On the Season 2 finale of SGV Weekly, we dive into “A People’s Seal of El Monte.” This gave students and residents in Monte the chance to design their own seal, “not for the city, but for all those who identify with the region and are inspired by El Monte’s history," according to project organizers SEMAP. The group has been a consistent voice against celebrating El Monte’s pioneer narrative for some time.

Could it inspire people to make their own community based artworks? To answer that, we went to Alfred Mendoza’s ethnic studies class at Mountain View High School to see what his students would put in an El Monte Seal. These students spend just a few weeks out of one semester of ethnic studies reading SEMAP’s history book, East of East. 

With help from printmaker Daniel Gonzalez, we use this artwork as a jumping off point to talk about how people of color could reshape El Monte’s future.

DJ Spiñorita has been raving since she was born… give or take 14 years and a hundred backyard dj’s hired by her family.

She lived an important part of not only So Cal, but SGV history. Bygone party scenes like the 626’s Catholic high school dances and iBrowse Coffee and Internet live on spiritually through her streaming shows on Twitch and NTS Radio. 

But most importantly, she “reps the SGV HARD!” Electronic music fans all over the world toss up her custom SGV emote on Twitch. Even though most of ‘em have never been here, they get a pretty decent idea of what we’re about just from watching her get down in her garage with the zarape background and her signature dance moves.

Spiñorita tells us she's the Queen of the 'bra (that's Alhambra, kiddies), and she wants the key to the city. Does she deserve it? Is she a natural born ambassador for the San Gabriel Valley? We think so.

Listen and hear why aging party crews, veteranas and rucas tune into her as their nostalgia show of choice while today’s generation of ravers lose their shit alike to her masterful skill behind the 1’s and 2’s. And listen to her EP on her own Backyard Party Records!

Matilija Lending Library sits in an alleyway sized room that used to house a shoe repair shop on Lexington Avenue at the Valley Mall. That works in its favor though; it's like your favorite aisle at the library went on Pimp My Ride! Said ride was pimped by the shop's founders, Amy Wong and Andrew Yip.

Cushioned with benches and armchairs, the brightly colored hall of books feels like your woke Grandma’s living room. Cringe if you must at that description, but once you sit down with an eye-catching novel (and try to covertly open your chips INSIDE your backpack) you’ll realize the power this place has to expand consciousness in the San Gabriel Valley.

It’s filled wall to wall with stories and ideas that are shut out of the American mainstream, and way more interesting. If you’ve never read Viet Thanh Nguyen, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Cherrie Moraga, Luis Rodriguez… here they are, all in one place! No need to sift through thousands of Danielle Steel paperbacks to get to them either.

In a time where we’re blitzed with shreds of ideas and narratives on social media, it’s a life-affirming experience to read a fucking book. Take the time this week to visit Matilija during their open hours and immerse yourself in something thought provoking… Or just ask if they have any manga. It’s free, but donations are always welcome.

Special thanks to Daniel Ruiz-Camacho and La Puente Mutual Aid for sharing their photos of the grand opening of Matilija, and to Amy and Andrew for sharing photos of the shop taken by Jasmyn Bagonghasa.

Covina’s Midnight Hour Records is a store for music fans at every level. Brand new to the game, “just here for your ten records that you really need”? Sure, you’ll be back though. Longtime fiends buying 45’s instead of groceries? Put it on your tab.

Midnight Hour SGV and SFV are sibling stores run by the Amalfitano family, Argentineans by way of La Puente. Brother Brian grew up in the backyard punk and powerviolence scene, but these days he’s more into Fiona Apple. The stores have the understated mission of bringing a bit of everything to the racks – especially the stuff that plays to local Latino tastes. 

Midnight is riding the long rising wave of the vinyl boom – plus the pandemic-driven retail therapy bubble. They’re one of numerous record shops that’ve started up in SoCal recently. So what’s their philosophy on being part of and surviving in this very saturated market? Why should you buy from them instead of Amazon? And what’s the most expensive record Brian’s ever bought?!

