Alejandra Reyes-Velarde is a California Divide reporter writing about policy and poverty from Los Angeles. She specializes in social mobility, labor issues, access to technology, immigration and more.
For CalMatters 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.
