Postcard from the Central Valley

Rowan and I are back on the road for a quick trip to shoot some picks-ups for our Pistachio Wars/Oligarch Valley doc. On this photo, we’re on the I-5 somewhere near Lost Hills, the corporate town controlled by the Wonderful Company.

Don’t have much to report, other than that all the pistachio (and almond) trees have shed their leaves for the winter — their endless orchards spread out as far as the eye can see, like a mass of skeletons standing in perfect grid formation.

Will update you on the film as we have more info. But 2022 is looking like our lucky number.

—Yasha Levine

Update: The usual meth dive we stop for the night in Bakersfield — the Downtowner — had sadly permanently closed. So last night it was a generic Super 8 for us. They have a great policy: if you’re a local, you have to put up a $200 deposit to stay in a $70 bug infested motel room. They really don’t want local business, only VIP out-of-towners like us.

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Want to know more? Read “Private islands, forgotten California oligarchs, and Jewish converts. Say hello to our ruling class.”