Latinx Files: An update on De Los

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times announced that it was laying off 115 people because of heavy financial losses.

These cuts account for about 20% of the newsroom and represent “one of the largest workforce reductions in the history of the 142-year-old institution,” my colleague Meg James noted in her report.

De Los, the newish team I help oversee which focuses on telling Latinx stories, was hit hard by the layoffs. General manager Angel Rodriguez, assistant editors Christian Orozco and Crystal Villarreal, cultural columnist Suzy Exposito and reporters Alejandra Molina, Andrea Flores and Chelsea Hylton were among those who received layoff notices. (Elvia Limón, multiplatform editor for newsletters, who ensured that the Latinx Files arrives in your inbox every Thursday, also received notice.)

Every single one of them was instrumental in building De Los into what it is now, and it has been very painful to see them go. I will miss them dearly.

The layoffs affected other teams across the newsroom, including the photo and video desks, the Washington bureau and the sports department. The layoffs will also reduce the number of journalists of color who work at The Times.

“If these layoffs are allowed to go through, our caucuses will be decimated,” read a joint statement released by four of the L.A. Times Guild’s affinity caucuses.

“The Latino Caucus will lose 38% of its members. The Black Caucus will lose 36% of its members. The Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) caucuses will lose 34% of their combined membership.”

De Los is very much still alive and our mission remains the same, despite the losses, and contrary to misinformation circulating on social media about its fate. We will continue to chronicle the many contours of Latinidad and will strive to tell as many of our stories as we can. To borrow a popular Cuban adage often repeated by a friend and mentor, “Pa’lante! Pa’trás ni pa’ coger impulso.”

We’ll be back next week with your regularly scheduled Latinx Files programming. In the meantime, please enjoy these wonderful De Los stories.

(Jackie Rivera / For The Times; Martina Ibáñez-Baldor / Los Angeles Times)

Things we read this week that we think you should read

From De Los:

Why Boricua rapper Eladio Carrión dedicated his new LP, ‘Sol María,’ to his mom
Eladio Carrión is having a moment. The Times spoke to the Puerto Rican multi-hyphenate about his new album ‘Sol Maria,’ mastering hip-hop in Spanish and how family is the key to his success.

Column: In defense of Vietnam’s love of pachucos
A video of Vietnamese men dressed in pachuco style has gone viral on social media, sparking conversations about appropriation and who gets to partake in the culture.

Column: ‘RHOSLC’s’ Monica Garcia didn’t play the Latino card. So why are they coming for her?
The ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ reality star was accused of using her Latinidad to get cast this season. But who cares?

L.A. and Latina-owned brand featured in new ‘Mean Girls’ movie
Two Latinas who started a brand with a vision of representing their community just made their big-screen debut in the new ‘Mean Girls’ movie.

From the Los Angeles Times:

‘Thousand-year storm’ leaves San Diego reeling from punishing rainfall, floods
Hundreds of San Diego homes and businesses were damaged or ruined in devastating floods after punishing rainfall fell Monday during a “thousand-year storm.”

All the 2024 best picture Oscar nominees ranked, from worst to best
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has chosen 10 movies for the best picture Oscar race, from big fare such as ‘Barbie’ to radical indies such as ‘The Zone of Interest.’ How do they stack up?

Cal State and faculty union reach tentative pact with lightning speed, and not all are happy
The tentative pact drew mixed reviews, but union leaders said it provides major gains for the most underpaid instructors and other benefits.

Café Tropical closed 8 weeks ago. Employees say they’re still missing thousands in pay
Thirty-three former Cafe Tropical employees say they haven’t been paid for the work they did before the Cuban coffee shop in Silver Lake shut down in December.

Young teen accused of ramming car into Ruben’s Bakery before mob ransacked it
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department arrested five suspects, including a young teen, in connection with the Jan. 2 robbery of Ruben’s Bakery & Mexican Food.