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Los Angeles Times •

In the Coachella Valley, a team of middle school girls is helping keep escaramuza alive 

COACHELLA, Calif. — Donning a bright red Adelita dress, a large beige sombrero and a silky bow tied to her hair, Rashel Zamorez rode her horse Bombón up to the starting line.She was preparing to compete in a friendly, untimed carrera con giros — an event in which riders guide their horses at top speed around a circular arena while completing three rotations at designated intervals.The race was the last act of her team’s performances, meant to show off their new skills to a small crowd of relativ...
Los Angeles Times •

The Chicano artist melting ice blocks in Riverside has a bigger story to tell

Some SoCal residents spent their summer at the beach, or at their local rooftop pool; others spent it indoors, hiding from ICE agents. It’s why Riverside artist Perry Picasshoe spent his summer documenting the melting of 36 ice blocks on sidewalks across the Inland Empire.He traveled to nine locations, a mix of parks, storefronts and gas stations, where immigration enforcement raids have taken place in the past few weeks. In each spot, he placed four 25-pound ice blocks on the ground and took ph...
Los Angeles Times •

After decades in prison, he transformed himself into the Inland Empire's homeboy news anchor

In prison and seemingly unable to escape a destructive cycle that began when he was a child, Ahmed Bellozo spent hours watching investigative journalism shows, educational documentaries and Huell Howser’s homespun travelogue, “California’s Gold.” It was a way, he said, to distract from his pain.Years later, out of prison and wanting a drastic change in his life, Bellozo turned to those shows for inspiration as he reinvented himself on social media as the star of “On the Tira” — a video series th...
Los Angeles Times •

Regional Mexican acts contributed millions of dollars at L.A.’s venues post-pandemic

During the final night of Grupo Firme’s 2021 stint of seven sold-out shows at what was then called Staples Center, frontman Eduin Caz launched into “En Tu Perra Vida” — “In Your Bitch Life” — by singing its chorus a capella.Standing in the back and wearing matching white Dodgers-inspired jerseys that read “Gracías L.A.,” the rest of the septet waited for Caz to finish before joining in. The crowd exploded with cheers and applause. “It was like a party happening onstage,” recalled Hallie Yavitch,...
KQED •

Tio's Tacos, a 30-Year Journey of Authentic Mexican Cuisine and Recycled Art

“I saw an opportunity in the garbage, in recycling,” Sanchez said. “I don’t have money to buy materials, but I have bottles. I have cans. I have what the restaurant throws away.”

Sanchez’s love for his hometown of Sahuayo, in the Mexican state of Michoacánis, is reflected in many of his pieces.

“Here we have ‘The Dance of the Old Men,’” Martín said as he pointed to a statue of traditional folk dancers in his back patio. “I always wanted to create different spaces. If you notice here, this dini
KQED •

Salvadoran American Voters in San Francisco Divided Over Tough-on-Crime Approach

Salvadorans are the second-largest Latino population in San Francisco, and with concerns about rising crime throughout the city, the idea of voting for a more law-and-order-leaning candidate is a political force in the community. Bukele’s popularity, however, has also moved progressives in the area to mobilize against the Salvadoran president’s influence abroad and in San Francisco.

Calderon, 73, is firmly in the law-and-order camp. She recounted the danger she faced in El Salvador from both it
Golden Gate Xpress •

Profesores de CFA participan en huelga en SFSU para un mejor contrato laboral

Daniel Hernandez (he/him) is a transfer student from the Inland Empire majoring in bilingual journalism. He also oversees Golden Gate Xpress' Spanish section. His passion for storytelling and journalism started after he bought his first camera six years ago. What began as a fascination for taking photos and videos grew into a passion for multimedia journalism. When he isn't researching for an article or working as the Spanish editor, he explores the Bay Area or falls down a YouTube rabbit hole.
Golden Gate Xpress •

Live Updates: CSU Board of Trustees votes to increase tuition

California State Student Association president Dominic Quan Treseler and students sitting in the meeting walk out.

The proposed amendment to reduce the five year tuition increase to four years fails 8-12.

