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investigation

How California Lawmakers Goosed Jackpots To Create Record-Setting Lottery Sales

By Aaron Mendelson | June 19, 2018

The California Lottery is minting money. This year, revenues will soar to $6.9 billion. That should be good news for the state’s schools, the lottery's only beneficiary. Yet even as ticket sales have skyrocketed, California schools aren’t seeing much of a return on that investment. A KPCC/LAist investigation found contributions to education by the lottery are essentially unchanged from 12 years ago, even though revenues are up by billions.

investigation

'A tricky area of philanthropy': LA mayor solicits millions for his favored causes

By Aaron Mendelson & Mary Plummer | August 23, 2017

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti — a longtime critic of big money in local politics — has set a surprising city record requesting large contributions, using a little-known and largely unregulated process called “behested payments,” KPCC has found. Since his election as mayor, records show Garcetti has used the mechanism to raise $31.9 million in large donations.

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Officer Involved San Bernardino

By KPCC Staff | May 14, 2017

San Bernardino County is the largest geographic county in the U.S. Law enforcement serves more than 2 million people. Yet, officials made little public about officer shootings. At a time of a national debate, KPCC wanted to uncover facts.

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Officer Involved: A KPCC investigation into police shootings in Los Angeles County

By KPCC Staff | Nov. 10, 2015

As KPCC set out to analyze how often on-duty police officers and sheriff's deputies in Los Angeles County shot another person, one thing became clear:
 This isn't data you can simply look up. So KPCC analyzed district attorney summaries of ...

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Trump effect keeps California gun sales lower after Vegas shooting

By Aaron Mendelson | November 27, 2017

Californians purchased 17,226 firearms in the week after the Las Vegas shooting, according to data obtained by KPCC from the California Bureau of Firearms. That was a 12 percent jump from the previous week, but represented only the fifth highest week of gun sales this year. After the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando last year, firearms sales jumped 45 percent the following week in California, setting the highest weekly total of the year to that point.

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California police use force at a higher rate against blacks, data shows

By Annie Gilbertson & Aaron Mendelson | August 17, 2017

Police in California shot at or used force against black people last year at triple the rate relative to their portion of the population, according to a first ever report on use of force released Thursday afternoon by the state Department of Justice.

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Legal pot could cut police vehicle searches dramatically in California

By Aaron Mendelson | August 17, 2017

Colorado and Washington saw vehicle searches by police officers fall dramatically after legalizing marijuana — a trend that could have implications in California, where voters legalized recreational pot last November.

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LA police commission reviews body-cam policy. Other cities' rules vary, KPCC finds.

By Aaron Mendelson | August 17, 2017

The civilian body that oversees the Los Angeles Police Department this week announced it plans to roll back the department’s prohibition on the release of body worn camera video, a move police reform activists have been lobbying for ever since officers started wearing cameras last year.

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Pregnant In Prison: Should newborns live with their incarcerated mothers?

By Deepa Fernandes, Mae Ryan & Eric Zassenhaus | Dec. 12, 2013

Two hundred thirty three inmates gave birth while incarcerated in California’s prison system in 2011 and 2012, the most recent data available. Most were back in shackles two days later, their infants off to live with relatives or foster parents. ...

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UCLA blasts military-style siren to break up crowds

By Aaron Mendelson | Mar. 31, 2015

Since 2014, all ten University of California campuses have been equipped with the devices, called LRADs for short. They double as a powerful megaphone and UC San Francisco, Berkeley and UCLA have all used them to make announcements. Of the ten ...

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Track the O.J. Simpson chase 20 years later

By Chris Keller | Jun. 16, 2014

It's been 20 years since O.J. Simpson led police on an infamous low-speed chase in a white Bronco, when he was suspected of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. (He was famously acquitted the following year.) ...

database

Search details of California's commercial bus companies

By Chris Keller and Lauren Osen | Feb. 11, 2013

This database shows the more than 300 commercial bus companies legally operating in California, beginning with those on the so-called watch list, which are noted by the "further monitoring" designation, and whether the DOT has issued a "violation", ...

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Fire Tracker

By Jon White, Bryan Ricker & Chris Keller | Jul. 19, 2013

Fire Tracker, KPCC's tool for following & researching California wildfires, contains fire information displayed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection -- also known as CalFire -- which protects more than 31 million acres of ...

