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
If Joe Biden won’t stand up to xenophobic bull spouted by a bully, who will? Newcomers who want to better their lives are who we should be celebrating.
July 4, 2024
Edin Enamorado’s work to help harassed street food vendors is noble — but his tactics are often in-your-face and have sparked a debate among even his supporters.
June 30, 2024
The crash was reported shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday on the southbound side of Interstate 5 near Las Pulgas Road. Traffic remained at a standstill for hours.
June 27, 2024
De León seems to be daring critics to oppose his feel-good Biddy Mason measure.
June 25, 2024
For the last 35 years, Manuel Pastor has practiced and pioneered a form of scholastic activism that brings the streets to academia, and vice versa.
June 23, 2024
The effort to name the federal courthouse in L.A. after the Mendez family seems like the type of feel-good story this country needs more of these days. So who on earth could be opposed to it?
June 20, 2024
Gracey Van Der Mark is the latest in a long line of bombastic conservative O.C. politicians. But there’s never been one like her, a Horatio Alger fable come to life.
June 12, 2024
I might have thought homosexuality to be terrible, but an uncaring government that let people die because of who they were was far worse. I went up to my classmate and apologized.
June 9, 2024
Americans have snidely looked down on Mexico’s government for decades while holding ours up as a beacon for the rest of the world to emulate. But in 2024, which country can boast of a better track record in its presidential milestones?
June 4, 2024
Los Angeles is in constant flux. Arranged into six categories, L.A. Influential presents people of all ages, backgrounds and fields who are making a difference. Come back each Sunday for more stories on the moguls, artists, community leaders and others shaping the city now.
June 2, 2024