SoCal corrido legend pens song to El Salvador’s controversial president

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Good morning, and welcome to the Important California e-newsletter. It’s Monday, July 11. I’m Gustavo Arellano, reporting from Orange County and filling in all this week — wait, don’t go away!

Keep alongside. I plan to do fast dispatches that contact on the massive information we’re all going via but in addition some random randomness, as I all the time do in my column. We’re gonna have what we Mexicans name a puro pinche pari — a nonstop fiesta.

Similar to Pedro Rivera.

The Southern California-based producer of Mexican regional music calls himself “El Patriarca del Corrido” — “The Patriarch of Corridos,” a humblebrag solely matched by the information. He’s the daddy of the late celebrity Jenni Rivera and her brother Lupillo, grandfather to singer and perpetual escándalosa Chiquis Rivera, and stays head of Cintas Acuario, the Lengthy Seaside file label that launched the profession of Chalino Sánchez, the singer-songwriter who continues to tower over Mexican music 30 years after his homicide.

Now 79, Pedro might understandably bask within the royalties of his artists and household through the autumn of his life. As a substitute, he’s courting geopolitical desmadre by releasing a corrido about El Salvador’s controversial president, Nayib Bukele.

The primary-term chief might be finest identified worldwide for making El Salvador the primary nation to permit cryptocurrency as authorized tender. However critics consider him as one thing else: an autocrat, a diss solely matched by the information.

Bukele’s legislative allies dismissed all members of El Salvador’s Supreme Courtroom final yr and changed them with apologists. He has mocked opponents on social media in ways in which would make Donald Trump appear as sober as Pope Francis. Bukele has launched investigations into vital press shops and has blasted the Biden administration for allegedly funding a communist plot to overthrow his regime.

If any of that bothers Pedro Rivera, he certain doesn’t present it in his music.

El Corrido de Nayib Bukele” is professional forma balladry: A birthdate, a semblance of a rhyming scheme, shoutouts to ostensible victories. Rivera praises Bukele as a “grand, clever man” who has “achieved what he promised”: an finish to violence, delinquency and the jailing of all gang members. Rivera even pulls off a pun by utilizing the which means of El Salvador (“The Savior” in Spanish) to, um, paint Bukele as Jesus?

But “they maintain criticizing him, saying he’s a dictator,” Rivera concludes in his clear-but-flat voice.

“El Corrido de Durango” this isn’t. Not less than the backing banda sinaloense is tight.

Cintas Acuario provided no motive for the music drop, however I think it’s for the same old causes Rivera does enterprise: He is aware of the market. Regardless of all of the scandals, Bukele is wildly well-liked in El Salvador and within the diaspora. That’s why Rivera debuted his corrido on Sunday at MacArthur Park, which noticed its third pro-Bukele rally this yr.

El Salvador’s president, unsurprisingly, accepted Rivera’s love on Twitter regardless of admitting he hadn’t heard “El Corrido de Nayib Bukele.” As a substitute, he autographed a Salvadoran flag that he plans to ship as a present to Rivera and tweeted out pictures of the grand event.

Man, think about if Dangerous Bunny had executed one thing?

And now, right here’s what’s taking place throughout California:

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L.A. STORIES

Dramatic new sixth Avenue Bridge opens, delivering a ‘love letter’ to Los Angeles. Not like most bridges constructed principally to maintain the load of huge rigs barreling down them, the brand new bridge is supposed to carry huge celebrations — and did it maintain ‘em this weekend. Los Angeles Instances

Pachucos on the 6th Street Bridge

Frank Sifuentes, left, and Manny Alcaraz show their classic automobiles throughout Saturday’s sixth Avenue Viaduct neighborhood celebration.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Instances)

How the Dodgers made seashore balls on the ballpark the brand new nationwide pastime. Finest a part of this pleasant story from this pleasant publication: When this paper used to provide free seashore balls to any child who might persuade the grownup of their life to purchase a two-month L.A. Instances subscription. Perhaps that’ll get us extra subscribers than a buck for six months? Mel Journal