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A look back at Sheriff Lee Baca's career

By Nuran Alteir | Jan. 07, 2014

After several scandal-plagued years that included investigations into Sheriff's department hiring practices, personnel probes, and an FBI probe into deputy-monitored jails, the embattled sheriff has told the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and the ...

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LAPD helicopter force by the numbers

By Erika Aguilar & Chris Keller | May. 22, 2013

This infographic takes a By The Numbers look at the LAPD's Air Support Division and its helicopter fleet.

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Charting California gun sales

By Wendy Lee & Chris Keller | Dec. 22, 2012

The state processed more applications to buy guns in 2012 -- in excess of 800,000 -- than at any time since the California Department of Justice began its current regimen of record-keeping in 1991, according to DOJ data. Moreover, the number of ...

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Comparing California and federal gun laws

By Frank Stoltze & Chris Keller | Dec. 20, 2012

This charts shows how California gun laws compare to those on the federal books.

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The most dangerous intersections in Los Angeles

By Kim Bui & Chris Keller | Oct. 02, 2012

This map shows which intersections the city considers dangerous, and those designated as hazardous by our audience. Please submit your own hazardous intersection, and other locations you believe are the most dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists.

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The search for Christopher Dorner

By Chris Keller and KPCC staff | Feb. 07, 2013

This curated timeline tracks key events from the life of murder suspect 33-year-old Christopher Dorner, as well as events from the last week, including the shooting deaths of a couple in Irvine and the manhunt following two shooting incidents over ...

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Oscars 2016: Predicting the winners

By Mike Roe | Jan. 20, 2016

Who will take home the coveted Oscars for best picture, director, actor and actress and supporting actor and actress at the 2016 Academy Awards?

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What does a California accent sound like?

By Kim Bui, Ian Hill & Chris Keller | Dec. 06, 2012

The California accent. In pop culture, it's one of a few things: The long, slow drawl of the surfer, or how a valley girl ends her sentences, or the slang of East L.A. But c'mon, Californians don't really have an accent or dialect. Right?

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Timeline: Huell Howser

By Eric Zassenhaus | Jan. 07, 2013

This timelines shows key dates in the life of Huell Howser -- the longtime California TV personality and host of "California's Gold."

Article

How affordable housing in LA reinforces economic segregation

By Aaron Mendelson & Jill Replogle | December 5, 2017

KPCC found publicly-funded affordable housing developments in Los Angeles County have overwhelmingly been built in L.A.’s very poorest neighborhoods.

Article

As California embraces legal marijuana, many cities and counties say 'no'

By Aaron Mendelson & Jill Replogle | December 5, 2017

While California prepares to open the doors to the recreational cannabis industry in 2018, only one of Orange County’s 34 cities, Santa Ana, plans to allow for retail cannabis shops. And no marijuana-related businesses are allowed on unincorporated county land.

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Politics, gun-control anxiety cited for California's record 2016 gun sales

By Aaron Mendelson | March 15, 2017

Californians bought guns at a blazing-fast pace in 2016, setting a record for the most guns ever sold in the state with 1.3 million. It was the first year Californians had ever purchased more than a million firearms.

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High rent, few options

By Ben Bergman, Kristen Lepore, Ashley Alvarado, Eric Zassenhaus & Chris Keller | Apr. 17, 2014

Rising rents and short supply have Angelenos weighing their choices.

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Report: Downtown areas powering job growth across the country — but not LA

By Aaron Mendelson | Feb. 27, 2015

For the first time in decades, city centers aren't losing out to suburbs when it comes to job growth; they're powering it. It's happening in lots of cities all across the country — but not in Los Angeles. A report by the think tank City Observatory, ...

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Blogdowntown: Development map

By Machiko Yasuda and Chris Keller | Apr. 04, 2013

We map downtown development projects by status and type.

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L.A. County health care jobs growing, construction and retail rebounding

By Chris Keller | Sep. 13, 2013

This chart shows the last 10 years of Los Angeles County employment data from the California Employment Development Department, arranged by sector. At a glance, it reveals which sectors provided the largest portion of jobs. When each sector is ...

