Jackie Mendez is a rocksteady and soul artist from South El Monte. She honed her chops singing in the backyards and dive bars of the Mid-Valley, starting with her legendary band The Boss Beats. She’s one of the SGV’s most recognized songwriters after putting in over a decade, working her […]
Michael Torres doesn’t revel in the idea of ‘making good and getting out of the hood.’ NPR’s Best Books of 2020? Yeah, that’s pretty sweet. Getting paid to write and teach? Of course, that’s good. Being able to hold the memories of your past life as a graffiti artist and […]
Looking back at the news coverage of the explosion at First Works Baptist Church, the question that rises to the top is why weren’t we hearing more from the group that had protested the Church’s hateful teachings? Keep El Monte Friendly was treated fairly in local reports, but we mostly […]
El Monte and South El Monte are emblematic of inequity in the Valley. That’s where Active SGV’s executive director David Diaz is from. From his “frozen food” fueled childhood to being a new father there today, little has changed in the area’s streetscape. There are few neighborhood parks, an unreliable […]
The saga of Phil Spector’s murder castle in Alhambra… A chat with a young progressive delegate hopeful from Bassett… The rebirth of Dr Rubin’s World Famous Pomade… and a mystery meat lunch in Arcadia Regional Park. This is our first compilation episode. -First priority. If you are registered to vote […]
Aaron Simental is a young queer student affairs professional from Bassett who’s running for a delegate seat in California’s 48th District in the ADEM Election with the progressive slate Challenging the Establishment. The delegates vote for which candidates the Democratic Party will back. They’re not politicians themselves. Full disclosure: I […]
In November, Camila Camaleon was elected to lead the San Gabriel Valley’s small LGBTQ Center through turbulent times. Her pedigree in this traditional quarter of Southern California may be just what the area’s queer residents need to push for greater service and representation from the region’s Council of Governments. This […]
Vel the Wonder is an emcee from Baldwin Park with a very personal style. It’s unapologetic, “nuts hanging” out even as she tackles painful subjects. Hip hop seems to ground her wherever she is in life: the happy early years on La Sena Ave in North Baldwin Park, bussing it […]
The history book East of East began out of disgust with El Monte’s origin story as the “End of the Santa Fe Trail.” In 2012, the city celebrated it’s centennial with a wagon train parade based on the sanitized narrative of the southern pioneers whose descendants founded the township – […]
