Features
Feral Horses, FIERCE CONTROVERSY
Wild mustang populations are out of control, competing with cattle and native wildlife for resources. If the federal government doesn’t rein them in, ranchers may take matters into their own hands. By Jason G. Goldman
THE CHARLES MANSON INDUSTRY
What led to—and has arisen from—the infamous 1969 murders is weirder, darker, and more hypocritical than you ever imagined. By Denise Hamilton
THESE KIDS AREN’T ALRIGHT
Yolo County has been jailing unaccompanied migrant children. Supporters claim they’re rescuing these minors from an uncertain fate. Critics say that’s one “hell of a savior complex.” By Patrick Michels/Reveal
Towering INFERNOs
Longer fire seasons, bigger blazes, and urban encroachment into the wilderness pose new challenges for those charged with fighting flames from the sky. By Bonnie Tsui
ALTA Q&A: Anthony Wood AND THE FUTURE OF STREAMING
Do you watch Netflix or Hulu on a smart TV? The CEO of Roku reveals how his company helps those services (and soon Disney and Apple, too) stream movies, sports, and TV programs. A conversation with Will Hearst
PRESSED FOR SPACE
The 2,850-acre Santa Susana Field Laboratory contains craggy canyons, ancient petroglyphs, abundant wildlife—and toxic contamination from more than 17,000 rocket engine firings. By Matt Jaffe
THE NIGHT CHARLIE PARKER SOARED
The jazz saxophonist gave a legendary after-hours performance at Jack’s Basket Room in 1947. No photos or recordings captured it, and last year a suspicious fire destroyed the L.A. building. By Lynell George
Portfolio: An Ark for the 21st Century
One man’s effort to photograph 12,000 animal species in captivity includes haunting images of those threatened by extinction. Photography by Joel Sartore
FICTION: above Santa Cruz
From the author of Maggie Brown & Others, a new short story involving a dilapidated mansion, Lizzie Borden, and a feeling of existential loneliness. By Peter Orner
Every Issue
- Publisher’s Note: Rolling North with Jack Kerouac
- Letters: Literary Pioneer Hamlin Garland’s Correspondence
- Dispatches: Musso & Frank • LGBTQ Mariachi Band • Ishmael Reed’s Oakland • Hillsong Church • Poetry
- Cold Case: The Lost Well of the Scribes at L.A.’s Central Library
- Reviews: Santa Barbara Dining • First Light • Deep River • On Our Nightstand • Unpassing • Last Black Man in San Francisco • Alta Picks • Deering Banjo Company
- Appreciation: Architectural historian Robert Winter
- What Next: Lab-Grown Meat
- Altatude
