Gabriel San Roman

Sami Odeh, Brother of Assassinated Arab-American Activist Alex Odeh, Passes Away

Another year is passing, and still no arrests have been made in the October 11, 1985 terrorist bombing in Santa Ana that killed Alex Odeh. The late Southern California Regional Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) had opened the door to his office that fateful morning wh ... More >>

[Summer Guide] The Land of Eternal Sunshine . . . In Comics Form!

SEIU Continues to Fight Union Representing Disneyland's Resort Food Service Workers

After a standoff dispute last week where police were called in, Executive Board President Sandi Ecklund is still working out of the Anaheim office of Local 50. Though Workers United, an affiliate of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), wasn't able to gain access to the facility, the union h ... More >>

Where the Black People At In OC?

A special report on Orange County's embarrassing lack of African-Americans

SEIU Accused of Trying to Take Over Union that Represents Disneyland Resort Food Service Workers

Two unions apparently squared off at the Anaheim office of Local 50 yesterday over who rightfully represents the 5,000 food service workers of the Disneyland Resort. A flyer distributed by Local 50 accuses the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) of attempting to take over the facility as we ... More >>

[W/VIDEO] Anaheim Police Helicopter Drowns Out Candlelight Vigil for Victims of Police Shootings

A candlelight vigil took place last night on West Guinida Lane in Anaheim in memory of David Raya and Joel Acevedo, two young men killed in officer-involved shootings not too far from each other during the summers of 2011 and 2012 respectively. Raya's killing was ruled justified by the Orange County ... More >>

Jose Moreno, Los Amigos President, Seeks to Honor Retiring Anaheim Police Chief

Early on during the six-hour long Anaheim city council meeting last night, retiring police chief John Welter received a formal recognition from the dais. His nine-year career as head of the force effectively ends tomorrow; deputy chief Raul Quezada--surprise, surprise: a Mexi!--will take his place o ... More >>

Anaheim Parents to Protest Over Transfer of Benito Juarez Elementary Principal

The Anaheim City School District (ACSD) finally selected a new superintendent after an interim merry-go-round, but the honeymoon is already over for some parents. Linda Wagner, who only started her new position last month, has already made a move to transfer Benito Juarez Elementary School principal ... More >>

Meet Wicked Baby Doll: OC's Newest Hip-Hop Outlaw

Wicked Babydoll is coming into her own as a Chicana on the mic. The 23-year-old rapper originally from Los Angeles has three mixtapes to her name with the latest, Words of the Wicked (download here), showcasing her impassioned delivery and hard time rhymes. The collection, laced with dope beats, fea ... More >>

Two May Day Marches Set for Anaheim, Santa Ana for Immigrant/Workers Rights

International Workers' Day in Orange County will be marked by not one, but two marches in two cities. Starting off this morning, the Orange County Labor Federation will assemble at 11 a.m. outside Anaheim City Hall; from there, a march is to go to a rally in La Palma Park. Later today in SanTana, th ... More >>

Anaheim's Citizens Advisory Committee Recommends Districts Be Put on the Ballot

There were more empty seats and less acrimony inside the Council Chambers of Anaheim City Hall last Thursday evening. Long the scene of political turmoil over the course of last year during council meetings, the mood was lighter as the location played host for the second-to-last gathering of the cit ... More >>

Celebration Planned for Jose Ucelo, Day Laborer Done Wrong!

Jose Ucelo Gonzalez has much to celebrate these days, but that wasn't always the case for the day laborer. A year ago on March 9, 2012, he was picked up in West Anaheim by "Nick," a contractor who real name was Michael Tebb. After ten hours of toiling on a job in Garden Grove, Ucelo was falsely accu ... More >>

Car Wash Held in Memory of Andrew Pacheco a Week After the 19 year-old Was Slain in Anaheim

Family and friends gathered at the back parking lot of H&C Liquor store in Anaheim on Saturday to honor the memory of Andrew Pacheco. The 19-year-old was walking with friends on the night of March 8, when a vehicle pulled up next to them near Magnolia High School in the 2400 block of West Ball R ... More >>

Workers Picket Local Contractor Who Called ICE on Two Employees That Filed Wage Complaint

Picketing workers assembled along Orangethorpe Avenue in Placentia today outside Prime Waterproofing Incorporated. In an action sponsored by Chican@s Unidos, they held signs calling out local contractor Paul LaHaye as a rat for questionable practices in an ongoing labor dispute. As owner of the comp ... More >>

