Julia Paskin
I think of myself as a reverse engineer when it comes to the experiences of Southern Californians. I work to understand and highlight stories from often unheard voices and work backwards to demonstrate how and why that experience is possible. From immigration, law enforcement, to homelessness, to the environment, how do laws and policies impact our lives? And what social, political, and environmental forces inform our experiences? What solutions work and who do they serve?
I grew up in an old New York City tenement, raised by a working-class, single mom (shout out to Mama Paskin). I came to California to study at CalArts and in search of lower rents (the misguided irony!) so issues of economic equity and the arts are both close to my heart. I came to journalism after working in the performing arts and then social justice and political organizing.
While I may have left NYC fleeing an unlivable economy, I stayed here after falling in love with Greater Los Angeles and all that our diverse communities have to offer. I have now spent nearly half my life here and have made an art of defending LA from anyone who dares to talk trash-- because anyone who doesn’t have anything nice to say about our town, just doesn’t know enough about it.
Julia is the host of All Things Considered on weekdays on LAist 89.3 and The L.A. Report podcast.
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More than 4,700 staff and inmates now have COVID. The rate of vaccination among state prisoners is higher than that for prison staff. -
So. Much. Snow. But it still might not be enough to get us out of the drought. -
So far, officials say, four workers have been terminated and another 10 may soon follow. -
It might be time to change New Year’s Eve plans for Airbnb renters with bad records. -
Get ready for more — a lot more — consumption lounges, where customers can consume cannabis on site. -
The multi-million dollar grant approved from the state will pay for a new behavioral health urgent care unit for children who are five-to-12 years old. -
An air pollution agency put out the word on how to file a complaint. It got a lot more of them. -
Currently, the county has one majority-Latino seat, which is held by Hilda Solis. That's no longer enough, some experts say. -
Mayor Eric Garcetti launched the first of its kind paid youth community service program in the city of Los Angeles. -
Large quantities of beauty products stored at a warehouse that caught fire in September are believed to have leaked toxic chemicals into the Dominguez Channel in Carson.
