Ximena

Loeza

Hello! My name is Ximena (she/they) and I'm born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am a driven and creative journalist looking to tell the stories of my community and uplift underrepresented stories. I'm looking to learn more about ethical reporting and improve on my multimedia skills to become a more well-rounded journalist. My experience ranges from the San Francisco Standard to El Timpano. I hope you enjoy learning more about me!

ximena.g.loeza@gmail.com

XIMENA LOEZA

Journalist, Graphic Designer, and Self-Described Internet Historian

What have I been up to……..

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What have I been up to…….. *

After enduring a perilous journey from Venezuela to the U.S, Alisa Domingo started building a new life in the East Bay with her partner, Alex. Tragically, Alex was killed just weeks before their daughter Ana’s birth in August of 2024. Now a sin
After enduring a perilous journey from Venezuela to the U.S, Alisa Domingo started building a new life in the East Bay with her partner, Alex. Tragically, Alex was killed just weeks before their daughter Ana’s birth in August of 2024. Now a single mother, Alisa feels fearful about her and Ana’s futures due to Trump’s immigration policies. Trump’s attack on immigrants has turned its sights on Venezuelans, and now dozens of Venezuelan immigrants across the country live in fear, even some like Alisa who only hope for a better life for her and her daughter. “I came to the U.S. for a better life, to build a family and to feel safe. But now because of this, I wake up every day wondering, ‘What if I get deported? What would happen to my daughter?’” Click the link in my bio to read more! 📖
JAN 2025: In East Contra Costa County, many Spanish-speaking families are struggling to find the bilingual support they need in the schools, says Bay Point parent Miguel Alvarado. Teacher shortages in the Pittsburg Unified School District and the pa
JAN 2025: In East Contra Costa County, many Spanish-speaking families are struggling to find the bilingual support they need in the schools, says Bay Point parent Miguel Alvarado. Teacher shortages in the Pittsburg Unified School District and the painful lack of Spanish-speaking and Latino educators in particular pushed Alvarado to become president of the English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) at his daughters’ schools. “It’s very important to me that my daughters get the fullest experience from public schools,” Alvarado said. “We have to break the chains tied to us and change the future of our families.” Click the link in my bio to read more! 📖
MAY 2024: In East Contra Costa, lower income and predominantly Latino neighborhoods like Shore Acres have less access to public green spaces. Pacifica Park used to be a popular gathering space but closed 20 years ago. Now, the nearest park is a mile
MAY 2024: In East Contra Costa, lower income and predominantly Latino neighborhoods like Shore Acres have less access to public green spaces. Pacifica Park used to be a popular gathering space but closed 20 years ago. Now, the nearest park is a mile away, but over-crowded, and residents have turned to using school grounds during off hours or trespassing onto the now fenced-off Pacifica Park for outdoor space. Frustrated by the lack of access to green spaces, residents of Shore Acres are spearheading a petition to either have shared use of local school grounds after hours, or reopen Pacifica Park. “This community is too big, and it needs it,” says Fernando Mendoza, a 45-year-old Bay Point resident. Click the link in my bio to read more! 📖
APR 2024: Advocates rally for legislation that would expand food assistance in California to qualified residents, regardless of age or immigration status. In 2023, California became the first state in the nation to extend benefits for the Supplement
APR 2024: Advocates rally for legislation that would expand food assistance in California to qualified residents, regardless of age or immigration status. In 2023, California became the first state in the nation to extend benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to undocumented immigrants after passing the Human Right to Food Act. But the expansion, which is slated to start in 2025, will only apply to people aged 55 and older. “Especially if you're undocumented, there's nowhere to go for any public assistance,” says Assemblymember and bill co-author @santiagoad54, a Democrat from district 54 in Los Angeles. Fifty-seven percent of undocumented Californians have incomes at or below 200% of the poverty line, the typical threshold for qualifying for CalFresh, the state’s SNAP program. Click the link in my bio to read more! 📖
APR 2024: Contra Costa County is home to the highest percentage of the Bay Area’s “extreme commuters” – those who spend more than 60 minutes getting to or from work – according to data by the Bay Area Equity Atlas. I sp
