Photos: The last farmer on the Palos Verdes Peninsula
James Hatano, 82, is the last farmer on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and the last link to a Palos Verdes few remember, one dotted with farms worked by Japanese immigrants and their families. When he retires, a century-old tradition will end. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Jose Manuel Sanchez works on a farm field for James Hatano. For $631 a year, Hatano leases two sites totaling 14 acres from the city of Rancho Palos Verdes. He still drives to his fields several times a week to make sure things are running smoothly. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Hatano can gaze across Palos Verdes Drive West to where construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the 582-room Terranea resort with its nine-hole golf course, 25,000-square-foot spa and three pools. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Doug Hatano carries a bucket of fresh flowers at his father’s farm on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
