Skip to Content
News

Headlines: Sheriff Villanueva’s Former Chief of Staff Admits to Being In Deputy Gang; Gov. Newsom Pardons Woman Who Killed Abuser at 16

LASDHQ/Instagram

Welcome to L.A. TACO’s daily news briefs, where we bring our loyal members, readers, and supporters the latest headlines about Los Angeles politics and culture. Stay informed and look closely.

—A man was killed in Montebello due to some kind of fireworks mishap on Monday afternoon. [CBS]

—A devastating thread from Film The Police shares the activist's anger and despair over the investigation of his son's murder and the shooting of a child that seems to be going nowhere and is even rumored to be a targeted assassination. [Film The Police]

—Sheriff Alex Villanueva's former chief of staff, Larry Del Mese, admits he was a member of the deputy gang known as "the Grim Reapers." [ABC]

—Sara Kruzan, a Riverside woman sentenced to life in prison at the age of 16 after shooting and killing a man accused of abusing her, grooming her, and trafficking her, was given a pardon by Governor Gavin Newsom last week. [CNN]

-A street takeover with over 200 people in South Los Angeles ended with a fatal shooting. [KTLA]

—L.A. County health officials are offering a monkeypox vaccine to individuals based on their possible exposure risk. [NBC]

—Kshisya Tachanskaya, a Ukrainian refugee in Portugal, is teaching surfing and establishing surf camps as a way of of helping others refugees deal with post-traumatic stress. [Magic Seaweed]

—A man in his sixties was killed while confronting an intruder at his Lincoln Heights apartment on Monday night. [KTLA]

—Recent video footage shows an irate woman trashing a taco stand at Normandie and Slauson, dumping meat out and pouring out a barrel of horchata, allegedly after being told to wait for the stand to set up. She also spit on whatever she did not throw out. [CBS]

—Video posted Sunday appears to show an L.A. police officer kick or step on the head of a suspect placed under arrest. [Blah Blah Why Not/Twitter]

—A 24-year-old UPS driver collapsed and died in the Pasadena heat while delivering packages last week, the day after his birthday. [ABC]

—Criticism comes in for local police after allegedly failing to come to the aid of victims of a drunk driver who fled the scene of a crash in Northeast L.A. this weekend. [OTC/Twitter]

—Oakland's Kiva Confections is partnering with Jetty Extracts on a limited release of their popular 100% live resin-infused edibles, Lost Farm, resulting in Honey Apple x Sunshine OG Gummies and Sour Berry x Legend OG Chews. [PRN]

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Protestors Rally in Pershing Square Against ICE and the Donroe Doctrine

A coalition of activist and political groups brought people out to the streets to protest ICE and the Trump administration’s attacks on Venezuela. Many also paid tribute to Renee Nicole Good, killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis, and Keith Porter, killed by an off-duty ICE agent in Northridge.

January 11, 2026

Sunday Taquitos #10: Good Is Dead

…or will it? Sunday Taquitos! Art by Ivan Ehlers.

January 11, 2026

Meeting of Styles: A Year of Los Angeles Graffiti

Indiana Holmes shares his Top 15 Shots of 2025. Shoutout to the graff community and to everyone who participated in, and supported, this year’s Meeting of Styles.

January 10, 2026

Weekend Eats: Paneer Tacos, Hamburger Handrolls, and Orange Chicken Fries Are Here To Test Your New Year’s Resolutions

Meanwhile, over 30 of L.A.'s best pizzerias are uniting to bake and deliver free pizza pies on Wednesday.

January 9, 2026

DAILY MEMO: Numerous Sightings of ICE and Border Patrol In Pomona and San Bernardino County in the Last 48 Hours

There were 10 confirmed sightings of federal agents in Pomona on Thursday. Agents also snatched someone near Hollywood High School on Wednesday.

January 8, 2026

‘It’s Colonizing All Over Again:’ Chefs and Tortilleros React to California’s Fortified Tortilla Mandate

A new California law, penned by a Fresno assemblyman, mandates folic acid in corn tortillas to curb birth defects in Latina women—rattling L.A.'s taco universe. Tortilla makers in California, who have followed the same 12,000 year-old recipe, now must add a synthetic vitamin... but not all are complying.

January 8, 2026
See all posts