Christine Avila is an award-winning actress whose credits include the original cast of Zoot Suit, and La Posada Majica. Other Theatre: Merchant of Venice ( L.A. Women’s Shakespeare Co.), Coyote Cycle (Padua Hills Playwrights), Agamemnon (Stephen Berkoff, Director). She is a seven-time participant at the Sundance Playwrights Festival. TV/Film: Undone, Switched at Birth, Bosch, 24, House. Narration: “The Book of Unknown Americans” by Cristina Henriquez (Random House-Audio File citation for one of the 10 best narrations of 2014. 1992 Teacher of the Year Award, UCLA Extension. She is a member of the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences, SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity. Christine graduated from UCLA, attended LAMDA and Harvard Summer Session - Dance Program.

Ken Rudin is one of America’s foremost experts in politics and campaign history. He focuses on all aspects of politics, from presidential elections — with the primaries, national conventions, debates and general election — to the races for the House, Senate and state governors. He has analyzed every congressional race in the nation since 1984. For most of the period of 1991-2013, Ken was the eyes and ears of National Public Radio’s political coverage in his position as NPR political editor and resident “Political Junkie.” He was a key player on the NPR team that won the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Silver Baton award for excellence in broadcast journalism in 2002 for coverage of campaign finance. From 1983 through 1991, Ken worked at ABC News, serving first as deputy political director and later as the off-air Capitol Hill reporter covering the House. Ken now hosts the weekly Ken Rudin’s Political Junkie podcast, and is a contributor to many local and national public radio programs. Ken is also a columnist for the USA TODAY newspaper and website, and contributes to a few other publications. As a political junkie for many decades, Ken has one of the most extensive collections of campaign buttons in the country, a collection that now surpasses 75,000 items. He is a graduate of Pace University in New York.

Wenzel Jones is a newsreader on the syndicated radio show This Way Out and formerly served (which is the verb you use when there is no pay at all) as a co-host of IMRU, the nation's longest running radio show catering to the gay gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities. He gardens, but only until the end of August, at which time just about everything turns crispy in the Southern California sun. He has also been known to cook ambitious meals, but again, only in the cooler months of the year. Hobbies consist largely of going to lunch with anybody who is willing to pick up the tab.

Edward PIke is a sophomore at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska. He enjoys acting, reading and macroeconomics. Favorite roles include Narrator #2 in The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon and Ferdinand in The Tempest.

Andrea Felix-Cervantes (she / they) is an LA transplant who grew up in the Central Coast and Valley. They found their passion in technical theatre arts after volunteer stage managing "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]" at their local community college. After getting her AA in Theatre Arts and AS in Mathematics, Andrea decided to and obtained their BA in Technical Theatre Arts at California State University, Long Beach. As a Latinx, Andrea tries to include her culture into her work and is excited to be a part of "The Fina Mendoza Mysteries" team!

Meet Papa

Steven Cuevas is a veteran public radio journalist who began his reporting career at KQED FM in San Francisco, eventually becoming the Southern California bureau chief for KQED’s statewide daily news magazine The California Report. Steven was also KPCC FM’s (Los Angeles / Pasadena) first Inland Empire bureau chief. Most recently Steven was a regular correspondent and fill in host for KPCC’s daily arts and culture show The Frame. His work is regularly heard on KPCC, KQED and NPR. He also makes podcasts for Wondery podcasting. He shares a birth date with one of his heroes Alice Cooper and doesn’t like black pepper or caramel.

Mark Muchiri is 9 years old and he is in 3rd grade. He lives in Los Angeles with his parents and older brother Ian. Mark lives to build things, being outdoors and helping his mom

No one noticed, in 1985, when Bill Case retired from a spectacularly unsuccessful; acting career in New York City. Some 236 years later, he jumped at the chance to un-retire to portray the part of Memphis in the wonderful Fina Mendoza Podcast. Bill would like to say "I'm back!" But, as his great uncle Bubba used to say, "You can't say you're back when you ain't never been nowhere."

