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<p>Jared Cowan writes and podcasts about L.A. filming locations. He also works as a photographer and camera operator.</p>


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Jared Cowan

Screenshot from 'Next Movie' via Universal Pictures.

Next Movie. Screenshot via Universal Pictures

Film

Retracing the Steps of Cheech and Chong’s ‘Next Movie’ in L.A., 45 Years Later

Screenshot via New Line Cinema

Revisiting ‘Mi Familia’ and the Main Filming Location In Boyle Heights 30 Years Later

<p>Sara Alvarez is a bilingual multimedia journalist and undergraduate studying Public Relations and Advertising at USC Annenberg. She is currently a Social Media Intern for L.A. TACO, and the Social Media Manager for Annenberg Media’s Latine news desk, Dímelo. Born and raised in the Bay Area, her coverage focuses on community reporting, news, and popular culture.</p>


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Sara Alvarez

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<div id="message-content-1250858460501901333" class="markup_a7e664 messageContent_abea64">Valeria Macias is a student reporter at USC, where she double majors in Journalism and NGOs and social change. Through her work in publications like the LA Times, USC Annenberg Media, Boyle Heights Beat, ABC7, and many others, Macias has amplified the voices within her local communities. Most of her reporting focuses on the local Angelino community and shines a light on issues of gentrification, street vending, city government, and more.</div>
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Valeria Macias

homeboys the musical

Culture

Barrio to Broadway: How ‘Homeboys, the Musical’ Turns Trauma Into Acapelas

Screenshot of Friday via New Line Cinema.

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Revisiting the Iconic Film Locations from ‘Friday,’ 30 Years Later

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<p>Jesse Katz is the author of <i>The Rent Collectors: Exploitation, Murder, and Redemption in Immigrant LA</i>, which is a finalist for an <i>L.A. Times</i> book prize and a PEN America literary award. He spent 24 years on staff at the <i>Los Angeles Times</i> and <i>Los Angeles</i> magazine.</p>
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Jesse Katz – color author portrait

Jesse Katz

Miguel Angel Garcia next to the candle vigil in the alley. Screenshot via Die Like a Man.

Die Like a Man – Miguel Angel Garcia next to the candle vigil in the alley

What ‘Die Like a Man’ Gets Right that Other L.A. Hood Movies Don’t

In a scene from Police Academy 2, Bobcat Goldthwait, left of center, as the Scullians’ leader, Zed, standing around other actors portraying his gang. Screenshot via Warner Bros.

How the Old L.A. Zoo Was Turned Into Police Academy 2’s Punk Hideout, 40 Years Ago

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<p>Marina Watanabe is a multimedia journalist, social media editor, and video creator based in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Previously, she was a social media reporter for 404 by Los Angeles Times and Bitch Media, and her work has been featured by Teen Vogue, Elle, and GLAAD.</p>


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Marina Watanabe

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Tesla Takedown protests in front of the Tesla Diner on July 27, 2025 (Photo by Marina Watanabe for L.A. TACO)

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‘A Monument to Corporate Greed:’ Elon Musk’s Tesla Diner Fuels Protests In L.A.

<p>Memo Torres is a multi-media taco journalist, a third-generation landscaper, host of L.A. Taco&#8217;s new Plant and Gardening column, Yerbalife, host of Apple Maps&#8217; L.A. food guide on all iPhones, Director of Partnerships for the James Beard award-winning L.A. Taco, a finalist for the Ruben Salazar Award for Latino Journalists, a taco scout for numerous shows, can be seen on Netflix&#8217;s Taco Chronicles, Pressure Cooker, Mythical Kitchen, KCRW, and elsewhere.</p>


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Memo Torres

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DAILY MEMO: We’re Still Finding Abandoned Trucks and Vendor Carts While ICE Rips Men From Their Families and More

<p>Currently residing in Fresno, Erik Galicia grew up in Santa Ana and remains connected to Southern California communities. He returned to California after studying at the Missouri School of Journalism and has since covered farmworker issues, immigration and hospitals in the Central Valley.</p>


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Erik Galicia

A “Federal Agent” holds their phone up to record a person recording them at the home depot parking lot in Playa Del Rey.

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‘¿Donde Naciste?’ Como Detectar y Sobrevivir un ‘Encuentro Consensual’ de ICE en L.A.

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Estos Son Tus Derechos Para Observar, Grabar, Y Documentar a ICE Con tu Telefono

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Que Hacer Si ICE Te Detiene En Un tu Automóvil, Un Autobús, o Un Tren

<p>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.</p>


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Hadley Tomicki

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Que Hacer Si ICE Llega a Tu Hogar

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Chile to LA ~ Fisek in DTLA

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