Melissa Gomez is an enterprise reporter on the State Team who joined the Los Angeles Times in 2018. She reports on a range of news and issues, with a special focus on the Central Valley. She previously covered education and the 2020 presidential campaign at The Times. A native Floridian, she graduated from the University of Florida.
Latest From This Author
The outcome of the fight between Wonderful Co.’s wealthy owners and California’s storied farmworker union will shape the future of a divisive new process for unionizing agricultural job sites.
April 5, 2024
Shaylee Mejia, 16, died days after a fight at Manual Arts High School in South Los Angeles. Her mother says school officials failed to respond to dangerous bullying.
March 25, 2024
Police responded to a call about 2 a.m. of a man lying face down in the street near 8th and Alvarado streets in Westlake, west of downtown.
March 23, 2024
Gusty winds and rainy conditions will continue across Southern California this weekend, with intermittent showers expected through Sunday morning.
March 23, 2024
A deadly wildfire that devastated rural Oaxaca has struck an emotional chord in Los Angeles, home to the largest Indigenous Oaxacan community outside Mexico.
March 15, 2024
In a novel bid to generate more affordable housing, Kern County is converting empty churches and blighted strip malls into apartment units for former foster youths at risk of homelessness.
March 11, 2024
Melissa Hurtado and Rudy Salas’ fight for a chance to unseat Republican Rep. David Valadao has gotten fierce. Is it possible neither will survive California’s March 5 primary?
Feb. 29, 2024
Commercial beekeeper Andrew Strehlow estimates he’s had 1,000 hives stolen over the years. The latest theft, of 96 hives from a Fresno County orchard, was his last straw.
Feb. 15, 2024
For Central Valley residents, high-speed rail will be a reality in just a few years. Construction of the rail line is transforming local economies, and residents say they see a broad new horizon when it comes to accessing jobs, healthcare and education.
Feb. 8, 2024
The atmospheric river parked over Southern California has caused devastating debris flows in posh neighborhoods in the region’s canyons and hillsides.
Feb. 5, 2024