Where is the Left Coast?
No, not this super-deluxe news source that magically appears in your email box when you least expect it. This article is about the actual land mass we know and love adjacent to the Pacific Ocean.
It lies between the Cascades and Sierra Nevada mountains and the sea, where there is a human population made up of nearly all the world’s ethnicities. This population is among the most progressive in the world.
It’s not a perfect land, in fact it was stolen from the indigenous people who lived here for thousands of years. More recently, it was stolen from the states of Canada and Mexico who had a better claim to it than the immigrants from the United States of the east and midwest America.
Part of the Left Coast, California, was imagined before it was happened upon by the Europeans, in the book, The Adventures of Esplandián. The book was written in 1510 by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo in Spain. Sadly, it has been read by few of California’s current day inhabitants.
The book describes this imaginary land and people as follows:
Know ye that at the right hand of the Indies there is an island called California, very close to that part of the Terrestrial Paradise, which was inhabited by black women without a single man among them, and they lived in the manner of Amazons. They were robust of body with strong passionate hearts and great virtue. The island itself is one of the wildest in the world on account of the bold and craggy rocks.
— Chapter CLVII of The Adventures of Esplandián
The book goes on to describe California as supportive of Islam, and perhaps even a Caliphate. There was a woman ruler by the name of Queen Califa.
A few years later, a Spanish sailing expedition led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed the land for Spain, and called it California. About 300 years later, a band of thugs sent by the US claimed possession and won a war against the Mexican authorities for the entire territory except for Baja California.
California’s struggle to act in a civilized manner began in the 1960s, and since then has moved in a forward direction. At the same time, Oregon and Washington have likewise become two of the most progressive states in America.
The George Floyd uprising was the latest event that showed the strength of progressivism in the Left Coast. All three states distinguished themselves in their fight against racism and white supremacy. In Washington, a free territory was proclaimed in Seattle which provided a safe haven for protesters.
In Oregon, smaller cities rose up, and in the metropolis, Portland, activists refused to give in to racists who were targeting the community. Day after day, in Portland, the anti-racists and anti-fascists took over the city streets and built huge crowds which included families from the surrounding suburbs.
In California, residents in nearly every city took to the streets in protests. The crowds included whites, Latinos, and other nationalities who turned out in massive numbers to support Black Lives Matter. These demonstrations, more than any others this century, have had a profound effect on mainstream media, political office holders and solidarity between ethnicities.
This is not to say that the rest of the country did not rise up. It did, and as never before. Yet, much of the rest of the country has a culture of militarism, “Great Nation Chauvism,” and other negative behaviors. Without a progressive cultural base, the long-lasting changes from the Summer of 2020 are likely to have a lesser impact.
The Coming Battle Over A Woman’s Right to Choose
Roe versus Wade has been the law of the land for 48 years. Now the Trump appointees on the Supreme Court are tearing it down. Old men in black gowns think they have the right to tell women what to do with their bodies.
This male supremacist attitude will not stand. But it is shaping up as a bitter fight, a last gasp for men who have ruled over women for thousands of years. The Left Coast will likely lead the fight for the right to abortion, and true equal rights for women.
California has already led the way to becoming a sanctuary state for women who need the procedure, no matter where they live.
If this battle ensues it may have other consequences as well, such as, strengthening the demand for independence for the Left Coast and for having affirmative action and quotas that help women hold up half the country.
Every evil deed must be met by further demands for freedom and equality. A sustained fight over abortion could turn the country, and the Left Coast upside down.
The Bohemian Cities of the Left Coast
The Left Coast is not just about politics. It’s also about culture. From skateboards to psychedelics, from iPhones to electric cars, and much more, we have led the way, not just for the US, but for the world.
If you are judging us only by our political leaders, you are missing the point. In fact, our political leaders are some of the most conservative left coasters among us. Some are certifiable sociopaths.
The real leaders of the Left Coast are our artists, musicians and poets. They are found all over our states, but most of all in our Bohemian cities. Let’s take a tour of these historic and present day shining stars.
