Santa Monica Bay offers a potpourri of images and activities. Its shores reflect the ingenuity of developers adept at turning sand dunes and marshes into cities. The bay’s beaches have served a s sets for a fictional teenage surfing idol and at least one cheesy television series. Its waters have inspired noir detective stories and more than one forgettable song.
Apropos of its link with the entertainment industry Santa Monica Bay has also been the stage for an ambitious politician’s successful run for the California governorship. This in turn led to his appointment to the United States Supreme Court and authorship of a landmark decision that abolished racially “separate but equal” schools and other public facilities in America. It is this improbable series of events I want to look at.
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