Gustavo Arellano is a columnist 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
While the rise of Democrats in O.C. has made all the headlines, the facts on the ground tell a different story. In terms of local political power, Republicans still rule — and it’s not even close.
Famous as a cradle of Chicano politics and culture, East L.A. is the most populous unincorporated community in California. Can a new cityhood drive succeed?
April 30, 2024
The pain I feel at her death from ovarian cancer at age 67 remains raw. The guilt over not appreciating Mami’s love until it was too late, haunts me.
April 28, 2024
After dropping off luggage at my hotel, I hit my first stop: Larry’s Steaks, a sandwich shop in the Wynnefield neighborhood that makes Bryant’s favorite Philly cheesesteak.
April 24, 2024
The billboards have become such a part of the region’s life that Bea Gonzalez, a Desert Community College board trustee, recently told me she’s used to having strangers stare at her before asking if she’s that woman.
April 18, 2024
Southern California has always been an ossuary of failed publications done in by apathetic readership, clueless owners or a combination of both. But a new generation of journalists is forging ahead.
April 16, 2024
Those of us in the fellowship of frugality know that California’s booms inevitably end in bust. That’s what makes the end of the 99 Cents Only empire so distressing.
April 9, 2024
Tyler Laube, then a member of the white supremacist group Rise Above Movement, repeatedly punched a reporter covering the rally for OC Weekly, where I was then editor in chief.
April 5, 2024
Latinos who have never been politically active are now attending rallies expressing support for Palestinians.
April 4, 2024
Estrada is the public face of U.S. law in Southern California. To hear him so effortlessly code-switch struck me as bold yet smart. What kind of fed was hip enough to do that? I caught up to him to ask why he decided to be more pointed en Español.
March 29, 2024