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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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The grocery giant said the city’s temporary $5 per hour hazard pay mandate makes it 'financially unsustainable' to keep the stores open.
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Economists predict that the high-income tech industry will lead the state's rebound but low-wage workers in tourism, hotels and food service could take the longest to recover.
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The $5 per hour pay bump for grocery workers passed by L.A.’s city council will take effect once the mayor signs it into law.
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L.A. County has nearly 150,000 fast food workers. Most of them don't earn much more than minimum wage and they live in households with five or more people.
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Karen Castoldi lost her acrobatics gym to the pandemic. Then she lost her home. The state has given her $45 in weekly unemployment benefits.
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California's grocery industry vows to sue to block the hazard pay mandate, as it has in Long Beach and West Hollywood over similar measures.
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Asia Vargas lost her job early in the pandemic. Nearly a year later, the Orange County single mom still hasn't received a dime from the state's embattled unemployment agency.
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Most L.A. renters were spending way too much on housing before COVID-19. The affordability crisis helped the pandemic spin out of control.
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After a year of payment delays and fraud scandals, lawmakers unveiled a series of proposed reforms for California’s unemployment department.
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After the city's move to require a temporary $4-per-hour pay bump for many grocery workers, large chains are responding with store closures and layoffs.
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The new estimates of rampant unemployment fraud come after many Californians had their claims suspended.
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As COVID-19 cases surged in California during December, so did job losses.