John Brantingham was a driving force behind Mt San Antonio College’s creative writing club for decades. If you went to SAC in the last 30 years, you probably recognize his trademark shock of white hair and weary expression. He was a fixture around the 26 Building where everyone takes their humanities classes, and he taught all three levels of transfer-required English too.

Acclaimed Pomona poet Michael Torres says John is a major pillar of the college for aspiring writers. John, his wife Anne, and coworkers Lloyd Aquino and Michelle Dougherty organized Mt SAC’s Culturama and the SGV Lit Fest – events that gave young SGV and IE writers their first chance to get on stage and read beside headliner-level authors.

John is currently on a much-needed leave from education, living in West New York. Remote teaching and the cost of living in the area proved to be too much, so he and Anne decided to focus on their own work for a while. Since they may not return, we’re toasting John’s career at SAC – the school he went to – and sharing some of his advice on writing for a living. John is currently editor of the Journal of Radical Wonder, an artistic journal on Medium. He strongly encourages SGV writers to submit their work.

Alhambra City Councilmember Sasha Renee Perez has gone through real heartbreak when it comes to the homelessness crisis, having lost family to it. In April ‘22, LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis appointed her to the LAHSA Commission. And then LAHSA’s executive director stepped down.

That’s when SGV Weekly interviewed her about the difficult and uncertain task she’ll have on the commission (finding Marston’s replacement) as well as what housing policies she’s pushing for in Alhambra.

Then after we taped, the Board of Supervisors announced a new entity would supersede LAHSA in managing homelessness policy in the county. So we called up Supervisor Hilda Solis for some clarification on what the new agency is supposed to do, and what LAHSA and Sasha Renee Perez’ role in the transition will be. That’s right after the main interview.

Christine Tran knows how the system can fail us when we need it most. Her parents struggled to walk the tightrope of qualifying for food assistance and not getting kicked off of it. They were refugees of the Vietnam War and raised their kids alongside them as they worked through garment jobs and painting houses. Now Tran works to get healthy food available in working class communities like her hometown of South El Monte.

Tran is executive director of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, which connects farmers with corner stores, food banks with surplus foods, and studies the obstacles for programs like Cal Fresh. She also writes about API diaspora - including her own Teochew culture - in addition to writing about food justice and just writing about food in the SGV!

Imagine you’re a young comedian, who just crushed it at the mic, going outside to cool off, when some older comic shouts from behind his cigarette, “Ey foo, you’re funny, but you should be louder on stage!”

That happened to one of our guests - the hosts of Isimo Podcast, Rian Reyes, Dominic Angel, and Gerardo Alarcon - and it’s symbolic of all the shit pochos get for not speaking Spanish. We talk about where suburban Chicanos fit into the cultures they’re caught between: the old working class immigrant background, and the opportunities for people like them in entertainment that seem to be reaching critical mass as so many people are now some kind of content maker. They never expected to ride a wave this big. Where will it take them now?

Buy tickets for Isimo's one year anniversary show in Downtown LA

SGV Weekly began as (and remains) my love letter to the San Gabriel Valley. We have great stories here, and my wife said I should include my own. Last season, I opened each show with a personal monologue, but I’m tired of doing that every time and this seemed like a good way to get it out of my system.

Why should I be a guest on my own show? That’s the central question a panel of Valleros asked me. Obvious answer: it’s a show about people doing stuff in the SGV - I’m a people doing stuff in the SGV! But it ended up being a journey to the center of my halfie mind: where Mexican-Jewish pride basted in Catholic-Jewish guilt roasts over a fire of love for the 626.

Jackie Mendez is a rocksteady and soul artist from South El Monte. She honed her chops singing in the backyards and dive bars of the Mid-Valley, starting with her legendary band The Boss Beats.

She’s one of the SGV’s most recognized songwriters after putting in over a decade, working her way through different styles. Her path seems to be a patient one; now she’s poised to release a flurry of top tier, lived in, “soulsteady” music.

In this episode we talk about her life all over the Valley, buying used cd's in the KROQ era of ska punk, how her parents put her on to playing music, the Boss Beats days, and how her ska style as a solo artist evolved and where her love for it comes from.

Jackie's physical releases are all sold out, but you can find some copies on discogs.
Stream her on Spotify.