Claudia Peschiutta is the daily news editor at KPCC-FM, a public radio station serving the Los Angeles area. She was recently named the 2021 Latina Journalist of the year by the CCNMA: Latino Journalists of California. Peschiutta is a veteran radio journalist who's covered everything from celebrity trials to wildfires. This newshound does have a life outside of work. Peschiutta loves to travel, do karaoke and eat good food (hopefully prepared by someone else).

Paul Cummings’ credits include Actor, Dancer, Director, Lighting Design, Production Design, and Editor. Educated at the Bronx High School of Science, The University of Buffalo and The American Academy of Dramatic Arts,and born in Brooklyn, NY Paul has been performing since he was 8 yrs old. This father of 3 and former athlete is grateful the gifts he has been given and the doors that have been opened for him.

Raúl Garza has appeared in 20 stage productions, served as assistant director of a Latino theater company and studied comparative cultures. He dedicated several years to the public university, serving in various public information roles and developing expertise in diversity and inclusion.

Raúl spent more than two decades at a major corporation and three global agencies, developing and directing national public relations programs and marketing campaigns. He produced a Spanish-language radio talk program, served on the international judging board of the Peabody Awards, served in local government as a Los Angeles City Commissioner and on many nonprofit boards and committees, lectures at professional conferences and universities.

The Fina Mendoza Mysteries is his first podcast.

Hunter Felde is a student at Santiago Canyon College where he’s worked on three shows. Has experience in video and special effects editing. Hunter has also made short films in high school and is majoring in film and TV. He’s also a dancer. His favorite genres are hip-hop, ticking, Michael Jackson, pop-locking. Hunter also has a huge appreciation for theater and arts.

Linda Graves recently retired as the Interim Director of the Haugh Performing Arts Center at Citrus College. She is thrilled to be able to return to acting: on-camera, live, and voiceover. Linda is a proud member of Theatre of NOTE in Hollywood. Linda is also attempting to learn Italian, Yoga, and T’ai Chi.begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Laura Stegman’s acting credits include Uncle Vanya, The Slave, Survival Theater, Enter a Free Man, The Master Builder, Bury the Dead, America Hurrah/Interview and A Streetcar Named Desire. She earned a B.A. in Drama at UC Irvine and founded Laura Segal Stegman Public Relations, LLC. Her clients included the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Center Theatre Group, A Noise Within, Ojai Music Festival, Native Voices at the Autry, Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Laura collaborated on the travel book Only in New York. Her feature stories have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, Westways Magazine, the Christian Science Monitor, Hollywood Bowl Magazine and Los Angeles Daily News. Her middle grade novel Summer of L.U.C.K. was published in 2022.

Daniel Leslie - Construction Guy

John Leslie is probably best known for the role of Senator Alfred Winston in  The Manor at Greystone Mansion, which has been running for 14 years! His most recent stage appearance was as master playwright Sandor Turai in The Play's the Thing at Theater Forty. His television credits include Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, The Bernie Mac Show Spy Game, Providence,  and Small Wonder. 

Kevin Carr has voiced roles as diverse as Foulfellow the fox for Disney merchandising and Hardcase for Malibu Comics. He has appeared in many a play by William Shakespeare, and more importantly, he was a Bajoran in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Imelda Hinojosa is an artist and illustrator born and raised in Southern California. She illustrated the logo for “The Fina Mendoza Mysteries.” She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

William Beemer lives in Los Angeles with his parents, sister, and dog. He loves reading, especially science fiction. He also enjoys listening to podcasts. He studies Mandarin in school, and in his free time he enjoys drumming, making music, and video and sound editing.

Terry Marks-Tarlo, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Santa Monica. She helps adults and couples make the changes they desire to feel happier in their work and personal lives. Terry also write books about the value of creativity, intuition, play, and contemporary science for understanding how the mind, body, and brain work together. She illustrates her books, including a coloring book called, “Truly Mindful Coloring,” that also has guidelines for reaching and drawing with different states of mind. Terry believes in being a well-rounded person, so she dances, practices yoga, curates psychotherapist art exhibitions and produces psychotherapist theater performances, and writes librettos for operas.