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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Crews have used a few controlled burns to clear fuel away from the fire's path and establish a break line along the north side of the fire. -
The Aquarium of the Pacific has reopened it's popular exhibit -- with some new rules. -
At a recent House oversight committee hearing, Congressman Raul Ruiz, who is a physician, requested that drug executives developing a vaccine also propose a distribution plan. -
A $3 million donation from Oprah Winfrey's charity will go to South Los Angeles residents who have been financially impacted by the coronavirus.Two… -
The Los Angeles Fire Department has lost its first member to the coronavirus.Jose Perez died Saturday. The 44-year-old firefighter and paramedic had been… -
International travel to Los Angeles has dwindled to almost nothing, amounting to nearly $5 billion in lost revenue for the local tourism industry. -
This year, 29 horses have died at the track, 19 while racing or training and 10 from gastrointestinal and other illnesses. -
We're experiencing the worst air in a decade. Some air monitoring instruments even became too filthy to function. -
Air quality reached hazardous levels in parts of Southern California on Sunday, as 4th of July pollutants stuck around even longer than usual thanks to stagnant weather conditions Saturday night. -
Project Roomkey is providing shelter for the most medically vulnerable of California’s homeless population, and some sites are also providing jobs for unhoused state residents.
