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Articles by Ivan Fernandez
RIP Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights Icon and Labor Leader
Dolores Huerta has passed away at the age of 96. Huerta was an activist, labor leader, and the co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association, where she created the famous “¡Sí Se Puede!” chant. Huerta dedicated over 70 years of her life to fighting for the rights of farmworkers, for women’s rights, and for social justice. She devoted much of this work to the United Farm Workers of America, a merger of the NFWA and the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, until she stepped down in 1999.
‘How Fascist Is Your L.A. Sports Team?’: A Guide by L.A. TACO
Art by Ivan Ehlers, Pulitzer finalist and cartoonist behind L.A. TACO's "Sunday Taquitos" series. Before anyone else says it, yes, there ain’t no such thing as ethical consumption under capitalism, blah blah blah. Major league sports owners have basically always been hella rich foos with questionable ambitions, to say the least. The current moment feels different, however.
Are The Lakers Still L.A.’s Team?
It hasn’t been easy being a Lakers fan these past couple of days. First came the news that Bob “Disney” Iger and Joshua “Privatize The World Cup” Kushner bought out Mark "Ruined the Dodgers For Everyone By Holding Investments in Detention Centers" Walter’s majority shares in the team for nearly $13 billion.
20 Inland Empire-Based Nonprofits Doing The Good Work That Can Use Your Support
IE Taco is funded by the CIELO Fund of the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF). San Bernardino and Riverside counties, aka the Inland Empire, have their share of challenges. A percentage of the population across the region is particularly vulnerable for the usual reasons; job insecurity, food insecurity, housing insecurity, etc.
Did FIFA’s New Investment Scheme Kill The World Cup?
It hasn’t been two weeks since this summer’s World Cup came to an end that we’re now looking at a world where the tournament exists without the participation of Spain, England, Norway, and other European nations. FIFA God-Emperor Gianni “Harkonnen” Infantino finally took things too far on Tuesday when FIFA announced the creation of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and FIFA Fast Forward Programme (FFFP).
Is Gentrification Ruining Mexico City’s Iconic Lucha Libre?
It wasn’t enough that the gringos were driving up the prices of real estate and basic necessities in Mexico City, now they were taking over lucha libre too . . . or at least that’s what some folks were bemoaning last year. Weeks after people took to the streets to protest the gentrification of various neighborhoods in CDMX, the topic became the go-to argument to explain the many changes occurring in the city, including within lucha libre.
Despite the 3-2 Defeat, Mexico Finally Has Reason to Believe Again
There’s a strange sensation floating through many fans of the Mexican national team. It’s a feeling of, dare I say it?, optimism, the type that hasn’t existed among the fan base in what feels like forever. More bizarre is the fact that this optimism comes in spite of the fact that Mexico went out of the World Cup in excruciating fashion on Sunday, falling 3 - 2 against the toughest English team in recent memory. ¿Y si sí, aunque no? And if we do, even though we didn’t?
Why Are Mexicans Chanting ‘¿Y Si Sí?’ Right Now?
Watching two goals within the first 30 minutes of the game between Mexico and Ecuador on Tuesday night had a packed-to-the-brim Estadio Azteca (aka Estadio Banorte, aka "Mexico City Stadium" as FIFA is temporarily calling it for legal reasons) chanting the fanbase’s latest rallying cry: “¿Y si sí?” (And if we do?) The chant is the latest three-word phrase that defines the World Cup as experienced by the fans.
On Pomona’s Identity Crisis, Is it Los Angeles County or the Inland Empire?
Back in April, we unveiled our ULTIMATE GUIDE to the Inland Empire. Specifically, it was a guide to the Inner IE, a region we denoted as the most accessible area of the IE via the Interstate 10 freeway. We included a few spots in Pomona and Claremont as well, which we noted were both still in L.A. County proper, but feel like outliers thanks to their location on the edge of the county line.
Smoke From The Lineage Logistics Fire Continues To Pollute L.A.
Father’s Day celebrations at Dodger Stadium could have been put to an early end this Sunday as smoke from the still-burning Lineage Logistics warehouse fire floated into the stadium. The hazy, brown smoke eventually lifted before the first pitch was thrown and the game continued as scheduled. The health threat from the toxic smoke, however, continues as wind patterns push the toxic smoke out of Boyle Heights and across various parts of L.A. County.
