L.A. Taco, an independent digital news outlet, is at risk of shutting down. Thursday, Editor-in-chief Javier Cabral announced on its site that L.A. Taco furloughed their four staff members— Hadley Tomicki, Memo Torres, Lexis-Olivier Ray, and Janette Villafana— because of a lack of funds. Staff members are currently not being paid but retain their benefits. Cabral continues to maintain site functions while doubling down on fundraising.
“I’ve been doing everything I can to get us out of this position, but obviously, it does weigh heavy on you,” Cabral told Boyle Heights Beat.
Founded in 2005 by Alex Bloomingdale and Hadley Tomicki, L.A. Taco steadily became a reliable source for learning about the city and county’s hidden food gems and subcultures. Later, the publication made its foray into investigative news.
The publication primarily relies on paid memberships to pay its staff and keep the website operational. It has also struggled to maintain its advertiser sponsorships recently, which has resulted in this current situation. All of the money generated from its previous sponsorships has run out, Cabral says.
Memo Torres, a reporter and the director of partnerships of L.A. Taco, said part of the challenge is some sponsors have been turned off by their commitment to highlighting the city’s systemic issues instead of just spotlighting the city’s best taco spots.
“We had sponsors who didn’t like us covering police corruption or issues with the LA City Council, like racism [within council ranks],” Torres said. That’s always been challenging. Most companies want us to stick to tacos.”
L.A. Taco is the latest news outlet affected by financial woes in the L.A. region’s increasingly tumultuous media market. L.A. Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong announced the company would be laying off at least 115 employees in late January. Reporters at the Long Beach Post went on strike last month after several staffers were laid off.
Cabral is giving his all to keep the publication afloat because he believes that his team provides a valuable service to the people of this city and beyond. “It’s a testament to how L.A. Taco has gotten to be much more than just an independent local newsroom,” Cabral said.
L.A. Taco is trying to garner 5,000 members by April 26. Since the announcement, Cabral said their membership has grown to more than 2,600. “It’s been overwhelming because we’ve received a lot of support. It’s insane.”
Torres has also felt a slight surge of hope in the past few days and is trying to focus on rallying support for his newsroom. When asked about the legacy of L.A. Taco thus far, Torres pointed to his colleagues’ dedication to covering underreported sections of L.A. and L.A. County.
“The drum we’ve always beat is that L.A. is more than just Santa Monica, Malibu, to West Hollywood. I like to think that we’ve done a great job showing that L.A. is more than all that,” Torres said.
Cabral, though, isn’t quite ready to reflect on L.A. Taco’s legacy.
“We’re not done yet,” Cabral said.
