Robert Garrova
I cover mental health at a time when L.A. — and the nation — is failing people who live with a serious mental illness. The L.A. County jail system is the de-facto mental health institution for our region, and people who want help with their mental health often can’t get it, even if they can afford it. I’ll work to help Angelenos understand how we got here and what reforms aim to change things. I’ll do this through the stories of people struggling with their own mental health and those trying to get care for a loved one.
My reporting has taken me to the edge of wildfires in California, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, steps away from a robot that’s now exploring Mars, and into the homes of countless Angelenos.
I’ve had many jobs in radio. I used to help produce and direct the flagship show for Marketplace, a daily business and economic news show. I also spent a couple years in the Northeast working as a reporter. I found my love of audio journalism while interning on LAist's (formerly KPCC’s) Off-Ramp in 2013.
I was born and raised in SoCal. I’m most proud when my journalism can help raise the voices of people struggling in this beautiful region stricken by inequality.
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Along with increasing food options, the federal program that helps millions pay for groceries made bumps to funding for fruits, veggies, and whole grains permanent. -
The move comes just days before a deadline to move some 300 incarcerated youths out of the facility if the L.A. County probation department failed to meet requirements related to safety, staffing and other matters.
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Isaias Cervantes was 25 and experiencing a mental health crisis in March 2021 when the shooting occurred at his home in the east L.A. County city of Cudahy.
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The new program sends mental health workers, not police, out on certain mental health crisis calls.
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The L.A. County Public Library is teaming up with the Public Defender’s Office to host three criminal record expungement clinics this spring.
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The clubhouse model offers a place for people living with mental illness to grow and recover in community. Research has shown they can lead to good outcomes.
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A new report outlining concerns at Los Padrinos is the latest round of criticism for an embattled probation department.
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The incumbent for District 4 has 54% of the votes tallied so far.
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Follow the latest results on a statewide ballot measure that would shift much of California’s millionaires tax for mental health services towards housing for people with mental illness.
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Some at the county level are concerned that, if passed, Prop 1’s focus on housing could mean less money for mental health crisis teams.
