J.T. the L.A. Storyteller

For our 77th episode, we sit down for a chat with Kenneth Mejia, the millennial Filipino-American who is trailblazing in his race for the L.A. City Controller’s office. Kenneth and I discuss his upbringing in Los Angeles as the youngest of a single-parent household in the San Fernando Valley, as well as how he cameContinue reading EPISODE 77 – KENNETH MEJIA FOR CITY CONTROLLER →

For our 76th episode, we sit down for a chat with Matthew Tinoco, the newest co-host of the LA Podcast. We discuss Matt’s growing up in the San Fernando Valley, as well as the city’s “old” politics there, Matt’s intersectional identity, or Latinx roots, his journalistic work on L.A.’s homelessness crisis since 2015, particularly afterContinue reading EPISODE 76 – MATT TINOCO, LA PODCAST →

Please do not fret, Los Angeles; Episode 76 will be just a half-a-day or so late for listeners this week! J.T.

For our 75th episode, we sit down for a chat with Brenda Gonzalez, co-host of the Tamarindo Podcast with Sonoro Radio. We discuss the origins of Tamarindo as a unique space for Latinx culture, as well as its extension through Agua Fresca, a new platform publishing Latinx writers from across the U.S. and beyond. BrendaContinue reading EPISODE 75 – TAMARINDO PODCAST WITH BRENDA GONZALEZ →

In our 74th episode, we chat with Oscar Monroy, a father of four from Echo Park and owner of the recently closed Cuscatleca Bakery along Sunset boulevard. Oscar and I discuss his family’s roots in Los Angeles since the 1970s, and how his parents (hailing from Mexico and El Salvador) first came to establish PanaderiaContinue reading EPISODE 74 – A LATINX HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES →

In our 73rd episode, we chat with Jamie Tijerina, a Cal Tech Researcher, president of the Highland Park Neighborhood Trust, and author of The Legacy of Redlining in Los Angeles, a white paper absolutely adored by yours truly. Jamie and I discuss the paper, as well as the city’s egregious pension benefits for L.A.’s formerContinue reading EPISODE 73 – JAMIE TIJERINA AND HISTORIC CULTURAL MONUMENTS IN HIGHLAND PARK →

In our 72nd episode, we chat with Silver Lake resident and Neighborhood Council Representative, Maebe A. Girl (pronouns: she/they). Maebe and I discuss her candidacy for the 28th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, challenging incumbent Adam Schiff, who has held the office since 2001. We also discuss Maebe’s status as the firstContinue reading EPISODE 72 – MAEBE A. GIRL FOR CONGRESS DISTRICT 28 FROM SILVER LAKE →

In our 71st episode, we chat with Alexandria Contreras (@alexfordowney) (they/them pronouns), a queer, non-binary Latinx freeway-fighter in Downey. Alex and I have a magnetic conversation on the white and exclusionary origins of single-family housing in cities like Downey, and how local laws there continue preventing the construction of affordable housing for a new generationContinue reading EPISODE 71 – ALEX CONTRERAS FIGHTS FREEWAYS IN DOWNEY →

In our 70th episode, we chat with Jose Richard Aviles (@soylamasnalgona), a queer, Latinx planner and multimedia artist with the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. Originally an L.A. native from South-Central Los Angeles, Richard describes growing up as an activist in L.A., current efforts in advocacy for “the lived environment over the builtContinue reading EPISODE 70 – PLANNING FOR A ‘LIVED ENVIRONMENT’ WITH RICHARD AVILES →

In our 69th episode, we chat with Robin Petering (@robinpetering), the executive director of Lens. Co, a research and advocacy company committed to ending youth homelessness in Los Angeles. We speak with Robin about her journey from community-based clinics in Oregon as an undergrad student to her PHD program at USC, which she completed inContinue reading EPISODE 69 – YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IN L.A. WITH ROBIN PETERING →