists

Planning Advice from a Ca. planning n00b

As an off-roader and hiker from Pa./NY/NJ, I'm overwhelmed by all the parks, and to prevent information overload, some organization is found by breaking down California into a few geographic regions, then drilling down into the information mine, by web site covering the region. If you're a new tourist to it, start with the federal sites, then state and local, for full experience diversity. There is some coverage overlap between the federal and state sites, and http://www.wildernet.com which also covers county parks/trails and filters by activity. Due to Ca.'s size, to limit travel time, identify a geographic region you'll stick to on your visit. Once source is the pop-ups from clicking on color sections in the Find a Park map window at http://www.parks.ca.gov/ , for suggestions. No one visits California just once. Even natural wonders have respective events, such as the Yosemite grant 150 year anniversary. (http://www.visitcalifornia.com/Events/).

The USDA site is astonishing, read its detailed descriptions of the locales, their Special Places - and always call the regional park ranger/superintendent before jumping into remote or natural areas, on closures, degrees of difficulty, suggested/favorite features to visit. The national forests/parks are often frequented by experts in their area of recreation - horsemen, primative campers, climbers, birders, hikers, off-roaders. Don't *expect* to learn new skills for enjoying natural wonders, on your Ca. visit, unless you use a facility that provides the training. The web sites listed here do not list these. Pre-evaluate your skill levels realistically - and your wife's and kids' - comparing to the experiences offered, as there are less intense and more instructive offerings of the same activities such as ATV'ing, at commercial rental facilities nearer to major cities and towns, or local and state/county parks with fun day hikes kids will enjoy.

Many parks/forests have regulated season dates, closed trails, features you're not prepared for, or you're already too sore to fully experience; but it's Ca. - where the car is king - use the Scenic Driving pulldown at wildernet.com for example, to find an amazing scenic byway nearby the park, or the federal site, for example: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/byways/2587

Never be one-dimensional by planning by theme only, e.g. we're going to hike Mt. Shasta but not explore Redding. Alternate the natural wonder and urban/shopping/sightseeing and beach themes from day to day to contrast experiences. Eating Chef Boyardee out of a can over a mountainside campfire hearing coyotes howling one night, a fine 4 star restaurant the next. Some sites:

Federal:

USDA Forests: http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/map/state_list.shtml#C US NPS: http://www.nps.gov/state/ca/index.htm?program=parks Pacific Coast Trail: http://www.fs.usda.gov/pct/ Byways: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/byways/

State:

Main: http://www.parks.ca.gov/ Hiking: http://www.parks.ca.gov/Trail/ State BLM: http://wildernet.com/pages/area.cfm?areaID=CABLSO&CU_ID=1 Off-roading (Ca. state areas): http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1170 Golden parks: http://www.calgold.com/goldenparks/Default.asp?Series=100 (partial state park list with brief background info, pay video)

Local (sample only):

http://www.lamountains.com/parks_search.asp

Other (don't know how often updated or accuracy):

Offroading: http://www.all-offroad.com/DirtBikes/Where2Go/California_Riding_Areas.html Hiking in proximity to towns/cities: http://www.localhikes.com/

It seems almost everyone in US history forged a trail or built a landmark in Ca. for you to retrace and reflect, but don't forget the nearest beach! http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/cabeaches/

75.97.232.1 (talk) 17:53, 1 December 2013 (UTC)