Posted inOpinion

COMMENTARY: Anti-immigration laws must be challenged

But Californians should pay attention to what is happening in Texas with legislation that would allow all police officers to deport undocumented immigrants. This legislation would embolden Texan police officers to deport people who they suspect are in the U.S. without legal documentation. These anti-immigrant policies are not new concepts to us in California. In the 1990s, then-Gov. Wilson passed Prop. 187, which attempted to repudiate social services to undocumented immigrants. And Arizona’s SB 1070 was a law that would’ve allowed police officers to verify one’s immigration status if they suspected a person was undocumented.

These particular laws have the same goal: to keep immigrants out of the U.S. They have another goal – to strip away rights from Latinos, to other us, and criminalize our presence even if we are U.S. citizens.

What makes the Texas law worse than what happened in Arizona and California is the presumption of guilt associated with someone for simply looking “suspicious.”

Posted inHealth

November was Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month

Many Latinos and their families are committed to raising awareness of Alzheimer’s disease, especially in November, as it marked National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. Whether it is a family member or a friend, there is a high chance that most of us know someone whose life has been touched by the disease. CALÓ NEWS spoke with Dr. Lucas Restrepo, who is currently a clinical assistant professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. His specialties are stroke, vascular neurology, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and memory disorders. Dr. Restrepo is the co-inventor of several cooling devices for neuroprotection and helped develop a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease. 

Posted inEvents

Celebrate LACMAS NextGenLA’s 20th Anniversary

In celebration of NextGenLA’s 20th anniversary, LACMA will host a celebration on Sunday, December 3, 2023. The celebration will include exhibitions and fun activities for the whole family, as well as free outdoor activities for all ages. Storytime and Art Workshop at Tia Chuchas’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore is one of the many free art workshops. There will be free general admission and outdoor activities for NexGenLA members and one additional guest at LACMA. NexGenLA is a free membership for kids 17 and under who live in L.A. County. Visitors will be able to sign up for NexGenLA memberships at the event.

Posted inEntertainment

Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera will no longer return for ‘Scream 7’ after Palestine-Israel social media controversy

On Nov. 21 Spyglass Media made an announcement regarding the 33-year-old Mexican-American actress, stating that Barrera had been fired from the Scream sequel due to an Instagram post, which they had perceived as anti-Semitic. Less than a day later it was announced that Ortega would also not be returning for ‘Scream 7’ due to a “scheduling conflict.”

Fans quickly cast doubt on claims that Ortega’s departure was unrelated to Barrera’s removal from the series, and many applauded Ortega for leveraging her star power to support a fellow Latina. The two actresses played sisters in Scream 6, but are also known to be good friends in real life. Barrera and Ortega’s on-screen chemistry and popularity with audiences are largely credited with reviving the horror franchise. Scream 6 was considered a blockbuster success, grossing $108.2 million at the U.S. box office and $169 million worldwide.

Posted inObituary

East LA native son, Eddie Ayala dies at 63, leaving behind an indelible mark on the Chicano alternative and punk-rock scenes

In the 70s and late 80s, Eddie Ayala was one of the biggest stars in East LA as a punk-rock musician and singer of seminal bands Los Illegals and The Odd Squad, marking the beginning of the underground L.A. punk rock scene, Chicano-style. On Friday, November 24, Ayala, a pioneer of the East Los Angeles Chicano punk movement, died at 63 years old. 

Posted inOpinion

COMMENTARY: Resisting Gentrification

Located in the heart of Santa Ana, California, La Cuatro (famously 4th Street) had everything. It was where my family purchased my oldest sister’s quinceañera dress at Mina’s Bridal and where we’d enjoy fruta con chile in the summers. Extended families with aunts, uncles, grandparents, and a superfluity of cousins flooded its walkways to run their mandados. It was where my parents watched Titanic in Spanish in 1997 and Shrek in 2001. It had the Fallas Paredes brimming with families purchasing bulks of affordable clothes. The many quinceañera and wedding dress stores at every twist and turn. Authentic botas picudas (pointy boots) for Saturday parties. Mexican business owners selling goods from back home for those who couldn’t recross the border. You just had to be there. My family stopped venturing to La Cuatro around 2010.
While a newer generation of Latinx entrepreneurs arose, established their businesses, and have done their best to honor the space, almost everything is gone.

Posted inEconomy

A Turkey Giveaway in Boyle Heights helps Angelinos this holiday season

L.A. County’s food insecurity is not much different from that of the Golden State’s. A study published in September of this year by USC Dornsife found that 30% of Los Angeles County residents are faced with food insecurity, a 6% increase from the previous year. Last Saturday, November 18th, the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA, a nonprofit organization with approximately 25 additional YMCA sister branches offered low-income families financial assistance with its 9th annual “Fiesta para La Comunidad” in the community of Boyle Heights.

Posted inEspañol

Vendedores ambulantes en la ciudad de Huntington Park piden mejores regulaciones y mejor trato 

Cada día, Yumabeli Castro se despierta a las seis de la mañana para preparar los ingredientes y colocar las sartenes y los utensilios de cocina que necesita para hacer tamales. Ese plato mesoamericano, hecho a base de una masa de harina de maíz nixtamalizada (donde el maíz seco se cocina en una solución alcalina de […]

Posted inBusiness

Father and son business owners have served LA’s Eastside community across generations

When Cecilio Acevedo decided to pack up the few possessions he had to his name in 1964 and migrate from Mexico City to Los Angeles, he brought an invaluable asset with him. Three years of experience working across different furniture shops in Mexico would allow him to open his own business, which he’s now run for 52 years. In 1971, he founded Mission Furniture Manufacturing, a 7500-square-foot family-run shop that sits on Whittier Boulevard in the heart of East LA, which has sold hand-made furniture since its doors opened. His best sellers are traditional three-cushion sofas which have remained popular over the years.

Posted inEvents

The Mom Walk Co. Montebello is having their first “momsgiving” 

In honor of Thanksgiving, The Mom Walk Co. Montebello is having their first momsgiving and holiday food drive this coming Tuesday, November 28, 2023. It is more than welcome for guests to bring their favorite Thanksgiving drink, dish, or snack to share with others. Non-perishable items will be donated. Recommended foods to donate are canned vegetables, cupped fruit, instant mashed potatoes, instant rice and pastas.

Posted inOpinion

COMMENTARY: Latino leadership in the U.S. Congress

Rep. Tony Cárdenas has a long history in political office. He was first elected to the California State Assembly in 1996. He went on to serve three terms in the assembly and was later elected to the Los Angeles City Council, in 2003. He has served in Congress since 2013. Meanwhile, California Congressman Pete Aguilar, the highest-ranking Latino member of Congress, called for indicted U.S. Sen. Robert Menéndez (D-New Jersey) to resign.
Aguilar represents San Bernardino and other portions of Southern California’s Inland Empire, is chair of the House Democratic Caucus.