Explore

Footer - NEW

Legal Footer

Main - NEW

Mobile

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

This is member's only content.

Members get unlimited access to all of our stories, along with incredible perks like free tacos, invites to our events, access to our mobile app, and much more!

Become a Member of L.A. TACO

Free registration

Please register for L.A. TACO to Vote 

Register to continue

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

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

Laura Tejeda

Investigative Report

Slaughterhouses and Burning Corpses? Examining Why East and Southeast L.A. Often Smells So Bad

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

Tacos

Brace Yourselves: Taco Trucks and Street Food Vendors Are Raising Prices, Citing Fuel Costs

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

Education

Roosevelt High School’s Pioneering Ethnic Studies Class Is Helping Students in Boyle Heights Learn About Identity Earlier in Life

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

Mariah Castañeda

Photo Essay

East L.A.’s ‘Chola Fashion Show’ Reclaimed OG Barrio Fashion

L.A. TACO STAFF

L.A. Taco Guides

Mini Chocoflanes, Queer Latino-Owned Flower Shops, and More: Your Last-Minute Guide to V-Day Gifts in L.A.

News

Headlines: Drakeo the Ruler’s Family Threatens to Sue Live Nation; Massive Fentanyl Bust in Merced

Featured

Visiting L.A.? Here Are the Ten Tacos You Need to Try, Mapped

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

Meet the Gangster-Turned-Muralist Out of Boyle Heights Who Survived L.A.’s ‘Decade of Death’ and Now Makes Art That Unites Black and Brown Communities

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

L.A. TACO’s Favorite Stories of the Year 2021 From Our Editorial Trompo

The 2021 L.A. TACO Book Guide: 34 Books to Read, Gift, and Get Inspired By

East Los Angeles