Will California church buildings construct inexpensive housing ‘In God’s yard’? A legislative transfer to entice homes of worship to develop their land holdings (Proverbs 3:33, of us). Sojourners

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POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

California taxed millionaires to repair its psychological well being disaster. Why it’s fallen so quick. $29 billion in complete since voters accepted the tax in 2004. And … nada. Los Angeles Instances

Brooke Jenkins in as San Francisco D.A. A Q&A between Chesa Boudin’s substitute and libertarian-ish author Nancy Rommelmann. Make Extra Pie

Right here’s how one can be a part of Lengthy Seaside’s price range course of. No extra metropolis monies on defunct Soviet subs, you understand? Lengthy Seaside Put up

Religion leaders urge Sacramento to cease towing autos used as shelter by homeless individuals. Subsequent time your woke pals attempt to inform you Kevin de León is a few heartless anti-homeless monster, inform them to drive as much as Cow City. CapRadio

CRIME, COURTS AND POLICING

She promised infants at cut price costs utilizing surrogates in Mexico. Now the FBI is investigating. San Diego resident Lilly Frost stored her operation going whilst mounting failures made clear that her marketing strategy was too good to be true. Los Angeles Instances

La Luz del Mundo dissidents strain authorities, search extra expenses towards ‘apostle.’ The Mexico-based evangelical megachurch’s chief, Naason Joaquin Garcia, has pleaded responsible to a few felony counts of intercourse abuse in trade for a decreased sentence of almost 17 years in jail. Survivors say that’s not sufficient. Los Angeles Instances

HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Firefighters proceed the battle towards a blaze threatening big sequoias in Yosemite Nationwide Park. Could I not need to commit a e-newsletter this week to the growing calamity … Los Angeles Instances

Sequoia tree near fire

A firefighter protects a sequoia tree because the Washburn fireplace burns in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite Nationwide Park on Friday.

(Noah Berger / Related Press)

Monkeypox spreads in L.A. County, however vaccine scarcity persists. What to know. Coronavirus says: Maintain my Paxlovid. Los Angeles Instances

Meet the mom of the Gazebo, one of many web’s first trans secure areas. Greater than the co-founder of Trans Day of Remembrance, Bay Space resident Gwendolyn Ann Smith additionally created one of many web’s earliest havens of trans affirmation. Them.

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Eastside Goals: Highlighting the historical past of East San Jose. An exhibit on the metropolis’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library examines the historical past of San Jose’s historic Latino neighborhood. San José Highlight

As soon as an emblem of binational unity, Friendship Park might near cross-border reunions endlessly. Migra will all the time migra, however can’t blame this one on Trump, Dems. Los Angeles Instances

“How the hell can Walt run a studio with out us?”: Behind the Disney animation revolt of 1941. An excerpt from a brand new e-book in regards to the time the Mouse changed into a Pinkerton. Hollywood Reporter

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CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles: partly cloudy, 82. San Diego: principally sunny, 71. San Francisco: partly cloudy, 67. San Jose: sunny, 89. Fresno: sunny, 107. Sacramento: sunny, 103.

AND FINALLY

Right this moment’s California reminiscence is from Cyn Taibbi:

It was the summer season of 1966. The plan? Go to cousins in Costa Mesa. Place to begin? Boston, Massachusetts. We had been mother, dad and three children beneath 12, squeezed right into a ‘64 Ford with no air con. After almost 5 days on the highway, once we lastly reached the California border in Needles, my mom had an ingenious concept to assist beat the warmth. My dad purchased an infinite bag of ice at a comfort retailer, and with home windows vast open, we drove via the desert rationing ice cubes. One for every of us each quarter-hour. It labored!

When you have a reminiscence or story in regards to the Golden State, share it with us. (Please maintain your story to 100 phrases.)

Please tell us what we will do to make this article extra helpful to you. Ship feedback to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.



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