This El Sereno Art Show Pits Luchadores Against ICE
This story and all of L.A. TACO's Arts coverage is sponsored by Nikos Constant. There’s a never-ending, generational rant / diatribe / soliloquy among certain “Hispanics” about the trials and travails of being bicultural. It is not so for Lucha Flan, the lucha libre-masked artist and curator of 200% Mexa.
What You Need To Know About ICE At The FIFA World Cup
There’s plenty of confusion and fear behind the World Cup here in Los Angeles thanks to a number of unknowns. Here at L.A. TACO, we’ve received numerous letters and messages about ICE enforcement during the tournament. Below is what we know and a few resources to help you stay calm and safe. Current DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said that ICE will be part of security operations in the U.S. during the World Cup.
IE Taco Is Now a Reality, Thanks To Funding From The CIELO Fund At The Inland Empire Community Foundation
It began with an April Fool’s Day joke. For 24 hours this year, L.A. TACO became IE TACO. Alongside our mock announcement, we also published a not-an-April=Fool's-joke guide to what we refer to as the “Inner IE:” tackling the best eats in the cities from Montclair to Redlands accessible via the 10 freeway (plus Pomona and Claremont, as a bonus on your way out of L.A.).
Military Helicopters and Simulated Gunfire Disrupt Multiple Cities in L.A. County
Pasadena residents were literally rattled and shaken by helicopters, explosions, and simulated gunfire this past Wednesday, on the night of June 3. The occasion wasn’t a production of the latest Marvel Universe superhero film, but a training exercise conducted by the U.S. military.
The Ultimate Guide To 2026 World Cup Watch Parties And Fútbol Events In L.A.
It’s that time again: the World Cup is back and it’s bigger than ever before. Anyone who thought the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan was a doozy is in for a treat, what with the U.S. hosting alongside Canada and Mexico this time. Los Angeles will once again host a number of World Cup games, as it did in 1994 for the Men’s World Cup, and in 1999 for the Women’s World Cup. Unfortunately, this is also the most expensive World Cup of all time, at least until the next one.
Who Won The Top Prize At L.A. TACO’s Inaugural “Taquero Super Torneo?”
We held our Taquero Super Torneo tournament on Saturday, May 23, and we couldn’t have asked for a better turnout, experience, and tournament. Eight of our favorite L.A. taquerias came out to compete in a 3-vs-3 tournament, with only one crowned the winner of the tournament. Borreguitas won in dramatic fashion with back-to-back goals in the dying seconds of the final game. Their prize included bragging rights and tickets to the LAFC game on Sunday, May 24.
This WWE Power Couple Is Venturing into L.A.’s Coffee Roasting Scene
Rebecca Quinn (aka Becky Lynch) and Colby Lopez (aka Seth Rollins) on the Micheltorena steps in Silver Lake. Photo via The Riker Brothers. It was love at first sip for Colby Lopez and Rebecca Quin. In between matches at their day jobs at World Wrestling Entertainment, the duo–popularly known by their ring names, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch—would go on dates in different cities across the country to try out different blends and brews.
Los Dorados And Los Cholos Are The Big Winners At TACO MADNESS 2026
Our 17th Annual TACO MADNESS has officially come and gone, and what can we say other than: Thank you! Thank you to everyone who helped us put this event together, and to all of you who filled Gloria Molina Grand Park for our annual event of refined taco gluttony. First, we want to congratulate our winners, Los Dorados LA and Tacos Los Cholos.
This Is How Crazy and Expensive L.A. World Cup Tickets Are Right Now
If you’re looking to score tickets to any of the L.A. World Cup games this summer, then you’re probably-maybe-sort-of in luck. Of course, that luck comes with plenty of caveats, which I found out directly a few days ago when FIFA unveiled another round of tickets for sale for every game of the World Cup.
From the Kitchen to the Octagon: One L.A. Chef’s Journey Into the World of Mixed Martial Arts
In less than a year, what began as a lifestyle change for chef Walther Adrianzen became so much more. On Saturday, April 11, the Peruvian-born chef stepped into an MMA cage at the UFC Gym in Torrance to go hand-to-hand with an opponent for the first time in his life. Adrianzen’s journey to the octagon didn’t begin with a midlife crisis (he turns 39 this year) or as a radical attempt to change careers from his work as a chef. It began with a health scare that threatened to take him out.
