-
Listen Listen
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.
-
We did the research and dug up answers to the most commonly asked questions about unemployment benefits.
-
You've sent us hundreds of questions about collecting unemployment benefits during this pandemic. Here are answers to some of the most commonly asked ones.
-
"There is no money sitting in the piggy bank" for California to implement Trump's plan, said Gov. Newsom.
-
This is not a drill. Changing rules. Changing payments. Changing qualifications. And millions of people trying to figure out a system that was inscrutable to begin with.
-
Researchers find that nearly half of recent unemployment claims in California are coming from people who already lost work once before.
-
Women represent 28% of all city employees. Men earn 91% of all overtime.
-
Close to 890,000 applicants who may be eligible for payments still have not been paid.
-
The director of California's Employment Development Department says they've been swamped, processing more than twice as many claims during the coronavirus pandemic as they did at the height of the Great Recession.
-
Those federal payments have now pumped more than $26 billion into California's unemployment system.
-
An extra $600 per week in federal benefits has been a lifeline for out-of-work Californians. Now it's going away. Here's what state lawmakers plan to do about it.
-
L.A.’s unemployment rate fell to 19.4% last month. But with new business closures, and cases in the state surging, economists worry job gains may have already been erased.
-
An extra $600 per week in unemployment benefits has been crucial for out-of-work freelancers. But it expires at the end of July, and it’s unclear whether it’ll be renewed.
