Ph.D., UCLA, 1970. 

Author of more than a dozen books, including Unwanted Mexican Americans in the Great Depression (University of Arizona Press, 1974); Vision or Villainy: Origins of the Owens Valley-Los Angeles Water Controversy (Texas A&M University Press, 1981, 1993); California Then and Now (Amsco Publishers, 1995).

My articles have been published in such academic journals as California History, Southern California Quarterly, Pacific Historical Review, Journal of the West, Western States Jewish History, Arizona and the West, and other journals.  Popular writing includes Surfing, Cats, and other magazines.

I am the author of more than 300 book reviews on such topics as environment, minorities, motion pictures, California state and local history, and Western history.

I have been a member of the Los Angeles Corral of the Westerners since 1973 and served as its Sheriff in 1997.  Professional memberships include the Organization of American Historians, Historical Society of Southern California, Los Angeles City Historical Society, and Water & Power Associates.