My stories

I have more than 20 years of experience working at public radio stations around the country. I've done every kind of story: hour-long reported specials, large roundtable conversations, short non-narrated features, and more.

We're Exploring LA County's 88 Cities. Here's Your Guide To La Verne

(As Producer) This city of nearly 32,000 rests at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains and was once known as the Heart of the Orange Empire.

Nowadays, La Verne is a sleepy bedroom community filled with white picket fences and small-town charm. The most disturbance it's gotten are from wedding crashers. The local United Methodist Church is where Dustin Hoffman's Ben Braddock interrupted the ceremony at the end of The Graduate — and where Mike Myers spoofed the same scene (twice) in Wayne's World 2.

But it's the story of another church that helped La Verne become the city it is today.

NPR: "California Restaurants Launch Nation's First Trans Jobs Program"

(As Reporter) The unemployment rate for transgender people is double that of the general population. Now, California has set up the nation's first ever large-scale program to help transgender people find jobs.

And it's all because of Michaela Mendelsohn, a trans woman who's employed trans people at her restaurants for years.

"He's got a green card. Politics have pushed him to apply for US citizenship"

(As Producer) Many U.S. permanent residents are perfectly content with their status and never get their citizenship.

"It was comfortable," says green card holder Everardo Landero, 37, who lives in Santa Ana. "I was able to get a driver's license, which eventually became my livelihood. I was able to leave the country. I was able to come back without a problem."

But Landero's mind started to change recently when President Trump was elected.

"CatCon LA is coming. Here's what you should know"

(As Interviewee) CatCon LA, the first of its kind, debuts this weekend in downtown L.A.

Just like it sounds, it's a convention for cat lovers.

But unlike a cat show, it's not where the most pedigreed fluff gets crowned. Instead, think Comic-Con: This is strictly for cat fans and cat culture.

"The Great Race: which transit method wins in Los Angeles?"

(As Interviewee) We sent out three staffers in rush hour traffic. The mission: To race from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica Pier via bike, bus and car. The winner: The bicyclist. 

The car may be king in Southern California, but there are plenty of challenges to getting around. As we found out, driving can actually slow you down.

"Stonewall Riots Grab The Spotlight From Black Cat Protests"

(As Reporter) The story of LGBT rights in America often begins with the rioting and protests at New York's Stonewall Inn in 1969.

But one of the country's first organized LGBT demonstration actually happened over two years before that in Los Angeles. 

"Here's what you don't know about California bike laws"

(As Reporter) Think you know the rules of the road for bicycles?

When I quizzed friends and KPCC colleagues about the rules – for bicyclists and non-bicyclists alike – no one walked away with a perfect score.

"LA's homeless and once-homeless youth help keep track of their own"

(As Reporter) Trying to help people in need is hard when they're doing all they can to be hidden. That's especially a problem with youth homelessness.

Los Angeles has a unique way of tracking and counting them: other homeless youths.

NPR: "LA Pioneers Program To Help Educate Foster Parents For LGBT Kids"

(As Reporter) More than 400,000 children in America are in foster care, and among them, there's a disproportionate number of LGBT kids.

But since 2010, LA has had a federal grant to develop something that doesn't exist anywhere else in the country: a program to teach foster families the basics about LGBT children.

"In the eugenics era, Mexican American women were prime targets of sterilization in California"

(As Editor) In March 1934, 14-year-old Mary Franco's family handed her over to the Pacific Colony asylum — a facility set up by the State of California to house the "insane." Specialists there soon diagnosed her with "feeble-mindedness, tied to social deviance," and recommended a procedure known as a salpingectomy.

Two months later, her Fallopian tubes were removed. Eight decades on, Franco's story continues to haunt her family, says Stacy Cordova-Diaz.

"SoCal needs to build more homes, but 'density' is a tough sell"

(As Reporter) As the Santa Monica City Council prepares to approve a new zoning ordinance that will allow taller buildings in its downtown district, some residents of the area are worried it will change the character of their city.

Housing experts say lots of cities in Southern California will eventually have to confront that same reality — though it is sure to rattle residents.

"Only in SoCal can you take the train with the sunset...and a song"

(As Reporter/Producer) The East Coast has the most-traveled Amtrak route in the country – 11.6 million riders board the line connecting Boston, New York City and D.C.

But it's only on the West Coast where passengers get serenaded by Anthony Bryant.

"Santa Monica inches closer to regulating AirBnB; nearby LA considers its own measure"

(As Reporter) Santa Monica is one step closer to banning most short-term rentals through sites like AirBnB, and regulations could go into effect as early as June.

"After 'I Do': LGBT seniors struggle for affordable housing"

(As Reporter) Alice Herman, 78, is very lucky. She's one of 103 residents at Triangle Square, an elder care facility in Hollywood mainly for LGBT seniors.

Being around other LGBT people allowed her to talk openly about her relationship in a way that might not have been possible elsewhere.

Only now are more facilities like Triangle Square appearing throughout the country, providing a safe space for these seniors. However, it may be too late for some.