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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

Publisher, L.A. TACO.
I enjoy exploring every corner of Los Angeles, looking for art wherever I can find it.

Blazedale

Urban Wilderness

Here are L.A.’s Cleanest—and Dirtiest—Beaches, Graded by Heal the Bay   

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

Featured

Hail, Melissa King! How a Queer Chinese American From the SGV Won Top Chef and Scored a Big Victory for BIPOC Angelenos

I document Los Angeles. I walk the streets religiously trying to expose every alley, avenue, and crack the sidewalks have to offer.

Kemal Cilengir

L.A. Unity Cruise: Over 100 Lowriders ‘Cruise for Justice’ from East Los Angeles to City Hall

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

Teddy’s Red Tacos Opens in Downey, Mariscos Jalisco Expands, and a New Tripita Taco Enters the Fight ~ TacoWire

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

Two Brown Men With the Same Name Shot Eight Days Apart Throws a Spotlight on the Prevalence of Latinos Killed by L.A. Police

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

‘Skate for Justice:’ More Than 500 Hundred Skaters Ollied and Kickflipped Their Way From DTLA to Echo Park for Civil Rights

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

L.A. TACO STAFF

Media

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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

Decriminalize Street Food…Again: 100 L.A Street Vendors March for Their Right to Earn

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