La Opinin, the chronicler of Latino life in L.A., reflects on a century of change

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Set us as preferred About a dozen Spanish-language newspapers were operating in Los Angeles when Ignacio E.Lozano Sr.

launched La Opinión.It was Mexican Independence Day in 1926, a few years before the Great Depression and the forced removal of Mexicans and Mexican Americans that followed.Through it all, La Opinión stood the test of time.

It chronicled the lives of the city’s growing Mexican community for generations, reaching huge levels of influence in the 1980s and 1990s as immigration from Mexico and Central America reshaped the region in profound demographic and political ways.This week, the paper reached a milestone, marking a century covering L.A.’s increasingly diverse Latino community.Though it has faced struggles similar to other newspapers, it remains a presence, including last year when Los Angeles was roiled by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.The paper’s centennial is “an amazing feat,” said David LiCalzi, chief operating officer of MyCode, the company that has owned La Opinión since 2022.

It’s a reminder of the company’s responsibility in stewarding one of the country’s longest running Spanish-language newspapers, he said.In today’s world of news apps and social media, it’s easy to forgo the influence newspapers like La Opinión had.For many immigrants who did not speak English, a Spanish-language newspaper was a lifeline to figure out what was going on as well as to find a job, rent an apartment and buy a car.La Opinión was also a voice during turbulent times for Latinos, including immigration crackdowns and political issues such as Proposition 187, which would have denied many benefits to people living the country illegally.“I think a lot of us who grew up in the era of the ’80s certainly remember how tough those times were and how vital the local newspapers wer...