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Eyes on reshaping charter school oversight, advocates become top spenders in state races

By Aaron Mendelson & Kyle Stokes | November 2, 2016

Californians are used to seeing outside groups — from oil and business interests to environmental and labor groups — spend millions of dollars in hopes of swaying state legislative races. But in 2016, another sector came on the scene and surpassed them all: charter school advocates.

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How your LAUSD school fares in college prep graduation requirements

By Chris Keller | May. 07, 2015

The Los Angeles Unified School District requires students, starting with the Class of 2017, to successfully complete a slate of college preparation courses before they graduate. The course load called "A-G” may prevent half of students from ...

database

Search 2014-2015 kindergarten immunization levels in Southern California

By Chris Keller | Feb. 05, 2015

A parent-led movement to stop vaccinations is showing up in schools. This user-friendly database shows 2014-15 vaccination exemption rates for incoming kindergartners at schools in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, ...

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Search selected LA schools' emails related to the district iPad project

By Annie Gilbertson & Chris Keller | Aug. 29, 2014

Emails obtained by KPCC through a public records request show Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy directed his staff to figure out how to incorporate Pearson PLC's software into the school system's plan to transition to the ...

timeline

LAUSD iPads: Timeline of a troubled program

By Chris Keller | Dec. 02, 2014

Los Angeles Unified School District has been under fire over its iPad program, which launched last school year with the aim of giving every student and teacher a personal tablet. The district chose Apple and textbook publisher Pearson to provide the ...

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The science, options, and dilemma of dual language education.

By Deepa Fernandes, Maya Sugarman, Jon White & Sean Dillingham | Jan. 17, 2013

Ruby is among a growing number of Los Angeles children whose parents are choosing to place them in immersion schools not to learn English, but to learn a foreign language—sometimes one that isn’t spoken at home. In her case, it’s the Spanish ...

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LAUSD school by school budgets

By Annie Gilbertson, Claire Withycombe & Chris Keller | Jun. 20, 2014

The Los Angeles Unified School District gets $6.8 billion to educate its 650,000 students, plus another $5.2 billion to build and maintain schools, provide adult education and service debts. This data set shows how administrators plan to spend the ...

database

API results: Calif. schools drop two points, LA Unified improves

By Emmanuel Martinez, Evelyn Larrubia and Chris Keller | Aug. 29, 2013

Results released Thursday show California schools dropped two points over 2012, but the Los Angeles Unified School District bucked the trend, according to the state Department of Education. L.A. Unified - the state's largest district - jumped three ...

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Compare dropout rates among local school districts

By Chris Keller & Evelyn Larrubia | Apr. 10, 2013

A slightly smaller percentage of California students dropped out of high school last year than during the 2010-2011 school year -- 4% vs 4.2% -- according to data released by the California Department of Education on Tuesday. School districts in Los ...

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California bilingual immersion programs

By Chris Keller | Jan. 17, 2013

Los Angeles County leads the state in the number of schools that offer bilingual education starting in kindergarten—in part, advocates and others said, because of its multicultural population. Bilingual schools have quietly built a fan-base, ...

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Capital Appreciation Bonds

By Vanessa Romo & Chris Keller | Dec. 13, 2012

Search school districts in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino or Ventura county to see those that have issued a Capital Appreciation Bond since 2007.

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With drought a fading memory, water use rises

By Aaron Mendelson | October 20, 2017

This summer, the first since the state's record winter rains, posed a test for communities: Now that the pressure's off, can they keep saving water? The answer depends on where you ask the question.

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Do I live in a California flood zone?

By Chris Keller & Aaron Mendelson | Feb. 5, 2016

A strong El Niño climate pattern is on its way to California, and might bring with it some much-needed rain. But that precipitation could be a double-edged sword, raising the possibility of flooding in a state struggling with drought.

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Charting Niño 3.4 sea surface temperature anomalies

By Sanden Totten & Chris Keller | Sep. 09, 2015

An El Niño occurs when water in a large swath of the Pacific Ocean along the equator heats up more than average. This is measured by looking at sea surface temperature anomalies, or fluctuations in ocean temperature, in key parts of the ocean. One ...

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Where is California water use decreasing?

By Aaron Mendelson & Chris Keller | Feb. 01, 2014

In order to achieve a 25 percent reduction in water use statewide, the State Water Resources Control Board approved water use reduction targets for each urban water agency in the state. This application charts each agency's progress toward meeting ...

