Sandhya Kambhampati

The L.A. wildfire cleanup was fast. Residents eager to rebuild worry officials chose speed over safety The federal cleanup of the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires was in some ways a historic achievement. But many residents are worried that by moving fast, the results were compromised.

So at the end of the day, was the federal government's L.A. wildfire cleanup too fast or just right? Fabulous deep dive by my @latimes.com colleagues on what federal agencies got right, and what dangers are still lurking in the soil: www.latimes.com/environment/...

The L.A. wildfire cleanup was fast. Residents eager to rebuild worry officials chose speed over safety The federal cleanup of the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires was in some ways a historic achievement. But many residents are worried that by moving fast, the results were compromised.

The L.A. wildfire cleanup was fast. Residents eager to rebuild worry officials chose speed over safety. My latest w/ Tony & @nohaggerty.bsky.social @latimes.com:
www.latimes.com/environment/...

The L.A. wildfire cleanup was fast. Residents eager to rebuild worry officials chose speed over safety The federal cleanup of the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires was in some ways a historic achievement. But many residents are worried that by moving fast, the results were compromised.

The L.A. wildfire cleanup was fast. Residents eager to rebuild worry officials chose speed over safety

How left does California's new congressional district map shift? Democrats to gain five seats despite two-thirds of proposed California congressional districts shifting red, Times analysis of redrawn map shows.

New video featuring our redistricting analysis. How left does California's proposed congressional district map shift?
www.latimes.com/00000198-ed7...

Will your congressional district shift left or right in Newsom’s proposed map? We calculated the margin of victory between Democrats and Republicans in Newsom's redistricting effort. Here are the results.

Will your congressional district shift left or right in Newsom's proposed map? We calculated the margin of victory between Democrats and Republicans in the redistricting effort:
www.latimes.com/california/s...

congratulations!

January wildfires displaced thousands of students. Where did they enroll? The wildfires in early January disrupted education for more than 725,000 students and destroyed or damaged at least a dozen schools.

January wildfires displaced thousands of students. Where did they enroll?

Heading to @aajaofficial.bsky.social #AAJA25 next week. Feel free to DM if you'd like to meet or chat about data!

ICE flights out of L.A. area more than doubled in the last month A majority of the ICE flights departing Victorville were headed to airports near detention centers in Arizona and Texas.

ICE flights out of L.A. area more than doubled in the last month

All of LA is not a ‘war zone.’ We separate facts from spin and disinformation amid immigration raids What's actually happening during the ICE sweeps and protests across Los Angeles.

All of LA is not a 'war zone.' We separate facts from spin and disinformation amid immigration raids

AI is coming soon to speed up sluggish permitting for fire rebuilds, officials say. With a boost from nonprofits, the city and county of Los Angeles are getting free AI permitting software. Will it speed up the process or add another hurdle to rebuilding?

AI is coming soon to speed up sluggish permitting for fire rebuilds, officials say.

Excellence in Online/Digital Journalism, Data — AAJA Awards It all begins with an idea.

Honored to win the Excellence in Online/Digital Journalism, Data Award from @aajaofficial.bsky.social!

awards.aaja.org/2025-journal...

How Los Angeles County became home to the biggest AAPI communities in the country The Los Angeles Times analyzed 40 years of data from the census, charting the growth of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities across Los Angeles County.

In honor of AAPI month, resharing this piece we @latimes.com wrote: How did LA become home to the biggest AAPI communities in the country?

www.latimes.com/california/s...

FEMA refused to test residents’ soil in the Eaton and Palisades burn areas for potentially hazardous fire contaminants. So, we did it ourselves. Read our full investigation for @latimes.com here: www.latimes.com/environment/...

In riskier ZIP Codes, private insurance companies are dropping homeowners, leaving them to turn to the California Fair Plan, the insurer of last resort.  www.latimes.com/business/st...

Insurer of last resort kept growing. Then L.A. fire victims paid the price As insurers withdrew from the L.A. market, more homeowners joined the FAIR Plan. Now Jan. 7 fire victims are battling with the state's insurer of last resort to get compensated.

We looked the FAIR Plan in the Palisades & Eaton fire zones and found dependence on the state for insurance has increased in fire areas @latimes.com www.latimes.com/business/sto...

Do you live in a wildfire hazard zone? Here’s what that means Cal Fire added at least 2.8 million Californians to fire hazard zones. Here's how to check which zone you're in and what that means.

