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Los Angeles Times
29-06-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
The California story we keep erasing
A few months ago, while visiting the rooftop bar at a Residence Inn in Berkeley, I picked up the city's glossy 'official visitors' guide' and searched it for the historical nuggets that these kinds of publications invariably include. 'For thousands of years before the local arrival of Europeans,' I read, 'Berkeley, and the entire East Bay, was the home of the Chochenyo-speaking Ohlone. The specific area of present-day Berkeley was known as Huchiun.' Not too bad for a public-relations freebie, except it then skipped a few millennia in a speed rush to the appearance of the Spanish in the late 1700s, the discovery of gold (1848), the founding of the University of California in Berkeley (1873) and the free speech movement and Summer of Love in the 1960s, which, according to the guide, endowed the city with 'a bias for original thinking' and an 'off-beat college town vibe.' I've spent most of the last five years digging into California's past to expose UC's role on the wrong side of history, in particular Native American history. Beginning in the early 20th century, scholars at Berkeley (and at USC and the Huntington Library) played a central role in shaping the state's public, cultural identity. They wrote textbooks and popular histories, consulted with journalists and amateur historians, and generated a semiofficial narrative that depicted Indigenous peoples as frozen in time and irresponsible stewards of the land. Their version of California's story reimagined land grabs and massacres as progress and popularized the fiction that Native people quietly vanished into the premodern past. Today, prodded by new research and persistent Indigenous organizing, tribal groups and a later generation of historians have worked to set the record straight. For thousands of years, California tribes and the land they lived on thrived, the result of creative adaptation to changing circumstances. When Spanish and American colonizers conquered the West, tribal groups resisted. In fact, the state was one of the country's bloodiest regions in the 19th century, deserving of a vocabulary that we usually associate with other countries and other times: pogroms, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, genocide. Despite this devastation, California's population today includes more than 100 tribes and rancherias. Very few details from authentic pre-California history filter into our public spaces, our cultural common knowledge. I've become a collector of the retrospective fantasies we consume instead — those few sentences in the Berkeley visitors' guide, Google, whitewashed facts on menus, snippets on maps and in park brochures, what's engraved on a million wall plaques and enshrined on roadside markers. These are the places where most people encounter historical narratives, and where history acquires the patina of veracity. One Sunday, while waiting for an order of the ethereal lemon-ricotta pancakes at the Oceanside Diner on Fourth Street in Berkeley, I read a bit of history on the menu. The neighborhood, it said, was created in the early 1850s when workers and farmers developed a commercial hub — a grist mill, soap factory, blacksmith and an inn. There was no mention that the restaurant occupied an Ohlone site that flourished for 2,000 to 3,000 years, part of a network of interrelated communities that stretched from the San Francisco Bay, crossing what is now the Berkeley campus, and following a canyon and a fresh-flowing stream into the hills. A friend who knows I like rye whiskey recently gave me a bottle of Redwood Empire. The wordy label explains that the whiskey is named after 'a sparsely populated area' in Northern California characterized by an 'often inaccessible coastline drenched in fog, rocky cliffs, and steep mountains' and 'home to majestic coastal redwoods.' It's a place 'where you can connect with Nature' but apparently not with the tribes who make it their home now and have done since time immemorial. Traditional travel guides skip the most troubling information and emphasize California as an exemplar of diversity and prosperity. The bad old days are blamed on Franciscan missionaries who, according to the 1997 Eyewitness Travel Guide for the state, 'used natives as cheap labor' and on 'European colonists who committed a more serious crime by spreading diseases that would reduce the native population to about 16,000 by 1900.' This shaky history leapfrogs the crimes of Americans and lands in the mid-20th century when Native Americans, they may be surprised to learn, 'opted for integration throughout the state.' Guides have become more hip, though they're still mostly ahistorical. The Wildsam 'Field Guide to California,' for example, includes 'There There,' by Tommy Orange (Oakland-born, Arapaho and Cheyenne) on its list of must-read fiction, provides a detailed LGBTQ+ chronology, covers Chez Panisse and the Black Panther Party but also reduces Indigenous history to the '1400s [when] diverse native tribes flourish.' UC Berkeley's botanical garden, with 'one of the largest collections of California native plants in the world,' is located in Strawberry Canyon, the route followed by generations of Ohlone to hunting grounds in the hills. No plaques in