This year’s Halloween celebration featured&nbsp;Mexican-style lucha libre wrestling&nbsp;(including the high-flying&nbsp;Stuka Jr., hand-picked by Lucha VaVOOM from the professional Mexican wrestling promotions team CMLL; Lucha VaVOOM’s newly minted champion&nbsp;Li’l Cholo, evil doctors Medico Asesino and Dr. Maldad, Crazy Chickens, Cannibals, Matt Classic and Matt Classic Jr., sleazy Joey Ryan, Hairy Monsters and Dama Fina, Minis,&nbsp;aerial/burlesque/dance performances&nbsp;(from&nbsp;flying…

Photo Recap: The Smell of Fear ~ Lucha VaVOOM

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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

Update: ICE Re-Detains Plaintiff Out On Bond in Landmark Case Challenging L.A. ICE Raids, Sends Him Back To Adelanto

<p>Will Barboza is a writer from Los Angeles who specializes in covering fan communities and nerd culture. His articles have appeared in VICE, Playboy, IGN, and other online outlets where geek-centric stories are told.</p>


Will Barboza

Sports

Four Shops Turning the San Fernando Valley Into America’s Trading Card Capital

<p>Abraham Marquez is a freelance writer from Inglewood and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). He is a 2021 USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism Fellow. He writes about social movements, sports, politics, and immigration. Instagram: @abemarquez02</p>


Abraham Marquez

Food

Controversial Israeli Chef Expands Miznon Across L.A.

<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

a book cover depicting Los Angeles' cityscape

Books

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Featured

This 26-Year-Old From the Pacific Northwest Is Calling Out MAGA-Owned Latino Businesses

<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

various tacos with different meats and toppings

Tacos

I Almost Died to Try Long Beach’s Viral New Tacos. Was It Worth It?

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<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

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Aisha Wallace-Palomares

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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

Los Angeles

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<p><span class="il">Lizbeth</span> Solorzano is a graduate student pursuing a Master&#8217;s in Specialized Journalism. As a native to Los Angeles, she loves writing stories about arts, culture, and local news. Growing up bilingual, she loved learning about different cultures and stories around L.A.</p>


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Lizbeth Solorzano

<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

Tucker Collins stands in front of a gallery wall of framed accolades.

Taco Members Only

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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 reddish Junglebird cocktail with a straw, dried citrus rind, and mint

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<p class="p1">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.</p>


Memo Torres

<p>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.</p>


Erwin Recinos

News

Daily Memo: At Least 15 Latinos Have Been Deported to the Congo As ICE Escalates In Southern California

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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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