Four contestants of the Halloween Slick Chick beauty contest in Anaheim, Calif., 1947 From the UCLA photo archives and Life Magazine. The Southland&#8217;s biggest Halloween pumpkin, back for annual holiday visit, is viewed from low-flying helicopter. Pumpkin adorns a tank at Union Oil Co. refinery in Wilmington Children in Halloween costumes in Anaheim, Calif., 1948.…

Vintage Los Angeles Halloween Photos

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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>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

An Illustration of Fox Theater in Westwood with its tall tower and marquee

L.A. TACO Neighborhood Guides: Westwood

<p>Marina Watanabe is a multimedia journalist, social media editor, and video creator based in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Previously, she was a social media reporter for 404 by Los Angeles Times and Bitch Media, and her work has been featured by Teen Vogue, Elle, and GLAAD.</p>


Marina Watanabe

Rows of burned cars in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire that destroyed much of Altadena in January, 2025. Photo by Maks Ksenjak for L.A. TACO.

Books

We Don’t Need to Imagine Octavia Butler’s Post-Apocalyptic L.A. It’s Already Here.

<p>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.</p>


Héctor Zaldívar

Mary Lyons (Leech Lake Ojibwe) Great-Grandmother, Ojibwe Elder, spiritual advisor, storyteller and wisdom keeper.

History

Native Community Bands Together In San Pedro, Fighting Trump’s ‘Columbus Day’ Reinstatement

<p>Kamren Curiel is a fourth-generation Chicana born in East L.A. and raised in South San Gabriel. She&#8217;s written for the L.A.Times, Latina, LAist, KCET, Huffington Post, and was the L.A. Editor for Remezcla.com.</p>


Kamren Curiel

Los Angeles

A ‘Concrete Eyesore’ Replaces Native Trees: Landowner Builds Tax-Break Garden on Protected El Sereno Hillside

<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

Trump’s Immigration Policy Falls in Line with Racist U.S. History Towards Immigrants

L.A. TACO STAFF

<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

<p>Laura is a desmadrosa, a product of East Los, an educator, and a hood establishment connoisseur.</p>


Laura Tejeda

Food

The 34 Best ‘Hood Burgers In Los Angeles

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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

<p>Jennifer Nehrer (she/they) is a senior at USC majoring in journalism. During her final year of college, she is interning with NBC Los Angeles after having previously worked for NBC News Digital Platforms and written for the Times Media Group. She is from Washington, D.C. and is passionate about all things data, local news and feature writing. You can follow her reporting journey on Instagram at @jennifernnehrer.</p>


Jennifer Nehrer

Drink

One of the Best San Fernando Valley Coffee Shops Owes Its Success to Argentine Culture

<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Alejandra Cid is a social media producer for L.A. TACO. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she is interested in stories that highlight the diversity of life across the city.</span></p>


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Alejandra Cid

Photo Essay

The Best Signs That Turned Tired Legs into Smiles at the 41st L.A. Marathon

<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

Iranian National Dies in Mississippi, Marking 17th ICE-Related Death Since December 31

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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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Nik Venet

two men and a woman onstage at a press conference

Investigative Report

Trump’s ‘Deportation Judges’ Take Over Has Begun: Half of L.A. Immigrants Now Miss Court and Get Deported Sight Unseen

<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

Sports

The World Cup is Still Happening This Summer, But It May Not Look As Planned

<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

Sunday Taquitos #18: No Taxation Without Refunds

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