John Muir has been a role model to generations of Californians and to conservationists around the world. He taught us to be active and to enjoy – but at the same time protect – our parks, our beaches, and our mountains. Arnold Schwarzenegger, announcing selection of ‘John Muir-Yosemite Design’ for California State Quarter 29th March 2004
In 1987 the State of California created the Californian Task Force to prove once and for all that low self-esteem was responsible for everything from poor academic achievement to criminal achievement. Penn & Teller, Bullshit! s8e9: Self-Esteem, Showtime 2010
A man in Modesto, California, was arrested for trying to hold up a Bank of America branch without a weapon. He used a thumb and ginger to simulate a gun, but forgot to keep his hand in his pocket. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! 2006
In Blythe you are not permitted to wear cowboy boots unless you already own at least two cows. ibid.
The Californian gold mine discoveries ... They were digging for gold and to get the gold they were digging tunnels into the sides of mountains ... and deep inside these tunnels maybe a thousand or more feet inside ... they were finding human skeletons, human artefacts and it was just amazing. Michael Cremo, author Forbidden Archaeology, radio interview Hidden History of the Human Race
California is home to some of the most astonishing natural wonders on the planet. Rich Hall’s California Stars, BBC 2014
The government gave them over a hundred million dollars to start building the railroad. ibid.
Steinbeck, himself a Californian, highlighted the mistreatment and exploitation of the Dust Bowl workers. ibid.
We’re the ones your mom said to watch out for. We’re the ones that you have to hide your daughters from. Ruben Doc Cavazos, Mongols National President
A brutal prison gang called the Mexican Mafia … The Mexican Mafia was born in one of the most violent prisons in California. Gangland s1e3: Code of Conduct, History 2007
You join for life – no exceptions. ibid.
These soldiers on the streets ensure a steady supply of money to the gang’s leaders nearly all of whom are behind bars. ibid.
They had no hierarchy, no bosses, no one man in charge. ibid.
La eMe’s most lucrative racket – selling drugs. ibid.
By the early 1990s the Mexican Mafia was the most powerful gang in California. ibid.
It’s a war that’s been fought on the streets of California for forty years. It started deep inside these prison walls and over time spilled out on to the streets. Those individuals are the elite members of Nuestra Familia. Order is maintained through discipline and fear. Gangland s1e10: Blood In, Blood Out, History 2008
It’s a blood in blood out oath that once taken can’t be revoked. ibid.
The NF faces competition from its long-term rival the Mexican Mafia. ibid.
Described as the most vicious outlaw biker gang in America. They are the Mongols. They will take on any challenger no matter what. Gangland s2e3: Mongol Nation, History 2008
Formed as an Hispanic alternative to white motorcycle gangs like the Hell’s Angels, the Mongols established multi-million-dollar drug smuggling rings, competing with their rivals for a cut of the cocaine and methamphetamine trade. ibid.
When Cavazos started bringing Mafia connected gang members into the Mongols he created a web of tangled loyalties. ibid.
Ride together. Party together. And rebel against society. ibid.
They went to war over territory with the Angels ... The Hell’s Angels claimed all of California as their territory, and declared ownership of the State as their patch. ibid.
To be a Mongol requires following a strict military-like set of rules. ibid.
The gang also use a coded language. ibid.
The appeal of the gang shows no sign of abating. The Mongols it seems are here to say. ibid.
Surviving the streets of California is easy – compared to the Killing Fields of Cambodia. But TRG – or the Tiny Rascal Gangstas – have taken a page from Pol Pot and turned on their own. To the Tiny Rascals nothing matters but ruling the streets. Gangland s3e2: Californian Killing Fields
The Ferocious Asian Boyz clique – known as ABZ ... The gangs were long-time rivals. ibid.
Years of bad blood were about to spill on to the streets of Fresno. ibid.
Fresno, California, is home to more than one hundred gangs. ibid.
Their mutual animosity frequently explodes into violence. ibid.
It’s a war with no end in sight. Being fought between two of the most dangerous gangs in America. At stake control of northern California, pride and domination. The Hell’s Angels and the Mongols are locked in a battle to the death. Gangland s4e12: Biker Wars II
Making money by dealing drugs and defending their turf by any means necessary. ibid.
The Mongols began expanding their territory in California. ibid.
The Mongols who are outnumbered by the Angels five-to-one began recruiting from a brutal gang – the Surenos. ibid.
These hardcore killers are terrorising Fresno, California. And everyone is an enemy. Gangland s5e9: Dog Fights, History 2009
Only one is top dog – the Bulldogs. ibid.
They rule California's open roads. Renegades with bad intentions. Give them respect. Or pay the price. They are Vagos. Gangland s6e1: Snitch Slaughter, History 2009
The gang’s most lucrative business – trafficking stolen motorcycles. ibid.
They rounded up twenty-five members in a pre-dawn sweep known as Operation 22-Green. ibid.
The Asian Boyz or ABZ are one of the largest and most deadly of these gangs. Gangland s7e3: A Killer’s Revenge, History 2010
The Asian Boyz have made Southern California a killing field. ibid.
The gang is much less powerful than it once was. ibid.
In the fall of 2010 the population of California voted on Proposition 19, a bill intended to liberalise and regulate the cultivation, use, and sale of marijuana. Marijuana True History
In 1996 California was the first state of the union to legalise marijuana for medical use. ibid.
There are over five thousand licensed dispensaries in California. ibid.
Marijuana cultivation has replaced what used to be the number one crop in California: wine. ibid.
In 1996 California became the first US state to legalise marijuana or cannabis for medical use. And proposition 215 was passed by popular vote. Legal Drugs
Cannabis is now California’s biggest cash crop. Drugs Inc s1e4: Marijuana, National Geographic 2010
Sour – Sour Diesel: a potent strain of marijuana. Drugs Inc s6e5: Marijuana Mayhem, 2014
It’s strong. It’s a rapid high. And it’s causing mayhem. ibid.
California legalised medical marijuana in 1996. ibid.
A new marijuana product is blowing from the West Coast – it’s called Shadow. ibid.
Here the industry’s best work hard for big money. And many use coke to give them an edge. Drugs Inc s7e11: Silicon Valley High, 2015
10,000 people work in Silicon Valley’s sex industry. Sex workers have become a key part of the distribution network. ibid.
Cocaine kills 15,000 Americans each year. ibid.
Meth provides even more of an edge in a world of high-pressure deadlines. ibid.