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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L.A. City Councilmember Curren Price is proposing an ordinance that would raise the wages of airport, hotel and other tourism workers to $25 an hour. -
The “opportunistic pathogens” won’t infect a healthy individual, says an expert, although “if you're immunocompromised, they could be concerning.”
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After all the recent rain, officials are predicting lots and lots of mosquitoes — and empty pools with standing rainwater are an ideal breeding ground. Here’s what to do about yours.
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In the 1950s and ‘60s, the city evicted the mostly Black and Latino working-class residents of Section 14 and destroyed their homes. Now, survivors and their descendants seek reparations.
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County officials have voted to rename the park "Gloria Molina Grand Park" in honor of the former L.A. County supervisor, who announced last week that she has terminal cancer.
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Over the years, Molina fought forced sterilizations, a prison, and the Exide battery recycling plant. She also pushed for more hospital beds and made sure transit lines connected to the Eastside.
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Molina was the first Latina elected to the California Legislature, the L.A. City Council, and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.
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Three progressive councilmembers want to protect the policies against changes by a future city administration.
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We get a sneak peek at the preparations for September’s exhibit at Cal State San Bernardino, which will focus on the life and culture of the 2% of Mexico’s population who identify as Black or of Black descent.
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Friday marks the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Some families who’ve made it to L.A. are putting down roots, while others feel like they’re in limbo.
