Photo: Scott Shafer

Looking to the Future at the State GOP Convention

Anybody who's anybody in the California Republican Party is at the Esmerelda Resort and Spa in Indian Wells this weekend. That's where the state GOP convention is being held. How do Republican leaders see the future of the party as they look towards the 2010 gubernatorial election?Reporter: Scott Shafer

• More: Scott's blog from the California Republican Convention : (on Capital Notes)
• More: Photos from the convention

USC Music School Celebrates 125 Years

One of the nation's oldest music institutions is celebrating its 125th birthday this year, but it's not showing its age. The University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music has adapted and thrived in a changing music world.Reporter: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

Dumpster Diving

Last year, Californians threw out 36 million tons of garbage. If you lined up all that trash in garbage trucks, they would circle the earth. Most of the garbage was buried in landfills. But some of it was rescued -- albeit illegally -- and eaten by dumpster divers. We tag along for a night with trash harvesters outside some of Berkeley's gourmet grocery stores.Reporter: Anna Sussman

Photo: Sasha Khokha

Turning Points: Mauricio Escobar

For many Californians, state and federal parks are the Golden State's crown jewels. We turn to them for exercise, entertainment, education and relief from the traffic and noise of urban life. Parks pointed a way out of urban Los Angeles for one man who became a park ranger at Yosemite. Reporter: Sasha Khokha

• More: Turning Points series page : listen to the other stories in the series and share your "turning point."