Horrible news this morning that the great Jae Bueno has passed away. Jae was a huge inspiration for us and one of our favorite (and first ever) contributors. Jae first posted on LA TACO in 2007 and would bless our website with his fantastic images regularly ever since&#8212; including two of the central images in…

Jae Bueno ~ R.I.P.

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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

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Sports

All the L.A. Easter Eggs from Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Show

Aisha Wallace-Palomares

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Update: California Can’t Officially Enforce Mask Ban, Federal Judge Rules

Los Angeles

LAPD Chief hints they may not enforce mask bans on federal immigration agents

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

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.

Julianne Le

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

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

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.

Izzy Ramirez

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.

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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Politics

Bill Essayli Asks Public to Spread Misinformation to Southern California Rapid Response Networks

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.

Ivan Fernandez

From World Cup Supporter to ICE Staging Area: The Two Faces of The Home Depot in 2026

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Memo Torres is the Director of Engagement and multimedia journalist for the James Beard award-winning L.A. Taco. He is also the host of the Daily Memo and writes for Apple Maps’ ‘Where Memo Torres Eats in L.A.’ You can see him on Netflix&#8217;s Taco Chronicles and Pressure Cooker.  You can hear him on KCRW’s ‘Good Food’ occasionally. He was a finalist for the Ruben Salazar Award for Latino journalists and a former third-generation landscaper.

Memo Torres

Erwin Recinos is a seasoned visual artist with an eye for capturing life as a working commuter aboard public transportation in and around Los Angeles. For 20 years now, Recinos has been documenting the urban landscape, street culture, and Hispanic communities of Los Angeles utilizing his daily routine and the city of Los Angeles as an inspiration. Recinos also works with popular food and event websites such as LATACO.com and Eater LA to capture the cuisine and culture that is so important to the city of Los Angeles and across Southern California.

Erwin Recinos

Daily Memo: ICE Used 14 Vehicles to Take 6 People from Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse

L.A. TACO STAFF

Taco Gobernador with a sliced acovado on top.

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The 24 Best Fish and Seafood Tacos In Los Angeles, Mapped

Music

Punk Bands Are Bailing on ‘Punk in the Park’ Over Founder’s Trump Donations

DAILY MEMO: Communities and Lawmakers Start Preparing For ICE’s Next Move

A painting of a Los Angeles street showing makeshift tents, a "New Homes" sign, and Griffith Observatory in the background

Glendale’s Brand Library & Art Center Is Highlighting Southern California’s Independent Artists With Hyper SoCal

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L.A.’s Nine Best Creole and Cajun Dishes, According to a Louisianan

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a person waves a flag (which is a mashup of the Mexica and American flag) in front of a sign that says "Grape Day Park City of Escondido"

Escondido Quietly Accepts $67,000 Contract with DHS to Use a Firing Range to Train 200 Special Agents

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