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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Center Theatre Group announced last week it would make cuts to programming at the Mark Taper Forum. -
Keenan Anderson, 31, died Jan. 3, hours after an LAPD officer tased him multiple times following a traffic collision.
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SICK follows the story of entertainment journalist and gay rights activist Ron Gold, who was subjected to barbaric gay aversion therapy, including electroshock treatments, as a young man.
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The program is set to launch in Los Angeles on Dec. 1.
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County leaders approved a $500,000 contract to bring the Inner City Youth Orchestra Los Angeles’ drum corp program to youth detention facilities in L.A.
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In less than 60 days, nearly 300 incarcerated youth will be moved to another facility after a state board found juvenile halls in Sylmar and Lincoln Heights “unsuitable.” One activist working with families said they fear that the new facility won’t improve conditions.
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The move comes as the department works to transfer about 275 youth to a different facility after two juvenile halls were deemed unsuitable by a state board.
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The action came just a few weeks away from a hearing in which a federal judge is slated to decide whether the county is in contempt of court for failing to improve conditions at the jail complex downtown.
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The Board of State and Community Corrections voted to give the county 60 days to shut down Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar and Central Juvenile Hall in Boyle Heights after continued failure to comply with safety, staffing and several other requirements.
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The budget earmarks more than $15 million for unarmed crisis response programs, plus roughly $5 million for a forthcoming pilot project.
