From utility man to one of California's foremost journalists

This episode explores the inspiring journey of Louis Sahagún, from a utility man to a renowned journalist at the LA Times, chronicling California's environmental and social issues.

1. Transition from Utility Man to Journalist: Sahagún’s career at the LA Times began in an unlikely manner, showcasing the potential for unexpected paths in career development.
2. Environmental and Social Issues: He extensively covered significant Californian issues, focusing on the intersection of human activity and environmental conservation.
3. Personal Connection to Stories: Sahagún's reporting was deeply influenced by his upbringing and personal experiences, adding a unique perspective to his journalistic work.
4. Legacy of Chronicling California: His work is a testament to the importance of local journalism in influencing public understanding and policy.
5. Reflection on Retirement: The episode also touches on Sahagún's reflections on his career and his plans post-retirement, highlighting his ongoing passion for storytelling.

1: Introduction to Louis Sahagún

Elsa Chang introduces Louis Sahagún, setting the stage for a discussion about his career and influence. Louis Sahagún: "I fell into the La river multiple times as a reporter."

2: The Early Years and Career Beginnings

Sahagún shares his beginnings at the LA Times and his first break into journalism. Louis Sahagún: "I was just an opinionated utility man. I had no dream of being a journalist."

3: Major Themes in Sahagún's Work

Exploration of key themes like environmental challenges and urban development in California. Louis Sahagún: "I got to chronicle the tug of war between wildlife and humans."

4: The Impact of Personal History

How Sahagún's personal background influenced his journalism. Louis Sahagún: "I felt I was writing dispatches for people like those I grew up with."

5: Reflections and Future Plans

Discussion on retirement, legacy, and life beyond journalism. Louis Sahagún: "There comes a time when you have to step out of the way."

1. Explore Local Issues: Engage with local environmental and social issues to understand and contribute to your community.
2. Document Your Journey: Keep a journal or blog to chronicle personal and professional growth.
3. Stay Informed: Regularly read local newspapers and support local journalism.
4. Pursue Lifelong Learning: Always look for opportunities to learn and grow, regardless of your career stage.
5. Plan for Retirement: Think about how you want to spend your time after retirement and make plans that align with your passions.

Louis Sahagún first arrived at the Los Angeles Times in his early twenties as a utility worker, sweeping lead dust around the printing machines.

But it was the buzzing newsroom that inspired Sahagún to soon spend his lifetime writing stories about the undiscovered characters and corners of California.

Now after 43 years, he's retiring from the paper, and reflecting on what motivated him to cover a side of the Golden state that remained unknown to many.

People

Louis Sahagún, Elsa Chang

Companies

LA Times

Books

None

Guest Name(s):

None

Content Warnings:

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Elsa Chang
New York City may have the Hudson River, Paris may have the Seine, London, the Thames, but Los Angeles, you know what we got? We got a concrete ditch filled with trash and smelly water. If you get closer or if you fall in that water that smells like dirty socks, and it'll be somewhat unnerving. Louis Sahagin knows that firsthand because he went kayaking down the La river as a reporter at the LA Times, and he fell into the water multiple times. And I don't resemble a reptile or a Gila monster at this point.

Louis Sahagún
That didn't happen. That's good. This urban river is just one of thousands of subjects that Sahagin has chronicled in his 43 years at the LA Times, a reporting journey that's taken him to unusual places all over the state of California and beyond. 74 years old and last month, Louis Sahagin retired. And when we asked him where we should meet to talk about his life, his work, he chose this river right here.

Elsa Chang
After all, the La river is one of the recurring main characters in his stories. It is a real river that's been straight jacketed in concrete, and that occurred in 1938 after a historic flood. A lot of people died. A lot of property was destroyed as La was burgeoning. So the city fathers and the people who were moving in said, okay, this cannot ever happen again.

Sahagin says the La river's transformation from a wild, rambunctious river into a concrete channel has been a century long story of environmental battles, gentrification, and displacement, like when latino families like his were told to move to make way for improvements to the river's waterways. So Hagin grew up not far from here, along a tributary of the La river, where his parents were farm workers. It was teeming with wildlife. There were clouds of tadpoles, just fleets, you know, frogs leaping out of the grass. My uncles were shooting waterfowl, you know, and we were having them for dinner.

And how did growing up on a ranch with your family in that area, how do you think that shaped your. Relationship with nature, those memories of all of that wildlife and all of that natural kind of excitement? In a kind of a way? Throughout my career, 43 years of reporter, I've been chasing those diminishing scenes, looking for patches, remnants of those memories, what their fate might be in the way of more development. Today, Sahagin's byline is one of the most recognizable in California.