APR 2024: Contra Costa County is home to the highest percentage of the Bay Area’s “extreme commuters” – those who spend more than 60 minutes getting to or from work – according to data by the Bay Area Equity Atlas. I spoke with Mejia and other Latinos on their early morning BART commutes about why they power through the hours of transit and the toll of travel time on their lives and health. Mejia, who moved to the Bay Area from Honduras in 2022, lives in a mobile home with his friend to save on rent. He pays $900 a month for his trailer and plot. If he drove to work in San Francisco in rush hour traffic, his commute would clock in at over an hour. “It’s much cheaper than paying for gas and the toll fees,” Meija says in Spanish. He used to drive from his home to the train station, but his car recently broke down. Mejia spends almost three hours commuting to and from his job as a gig worker, which his commute includes a bike ride, a bus ride, and a BART ride. Click the link in my bio to read more! 📖
FEB 2024: For many low-income immigrants in Contra Costa County, securing housing is a constant struggle. Contra Costa County, which has one of the lowest average rents in the Bay Area, is no longer the affordable place it has long been perceived. Be
FEB 2024: For many low-income immigrants in Contra Costa County, securing housing is a constant struggle. Contra Costa County, which has one of the lowest average rents in the Bay Area, is no longer the affordable place it has long been perceived. Between 2000 and 2020, the median rent in Contra Costa increased by 42%, while the median income only increased by 11%, according to the Bay Area Equity Atlas. Renters needed to earn 2.6 times the minimum wage to afford the average asking rent of $2,200 in the county in 2023, according to the California Housing Partnership’s latest report on affordable housing needs. Blanca Colín has lived in buildings and apartment units that are uninhabitable and overcrowded by multiple families since she moved from Mexico to Contra Costa County 18 years ago. Colín says that she had to choose between working multiple jobs to afford a home on their own, or sharing the rent with multiple families. She chose the latter. “It is the option we have left because then we would not be able to have time for our children if we dedicate ourselves to working two or three jobs,” she says. “We use almost half of our salary to pay the rent alone.” Click the link in my bio to read more! 📖
JAN 2024: Concord City Council discuss a controversial tenant protections ordinance more than seven years in the making. The proposed law, which would change rent stabilization caps to certain units across the city and redefine just cause eviction la
JAN 2024: Concord City Council discuss a controversial tenant protections ordinance more than seven years in the making. The proposed law, which would change rent stabilization caps to certain units across the city and redefine just cause eviction laws, has been met with grievances on both sides. Tenants say that numerous loopholes and vague definitions in the ordinance would allow landlords to completely bypass it. Landlords say the rent increase cap of 3% is much too low for the increasing costs required to maintain a unit. Blanca Collins is a tenant activist with the advocacy organization @risingjuntos Collins was a Concord resident for 18 years, ever since she moved to the United States from Mexico. But now, due to rising rents, she and her family are no longer able to live in Concord. “We are asking for nothing more than what is the human right to have decent, affordable and safe housing for our families,” she says. UPDATE: In March 2024, this ordinance passed with a 4-1 vote. Click the link in my bio to read more! 📖
OCT 2023: Valentín Rodríguez immigrated from Mexico to Concord 25 years ago. Since then, his family has been the victim of auto theft four times. In the past year alone, he’s had his cars stolen twice. His experience reflects the
OCT 2023: Valentín Rodríguez immigrated from Mexico to Concord 25 years ago. Since then, his family has been the victim of auto theft four times. In the past year alone, he’s had his cars stolen twice. His experience reflects the rising rates of auto theft in the Bay Area. In Concord alone, where Valentín lives, more than 650 cars have been stolen in 2023 – a 6% increase from last year. "We hoped when we moved to the much quieter neighborhood we live in now that things would change. We couldn’t imagine what was waiting for us. My neighbors ask me, 'Why does this only happen to you?' My neighbors are white Americans. We live on a quiet block that almost seems like a dead end. So why us?" - Valentín Rodríguez Click the link in my bio to read more! 📖 📸 @hiramaduran
hello instagram 👋 excuse my absence but 2025 is a new year full of stories and reporting and im excited to bring you along for the journey!! but can i update you on what ive been up to? 🤭 prepare for a 2024 dump of posts!
hello instagram 👋 excuse my absence but 2025 is a new year full of stories and reporting and im excited to bring you along for the journey!! but can i update you on what ive been up to? 🤭 prepare for a 2024 dump of posts!
its finally here…..THE FALL ISSUE 2022!!! i feel like ive greatly improved this issue and (though i definitely lost some hair) im incredibly happy with the outcome! shoutout to @db9productions for the help as always!! link in bio ✨
its finally here…..THE FALL ISSUE 2022!!! i feel like ive greatly improved this issue and (though i definitely lost some hair) im incredibly happy with the outcome! shoutout to @db9productions for the help as always!! link in bio ✨
there’s more to latin american food then tacos and burritos! i put a list together of 5 latin american dishes you can try in san francisco to broaden your horizons! link in bio!! 📸: @julianayamadaphoto #sfeats #sf #bayarea #sffoodie #foodi
