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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L.A. Sheriff’s deputies were called out Sunday on a ‘medical rescue/suicidal person call’ in East L.A. The man who prompted the call ended up dead. -
Reginald Wheeler stole a man’s watch and $14, but he walked him about 100 feet away from the street to do it. That got him a kidnapping charge, and a sentence of 8 years to life in prison. He’s still there after 36 years.
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Reginald Wheeler was charged with kidnapping because he forced a man to walk about 100 feet before robbing him of his watch and $14. That got Wheeler a sentence of eight years to life. Now he's hoping to qualify for DA George Gascón's review of past sentences.
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City and county leaders promised last summer to explore moving to unarmed responses to some mental health crisis and substance use calls. Several months in, we have a progress report.
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The city and county have several pilot projects running or in the works, dealing with everything from using medics and crisis workers -- no cops -- to respond to mental health crises to diverting calls from 911 to private crisis counselors.
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Today’s move is just a first step, but police reform advocates say it’s important — and overdue.
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Five legal aid firms argue their clients are risking their lives to show up for non-urgent matters such as traffic citations and eviction hearings.
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Sleeping outside can bring a fine of $1,000. The suit calls out a 'deeply punitive enforcement regime that discriminates on the basis of both race and poverty.'
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Meanwhile, relatives of inmates say their loved ones are at risk of contracting the virus.
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The ACLU sued over "abysmal" conditions in the jails. A judge told Sheriff Don Barnes to come up with a plan to release several hundred more inmates to fight the virus. The sheriff said he can't without putting the community at "substantial risk."
