California and Texas are American heavyweights
Their landscapes and their ideologies are etched deeply into the collective consciousness
Both lead the nation in renewable energy and high-speed rail
Their largest cities support—and hinder—equitable urban policy
They host international borders, and are known for their diverse residents
Seeing the two states in opposition misses the point:
What’s happening in Texas and California is really the story of what is happening in America
Credits
Editing
Mercedes Kraus, Kelsey Keith, Sara Polsky, Mariam Aldhahi, Asad Syrkett, Dave Harmon
Writing
Diana Budds, Brandon Formby, Patrick Sisson, Amanda Chicago Lewis, Raj Mankad, Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, Jenn Swann, Irene Vazquez, Alissa Walker
Platform Development
Graham McAree
Art Direction
Audrey Levine, Alyssa Nassner
Photography
Patricia Chang, Cayce Clifford, Casey Dunn, Allison Hess, Ilana Panich-Linsman, John Francis Peters, Rozette Rago, Michael Stravato
Copy Editing
Emma Alpern, Julie Schwietert Collazo
Factchecking
Dawn Mobley, Emma Grillo
Translation
Karina Zatarain
Special Thanks
Jeff Andrews, Margaret Lin, Sharell Jeffrey, the Texas Tribune, Cindy Widner, Jenna Chandler, Brock Keeling, Robert Khederian, Nameer Albandar, Elena Bergeron, and all our newsletter-only interview subjects: Jean-Philippe Gaston, Dr. John Goodenough, Jill Marie Holslin, Conway Chen, John Jones, Sonja Trauss