The state of California owns dozens of empty houses in Los Angeles County. It's spent more than $17 million since 2020 on private security and extra police patrols to guard them from protestors and keep them vacant. My first byline for @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

Interesting assessment of the state of affairs in California's home insurance market. The liability of the state FAIR plan — insurer of last resort — "is now nearly $700 billion, more than double the level two years ago." subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

Why it takes so long to rebuild after major wildfires and why it's all the more important as California continues in the middle of its most destructive era of wildfire in state history. I broke things down with @npr.org's Here & Now earlier today: www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...

Today's my first day @politico.com! I'm writing about rebuilding in Los Angeles and housing issues across California. You can reach me here or at [email protected].

Business Insider wrote up a story on how some of their past investigative work led to a new California law. The story is strangely unbylined. The reason perhaps? The publication recently laid off the reporter behind that investigation, Matt Drange. www.businessinsider.com/california-e...

So very excited to share that I’ll be writing about housing in Los Angeles and across California for Politico www.politico.com/blogs/politi...

We're living in the worst era of wildfire in California history. My colleagues and I found that an astounding 22,500 homes burned down in the five most destructive fires in the state from 2017 through 2020. Just 38% of them have been rebuilt. www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

After nearly 10 years, today is my last day at the @latimes.com. I'm so grateful to have worked with so many talented people. Please be on the lookout for one more big story soon! Can't share yet where I'm headed next, but I'll still be writing about California housing issues.

California lawmakers pass SB 79, housing bill that brings dense housing to transit hubs

A bill proposed Monday night, just days before the end of the legislative session, would punch a very small hole in a landmark housing law passed earlier this year that appears to apply to one (1) proposed apartment building in the incoming Senate leader's district. calmatters.org/politics/202...

All time epic Dodgers collapse. Wow

The city of Los Angeles has tentatively agreed to pay $500,000 to two journalists who claim their rights were violated four years ago, when police arrested them as they covered a protest in Echo Park. @liborjany.bsky.social has the story www.latimes.com/california/s...

Fascinated by the reaction in Pacific Palisades to duplexes vs. casitas. Roughly 15% of permit applications include an ADU and the process is streamlined. A handful of duplex projects proposed and the outcry pushed the governor to exempt the Palisades from state law. www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

A new milestone in Pacific Palisades this week. 500 homeowners have applied for rebuilding permits after January's wildfire. www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

A flurry of action from Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in the last few days has led to a ban on new duplex construction in Pacific Palisades. ADU building, however, continues to be expedited and is popular among rebuilding residents. www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

After a push from L.A. elected officials, Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to issue an executive order weakening the state’s landmark duplex law in wildfire affected regions of the county www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

Have CA’s environmental protections been blocking new housing — and therefore climate progress? On this week’s Boiling Point podcast, I’m talking “abundance” & CEQA reform with my @latimes.com colleague @liamjdillon.com. Please listen before firing off your take: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

Powerful and devastating work from @brittnymejia.bsky.social Deaf, mute and terrified: ICE arrests DACA recipient and ships him to Texas www.latimes.com/california/s...

A 70-year-old housing activist who seized a state-owned home in Los Angeles more than five years ago died this week after apparently falling from a 28-foot-high treehouse he built in the backyard in an attempt to block his eviction. www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

Total nightmare fuel about the decaying media landscape on public policy. Reality show stars with 2m followers using AI to spread misinformation; anonymous but verified X accounts called HustleBitch with 124k followers spreading conspiracies; fact-based media failing www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

A good reminder that California's affordable housing regime requires PLANNING for low-income housing and not CONSTRUCTION of low-income housing. (Obviously, some reasonable reasons for this, but for all the heat that housing element conversations get they don't mean housing gets built.)

What's the impact of the big new CEQA changes? We discuss @stateofthebay.bsky.social 6pm PT w/@liamjdillon.com, @cselmendorf.bsky.social & Kim Delfino + federal tax bill's impact on CA health coverage + novelist Leila Mottley Tune in/stream live @kalwradio.bsky.social! www.kalw.org/show/state-b...

Support your local newspaper.

Every story is a housing story. "James has been building his forever home on a hilltop in Beverly Hills for the past five years; it reportedly took him three years just to get all the permits." www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

For those interested in construction union politics in California — and you should be if you want to understand why major housing legislation passes or fails — this @calmatters.org story is really helpful calmatters.org/politics/202...