Demonstration Mark One-Year Anniversary of Martin Hernandez's Killing by Anaheim Police

The embers of Anaheim's unrest glowed bright-red long before last year's simmering summer boiled over. On March 6, 2012, the alley near the intersection of Wakefield and Haster became a turning point in the city's history as 21-year old Martin Angel Hernandez was shot and killed by Anaheim police of ... More >>

Cristina Talley, Anaheim's Former City Attorney, Not the Crusader Yaktivists Make Her Out to Be

The 'Rally for Talley' held outside the steps of Anaheim City Hall last week was the latest public display of support for former city attorney Cristina Talley. Since then, there's been a raging debate on the blogopshere as to the circumstances surrounding her sudden, forced resignation during the Ja ... More >>

Navel Gazing's Project Un-uncensored

Looking back at 2012 news that was fit to blog but not to print . . . until now

The Five Least-Deserving, Non-Incumbent Winners in Orange County Elections Last Night

SO...while a lot of good happened in Orange County politics last night, so did a lot of evil. Not just did a bunch of former councilmembers who have nothing else to do with their sorry lives except run for offices in which they were termed out years ago win last night (Lucille Kring in Anaheim, Mike ... More >>

Puerto Rican and Mexican Cultural Traditions Come Together for this Weekend's Bombazo Fandango!

See Also: *All Day Santa Ana Summer Festival Puts the Movement in Music*Son del Centro Benefit Show This Friday*Calle 13 Bring Their Latin Grammy Nominated Music to the House of Blues AnaheimThe worlds of Puerto Rican bomba and Mexican son jarocho will come together in mutual admiration this Saturda ... More >>

Emma's Revolution: Protesting Against the Tea Party, Scott Walker and the 1% in Song

​Under the monicker emma's revolution, activist singer/poets Sandy O and Pat Humphries spend over 200 days a year sharing their music for various causes around the world. Last November, the duo released their third studio album Revolutions Per Minute, itself a journey through a multitude of genres ... More >>

American Bandstand, Rock & Roll and the Struggle for Civil Rights: An Interview with Matt Delmont (Part I)

​Dick Clark's American Bandstand television program is iconic, but was it really an early promoter of racial integration? The question is one extensively delved into by Scripps College American Studies Professor Matt Delmont in his new book The Nicest Kids in Town: American Bandstand, Rock 'n' Rol ... More >>

Nilu Madadi, Irvine-Based Iranian-American Singer, Goes Viral With a Nod From Young the Giant

​ Nilu Madadi, a 23 year-old Iranian-American musician based in Irvine, has started the new year off on the right note. The singer-songwriter has been making a name for herself since a YouTube video of her Noise Coalition Live Sessions performance of "Sing for You" was uploaded earlier this month. ... More >>

Meet Argentine Power Trio Timmy O'Tool, Named After a Simpsons Episode

​ Mixing rap, metal, funk and hardcore punk, Argentine band Timmy O'Tool has etched out an aggressive sound since forming in 1997. They found critical acclaim in the press with the release of their second album Confusión Rock. The title track and its subsequent music video propelled them to a wid ... More >>

Fender Factory Opens to Public

[Mental Notes] Also: Latina theater group Breath of Fire goes gypsy

Austria: 'When the Weather's Hot, the Music Sounds Better'

​Austria, a Latin Alternative outfit from Argentina, is a week into its current Southern California tour that will keep the six-piece band busy around town until the 18th. Bringing their latest album Nada along for the ride, the band's sound was described to me as Coldplay en Español. With acoust ... More >>

Pilar Díaz Checks in from Chile (and Talks About the Los Abandoned Reunion Show)!

On site in Santiago filming a new music video for 'La Vitrola'​ While Southern California has been slugging through an often humid summer full of music events and festivals, singer-songwriter Pilar Díaz has been chillin' in Chile as inverted seasons make the country a winter wonderland. Hard at ... More >>

The Yost Theater Is Ready for Its Closeup

The renovated, revamped venue is ready for its grand reopening. So why aren't all of its downtown Santa Ana neighbors celebrating?

