24th February 2021

Peter Pham, the VC Behind Dollar Shave Club and Liquid Death, Has A Lot to Say About COVID. And He Doesn't Care What You Think.

Pham has been transfixed by COVID , often tweeting dozens of times a day and sometimes much more – about his aversion to lockdowns and school closures, blockbuster treatments the government is allegedly ignoring, and the rocky vaccine rollout.

dot.LA • 2nd October 2020

‘I'm Not as Stressed Out’: During the Pandemic, Angelenos Tried Living Elsewhere. Many Aren’t Moving Back

A wave of L.A. residents in the tech and startup world have left during the pandemic, accelerating a yearslong trend of migration to cheaper inland cities like Las Vegas, Sacramento and Phoenix. While people abandoning New York and San Francisco get most of the headlines, L.A. is also experiencing an exodus of residents.

dot.LA • 1st October 2020

'It's a No-Brainer': NYC and SF Tech Workers Move to LA for Sun, Space and Cheaper Rent During the Pandemic

More than a dozen professionals interviewed by dot.LA suddenly found themselves untethered to offices during the pandemic and decided to abandon their cramped apartments in emptied out New York and San Francisco to finally realize their dream of living by the beach. They cited a mix of personal and professional reasons for moving – a growing tech scene, relatively more affordable housing, and the ability to live a better lifestyle.

dot.LA • 14th September 2020

'LinkedIn. Is. Not. A. Dating. Site': Should People Be Trying to Find Love on LinkedIn?

Los Angeles has always had a reputation as a tough place to date, and that before COVID-19 shut down bars, parties and workplaces. As internet dating has become more mainstream, especially during the pandemic, people are used to finding love online, and unlike dating apps — where the person you're swiping on might not even be real — LinkedIn confers authenticity.

dot.LA • 12th April 2020

'It Felt Like a Black Mirror Episode' The Inside Account of How Bird Laid off 406 People in Two Minutes via a Zoom Webinar

This account, which includes many previously unreported details, is based on a review of internal memos and a recording of the now infamous Zoom meeting obtained by dot.LA as well as extensive conversations with more than half a dozen Bird employees at all levels of the company who were laid off.

dot.LA • 27th February 2020

Sand, Sunglasses, Tech Bros: Has L.A. Outgrown the Name 'Silicon Beach'?

Sand, Sunglasses, Tech Bros: Has L.A. Outgrown the Name 'Silicon Beach'?

dot.LA • 1st February 2020

Fireworks, Paris Hilton, Exploding Beer: Inside the Exclusive Coachella of Venture Capitalism

Why pick an ordinary conference center or hotel when you can rent out the entire Rose Bowl?

KCET/PBS So Cal • 11th February 2020

Access Denied

An investigation reveals how the state and many cities have let developers get away for decades with not paying their fair share when they replace affordable lodging with luxury hotels up and down California’s coast.

KCET/So Cal Connected • 11th February 2020

Cannabis Country

State and local regulators are overwhelmed and outgunned when it comes to closing down California’s poisonous pot pipeline.

NPR • 11th July 2019

After Numerous Foul Ball Fan Injuries, Baseball Reconsiders Protective Netting

The players union has repeatedly called for more netting in its contract negotiations but the league has always rejected their proposals. Owners have been seen as reluctant to ruin the view for their highest paying patrons.

NPR • 4th July 2019

As Endeavor Talent Agency Prepares To Go Public, Investors Are Wary

In Hollywood, a powerhouse firm called Endeavor is preparing to go public. The company is best known for its talent agency that represents a wide range of stars, from The Rock to Oprah. But in recent years, CEO Ari Emanuel has expanded Endeavor's business well beyond just the talent agency and taken on a lot of debt in the process.

NPR • 6th April 2019

Crowds Linger On The Slopes With Cheaper Ski Pass — But Locals Aren't Happy

While the prices of ski lift passes have been skyrocketing, the industry has been embracing new multiresort season passes that are cheaper than ever. They've proven popular though also controversial.

Columbia Journalism Review • 8th March 2018

How 86-year-old Dan Rather became Facebook’s favorite news anchor

Rather is receiving the adulation now that eluded him during much of his network anchoring career, where his ratings often came in last of the three nightly newscasts. Still, Rather is humble and even insecure about a career marked by dramatic highs and lows—or, as he puts it, “sunshine and stormy days.” He remains restless.

Southern California Public Radio • 3rd July 2017

The trouble with retraining laid off workers

One of the few issues Democrats and Republicans agree on these days is that the U.S. needs to do a better job retraining laid off workers. Last month, the White House held a "workforce development week" to highlight the issue. "[W]e're constantly hearing from CEOs that they have job openings but they don't have workers with the skill set they need to fill those jobs," Ivanka Trump said on Fox & Friends in an interview to kick off the week. But a California-sponsored program to retrain hundreds

Southern California Public Radio • 6th April 2017

What gas leak? Buyers in Porter Ranch snap up luxury homes

It’s no secret the Southern California real estate market is hot right now, but some may be surprised by the popularity of one particular neighborhood: Porter Ranch. Barely 18 months after a broken well caused the U.S.' worst-ever natural gas leak, homebuyers seem to be shrugging off the risks, especially people in the market for high-end properties. "I told my wife we were going to buy this house even if we had to wear a gas mask," said Gabriel Barajas as the couple toured a 5,272 square-foot

NPR • 11th December 2018

In California, Curbing Trade Might Have Its Trade-Offs

Lately all the talk in politics has been about what would happen to the country if America were less engaged with the world — and if cutting off trade could, indeed, bring jobs back. And nowhere in the country have the effects of trade — both positive and negative — been more visible than in California.

Southern California Public Radio • 10th August 2016

Customer surveys are everywhere. Is that a good thing?

Customer surveys are not new, but these days they’ve become ubiquitous and frequently they come with pressure to give perfect marks, whether you're buying a car, taking an Uber or having a cable TV technician to your house.

Marketplace from APM • 12th October 2018

Are pro sports teams economic winners for cities?

There are a lot of things economists disagree about, but the economic impact of sports stadiums isn't one of them.

Marketplace from APM • 11th December 2018

As unions decline, dockworkers still have clout

West coast dockworkers and shippers reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract Friday afternoon, ending months of labor strife. The effects of the standoff have been felt around the world – car assembly lines without crucial parts, billions in produce lost, and a shortage of french fries in Japan. In a time when organized labor is declining, one relatively small union, The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) still has the power to slow down the economy.

Marketplace from APM • 11th December 2018

Tennis' latest dispute: Larry Ellison's 'net' worth

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is the fifth richest man in the world. And he hasn’t been shy about spending his fortune, estimated by Forbes to be $43 billion. He’s bought a yacht that's five stories high, his own Hawaiian island, and a tennis tournament that’s going on right now in the Southern California desert near Palm Springs. At first, the tennis world saw Ellison and his bank account as a boon. The Indian Wells, Calif., tournament was on the verge of moving to Doha or Shanghai four years ago