Student trustee Diana Aguilar-Cruz has motioned to reduce the five-year hike proposal to four years as a way to compromise on students paying up to $7,682 by fall 2028. With this proposed amendment, tuition would be raised by $7,248 by fall 2027.

However, trustee Jack McGrory believes that t

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The Riverside Record •

RUSD Board Discusses Potential Changes To Busing Program

The Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) Board of Education last week received an initial report on the financial impact and increased community benefits of allowing more middle and high school students to ride the bus.


“I think this topic is a perfect example of how community engagement matters [as] they brought this attention to the board for us to address,” Trustee Dr. Jesse Tweed said at the September 25 meeting. “What I am seeing is a wonderful opportunity to provide significant reli...
The Riverside Record •

Takano Hopes To Improve Pathway To Citizenship For U.S. Service Members, Veterans

In the midst of a looming government shutdown, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Riverside) reintroduced a bipartisan bill last week that would provide a pathway to citizenship for both United States veterans and active duty service members.


The proposed bill, the Veteran Service Recognition Act, would allow noncitizen service members to apply for citizenship during basic training. It would also allow U.S. veterans who have been deported or who have a deportation order to apply for legal residency if they...
The Riverside Record •

Riverside Hopes New Pilot Program Will Streamline Building Permit Process

The city of Riverside is looking to significantly speed up the building permit process with a new pilot program that would allow architects and engineers to self certify their plans.


“This is an opportunity where it can be a win-win situation,” Councilmember Jim Perry said at the September 16 meeting. “One of the biggest complaints we get is that it takes forever for people to get their permits and this is an opportunity to cut through some of the bureaucracy.”


The Riverside City Council u...
The Riverside Record •

D’Elia’s Grinders Celebrates 70 Years In Riverside With Throwback Prices

Christina Serrato, 61, reminisced on the countless memories she’s made with her family while eating at D’Elia’s Grinders.


“My parents used to bring us to D’Elia’s back when I was 5 years old,” Serrato said, while listing all of the sandwich shop’s previous locations that her family frequently visited over the years. Her fondest memory of the local sandwich shop was when one of the owners handed her a couple of loaves of their handmade bread, free of charge.


“That was very nice of him, a ve...
The Riverside Record •

Riverside Political Groups Prep For Prop 50 Special Election, Encourage Residents To Vote

Political groups within the city of Riverside, both supporters and critics of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to redraw congressional districts, are preparing to launch their campaigns to court voters before the November 4 special election on Proposition 50.


If passed, Proposition 50 would temporarily alter congressional districts across the state to favor Democrats until 2030, changing maps previously drawn by an independent commission. The move has the potential to flip five seats in the House...
Los Angeles Times •

Cheech Marin's museum legitimizes Chicano art and boosts the local economy

This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. In 2022, the iconic L.A. comedian Cheech Marin opened an art museum with the hope of inspiring a Chicano art renaissance.“I looked around and said, ‘This could be the next big art town’ — because the foundations were already there,” Marin told De Los. “There was this kind of nebulous underground here, but [they’ll] reach officialdom when they have their museum.”Now, as the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art an...
The Riverside Record •

Riverside Council Temporarily Pauses New Tobacco Retail Permits

The Riverside City Council Tuesday voted unanimously to temporarily pause the approval of any new tobacco retail permits for 45 days. Councilmember Steven Robillard was absent.


It’s part of an effort, championed by council members Sean Mill and Philip Falcone, to revisit smoke shop policies and guidelines after an eight-month police investigation found several shops selling cannabis, nitrous oxide tanks and psilocybin mushrooms — many of which, according to the report submitted to the council...
The Riverside Record •

Extreme Heat Summit Looks At Impacts, Potential Solutions To Increasing Temperatures

The average yearly temperature in the city of Riverside is expected to increase by three degrees over the next 25 years. That’s according to Francesca Hopkins, a researcher with the University of California, Riverside, who spoke at last week’s Extreme Heat Summit.


