Years ago, Gustavo Arellano wondered why Harvey Milk condemned Kevin Starr by name in one of Milk's most important speeches. I couldn't figure it out until I went through Kevin's archive in Sacramento, found the San Francisco Examiner columns that earned Milk's wrath, and wrote an article about that. Long story short, Gustavo mentioned that piece (on his Twitter feed) in connection with his Los Angeles Times column about Archbishop Jose H. Gomez.
Some of Kevin's supporters struggled with my article. One colleague described it as a gut punch. "That's not the Kevin I knew," he told my editor. But that was the whole point of the article. Kevin effectively reinvented himself after his Examiner stint and unsuccessful bid for supervisor. That's when he started to become the great (and far less partisan) chronicler of California.
And just to be clear: The article doesn't trade in gossip or reveal any private communications. The focus is on Kevin's articles, which were published in a major newspaper, and I found the relevant ones in his archive. I was especially interested in Kevin's literary formation, or perhaps evolution would be a better term. I'm keenly aware not only of Kevin's accomplishments, but also what he did for me and many others who wanted to write about California. But Kevin doesn't need any more reflexive accolades. When it comes to writers, reading them carefully is the highest compliment we can pay.
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