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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Keenan Anderson, 31, died after he was repeatedly tased by an LAPD officer on Jan. 3rd. Ben Crump, who represented the family of George Floyd, will be co-counsel on the case. -
Last week, LAPD Chief Michel Moore questioned officers actions leading up to the fatal shooting of Takar Smith. Says Los Angeles Police Protective League Director Debbie Thomas: “I hope he will reconsider what he said.”
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The calls for reform come after LAPD fatally shot Takar Smith and Oscar Leon Sanchez during what appears to have been a mental health crisis.
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Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors called for unarmed response to mental health calls and traffic stops outside LA City Hall Tuesday Morning. Her cousin, Keenan Anderson, died Jan. 3 after being repeatedly tased by LAPD officers.
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The storms that pummeled L.A. caused mudslides that clogged up the network of freeways below Elysian Park, along with other damage over the weekend.
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An LAPD officer fatally shot Smith last week while he was experiencing a mental health crisis. A lawyer representing his family said the 45-year-old had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
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LAPD Chief Moore also questioned officers' actions in the fatal shooting of Takar Smith, although not in two other fatal incidents.
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The 35-year-old was fatally shot by police on Jan. 3 after he allegedly stepped toward officers with a sharp metal object. Sanchez’s family said he was experiencing a mental health crisis.
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RAND Corporation researchers say there was a ‘remarkable’ shift in the U.S. from in-person to virtual mental health care during the pandemic.
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A dozen facilities in L.A. County will see an influx of funds thanks to the more than $480 million in grants for youth mental health coming from the state's Department of Health Care Services.
