entire
city to see this through.
My next step was to get a second (or, really, third) opinion. I reached out to experts at the University of California, Irvine; the California Institute of Technology; the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists Southern California chapter; and the California Department of Conservation. Several ignored my request, and several politely declined, saying that climate classification in Southern California is not their area of expertise.
Eventually, I was connected with Jon Keeley, a research scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey. Stationed at Sequoia National Park, Keeley spent 20 years teaching at Occidental College. If anyone could clear this up, I hoped it would be him.