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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

Interview

‘He Did This to Himself,’ We Spoke to the Black Driver Behind Viral Retired LAPD Detective’s Racist Tirade

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

News

Salvadoran Woman Is Killed by Police in Tulum After Being Pinned With Knee on Her Neck

Los Angeles

Former Members of Jackass and Sublime Throw A ‘Demolition Party’ In A Vacant Home In Filipinotown

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

Kemal Cilengir

Homeless Advocates Face-Off Against LAPD in Effort to Stop Forced Removal of Encampments in Echo Park Lake

Featured

The LAPD Is Averaging Almost One Shooting Per Day

Update: Retired LAPD Detective Caught On Camera Using The N-Word After Reported Traffic Accident (Video)

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

L.A. Chefs Among Contestants Pulling Out of ‘FavChef’ Contest After Confusing Prize Terms Are Clarified by Bon Appétit Magazine

Crime

UPDATE: Company Selling L.A. Cop-Influencer Gear Removes Item After Cease and Desist From City

Christer Maxine Schmidt is a writer and musician from Thousand Oaks, California. She is currently a writer on The Echo newspaper published at California Lutheran University.

Christer Maxine Schmidt

Workers Push Back After Vegan, Punk-Owned Donut Shop in Highland Park Allegedly Fires Unionizing Employees

Chiles Rellenos, Horchata, and More: These Are the Oaxacan Platillos That Biden and Harris Ate in L.A.