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Flood zones in Southern California

By Aaron Mendelson | Oct. 15, 2015

A strong El Niño climate pattern is on its way to Southern California, and might bring with it some much-needed rain. But that precipitation could be a double-edged sword, raising the possibility of flooding in a region struggling with drought. ...

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Is Your Environment Changing? Tell Us How

By KPCC Staff | Mar. 14, 2015

The natural world in Southern California has been changing: Summers have been hotter; winters, warmer and drier; ocean temperatures are higher, drawing sea life usually seen in the tropics. Are these examples of climate change? Natural variability? ...

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A year in LADWP claims payouts

By Aaron Mendelson | Jul. 25, 2015

When the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power screws up, they have to pay up. If a water main bursts and floods your car, power surge fries your TV, or vehicle runs over a family member, the LADWP could be on the hook for damages to you or your ...

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One-third of water districts miss the mark on conservation

By Aaron Mendelson | Dec. 09, 2015

Several of those districts are in Southern California, and many are on track to miss their conservation targets because they didn't cut enough over the summer.

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Income and water use in Southern California

By Aaron Mendelson | May. 07, 2015

California is in the fourth year of a historic drought, with no end in sight. This week, the State Water Resources Control Board approved the first-ever mandatory restrictions on local water agencies. Many eyes have turned to the manicured lawns, ...

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Animation: 2009's Station Fire burns the Angeles National Forest

By Chris Keller | Aug. 27, 2014

When 2009's Station Fire began burning in the Angeles National Forest few knew how destructive it would become. Seven weeks after it began, two firefighters were dead, scores of houses destroyed, and more than 160,000 acres charred. That's about 250 ...

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Drought cutbacks challenge SoCal water officials at home

By Aaron Mendelson | Jul. 28, 2015

KPCC obtained comparable water use data for 40 officials in Southern California. They set policy for some of the heaviest using water districts in the region — from Calabasas to the Coachella Valley. These are the places where the State Water ...

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Beachcombing

By KPCC Staff | Jun. 07, 2013

This summer, KPCC reporters explore the ecology, economy and culture of Southern California's beaches and coast. We'll consider the challenges facing the coastal area, the research that's influencing how we take care of it, and the personalities who ...

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Cash for Grass: How well is it working?

By Molly Peterson, Denise-Marie Guerra & Chris Keller | Jul. 14, 2014

Since 2008, local water agencies have been trying to get homeowners to rip out their lawns by offering cash incentives for grass removal. According to KPCC estimates and an analysis of state property records, there is roughly 5.5 billion square feet ...

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Does my community have water restrictions?

By Molly Peterson, Francine Rios & Chris Keller | Feb. 28, 2014

In January Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency in California and asked state residents to voluntarily cut water usage by 20 percent. We gathered data on water restrictions from city and water agency websites served by the Metropolitan ...

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Earthquake Tracker

By Jon White, Bryan Ricker & Chris Keller | Jan. 15, 2014

Earthquake Tracker is KPCC's tool for following & researching California earthquakes.

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SoCalGas natural gas pipelines in Los Angeles

By Chris Keller | Mar. 13, 2014

An explosion in East Harlem that killed at least seven people on Wednesday morning and injured dozens more is believed to have been caused by a natural gas leak. Con Edison officials said they received reports of a gas odor shortly before the ...

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Following the path of the Los Angeles Aqueduct

By Meghan McCarty & Chris Keller | Oct. 28, 2013

Nov. 5, 2013, marks the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the legendary civil engineering project that starts about 4,000 feet above sea level in the Eastern Sierra Nevada and brings water down a steady, gradual slope ...

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Future of Water: How hot, dry and crowded will CA get by 2040?

By Sanden Totten | Sep. 14, 2015

Even if California gets heavy El Niño rains this winter, the current drought has delivered a wake-up call to state leaders. The message? Our current water habits are unsustainable.

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Plastic bag bans spread across Southern California

By Machiko Yasuda | Feb. 26, 2013

We mapped all of the cities and jurisidictions within Southern California (as defined as LA, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura Counties) that have banned or have passed ordinances on carry-out single-use plastic bags at grocery stores ...

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Welcome To Vinci

By Kevin Ferguson, Mark Pampanin, Collin Campbell & Chris Keller | Jul. 27, 2015

View the dark, brooding and mysterious locations of True Detective, as discovered by Southern California Public Radio.

