In the past 12 months, L.A. TACO published investigations that other media outlets ignored or overlooked. About people experiencing the worst food poisoning of their lives at a swanky food event, the alarming increase in people legally carrying guns in Los Angeles, hardworking restaurant workers struggling to get paid, cops watching a $1 million bus burn to the ground, and an attorney general who says he wants to free innocent people from prison but has yet to review a single case.
We either broke every story on this list or we were the only publication covering it.
Here are L.A. TACO’s seven most-read investigations of 2024:
More Than 70 People Reported Feeling Ill After Eating Oysters At L.A. Times ‘101 Restaurants’ Food Event
By Lexis-Olivier Ray
When our Editor-In-Chief, Javier Cabral, experienced the worst food poisoning of his life after attending the L.A. Times’ 101 Best Restaurants food event earlier this month, we began asking questions. We weren’t the only newsroom that was aware of this story but we were the first one to publish something about it.
In Absurd Twist, City of L.A. Serves Itself a ‘Notice of Violation’ After Installing Anti-Homeless Fence On Sidewalk
By Lexis-Olivier Ray
This is like that Spiderman meme when they’re all pointing at each other.
Concealed Carry Firearm Permits Soar More Than 42,000% in Los Angeles, These Are The Neighborhoods With The Most Permit Holders
By Lexis-Olivier Ray
Before the Supreme Court made it easier for people to legally carry guns in public in 2022, there were only four active concealed carry permits given out to people in the city of Los Angeles. Today, there are more than 1,700 active permits, a more than 42,000% increase. What could go wrong?
When 'Tomorrow' Never Comes: The Saga of a DTLA Bar Staff's Struggle To Get Paid
By Lexis-Olivier Ray
More than eight employees of restaurateur Jay Krymis (Padre, Schmitty’s) told L.A. TACO that Krymis struggled for months to pay his workers and vendors on time, before closing his DTLA location of Mezcalero in March. Krymis apologized when we reached out for comment for our story. Then months later, LB Watchdog reported that the same problems still persisted at his other business.
Skid Row Nonprofit ‘Fighting to End Homelessness’ Hires Former City Attorney Mike Feuer, the ‘Architect’ of Anti-Homeless Law
By Lexis-Olivier Ray
Safe to say former City Attorney Mike Feuer being hired by a Skid Row non-profit “fighting to end homelessness” was not on our bingo cards this year.
LAPD Officers Watched a Nearly $1 Million Metro Bus Get Lit On Fire. Why Didn’t They Do Something?
By Lexis-Olivier Ray
After a million-dollar Metro bus was torched after the Dodgers World Series victory, people on social media quickly pointed the finger at the rowdy fans who took to the streets to celebrate their boys in blue. Many news outlets reported on this. However, no other publication went through hours of footage to piece together a timeline of what happened and question why the city’s $3-billion-a-year police department waited so long to gain control of the situation.
Nearly 2 Years After Launching Unit to Free Innocent People in Prison, Attorney General's Office Hasn't Reviewed A Single Case
By Lexis-Olivier Ray
Politicians say they will always do things, but do they follow through? In the case of Attorney General Rob Bonta’s promise to help free innocent people from prison, that remains to be seen.
