When elk defeat humans: Point Reyes is center stage in environmental war
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California’s land use battles are legion, and legend. The state’s public policy has often tilted toward saving nature — the redwoods, the spotted owl, endangered salmon — when humanity’s encroachment became too intense.
But who’s looking out for the creatures at the top of the ecological heap? The message of the new L.A. Times Studios documentary “Leaving the Point” is that humankind also deserves a fair hearing when it comes to habitat preservation.
Point Reyes’ cattle ranchers vs. environmentalists
The documentary focuses on Point Reyes in Marin County, a fantastic landscape of ocean, wetlands and scrubland, rendered semi-mystical by the constant ebb and flow of the fog.
It is also the scene of an intense, yearslong fight between ranchers who have raised cattle beside the sea for more than 150 years and environmentalists, intent on clearing humans aside to create better conditions for species like the majestic tule elk.
Most of us would love it if the operators of the Point Reyes National Seashore could figure out a way to accommodate both. But the conclusion of “Leaving the Point,” which premiered last week, is that the ranchers and their workers — mostly low-income and Latino — have gotten short shrift in the campaign to help nature succeed in the beautiful country north of the Golden Gate.
“There’s a movement now to remove people off the landscape,” says Kevin Lunny, whose family has ranched on the point for nearly 80 years, “and a lot of these people that want to get rid of us are the ones saying, ‘Oh, we want to eat local and we want to eat organic.’ ”
The quiet victims of man vs. nature
The film by Mill Valley native Michael Fearon also centers on the displacement of the immigrant workforce that serves many of the ranches, suggesting they got less consideration than the elk and egrets. At a hearing with U.S. Rep Jared Huffman (D–San Rafael) one woman asks:
“I’m just wondering if you’ll have a plan for a workforce after the residents who live on ranches have to be evicted and you lose everyone who works at the grocery stores and makes you food.”
Point Reyes has been roiled by the land use fight for years, and no one has covered it better than my colleague, Jessica Garrison. What her story earlier this year made clear is that there is no clear hero or villain in the debate, just well-intentioned people, whose priorities diverge.
It’s hard not to be charmed by the Lunnys or by Lola Rodriguez, her husband and children, all pitching in to clean houses and pursue the American dream, of a life safe — for a time — from the poverty that surrounded them south of the border. The Lunnys have run their cattle ranch and related businesses for decades, while the Rodriguezes are newer to the area, providing invaluable domestic labor to ranching families.
Simultaneously, who wouldn’t want to make more room for the noble elk, nearly killed off in the 1800s by overhunting and advancing ranches? The ranchers’ displacement allows 17,000 acres of the National Seashore to be free of fencing, so the elk can roam and forage in peace.
“Leaving the Point” delivers both the viewpoints, but the deepest embrace of the humans and what they are losing. The larger frame captures our outrageously beautiful state, which once again proves worth fighting for.
Today’s top stories
CDC announces change in COVID-19 and chickenpox vaccine recommendations
- The CDC is now recommending that children under the age of 4 no longer get a combination vaccine that protects against four diseases: the chickenpox (also known as varicella), measles, mumps and rubella.
- Instead, the CDC now recommends two separate shots, one just against chickenpox, and the other that protects against measles, mumps and rubella.
- The CDC has also now officially lifted its recommendation that adults under age 65 get the updated COVID-19 vaccine.
Parking will soon cost more in the city of Los Angeles
- Meter prices will jump by 50 cents per hour for the city’s 35,000 paid spaces, with the new costs expected to be in effect by the end of October, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
- Prices currently range from $1 to $8.50 per hour depending on the location.
- The City Council last week also unanimously approved charging for parking on Sundays and extending the hours that motorists will pay to park in metered spots.
A billionaire’s son sold investors on the ‘ultimate man cave.’ Was any of it real?
- David Bren, 33, has been accused of taking more than $2 million from investors for a project called “the Bunker.”
- Described as “the ultimate man cave,” a $14,500 monthly membership offered access to a fleet of high-end vehicles including Ferraris, Bugattis and Porsches, according to investor decks obtained by The Times.
- A litany of lawsuits accuse Bren — the estranged son of Irvine Co. founder and billionaire Donald Bren — of conjuring the Bunker out of thin air to take millions from wealthy targets.
Who is spending money on Prop. 50, the redistricting measure on California’s November ballot
- The Times is tallying contributions to committees supporting and opposing Proposition 50 from now until the November special election.
- Billionaire George Soros leads supporters with $10 million while Charles Munger Jr. donated $32 million to defeat the measure.
More big stories
- Burbank Airport’s air traffic control tower is temporarily unmanned, and a number of flights have been delayed or canceled due to staffing shortages amid the government shutdown.
- Fire after fire, L.A. County keeps promising to fix failures but doesn’t deliver.
- Streaming services are now required to turn the dial down on commercial advertisements under a new California law.
- Former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez has been charged with a felony after allegedly causing “severe” injuries to a 69-year-old.
- Bubba, one of two hawks stolen from SoFi Stadium, was found safe. Alice remains missing.
Commentary and opinions
- There’s much less than meets the eye in Trump’s “historic” drug price deal with Pfizer, argues columnist Michael Hiltzik.
- Columnist Anita Chabria asks, Can Bonta maintain California’s legal hot streak against Trump?
- The Phillies are done, and the Dodgers’ path to the World Series looks clear, writes columnist Dylan Hernández.
This morning’s must read
D4vd’s fans are dissecting his songs for clues, after the badly decomposed body of a 15-year-old girl was found in the trunk of a Tesla he owned.
Other great reads
- Majestic wild horses are trampling Mono Lake’s otherworldly landscape. The feds plan a roundup.
- Signs of dyslexia and reading troubles can be spotted in kindergarten — or even preschool.
For your downtime
Going out
- Restaurants: Love Panda Express? This new fast-casual restaurant is redefining Chinese American food.
- Concerts: The surviving members of progressive rock titans Rush will reunite for their 50th anniversary tour starting at Kia Forum in 2026.
- Casinos: A huge $600-million casino — bigger than many Vegas rivals — is coming to California next month.
Staying in
- Music: Taylor Swift promises “Life of a Showgirl” won’t be her last hurrah — or her last album.
- Recipe: Here’s a recipe for cabbage mafé with limey cilantro sauce.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
And finally ... the photo of the day
Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Genaro Molina at the home of Ted Koerner, who might be the first one to rebuild a house in Altadena.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
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