“While things might look gloomy on the federal level at the moment, cities are really an important lever for climate change,” Hopkins said at the event. “We can address this by both reducing our emissions today and, hopefully, by br...
Los Angeles Times •

How the Inland Empire became key to música Mexicana's success

Not even a mini heatwave could deter thousands of Inland Empire residents from showing up to a local música Mexicana festival.On a Saturday afternoon in May, when the temperature peaked at 100 degrees, dozens of banda fans filed into an ever-growing line outside downtown Riverside’s John W. North Park as they waited to enter La Tardeada. It’s a banda festival going on its second year and organized by Division 9 Gallery — a community arts space that hosts citywide Latino-focused cultural events.M...
The Riverside Record •

Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes Set To Introduce Resolution Requiring Federal Agents To Identify Themselves

About a month after a series of immigration sweeps took place in Los Angeles earlier this summer, a video posted to social media July 9 showed federal agents conducting an operation near a Home Depot between Madison Street and Indiana Avenue in Riverside.


In the video, masked U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations agents were seen detaining multiple individuals and placing them in the back of unmarked vehicles. 


Riverside Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, w...
Los Angeles Times •

The Chicano artist melting ice blocks in Riverside has a bigger story to tell

Some SoCal residents spent their summer at the beach, or at their local rooftop pool; others spent it indoors, hiding from ICE agents. It’s why Riverside artist Perry Picasshoe spent his summer documenting the melting of 36 ice blocks on sidewalks across the Inland Empire.He traveled to nine locations, a mix of parks, storefronts and gas stations, where immigration enforcement raids have taken place in the past few weeks. In each spot, he placed four 25-pound ice blocks on the ground and took ph...
The Riverside Record •

Dispatches from Riverside County: George’s Drive In

Taso Alexiou was surprised by his customers’ reactions after he changed the color of the iconic neon sign for George’s Drive In from blue to red two years ago.


He made the change in an effort to increase the sign’s visibility, because he felt the blue blended with the sky. It remains the biggest change he’s made to the family-owned business since taking charge. 


“It’s tough being the caregiver of the restaurant,” Alexiou said. “But I felt that it’s totally awesome.”


Alexiou is the son o...
The Riverside Record •

Thousands Flood Downtown Riverside Streets As Part Of Nationwide ‘No Kings’ Protests

A protest that was supposed to last two hours went late into the night as more than a thousand Inland Empire residents flocked to downtown Riverside Saturday to protest against President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies as part of the nationwide “No Kings” movement.


Maria Castillo, an attendee, said she showed up to protest against the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. She added that her husband was deported in 2018 during Trump’s first term.


“He had to pass...
The Riverside Record •

Hundreds Protest In Downtown Riverside In Response To ICE Raids Across California

Around 300 Inland Empire residents gathered in downtown Riverside on June 13 in protest of the Trump administration’s nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration.


“My parents came here illegally originally, and I wouldn’t be here if that hadn’t happened,” Claudia Valdovinos, an attendee, said as she began to tear up. “I don’t feel like any of us are safe, so that’s why I’m here.”


The afternoon protest was planned in response to recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across C...
The Riverside Record •

Rep. Mark Takano Says Democracy Has Cancer, Critiques Trump Policies In Town Hall

U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Riverside) repeatedly critiqued the Trump administration and said the nation is in the midst of a constitutional crisis, likening it to early-stage cancer, at a Tuesday night town hall in Riverside. 


“Like any cancer, if we don’t catch it early and confront it aggressively, it will spread,” Takano told the crowd of about 250 at Ysmael Villegas Community Center in his opening speech while addressing Trump’s defiance of multiple court orders. 


Minutes later, Takano s...
The Riverside Record •

Dispatches From Riverside County: The Riverside Airport Cafe

As the buzz of customers and the drone of airplane engines filled the air, Leimamo Taylor sat in her restaurant’s office feeling overwhelmed. She’s felt this way since opening her cafe in 2019. 


“There were all these things coming at me in my first year, it was kind of like a spiral,” Taylor said. “It’s a lot, going from a restaurant that only held 90 people and now holds a couple hundred people.”


