Reader Steven Rodriguez writes&#8230; We are spending the next 2 months in MEXICO CITY and OAXACA documenting and working alongside the booming Mexican PIRATE/FREE RADIO scene. We are working hard with these collectives to produce a heavily illustrated bilingual guide titled WAVE MANUAL for constructing and maintaining free radio stations on either side of the…

Wave Radio X Free Radio Mexico

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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).

Javier Cabral

Food

Is It Pronounced ‘Tamal’ or ‘Tamale’?

Tiffany Lauren is a Los Angeles native, NYU alum, and lover of tacos and mezcal. Her work has also been featured in Latina Magazine.

Tiffany Lauren

Los Angeles

The Diary of a Woman Lyft Driver in Los Angeles: My Six Lessons

Daniel Hernandez is editor emeritus of LA Taco, serving 2017-2019. He is currently a staff writer for the L.A. Times. He is former Mexico bureau chief for VICE News, and former staff writer at the Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly. Daniel is author of the book &#8220;Down &amp; Delirious in Mexico City.&#8221;

Daniel Hernandez

Details

Blood Is Thicker Than Coffee: Meet the Family Behind L.A.’s 100-Percent Salvadoran Coffee Roasters

How to Prove You’re a Transplant in Los Angeles ~ Overlay It With a Map of New York Boroughs

History

A New Manifesto on Cinco de Mayo: Let Everyone Get Drunk ~ Then Start Reclaiming It

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

The Mural Mile ~ A History of Pacoima Told Through the Tapestry of Street Art

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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

Support L.A. TACO

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

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

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

L.A. TACO STAFF

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

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.

Erich Redson

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A Swarm of a ‘Billion’ Painted Lady Butterflies Is Migrating Through Southern California