David 'Mas' Masumoto

On farming and the art of repair, and extending the lives of old things

I’ve joined a green wave of a recycling business model, writes peach farmer David Mas Masumoto of Del Rey. “We have learned to live with things old.”

‘I discovered that listening is love’ – the priceless art of storytelling

We must ask and listen, collect and preserve memories for ourselves, our families, our communities, our nation.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

In Trump landscape, 1970s book ‘Rules for Radicals’ is a playbook for both sides

“Rules for Radicals,” Saul Alinsky’s handbook for changing America in the 1060s and 1970s, has applications in today’s political world, writes David “Mas” Masumoto. This presidency invites and encourages strategies of confrontation. And conveniently, it could also pose as a primer for new progressives as they fight against the current state of affairs. Imagine, a rule book for both sides.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

Who belongs here and who doesn’t?

Columnist David “Mas” Masumoto: During the first months of our new president, the question of belonging hangs over many. Sadly, those impacted the most are often invisible, hidden precisely because they do not feel like they belong. Belonging is personal. You feel like you belong. You develop a sensibility, staying in places you know you are welcomed. With belonging comes belief that you have a right to be here.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

Remembering the pain and shame of Japanese American internment

David “Mas” Masumoto column: For Japanese Americans, Feb. 19, 1942 marks the day 110,000 Americans were denied their rights as citizens and imprisoned. His father, a quiet, reserved man, quietly shared a bitter memory of feeling abandoned by America. Through it, Masumoto more deeply understands his family’s history.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

That’s not true: Stand guard against internet’s fake news virus

We now live in a different media world with web-generated information. Based on information he had read online, one man believed a Washington, D.C., pizzeria housed an international Satanic child sex ring with the Democratic party as the evil center. He broke in and shot employees.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

What kind of legacy are you creating?

Many smart people have said many different things about legacies. Award-winning author and Valley farmer David “Mas” Masumoto has thought a lot lately about what he will leave behind.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

My father’s Cubbies

My father understood there are more losers than winners in baseball and in life. The Cubs taught him that.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

Farms and food forgotten in 2016 campaign

There was a time that the rural vote mattered in national elections. Presidential candidates carefully crafted an ag policy agenda as they barnstormed across the nation campaigning for the farm vote. That’s not the case anymore.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

Voter shaming: What if the neighbors knew you didn’t vote?

Are you more likely to vote if everyone knows? We live in an increasingly public and transparent world. We are more likely to comply when people are watching.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

My grandmother became a Gold Star Mother while held captive

My grandmother accepted the flag of a fallen son while held captive because of her face. A Gold Star mother loses her No. 1 son and spends the rest of her life bewildered because America is where they take freedom away from you. Yet despite the racism, my family returned to California and this valley, worked hard in the fields and struggled to re-establish their identity as Americans.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

Finding the right words to say ‘Happy Birthday’ with meaning

My wife celebrated a special birthday this year, so I searched for the best birthday wish I could find. I hoped to avoid the typical clichés and in the process discovered that extending appropriate birthday wishes can be a challenge.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

Letters leave a legacy to teachers who had an impact

A teacher may not have been the most charismatic or organized. They may have disciplined and pushed you at a time when you did not appreciate it. It’s not too late: You can write that letter now

David 'Mas' Masumoto

Lost California: Those who do not vote

My neighbors in the Valley may complain about government, but until they vote, they will not be heard. Latinos, until they vote, may remain hidden and invisible. Both groups are disenfranchised, lost and underrepresented.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

Documentary captures Masumotos in real life

We never imagined a PBS film would document our Valley farm family. Why us? Who cares? It airs April 28 at 7 p.m. on KVPT.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

David ‘Mas’ Masumoto: Who tells the story?

Smaller newspapers are barely hanging on, budgets to pay for reporters and local coverage are declining. Worse yet, we probably don’t know what we’re missing.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

David Mas Masumoto: How our use of language can frame our future

All families undergo transition. Our daughter is taking over the farm. We are writing a book about succession and family. I age, she matures. Change is all about growing up.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

David Mas Masumoto: Identifying the enemy by the faces they wear

People claim to know the face of the enemy. Some wrongly believe we are under attack by Islamic State terrorists everywhere. They have infiltrated all of our communities. They might be our neighbors. The proper course of action, they contend, is to flush them out and identify them by the faces they wear.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

David Mas Masumoto: My Christmas tree

Charlie Brown almost killed my Christmas.

David 'Mas' Masumoto

David Mas Masumoto: Giving Tuesday bucks shopping frenzy

It doesn’t matter how much you give or what you give, only that you give.

Videos

Teenage driver livestreams fatal car wreck and sister's last moments

Jul 24, 2017

18-year-old Obdulia Sanchez was shooting live video with her cell phone while driving near Merced, California. She was rolling when the car went off the road and flipped, killing her teenage sister. She kept shooting video after her sister died. The California Highway Patrol has not confirmed the validity of the video, but Sanchez's family confirmed to a local TV station. Sanchez faces charges of DUI and vehicular manslaughter.

Meta Viers / McClatchy