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Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

California Divide / Environmental Justice Reporter

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde is an environmental equity reporter from Los Angeles. 

Previously, Reyes-Velarde was a California Divide reporter for CalMatters specializing in social mobility, labor issues, immigration and more. Reyes-Velarde has written accountability stories about state and local governments’ response to increases of asylum seekers in California and access challenges for internet and phone service for the poorest Californians, as well as residents’ difficulty staying housed as the cost of living rises. 

She began her career at the Los Angeles Times, where she produced award-winning work on major news events and marginalized communities.

She was part of an award-winning team covering Southern California fires and the Borderline bar shooting in 2018. She also was the CCNMA Ruben Salazar Award recipient for a series about the pandemic’s impact on Latino communities. Additionally she contributed to the LA Times’ education, business and entertainment coverage.  

Reyes-Velarde is a Los Angeles native born to Mexican immigrant parents. She earned her bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a master’s in legal studies from UCLA School of Law. She is fluent in English and Spanish.

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Latest Stories

An employee stocks refrigerated items at a Grocery Outlet store in Pleasanton on Sept. 15, 2022. Photo by Terry Chea, AP Photo
McDonald's workers, including Lizzet Aguilar, celebrate winning a state retaliation claim against a Boyle Heights franchise location. Four workers won more than $100,000 in lost hours, penalties and backpay after they alleged the owners illegally retaliated against them for making a workplace safety complaint during the pandemic. Photo by Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, CalMatters
Entrika Zacarias sits in her home at Oasis Mobile Home Park in Coachella Valley on Aug. 23, 2023.
Members of the the Domestic Workers Alliance join the actors and writers strike at the Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank, on July 19, 2023. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for CalMatters

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