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I am a reporter based in Los Angeles with expertise in state and local politics, housing, education and more

I currently cover breaking news for the LA Times. Previously, I was a politics reporter at the LA Daily News. I recently won first place in investigative journalism from the LA Press Club for my reporting on fentanyl addiction.

Storytelling is my MO and no matter what topic I am covering I always make sure to connect it to the human impact. I studied Political Science at Columbia University and broadcast reporting at UCLA Extension. I have appeared live on CBS News, BBC News, Sky News, Spectrum 1 News and more. 

Recent stories

Los Angeles Times •

Graphic details emerge in Monterey sex assault claim against Pete Hegseth, Trump's Cabinet pick

A woman told Monterey police that Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Defense secretary, took her phone, blocked her from leaving his hotel room and sexually assaulted her, according to a newly released police report. The Monterey Police Department on Wednesday night released a 22-page report revealing graphic details in the October 2017 assault allegation filed against Hegseth, which did not result in any charges. The report shows two starkly different narratives about what un...
Los Angeles Times •

2 weeks after they inherited a home, the Mountain fire wiped away their fresh start

Two weeks ago, Brittanie Bibby, husband Kenneth and their 15-month-old baby moved from Arizona to Camarillo to live in the home she inherited from her father, maxing out their credit cards to turn the dilapidated property into a safe place to live. On Wednesday, that safe place burned to the ground, leaving the family with no home, no savings and no clue what comes next. The next day, the shellshocked parents struggled to come to grips with the financial toll of the incident and the catastrophic...
Los Angeles Times •

California hails $544 million in illegal weed seizures. But it's just a drop in the bucket

Two major state programs to combat illegal cannabis recently sent out news releases lauding their collective seizures of some $544 million worth of illicit weed. But when it comes to reining in California’s sprawling black market, experts say it’s just a drop in the bucket.Those in the thick of the fight against illegal pot, like Mendocino County Sheriff Matthew Kendall, can’t help but roll their eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, I love when those guys [state law enforcement officers] show up to help,”...
Los Angeles Times •

Latino residents slam 'trust fund hipsters' in ugly L.A. gentrification battle

For the young and upwardly mobile hipsters of Northeast L.A., the Frogtown Flea Crawl was the hot new event of their perfectly Instagrammable dreams.For many residents of the historically working-class Latino community, it was their breaking point.This fall, the event became an unexpected flash point in L.A.’s debate over gentrification as long-simmering neighborhood tensions exploded and a vocal group of residents ultimately pushed the ultra-popular flea market out of town.The twice-monthly cra...
Los Angeles Times •

A surf gang at Lunada Bay harassed outsiders for decades. Can anything stop them?

Lunada Bay is the stuff big wave surfers’ dreams are made of. During a heavy swell, 20-foot waves unfurl in a perfect right-hand line, delivering a potent blend of adrenaline and serenity. “It feels like a little hit of a drug, honestly, because it’s just so beautiful, so magical,” surfer Sofly Matturi said. “The wave is your canvas.”When the surf’s up, only a dozen or so surfers can be found riding the wave, tucked in a cove beneath the cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Visiting Lunada Bay...

BBC News interview on UCLA Palestine protests and arrests

I completed a live interview with BBC News, just hours after police arrested over 200 protesters at UCLA's "Palestine Solidarity Encampment." During the clip, I explain the escalating tensions and violence on campus in the lead up to the arrests as well as what might come next for the student protest movement.


CBS interview on fentanyl investigation

A marketplace for shoplifted goods, a high concentration of drug dealers and a general tolerance for open air drug use have put MacArthur Park at the epicenter of LA's fentanyl epidemic.

I spent five months investigating this deadly crisis and shared my findings on CBS News Los Angeles.

CBS Interview on primary elections

A day before the March 5 primary election, I joined the KCAL News team to preview some of the key LA area races during two live interviews. I discussed the races for US Senate, LA County District Attorney and LA City Council District 4 & 14 as well as expectations for voter turn out.