the 34-acre park acknowledge the site's pre-California past and no books in the gift store educate visitors about what contemporary environmentalists are learning from Indigenous land management practices, such as prescribed burns and selective harvesting. The gaps created by the tendency to present California's origins sunny-side-up dampen curiosity and contaminate a basic understanding of American history. For example, the Lawrence Hall of Science, a teaching lab for Berkeley students and a public science center, has initiated a project to 'promote a clear understanding of the lived experiences of the Ohlone people.' Unfortunately, it dodges the university's role in systematically plundering Indigenous graves in California and appropriating ancestral burial grounds in Los Alamos, N.M., where UC Berkeley had a role in the creation of the atomic bomb. Similarly, just about everybody on campus knows the story of the free speech demonstrations, but almost nobody knows about the longest, continuous protest movement in the state, and one still being vigorously waged against the university: the struggle to repatriate ancestral remains and cultural objects that began in the 1900s when the Yokayo Rancheria, according to local media accounts, successfully hired lawyers to stop 'grave-robbing operations by [Cal] scientists in the vicinity of Ukiah.' Even activists in the Bay Area are not immune to this amnesia. In April, I participated in a rally on the Berkeley campus to protest the Trump administration's devastating attacks on academia. The main speakers, who represented a variety of departments — ethnic studies, African American studies, Latinx studies, Asian American studies and the humanities — defended the importance of anti-racism education and testified to the long history of student protests on the Berkeley campus. What was missing was not only the inclusion of a Native American speaker but also any reference to the ransacking of Indigenous sites that was inseparable from the university's material and cultural foundations. I'm reminded of Yurok Tribal Court Chief Judge Abby Abinanti's admonition: 'The hardest mistakes to correct are those that are ingrained.' Out of history, out of mind. Tony Platt is a scholar at UC Berkeley's Center for the Study of Law and Society. He is the author of 'Grave Matters: The Controversy over Excavating California's Buried Indigenous Past' and most recently, 'The Scandal of Cal.'
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Peachtree Group Celebrates Topping Out of Residence Inn by Marriott in San Antonio, Texas
ATLANTA & SAN ANTONIO, June 23, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Peachtree Group ("Peachtree") marked a major milestone in the construction of the 10-story, 171-room Residence Inn by Marriott in downtown San Antonio with a topping out ceremony, celebrating the completion of the building's structural phase Scheduled to open in the summer 2026, Residence Inn is being co-developed with Austin-based Merritt Development Group. The upscale extended-stay hotel will be owned by Peachtree and managed by its hospitality management division. "Reaching the topping out stage is a meaningful moment for any development," said Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO of Peachtree. "This Residence Inn reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality, purpose-built hotels in markets where we see strong, long-term demand. San Antonio's blend of tourism, education and business activity makes it an ideal location for extended-stay lodging." Designed to meet the evolving needs of today's travelers, the Residence Inn will feature spacious studio suites with fully equipped kitchens, separate living and working areas and a curated collection of lifestyle amenities. Highlights include an on-site fitness center, flexible meeting rooms, inviting outdoor social spaces and a Starbucks accessible to guests and the surrounding community. The Residence Inn will offer guests direct access to San Antonio's top demand drivers, including the Riverwalk, the University of Texas at San Antonio's growing downtown campus and nearby corporate and government offices. The property is being developed within a Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ), reinforcing Peachtree's ongoing strategy to invest in underserved areas poised for growth. The firm is among the nation's most active hotel developers in QOZs, with nine hotels opened and another five, including this Residence Inn, currently under construction. "This project combines strong market fundamentals with meaningful community impact. We're proud to deliver an upscale extended-stay hotel to a fast-growing urban market while advancing our commitment to long-term economic growth in underserved areas," Friedman said. About Peachtree Group Peachtree Group is a vertically integrated investment management firm specializing in identifying and capitalizing on opportunities in dislocated markets, anchored by commercial real estate. Today, the company manages billions in capital across acquisitions, development and lending, augmented by services designed to protect, support and grow its investments. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Charles Talbert678-823-7683ctalbert@
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boise to welcome ‘crown jewel' of hotels on Grove Street. What's coming?
