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A People's Guide to Orange County

"A People’s Guide to Orange County" is an alternative tour guide that documents sites of oppression, resistance, struggle and transformation in Orange County, California. Written by Elaine Lewinnek, Thuy Vo Dang and Gustavo Arellano, this guidebook offers a view of the county beyond its high-profile amusement parks or the beaches.

Every month, the authors will be sharing a series of surprising stories that reveal the complexity of Orange County's histories. This month, Lewinnek, Vo Dang and Arellano uncover the contradictory legacies of the Cold War on Orange County.

Two women dressed in traditional garbs for Indigenous Americans dancing in ritual.
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Lost LA

Republicans and the Resistance: Orange County's Surprising Political Contradictions

A man looks out of his car among farming trucks and other equipment.
Article
Lost LA

The Land Rights Battles That Created Today's Orange County

Congressman Richard M. Nixon delivers a stump speech from the back of his "Yellow Woody" Mercury Station Wagon during his successful 1950 U.S. Senate campaign, Garden Grove, April 28, 1950.
Article
Lost LA

A Contradictory Legacy: How The Cold War Shaped Orange County's Diversity and Conservatism

Activism vs. Conservatism

A black and white photo of thirteen plain-clothed, half of them sitting and the other half standing behind them. They're surrounded by deputies. A man on the far left is holding a large gun as he looks over at the thirteen young men, mostly men of color. Behind the group is another deputy holding a bat or baton.
Lost LA
How Farmworkers Fought for Their Rights in OC's Last Orange Groves
A black and white photo of police officers in riot gear standing side-by-side holding batons in front of the Disneyland castle. Another police officer in the foreground is holding a bullhorn.
Lost LA
The Yippie Invasion of Disneyland and Other Acts of Activism in the Happiest Place on Earth
A commercial street corner at a major intersection. Cars wait at the light. The commercial plaza has a sign that reads, "Diamond Plaza."
Lost LA
Vietnamese American Teens Resisted Racial Profiling at Cafe Chu Lun
A woman in traditional Juaneno Acjachemen regalia stands in front of a crowd of people seated and gathered around her. She is holding a microphone and is speaking to a crowd, out of frame. The people seated behind her have their arms stretched out towards her and look happy.
Lost LA
New Orange County Park Space is a Gathering Space for Indigenous Americans
A housing complex featuring a beige and cream exterior color palette. In the foreground, a sign reads, "Verano Place Parking Lot 23."
Lost LA
UC Irvine Student Housing Fight Makes Inroads in LGBTQ Rights
A black and white photo of two protestors walking away from camera. They are both holding picket signs and are walking towards a larger crowd of protestors off in the distance. The woman's picket sign reads, "No more lies, no more lives, no more nukes."
Lost LA
San Onofre: The Epic Journey to Close a Nuclear Plant
A wooden sign mounted on cobble-stone reads, "Woman's Civic Club of Garden Grove." Below that, "9501 Chapman Avenue." Off in the near distance is a parking lot and a one-story bungalow-style building.
Lost LA
The OC Community Center That Launched a National Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
A black and white photo of a woman being pinned with an honorable pin. In front of her are various microphones. Behind her are her family members.
Lost LA
Who Were the Masudas? This O.C. Middle School Hides a Legacy of Japanese American Resistance
Reitman v. Mulkey
Lost LA
How One O.C. Woman Took Her Fight For Fair Housing All The Way to the Supreme Court – And Won
Sammy Lee midair
Lost LA
Sammy Lee: A Life That Shaped the Currents of California and U.S. History
A lime green taco truck with bright pinks signs that read, "Vote" in Spanish, "Vota," in Arabic and in Chinese. In the foreground, someone holds up a styrofoam plate topped with two tacos.
The Migrant Kitchen
How Tacos and the 'Pink Hijabi of Orange County' Are Bringing Latino and Muslim Communities Together

Land Rights Battles

A blueprint of a city block with color-coded markings in the the squares. Residences housed by Chinese were marked in red on a fire insurance blueprint.
Lost LA
When Santa Ana Burned Down Its Own Chinatown
Worn and slightly dilapidated beach cottages along a beach, some mounted on a hill that overlooks the ocean, not in frame. The setting sun casts an orange-y golden hue over all the houses.
Lost LA
Crystal Cove: When Coastal Housing in Orange County Was Affordable
A house with white wood paneling and teal green wood trim stands amongst a lively garden featuring many garden plants and cacti. A wood sign hangs off the roof trim and reads, "Law offices."
Lost LA
At Rio Adobe, Native Americans Got to Keep Their Land, But Struggles Remain
A black and white ink sketch of a beach resort right along a coastline.
Lost LA
When Black People Almost Gained Beach Access in 1920s Orange County
A gray stucco house with an arched patio entrance and two arched windows. The house has red roof tiling and plants all along the patio. A well-trimmed green lawn and a black iron-wrought fence surround the house.
Lost LA
This Win Against Housing Covenants in Fullerton Sets Up Landmark Desegregation Cases Nationwide
An aged and yellowing black and white photo of two children looking on at a camp — dusty, unpaved roads with identical red-wood houses lined side-by-side.
Lost LA
1 Bedroom for a 15-Person Family: Orange County's First Company Town for Citrus Farmers
A suburban house with a big driveway and cream colors
Lost LA
In Placentia, Black Homebuyers Persevered in the Face of Racist Violence
A foreground of produce with a background of buildings
Lost LA
When Disney Wanted to Build a Parking Lot on Their Berry Farm, the Fujishiges Said No
A sign that reads, "Huntington Continental" made out of stone tile and brick stands in front of a dark blue wood paneled building. Palm trees and a manicured lawn and landscape surround the sign and building.
Lost LA
Giving Up Your Rights to Live in a Planned Community? Yes, It Started in Orange County

Cold War Legacies

A beige home with an American flag out front and a car parked in an uncovered garage.
Lost LA
How the U.S. Military Fueled Housing Integration in Orange County
An Asian American man stands with a cardigan in front of a doughtnut shop
Lost LA
The Cambodian American Reign of Doughnut Shops Began in This La Habra Shop
A building with the words Coast Inn on it, with a row of old 1930s cars visible outside.
Lost LA
Boom Boom Room: A Haven of OC's LGBTQ Community in the 1970s and '80s
Glover Stadium in 2019 shows a board with the words Glover Stadium and the green grass of a baseball diamond.
Lost LA
The Stadium That Spurred Orange County's Right-Wing Conservatism
Orange County's Crystal Cathedral looks like a glass tower pointing straight up at the sky.
Lost LA
The Crystal Cathedral: A Glass Tower of Power and Politics in Orange County
Young children and women holding up signs that say #TacoTrucksatEveryMosque
Lost LA
Delicious Activism Unfolds at this Orange County's Santa Ana Islamic Center
A regular parking lot shows a bus letting people on in front of an Asian supermarket
Lost LA
This Low Fare Bus Service Is Connecting Vietnamese Americans Across Southern California
A Google Earth view of Chapman Sports Park shows tennis courts, a baseball diamond and other facilities.
Lost LA
The Orange County Parks That Used to be Missile Silos