The Borderless Legend Before The WWE Mask
The name Rey Mysterio is an iconic one in the world of professional wrestling and lucha libre for two reasons. The first is for the current wrestler by that name who, as an active veteran with nearly four decades of experience in the ring, will compete in next weekend’s Wrestlemania 42 event in a ladder match for the World Wrestling Entertainment Intercontinental Championship belt. The second, and most important, reason for this story is the original Rey Mysterio from Tijuana, Mexico.
L.A. TACO Officially Rebrands as IE TACO. Here’s Our First Guide.
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It’s finally come to this! L.A. TACO is leaving Los Angeles and moving east of East L.A. to the Inland Empire...FOR GOOD! What can we say? The rent is too damn high! The parking spots are few and far between! The transplants are transplanting and telling everybody that Echo Park and Silver Lake are the Eastside! So we’re jumping ship to the IE, where the rents are lower, the McMansions are spacious, and maybe there are transplants, but they haven’t told anyone that west is east and up is down.
By Ivan Fernandez Verified, Ivan Fernández, Iván Fernández, Juan Izguerra, Zach Cordner, Ken Crawford
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L.A. TACO
Verified
All Elite Wrestling Lets Its Wrestlers Speak Freely – And The Fans (And Business) Are Responding
There came a point on Sunday, March 15, when a few thousand people in DTLA chanted “Fuck ICE” otogether on two occasions, just minutes apart. This wasn’t at a protest at a political assembly, or even an action outside the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Exploring Historic Palestine’s Buried Landmarks
This article was supported by Viva La Book Review. During their travels throughout the West Bank, Israel and the occupied Palestinian and Syrian territories, married couple Raja Shehadeh and Penny Johnson visited a Maronite (eastern Syriac Catholic) church in Kfar Bir’im near the border with Lebanon. It’s the last, surviving structure in the village since the Israeli air force bombed it in 1953, years after expelling its residents in 1948.
Iran Hasn’t Officially Dropped Out Of The FIFA World Cup. But Will They Still Compete?
The Iranian football team was the first national team to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup scheduled for this summer. They may also become the first team to be eliminated, via withdrawal, depending on whether they decide to play in the tournament...which was left in doubt after a war of words last week. Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth Ahmad Donyamali appeared to rule out any chance of the Iranian national team competing in the World Cup.
The World Cup is Still Happening This Summer, But It May Not Look As Planned
It isn’t a World Cup tournament without drama, and no, we’re not talking about shady calls from chump referees. The past month has seen numerous events grace headlines everywhere calling the tournament, some venues, and some teams into question. This, like Brazil and Germany qualifying every four years, is nothing new. So what the heck is happening? Read on below. To say the obvious: it isn’t cheap to host the World Cup.
From Prison to Major Museums and His First Book, Mr. Wash Is Now Building a Community Art Center
This story and all of L.A. TACO's Arts coverage is sponsored by Nikos Constant. Mr. Wash (aka Fulton Leroy Washington) was only seven or eight years old when he made his first mark as an artist. A local elder and artist invited his friends and him to add to his latest project: the Watts Towers Arts Center. A young Wash helped to push marbles into wet concrete, before painting them.
Who Had a Better Opening Weekend Tailgate: LAFC vs L.A. Galaxy? We Checked Out Both
There was plenty of fútbol for everyone in L.A. last weekend thanks to both local Major League Soccer teams kicking off the 2026 season. The season began early on Saturday at Exposition Park, with the Los Angeles Football Club ditching BMO Stadium for the day. The team played across the way at the historic Memorial Coliseum. LAFC, now led by Son Heung-min, took on some pibe named Lionel Messi (maybe you’ve heard of him?) and Inter Miami FC.
How Jim Henson's Forgotten '90s Puppet Entered Foo Culture and Is Feeding Our Endless Nostalgia Craving ~ L.A. TACO
Pop culture is a funny thing right now. Characters lost to time and vague, foggy memories tend to reappear at some point in incredibly random ways. Take Baby Sinclair of the short-lived 90s series Dinosaurs. The pink-skinned, diapered ball of sarcastic wit was a beloved character for the four seasons the show was in syndication from 1991 to 1994. Then, 30 years after his last, original televised appearance, there he was. On Foos Gone Wild.
