Canto CDXIII: Happy 30th Birthday, OC Weekly!

Gentle cabrones:

On Sept. 15, 1995, a new publication hit free newsstands in Orange County, California: OC Weekly.

This alternative newsweekly would go on to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable in a region where the comfortable had long crushed the afflicted — but the latter were gearing up to take on the former.

It came at a time where Orange County creatives were trying to figure out ways to make their homeland a cool place where people might want to stay instead of decamp to Los Angeles and beyond. When California was rife with anti-immigrant loons and Democrats seemed on the decline. When a generation of children of immigrants — Latino, Vietnamese, Muslim, more — were coming of age and deciding to not take white-power bullshit anymore.

Orange County would never be the same — and thank God for that.

For the next 24 years, OC Weekly would weather four owners, five offices, five editors-in-chief, one schism, two unionizing efforts, the decline of print journalism, the extinction of the alternative press, the rise of the Internet age, multiple libel lawsuits that went nowhere, a fabulism scandal of sorts and Susan Kang Schroeder to blow up the lords of Orange County and save the region from itself.

Its reporters put a sheriff in federal prison, destroyed political careers, got innocent people out of jail and bad ones in there, made artists/restaurants/writers/People Issue and became the paper everyone loved to hate but couldn’t put down.

Commie Girl. Moxley. ¡Ask a Mexican! Trendzilla. Scariest People. Deport This. Dining with Dave. OC Weekly’s journalists, columns, features — all of it — became Orange County buzzwords. Longtimers steered the paper through the churn of decades; alumni — staffers and freelancers alike — went on to work everywhere from the New York Times to The Atlantic, Berkeley to USC, Los Angeles Times to L.A. Taco, Disney to MTV to become podcast queens and so, so, so much more.

The New York Times once called us a “lively journal” — need I say more? I do!

OC Weekly is what brought me into journalism, in case you’ve only followed me since 2018. I rose from fake angry letter to the editor to freelancer to diversity intern hire to part-time full-time food editor to staff writer to columnist to managing editor to Mexican-in-chief to loser against Littlefinger but ultimate winner in the fight for the Infernal Rag’s soul. For it was I who, knowing my fate and where the paper would go under King Lear, made sure to collect a copy of every single issue we published and nearly all of its digital archives and store them in a safe spot and wait for the inevitable.

On Thanksgiving week 2019, OC Weekly suffered an ignominious death at the worst possible time, not just for staff but also the county as COVID was on its way (Canto LXXXVI). Nothing ever rose up to fill its space in the OC media landscape — and OC is forever worse for it.

And yet the Infernal Rag lives on more than ever.

Now, in fact, it’s eternal.

Unless there’s a private collector out there, what I collected is the only extant run of OC Weekly in existence. And it’s now housed at Cal State Fullerton.

Won’t you join me and other Weeklings in celebrating what we created? Because all y’all do-gooders in OC owe us a shot of mezcal or 30 — without us, OC would be one giant Huntington Beach.

First time reading this newsletter? Subscribe here for more merriment! Feedback, thoughts, commentary, rants? Send them to [email protected]

Over the summer, Cal State Fullerton’s University Archives & Special Collections asked if I could donate to them my personal archives because they’re starting to collect archives from OC’s underground scenes.

The school hosts the Center for Oral and Public History, one of the great collections of oral histories in the United States with an emphasis on Orange County. It’s where the lords of Orange County bragged about what assholes they were, or at least tried to excuse it, and where voices that never made it into the official OC story were able to share what really happened in this beautiful, accursed land.

I was flattered by Cal State Fullerton’s offer, but told them que my personal archives ya estaba comprometido to…somewhere. BUT…would they like my OC Weekly archives instead?

DUH…

A few weeks ago, two archivists came with a U-Haul van to a Public Storage unit where I had kept the OC Weekly archives for a few years after I gave up my downtown SanTana offices (Canto CCLIII). I helped load them in dollies, occasionally opening a box to make sure no pests had entered.

Every opened lid of those banker’s boxes uncorked a memory with each cover I saw. There’s OC Weekly Vol. 1, Issue 1 with a cover story by Rose Apodaca Jones, who was before my time but always kind to me whenever I asked for something. This cover with Hitler doing a Seig Heil and holding a bass was the best cover we ever did, and illustrated the cover story when Rich Kane exposed a mainstream Anacrime concert venue for regularly holding white power concerts — and the following week, 9/11 happened.

There’s our fifth anniversary issue. Our 10th. Our 20th. Our last cover, written by Gabriel San Blogman. Man, we were fucking great.

