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.
-
A Superior Court judge ruled this month that the county did not explore accommodations for the applicants as required by law. -
Part of the goal of ‘Hollywood 2.0’ is to divert people living with mental illness from psychiatric emergency rooms and in some cases, county jail.
-
This was the third time California voters said no to this effort.
-
According to an investigation released Thursday by Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Office, Matthew James Sova had 12 separate encounters with police related to his mental health before LAPD officers fatally shot him last year.
-
Citing a court-appointed monitor’s latest report on conditions in L.A. County jail, the ACLU sent a letter to L.A. County Supervisors calling on them to make investments required to reduce the jail mental health population.
-
From synthesizer soundbaths to outdoor soundscapes, Angelenos are turning to ambient music to find peace and community.
-
Proposition 29 would impose new regulations on California's kidney dialysis clinics, most notably that a physician, nurse, or physician's assistant would always need to be on site.
-
A statewide survey of some 30,000 Californians reveals an uptick in the number of people reporting serious mental health struggles over pre-pandemic years.
-
Between Jan. 2021 and July 2022, Mental Evaluation Unit teams only responded to about one-third of mental health calls that came in. The LAPD partly blames staffing issues at the Department of Mental Health.
-
Organizers say 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales from “This Is My Brave — The Show in Los Angeles” will be distributed to local nonprofit organizations that provide mental health services.
