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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

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L.A. TACO

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Melissa was born in Moreno Valley, raised in Arizona, and recently returned from living in México, the motherland. She lives by the words: “siempre en la calle.” USC and Fulbright alum, but don’t tell her to &#8220;Fight On.&#8221;

Melissa Montalvo

Photo 1 – Author’s grandfather in Puerto Nuevo, Mexico

On Death, Love, and Lobsters: Eating in Puerto Nuevo to Remember My Abuelo

Natalie Kamajian is an Armenian dancer and teacher based in Los Angeles. She specializes in ազգագրական պարեր or azgagrakan dances, which are indigenous, communal dance practices of the Armenian people. She is also a Ph.D. student in Culture and Performance and a Teaching Associate at UCLA’s World Arts &amp; Cultures Department, where she researches and writes about Armenian dance and their intersections with historical, political, and cultural realities.

Natalie Kamajian

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Featured

An L.A. Armenian’s Perspective on Why You Should Care About What’s Happening in Artsakh

Dee De La Cruz was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, but she has lived all over Southern California. When she&#8217;s not writing words, she&#8217;s the host of the podcast &#8220;Viewz with Dee De La Cruz.

Dee De La Cruz

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How Getting Priced Out of L.A. Made Me Love the Inland Empire More Than I Ever Thought I Could

Rudy Barrientos is the chef and owner of Gracias Señor.

Rudy Barrientos

Gracias Senor Rudy Barrientos

‘DREAMer Is Not a Metaphor!’ A Chef and Entrepreneur Shares His DACA Story

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.

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Lexis-Olivier Ray

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‘The Scariest Days of My Life:’ As a Black Journalist, Covering Civil Rights Protests Has Been Harrowing

Nick Gonzalez is a recently graduated senior from the University of Southern California with a major in Political Science and is also a Policy Fellow at the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative. Nick is a first-generation college graduate from South San Francisco and intends on using his education to pursue a career in public service.

Nick Gonzalez

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Class of COVID-19: The Turmoil of Being a First-Generation College Graduate in the Midst of a Global Pandemic

Monserrat Solis is a senior at California State University, Northridge studying journalism and a proud valley girl that enjoys vegan donuts and whipped coffee.

Monserrat Solis

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Events

The Coronavirus Canceled Our Quinceañera

Alvaro Huerta, Ph.D., holds a joint faculty appointment in Urban &amp; Region Planning and Ethnic &amp; Women’s Studies at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He’s the author of the book, &#8220;Defending Latina/o Immigrant Communities: The Xenophobic Era of Trump and Beyond.&#8221;

Alvaro Huerta

Figure 2-Author in front of mural in the Ramona Gardens housing project by Pablo Aguilar-2005

East Los Angeles

Barrio Wisdom: The Only Time I Ever Feared for My Life Was at the Barrel of a Police Gun

1-Carmen Mejia Huerta by Salomon Huerta-2005

How My Mother Escaped East L.A.’s Projects and Built Her Dream Home in Tijuana ~ Barrio Wisdom