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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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Prop 15 aims to raise $11.5 billion for schools and local governments by raising taxes on long-held commercial properties -- including businesses such as South Coast Plaza.
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The backlog of unresolved claims has grown to nearly 1.6 million.
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Hiring for the Census helped bring down California's unemployment rate. But joblessness in L.A. remains among the highest in the state.
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Backers of Prop. 15 say it will raise billions of dollars for underfunded schools in Black communities. So why do some minority advocacy groups oppose it?
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New federal unemployment checks are going out to millions of Californians. But about 10% of workers aged 20-24 won’t get a dime.
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This week, California started sending out new $300 federal unemployment checks. But thousands of workers aged 20-24 won't get a dime.
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Job losses have been especially high among union members in the hotel industry and those connected to local airports.
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California’s AB 5 brought big changes for gig workers in 2020. Now, lawmakers have sent Gov. Newsom a bill that would exempt many more freelancers.
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California's AB 5 brought big changes for gig workers in 2020. Now, lawmakers have sent Gov. Newsom a bill that would exempt freelance writers, most musicians, and others.
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Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia says direct, ongoing payments to a select group of city residents could help address widening economic inequality brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
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The catch? You need to be getting at least $100 per week in state benefits, a requirement that will leave out many low-income workers.
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There’s some good news in the state’s latest unemployment report. But job growth has not been as strong as economists had hoped.