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Public Radio Bracket Madness

By Sean Dillingham & Mike Roe | Mar. 10, 2015

It's March, which means it's time for KPCC's third annual Public Radio Bracket Madness — the bracket poll in which we ask you to pick your favorite public radio shows!

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Map: Where campers and RVs are homes in Los Angeles County

By Aaron Mendelson | Jul. 23, 2015

Homelessness is on the rise in Los Angeles County, up 12 percent in the last two years. And more and more homeless people are sleeping in vehicles, including RVs and campers. Every two years, voulunteers at the Los Angeles Homeless Services ...

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Quiz: Which of the proposed 6 Californias should you live in?

By Evie Liu, Kristen Lepore & Danielle Tarasiuk | Aug. 26, 2014

Let's pretend Venture capitalist Tim Draper's plan to split California into six states is approved. Now what? Do you move? Do you stay? How do you find your people? What are the perks of living in flashy West California versus, say, techie Silicon ...

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Plotting the most-recent sales of NBA teams

By Chris Keller | May. 30, 2014

The NBA has learned that Shelly Sterling and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer reached an agreement on the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers for a reported $2 billion. The chart below—which does not include the reported Clippers deal—plots the ...

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Where NBA teams, owners stand on Sterling

By Chris Keller | Apr. 29, 2014

KPCC aggregated public comments and reactions from all 30 NBA organizations – many from the owners themselves – who unanimously voiced their support Tuesday for league Commissioner Adam Silver's decision to ban and fine LA Clippers owner Donald ...

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Where do you find peace and quiet in LA?

By José Martinez, Ashley Alvarado & Chris Keller | May. 27, 2013

KPCC wants to know: Where do you go to get away from it all? Is there a favorite park or hiking trail? Maybe you prefer an empty museum or quiet garden. Tell KPCC and help us map the best places to escape.

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Northridge Earthquake 20 years later: Then and now photo gallery

By Maya Sugarman & Chris Keller | Jan. 02, 2014

KPCC found some of the more iconic images of damage from the devastating Northridge earthquake of 1994 and wondered what was rebuilt and what was changed. Photographer Maya Sugarman spent weeks looking for the original sites and reproducing the ...

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Illegal alien'? 'Undocumented immigrant'? You told us what term you use, and we mapped the responses

By Ashley Alvarado & Chris Keller | Apr. 24, 2013

What is the proper terminology for an immigrant in the country illegally? That's a question that has stirred discussion among journalists, policy makers and others who have an interest in the debate over immigration — or who simply want an accurate, ...

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Search through L.A. Archdiocese priest personnel files

By Sharon McNary, Frank Stoltze, Zusha Elinson, Joanna Lin, Robert Salladay, Paul Glickman, Chris Keller | Feb. 05, 2013

On Jan. 31, the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles released the confidential personnel files of more than 128 Catholic priests, providing further details as to how archdiocesan leaders addressed decades of sex abuse claims. We present the files ...

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Selling the Spine

By Karen Foshay, Benjamin Brayfield, Jon White & Eric Zassenhaus | Jun. 17, 2014

Doctors profit in the OR, but at whose expense?

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Whooping cough: How bad is it this year?

By Evie Liu & Chris Keller | Jul. 11, 2014

Since June this year, cases of pertussis—or whooping cough—in California have reached epidemic proportions in California, according to the state Department of Public Health. An epidemic is the occurrence of more cases of disease than expected in a ...

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How much does medical care cost? A searchable database of procedures in California billed to Medicare in 2011

By Chris Keller | May. 30, 2013

KPCC has created this searchable database that will allow you to compare the average charge for the 100 most frequently billed procedures paid under Medicare in 2011, which you can view by hospital or as a statewide average. It's based on data ...

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Status of undocumented immigrant driver's license laws nationwide

By Chris Keller | Oct. 03, 2013

After years of failed attempts, California is close to becoming the tenth U.S. state to let unauthorized immigrants apply for driver's licenses. This map shows the status of similar laws throughout the country.

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3 signs Eric Garcetti might be aiming for the White House

By Aaron Mendelson | December 28, 2017

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has left the door open to a possible 2020 presidential bid. His involvement in the launch of three little-noticed groups provides further evidence that he's stepping on to the national stage and considering a run for the White House.

