Gustavo Arellano

Gustavo Arellano, born on February 3, 1979, is a Mexican American writer and journalist best known for his satirical column "¡Ask a Mexican!" which addressed stereotypes and questions about Mexican culture with humor and insight.

A lifelong resident of Orange County, California, he is the son of two Mexican immigrants, one of whom arrived in the United States hidden in the trunk of a Chevy, shaping his perspective on Mexican-American life.

Gustavo Arellano earned a bachelor's degree in film studies from Chapman University and a master's in Latin American studies from UCLA, before launching his career in journalism.

Gustavo Arellano rose to prominence at the OC Weekly, where he worked as an investigative reporter for 15 years and later served as editor for six, starting his nationally syndicated "¡Ask a Mexican!" column in 2004, which appeared in dozens of publications and won awards including the 2006 and 2008 Best Non-Political Column from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, the 2007 President's Award from the Los Angeles Press Club, an Impacto Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and a 2008 Latino Spirit Award from the California Latino Legislative Caucus.

Full Name	Gustavo Arellano
Gender	Male
Occupation	Journalist
Date of Birth	03-February-1979 (47 years)
Birth Year	1979
Birth Location	Anaheim, California, United States

He compiled the column into the 2007 book ¡Ask a Mexican! published by Scribner, followed by Orange County: A Personal History in 2008 and Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America in 2012, with contributions to A People's Guide to Orange County in 2022.

Joining the Los Angeles Times in 2018 as a features writer covering Southern California, he became a columnist in 2020, contributed to their 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the L.A. City Hall tape leak scandal, and was named a 2025 Pulitzer finalist for Commentary as well as a finalist for the Mike Royko Award.

Gustavo Arellano has appeared on KCRW's "Orange County Line" and "Good Food with Evan Kleiman," featured in the Netflix series Ugly Delicious episode on tacos, and wrote for the animated show Bordertown.

He teaches journalism at Orange Coast College, and his wife owns a restaurant in Santa Ana; he is also a third cousin once removed of actress Jessica Alba.