Excellence in Online/Digital Journalism, Data
ABOUT THE WORK: For 10 years, LA building officials were incorrectly reporting which buildings were retrofitted for earthquakes. The Times spent more than a year requesting public records, integrating official data, sifting through building permits and speaking with engineers and residents of Los Angeles to understand the extent of the problems. The city of Beverly Hills provided data separately, which was added to the Times’ searchable map. The data was riddled with errors that Sandhya caught, resulting in questions from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
As a result of The Times’ inquiries, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass intervened. The responsible department must now establish a task force to review records, automate its manual data work and hire an independent auditor. These stories are the result of a multiyear effort, led by Sandhya, to collect earthquake retrofit data for all of Los Angeles County. Data from those cities that can confirm building statuses are published as a valuable map tool for readers. The reporting process has revealed many cities’ inadequate data handling practices.
Sandhya Kambhampati is a data reporter who specializes in statistical analysis and demographic data. She is currently a data reporter on the Los Angeles Times Data Desk and an adjunct at the University of Southern California. She previously worked at the Chronicle of Higher Education, Correctiv and ProPublica Illinois. She is proud AAJA LA board member and AAJA J-Camp alumna.
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