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When will Donald Trump visit California?

By Aaron Mendelson | November 7, 2017; count updates daily

Trump hasn't set foot in the Golden State since taking office, a notable break from the travel patterns of his predecessors. George W. Bush visited the state after 129 days. And Barack Obama visited California after just 57 days in office. In fact, every president since at least Jimmy Carter has found time to visit California in his first six months. Every president, that is, except Trump.

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Where Jimmy Gomez won the 34th Congressional District race

By Aaron Mendelson | June 7, 2017

Jimmy Gomez beat Robert Lee Ahn in the 34th Congressional District runoff to win a seat vacated by Xavier Becerra. Gomez trounced Ahn by putting up big margins at precincts in East Los Angeles and Northeast Los Angeles. Ahn had strong support in Koreatown, but struggled in precincts east of Alameda Street. Explore the election's precinct-level, semi-official results below.

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Outside spending on LAUSD election shatters records, with spending in other races modest

By Aaron Mendelson & Kyle Stokes | June 7, 2017

Outside groups are spending money at unheard of levels on this year's Los Angeles Unified School board race. Meanwhile, city council races and a citywide ballot measure on police oversight are attracting more modest sums, according to campaign finance reports filed today.

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California's new Legislature has biggest gender gap in quarter century

By Aaron Mendelson | December 7, 2016

As California's state legislators began a new session this week, data shows the 120-member Legislature is far more male and white than the state it represents. The new Legislature will have fewer female lawmakers than any since the early 1990s. And the proportion of Latinos in the statehouse lags far behind the state's demographics.

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Inside the high-tech, data-driven world of campaign mail

By Aaron Mendelson | October 31, 2016

As election day draws near, campaign mailers are blanketing mailboxes all over California. While snail mail might not seem like the most sophisticated way to win an election, the depth of the strategy behind those mailers might surprise you.

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What kinds of data is your local government collecting on you?

By Aaron Mendelson | August 31, 2016

Most governments in California are complying with a new law that requires them to post catalogs of the types of data they collect from the public, a review conducted this week concludes. But many, including several Southern California cities, haven't yet shared the required information.

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2015 Los Angeles County Elections Candidate Guide

By Brian Frank & Chris Keller | Mar. 02, 2015

See who's appearing on the ticket on March 3, and find out more about the candidates running in your district.

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LA scrubs away 30 million square feet of graffiti each year

By Aaron Mendelson | Sep. 10, 2015

In recent years, the city has received record numbers of complaints about graffiti from citizens—more than 120,000 in 2014, a number 2015 is on pace to top.

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Watch a month of graffiti cleanup in Los Angeles

By Aaron Mendelson | Aug. 17, 2015

Cleaning graffiti from the streets of Los Angeles is an endless task. Specialized graffiti abatement crews blast it away with water, chemically treat it, and paint over miles of marred surfaces. In the first month of 2015 alone, crews cleaned away ...

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Executive Order On Immigration: Where does your representative stand?

By Shana Daloria & KPCC Staff | Nov. 20, 2014

California is home to nearly one-fourth of the immigrants who are living in the United States without legal status. So a broader temporary legalization plan will have a wide-ranging effect in the state. Here are statements from the California ...

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Annotating Gov. Brown's 2015 inaugural address

By KQED, Capital Public Radio, & KPCC staff | Jan. 05, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown delivered his inaugural address this morning, signaling initiatives for the upcoming legislative year. During the address he outlined his vision for the state on a number of topics, including education, health care, the environment ...

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Election 2014 propositions: A guide to California's statewide ballot measures

By Brian Frank & Chris Keller | Oct. 22, 2014

California voters will decide on six statewide ballot measures on November 4. We’ve put together a series of FAQs to help you understand what each one means for the state, who’s behind it and how much money’s being spent to support or defeat it at ...

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Tracing Central Basin's trust fund

By Karen Foshay & Chris Keller | Dec. 20, 2013

The FBI is investigating what happened to $2.7 million the Central Basin Municipal Water District put into a trust fund to create an environmental impact report for a water storage project. The money has also been the subject of questions from one ...

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Find your Congressional representative

By Eric Zassenhaus & Chris Keller | Dec. 04, 2013

Enter your address or use your location to find your Congressional representative, view biographical information and read past coverage from KPCC.

