In this excerpt from my documentary “The Boomtown Chronicles: The Changing Face of California” we hear stories from James Houston, J.S. Holliday, and Diane Porter Cooley, all of them gone now, but their voices and perspectives have a lot to teach us about California’s history and legacy as a place in the imagination and in reality. James Houston was a beloved figure in Santa Cruz and in the wider literary world. He is the author of many books, including Snow Mountain Passage and, with his wife Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Farewell to Manzanar. J.S. Holliday is the author of The World Rushed In: An Eyewitness Account of a Nation Heading West. Diane Porter Cooley, who recently passed, was a fifth-generation farmer/ranger and land conservationist who was famous for her philanthropy and community spirit. Also included are several long-time Santa Cruz surfers, such as Kim Stoner, who talk about the surf history of Santa Cruz.