there’s more to latin american food then tacos and burritos! i put a list together of 5 latin american dishes you can try in san francisco to broaden your horizons! link in bio!! 📸: @julianayamadaphoto #sfeats #sf #bayarea #sffoodie #foodie #sfstandard #latinamericanfood #food
A basket of bread descending from a window sounds like something that only happens in Disney movies. But it is a part of Phillippe Delarue’s weekly routine while running @patisserieoncalifornia in the Outer Richmond. Read last week’s Know
A basket of bread descending from a window sounds like something that only happens in Disney movies. But it is a part of Phillippe Delarue’s weekly routine while running @patisserieoncalifornia in the Outer Richmond. Read last week’s Know Your Neighbor to learn more about him! Link in bio! Photos by @donferia 📸 Video by me 🌸 #sf #pastries #sfeats #sfpastry #bayarea #bayareaeats
“VOTE!,” “RESIST!,” “LOVE!,” “TEACH!”, “STRIKE!” these are the 5 sections of @letterformarchive ’s new exhibition, “Strikethrough,” featuring over 100 objects of messages
“VOTE!,” “RESIST!,” “LOVE!,” “TEACH!”, “STRIKE!” these are the 5 sections of @letterformarchive ’s new exhibition, “Strikethrough,” featuring over 100 objects of messages of protest spanning from the 1800s to today. here’s to read more about it w/ @christinajcampo > https://sfstandard.com/arts-culture/strikethrough-chronicles-protest-art-in-the-bay-area/ 📸: @chamomilecohen
are you an audiophile? do you love the warmth of a vinyl record with a cold drink? me too! so, I came up with a list of bars in San Francisco that only play vinyl records!! link in bio to read! insanely gorgeous photos from the wonderful @julianayam
are you an audiophile? do you love the warmth of a vinyl record with a cold drink? me too! so, I came up with a list of bars in San Francisco that only play vinyl records!! link in bio to read! insanely gorgeous photos from the wonderful @julianayamadaphoto 🧚🏽
After enduring a perilous journey from Venezuela to the U.S, Alisa Domingo started building a new life in the East Bay with her partner, Alex. Tragically, Alex was killed just weeks before their daughter Ana’s birth in August of 2024. Now a sin JAN 2025: In East Contra Costa County, many Spanish-speaking families are struggling to find the bilingual support they need in the schools, says Bay Point parent Miguel Alvarado. Teacher shortages in the Pittsburg Unified School District and the pa MAY 2024: In East Contra Costa, lower income and predominantly Latino neighborhoods like Shore Acres have less access to public green spaces. Pacifica Park used to be a popular gathering space but closed 20 years ago. Now, the nearest park is a mile APR 2024: Advocates rally for legislation that would expand food assistance in California to qualified residents, regardless of age or immigration status. In 2023, California became the first state in the nation to extend benefits for the Supplement APR 2024: Contra Costa County is home to the highest percentage of the Bay Area’s “extreme commuters” – those who spend more than 60 minutes getting to or from work – according to data by the Bay Area Equity Atlas. I sp FEB 2024: For many low-income immigrants in Contra Costa County, securing housing is a constant struggle. Contra Costa County, which has one of the lowest average rents in the Bay Area, is no longer the affordable place it has long been perceived. Be JAN 2024: Concord City Council discuss a controversial tenant protections ordinance more than seven years in the making. The proposed law, which would change rent stabilization caps to certain units across the city and redefine just cause eviction la OCT 2023: Valentín Rodríguez immigrated from Mexico to Concord 25 years ago. Since then, his family has been the victim of auto theft four times. In the past year alone, he’s had his cars stolen twice. His experience reflects the hello instagram 👋 excuse my absence but 2025 is a new year full of stories and reporting and im excited to bring you along for the journey!! but can i update you on what ive been up to? 🤭 prepare for a 2024 dump of posts! its finally here…..THE FALL ISSUE 2022!!! i feel like ive greatly improved this issue and (though i definitely lost some hair) im incredibly happy with the outcome! shoutout to @db9productions for the help as always!! link in bio ✨ there’s more to latin american food then tacos and burritos! i put a list together of 5 latin american dishes you can try in san francisco to broaden your horizons! link in bio!! 📸: @julianayamadaphoto #sfeats #sf #bayarea #sffoodie #foodi A basket of bread descending from a window sounds like something that only happens in Disney movies. But it is a part of Phillippe Delarue’s weekly routine while running @patisserieoncalifornia in the Outer Richmond. Read last week’s Know “VOTE!,” “RESIST!,” “LOVE!,” “TEACH!”, “STRIKE!” these are the 5 sections of @letterformarchive ’s new exhibition, “Strikethrough,” featuring over 100 objects of messages are you an audiophile? do you love the warmth of a vinyl record with a cold drink? me too! so, I came up with a list of bars in San Francisco that only play vinyl records!! link in bio to read! insanely gorgeous photos from the wonderful @julianayam 
My areas of reporting are…

  • Latinos and Immigrants

  • Education

  • Food & Wine

  • Music

  • Transportation

  • Housing Justice

  • Accountability

  • Public Safety