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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

Acton

Adams-Normandie

Agoura Hills

Agua Dulce

Alhambra

Alondra Park

Altadena

Angeles Crest

Arcadia

Arleta

Arlington Heights

Artesia

Athens

Atwater Village

Avalon

Avocado Heights

Azusa

Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw

Baldwin Park

Bel-Air

Bell

Bell Gardens

Bellflower

Beverly Crest

Beverly Grove

Beverly Hills

Beverlywood

Boyle Heights

Bradbury

Brentwood

Broadway-Manchester

Burbank

Calabasas

Canoga Park

Carson

Carthay

Castaic

Castaic Canyons

Central-Alameda

Century City

Neighborhoods

Robert Jalón

Sports

The 19-Year-Old L.A Fútbol Star and UFW Activist Giving Back to His Hometown’s Farmworkers in Lompoc

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

Featured

Against All Odds, a Street Vendor and His Family Open Their First Brick and Mortar Restaurant in East Los Angeles

Erwin Recinos is a seasoned visual artist with an eye for capturing life as a working commuter aboard public transportation in and around Los Angeles. For 20 years now, Recinos has been documenting the urban landscape, street culture, and Hispanic communities of Los Angeles utilizing his daily routine and the city of Los Angeles as an inspiration. Recinos also works with popular food and event websites such as LATACO.com and Eater LA to capture the cuisine and culture that is so important to the city of Los Angeles and across Southern California.

Erwin Recinos

Street Art: Muralists Claim Their Wall Space in Compton’s Del Amo Indoor Shopping Center (Photo Essay)

Laura is a desmadrosa, a product of East Los, an educator, and a hood establishment connoisseur.

Laura Tejeda

L.A. Taco Guides

The L.A. TACO Guide To the Family-Run ‘Hood Burgers of Los Angeles Barrios

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.

Mike Sonksen

The 2020 L.A. TACO Book Guide: 32 L.A.-Centered Books to Read, Gift, and Get Inspired On

Mariah Castañeda is a feisty multimedia journalist and social media editor.

Mariah Castañeda

Politics

(Update) After a Jet Dumped Fuel All Over Her City, Cudahy’s Mayor Is Running for Powerful Air Regulation Governing Board

Capital & Main

L.A. Street Vendors Are Caught Between COVID and the Law

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

Crime

He Checked Into a UCLA Hospital While Suffering From a Mental Illness, and a Sheriff Shot at Him Nine Times While Trying To Use the Restroom

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

Kemal Cilengir

Photo Essay

‘F*ck Talking. Go Vote:’ Compton Cowboys Roll Deep to Ballot Box to Encourage Early Voting

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

Your Guide to Finding Each Taco Style Featured in Season Two of the ‘Taco Chronicles’ in Los Angeles

Compton