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Julia Barajas
What I cover
I strive to bring nuance and context to the issue of immigration, which is often cast as a competition for limited resources or a concern for public safety.
Beholden to no political party, I document the impact of federal immigration policy on Southern California communities—including U.S. citizens of color—while holding our government accountable. My coverage centers human suffering and resilience, with an emphasis on how communities are taking collective action in response to this evolving landscape.
My background
I’ve covered a broad range of issues for English and Spanish-language news media—everything from environmental injustice to the arts. Most recently, I was LAist’s higher education reporter. My work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association, the Los Angeles Press Club, the Press Club of Atlantic City, and the Society for Features Journalism.
My goals
I pledge to reflect SoCal’s economic, ethnic, racial, and linguistic diversity in my reporting. This means making it a point to include people who speak Armenian, Arabic, Farsi, Khmer, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Zapotec, and all the other beautiful languages in the place we call home—while acknowledging that Tongva is the first language of this land.
How to contact me
If you or your community have been affected by federal immigration policy, I want to know about it. Also, if you have ideas about stories I should be covering, I welcome your thoughts. You can reach out by email. I'm at jbarajas@laist.com. Or, if you have a tip you’d like to share more privately, you can reach me on Signal. My username is @jbarajas.68.
Stories by Julia Barajas
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Every year we look back on the important stories of the past 12 months — and look ahead to the stories in the new year.
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Worm composting became especially popular during the pandemic, but it's never too late to get in the dirt.
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An English professor convinced her that she had a story worth telling — and the capacity to write professionally.
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The paid fellowship prioritizes students from Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Long Beach, and Long Beach City College.
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Baker Commodities Inc. de la ciudad de Vernon ha demandado a la agencia gubernamental que la supervisa por 200 millones de dólares en concepto de daños y perjuicios. Los vecinos habían celebrado su cierre temporal. Ahora, una próxima decisión judicial podría permitir una reapertura total.
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Cuando se trata de malos olores, no hay por qué aguantarse. Aquí tiene una guía sobre dónde informar de los problemas en el sur de California.
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Los residentes del sureste de Los Ángeles llevan décadas lidiando con el hedor de la carne podrida, además de otros males ambientales.
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The college’s lessons on sustainability reach beyond the classroom.
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Santa Monica College's recycling and resource management program is among a growing list responding to the climate emergency's impact on the economy.
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LAist will be devoted to covering campuses in Greater L.A., with an emphasis on students who often encounter additional challenges navigating higher ed.
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In Southeast L.A., as well as Boyle Heights and unincorporated East L.A., community members have organized against the stench of dead animals, and other environmental problems, for years.
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The company, Baker Commodities, Inc., was the focus of a recent LAist investigation that found widespread community complaints about odors.
