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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

Los Angeles

Headlines: Navy Vet Sucker-Punched in Koreatown; CHP Officers Receive Pandemic Bonuses of $1,500

Featured

How Much Crime Goes Unreported? Thousands of Police Departments, including LAPD, Failed To Report Data to FBI

L.A. TACO STAFF

Own a Business? Support Our Street-Level Journalism By Joining Our Biz Membership Program

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

San Pedro Tamalero Who Was Called An Anti-Mexican Slur Sells Over 2,000 Tamales After Community Shows up to Support

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

Events

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

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

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

Sam Ribakoff is a multimedia journalist and documentary filmmaker from Long Beach, CA.

Samuel Ribakoff

Your Ultra Last-Minute Voter Guide to the LAUSD School Board: Who Is Pro Covid Vaccine and Who Isn’t?

Insomniac Voter Guide: In Long Beach, a Mayoral Candidate For Free Public Transit and Another Who Helped Build Their First Homeless Shelter