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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Los Angeles County has divided youth sports into three risk categories, each with its own coronavirus requirements for vaccinations and weekly testing. -
Onlookers saw a large fire tornado, technically a “fire whirl,” over the Chaparral Fire on Sunday. -
The blanket of sewage-sludge is left over from the catastrophic backup and flooding at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant on July 11. Residents have reported headaches and other symptoms from the lingering odor. -
A group of Afghan American activists is holding a vigil Tuesday night to mourn the lives lost and the turmoil that has taken over Afghanistan. -
Los Angeles Unified School District students returned for the fall semester on Monday, going back to classrooms that are as "normal" as they've been since the start of the pandemic. -
We know this is not your typical back-to-school day. We've got you covered with some helpful links as LAUSD campuses reopen for the fall semester. -
The team is the first from L.A. County to make it this far in the Little League World Series tournament in decades. -
The city of L.A. will receive $14.9 billion in state funds to complete historic building restorations, and to launch a cultural and community resource center. -
The city of Long Beach announced Friday that the emergency shelter has closed after reuniting about 1,500 unaccompanied minors with families or sponsors. -
UCLA researchers surveyed Californians about their pandemic behavior and found some of us are still taking risks.