Taylor is the proud owner of the Riverside Airport Cafe, previously known for 30 years as the...
Los Angeles Times •

In the Coachella Valley, a team of middle school girls is helping keep escaramuza alive 

COACHELLA, Calif. — Donning a bright red Adelita dress, a large beige sombrero and a silky bow tied to her hair, Rashel Zamorez rode her horse Bombón up to the starting line.She was preparing to compete in a friendly, untimed carrera con giros — an event in which riders guide their horses at top speed around a circular arena while completing three rotations at designated intervals.The race was the last act of her team’s performances, meant to show off their new skills to a small crowd of relativ...
The Riverside Record •

Riverside Council Adopts Ordinance In Response To New Fire Maps

The Riverside City Council April 8 voted unanimously to adopt a new local ordinance requiring property owners within high-risk fire hazard zones to comply with new safety measures, like removing dead vegetation around their homes and undergoing annual inspections. 


“The idea is that we can reduce wildfire risk before the fire season starts,” Riverside Fire Department Deputy Chief Brian Guzzetta told the council. “It also provides firefighters [with a] safeguard when they are defending homes.”...
The Riverside Record •

New Fire Maps Show Increased Hazard Zones In Riverside County

In the next few weeks, city officials across Riverside County will begin adopting new maps highlighting the region’s increased vulnerability to wildfires.


The new recommended Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, released last month by the California Forestry and Fire Department (Cal Fire), designate thousands of acres as “moderate,” “high” and “very high” hazard zones, with some areas doubling or tripling in wildfire-prone spaces since 2011 when the last maps were released.“The main purpose of the...
The Riverside Record •

Riverside County Farmers Concerned After USDA Ends Programs Aimed At Supporting Small Farms

Mariela Buenrostro’s family, which owns and operates Raul and Family Farms in Riverside, has sold produce to food banks and hubs throughout Southern California over the past few years.The organizations were able to consistently purchase between 700 to 3,000 food items from her family’s farm, according to Buenrostro, because of a federal program called the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).“It’s, honestly, impossible for...
The Riverside Record •

Riverside Breaks Ground On Northside Agriculture Innovation Center

After a decade of planning and fundraising — and two storm delays this year — the city of Riverside held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday to mark the start of construction on the state-of-the-art Northside Agriculture Innovation Center.


About 100 people gathered under a large canopy in the middle of an empty dirt lot where local politicians and community organizers highlighted the importance of the soon-to-be-built center as climate change continues to impact the Inland Empire’s food product...
Los Angeles Times •

After decades in prison, he transformed himself into the Inland Empire's homeboy news anchor

In prison and seemingly unable to escape a destructive cycle that began when he was a child, Ahmed Bellozo spent hours watching investigative journalism shows, educational documentaries and Huell Howser’s homespun travelogue, “California’s Gold.” It was a way, he said, to distract from his pain.Years later, out of prison and wanting a drastic change in his life, Bellozo turned to those shows for inspiration as he reinvented himself on social media as the star of “On the Tira” — a video series th...
The Riverside Record •

Riverside Councilmember Sean Mill Hopes To Curb Copper Wire Theft With New Ordinance

After receiving complaints of unlit streets and broken lights, Riverside Councilmember Sean Mill is now championing an ordinance that, if passed, he said could deter copper wire theft throughout the city.

“It actually goes back to before I got in office,” Mill said. “That’s when I found out the reason that the lights weren’t working is because someone had stolen the copper wiring out of them.”

The proposed ordinance would create new restrictions on scrap metal businesses within the city, i...
The Riverside Record •

Demonstrators Gather At Riverside City Hall As Part Of Nationwide Movement To Protest Trump Administration

More than 100 Inland Empire residents waved signs, held U.S. flags and yelled rally chants Monday near Riverside City Hall in protest of President Donald Trump and his administration’s actions since the start of his second term.

The demonstrators said they were alarmed by the many executive orders the president had signed in recent weeks, especially those they believed were targeting women’s rights, birthright citizenship and diversity in the workplace. 

“Democracy is in danger,” said Glad...
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