Los Angeles TACO would like to congratulate our good friend and roots hero Ras Leon on his feature in the new issue of High Times. Those who skanked and mashed it up back in the day might remember Leon&#8217;s astonishing shows in Southern Cali leading the Santa Barbara-based group Underground Roots Syndicate. If you love…

Ras Leon Takes Jahhiya even Hiya!

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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

<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

Events

L.A TACO’s 2026 Guide To Free Summer Concerts in L.A.

<p>Mike Sonksen aka Mike the PoeT is a 3rd-generation Los Angeles native. Poet, professor, journalist, historian and tour-guide, his latest book &#8220;Letters to My City&#8221; was just published by Writ Large Press. He teaches at Woodbury University.</p>


Mike Sonksen

an older man shakes the hand of a young student

Music

Bad Brains Legend HR Pays a Visit To Students at Watts Conservatory of Music

A woman holds a fist in the air while popping out of a sunroof next to a man with a U.S. flag jacket.

L.A. Taco Guides

13 Anti-ICE Anthems and Music Videos, Ranked

<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

Punk Bands Are Bailing on ‘Punk in the Park’ Over Founder’s Trump Donations

<p>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.</p>


Julianne Le

a young man wearing a keffiyeh plays the bagpipes

Protests

This 21-Year-Old Bagpiper Plays Through Tear Gas to ‘Fire Up’ Anti-ICE Protesters

Featured

As Protests Raged Around Them, this ‘Banned In L.A.’ Punk Band Played to Hundreds At MDC

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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

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


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

Sam Ribakoff

The Western States Regional Carpenters Union rallies for Council member Nithya Raman next to the competing SEIU 721 rally for Mayor Karen Bass outside the Sherman Oaks East Valley Adult Center

Politics

Where Do the Candidates for L.A. Mayor Really Stand on Street Vending?

Taco Members Only

Tijuana’s Prized ‘Tacos Varios’ Enter East L.A.

<p>Marina Watanabe is director of video and a reporter at L.A. TACO based in Koreatown. Previously, she worked as a video reporter for 404 by Los Angeles Times and a video producer at Condé Nast publications Teen Vogue, Glamour, and Them.</p>


Marina Watanabe

Food

L.A.’s Most Exclusive Poke Comes From a Car Trunk And Sells Out In Minutes

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


Memo Torres

a woman leaves a love note for ICE on a chalkboard

Site News

Our Playbook Against ICE Burnout

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Myriam Gurba

Personal Essay

Essay: Lindsay Clancy’s Murder Trial Is the Story of La Llorona, All Over Again

<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

<p>Andrew Bangs, or simply Bangs to his compatriots, is a long-time LA Taco supporter and occasional contributor. He spends a lot of time thinking about his dog.</p>


Andrew Bangs

Chicken wing skewers grilled over charcoals

The 21 Best Street Kebabs in L.A.

<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>
