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L.A. TACO

Lexis-Olivier Ray is an award-winning staff investigative reporter for L.A. TACO known for holding powerful people in Los Angeles accountable and his reporting on Los Angeles culture. As well as an artist and filmmaker. In 2022, the Society of Professional Journalists&#8217; Los Angeles chapter named Ray one of their &#8220;distinguished journalists.&#8221; In 2023, Ray won a second place Anthem Award in their Health Innovation category for a texting service geared towards the unhoused community and service providers that he launched in 2021 with L.A. TACO and Subtext. Ray was a 2020 USC Center For Health Journalism (CHJ) Data Fellow. As well as a 2022 CHJ Impact Fellow. As a freelancer, Ray has contributed to the L.A. Times, Men&#8217;s Health Magazine, KCET and SFGATE.

Lexis-Olivier Ray

Featured

A Night Out Full of Booze and Jazz In Highland Park, As Told By a 35mm Film Camera 

Gabriel Chabrán is a food writer and journalist from Highland Park. He currently lives in Long Beach with his wife Katie, their new baby, and their Russian Blue cat, Mars.

Gab Chabran

Music

Members Behind South Central’s Generación Suicida Open Their Own Indie Record Store, ‘Under the Radar’

L.A. TACO STAFF

News

Headlines: Sriracha Production Halted Over Failed Chile Harvest; The Secretary of State Hits Guisados In Boyle Heights

Professional punk and Editor-In-Chief for James Beard Award-winning L.A. TACO. Associate Producer for JBA-winning Las Crónicas Del Taco. Former restaurant scout for Jonathan Gold. Co-author of &#8220;Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico (2019, Abrams) and &#8220;Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling&#8221; (2023, Abrams).

Javier Cabral

Tacos

Simón’s ‘Mariscos Chingones’ Is Doing Mexican Fine Dining-Level Seafood Out of a Food Truck In Silver Lake

Events

Weekend Events: Mariscos & Discos, Hollywood’s Evil Circus, a Lip-Syncing Drag Brunch, and Native American Arts

Headlines: Motorcade Protestor Tackled and Detained in Downtown; Angels Deploy All-Nickleback Playlist

Elena de la Cruz is a Southern California native who grew up in a traditional Mexican household in which her father got upset when she decided to go to college. But she rebelled, now holds various college degrees, and uses her writing to amplify the voices of the outliers, the cultural pioneers, and the rebels who challenge outdated societal boundaries.

Elena De La Cruz

Culture

Kourtney Kardashian’s Virgencita Wedding Veil Is Still Sparking Debate Among Latinos: Is It Cultural Appropriation (Or Appreciation)?

Janette Villafana is an award-winning bilingual multimedia journalist. Her heart lies in community-based reporting, and her work is highly centered on showcasing and uplifting community voices, with a significant focus on the Latino community. She developed her beat at L.A. TACO, covering street vending communities in Los Angeles. Past work has been featured on NBC, LAist, Latino Rebels, and more. She is currently featured at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington in an exhibit titled “¡De última hora! Latinas Report Breaking News.”

Janette Villafana

Fruteros, Taqueros, y Paleteros de Cypress Park Protestan El Desalojo de Más de 150 Vendedores Ambulantes

Los Angeles

Cypress Park Ice Cream Trucks, Fruteros, and Taqueros Are Protesting the Sudden Eviction of Over 150 Vendors At Their Commissary

Headlines: Largest Group Of Black Surfers Gathers In O.C.; Fewer Than 15% Of Angelenos Voted Yesterday

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