Memorabilia, too! Toothpicks. Compilation CDs. OC Weekly beer AND wine. The dress, hat AND cape made of OC Weekly covers worn by Hellcat Hamby to three successive OC Press Club banquets that we then put on a mannequin that I miraculously kept.

Not enough memorabilia. I invited founding OC Weekly editor Will Swaim to be part of our panel, because of course he should be there. He sadly had another commitment but sent his love. When I asked if perhaps he had any mementos to donate to Cal State Fullerton, he said he didn’t, admitting that he “naively” thought the digital age would save everything forever.

It’s all good. Because OC Weekly is FOREVER.

Future scholars can now go to Cal State Fullerton and peruse through our back copies, through old staff directories and layouts and Decadence badges. We were prophets in our own land — and while not enough people valued us while we were around, we created a legacy that will outlive us all but ESPECIALLY the haters, who will go down as a bunch of Bob Dornans.

So come hear us talk Oct. 11 at my wifey’s Alta Baja Market!

I organized the panel to so that everyone present could reflect a facet of what made the Infernal Rag tick:

Anthony Pignataro brought down the proposed El Toro Airport by his 20-something self in the early days before heading off to run his own alt-weekly in Maui — indeed, him leaving was what allowed Will to hire me full time. He came back for the last year and now is an editor for the worker-owned Long Beach Watchdog.

Gustavo Arellano is on it because you always reserve a spot for the donor to flatter their ego, you know?

Cynthia Rebolledo (aka the better half of NelCYN) grew up with the OC Weekly and dreamed of writing for us before becoming an intern, then staff writer then — of all things — publisher, fighting the impossible fight.

Patty Marsters is the most important Weekling of them all, the only person who was there from Day 1 until the end. Anthony’s description of her — the pin that holds together the grenade — remains the best description of an unsung hero I’ve EVER heard.

Moderating the discussion is Candace Hansen, who’ll represent our army of freelancers who made the Weekly truly sing, from Picks of the Week to Heard Mentality, Stick a Fork in It (never my favorite title) to Best Of and so much more.

I could’ve invited so many more panelists — sorry, Jeremy! Sorry Dustin! Sorry Daves! Sorry Gilhooley! — but I didn’t want this to become some ComicCon fiasco where 10 people only say one sentence. Instead, we four will talk for 45 minutes about the Infernal Rag’s legacy, take questions and then get FAAAAAADED.

Join us! Or, if you can’t, we’ll be streaming it on my Instagram account if I’m not booted by then by Zuck.

I never like to think about my past, because I’m too busy with the present. But I’m always thinking about the future, and I’m glad we Weeklings were able to secure one. Thank you, Cal State Fullerton, for taking the run of the Infernal Rag.

We were good. We ARE good. Take THAT, Baby Hewie!

**

Enough rambling. This was the semana that was:

IMAGE OF THE WEEK: A bunch of panchan (I know it’s now spelled banchan, but when I tried to learn Korean in the late 1990s, the word was still translated with a p, so I’m sticking to that) at Soowon Galbi in L.A.’s Koreatown. Great meat, great panchan, INCREDIBLE perilla stew!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “There is one star that rises once in 70 years and misleads sailors. And I said: Perhaps it will rise and mislead us.” — Rabbi Yehoshua, to Rabban Gamliel, Horayot 10

LISTENING: “Santa Rita,” Los Rurales de Gilberto Parra. There’s a joyous rush to all Chihuahua polkas — and this is one of the most famous ones. Heard recently at Chapman’s “Heartbeat of Mexico” festival, where Mateo THA GOD did a fine zapateada along with his classmates. Hence included in Gustavo Arellano’s Weekly Radiola of Randomness YouTube songlist, where I’ve included every song I’ve ever featured in a canto — give it a spin!

READING: “When the Spirit Speaks in Many Tongues”: My former Chapman classmate Garrett Andrew started a wonderful Substack that continues his long tradition of Christian witness — like, the Christ of the Beatitudes, not the one too many people think is kicking it in a gilded palace.

BUY MY NEW CO-BOOK! People’s Guide to Orange County tells an alternative history of OC through the scholarship and reporting of myself, Elaine Lewinnek, and Thuy Vo Dang. There’ll be signings all year — in meanwhile, buy your copy TODAY. And, yes: I’ll autograph it!

Gustavo Events  

Sept. 24, 12:30 p.m.: Time for the semi-annual Zoom version of my Alta Journal co-columna “Ask a Californian” with co-columnista Stacey Grenrock Woods! It’s FREE, but you have to register here.

Sept. 27, 9 a.m.: Join me and my People’s Guide to Orange County co-authors as we do a walking tour of Fullerton and its hidden history. $20 — buy tickets HERE.

