County educates residents through 'The Placer Life' podcast

In 2016, Placer County started a podcast about the area being home to one of America's Japanese communities titled "The Placer Life." There have been many Japanese families and towns around Auburn and Placer County that thrived. But there were hardships and prejudice, along with World War II from 1939 until 1945. Japanese exclusion laws and internment threatened to take away what many fought hard for. "We started 'The Placer Life' podcast to share stories we thought would be valuable for our residents that we didn't have a place for elsewhere," said Chris Gray-Garcia, communications and public affairs deputy director for County of Placer who has co-hosted the podcasts with Scott Sandow. "Podcasts, as a medium, let us tell longer, more detailed stories, and we've focused on stories that help convey something we feel is important for residents to understand." On Dec. 11 via Spotify, the county aired a third of its four-part miniseries podcast on The Placer Life. The third part discussed the ways World War II changed life in Placer County. The experiences of Japanese American neighbors in the county. A story of hardship and tragedy, but also of resilience, kindness and hope. "We've told a wide variety of stories over the years that we hope educate our residents about the challenges we face as a community and the ways we as their government are working to address them," Gray-Garcia said. "We try to do that through storytelling that's just interesting. There are a lot of podcasts out here, so it's a foundational point for us that we have to do quality storytelling if we expect folks to give us their attention." Gray-Garcia stated the miniseries viewed the impacts of World War II in the community really started with road signs on state Route 89 honoring the Army's 10th Mountain Division. The final part, which will be on the 10th Mountain Division, will air Tuesday, Feb. 18. "Coming from an Army family myself, I was curious what those were all about, since the 10th is headquartered out in New York," Gray-Garcia said. "So, we did some homework and learned that the 10th has had a tremendous local influence, and we thought their story of heroism and their legacy here was just something we all should know about." Gray-Garcia continued to say, "It gave us a chance to remind our residents of our Museums Division's role in preserving and sharing our local history, and that our commitment to honoring and serving our veteran residents continues today through our Veterans Service Office." The first series, aired in 2016, had an introductory episode surveying the changes that happened in Placer because of World War II. "Our first 'The Placer Life' episode, for example, shared the miraculous rescue story of a young resident who'd gotten lost for days in the wilderness," Gray-Garcia said. "That story gave us the chance to pass along crucial safety information about how to avoid getting lost and what to do if it happens, but also to showcase the hard work and expertise of our local first responders who go to extraordinary lengths to rescue folks who find themselves in trouble." The next three episodes focused on some of the key stories in greater detail, such as the 10th Mountain episode and the experiences of Japanese American neighbors. The final episode, Gray-Garcia noted, plans to be on the history of the DeWitt Army Hospital and how that campus has played a crucial role in the local community and economy. To view the third installment, visit this Spotify link at https://open.spotify.com/episode/3XSNV3Tbx6nBk7Ch303kKX?si=c49565a2cbf249da&nd=1&dlsi=0e9dbb9ef2714ee5