More of my work

Los Angeles Times •

Graphic details emerge in Monterey sex assault claim against Pete Hegseth, Trump's Cabinet pick

A woman told Monterey police that Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Defense secretary, took her phone, blocked her from leaving his hotel room and sexually assaulted her, according to a newly released police report. The Monterey Police Department on Wednesday night released a 22-page report revealing graphic details in the October 2017 assault allegation filed against Hegseth, which did not result in any charges. The report shows two starkly different narratives about what un...
Daily News •

UCLA hoped to avoid police crackdown on protesters. What went wrong?

The Palestine Solidarity Encampment at UCLA ended in the precise manner university leaders initially sought to avoid — with a massive police force arresting more than 200 protesters in the dead of night.

When the encampment sprung up on Royce Quad last Thursday, April 25, the university envisioned a world in which students could peacefully display their message on the large green field while students shuttled to class nearby.

Instead, they faced a situation where protesters allegedly blocked s
Daily News •

UCLA pro-Palestinian encampment left in a rubble as students vow campus protests ‘are not over’


• None Crews clean up the encampment occupied by Palestinian supporters at UCLA on Thursday, May 2, 2024. At around 3:30am law enforcement began arresting the supporters who had been camped out on the quad in front of Royce Hall for about a week. 132 occupiers were taken into custody and clean-up of the area began immediately. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
• None Crews clean up the encampment occupied by Palestinian supporters at UCLA on Thursday, May 2, 2024. At around 3:
Daily News •

Senator Bernie Sanders joins striking workers at Hotel Figueroa in downtown L.A.

On Friday afternoon, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders joined striking hotel workers in downtown Los Angeles to demand the Hotel Figueroa, and hotels across Southern California, provide better pay and working conditions.

“The message from today is we are sick and tired of the greed from corporate America,” said Sanders. “Workers deserve a decent life and this union deserves a decent contract.”

The rally on April 5 was organized by labor union Unite Here Local 11, which is leading the largest hotel w
Daily News •

In LA, Gov. Newsom celebrates narrow win for Prop. 1 mental health measure

Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated the passage of Prop. 1 at a Downtown L.A. press conference on Thursday, March 21, after tense weeks during which his $6.4 billion mental-health bond measure teetered dangerously close to failure.

Having narrowly escaped political disaster, Newsom was thrilled with his narrow victory.

“I’ve never been associated with something I’m more proud of” Newsom said, adding that now is the time to deliver on his vision to fix the broken mental health system and get people of
Daily News •

Biden announces $1.2 billion of student debt relief in Culver City speech

More than 153,000 student loan borrowers will soon receive an exciting message in their inbox — an email from President Joe Biden informing them that they qualify for early loan forgiveness, the president announced at Culver City’s Julian Dixon Library on Wednesday, Feb. 21.

Biden’s latest executive action will provide an additional $1.2 billion in debt forgiveness to borrowers enrolled in his Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan.

“This kind of relief can be life changing for i
dailynews •

Fentanyl addiction fuels underground shoplifting economy in LA’s MacArthur Park

For someone with no phone, no home, no job and no more possessions than can fit into a backpack, this is no easy task. So Elliot, like many others battling addiction, makes money for fentanyl by selling shoplifted goods to street vendors around MacArthur Park.

The Southern California News Group interviewed Elliot, dozens of other people who use fentanyl, business owners, residents, LAPD personnel, homeless outreach workers, and medical professionals over several months, discovering how the inte
dailynews •

My fight with fentanyl: Stories from 3 people battling addiction

They are among the many people bound by addiction to MacArthur Park, the sluggishly beating heart of Los Angeles’s fentanyl epidemic.

In any given week, hundreds of people come to the neighborhood to purchase and use fentanyl, a synthetic opioid responsible for 1,504 fatal overdoses in Los Angeles County in 2021, according to the most-recent available data from the county’s Department of Public Health.

For every person killed by fentanyl, many more are living with it. And those who are addicte
dailynews •

In LA’s fentanyl epidemic, MacArthur Park community bears the heavy burden

A local shopkeeper hoses down his front stoop, washing away the layer of debris that accumulated overnight.

As water strikes the already hot asphalt, steam rises and mingles with clouds of smoke coming from a group of people slumped on Alvarado Street. A mother shuttles her two young children past the huddle, weaving through dozens of vendors to reach the playground.

