Leslie Berestein Rojas
My focus is on our coverage of L.A.’s communities of color and immigrant diasporas. Before this, I spent 10 years covering immigrant communities for KPCC.
When I was a kid, my family left Cuba and landed in Huntington Park. I grew up there, speaking Spanish at home and steeped in Southeast L.A.’s beautiful Latinidad. I love telling the stories of L.A. and its people. Now, I get to help shape those stories and work with talented reporters to hone their craft.
I’ve also covered immigration on the U.S.-Mexico border, reported stories in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, and done lots more for large newspapers and national magazines.
Among the things I love about L.A.: family, food from everywhere, signs in dozens of languages, the smells of chaparral and dusty freeways, the downtown skyline as you cross a bridge from the east. Mostly, I love that it’s home.
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A viral video posted last week of suspected migrants rushing off a boat in Newport Beach elicited angry responses. But it was worth checking the data. -
The main curator of the Petersen Automotive Museum show says it’s about more than the cars, it's “about family…culture…expression.”
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The reported drop in Long Beach’s unhoused population is very small, just 2.1% lower than a year ago. But the city is crediting a variety of efforts, including a new year-round shelter and a mobile access center.
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For the second year, the L.A. County Fair will host an exhibit of fine art. Featured this year are works by famed Mexican modernist Rufino Tamayo.
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A longtime Boyle Heights homeless shelter says about 90% of its occupants these days are new asylum seekers who’ve wound up unsheltered. As new migrants land on the street and in shelters, city homeless services and NGOs say it’s hard to get a sense of how many are falling through the cracks.
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Once a massive event, the annual festival had grown smaller before the pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020. It returns Sunday with a smaller footprint, but also with a big headliner and high hopes from organizers.
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The images depict domestic workers in California in portraits or on the job. The exhibit is part of a larger campaign for domestic worker safety.
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A planned Metro line through Southeast L.A. County is one step closer to happening.
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The laid-off workers will get resources and information needed to apply for unemployment, learn about health care options, and other services.
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After a sunny week, rain is expected to return to Los Angeles from Friday night through Sunday. Expect high surf, wind, and snow in the mountains.
