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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A dedicated team of engineers and operators, collectively called Storm Boss, will be monitoring levels in dams and reservoirs.
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What do you know about ARkStorm? An Inside Slider? Nothing? We got you covered.
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Jail closure advocates say the county already has a plan to close the aging facility, it just needs to implement it.
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The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department says the killings appear to be connected to a dispute over marijuana.
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The money will go toward building a digital portal to better track gun relinquishment order violations.
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Violent crime was down more than 3% in 2023, while traffic fatalities were up.
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Proposition 1 supporters see it as an integral plan in the state’s mission to build thousands more mental health and substance use treatment beds in California.
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Senate Bill 43 broadens the criteria for holding someone against their will. Some see it as a long overdue change; others a return to a harmful past.
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The state’s new voluntary program aimed at getting people living with serious mental illness into treatment appears to be off to a modest start.
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The proposal on the ballot in March would authorize $6.38 billion in bonds to pay for mental health treatment facilities and housing.