Gustavo Arellano is named new California columnist for the L.A. Times
Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Norman Pearlstine made the following announcement.
I am happy to announce that Gustavo Arellano is our newest California columnist.
He joins a roster of distinctive voices that are explaining, exploring and at times crusading on behalf of the Golden State during these unprecedented days. Arellano will have a wide berth in both what he writes about and the forms he takes, but a central mission will be diving deeply into Southern California’s disparate communities and how the Latino experience is transforming the region.
Arellano is uniquely qualified for this challenge. Since joining The Times in 2018, he has written on such a variety of topics he’s impossible to categorize, from a new generation of Democratic leaders in Coachella (the city, not music festival) to the modern-day Picasso who uses dirty trucks as his canvas to a delicious assortment of food stories. He also anchored our groundbreaking Proposition 187 podcast, using his story as the spine of a compelling narrative about the epic events that shaped modern California. The one constant in all of Arellano’s writing is a deep humanity, an appreciation of people and history, and a belief that our different backgrounds make us stronger if we would just stop and listen (and grab a bite).
Arellano came to The Times after a formidable journalism career. He spent about a decade as editor and publisher of OC Weekly, where he oversaw an impressive wave of investigative and cultural reporting. He is a regular contributor to a variety of long-form publications as well as KCRW. He is the author of three books: the bestselling “¡Ask A Mexican!” (2007), “Orange County: A Personal History” (2008) and “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America” (2012).