Thousands March on City Hall in Support of Iranian Crown Prince’s Global Day of Action
Thousands marched in DTLA calling for regime change in Iran. |Izzy Ramirez for L.A. TACO Thousands of protestors marched through downtown L.A. on Feb. 14 in response to Reza Pahlavi’s call for Iranians in L.A., Munich and Toronto to take to the streets in a Global Day of Action, which called for regime change to depose the Islamic Republic that rules Iran.
A un paso de evitar la prisión: el Tribunal Supremo rebaja la pena al condenado por el suicidio de un menor en Vila-real
Casi cuatro años después de que un jurado popular declarara culpable y la Audiencia Provincial de Castellón condenara a diez años de prisión por homicidio doloso al vecino de Moncofa, V. P., de 62 años en el momento del juicio, el Tribunal Supremo (TS) ha rebajado la pena a tres años y medio de cárcel al considerar el hecho un homicidio por imprudencia grave en concurso con un delito de amenazas.
A Running List of Everyone Participating in the January 30 National Shutdown
There’s been lots of talk of strikes and shutdowns over the past couple of days. As usual, when news spreads quickly, it can also spread confusingly and inaccurately.
From World Cup Supporter to ICE Staging Area: The Two Faces of The Home Depot in 2026
The nearest entrance to the Home Depot in Monrovia is marked by two memorials. The first marks the spot near the 210 East freeway where Carlos Roberto Montoya Valdez was struck and killed by a car in October last year while trying to flee ICE agents. The second memorial, which was added in mid-November last year, covers a small portion of grass at the entrance to the store’s parking lot. Both memorials commemorate Valdez as well as numerous day laborers who died in federal custody.
Protestors Rally in Pershing Square Against ICE and the Donroe Doctrine
Protesters face off against LAPD in front of Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles on 1/10/26. |Photo by J.W. Hendricks for L.A. Taco Over a thousand people rallied in Pershing Square yesterday and marched through the streets of DTLA to protest ICE’s reign of terror. It was one of many demonstrations in Los Angeles and in the country, days after ICE agent Jonathan Ross killed Renee Nicole Good in her vehicle.
CBP Briefly Detains Another U.S. Citizen While He's Working at His Construction Job ~ L.A. TACO
Two federal agents stand outside their vehicles in Baldwin Park. Screenshot taken from bystander video. |Bryan Federal agents detained a U.S. citizen who was working at a residential construction site in Baldwin Park for nearly a half-hour before releasing him in a separate location. The incident occurred at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
'60 Miles East:' A New Exhibit Celebrates The Era When Local Punk, Hardcore, and Ska Bands Ruled Riverside ~ L.A. TACO
There was once a time in Riverside where you could throw a stick anywhere on University Avenue or other streets in downtown and hit an all-ages show. Places like The UCR Barn, The Ritz, Shanky’s Cafe, Harry C’s, Attitudes, the De Anza Theater, and a host of other small DIY music halls would bounce with the sounds of punk, hardcore, and ska music from local bands playing together or mixing it up with bands from out of town.
This 'Xicano Hardcore' Documentary Proves Pomona and San Bernardino Are Punk's New Frontier ~ L.A. TACO
Hardcore music saved Isaac Canales’ life the day he got elbowed in the face in a pit at a Turnstile show. Speaking to a captive audience of dozens at the headquarters of Gente Organizada in Pomona, the young man from East L.A. shared his personal story of how a newfound love for hardcore led him to Mosh For Youth.
Beto Villanueva of Chicago Oi! Band Fuerza Bruta On ICE Raids, Latino Skinheads, and Paella in Basque Country
Fascist times call for antifascist music. So it’s probably no surprise that the past decade or so has birthed some of the best Oi! music we’ve heard in a long time. On the lengthy list of bands worth listening to, Fuerza Bruta from Chicago, stands high on top.
The Rarest and Weirdest Finds at 'Rare Books L.A.' ~ L.A. TACO
The hype for the Rare Books L.A. book fair at Union Station felt bigger this year, thanks to the event’s partnership with Netflix to promote Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” film. Still, no amount of celebrity razzle-dazzle could distract from the annual stars of the show: cases and tables filled and stacked with antiquarian books, art, maps and other rare and curious items from dozens of book dealers.
How L.A.'s Playbook Can Guide Chicago's Fight Against ICE ~ L.A. TACO
It’s been nearly two weeks since ICE invaded Chicago. On Sept. 9, ICE launched Operation Midway Blitz, which DHS described as an operation that “will target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in Chicago.” Three days later, immigration agents shot and killed Silverio Villegas González, a father of two from Michoacán.
