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el Don News
In the early 1970s, and again in 1979, gasoline shortages triggered by conflicts in oil producing regions resulted in gas rationing and long lines locally. My brother and I were in our teens and recall waiting in lines stretching down the block for our turn to get the maximum 10 gallons of fuel. The United States relied heavily on oil imports at the time wit
el Don News
As a college student, especially one without a job, I’m always looking for ways to eat without spending a fortune. If I spend money on food, it’s usually to order some greasy junk when I’m tired after a long day at school. Luckily, in my case, I still live with my family. There’s plenty of food around for me to make and enjoy, but that won’t always be the ca
el Don News
As the sun sets on El Camino Real Park in Orange, you hear cars passing by, making the drive home from work. In between cars, you hear music you would normally hear at a carne asada, the pop of rubber balls bouncing, friendly insults between call-outs and the occasional “guey” (pronounced way). This is a common occurrence at parks in Orange County, as the ha
el Don News
I transferred to the University of California Santa Barbara in 2017 and graduated three years later during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over that period I learned more about myself outside the classroom than I did within lecture halls. The weather and countryside were too enticing day after day to not venture into and explore.  There is nothing
el Don News
If you drive 90 minutes east towards Palm Springs on any given Sunday, you’ll find the Beaumont Outdoor Market. Since the late 1980’s, these merchants have functioned as a thriving desert micro-economy, sandwiched between a Walmart Supercenter and common suburbia. Now, amidst increasingly dire economic conditions, this market functions as an unintentional fo
el Don News
Between a BTS concert in Las Vegas and the long drive home with my cousins, we found a different kind of magic, this one lurking off the shoulder of Route 15. These photos capture the weird, wonderful stops that turned a routine trip into a genuine roadside quest. The alien-eyed attraction of Alien Fresh (don’t leave without the beef jerky), the dreamy bould
el Don News
One of the first projects I made when I started my career in photography at Santa Ana College in 2022, focused on the gentrification that is happening in Santa Ana. One of the areas that is still under construction, the Warner Avenue Improvement project, which started in 2016, led my family to sell our home to pave the way. This series follows the OC Streetc
el Don News
Growing up in California, one truth was consistent: classic cars hit. No matter what you looked like, if you had a dope whip, guys would appreciate your baby. If it was clean enough to take to a car show, you were next level. That’s what I thought of when my oldest and brownest friend hit me up to check out cars and get some coffee early Saturday morning. He
el Don News
Letter from the Editor One evening during winter break, I visited the el Don newsroom. When I walked in, I saw our business manager, Joanna, and our instructional aide, Alex, at our big table, with a century’s worth of newspapers and magazines in archival boxes with sticky notes on them. Joanna looked up and asked me, “What do you want?” but followed it with
el Don News
Early this month I attended the Santa Ana Dance Department’s concert titled “Loading:Unity.” The lights dimmed and the performance began. Dancers bobbed and weaved out onto a dimly lit stage, contorting their bodies and forming shapes with one another. Interspersed between the dance acts were commentaries on how one’s prejudice blinds their view from e
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