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I’m The New Editor Of LAist, But LA Has Always Been Home

Downtown Los Angeles.
(
Chava Sanchez
/
LAist
)

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

Hi, friend. I’m Brian De Los Santos, the new editor of LAist, but L.A. has always been home.

I’ve spent hot summers in the 818, lived in K-Town where a waft of delicious food is constant and grew up in Mid City in the 1990s, at a time when racial tensions were high. When people ask me why I love L.A., my answer is simple: It’s not the beautiful mountains or Hollywood, it’s the communities and their stories that make living here a rich experience.

But we know it isn’t easy living in this metropolis. There’s racial injustice, high rents, food deserts, thousands experiencing homelessness and many more issues. LAist aims to guide residents — native Angelenos and newcomers — through your everyday questions so you can live an informed, more connected life.

L.A., we’re your help desk. We report to you what's happening in your community because we also live in your neighborhoods. Our mission is to strengthen communities with local reporting that matters, that’s reliable and reflects your lives and experiences. And we know it won’t be easy to return to normal with IRL activities and much-needed interaction as the pandemic slowly lifts. Our goal is for our reporting to help you through it.

Brian De Los Santos is the editor of LAist.
(
Chava Sanchez
/
LAist
)

Right now we are asking for your support because you, our reader, are our main source of our funding. This business model keeps us independent, so that you know you can rely on us for trustworthy local journalism with a soul. We are a lean, mean journalism operation that lives to serve you.

We need to hear from you — with your donation, you tell us this kind of local journalism is vital. Without quality local reporting you’ll be stuck with listicles and people on the East Coast telling you what to care about. So many readers use LAist every day to stay informed, but only a few step up with a donation. Will you help us break this trend and support our important work? Without your help, this service will stop existing.

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Thank you for your partnership. We quite literally cannot do this without you.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

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