Julio Vaqueiro, Codie Sanchez and more will rep Latinos at the L.A. Times Festival of Books

Last year, the De Los and Los Angeles en Español teams joined forces to program the first-ever Latinidad Stage at the L.A. Times Festival of Books: the largest literary event in the United States. Over the course of two days, the stage featured conversations in English, Spanish and Spanglish that centered Latinx topics, storytelling and authors.

We’ll be back again at the USC campus on April 26 and 27 for the festival’s 30th anniversary — and the Latinidad Stage is now the De Los Stage in Association with L.A. Times en Español.

This year’s program has a little something for everyone: Both days will kick off with readings for the kids from the Los Angeles Public Library and Lil’ Libros. Are you a sports fan? The Times’ assistant managing editor for sports, Iliana Limón Romero, will sit down with former Dodgers commentators Jaime and Jorge Jarrín to talk about Fernando Valenzuela, who died in October. The father-son duo will discuss the lasting impact the Mexican pitcher had on the Latinx community in Los Angeles and beyond; perhaps no one is more qualified to speak on “Fernandomania” than Jaime Jarrín, who served as Valenzuela’s interpreter during his historic 1981 rookie season.

We’ll also have conversations on topics such as the Latinx vote, personal finance, well-being, intergenerational healing and more. The lineup will include a panel with essayists Manuel Betancourt, Edgar Gomez and Vanessa Angélica Villareal, as well as interviews with National Book Award winner and MacArthur fellow Jason De León; New York Times best seller Codie Sanchez; chef and cookbook author Karla Tatiana Vasquez; and crossword puzzler Juliana Pache, to name a few.

And if you’re curious about my own Spanish language skills, make sure you stop by Sunday at 3:45 p.m. for my one-on-one talk (en español!) with Noticias Telemundo anchor Julio Vaqueiro, whose new book, “Río Bravo: Mexico, Estados Unidos y el Regreso de Trump,” examines the tense relationship between the U.S. and Mexico in the wake of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, as well as the historic presidential election of Claudia Sheinbaum.

If you’re in L.A. that weekend, I encourage you to stop by and say hello! Admission to the L.A. Times Festival of Books is free of charge, and the De Los team will have a table, where you’ll be able to meet our staff and pick up some Festival of Books-themed goodies.

You can find the complete schedule here.

Stories we read this week that we think you should read

From the L.A. Times

Federal officials arrived, denied entry at L.A. schools amid immigration enforcement fears

Federal agents were denied entrance to two elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District this week after they showed up unannounced and sought to get in touch with five students who the agents alleged entered the country without documentation, school officials said Thursday.

Must-see Latino acts at Coachella 2025: Junior H, The Marías and more

The first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival kicks off today, and though the lineup features fewer Latin music acts than last year, there are still plenty of artists worth checking out, from Venezuelan rockers Rawayana to música Mexicana sad bois Junior H and Ivan Cornejo.

Jenna Ortega says she left ‘Scream VII’ because the production was ‘falling apart’

The “Wednesday” actor finally revealed why she left “Scream VII.” It wasn’t for the pay or a scheduling conflict, as was previously reported; a huge part of it had to do with the firing of her co-star, Melissa Barrera, who was booted from the project by Spyglass Media Group after making pro-Palestinian social media posts that the production company deemed antisemitic.

Why a man drives a kids’ Cybertruck with a dog and Mexican flag — and how it got him ‘banned’ from Dodger Stadium

If you’re like me, chances are the social media algorithms have shown you a video of a man driving a tiny Cybertruck — with a dog and a giant Mexican flag in tow — while being chased by Dodger Stadium security. That man is DJ Swagrman, a social media influencer whose husky, Swaggy Wolfdog, is a viral sensation in his own right.

Eaton fire shut down this Spanish immersion school’s two campuses. But classes are still in session

Rayuela, a Spanish-language immersion program that started in 2014 in Altadena, lost one of its campuses in the Eaton fire. The other one remains closed. Despite the loss, the school has continued with classes at a temporary campus in Highland Park.

New film ‘Cocodrilos’ honors missing and murdered journalists in Mexico

Directed by Mexican filmmaker J. Xavier Velasco, “Cocodrilos” is a thriller that takes a fictionalized approach to highlighting the real-life dangers that journalists and media workers face when covering organized crime.

This Mexican zombie movie faces the apocalypse through children’s eyes

Why did Mexican director Isaac Ezban decide to tell “Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse,” his latest film, from the perspective of young people?

“Coming-of-age tropes and horror go hand in hand, because horror is always about discovering another world, and coming-of-age stories are indeed also about discovering a new world,” he explained.

‘El Rey,’ ‘Before the Next Teardrop Falls’ and ‘Hamilton’ to be added to National Recording Registry

The Library of Congress announced this week that Vicente Fernández’s cover of the Jóse Alfredo Jímenez banger “El Rey,” Freddy Fender’s bilingual “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (puro 956, cuh!) and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s original cast recording of Broadway’s “Hamilton” will be preserved for posterity by being inducted into the National Recording Registry.

Singer Rubby Pérez, former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel among many dead in Dominican Republic roof collapse

Famed Dominican merengue singer Rubby Pérez and former Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel, who briefly played for the Dodgers, are among the confirmed dead after the roof collapsed at a Dominican nightclub Tuesday. So far, 221 people have been confirmed dead.

From elsewhere

Latino Democrats launch super PAC to tackle party’s problem with key group (Washington Post)

Former congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-California) and Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha have launched Campeones PAC, a new political action committee aimed at reversing the gains Republicans have made with Latinx voters over the last few national elections.

“Instead of sitting around and waiting for the party to get better, we decided we will just do it ourselves,” Rocha told the Washington Post.

Bad Bunny: Tiny Desk Concert (NPR)

In what was easily the best thing on the Latinternet this week, el Conejo Malo performed various tracks from “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” as part of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series.

Trump’s immigration policy is weighing on beer sales, Constellation Brands CEO says (NBC Latino)

One of the unintended consequences in President Trump’s anti-immigration agenda has been a drop in beer sales, according to Constellation Chief Executive Bill Newlands.

“The fact is, a lot of consumers in the Hispanic community are concerned right now ... Over half are concerned relative to immigration issues and how those impact [them]. A number of them are concerned about job losses in industries that have a high Latino employment base,” Newlands said.