But, you know, his first actual job at the LA Times was not reporter. Well, I heard of an opening for utility man. I got the job I had worked in factories. I dropped out of junior college. Consider this.

Louis Sahagin went from utility man to one of California's foremost journalists. Hear how he chronicled the untold stories of his home state over 43 years at the LA Times.

From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.

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Elsa Chang
It's consider this from NPR. Louis Sahagin first arrived at the LA Times in the 1970s. He had dropped out of junior college and got a job as a utility man at the LA Times, sweeping up lead dust around the news printing machines. But it was the environment of the buzzing newsroom that fascinated him decades ago. Even the other utility men and women, the floor sweepers, they were exciting.

Louis Sahagún
They were an incredibly diverse group. You know, they were talking about Nietzsche, you know, the philosopher. They were talking about Zen and the Dodgers. He was electrified to be working alongside people like that, people who inspired him to go back to school and get a degree. So Hagin eventually worked his way up to copy messenger.

Elsa Chang
And then one day he, he strolled into the office of the paper's book editor. His name was Digby Deal. He said, louis, what makes you think you could come in here and review a book for the LA Times? Please? Dang.

Louis Sahagún
And I said, what have you got to lose? And he said, all right. And he took the biggest goddarn book off the shelf and he slid it across his desk and he said, louis, what do you know about the c by of Africa? And I said, it wasn't much as the next guy. He said, that's the right answer.

Now it was the beginning of 200 book reviews. Can I ask, why did you start with book reviews? Of all the places in the paper that you could start as a novice writer, book reviews seems kind of intimidating. I was a novice writer. I was just an opinionated utility man.

I had no dream or desire of being a journalist. None. Zero. I just wanted to express an opinion and write. Yeah, yeah.

Give me a book. Let me review it. It was really that outrageous, outlandish. I feel like every time I see some untold story about some corner of California that I have never heard of, I don't even have to look at the byline. I just know it's gonna be your name at the top of that story.

Elsa Chang
What is it about California that has kept you here for all these decades as a writer? In part because I grew up with, you know, working class chicano parents. In an odd way, I felt I was writing dispatches, you know, for people like those I grew up with. And I was taking them to places that I never got to go. Owens Valley, you know, cyanide, heat, bleach, mining in remote corners of the Mojave.

Louis Sahagún
And, you know, these are things that my mom and dad. Hey, read your story. Hey, man, that was great. That was the applause I was looking for. Oh, well, Lewis, when you look back on your more than four decades writing about this state, what do you want your legacy to be?

The legacy is that, if there is one, is that I got to chronicle the tug of war between wildlife and humans in one of the largest and fastest growing and most influential regions of planet earth. I'm very proud of that, and I want to give you an example of that struggle. It's not the longest story, it's not the most prize winning, but when it comes to pride, it's this one. I got to tell the world that desert tortoises did not evolve in the desert. They evolved when things were more moist, and they adapted to the desert.

Today, in the midst of historic drought, some female tortoises are laying more eggs than they are physiologically capable of laying without dying. It's a genetic Hail Mary pass into the future on behalf of the species. If I think about it too much, I get tears in my eyes. Those tortoises. Female tortoises are my heroes.

Elsa Chang
I remember you wrote that. Yeah, I got to tell the world about that. And that kind of a thing makes. Yeah, I'm proud of that. I can tell you love still to tell stories.

What made you decide to leave the LA Times? It's just time. There comes a time when you, I believe you have to step out of the way. You just should. Now, I'm not used to it, I have to admit, but I'm not living on deadline for the first time in 43 years.

Louis Sahagún
Hallelujah. It got so bad. Even recently, if I'm buttoning a shirt in the morning, I would be thinking, okay, there's 1 second lost. There's 2 seconds lost, 3 seconds lost. I know that feeling so well.

Yeah, no. Okay, so it's time to put on the brakes. So how do you plan on spending your time? I bought an e bike. A what bike?

An e bike. Oh, an e bike. I actually bought one. When I got it, I found myself, it was so exciting and so fun. I started singing out loud.

I think I was singing the rolling stones under my thumb out loud, uncontrollably. And I know there were residents, you know, people watering their lawns, covering their children's eyes. Don't look at him. He's crazy. You know, I've got a knee bike.

Elsa Chang
But do you plan on riding it along the LA river? Oh, yeah. That was Louis the Hagin, lifelong Angeleno and staff writer at the LA Times for 43 years. This episode was produced by Janaki Metha and Mark Rivers. It was edited by Christopher Intaliata.

Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun. And one more thing before we go. You can now enjoy the consider this newsletter. We still help you break down a major story of the day, but you'll also get to know our producers and hosts and some moments of joy from the ALL things considered team. You can sign up@npr.org consider this newsletter.

It's Consider this from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.

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