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The House Sisk Built
(A Working Title)
By Thomas Hobbs, Staff Writer

     CAMBRIA -- We saw the sunny little beach town of Cambria from the south. It was mid day. State Route One is that lonely strip of macadam pavement winding its way from San Diego beaches to the northern reaches of Yreka at the Oregon border.
     Somewhere between the two extremes there is always a marked change in temperature. Most travelers will admit the drive is well worth the time and travel, but road conditions do require caution.
     One Saturday, I was to find the roadway dry and the sky a deep sapphire blue with temperatures in the low 60’s. Deep down, as I drove along the spiraling coastal uplands I had a feeling this trip would be worthwhile.
     The coastal weather was full with windy northern gusts that sent the surf first high in the air and then crashing down on rocks and then sand. The air was filled with expectation for travelers and homebodies alike. As we approached Cambria, the taste of sea salt was unmistakeable. We were there.
     The Pacific Ocean sprawls over the lowland sandy soils of densely blanketed stands of Pine and Coastal wildflowers and papery red barked mountain Madrone, more than a hundred miles west of the San Joaquin Valley metropolis we call home, in Fresno.
     Nearing the northern reaches of the town of Cambria my co-pilot, Leann, had written directions and a map to our destination. At a point along the way she said, “Slow down and turn right up here ahead onto a dirt access road.” Then we were on pavement again and climbing sharply into the beautiful pines and homes just above the town. We caught a view of world famous Moonstone Beach and of the coast towards San Simeon, with Hearst’s Castle nestled at the crest of the mountain.
     On this excursion we were invited to come to Cambria, CA by a friend of a friend who is the owner of a secluded residence of a well-known California congressman, now deceased. As we climbed the steep Cambria upland I was surprised to find the home built by California Congressman B.F. Sisk after his retirement. I wondered what I might discover about this man.
     From the street you can’t see much of the house. It’s positioned on the bank of a steep hill facing the Pacific Ocean. Winding down a driveway about 50 feet leads us to a beautiful and modern, two story house with commanding views of pines and surf.
     My first impression of the place is a modest, yet well built 2-story house with lots of rooms.      The entryway hosts an ornate congressional hat rack from a bygone era. Beyond is a short hallway leading to a cavernous living room about 80x40-feet wide, and a 20-foot high ceiling, quartz and granite fireplace, with dining and sitting areas. Outside, a large wood deck with an expansive view of the sea. Two large bedrooms are upstairs and three more downstairs, each with private access to a lower wooden deck facing the ocean.
     On the walls around the place hang many accolades, accomplishments and memorabilia of Congressman Bernie Sisk. In the hallways, photos and signatures of great men such as John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower and many others that worked with B.F. Sisk which now pay quiet homage to the man and his vision.
     Surprisingly, there isn’t much of a library in the house, but there are several bookshelves loaded with great selections of science fiction classics from Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov. Mixed in with these I found a few rare books on the history of the San Joaquin Valley, and even a copy of B.F. Sisk’s memoirs published by the Regents of U.C. Davis.
     As I thumbed through a new-condition copy of his memoirs, I was reminded of something I read about Senator John Kennedy when he made an appearance at a political rally in Merced in 1960.
     At this rally, JFK quoted Abraham Lincoln who said, “There is a God and he hates injustice. I see a storm coming, but if he has a place and a part for me, I am ready.” Kennedy went on to say, “This is a great country. 100 years ago when this state was founded, the people who came here worried about their farms. Now, we concern ourselves with the whole globe around us. I think in 1960 the cause of all mankind is the cause of all America.”
     I’ve been told that Bernie Sisk was there at this rally and whispered into Senator Kennedy’s ear, “ If you make it to the White House senator, don’t forget that we need dams and irrigation water in Central California.”
     In 1960 Congressman Bernie Sisk’s San Luis Project water bill passed through the U.S. Senate and was then signed into law by President Eisenhower.
     This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Central Valley Project. The CVP is a complex water agreement.
     Shasta Dam, at one time considered the key to the CVP, acts as a flood control dam for the Sacramento River. Shasta Lake stores water for controlled releases downstream. The Trinity River diverts surplus water into the Sacramento River. Downstream, the American River provides flood control for the Sacramento River, irrigating parts of Placer County. The Friant Division impounds and diverts the entire flow of the San Joaquin River. Friant Dam sends irrigation water south through the Friant-Kern Canal, and north through the Madera Canal. The New Melones Dam and Powerplant on the Stanislaus River primarily operates as a flood control and power facility. CVP serves as a hub transporting water from the Sacramento River to the San Joaquin Valley and to the farmland throughout the Delta via The San Luis Project and the Delta-Mendota Canal. For more on the CVP, click here.
     In spite of social, environmental and political controversy surrounding the Central Valley Project, it remains an impressive accomplishment in the biography of Congressman Bernie Sisk. The Central Valley Project ranks first among reclamation projects during Sisk’s time in office.
     Cambria is an upscale artist’s community located at the gateway to the famous “Big Sur” highway on the central coast of California. Homes that this writer saw ranged in price from $600K to $1.3M where some of the features included 18th century Pennsylvania farmhouse beams, original hand-forged replica door latches and latch keys, eighteenth century doors and paneling, multiple fireplaces, hearths trimmed in chestnut or stone, and “Stool & Apron” trimmed windows that capture beautiful views over terraced gardens and the Pacific Ocean.

[Editor’s Note: Bernie Sisk was a U.S. Congressman for 24 consecutive years from 1955 to 1979. He managed and enacted into law the legislation authorizing the San Luis Project, which is of major significance to agriculture in California. As a congressman, his sphere of influence affected agricultural matters on a national level. For a transcript of JFK’s 1960 speech in Merced, click here.]

Letter to Editor

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