Hidden History: The ”Queen of Florencia”

Author and reporter Sam Quinones has a fascinating long-form piece in this month's L.A. Magazine which he calls "the product of a decade of waiting." Quinones tells the story of Arlene Rodriguez, the first female shot caller for the Florencia 13 gang, and a well-known member of the community who served in the Navy and worked as a real-estate agent. Eventually, as things got too heated in the streets, she fled to the East Coast and lived under a different name, starting a completely different chapter in her life.

Quinones' story is complex and multi-layered, but essentially traces the rise of the Mexican Mafia and the relationship between Arlene Rodriguez and imprisoned gang leader Arturo “Tablas” Castellanos. The turning point in Arlene's life was when she drove 14 hours to the maximum security Pelican Bay prison to complain about the local F-13 llavero (key-holder or local leader) that was causing problems in her neighborhood, violating terms of the gang truce brokered by the Mexican Mafia. Castellanos' surprising response was to put Arlene in charge.

What happened next has to be read to be believed, including an appearance before a congressional health-care subcommittee chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders, a new identity, a political conversion and a return to Los Angeles. You can read the whole story here.