Contributors

Auerelio José Barrera, photographer
Aurelio José Barrera is a native Angelino from East LA who has lived on the Eastside all of his life. Barrera attended puiblic school and went to Cal State Long Beach. After 25 years in the Los Angeles Times Photo Department as a shooter and editor, Barrera is  currently a Senior Photo Editor at Prensa Internacional . “Documenting Latino life in LA is what keeps me going.”

Ana Facio Contreras, writer
Ana Facio Contreras has worked as a newspaper reporter for 10 years, writing for several newspapers in California including the Contra Costa Times and the Orange County Register. For the last three years, she has been a freelance reporter for the New York Times national desk and Los Angeles bureau, contributing reporting on major local and national stories, including the historic presidential election and the economic crisis. During her career, she has covered nearly every beat, including crime, city hall, ethnic communities, and education. She earned a bachelors degree in journalism from Cal State University, Northridge.

Nicole Possert
Nicole Possert, raised around Detroit Michigan, has an acute passion for urban history and the sense of place.  After transplanting herself to Los Angeles, she quickly gravitated to the historic center of the city and settled in the neighborhood of Highland Park.  For almost 25 years, she has explored the layered history, architecture, art, environment and cultures of the Arroyo Seco neighborhoods as an artist, writer, historic preservationist and environmentalist – both professionally and as a community volunteer.  Possert holds a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing from Central Michigan University.

Jesus Sanchez, publisher & writer
Jesus Sanchez has worked as a newspaper journalist and blogger for nearly 25 years, reporting primarily on business news for such publications as USA Today and the Los Angeles Times.  After covering a variety of beats for the Times’ Business Section, Sanchez served as one of the newsroom’s first online reporters. He now publishes a community-based news blog, The Eastsider LA. Sanchez  studied journalism at East Los Angeles College and received his bachelors degree from Cal State Long Beach, where he majored in business.  The Los Angeles native lives in Echo Park

Valentina Silva, writer
Valentina Silva is native of suburban Los Angeles, who now makes her home on the Eastside. She’s been a professional copywriter for 5 years and publishes Eastside Food Bites, a blog about LA food culture from an east-of-the-river perspective. Her fashion, food and travel articles have been featured in Entertainment Today, Time Magazine and Vogue China. She studied English, receiving her bachelor’s degree from Cal State Long Beach and her Masters from Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Jesse Saucedo, photographer
Jesse Saucedo, a Los Angeles artist interested in urban life, is currently working on an online, photo-a-day project documenting a years worth of daily observations. He grew up in South Central  Los Angeles but family ties and friendships keep him on the Eastside. Saucedo studied art and photography at Los Angeles City College and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cal State University, Los Angeles.