KPCC: Stories by Patricia Nazario

District 4 LA City Council race: LaBonge vs. Box vs. O'Grady

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 07:13:55 -0800

City Councilman Tom LaBonge faces two challengers to represent the district that stretches from North Hollywood and Griffith Park to Koreatown and Silver Lake.

LA County supervisors hear public comment on PLA plan for MLK construction

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:37:47 -0800

The upcoming Martin Luther King Junior Hospital construction project could be the first in Los Angeles County that requires contractors to hire locally.

Anti-tobacco measure likely on June special election ballot

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 09:52:11 -0800

Anti-tobacco activists are rallying behind California’s latest effort to raise taxes on cigarettes. KPCC’s Patricia Nazario reports on what tobacco companies are doing to oppose the statewide ballot measure.

Delta named official airline of LA’s Staples Center, LA Kings, Grammy Museum

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:12:33 -0800

Entertainment giant AEG has been busy rounding up corporate partners for its downtown L.A. venues – the ones in place and the ones it hopes to build.

Delta Airlines is the latest company on the list.

Caring is conservation for the LA Zoo's Jason Jacobs

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:00:00 -0800

People hold a range of opinions about whether zoos are good places for animals. Critics argue that enclosures for large animals can confine them too much and harm their mental health. Zoo advocates say the animal exhibits offer valuable educational opportunities to children and other people who can’t travel to view creatures in the wild. The man in charge of navigating between passionate people at both ends of the spectrum at the Los Angeles Zoo is Jason Jacobs.

Study shows California hospitals may face shortage in allied professions

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:02:02 -0800

Along with generating green jobs, health experts say California also needs to take the lead in broadening the appeal of health science education. KPCC’s Patricia Nazario has more on a new study that reveals a serious potential personnel shortage for state hospitals.

LA County Health Department holds demo inspection on Grilled Cheese Truck

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 13:44:54 -0800

Food truck fans can expect to start seeing grades as they step up to order. Public health inspectors have examined about 100 mobile food vendors since the beginning of the year.

LA’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese backs away from plan to add 20 school days

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 08:43:25 -0800

The elementary schools run by Los Angeles’ Roman Catholic Archdiocese might still become the first in this region to expand their academic year - but the archdiocese will allow its individual campuses to make that decision for themselves.

LaLanne's Hollywood connection shines at his memorial

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:50:49 -0800

Family, friends, celebrities and people who never met Jack LaLanne are remembering the man who seemed to be immortal.

LAPD says schools cop took shot to chest, lied about it

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 06:49:15 -0800

A mother with a handicapped son who’s a freshman at El Camino High School in Woodland Hills is still shaken after a recent officer-involved shooting near campus. Los Angeles police now say Jeff Stenroos lied about getting shot in the chest about a week and a half ago. But on that day, a boy in a wheelchair was among thousands of students and teachers on lockdown into the evening hours.

LA Catholic elementary schools add 20 days to school year

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:40:06 -0800

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is adding 20 days to the academic year of its elementary schools. That’ll mean a 200-day calendar for first through eighth graders starting next year.

Enrollment for discounted children's health insurance closes March 1

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:52:07 -0800

Uninsured children have until March 1 to obtain discounted health insurance from private companies. State lawmakers urge working parents to take advantage of the open-enrollment period.

Remembering Jack LaLanne - American fitness, exercise, and nutritional expert

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:56:42 -0800

Workout junkies of all ages are crediting TV exercise guru Jack LaLanne with bringing fitness to the masses. LaLanne died Sunday at his Morro Bay home after a brief battle with pneumonia. He was 96.

'Save the Dream' loan modification tour back in Los Angeles

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 07:36:23 -0800

Thousands of frustrated homeowners facing foreclosure are looking for help at a convention of the non-profit Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America. The organization's set up at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena for the next 10 days.

L.A. County flu season kicks up

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 17:26:30 -0800

Flu season is here and public health officials say cases are on the rise in Los Angeles County. If you haven’t gotten your vaccination yet, KPCC’s Patricia Nazario says you can still take steps to stay healthy.

Los Angeles County supervisors discuss potential impact of state cuts

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:29:11 -0800

Los Angeles County supervisors are trying to achieve a delicate balancing act. They want California’s largest county to receive its fair share of the state’s smaller budget pie, but they don’t want to whine and complain to get it.

Disabled Californians urge no more cuts to in-home services

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 16:21:07 -0800

To help get the state’s budget out of the red, Gov. Jerry Brown plans to cut the hours of in-home supportive care for some disabled Californians. That’ll save about $490 million. Brown projects the state’s shortfall at about $26.5 billion over the next 18 months.

Among cuts to shrink California deficit: Mental health

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 06:39:59 -0800

Governor Jerry Brown is scheduled to unveil his budget proposal this morning in Sacramento. Insiders expect his plan will propose eliminating voter-approved accounts like the one that covers mental health services for kids and adults. KPCC’s Patricia Nazario visited an after-school treatment center to see how cuts might affect families.

Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services annual report on national spending

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:06:44 -0800

The official estimates for total healthcare spending in America are out this morning. The annual report on National Health Expenditure Accounts has measured the same information for the past 50 years.

Mental health experts watch Governor Brown, worry Brown may eliminate CalWorks

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 07:37:39 -0800

CalWorks is designed to get families off welfare and back to work. Former Governor Schwarzenegger proposed eliminating the program entirely to help close California’s budget gap. Public health advocates are worried that new Governor Jerry Brown may go through with that idea.