Manny Escamilla grew up at the McFadden Public Library and Jerome Recreation Center in central Santa Ana. He began working for the Santa Ana Public Library in 2004 as part of the White House Award-winning TeenSpace program. In 2015 he was recognized by Library Journal for his work with the Teen Community Historian program to collect, preserve, and share local history. Manny served as a City representative on the Santa Ana Arts & Cultural Master Plan and is running for City Council Ward 4 in the 2019 Special Election.

Joel Robinson is a professional naturalist and director of the 13-year-old environmental education charity Naturalist For You. Robinson is a barefoot, bearded educator seeking to empower his community by offering free natural and cultural history activities throughout Southern California, including foraging, birding, tracking, survival skills, storytelling, living history reenactment, habitat restoration consulting, backyard biological surveys and more.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Joel Robinson
Guest: Manny Escamilla
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

Streets Of Orange County is an educational program sharing stories about local streets and places, identifying the plants and wildlife in our neighborhoods, and the trails through our parks and mountains. Journey with Joel Robinson and special guests on a series of engaging conversations about the natural and cultural history of Orange County.

This episode was recorded live on November 7 at The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, CA.