David Wagner
What I cover
I cover housing in Southern California, a place where ever-rising rents and a persistent lack of affordable housing have led to many living on the edge of homelessness.
My background
I’ve been helping people understand their rights, housing market trends, policy changes and the solutions being proposed to fix the region’s housing crisis for more than five years.
My goals
I want my coverage to help renters, landlords and anyone else affected by L.A.’s affordability issues navigate the region’s ongoing housing crisis.
Best way to reach me
I would love to hear from you if you have questions or concerns related to housing in Southern California. You can reach out by email. I'm at dwagner@laist.com. Or, if you have a tip you’d like to share more privately, you can reach me on Signal. My username is @reporterdavidwagner.38. For instructions on getting started with Signal, see the app's support page.
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City council members had put a measure on the November ballot asking voters if they wanted to raise local pot taxes by another one percent. But now it's gone. -
Federal data shows first-time buyers in California increasingly rely on family for help. -
The new requirements come in the wake of scandals involving Wells Fargo, which currently handles most of the city's deposits. -
Proponents say it'll help communities targeted in the War on Drugs. But legal pot shop owners have said existing taxes are already too high. -
A lot of local workers just got a raise, thanks to a minimum wage increase that went into effect on Sunday July 1st in many parts of Southern California. -
State-licensed testing labs are about to tell California consumers what's really in their pot — but strict rules could also lead to a sudden shortage on July 1. -
California employers and job recruiters find it tough to lure out-of-state workers at a time when unemployment rates are falling and housing prices are rising. -
Electric scooters have quickly become a popular way to get around in Santa Monica. The city was the first to get scooters from Silicon Beach startup Bird. And now, Santa Monica has decided to take a light touch on regulating them. -
The former LA mayor was fighting to become California's first elected Latino governor, but he didn't bring out a huge wave of Latino voters. -
Bernie Sanders is making higher wages the focus of his trip to Southern California on Saturday, meeting with Disneyland workers and LA ports truck drivers.da
