Audience-funded nonprofit news
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
-
Listen Listen
Engaging communities
LAist is committed to closing the gap between communities and the journalists who aim to serve them.
This includes serving audiences who don't already turn to LAist for news and information, as well as thinking differently about story selection, framing and distribution; and shaping stories with community members.
Here's what that engaged journalism looks like.
(
LAist
)
What we've heard from you
LAist coverage is informed by what you tell us: your experiences, your priorities, your concerns.
-
LAist readers share what they’ve observed in their neighborhoods. -
Here’s what we’ve heard so far in our audience survey for 2025. -
We asked what Mayor Bass should prioritize; these were your key takeaways.
Take our survey to help us make sure LAist reporters focus on the issues that are top of mind for Southern California communities.
Start your day with LAist
Get top headline delivered to your inbox every morning.
Latest work
Participants told us they were more prepared to vote in local races and more likely to vote after these workshops. The wheels in our heads have been turning ever since.
A community recovers
LAist has covered the aftermath of the devastating Eaton Fire from the ground level, centering members the unique communities rebuilding from disaster.
-
After fire destroyed her June Bug tattoo studio, Isabela Livingstone regrouped — and began offering healing ink to fellow fire survivors. -
A reporter navigates losing her Altadena home in the Eaton Fire. -
PodcastsRebuild or leave? One Black family in Altadena decides their future after Eaton FireCharel Bailey-Dickson’s parents have lived in Altadena since 1977, and she desperately wants them to rebuild after the fire. Her dad has been on the fence. We follow the Baileys as they grapple with this question and ultimately, come to a decision. -
L.A. County parks officials asked Angelenos from near and far for help to get Loma Alta Park in Altadena reopened by May. Hundreds answered the call. -
Robert Vargas, known for his large-scale murals of Shohei Ohtani and Fernando Valenzuela, wanted to celebrate the resilience of the community devastated by the Eaton Fire. -
The Altadena Historical Society, responding to the loss of photos and heirlooms, launches an oral history project for fire survivors.
The digital divide
An estimated 416,000 L.A. County households don’t have internet access. Some 265,000 households don’t have computers at home, so mostly use smartphones to get online. Of these, Black and Latino households on the south and southeast side of the county are overrepresented.
-
New research explores how underserved Black, Latina women experience the digital divide. -
The CYBER-NAUTS team competed in its first-ever robotics competition over the weekend. -
Officials say the project could help close the digital divide in low-income areas. -
With massive crowds expected, the city’s building its own high speed network to avoid Wi-Fi logjams. -
Residents would pay $50 a month for fixed wireless service from Kwikbit. -
Catalina Island residents say unreliable internet affects everything from student learning to small businesses
Disinformation and misinformation
-
L.A. groups are teaching basic computer skills to help residents spot fake election news. -
Using humor, the awareness campaign is targeting Latinos of all ages in both English and Spanish. -
Doctors and health influencers are teaming up with the World Health Organization and TikTok to bring evidence-based health information to users
Investigation: A toxic legacy in Southeast LA
To reach community members, LAist also distributed nearly 100 packets to Vernon households that included summaries of our findings in English and Spanish and QR codes to the stories
-
Baker Commodities Inc. in the city of Vernon is suing the government agency that oversees it for $200 million in damages. Neighbors had celebrated its temporary shutdown. Now an upcoming court decision could allow a full reopening. -
Southeast L.A. residents have grappled with the stench of rotting flesh for decades, on top of other environmental ills. -
In Southeast L.A., as well as Boyle Heights and unincorporated East L.A., community members have organized against the stench of dead animals, and other environmental problems, for years.
Award-winning projects
-
What Raising Kids In SoCal Really Looks Like -
Child care was labeled essential during the coronavirus pandemic, but preschool teachers, family child care providers, relatives and nannies have long been doing the critical work of helping young kids grow and thrive.Here's what SoCal early care and education really looks like.