Amy Winehouse: What a Loss

[Mental Notes] RIP renowned Chicano artist Gilbert 'Magu' Lujan

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Cutting to the Chase of the Centro Cultural de México's Ouster

OC Weekly file photoCarolina Sarmiento​It's been a hectic week since the Weekly first broke the news that SanTana's El Centro Cultural de Mexico will soon find itself without a space to host its classes and community programs. In that time, the Voice of OC and The Santa Ana Register blog have c ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

I MiX What I Like! An Interview with Jared Ball (Part II)

​Yesterday, we published the first part of an interview with Jared Ball, author of I MiX What I Like! A Mixtape Manifesto, where the "Funkinest Journalist" talks about the politics of hip-hop and popular culture. Read the first part of the interview with Jared Ball here; in this second installment ... More >>

Diego Garcia Goes Inside His Heart for 'Laura'

​Diego Garcia, the Argentine-American former lead singer of Elefant, ponders the contours of dissolution beyond breaking with his former indie-rock outfit in making his debut as a solo artist. The singer-songwriter has gifted us in his new album, Laura a pensive nine-track meditation on love th ... More >>

Profiles in OC Pioneers Who Were Klan Members: Elmer E. Heidt, OC's First Scout Executive for Orange County Boy Scouts Council

​Today, the Boy Scouts is one of the most multicultural organizations in Orange County--indeed, if you asked me to describe the prototypical OC Boy Scout, I'd say he was a Vietnamese kid from Little Saigon. But the Boy Scouts wasn't always so egalitarian--although the national organization maintai ... More >>

[UPDATED: An Artists' Perspective] Artists in Santa Ana Artists Village Cover Up for One of Their Own, Accused of Sexually Harassing Minors

Loopy Bautista​UPDATED: Andy Verostek, who leases a gallery in the Santora, has written a lengthy account of his take on the issue. He claims he was the first person to call the police after the incident happened, and that only the friends of the accused have defended him and not Santora artists i ... More >>

UCI Prof Remixes the Egyptian Revolution

[Mental Notes] Also, Parker Macy to open a record store at the Lab

Grrl Fair Turns 10

[Mental Notes] Also, a new drummer for A7F, a new name for the Grove, and new nominees for the OCMAs

Madame Récamier's Music is Like a Box of Chocolates

Cosmica Records​Mexico City's Gina "Madame" Récamier's artistic endeavors are as diverse as her life experiences. Growing up, the singer immersed herself in theater, dance, and, of course, music. She also learned to call many places "home" throughout her upbringing having lived in Milan, Ita ... More >>

Aparato Singer: Border Patrol Profiled Me

[Mental Notes] Also, No Doubt's famous 'Beacon Street' house for sale

Lady Gaga Coming to OC

[Mental Notes] Also, Josh Freese fills in with Paramore and WAR remembers Teena Marie

JV, Hip-Hop Queen, Still Shines Her Light

myspace.com/therealjv​Jennifer Velarde etched her initials into hip-hop history as the first Chicana rapper to ever put out an album. Signed to Thump records, JV hit the scene in 1994 with her first single (and title track to the album) "Nayba'hood Queen." Backed by the subwoofer-stressin' bass be ... More >>

On the Record

[Mental Notes] Memorable lines from Brent Amaker, Juan Manuel Torreblanca and Sam James Velde

Torreblanca: 'Things Are so Much More Vivid [in America]'

​Following Perrozompopo's performance at Anaheim's Club Ember last night, OC's recent Latin Alternative revival turns next to a Day of the Dead celebration in Santa Ana. Torreblanca, one of two bands from Mexico currently touring Southern California, will take to the stage on Saturday in the city ... More >>

Dropping Knowledge

[Mental Notes] Immortal Technique speaks on immigration, plus the First Annual Real Blues Festival of Orange County calls out the Doheny Blues Fest

Weezer Sells Out, Maybe

[Mental Notes] Juggalos are still inciting debate, Owl City gives John Mayer some bro lovin', Two Guns on 'Jersey Shore' and more

Wee Man In Mariachi Divas Video

[Mental Notes] Also, Avenged Sevenfold drummer's cause of death, Rock the Bells has Lauryn Hill

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Five Questions with Lila Downs

​BY GABRIEL SAN ROMANFor years, Lila Downs has melded her powerful multilingual vocals with musical arrangements that engagingly blend the sounds of our global village. Of mixed heritage herself, the signature syncretism that has come to define her artistic presentation has been most recently evid ... More >>