While the average Angeleno may be more familiar with a different New Year&#8217;s parade celebrating an entirely different New Year, the Chinese version is no shabby affair. The 111th annual Golden Dragon Parade and Festival was held in Chinatown this past Saturday, a splendid procession featuring ferocious pantomime tigers, smoke-puffing magic dragons, urban Tai Chi…

Chinese New Year Parade ~ Chinatown

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<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>


Hadley Tomicki

A brioche bun with an octopus tentacle in it and edible flowers on top

Food

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<p>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.</p>


Lexis-Olivier Ray

A Flock license plate reader behind a row of shrubs near the entrance of L.A. State Historic Park. A car drives past the park in the background.

Featured

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L.A. TACO STAFF

<p><span class="OYPEnA font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none">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.”</span></p>


Janette Villafana

Taco Gobernador with a sliced acovado on top.

Tacos

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<p>Julianne Le is a recent grad from UCLA where she majored in English and minored in Asian American Studies. Maybe it&#8217;s because she isn&#8217;t jaded yet, but she is super eager to peek into the overlooked corners of L.A. and write about them. Le is the former editor-in-chief of UCLA&#8217;s Pacific Ties Newsmagazine and was a finalist for the Associated Collegiate Press&#8217; &#8220;Podcast of the Year&#8221; award in 2024.</p>


Julianne Le

<p>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).</p>


Javier Cabral

<p>Izzy Ramirez is a Los Angeles-based staff reporter with L.A. TACO, documenting immigration enforcement and state power as it unfolds on the ground. Their work centers real-time alerts and long-term public archiving throughout the Southern California region.</p>


Izzy Ramirez

<p>Juan Izguerra is L.A. TACO&#8217;s community coordinator and was born and raised in Pomona, California. As an L.A. resident, Juan enjoys exploring the small, hidden places of the SGV, Inland Empire, and wherever his stomach takes him.</p>


Juan Izguerra

Chinatown's Central Plaza in Los Angeles, with red paper lanters strung over a wide courtyard with pagoda roofs in back.

L.A. Taco Guides

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<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Blending her time in the kitchen as a line cook with her passion for storytelling, Lauren Bethke writes about community, inclusivity and the city she loves the most—Los Angeles.</span></p>


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Lauren Bethke

A glass display containing loaves of bread in a deli

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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

<p>Jennifer Nehrer (she/they) is a senior at USC majoring in journalism. During her final year of college, she is interning with NBC Los Angeles after having previously worked for NBC News Digital Platforms and written for the Times Media Group. She is from Washington, D.C. and is passionate about all things data, local news and feature writing. You can follow her reporting journey on Instagram at @jennifernnehrer.</p>


Jennifer Nehrer

Drink

One of the Best San Fernando Valley Coffee Shops Owes Its Success to Argentine Culture

<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Alejandra Cid is a social media producer for L.A. TACO. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she is interested in stories that highlight the diversity of life across the city.</span></p>


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Alejandra Cid

Photo Essay

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Iranian National Dies in Mississippi, Marking 17th ICE-Related Death Since December 31

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<div class="gmail_default">Nik Venet is an L.A. native and terminal Eastsider covering politics, law enforcement and human rights. After enduring a few years in legacy media, he found there is no way to cover politics without clear language. He is supervised by two rowdy black cats who remain unimpressed with his credits.</div>
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Nik Venet

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Investigative Report

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<p>A.k.a. Afroxander; Weekend Editor at L.A. Taco and a lecturer at San Diego State University. He has covered arts, culture, history, politics, and sports with an emphasis on Latin America and its U.S. diaspora for over two decades.</p>


Ivan Fernandez

Sports

The World Cup is Still Happening This Summer, But It May Not Look As Planned

<div>Ivan Ehlers is an Ecuadorian-American cartoonist and writer. He is a regular contributor to <i>The New Yorker</i>, <i>MAD Magazine</i> and the <i>Los Angeles Times</i>.</div>
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<div>IG: <a id="m_-8957504711371111195plusReplyChip-0" class="gmail_plusreply"></a>@ivan_ehlers</div>


Ivan Ehlers

Sunday Taquitos #18: No Taxation Without Refunds

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