The newest hotel in downtown Boise is edging closer to opening in an area that has seen a wild transformation since the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction crews, city officials, businessmen and developers celebrated a 'topping off' ceremony Wednesday for the incoming 15-story, dual-branded AC and Element Marriott hotel at 1011 W. Grove St. Attendees signed the final structural beam before a crane lifted it atop the building. The AC Hotel will offer a 'sleek, modern experience' with a European style, while the Element Hotel will focus on 'wellness, sustainability and extended-stay comfort,' said Mike Webster, the president of Eagle's Pennbridge Hospitality, which is building the hotels. The two hotels will be within the same building with a shared lobby. The 175-room AC will offer a minimalist experience, while all rooms in the 121-room Element will have kitchens and complimentary breakfasts. 'We think we're bringing something truly unique to the Boise market,' Webster said. The estimated $100 million hotel will include 296 rooms with 10 suites, 9,000 square feet of meeting space, a fitness center and an outdoor roof deck with a spa, barbecues and fire pits on the fifth floor. On the 16th floor, the hotel will include a full-service restaurant and bar called the Boise Post flanked by two rooftop decks. According to Tom Whitney, vice president of development at Pennbridge, the restaurant will use local ingredients in global dishes — such as a Thai larb salad with smoked Idaho trout or churros with Idaho potato flour. The restaurant will be open to the public, too. 'This will really be a crown jewel of the Boise hotel scene,' Whitney said. 'This property will be a landmark.' The building has been under construction for 17 months, and it still has about nine months until crews finish, Whitney said. The hotel is Pennbridge's 14th and its fifth in Idaho. The company's portfolio includes two hotels in Twin Falls, two Marriott hotels in Boise and the 10-story Residence Inn that opened on Capitol Boulevard in October 2017. The new hotel will 'be a great compliment' to the Residence Inn, said Tom Lewis, one of two principals and cofounders of Pennbridge along with Jared Smith. The building has been a long-time coming. The company bought the parking lot that filled the site in January 2020, according to Smith. Then the pandemic hit two months later, parking revenue went to zero, and the duo questioned what they were doing. 'The sun is much brighter in June of 2025 than it was in June of 2020,' Smith said. In that period, a wave of new hotels and redevelopment swept through downtown Boise — focusing heavily on properties surrounding the 11th and Grove street intersection where the AC and Element Hotel is going up. The 122-room Hotel Renegade opened on the northwest corner in May 2024, followed two months later by the boutique Sparrow hotel with 66 rooms on the northeast corner. Both Hotel Renegade and the AC and Element hotels filled former parking lots. Mayor Lauren McLean said the new hotels are helping link the core of downtown to other parts of downtown along Grove Street. 'We have seen so much progress and development right here in an area that was pretty quiet just a couple years ago at the beginning of COVID,' McLean said at the event. 'And it has come to life.' Cody Lund, the executive director of the Boise Centre, told the Idaho Statesman after the Sparrow opened that the city continues to see more demand than hotels have room for. The new Pennbridge hotel could make a dent in that demand, but local hoteliers say the city is still lacking a large-scale hotel with 600 rooms or more that could help bring in bigger conventions or events. The 296 rooms of the new hotel would get close, but not surpass, the largest hotel in the Greater Boise Auditorium District's boundaries: the Riverside Hotel in Garden City, with 300 rooms. But it would dethrone the largest in Boise: the Grove Hotel on Boulevard, with 250 rooms. Thought shopping malls were dead? This developer wants to bring one back to life As Boise area grapples with change, more homes get OK for busy transit corridor Harris Ranch could soon add businesses, shopping & food carts. What's the plan? A historic Boise home could be demolished over safety concerns. What happened?
Los Angeles Times
14-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Trial begins for woman accused of masterminding fatal shooting in Fountain Valley
A 29-year-old woman recruited a 'killer with a smile' to gun down a friend in Fountain Valley she suspected of leaking her hiding place from an ex-boyfriend, a prosecutor told jurors Wednesday, while the defendant's attorney argued the shooter 'went rogue' and said her client had nothing to do with it. Mary Diedra Chavez is charged with murder with special circumstances of lying in wait for the victim and conspiracy to commit murder. Co-defendant Oliver Reynaldo Leon, who is facing the death penalty, is set to go on trial separately. Chavez, known as Mumbles, had been convicted on drug dealing and forcing currency and was on probation when she was accused of 'masterminding' the July 19, 2021, execution-style killing of 26-year-old Phia Marie Albanese, Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Nick Thomo said in court papers. In July of 2021, Chavez was 'dating' Gustavo Alvarezmoreno, whose nickname was Clumsy, while he was in prison for carjacking, Thomo said. Previously, she had been dating 'J.J.' and was the getaway driver in an attack on her ex-boyfriend, Thomo J.J. survived the attack, she feared retaliation and began 'bouncing around from Airbnb to Airbnb to hide from J.J.,' Thomo said in his opening statement of the trial. Her friend, Albanese, was also dating someone behind bars, so the two agreed to hang out, Thomo said. 'Guess who shows up at her door? Thomo said. 'J.J.' Chavez figured Albanese told J.J. where to find the defendant, Thomo said. 'Consumed by her rage over a friend's betrayal,' she 'invited' Leon and other associates to get together for a meeting to plan revenge, Thomo alleged. 