Capitol

I learned yesterday that every state gets to send two statues of famous state figures to the US Capitol for display in the rotunda, crypt, etc. California has a statue of Junipero Serra (sure, I guess...he did 'civilize' the native heathens) and.....Mr .Ronald Reagan. For the record, the following must have missed the cut:

Caesar Chavez - guess they thought a state holiday was enough? All he did was organize farm unions which still hold strong today. Or is it because he was born in Mexico? Wait, Reagan and Serra= both not Cali natives...

John Steinbeck - A Cali native, hailing from Salinas - capturing the plight of poor dust bowl-ers and winning a Nobel Prize...

John Muir - mapped the most beautiful wilderness in CA, more than 100 years before gps, bear canisters, or even trails. Guess the ol John Muir Trail is good enough? Too bad 95% of the world will never set foot on it...

Harvey Milk or Mayor Moscone - assassinated for being gay/a supporter of gay rights...guess the federal gov't (McCain?) just wouldn't be cool with this just yet. A shout-out from Gus Van Sant didn't help the cause either...but how cool would it be to have a statue of the two of them?

Jackie Robinson - granted, a Georgia native, but a Muir High School grad (Pasadena), a Pasadena City College grad, UCLA BRUIN, and decorated veteran. Oh, and he broke the color barrier in MLB...but for the Brooklyn Dodgers so...maybe not.

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo - First European to explore the Cali coast.

Huey Newton and Bobby Seale - Yeah, nobody's ready for that yet. But it might be kinda cool.

Coach John Wooden - played for Purdue, sure, but he is a Bruin, and an inspiration, for ever. See my Bruin bias?

Idda voted for any of em before Reagan...and I'm not a Reagan hater- I'm totally indifferent on the guy. But he a bit recent...and not that big of an actor. Give it some time! Let his legacy simmer a bit, then take a look 50 years from now. In the meantime, can we please have Clint Eastwood, Jim Morrison, Tupac, Dr. Dre, Grace Slick, or Jerry Garcia?

Or how about this guy? Most awesome dude to ever hail from Torrance, CA.

They're making a movie about him. word.