As one of the founders of LA&#8217;s best underground hip-hop group, Chali 2na has been a TACO hero for some time now. His distinctive bass flow and lyrical mastery are among the best in all hip hop, so when we caught up with him at the Fonogenic Studios launch party, we had to ask him…

My Favorite Taco ~ Chali 2na

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<p>Karina Soriano is a Los Angeles-based journalist who covers the crossroads of music, food, art, and social issues. She spotlights the everyday people who really keep L.A. moving. Usually, while stuck in traffic, looking for a good place to eat.</p>


Karina Soriano

people relaxing on beds throughout a mattress store while a woman facilitates a sound bath

People

Can a Mattress Store Double as a Spiritual Awakening Haven?

<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

Los Angeles

Nine L.A. Restaurants That Will Do Thanksgiving For You, From Pupusas to ‘Chinese Turkey’

<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

Taco Members Only

What To Eat In L.A. This Weekend: Oktoberfest Breakfast Burritos, A New Guatemalan Pepián, and Lobster-Flavored Potato Chips

<p>Caitlin Melgar is a 23-year-old journalist at Cal State Long Beach and a life-long resident of L.A. County. She loves listening to jazz, soul, and house music while she writes about health or food-related topics.</p>


Caitlin Melgar

Cannabis Ice Cubes, Mike Tyson’s Ear-Shaped Gummies, and THC Chile Flakes: Five Great L.A. Dispensaries For Edibles

Churros shaped like the LA Dodgers' LA logo at La Cha Cha Cha

What To Eat This Weekend in L.A.: Iberico Pork Fajitas, Coca Cola Fries, LA Churros, and Cabeza Strombolis From Sonoratown and Mozza

Food

Spot Check: Colombian Desgranados In Echo Park, Mexican Wine Festival At Mírate, and Perverted Waffles in DTLA

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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

Support L.A. TACO

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<div class="html-div xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x14ctfv x13sv91t x6ikm8r x10wlt62 x1n2onr6 x1vjfegm x1k4qllp x1mzt3pk x13faqbe x1xr0vuk x1jm4cbz x114wg8e xrrpcnn x14rx4xb x13fuv20 x18b5jzi x1q0q8m5 x1t7ytsu x19livfd x1h2krnu x3p3xfz xet2kk3 xaymx6s x1lu5o8o x1ou5ly4 x1pczhz8 xm7lytj xpdmqnj x1ykpatu x1g0dm76" role="presentation">
<div class="html-div xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1gslohp x14z9mp x12nagc x1lziwak x1yc453h x126k92a x18lvrbx" dir="auto">Myriam Gurba is a California-born writer. Her next book, POPPY STATE: A LABYRINTH OF PLANTS AND A STORY OF BEGINNINGS, will be published by Timber Press in October.</div>
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<div class="html-div xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1h91t0o xkh2ocl x78zum5 xdt5ytf x13a6bvl x193iq5w x1iyjqo2 x1eb86dx" role="presentation"></div>


Myriam Gurba

two statues representing women with the outline of red hands across their bodies including their chests and genital region

Personal Essay

Opinion: College Campuses Were Built to Protect Abusers, Not Victims

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<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

Why Is ICE Hiring 5,000 Officers and Borrowing Military Lawyers?

L.A. TACO STAFF

L.A. Taco Guides

The 54 Best Mexican Restaurants In L.A., Ranked

<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

News

He Was Murdered Over a Pack of Swisher Sweets

<p>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.</p>


Erich Redson

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Atwater Village

Urban Wilderness

The L.A. River Runs Through All of Us, Here Are Four Places to Visit, Take In Nature, and Reflect