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L.A. TACO

L.A. TACO STAFF

News

Headlines: L.A. Water Restrictions Go Into Effect Today; Debating the Term “Cali”

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

Surrounded By SWAT and K9 Units, Suspect Escapes Cops and Armored Vehicles in El Segundo, After Hours Long Standoff

Headlines: Two Shot at Marina Del Rey Restaurant; $50 Burrito Sold at Davos

Featured

Headlines: SoCal Students Stage Walkouts to Protest Gun Violence; Rick Caruso Still “Has No Climate Plan”

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

Politics

BREAKING: Street Food Vendors Everywhere Threatened By Santa Monica Senator’s New SB-1290

Headlines: L.A. Road Rage Incidents Up Over 40%; Legendary Acting Coach Accused of Exploiting Students

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

Los Angeles

A Roundup of GofundMe Accounts and Other Resources to Help the Survivors of Uvalde and Buffalo

Headlines: CHP Shootout At King Taco; How To Donate To Uvalde Families

Headlines: Underground Bunker With $9 Million Worth of Weed Found In San Bernardino; Molotov Cocktails Found In Santa Monica Mountains

Headlines: U-Haul Covered In Racist Graffiti Invades West Hollywood; 9 Shot at San Bernardino Hookah Lounge