Ocean Beach, CA - This San Diego enclave, made up of surfers, Beats and freaks was once so unlike the rest of the larger city that it drew the discontented and misunderstood. The OB Rag, an underground newspaper, still exists, although only as a digital version.
Laguna Beach, CA - Alas, much of its bohemian nature has been overwhelmed by Orange County’s affluent way of life. Once it was home to the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, a psychedelic group that nearly single-handedly propelled California into the forefront of that revolution. The Brotherhood was responsible for Orange Sunshine LSD, by which millions around the world traveled to realms they didn’t know existed. The Brotherhood regularly traveled to Afghanistan to buy the best hashish in the world. They harbored Tim Leary, and when he was put behind bars, they got him out of prison and spirited him away to a foreign land.
Venice, CA - A jewel of the bohemian cities since the 1950s. One of three homes of the Beat poets (along with North Beach, SF and Greenwich Village, NYC). Its counter-culture traditions continue to this day, in spite of gentrification and an influx of wannabes from L.A. The Free Venice Beachhead, founded in 1968, lives on in print form and archives. The California Peace and Freedom Party originated here, and is now the largest socialist party in the country with more than 100,000 members.
Santa Barbara/Isla Vista, CA - A beach community with a unique hip vibe. Once a cheap hideaway for anyone on the run from L.A., Isla Vista is a college town for UC Santa Barbara. This was the site of the burning of a Bank of America on Feb. 25, 1970, because students said it represented capitalism that was destroying Viet Nam and had committed various crimes against workers in this country.
Santa Cruz, CA - A beach, an amusement park and a small town snuggled between the water and the Redwoods. Home to UC Santa Cruz with its unique History of Consciousness program. Life is good.
San Francisco, CA, neighborhoods of Haight-Ashbury and North Beach - The Haight was known as the founding location of the 60s movement and North Beach was a center of Beat culture. In addition, Berkeley was the site of the Free Speech Movement and Oakland saw the founding of the Black Panther Party.
Arcata, CA - A progressive community near the larger town of Eureka in the “Lost Coast.” In 1989, the city council made the area a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone. Arcata was the first city to elect a city council with a Green Party majority. A city referendum endorsed the removal of a statue of imperialist US president, William McKinley, in the central square. The city also has an anti-logging and pro-environmental history of activism.
Eugene, OR - A college town with a historic background of Earth First! and antifa movements. Anarchism is strong in Eugene, particularly in the community of Whiteaker. A widely attended Country Faire brings back the Sixties each July. The author, Ken Kesey, has influenced the development of spontaneous activism in Eugene with his band of Merry Pranksters.
Portland, OR - one of the largest metropolises of the Bohemians was mentioned above and has a long history with the radical Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and various social movements.
Seattle, WA - Another IWW center hosted the anti-WTO (World Trade Organization) demonstrations in 1999. It was a growing environmental movement which was cut short by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the resulting crackdown on so-called “domestic terrorism.”
100,000 at WTO demonstrations, Seattle, WA, 1999 Victoria, BC - Across the international border on Vancouver Island, this town was once a staid community modeled on Olde England. It embraced the Sixties and soon became one of the hippest places in Canada. It is known for the growing power of its indigenous (First Nations) communities, as well as its women’s activism and Wiccan/Pagan community. Victoria and Vancouver are thriving centers of the left coast of British Columbia.
Is the Left Coast being deserted for Texas, Florida and other strange places?
Not a chance. The only people leaving the Left Coast were never happy here anyway. We are too much for them. They’ll be happier in the cow country and the South. They are people who seemingly never left their homes or their hood, to experience the sublime thrills of tall mountains and verdant forests, roaring rivers, giant Redwoods and the beauty of the Pacific Ocean.
Humans are not the only animals on the Left Coast. The land hosts abundant wild life including mountain lions, wolves, elks, deer, bears, wild horses and smaller animal citizens. We in the Left Coast believe they all have the right to happy lives and natural habitat protection. California, Oregon and Washington are like no where else on Earth.
Too bad not everyone can enjoy reality in your face.
PS – If you have comments on any of the Bohemian cities, or think we missed one, please email us with your comments.
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from your friends at The Left Coast
