Jack London was mesmerized the first time he saw surfers riding the waves of the ocean. It was 1907, and he’d docked at Waikiki Beach in Honolulu during a sailing trip from San Francisco when he spotted them: “One after another they come, a mile long, with smoking crests, the white battalions of the infinite army of the sea,” he wrote in a magazine essay published later that year.

Earlier this month, two California state legislators, Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) and Ian Calderon (D-Whittier) introduced to their collegues a bill that would officially declare surfing to be California's "official" sport.

AB 1782 opens with the plea that: "Surfing is an iconic California sport, and is home to a number of world-famous surf breaks like Malibu, Trestles, Mavericks, Rincon, Steamer Lane, and Huntington, which are destinations for both domestic and international surfers."

When a group of mothers organized the Redondo Beach Women’s March in a span of three days last year, they were expecting about 400 participants. They ended up with 2,000.

This year, the group, Progressive Parents South Bay, will attempt to avoid the same fate when hundreds of people head to Redondo Beach for the Anniversary Women’s March: South Bay L.A.

The Trump Administration is proposing a major expansion of offshore oil leasing nationwide, including off the California Coast.

It would be the first West Coast oil lease sale since the 1980s, but that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal. State and local officials could easily throw a wrench in the plans.

SAN FRANCISCO — The California Assembly Appropriations Committee approved plans January 18 to create a California Aerospace and Aviation Commission, which would serve as a central point of contact for the industry and recommend actions the governor and state legislature could take to retain jobs and encourage the industry’s growth.

The more than 100 million trees that died in California after being weakened by drought and insect infestations have transformed large swaths of the Sierra Nevada into browned-out tree cemeteries. In some areas more than 90 percent of trees are dead.

This week a group of scientists warned in the journal BioScience that the dead trees could produce wildfires on a scale and of an intensity that California has never seen.

Two California politicians, Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) and Assembly majority leader Ian Calderon (D-Whittier), have drafted a bill to make surfing the official sport of California. The co-sponsors, who are avid surfers themselves, claim the sport not only encapsulates the spirit of California, but also generates over $6 billion in annual retail sales.

Thousands of toys were met by hundreds of eager hands last month for the annual 25th Annual Beach Cities Hermosa’s basketball gym was packed with wrappers of all ages. Local restaurateur Ron Newman provided lunch for the event, which began in the morning and stretched into the afternoon. Co-organizer Pete Tucker said that local fire stations and police departments, which served as donation points for the toys, seemed to fill up with donations as fast he could take them away.

Surfing is only slightly higher than hacky sack on the list of stereotypical California sports.

So, it’s fitting (and kinda funny) that state Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, is seeking to declare surfing the state sport of California.

State Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi has proposed a bill that would deflate federal government plans for offshore oil drilling by ensuring that pipelines and other infrastructure could not be built in California state waters.

Assembly Bill 1775, introduced by Muratsuchi and Assemblywoman Monique Limón, joins Senate Bill 834, carried by State Senators Hannah-Beth Jackson and Ricardo Lara.