“The wind shows us how close to the edge we are.” — Joan Didion There’s always been a black hole in the center of the California sunlight, and the Santa Ana winds blow through it.

Answer: The Santa Ana winds have everything to do with weather. It starts with a high-pressure area over the Great Basin.

The Beach Boys have a 1980 song titled “Santa Ana Winds” – of course they do. It’s perversely upbeat, though, and unironically sunny, which is surprising given how skillfully Brian Wilson ...