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How much do 'open data' portals cost So Cal governments?

By Aaron Mendelson | Jun. 24, 2015

Cities and counties are increasingly embracing "open data", launching sites that allow residents to explore and download government information—but costs of those data portals can vary significantly, a KPCC analysis of contracts found.

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Exploring California statehouse gun legislation

By Julie Small & Chris Keller | May. 29, 2013

California already has some of the most stringent gun laws in the country, but this session of the Legislature has seen the introduction of numerous bills intended to tighten loopholes and further restrict access to weapons and ammunition. This ...

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Congressional district offices: Who is open for business?

By Kitty Felde, Brian Frank & Chris Keller | Oct. 04, 2013

The federal government is shut down. What about the office of your member of Congress? It's up to each lawmaker, with guidance from either the Senate counsel or the House Administration Committee. Democrat Barbara Boxer says Senators were advised to ...

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Los Angeles 2013 Mayoral Race

By Eric Zassenhaus, Oscar Garza, Alice Walton & Chris Keller | Jan. 25, 2013

With the 2013 L.A. mayoral election down to two candidates, politicians and organizations are throwing their weight behind Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti, the remaining candidates. Below is a listing of the endorsements so far.

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Tell us about your voting experience

By Chris Keller | Apr. 04, 2013

Did you vote today? Good for you! Please tell us about it. KPCC wants to collect voter experiences this Election Day, map them and share them with our audience. Please take a moment to input your experience.

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2013 L.A. Mayor voting patterns by precinct

By Chris Keller | May. 22, 2013

Eric Garcetti rode a wave of support in central Los Angeles to win election Tuesday as the successor to Antonio Villaraigosa as mayor of the nation’s second largest city, beating City Controller Wendy Greuel 54 to 46 percent. How did the vote break ...

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California governors and their use of the veto since 1967

By Chris Keller | Sep. 09, 2013

Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed about 12 percent of the bills passed by the state legislature in 2012, the second lowest veto percentage since 1996 when then-Governor Pete Wilson vetoed just under 9 percent of the bills that came across his desk, according ...

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Syria: Where does your US representative stand?

By KPCC Staff | Aug. 30, 2013

Congress is out of session until September 9th, but that hasn't stopped lawmakers — including many Californians — from weighing in on whether the U.S. should get involved militarily in Syria following allegations of a chemical weapons attack against ...

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2013 L.A. Mayor voting turnout by precinct

By Chris Keller | May. 22, 2013

Only about 19 percent of registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday's LA's mayoral runoff election, choosing Eric Garcetti to succeed Antonio Villaraigosa as mayor of the nation’s second largest city, unofficial results from the Los Angeles City ...

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2012 Election Results Tracker

By Adam DePrice, Schuyler Duveen, John Keefe, Louise Ma, Steven Melendez, Glenn Mohre, Kim Bui & Sean Dillingham | Nov. 06, 2012

Track election night results using this application.

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Charting voter turnout for mayoral elections

By Chris Keller | May. 20, 2013

In advance of Los Angeles' 2013 mayoral election Tuesday, the L.A. Times analyzed voter turnout dating back to 1913 and found that L.A.'s Election Day malaise stretches back decades. This chart shows voter turnout dating back to 1913 and is based ...

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Pension reform: Charting contributions to LA's largest pension funds over the years

By Frank Stoltze, Eric Zassenhaus & Chris Keller | May. 06, 2013

The charts below illustrate the rising cost of pensions in the city of Los Angeles. The city has three pension funds: The LA City Employee Retirement System (LACERS), the LA Fire and Police Pension Fund (LAFPP) and the Water and Power Employees' ...

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Greuel inches closer to Garcetti in fundraising race

By Sharon McNary & Chris Keller | May. 10, 2013

As the March 5 city election gets closer, candidates are required to file campaign finance reports more frequently. In reports submitted Thursday — covering just the first 19 days in January — City Controller Wendy Greuel collected more than fellow ...

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#DearMayor: What should LA's new mayor work on first?

By KPCC Staff & Chris Keller | Apr. 24, 2013

We're collecting your thoughts and feelings about what the new mayor should make his or her first priority when taking office.

