I Got an Education Cleaning Airplanes in the Middle of the Night 

Working at LAX Taught Me Lessons School Could Not—Including How Much I Wanted the Degree I Missed Out On

The airlines provide barf bags, but the dirty secret is that people often don’t use them. They throw up on the floor and the seats. This is not a society that cleans up after itself.

This is one of the lessons I learned, all too well, when I was trying to support my college education by cleaning the insides of airplanes at LAX in the middle of the night.

When people think about working at the airport, they often think of the romance of being a pilot or a flight attendant, traveling …

How Airports Became the Battleground for Deciding Who Belongs in America

At LAX, Attorneys, Protestors, and Customs Officials Struggle with Trump’s Travel Ban on Muslims

At 3 p.m. on January 28, 2017—the day after Donald Trump signed an executive order banning travel to the United States by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries—I frantically tried …

Eric Garcetti Gets Goofy with Airplane!

At the Zócalo/KCRW ‘My Favorite Movie’ Series, L.A.’s Mayor Discusses the 1980 Comedy Classic with the Filmmakers and KCRW’s Madeleine Brand

Ever wondered what makes L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti laugh? June Cleaver speaking jive, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a pilot, and a bowl of Jell-O on a turbulent plane. When asked to …

Why Does LAX Feel Like a Cross Between a Rundown Bus Station and a Refugee Camp?

Passengers and Pilots Alike Love to Hate on the Airport, But They Don't Understand What's Actually Wrong with It

Los Angeles International has long been the Rodney Dangerfield of airports. It gets no respect—and with good reason. Dated, overcrowded, and inefficient, LAX’s primary redeeming characteristic is the mild Southern …