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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Nineteen asylum seekers from Mauritania needed a place to stay, so a Latino Lutheran congregation in Bell took them in. They’ve since formed a community that transcends different languages, faiths, and cultures. -
Follow the latest results for L.A.'s Measure HLA.
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A new billboard campaign highlights different Indigenous languages from Latin America — and the Angelenos who speak them.
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Americans of Middle East and North African descent have tried for years to be counted as other than “white.” A California bill proposes a solution.
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Trial is postponed as plaintiffs hope to reach a settlement with the city of Los Angeles over “no-vending” zones
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The L.A. City Council has voted to eliminate “no-vending” zones, including on busy Hollywood Boulevard; the county Board of Supervisors also approved new plans for county health permits, and formal rules for street vendors in unincorporated areas.
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The winner of District 5 will join a five-member board that oversees a county of about 10 million residents, more than the population of most states.
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The winner of District 2 will join a five-member board that oversees a county of about 10 million residents, more than the population of most states.
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With more unaccompanied minors arriving in L.A., the agency that contracts with the U.S. to provide child advocates for them says demand is so great, they’re seeking volunteers.
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A forthcoming report from Cal State San Bernardino takes in hate crime data reported to law enforcement in the nation’s largest cities.
