Liam Dillon
Journalist
Profiles and Features
Why do so many L.A. apartments come without fridges? Inside the chilling mystery
Los Angeles Times, May 18, 2022
People moving to Los Angeles face a strange phenomenon when looking for an apartment to rent: There’s no refrigerator. Through anecdote and data this story describes one of the strangest quirks of the L.A. rental market.
The story: https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2022-05-18/fridge-los-angeles-apartment-tenants
A dark side to the California dream: How the state Constitution makes affordable housing hard to build
Los Angeles Times, February 3, 2019
California is the only state in the country to block the construction of affordable housing in its constitution. This story detailed the history of a little-known nearly 70-year-old constitutional provision that had a dramatic effect on the building of homes for poor people for decades. The piece examines the racist and classist origins of the provision as well as its far-reaching impact. After the constitutional provision was challenged on equal protection grounds, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in its favor, which had the effect of allowing government policies nationwide that discriminate against poor people.
California voters are scheduled to decide on repealing the anti-public housing provision in 2024.
The story: https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-affordable-housing-constitution-20190203-story.html
The follow up: https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2022-09-02/california-voters-to-decide-on-repeal-of-anti-public-housing
Marin County has long resisted growth in the name of environmentalism. But high housing costs and segregation persist
Los Angeles Times, January 7, 2018
This story connected the long history of environmental activism and limited growth in a wealthy county north of San Francisco with its high housing costs and persistence of racial segregation. In short, Marin County residents — no matter the reason — have often opposed new development and those decisions have resulted in racial inequities unseen elsewhere in California.
The story: http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-marin-county-affordable-housing-20170107-story.html
How to Be a Republican Mayor
The Atlantic, January 3, 2016
The only Republican mayor in any of the 10 largest cities in America, San Diego’s Kevin Faulconer thinks he has a plan for how the GOP can win in urban areas. This national feature on Faulconer’s strategy on engaging communities of color and other groups that don’t traditionally vote Republican shows how he’s trying to distinguish himself. But he also has yet to deliver on policies that would meaningfully affect the lives of people living in underserved communities.
The story: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/01/kevin-faulconer-mayor/422316/