The majority Latino, working-class community has adapted to life around one of the largest fentanyl markets in Los Angeles — but
dailynews •

How can LA combat its fentanyl crisis? MacArthur Park offers clues

People pass out with a burned piece of tin foil in one hand and a butane torch lighter in the other. Those who are awake often hunch over to cope with the bone-deep aches of withdrawals.

But a closer look also shows seeds of hope.

There are grassroots efforts working to connect people who use fentanyl with help. There’s a passionate young councilmember trying to launch an overdose prevention team and a harm reduction center offering resources to people who use drugs. There are public health pr
dailynews •

‘Devastating’: Mayor Bass, other leaders, react to MacArthur Park fentanyl crisis

Los Angeles city leaders say they will tackle a fentanyl addiction crisis that is consuming L.A.’s MacArthur Park, which has become a hub for fentanyl sales and consumption in the midst of the heavily Latino working-class neighborhood of Westlake.

The neighborhood is facing devastating consequences for people who use the synthetic opioid and the community forced to adapt to life around it.

Mom and pop shopkeepers suffer from a spike in shoplifting fueled in part by people seeking money to buy
dailynews •

Long waits and hallway beds, as crowded ERs struggle to meet patient demand

Born with only half a heart, Marissa Long has spent three decades accessing lifesaving medical care at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, but her most recent visits to the ER have been nothing short of a nightmare.

During two separate visits in February, Long spent several days living in a hallway as she sought emergency treatment for rejection of her heart transplant.

One night she was placed in a bed next to the ambulance entry doors where paramedics constantly rushed in and she was unable t
dailynews •

School community rejoices as LAUSD, union leaders reach historic deal

The Los Angeles Unified School District finally hammered out a deal with labor leaders on Friday, March 4, after a sprawling three-day strike that shut down America’s second-largest school system and disrupted learning for 420,000 students.

The deal was brokered between the district and SEIU Local 99 — the union representing 30,000 bus drivers, custodians, instructional aides, cafeteria workers and special education assistants — with help from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

According to the sch
dailynews •

There’s a dire need for male teachers of color. These men are stepping up

Latino males make up less than 6% of California’s public school teachers and Black males make up around 1% — two shockingly low statistics that have prompted a slew of new initiatives to bring more men of color into the classroom.

“There’s just simply not enough educated, Black or Brown men contributing to education,” said Joshua Shuford, a substitute teacher in the Rialto Unified School District. “Us teachers are taking back the power of freedom, unity and equality, from a system that’s not me
dailynews •

Meet the South LA couple building a literal village of Black male educators

For now it’s a grassy plot of land nestled on the border of the Pico Union and West Adams neighborhoods, but soon Dr. Peter and Dr. Didi Watts hope it will be the home for a new generation of Black male educators.

The leadership of these future teachers is sorely needed.

In California, Black boys have the lowest reading levels and highest rates of suspension of any demographic group, and Black students in general have the highest absenteeism rate. But, as soon as a Black teacher enters the cla
dailynews •

LA is losing the battle against mental illness among its homeless

Dr. Brian Benjamin, a psychiatrist specializing in serving the homeless, was excited to tell one of his regular clients that a shelter spot had opened up, but unfortunately there were 20 murders in that building every day and the Mafia lived there – or so the client told him.

The client, who Benjamin did not name to respect his privacy, suffered from hallucinations, delusions and paranoia as a result of schizophrenia.

“I do think there’s a lot of times where there’s a direct connection between
pasadenastarnews •

Monterey Park shooting victim Ming Wei Ma was ‘the heart’ of Star Ballroom Dance Studio

Ming Wei Ma, a dance instructor known as the heart and soul of Star Ballroom Dance Studio, was among the 11 killed in the Monterey Park mass shooting and died trying to protect others, according to friends and reports.

Friends said Ma, 72, was killed at the popular Garvey Avenue studio on Saturday night, Jan. 21, where he and a group of fellow dancers had gathered for a social event on the night of Lunar New Year, which drew thousands to the downtown area. Friends said Ma’s family in China was