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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A new 5,500 square-foot mural depicting local civil rights leaders is going up on 8th Street in downtown L.A., covering the entire front of the ACLU of Southern California's local headquarters. -
A team of approximately 20 federal military medical personnel are providing support treating COVID-19 patients in Riverside County. -
Wait times for ambulances are growing, and some ERs don’t have room for patients to be dropped off. -
Ambulance companies can make that call, though, only after waiting at least one hour to unload the patient. That allowance is being made to avoid another potential problem: a shortage of ambulances.
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77% of domestic workers earn about half of what other hourly workers make. -
More than 680 people are hospitalized there with COVID-19, and 145 of those patients are in intensive care. -
A struggling population of tortoises native to the Mojave Desert has led UCLA scientists to rethink how to save threatened species. -
“You’re going to have people clustering together … It is an airport.” -
A new fiber optic network designed to bring high speed internet to the region. -
Orange County restaurants offering outdoor dining will have access to a new grant program that aims to help owners stay open during the winter amid the pandemic.
