Gustavo Arellano here!

If I speak long enough and loud enough anywhere in Southern California, the following conversation between a stranger and yours truly is inevitable:

Stranger: Are you Gustavo Arellano?

Me: Yep!

Stranger: Oh, I’m such a fan! I love to hear you on KCRW!

Me: “Hola, Steve.”

Stranger: “YES!!!”

It doesn’t matter if I’m in Ventura or Orange County, downtown or the San Fernando Valley: it happens. And if you're new to these public radio parts, what is that “it?”

It’s the greeting I offer All Things Considered host Steve Chiotakis for my “Orange County Line” commentary every week, which usually airs Mondays. The topic can be serious, funny, wonky; it doesn’t matter — I will say “Hola, Steve” or offer an “hola” to the guest host if Steve is on vacation. It’s now as much a part of my resumé as my glasses, my Pulitzer Prize finalist nod this year for the L.A. Times, or my (rightful) stance that In-N-Out is overrated.

Sometimes, the stranger/fan asks me why I greet Steve the way I do, and I love to tell the story:

I was already a regular on KCRW by the time we started “Orange County Line” in 2012. The segment came about after I had originally pitched a weekly commentary on Latino life to…someone…at the station. That someone rejected the idea because they felt I was more than my Latinidad — words that were a powerful affirmation of who I was and am, even if I didn’t recognize it at first — and suggested I talk about what was going on in O.C. instead.

I loved the idea, but I still wanted listeners to know that my ethnic roots were (and are) important to me, no matter what I talk about.

So at some point in the early days of “Orange County Line” — if not the very first one — Steve greeted me, and I responded, “Hola, Steve.” Nothing too showy, something anyone in Southern California could understand — but 1,000% raza.

Steve didn’t laugh at my Spanglish, the editors didn’t cut it out, or the “gracias” with which I ended our chat — and the rest, as the gods of clichés would have it, is history.

And this is why I’m so honored to continue to be a part of KCRW, 21 years after la mera mera Jennifer Ferro called me up when she was the producer for Good Food with Evan Kleiman and asked if I wanted to be in a segment in a show I had never heard of, on a radio station I had never listened to. It’s the type of station that not only isn't afraid to show off the multicultural reality of Southern California, but it also embraces it. The type of place that allows its voices to express their quirks and that seeks new ones all the time. That’s why I’m always thrilled to join Steve during KCRW fundraising drives so we can “hola” throughout All Things Considered instead of our usual four minutes of OC LYFE.

I don’t have to remind ustedes that public radio is facing challenges like never before — oops, I just did! But all I’ll say about that right now goes back to the thrill — and promise — I feel every time someone recognizes my voice in public and smiles when I tell them, “Hola, Steve.” 

That means that not only are folks listening to KCRW, but they also care about what goes on with us. It brings them joy at a time when joy is more needed than ever.

So if you ever see me out there in the wilderness, please do say “hola” to me. You know how I’ll respond. Gracias.

Nolympics in LA?

In my day job as a columnista for the L.A. Times (there’s the subtle assertion of my Mexicanness again!), I’ve been covering the fallout of the city’s long deportation summer… well, all summer. Part of that was a columna I wrote last week about why I think L.A. should walk away from hosting the 2028 Olympics. In my latest “Orange County Line,” I explain my thinking. Come for the “Hola, Steve,” stay for the John Williams!

Woody Guthrie, Now More Than Ever

The great Oklahoma bard was so prophetic, he wrote a song lambasting Fred Trump, father of you-know-who. That song isn’t on the new release, Woody at Home, Vols. 1 and 2, which is comprised of home recordings Guthrie made in the early 1950s that have never been publicly released. His granddaughter, Anna Canoni, joins Press Play with Madeleine Brand (Hola, Madeleine!) to talk about why Guthrie continues to resonate decades after his death.

The Calm Before the ICE Storm

Mass roundups by federal agents of suspected undocumented immigrants markedly slowed down after the ACLU and other local community groups successfully argued for a temporary restraining order, arguing unfettered immigration raids amounted to racial profiling. As both sides wait to hear whether the Supreme Court will end the TRO, activists prepare for the worst. But all hope is not lost — one activist told KCRW, “I feel that LA is leading the way for the rest of us to watch how this model of solidarity works.”

A Night Snack At The British Museum

The British Museum has one of the great collections in the world, with over eight million objects in its collection. In her latest book, Repast: The Story of Food, Jenny Linford browses through the Museum’s artifacts that deal with food: paintings, baskets, and even a 14,000-year-old woolly mammoth spear thrower. She talks about what it all means on Good Food with Evan Kleiman (Hola, Evan!).

For Your Consideration – MOUNTAINHEAD

Four rival tech billionaires gather for their annual mountain retreat. But when one of their AI platforms sparks a global crisis, their boys' weekend spirals into chaos. The future of humanity may be a game to them, but billions of lives are on the table. Don't miss the TV movie Variety is calling “A MASTERCLASS IN SATIRE.” 

When Countries Run Out of Children

The U.S. reached 1.6 births per woman in 2024, well below the replacement level. Why are global birth rates dropping sharply? Dr. Michael Wilkes shares his Second Opinion about all the potential factors contributing to this shift that is reshaping society here and around the world. Get weekly opinions just like this direct to your inbox when you subscribe to Dr. Wilkes' Second Opinion newsletter.