Gustavo Arellano

Staff Writer

Gustavo Arellano is a features writer for the Los Angeles Times, covering Southern California everything and a bunch of the West and beyond. He previously worked at OC Weekly, where he was an investigative reporter for 15 years and editor for six, wrote a column called ¡Ask a Mexican! and is the author of “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.” He’s the child of two Mexican immigrants, one of whom came to this country in the trunk of a Chevy.

Latest From This Author

California

In Orange County, Kobe Bryant grew from basketball’s enfant terrible into a ‘typical dad’

California

In Orange County, Kobe Bryant grew from basketball’s enfant terrible into a ‘typical dad’

The last Saturday of Kobe Bryant’s life came and went like any typical weekend at home for the retired Lakers superstar.

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Kobe Bryant’s helicopter was not equipped with terrain warning system that could have alerted pilot to hillside

Petition to use Kobe Bryant image in NBA logo has more than 2 million signatures
California

24 grieving fans talk about losing their hero: ‘This is a Kobe town’

California

24 grieving fans talk about losing their hero: ‘This is a Kobe town’

As memorials grow, from Thousand Oaks to Newport Beach, fans of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant share their grief over losing No. 24.
California

Kobe Bryant had a special kinship with Latino fans and culture

California

Kobe Bryant had a special kinship with Latino fans and culture

Kobe Bryant loved Los Angeles’ Latino community, and in turn, they loved him back.
California

‘Did you hear?’ The public grieves for Kobe Bryant, from Trader Joe’s to Staples Center

California

‘Did you hear?’ The public grieves for Kobe Bryant, from Trader Joe’s to Staples Center

‘Did you hear?’ ‘Brutal.’ ‘He was the best.’ Kobe Bryant’s death brings people together to mourn the basketball legend.
Obituaries

‘Kiwi Queen’ Frieda Caplan, produce-industry pioneer, dies at 96

Obituaries

‘Kiwi Queen’ Frieda Caplan, produce-industry pioneer, dies at 96

Frieda Caplan, the first woman to own and run a produce company in the U.S. and is credited for introducing hundreds of exotic fruits and veggies to American markets, is dead. She was 96.
California

While Women’s March unfolds, L.A. Archdiocese holds its own social justice gathering

California

While Women’s March unfolds, L.A. Archdiocese holds its own social justice gathering

OneLife LA, held downtown Saturday, is the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ counter to the Women’s March, though it’s two years older.

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Thousands turn out for Women’s March in downtown L.A.
California

In newly blue Orange County, Democrats struggle over how far left is too far

California

In newly blue Orange County, Democrats struggle over how far left is too far

After flipping the longtime GOP stronghold, Democrats’ moderate and progressive wings battle for the soul of the party, mirroring the changing demographics of Orange County.
California

The XLNT tamales go back 125 years, capturing nostalgia for Californians across the U.S.

California

The XLNT tamales go back 125 years, capturing nostalgia for Californians across the U.S.

Once a Southern California culinary touchstone, XLNT tamales offer a time warp to an era when Latino food wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is today.
California

At this church, many see a divine image of the Virgin of Guadalupe written in concrete

California

At this church, many see a divine image of the Virgin of Guadalupe written in concrete

A year ago in Artesia, the faithful say, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in a sidewalk stain outside Holy Family Catholic Church. They’ve since safeguarded the image of Mexico’s patron saint.
California

This theater has attracted movie stars and Catalina Island residents for 90 years. Now, it may call it a night

California

This theater has attracted movie stars and Catalina Island residents for 90 years. Now, it may call it a night

Built in 1929 as part of the iconic Catalina Casino and the first cinema in the world designed for talkies, the Avalon Theater once drew legends from Charlie Chaplin to Louis B. Mayer to Marilyn Monroe. Now, Catalina Island residents mourn as the movie house looks on the verge of stopping nightly showings because of economics.