Cal Fire just added 6 million acres of California to fire hazard zones. Do you live in one of those zones, and if so, what do the designations mean for your home? Great explainer from @nohaggerty.bsky.social, @sean-greene.bsky.social & @sandhyak.bsky.social: www.latimes.com/environment/...

Do you live in a wildfire hazard zone? Here’s what that means Cal Fire added at least 2.8 million Californians to fire hazard zones. Here's how to check which zone you're in and what that means.

Cal Fire added 2.8 million Californias in fire hazard zones. So, we at @latimes.com read through every single reference to the zones in the state’s codes to find out what exactly that means for residents and communities. Here’s everything you need to know: www.latimes.com/environment/...

New fire maps increase hazard zones in L.A. and Southern California by 3.5 million acres Cal Fire's new maps for Southern California added 3.5 million acres into fire-hazard zones, increasing the acreage in the highest hazard zone by 26%.

NEW for @latimes.com: At long last, Cal Fire's new hazard maps for L.A. are here. They've added 3.5 million acres into hazard zones, but not much changed for the Eaton and Palisades burn areas. Now, a five-month long public input and adoption process. www.latimes.com/environment/...

Our #USC2025CAFellows heard from @sandhyak.bsky.social of @latimes.com on how to visualize their data to find stories. "Just as you interview a person, interview your data ... Make sure you really understand your data in and out," she said.

Transfers rule March Madness. See how your team’s roster compares. The Post analyzed the careers of 10,000 college basketball players to see how transfers are increasingly shaping the sport.

Over half the players in this year's men's #NCAA bracket started their college careers at other schools. At Kentucky, not one of the top 8 players played a minute for the Wildcats before this year. The Portal Effect, from @emilygiam.bsky.social, @jessedougherty.bsky.social & @katiperry.bsky.social:

We tested household products for PFAS using Minnesota’s new regulations. Here’s what we found. The Star Tribune used a screening test similar to what the MPCA would. Some results were above the level that could trigger a state inquiry.

Today's must-read from @chloeajohnson.bsky.social & @readbrooks.bsky.social... They bought items from local stores & tested them for PFAS chemicals to see how Minnesota's new law is working. www.startribune.com/we-tested-ho...

Had a great time at #NICAR25 last week! Materials from my spatial analysis with Census data hands-on class w/ @mikejcorey.bsky.social are here: github.com/sandhya-k/NI...

How do animals sound across languages? Analyzing animal onomatopoeia across languages can demystify how we shape sound into meaning.

I LOVE this piece on animal sounds across languages.

pudding.cool/2025/03/lang...

Then at 3:30 Thursday I'm excited to moderate a panel about all the great resources at the Minnesota Population Center. (and no it's not just Minnesota data...it's actually international data!) David Van Riper, Paul Overberg and @sandhyak.bsky.social #NICAR25

Cal Fire releases new hazard maps for the Bay Area and wine country Cal Fire added more than 360,000 acres in coastal Northern California to its fire hazard zones where heightened fire safety regulations will apply. New Southern California maps come out March 24.

Cal Fire is back with more new hazard maps. This time for the Bay Area. Here's what we found 🧵(story with our resident map wizard @sean-greene.bsky.social) www.latimes.com/environment/...

congratulations!

Real estate losses from fires top $30 billion, from old mobile homes to $23-million mansions A Times analysis shows that half the homes destroyed in Pacific Palisades and Altadena were rentals, raising questions about the future of affordable housing in the communities.

A Times analysis shows that half the homes destroyed in Pacific Palisades and Altadena were rentals, raising questions about the future of affordable housing in the communities.

Excited for #NICAR25 next week! Join me @ire-nicar.bsky.social:

March 6 3:30-4:30 pm analyzing Census microdata
March 7 2:15 -3:15 pm how to make your data story ironclad
March 8 11:30-12:30 pm spatial analysis using Census data

Real estate losses from fires top $30 billion, from old mobile homes to $23-million mansions A Times analysis shows that half the homes destroyed in Pacific Palisades and Altadena were rentals, raising questions about the future of affordable housing in the communities.

Doug & I found real estate losses from the Palisades and Eaton fires could top $30 billion. Gov't agencies that receive revenue from taxes stand to lose $61 million or more annually while homes are being rebuilt. Our analysis @latimes.com:

www.latimes.com/california/s...