Sept. 27, 1 p.m.: And then after that, join me at The Untold Story as three teens do an oral history of me! Part of the Anacrime bookstore’s new project to get the oral histories of Anaheim old-timers — and I’m the first! At 301 N. Anaheim Blvd., Ste. D, Anacrime. FREE!

Oct. 5, 4 p.m.: I’m going to be in conversation with the director of The Little King of Norwalk, which has a shoutout to me! Staged by the Latino Theater Company at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles. Tickets ain’t cheap, but support local theater by buying them here.

Oct. 11, 1 p.m.: (Reprinted from last week, even though it’s the point of my fookin’ canto this week) Speaking of OC Weekly, I’m going to be on a panel for the occasion of its 30th anniversary timed with a major announcement about its archives! Going to happen at Alta Baja Market, 201 E. Fourth St., SanTana, and it’ll be FREE!!!

Oct. 17, 7 p.m.: It’s my honey’s annual Rancho Heirloom Bean Encuentro weekend festival of all things legumes. I’m in charge of “The Bean Monologues,” which is exactly what it sounds like — I and some brilliant people are going to give stories about…beans. WAY cooler than it sounds, like every goddamn thing I do, and it comes with food! At Grand Central Art Center Black Box Theater, 125 N. Broadway, SanTana, $20 — buy tickets HERE.

Oct. 18, 3 p.m.: The other event I’m doing for Encuentro is “How to Taste a Tortilla,” where I teach people exactly that. At Alta Baja Market, 201 E. Fourth St., Ste. 101, SanTana. $15, and people who go will get some tortillas to take home — buy tickets HERE.

Oct. 25, 1 p.m.: Join me in conversation with the legendary L.A. scribe D.J. Waldie as we talk about his new book! At my honey’s Alta Baja, where he’s regularly gone for years, 201 E. Fourth St., Ste. 101, SanTana. Convo FREE; books, BARATO.

Nov. 8, 9 a.m.: Join me and my People’s Guide to Orange County co-authors as we do a walking tour of Anacrime and its hidden history. $20 — buy tickets HERE.

Gustavo in the News

“The LA Times, In the Right Church, Wrong Pew on Redistricting” and “Few Other Quick Hits”: Shoutouts by an Altadena policy wonk who knows WAY more about L.A. politics than the average bear.

“A dire housing shortage crushed People’s Park, and the ideals it represented”: A Los Angeles Times newsletter you should subscribe to plugs a columna of mine.

“The Words of the Week - Sept. 19”: Merriam-Webster’s weekly explanation of its most-searched words cites a columna of mine in its entry on “empathy.”

“Jenni Rivera to be inducted into Long Beach City College Hall of Fame”: Long Beach Post quotes La Diva de La Banda when I talked to her in 2003, one of just four big English-language profiles ever done on her while she was alive.

“Heirloom Bean Encuentro festival fights fear with food and togetherness“: Orange County Register plugs my honey’s annual co-bean festival.

“Hispanic Heritage Month 2025 is a Call to Action”: A plug for a columna of mine.

“Encuentro 2025 — a few details and your last chance to get in on the bean event of the year!” My wifey shouts out one of my events in her newsletter.

“An Angeleno dines in Mexican Chicago. They’re just like us”: L.A. Times food editor Daniel Hernández cites my taco work and fights against Rick Bayless.

“CSUF University Archives & Special Collections Receives OC Weekly Archives”: And here’s the promised, official special announcement about the Infernal Rag’s archives.

Gustavo Stories 

“Grítale a Guti”: Latest edition of my Tuesday night IG Live free-for-all is a lost episode because of the CONSPIRACY.

“Anaheim considers taxing tickets and parking at Disneyland”: My latest KCRW “Orange County Line” commentary talks about the ultimate third rail in my hometown.

“City Council honors a pioneer of L.A.’s Mexican cultural life”: My latest L.A. Times Essential California newsletter finds me in City Hall to see councilmember Monica Rodriguez honor Leonardo Lopez. KEY QUOTE: “His family members count at least 40 businesses among them, including restaurants, banquet halls, concert venues, equestrian sports teams, political firms that work Southern California’s corridors of power, and the Pico Rivera Sports Arena, Southern California’s cathedral of Mexican horse culture”

“Empathy is the only way forward after Charlie Kirk’s death”: My latest L.A. Times columna talks about the subject at hand. KEY QUOTE: “We’re witnessing a partisan passion play, with the biggest losers our democracy and the silent majority of Americans like my father who just want to live life.”

You made it this far down? Gracias! Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram while you’re down here by clicking on their logos down below. Don’t forget to forward this newsletter to your compadres y comadres! You can’t get me tacos anymore, but you sure as hell can give them — and more — to the O.C. Catholic Worker!