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Special Section: Seven Wonders of California
Introduction
From Mavericks to microchips, a celebration of the state’s most heart-stopping marvels.
Clapback: An Awe-ful Predicament
Outsiders love to hate on California. To which we say: More avocados for us! By Monica Corcoran Harel
Mavericks: Something Massive This Way Comes
By Steve Hawk
Taco Truck: Soft Power
By Gustavo Arellano
Mini-Malls: Our Champs-Élysées
By Stacey Grenrock Woods
The iPhone: Calling Was an Afterthought
By Michael S. Malone
Disneyland: Mouseopolis—A Fable
By Ed Leibowitz
Condors: Lords of the Fly
By Joy Lanzendorfer
The Sacramento River: A Mecca for Many Critters—and a Source for All
By Jessica Blough
Fast-Food Burgers: How Beef Patties Begot a Chain Reaction
By Robert Ito
San Diego’s Weather: A Near-Perfect Climate
By Matt Jaffe
Superblooms: Floral Flash Mobs
By Stacey Grenrock Woods
Monarchs: A Poem for Our Fluttering Friends
By Tess Taylor
Sea Ranch Chapel: Tiny House of the Spirits
By Ed Leibowitz
The Pride Flag: A Universal Sign of Inclusivity
By Degen Pener
Dark Skies: The Celestial Magnificence of Death Valley
By Matt Jaffe
Cioppino: The Seafood Stew That Defines S.F.
By Tamara Palmer
L.A. Freeways: The Five-Stack Beauty
By Adam Rogers
Computer Chip: What Moore Hath Wrought
By Michael S. Malone
The UC System: Get to Know the World’s Greatest Public Universities
By Robert Ito
Sierra Views: You Can See for Miles and Miles
By Blaise Zerega
Studio Title Cards: The Most Magical Movie Moment
By Gustavo Arellano
Giant Sequoias: The Trees That Top Them All
By Matt Jaffe
Stratocaster: California’s Stradivarius
By Ed Leibowitz
Our Diversity: What California Looks Like
By Jessica Blough
Hangar One: A Cathedral to the Future
By Christopher Hawthorne
El Capitan Climbers: Go Sleep on a Rock
By Jessica Blough
Channel Island Foxes: The State’s Cutest Mascots
By Matt Jaffe
Ask a Californian
Compiling a list of the Seven Wonders of California was no easy task. Alta Journal’s editors knew there’d be some hard feelings about what didn’t make the cut, so we asked two undisputed experts to review our work. Here, our Ask a Californian columnists weigh in on everything from Robert Redford to In-N-Out. By Stacey Grenrock Woods and Gustavo Arellano
Features
The “Undesirables”
Beginning in the McCarthy era, more than 30,000 men and women were kicked out of the military on charges of homosexuality. Among them was Helen Grace James, who some six decades later began the fight for an honorable discharge for herself—and other affected veterrans. By Nicole Garcia and David Wolman • Photos by Penni Gladstone
Ted Lasso Land
A year in Richmond, England, involves a fictional sports team, real-life truths, and droves of American fans. By Ethel Rohan • Photos by Colin Tennant
A Few Kind Words About Bakersfield
Artsy transplants—and a grateful generation of returning locals—are reimagining the once-forsaken Central Valley city. By Louise Farr • Photos by Matthew Smith
Woman’s Work
As the Legion of Honor celebrates its centennial, the museum’s first-ever chief curator is making space for paintings that center the experiences of little girls, goddesses, and mothers. By Bridget Quinn • Photo by Carolyn Fong
Call of the Loire
Black winemaker Pascal Carole left tech—and San Francisco—to reclaim the French wine tradition. By Sydney Love • Photos by Joann Pai
Alta Folio: Of Ice Packs and Men
How a 60-year-old survived a season of semipro football. By Rick Bass
Dispatches
L.A.’s TikTok Apostle
Kathryn Krick offers her nearly two million online followers some of that old-time religion: faith healing, breaking of curses, and casting out of demons. By Santi Elijah Holley • Photos by Gregg Segal
Charlie’s Web
The trade-off between earning money and saying farewell to farm animals can be bittersweet. Especially if they’re named Perry and Larry. By Will Garrett • Photos by Penni Gladstone
Homecoming at the Powwow
The author returns to an annual Comanche celebration for the first time in nearly a decade. By Jason Asenap
Books
Q&A: A Conversation with Viet Thanh Nguyen
By David L. Ulin
Why You Should Read This: The Sympathizer
By David L. Ulin
Why I Write: Stories Come with Hope They Will Be Believed
By Manuel Muñoz
Why You Should Read This: The Consequences
By David L. Ulin
Why I Write: Fiction Is My Favorite Knife
By Rita Bullwinkel
Why You Should Read This: Headshot
By David L. Ulin
The Obscene-Literature Teacher
Lee McCarthy’s landmark First Amendment case against censorship resonates with painful relevance today. By Kim Young • Illustrations by Melinda Beck
Culture
Poetry: “Peculiar Hotel”
By David L. Ulin
Switching It Up with West Coast Swing
California’s official state dance is a laid-back, egalitarian take on partner dancing. In Burlingame, a novice competitor takes a spin. By Lydia Lee • Photos by Marissa Leshnov
And Getty Created PST
The collision of art and science is too broad a topic for an arts festival. But the result is divine. By Carolina A. Miranda
Poetry: “In East Los I Am Found”
By Viva Padilla
Fiction: “Once Upon a Time in the Land of Children”
By Jane Vandenburgh • Illustrations by Victor Juhasz
In Every Issue
Publisher’s Note: A New Baseline
By Will Hearst
Crossword: Animal Style
By Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa
