Day One: The walls of Long Beach were transformed last week by the international mural festival known as Pow! Wow!

Photo Recap: Pow! Wow! Long Beach ~ Day One

align

linkDestination

caption

credit

creditUrl

lightboxSrc

originalHeight

originalWidth

srcset

height

width

core/image

core/paragraph

core/more

<div>Ivan Ehlers is an Ecuadorian-American cartoonist and writer. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker, MAD Magazine and the Los Angeles Times.</div>
<div></div>
<div>IG: <a id="m_-8957504711371111195plusReplyChip-0" class="gmail_plusreply"></a>@ivan_ehlers</div>

Ivan Ehlers

Sunday Taquitos #36: The End Is Near

3rd-generation Angeleno Mike Sonksen, aka Mike the PoeT, is a poet, professor, journalist, historian and tour guide. Sonksen’s read poetry at over 100 academic institutions, appeared on radio and television and hosted at the Getty Center. His latest books are Traces, Places, Faces and Poets of My City: A Collective Effervescence. Sonksen was recently appointed the Long Beach Design District&#8217;s first Poet-in-Residence.

Mike Sonksen

"Protect the Water, Revoke the Permits!" rally

Books

Vanguards of Language: Obi Kaufmann, Saul Williams, and the Power of Poetry

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

A Woody Guthrie Guitar, a 1776 Print of the Declaration of Independence, and Much More Are Now On View at The Huntington

Sunday Taquitos #35: The A.I. Bubble Bursts

Nya Manneh is a 22-year-old Master&#8217;s student from Minnesota studying at the University of Southern California. She is passionate about writing stories that highlight underrepresented voices and meeting new people from all walks of life.

Nya Manneh

L.A. TACO STAFF

Two attendees at the Calavera LGBTQ Festival

L.A. Taco Guides

L.A. TACO’s Ultimate Guide to Día de Muertos Events in Los Angeles

People

How to Really Scare The Hell Out of Someone, According to the Creators of L.A.’s Most Popular Haunts

Explore

Footer - NEW

Legal Footer

Main - NEW

Mobile

Neighborhoods

Top Guides

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

L.A. TACO is paid for by readers. 8,000 Angelenos keep this newsroom independent. Memberships start at $5.95/month.

This one's for members.

No advertiser paid for this. We depend on members to write these investigations, please join.

This investigation took months.

L.A. TACO is paid for by readers, not billionaires. 8,000 Angelenos keep this newsroom independent. Memberships start at $5.95/month.

Support This Work

We're paid for by readers. 8,000 Angelenos keep this newsroom independent, and members read everything. Memberships start at $5.95/month.

Keep reading L.A. TACO.

Free registration

Please register for L.A. TACO to Vote 

Register to continue

We are truly independent local media.

Free to Read, just share your email 

Every place on this list was visited by someone on our staff. Create a free account to read all of it. No payment, no catch.

The rest of this guide is free. We just need an email.

We take our food reporting very seriously, and answer to readers, not advertisers.

The rest of this article is free. We just need an email.

The rest of this report is free. We just need an email.

We're indepdenent local news, help us write these stories by sharing your email (it's free)

All we ask is your email

Read this opinion piece for free, just share your email

All we ask is an email...

Create a free account and keep reading. No payment, no catch. We're reader-funded, and this is how we get to know who we're writing for.

Read this one on us.

Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

Support L.A. TACO

Taco Members Only

Juicy Ribeye Khao Soi In a Wisteria-Covered West Hollywood Courtyard

Julianne Lê 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. Lê 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 Lê

a woman speaks into a microphone on a patio

ICE Watch Newsletter: Will Newly Elected Officials Finally Melt ICE?

Sam Ribakoff is a reporter, journalism teacher, communicator for labor unions, and a nice guy from Long Beach.

a man stands in front of a mural with a pig in a police hat being crossed out

Sam Ribakoff

a woman getting getting salsa at a taco stand

News

Raman and DSA Candidates Have Defeated the Odds. That May Be the Easy Part

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.

a woman sits outside wearing a black long sleeve outfit

Lauren Bethke

a woman in a suit poses in front of a sign reading "Ye Rustic Inn"

Food

Ye Rustic Inn (and Its 50 Years Worth of Regulars) Are Not Going Down Without a Fight

Featured

Southeast L.A. Residents Can Save Thousands on an Electric Vehicle by Attending This Free Event In South Gate

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.

Karina Soriano

a man in a cowboy hat grills steak in a cast iron skillet on a grill while steaks and onions grill

Asada Inflation: A Rare Look at How L.A. Taqueros Are Handling Soaring Beef Prices

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

post

Héctor Zaldívar is the head of a print magazine and art/music publication titled Dead Relatives. Completely written and designed by Zaldívar, every month subscribers are mailed in-depth stories on different subcultures from graffiti in Latin America to hardcore punk to lowrider culture and back.

Héctor Zaldívar

a black and white photo of a crowd of people