Bootleg Obama Shirt ~ Santee Alley

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<p>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).</p>


Javier Cabral

Food

Is It Pronounced ‘Tamal’ or ‘Tamale’?

<p>Tiffany Lauren is a Los Angeles native, NYU alum, and lover of tacos and mezcal. Her work has also been featured in Latina Magazine.</p>


Tiffany Lauren

Los Angeles

The Diary of a Woman Lyft Driver in Los Angeles: My Six Lessons

<p>Daniel Hernandez is editor emeritus of LA Taco, serving 2017-2019. He is currently a staff writer for the L.A. Times.  He is former Mexico bureau chief for VICE News, and former staff writer at the Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly. Daniel is author of the book &#8220;Down &amp; Delirious in Mexico City.&#8221;</p>


Daniel Hernandez

Details

Blood Is Thicker Than Coffee: Meet the Family Behind L.A.’s 100-Percent Salvadoran Coffee Roasters

How to Prove You’re a Transplant in Los Angeles ~ Overlay It With a Map of New York Boroughs

History

A New Manifesto on Cinco de Mayo: Let Everyone Get Drunk ~ Then Start Reclaiming It

<p>Mike Sonksen aka Mike the PoeT is a 3rd-generation Los Angeles native. Poet, professor, journalist, historian and tour-guide, his latest book &#8220;Letters to My City&#8221; was just published by Writ Large Press. He teaches at Woodbury University.</p>


Mike Sonksen

The Mural Mile ~ A History of Pacoima Told Through the Tapestry of Street Art

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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

<p>Sam Ribakoff is a reporter, journalism teacher, communicator for labor unions, and a nice guy from Long Beach.</p>


a man stands in front of a mural with a pig in a police hat being crossed out

Sam Ribakoff

The Western States Regional Carpenters Union rallies for Council member Nithya Raman next to the competing SEIU 721 rally for Mayor Karen Bass outside the Sherman Oaks East Valley Adult Center

Politics

Where Do the Candidates for L.A. Mayor Really Stand on Street Vending?

<p>One of L.A. TACO&#8217;s co-founders, Hadley Tomicki is a writer and editor on food, travel, and culture whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, UrbanDaddy, High Times, and many other places.</p>


Hadley Tomicki

Taco Members Only

Tijuana’s Prized ‘Tacos Varios’ Enter East L.A.

<p>Marina Watanabe is director of video and a reporter at L.A. TACO based in Koreatown. Previously, she worked as a video reporter for 404 by Los Angeles Times and a video producer at Condé Nast publications Teen Vogue, Glamour, and Them.</p>


Marina Watanabe

L.A.’s Most Exclusive Poke Comes From a Car Trunk And Sells Out In Minutes

<p class="p1">An award-winning journalist covering ICE and immigration raids. Host of the Daily Memo. ‘Where Memo Torres Eats’ on Apple Maps. Seen on Netflix, occasionally on KCRW. 3rd-gen landscaper. Proud son of an immigrant. Golden Bear.</p>


Memo Torres

a woman leaves a love note for ICE on a chalkboard

Site News

Our Playbook Against ICE Burnout

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Myriam Gurba

Personal Essay

Essay: Lindsay Clancy’s Murder Trial Is the Story of La Llorona, All Over Again

<p>Karina Soriano is a Los Angeles-based journalist who covers the crossroads of music, food, art, and social issues. She spotlights the everyday people who really keep L.A. moving. Usually, while stuck in traffic, looking for a good place to eat.</p>


Karina Soriano

<p>Julianne Le graduated from UCLA in 2025 with a major in English and minor in Asian American Studies. Maybe it&#8217;s because she isn&#8217;t jaded yet, but she is super eager to peek into the overlooked corners of L.A. and write about them. Le is the former editor-in-chief of UCLA&#8217;s Pacific Ties Newsmagazine and was a finalist for the Associated Collegiate Press&#8217; &#8220;Podcast of the Year&#8221; award in 2024.</p>


Julianne Le

<p>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.</p>


Lexis-Olivier Ray

<p>Andrew Bangs, or simply Bangs to his compatriots, is a long-time LA Taco supporter and occasional contributor. He spends a lot of time thinking about his dog.</p>


Andrew Bangs

Chicken wing skewers grilled over charcoals

L.A. Taco Guides

The 21 Best Street Kebabs in L.A.

<p>Erick Huerta likes to eat his Hot-Cheetos with chopsticks.</p>
