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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

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

Street Vending

A Man Was Murdered at a Taco Truck in DTLA, so Now the LAPD Is Targeting All Street Vendors Nearby

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

Woman Who Attacked Flower Vendor Arrested That Same Day, ‘I Just Wanted to Work’ He Says

Melissa Mora Hidalgo was born in Montebello and grew up in the L.A./O.C. borderlands of East Whittier and La Habra. She holds a Ph. D. in Literature from UC San Diego and is the author of Mozlandia: Morrissey Fans in the Borderlands (Headpress UK, 2016).

Melissa Mora Hidalgo

A woman holding a glass of beer in a brewery

Politics

Dr. Beer Butch: Meet the Former Punk Show Promoter From Historic Filipinotown Who Fought For L.A.’s Craft Breweries to Reopen

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.

Hadley Tomicki

Featured

This Mexican Restaurant Plans To Serve Hot Meals to Children Detained in the Long Beach Convention Center

Cesar Hernandez is Lynwood&#8217;s second best export behind Weird Al, and a writer and podcaster. Illustration by Tommy Gallegos.

Cesar Hernandez

Tacos

This Sisig Taco in DTLA Is the Bridge Between Mexican and Filipino Cultures

Heri grew up in the High Desert but spent most of the last decade as a SoCal nomad before ending up in Whittier. A multi-disciplined writer, Heri strives to use his words to encourage thought and change.

Heriberto Rodriguez

Community

He Was Out of Work and About To Be a Father, so He Ran a Barber ‘Speakeasy’ During the Pandemic To Get By

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.

Memo Torres

Food

From Yucatán to La Puente, San Gabriel Valley’s Latest Pop-Up Specializes in Juicy Cochinita Pibil Tortas

Weed

The Ultimate L.A. TACO Guide to Living Your Best Cannabis Life Around the City on 4/20

News

Santa Monica Code Enforcement Officers Plea for Help as ‘Murcia Family Gang’ Protect Up to 50 Street Vendors Around Pier

Alexander Hancock

Nine Types of L.A. Drivers That Make L.A. One of the World’s Worst Cities to Drive In