'They all decided Phia has to die,' Thomo said. Police were called at 6:11 p.m. July 19, 2021, to 10372 Amberwood Circle regarding a traffic collision and found the victim's body in a Volkswagen Jetta, which was still in drive and on a front lawn, Thomo said. She was still buckled in the driver's seat and sustained three gunshot wounds to the back of her head and one to her left hand, Thomo said. Police found a receipt for the Residence Inn in Tustin in the vehicle and when they went to the room the victim rented they talked to Lisa Bergstrom, who told investigators Albanese had received a phone call alerting her that someone was vandalizing her car, Thomo said. The prosecutor alleged this was part of the plan to 'lure' the victim out of the hotel to kill her. When the two went out to check the Jetta, Chavez drove up in a Mercedes Benz with Leon and another man, Thomo said. Albanese left with Chavez and the others, Thomo said. Video surveillance from the hotel showed the Mercedes entering the parking lot at 4:44 p.m. the day of the killing, Thomo said. Albanese's vehicle left the hotel at 5:40 p.m. with Chavez in the front passenger seat, while one of her friends trailed in Chavez's Mercedes, Thomo said. 'This is not a whodunnit,' Thomo said. 'The shooter is Mr. Leon. The mastermind is the defendant.' Chavez drove her friends back to Los Angeles and dropped them off after the fatal shooting, Thomo said. Some of the evidence in the case will come from jailhouse phone calls, Thomo said. Chavez and her boyfriend discussed the hit on the victim, he alleged. Leon 'is the guy you bring around when you want someone killed,' Thomo said. After the shooting, Chavez called her boyfriend in jail and 'tried to be a sophisticated crook,' feigning surprise at Albanese's killing, Thomo said. 'She pretends like she didn't know what happened to Phia,' Thomo said. 'She tries to set up her alibi, but [her boyfriend] doesn't catch on,' so she changes the subject, Thomo said. Leon is 'a killer with a smile... Those are his words, not mine,' Thomo said. At one point in a jailhouse call, Leon expressed disappointment that his photo wasn't included in a newspaper account of the killing and referred to himself as a killer with a smile,' Thomo said. Chavez's attorney, Jessica Ann Sweeney of the Orange County public defender's office, said Leon 'went rogue,' and said the 'situation was out of Mary's control.' Chavez 'never wanted Oliver to kill Phia. She's not guilty of murder or lying in wait,' Sweeney said. 'The truth is this was a chaotic, drug-fueled series of events,' Sweeney said. Chavez had survived childhood sexual abuse, and her ex-boyfriend had beaten her while she was pregnant, Sweeney said. At the time she was trying to pull her life back together, the defense attorney said. Chavez was staying with Jennifer Jacobs in a rented Airbnb at the time, Sweeney said. Jacobs told investigators Chavez admitted directing the killing of the victim, Thomo said, but Sweeney told jurors that the witness hada motive to lie as she cut a plea deal. Chavez 'was hiding from' her ex-boyfriend, Sweeney said. She called Leon for protection, Sweeney said. 'Her main concern was getting out of that Airbnb alive,' Sweeney said. Chavez even left behind a letter for her godmother in case she was killed, Sweeney said. Chavez never told Leon to kill the victim, and 'she did consider Phia her friend,' Sweeney said. 'She just wanted Oliver there for protection,' Sweeney said. 'She didn't want Oliver to hurt Phia. There was no plan. There was no agreement.' Leon ingested methamphetamine before the shooting and 'got angry and impatient,' Sweeney said. Before the shooting, Leon told Chavez 'to get out of the car,' Sweeney said. Chavez 'thought she would be next' to get killed, Sweeney said. In the past, Chavez told Leon not to beat someone up, and he honored that, so the defendant thought he wouldn't kill Albanese, Sweeney said. 'She thought she could trust him on his word and obviously she couldn't,' Sweeney said. 'Oliver promised not to do anything.'
Hospitality Net
13-05-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Huntington Hotel Group Opens New Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites by Marriott in San Luis Obispo, CA
Huntington Hotel Group proudly announces the grand opening of the new, dual-branded Residence Inn by Marriott San Luis Obispo and SpringHill Suites by Marriott San Luis Obispo, California. Located at 701 Froom Ranch Way, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405, this modern property offers travelers a vibrant, comfortable experience with easy access to everything the California Central Coast has to offer. Perfectly situated next to the newly developed SLO Ranch Farms & Marketplace, the hotel gives guests immediate access to local produce, artisan shops and community events. Just minutes from downtown San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly, and top destinations like Avila Beach, Pismo Beach, and Edna Valley Wine Country, the location offers a convenient home base for both leisure and business travelers. A Blend of Comfort and Style The property features two unique brands under one roof, catering to a variety of traveler needs: Residence Inn by Marriott Extended-stay suites with full kitchens and comfortable living spaces - Ideal for longer stays, relocations, and corporate assignments SpringHill Suites by Marriott Contemporary all-suite accommodations with separate living and sleeping areas - Stylish design perfect for weekend getaways and business travel Shared Amenities Include: Complimentary hot breakfast served daily - Free high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the hotel - Outdoor pool with lounge seating - Modern fitness center with cardio and weight equipment - On-site bar and grill - Pet-friendly accommodations The hotel is led by General Manager Golda Escalante, whose hospitality expertise ensures a guest experience defined by comfort, convenience, and exceptional service. Strategic Investment Partnership The project was developed in partnership with EB5 Capital and Somera Capital Management. Hotel website
