She said the paper\u2019s stance made Latinos feel like they belonged in the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cI dare to say La Opini\u00f3n was vital; it was like medicine for the spirit,\u201d she said in Spanish.<\/p>\n
Still, the celebration is a bittersweet moment for the paper that for decades expanded, contracted and, like many of its newspaper peers, is struggling amid an ever-changing media landscape that is marked by layoffs<\/a>, revenue losses and a drop in readership.<\/p>\n Today, the paper operates with about 50 full-time employees and freelancers, a major decline from years past when the staff was in the hundreds. The paper still publishes a print edition, though it is in a tabloid format \u2014 smaller in size and more compact. <\/p>\n To mark the historic occasion, LiCalzi said, the paper launched Somos L.A. Columna,<\/a> a series of 100-word columns that will publish on the paper\u2019s website and in print. They will also be shared on the paper\u2019s social media accounts.<\/p>\n LiCalzi said the short columns are heartfelt messages from elected officials, community leaders, athletes, artists, business owners and activists who have helped shape the city.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve spent 100 years writing about the city and for the centennial, we wanted to hear from it,\u201d LiCalzi said.<\/p>\n He said the Spanish phrase Somos L.A. Columna is a nod to Angelenos who make up the backbone of the city. He said having people write shorter messages required that people sit and think about why L.A. is important to them. <\/p>\n Among the list of contributors is Antonio Villarraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles; Gustavo Dudamel, former music and artistic director of the L.A. Philharmonic; and Byron V\u00e1squez, president and director at Casa de la Cultura de Guatemala in Los Angeles. <\/p>\n The columns will be accompanied by a short video reflecting the paper\u2019s history in L.A. The video opens with a simple line in Spanish: \u201cWe\u2019ve always been here.\u201d <\/p>\n City and company officials say the former site of La Opini\u00f3n at 302 N. Los Angeles St. will be featured in the city\u2019s online inventory of historic places, HistoricPlacesLA Revealed: Latino Los Angeles<\/a>, a city initiative that highlights places that reflect the history and heritage of the city\u2019s Latino population.<\/p>\n A QR code will be placed by the building to direct visitors to an online multimedia page about La Opini\u00f3n\u2019s history, according to the city officials.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass celebrated the paper\u2019s centennial in a written statement.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a century, La Opini\u00f3n has been a trusted source of news and information for generations of Latino Angelenos,\u201d she wrote. \u201cSpanish-language media is an essential part of Los Angeles. It tells the stories of Angelenos, reflects the people and neighborhoods that make our city what it is.\u201d <\/p>\n Los Angeles County Board Chair Hilda Solis said that when she was growing up in a family of immigrants, Spanish-language media was part of her everyday life. <\/p>\n \u201cLa Opini\u00f3n helped families like mine stay informed about what was happening in our communities and gave Spanish-speaking Angelenos a voice,\u201d she said in a written statement. \u201cThat role is just as important today. At a time when there are efforts to divide our communities and question our sense of belonging, ethnic media helps ensure people have access to information they can understand and trust.\u201d<\/p>\n La Opini\u00f3n once had hundreds on staff. Today, it has roughly 50 full-time workers and freelancers.<\/p>\n (My Code)<\/p>\n Adding to the celebratory theme, the centennial comes during Hispanic Heritage Month.<\/p>\n Every year on Mexican Independence Day, the paper celebrates its humble beginnings when Lozano Sr. launched the paper from a modest office in downtown Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Lozano Sr. had already founded La Prensa in San Antonio when he arrived in L.A. and saw a city in need of a Spanish-language newspaper equal to U.S. mainstream papers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a golden age of Spanish-language newspapers in Los Angeles,\u201d said F\u00e9lix Guti\u00e9rrez, professor emeritus of journalism at USC. <\/p>\n At the time, he said, most of the papers aligned themselves with a political party or a specific movement. He said La Opini\u00f3n distinguished itself by sticking to journalism.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were committed to journalism and to reporting and reflecting the best of Mexicans in the U.S. through its authors,\u201d Guti\u00e9rrez said. \u201cThat was the original vision and you know La Opini\u00f3n lasted all these years.\u201d<\/p>\n Upon Lozano\u2019s death in 1953, Ignacio E. Lozano Jr. became publisher of the paper, continuing a family legacy that would span three generations. <\/p>\n Under Lozano Jr.<\/a>, the paper expanded and shifted from foreign news to covering local issues that affected Latinos, topics that were either ignored or misinterpreted by its English-language counterparts. <\/p>\n In 1976, President Ford appointed him as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador. Lozano and his wife embarked to the Central American country for nine months, leaving La Opini\u00f3n in the hands of their son and daughter, Jose Ignacio and Leticia.<\/p>\n During the 1980s, Los Angeles saw another influx of Latin American immigration, including Mexicans and Central Americans fleeing poverty and war. La Opini\u00f3n grew during this period, strengthening its commitment to civic journalism by opposing Proposition 187 and promoting citizenship and immigrant rights.<\/p>\n Like many newspapers, La Opini\u00f3n is struggling as the media landscape faces layoffs, revenue losses and a drop in readership.<\/p>\n (My Code)<\/p>\n But the paper was also struggling financially. In 1990, then-owner Times Mirror Co. acquired a 50% interest in La Opini\u00f3n<\/a>. The partnership ended more than a decade later<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2004, the Lozano family founded ImpreMedia, a national media company that owned several Spanish-language newspapers across the country including La Opini\u00f3n. That same year, Monica Lozano served as the paper\u2019s chief executive and publisher. <\/p>\n Lozano said the paper had always served as a bridge between Latinos and the people who were in position of power and influence. <\/p>\n \u201cI would say the paper had a dual mission: One was to represent our community and the growing influence it was having,\u201d she said. \u201cBut to also defend and make clear that we needed to be seen as an immigrant community that came with aspirations and dreams to provide for our families, contribute to the country and to be considered a fundamental part of the fabric of society. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve said over the years that what started as a Mexican-owned business became an American institution,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n In 2012, the Lozano family sold its interest in the company to a subsidiary of the Argentine media company La Naci\u00f3n. <\/p>\n![\"La](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789637682_615_.jpeg\")
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