‘Music Is Beyond Politics:’ Q&A With Li Saumet and Alberto Montenegro of ASTROPICAL
It is hilariously and wonderfully clear that ASTROPICAL, the musical collaboration between members of Bomba Estéreo and Rawayana, was meant to be. The moment I hop on to our scheduled video call by Zoom, Li Saumet and Alberto “Beto” Montenegro are already joking around on camera. They are in separate hotel rooms and Saumet is telling him how he should have answered a question in a previous interview.
Cal Poly Pomona Students Protest, Successfully 'Postponing' Career Fair Over Border Patrol Presence ~ L.A. TACO
Social media lit up last weekend with claims that ICE was headed to California State Polytechnic University Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona). The visit, however, wasn’t to conduct a raid, but a scheduled appearance at a career fair on Sept. 18. By this past Monday, that career fair was postponed after a public campaign of phone calls and emails, led by students, their families and friends, and community networks, urged the university to reconsider allowing the agency to participate.
You Missed Over 1,800 Succulents at the Country's Biggest Cactus Bash, In Arcadia ~ L.A. TACO
If the idea of geeking out over rare succulents sounds like a good time to you, then you've unfortunately just missed out. Because that's exactly what happened on Sunday, August 17, the final day of the 39th Annual Inter-City Cactus & Succulent Show and Sale that took over Arcadia this weekend.
Photographer Challenges LA Galaxy Stadium Ban As Fans Continue Silent Boycott
The 4th of July should’ve been a more exciting affair than it turned out to be for Bruce Martin. The photographer and fan of the LA Galaxy should have been celebrating his team’s first home game since May 31. Instead, a series of events since that game led to his indefinite ban from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.
Juanes Reminds Us of the Power of Love and Unity at the Hollywood Bowl
There was a feeling in the air on July 16th that Juanes, the Colombian rock and pop superstar, would address the urgency of the moment. Halfway through his set at the Hollywood Bowl, perched atop a platform on the audio/video booth in the middle of the venue, literally surrounded by a sold-out crowd, he made his call to action. “Toda la gente ha venido de otros lugares aquí.
Residents Protest Gentrification in Mexico City Neighborhoods
Los Angeles’ sister city saw its residents protest on Friday as hundreds, many of them young people, took to the streets to protest the gentrification caused by so-called "digital nomads” and other factors in neighborhoods such as Roma and La Condesa in Mexico City. According to Alfonso Sotelo of El Heraldo, the march began with dozens of people meeting at the Foro Lindbergh in Parque México to work collectively to make protest signs.
ICE Had to Take Her to E.R. After Detaining Her, And Now They Wait Outside to Re-Detain Her
A woman from Sherman Oaks is being treated at Glendale Memorial Hospital for unspecified injuries after being detained by immigration authorities late last night. According to tips and reports to L.A. TACO from various sources, a woman was detained by immigration agents last night outside of an apartment complex in Sherman Oaks. Agents then took her to Glendale Memorial Hospital after she suffered an unspecified medical emergency.
The Dodgers won’t speak out against the ICE raids, so fans are calling for a boycott
Advocacy groups and Dodgers fans are organizing boycott calls against the team, demanding it speak out against federal immigration enforcement operations in the city. The raids, which began June 6, have continued across Southern California with armed agents targeting venues from swap meets to neighborhoods, sparking widespread anxiety in Latino communities.
Hype vs History: How Two Cup Tournaments Highlight the Battle Between the Past, Present & Future of the Sport in the USA
The schism that divides Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber’s vision for the league (and the sport in general) and the sport’s too-often-forgotten-by-design history was on full display on September 25, 2024 thanks to a cup trophy double-header in the USA. The day began with Club América of Liga MX lifting the Campeones Cup trophy after defeating the Columbus Crew of MLS. Hours later, Los Angeles FC lifted the US Open Cup title at home in an overtime thriller against Sporting Kansas City.
Three Days A Volunteer At SoFi Stadium for Copa América 2024
I almost missed out on the Copa América this year. I attempted to sign up for a press pass as I normally do for a balompié tournament in the US. I say attempted because, unfortunately, the application page for credentials via CONMEBOL left me with more questions than answers I could provide to the ones listed on the request form.
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