Six months after January's fires, 8% of homeowners in Pacific Palisades have applied for permits to rebuild www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

My analysis of this week's major development reforms in California and what it means for homebuilding. In short, those who live across the street from a proposed apartment building will have to find a way other than a 55-year-old environmental law to stop it. www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

Newsom pushes major housing reform through California Legislature

Looking forward to reading this new book by @rahimk.bsky.social on Black migration in Los Angeles to the Antelope Valley and the resistance from existing residents and law enforcement www.ucpress.edu/books/indefe...

California AG @robbonta.bsky.social sues one of the state's largest landlords alleging widespread tenant exploitation and violations of housing and anti-discrimination laws. Firms linked to Mike Nijjar own more than 22k units and have long been on authorities' radar www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

We're embarking on a podcast to cover the rebuilding of Los Angeles after January's fires. @katecagle.bsky.social is the host & I'm honored to be the first guest to discuss LA's existing housing crisis, how the fires have made it worse and how survivors are coping podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...

Good Morning in L.A., where we need a point of clarity. Thus far, National Guard/DHS have restricted activities to entrances to federal buildings. Fed LEOs are not responding to protests beyond that. Marines aren’t on the ground. Most everything is being handled by LAPD.

Back in 2020, @latimes.com reported on the most expensive low-income housing development in America, a $1.1-million per unit project in coastal San Diego that never got built because of the price tag www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

"Roughly 145 burned lots have sold so far [in Altadena], around 100 are currently listed, and dozens more are in escrow ... It’s far outpacing the Palisades market, where less than 60 lots have sold since the fire and roughly 180 are sitting on the market" www.latimes.com/california/s...

Seeing some chatter on the divide between LA and Bay Area on housing. This has been around for a long time. When major state upzoning legislation died in 2020 the LA/SF divide was the reason www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

A 70-year-old man who seized a vacant state-owned home in Los Angeles more than five years ago has built an elaborate tree house in the backyard to protest his eviction. He and supporters warded off sheriff's deputies Tuesday. www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

How "Abundance" and veteran lawmakers who've been through many battles in California's housing wars are leading to perhaps the most profound changes to a landmark state environmental law in generations www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

After half a century, California legislators on the verge of overhauling a landmark environmental law www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

Rent is climbing faster in neighborhoods near January's wildfires than elsewhere in Los Angeles — roughly 3 percentage point difference — @latimes.com analysis found www.latimes.com/california/s...

Rep. Judy Chu and advocates for Eaton Fire survivors pushed federal and state emergency officials today for more housing assistance. The effort follows a Times story this month noting that FEMA hasn't implemented a commonly used program to directly lease apartments www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

Former Deputy Mayor Brian Williams, who handled public safety issues for L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors, admitting he called in a fake bomb threat to City Hall last year. www.latimes.com/california/s...

“I think the fact it’s been four months and they haven’t just come out and said it means there’s something behind the surface — sensitive information associated with liability." www.latimes.com/california/s...

Check out my new story. It's about: www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...

Checked with @davidjroth.bsky.social and confirmed that Dan Pasqua is an ur "guy" when it comes to "guy remembering." Here's my thoughts on where this leaves us in terms of the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion people thinking about a career .244 hitter when he's supposed to be thinking about Jesus.

Very cute when a city issues a Certificate of Occupancy that's actually a Certificate

Armen Tamzarian, the Los Angeles County judge in the infamous Simpsons Principal Skinner episode, got a promotion today.

SCOOP: Sources tell us several L.A. federal prosecutors resigned after Trump-appointed U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli offered a plea deal to an L.A. Sheriff's deputy who'd already been convicted in excessive force case. w/ @brittnymejia.bsky.social & @keribla.bsky.social www.latimes.com/california/s...

another very hard day in our newsroom here’s the statement posted by leadership of the Los Angeles Times Guild, the union of @latimes.com journalists, about layoffs today: latguild.com/news/2025/5/...

L.A. fire survivors are struggling to find affordable housing. I talked to one living in her car, another bouncing between six hotels and Airbnbs with her younger three children. Yet FEMA and state emergency officials say the rental market is fine www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...