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What the justices said during Prop 8 arguments

By Jose Luis Jiménez and Machiko Yasuda | Mar. 26, 2013

Here are some of the major issues discussed by the Supreme Court during its hearing on Proposition 8.

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Find opportunities to volunteer or contribute to nonprofit organizations

By Eric Zassenhaus & Chris Keller | Jan. 17, 2013

In an effort to provide a resource for KPCC listeners, we have compiled this database of local volunteer opportunities, nonprofit organizations and charities. Use the database below to search these organizations to learn of their needs. Are there ...

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Season's Givings

By Eric Zassenhaus, Nick Roman & Chris Keller | Dec. 06, 2012

This holiday season, we asked KPCC listeners where they volunteer during the holidays, and what opportunities our audience should know about. Use the database below to search for volunteer and charitable opportunities this holiday season.

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Southern California's Lowest Recorded Temperatures

By Chris Keller | Jan. 11, 2013

The icons show the lowest Southern California temperatures recorded at National Weather Service stations. Click an icon to view information about the temperature, dates recorded and station elevation.

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Veterans Day: Where did they serve?

By Kim Bui, Ian Hill & Chris Keller | Nov. 09, 2012

Web map showing where local veterans served.

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Timeline: A look at Vin Scully's career

By Monica Luhar | Oct. 03, 2013

Vin Scully joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950. Though he's taken on network assignments and even hosted game shows, he's always been the voice of the Dodgers. And Scully recently announced he will return next year for a 65th season announcing ...

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Truck collisions as share of all collisions — in 55 California counties

By Aaron Mendelson | May 2, 2017

As the economy has picked up since 2009, more trucks have been on the roads. That's meant more big truck collisions, which have an outsized cost, both financially and in terms of human life. Not only have their numbers jumped, but the share of all collisions that involve a big truck has been on the rise. That's what these charts show. While you can see broad similarities between many counties, each graph tells its own story.

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Big rigs, big risks: As SoCal economy improves, truck traffic is rising and so are crashes

By Meghan McCarty Carino & Aaron Mendelson | May 2, 2017

In 2009, truck collisions hit a historic low, making up just 4.8 percent of all crashes in the state. That number steadily climbed to 5.6 percent by 2014, the most recent year data is available, when there were 22,137 such collisions in California.

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LA Metro draws 130,000 rides, but still in race to make bike share goal

By Aaron Mendelson | April 20, 2017

Numbers released thus far show that the L.A. county transit agency has a way to go before reaching its mid-summer goal to have two rides every day for each of its 800 bikes. On March 31st, the most recent day for which data is available, each bike was at less than half that figure.

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Which buses are most timely, least timely?

By Aaron Mendelson | Feb. 19, 2015

Data covering tens of millions of stops by Metro buses shows that some bus lines are chronically late, while others regularly pull away from stops on time. The gif below shows the lines that are behind schedule most often (those are in orange) and ...

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What percentage of LA Metro's trains are late?

By Aaron Mendelson | Feb. 19, 2015

Metro has moved to expand its rail system in recent years, building new stations and a new line. Further expansion is already under construction. So just how timely are Metro's trains? It depends on the line, according to data covering more than 2.2 ...

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Watch a decade of growth in LA's bike infrastructure

By Aaron Mendelson | Apr. 10, 2015

The city's bike network has been growing at a rapid clip for a decade, according to data the Los Angeles Department of Transportation provided KPCC. But gaps remain.

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Database: Passenger carriers regulated by California

By Chris Keller | May. 07, 2013

The California Public Utilities Commission regulates passenger carrier companies operating with the state, such as limousine companies, airport shuttles, charter and scheduled bus operators. Here is a searchable, sortable table of these companies ...

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Parking in LA: Where is it worst?

By Evie Liu & Chris Keller | Jun. 25, 2014

Hunting for—and failing to find—a parking spot is one of the things we Angelenos share. And it's one of the things we hate about living here: We know to allow an extra 15 minutes if we don't have a designated spot and want to come close to being on ...

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Gauging the health of Southern California's bridges

By Sanden Totten, Brian Frank & Chris Keller | Jun. 21, 2013

California has more than 24,000 bridges. Many are classified as "Structurally Deficient", "Functionally Obsolete" or "Fracture Critical". These ominous-sounding terms are part of the Federal Highway Administration's National Bridge Inspection ...