Elvira Arellano and Son. Photo from Daniel Hernandez. The top stories making news in your city today and over the weekend&#8230; TOP STORY: Elvira Arellano Deported to Mexico, Arrested Outside Our Lady Queen of Angels Elvira Arellano, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who became a symbol in the nation&#8217;s immigration wars after she took sanctuary…

Los Angeles News Roundup ~ August 20th, 2007

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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

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

Flock License Plate Readers Spark Privacy Concerns at L.A. State Historic Park in Chinatown

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 graduated from UCLA in 2025 with a major in English and minor 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

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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Taco Members Only

Weekend Eats: Chicago-Style Hot Dogs and Wild Pita Sandwiches For CHIRLA

A chain link fence surrounds Alameda Triangle in Chinatown.

News

City of L.A. ‘Beautifies’ Chinatown Park, Then Fences It Off And Keeps It Closed For A Year

Eddie Lin is an OG L.A. food writer who encourages everyone to eat chicken feet at least once. He has appeared on many shows, but his favorite appearance is when he and his girlfriend ate Chinese Viagra soup made of boa constrictor. Yum and POW!

Eddie Lin

Food

The L.A. TACO Guide to Lunar New Year In Los Angeles: Eating Your Way To Better Luck and a Longer Life

Chinatown

L.A.’s First Dodger-Themed Pizza Parlor Features a Lifetime Collection of Memorabilia

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An award-winning journalist covering ICE and immigration raids. Host of the Daily Memo. ‘Where Memo Torres Eats’ on Apple Maps. Seen on Netflix, occasionally on KCRW. 3rd-gen landscaper. Proud son of an immigrant. Golden Bear.

Memo Torres

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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.

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Lauren Bethke

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People

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Former editor of L.A. Taco. I still live in Los Angeles but mainly just hang out at parks and stare off into the distance.