Robert Garrova
I cover mental health at a time when L.A. — and the nation — is failing people who live with a serious mental illness. The L.A. County jail system is the de-facto mental health institution for our region, and people who want help with their mental health often can’t get it, even if they can afford it. I’ll work to help Angelenos understand how we got here and what reforms aim to change things. I’ll do this through the stories of people struggling with their own mental health and those trying to get care for a loved one.
My reporting has taken me to the edge of wildfires in California, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, steps away from a robot that’s now exploring Mars, and into the homes of countless Angelenos.
I’ve had many jobs in radio. I used to help produce and direct the flagship show for Marketplace, a daily business and economic news show. I also spent a couple years in the Northeast working as a reporter. I found my love of audio journalism while interning on LAist's (formerly KPCC’s) Off-Ramp in 2013.
I was born and raised in SoCal. I’m most proud when my journalism can help raise the voices of people struggling in this beautiful region stricken by inequality.
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New work-requirement rules scheduled to go into effect in early 2026 could leave more than 200,000 Angelenos at risk of losing their CalFresh benefits. -
KPBJ 95.9 FM grew out of a love for this part of L.A.... and a bit of luck.
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A new creative residency aims to bring multidisciplinary artists to a 500-square-foot cabin in Tujunga.
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Some 911 calls to the Sheriff’s Department’s Century Station will now be diverted to trained 988 crisis lifeline counselors.
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But both county officials and jail monitors worry that a rising jail population could mean future setbacks at the Inmate Reception Center in downtown L.A.
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Around 80 vendors from West Covina to Holland will gather at the California Market Center in downtown Los Angeles.
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Metropolitan State Hospital opened as a psychiatric facility back in 1916. But many of the buildings have sat vacant for decades.
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The annual Wayzgoose celebration at the International Printing Museum has its roots in the 16th century, when printers of old would get a break from work.
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More than three years in the making, the project is a collaboration between the Getty Conservation Institute and the city of L.A.
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The beloved collection of strange and surreal exhibits re-opened after a month of renovations.
