Shaky Town

With the passage of Prop 22, voters decided that companies like Uber and Lyft did not have to classify their drivers as employees. We take a look at what this means for the future of gig workers here in the state.

Polling leading up to the November 3, 2020 Presidential Election showed a strong lead for Former Vice President Joe Biden, but the results were much tighter than what those polls let on. The same thing happened in 2016 when polls predicted Donald Trump would lose. We talk to NBC4 Political Reporter Conan Nolan about what went wrong and about the future of the polling industry and American politics.

People who have had medical emergencies are often hit with surprise bills afterwards. We talked to a former UCLA student whose family was charged more than $25,000 for ambulance rides. Experts weigh in on how and why surprise billing has become such a problem, and a Los Angeles lawyer tells a story that demonstrates a terrible side effect of these practices of surprise billing.

With the pandemic has come a rise in scams, so we reached out to someone who knows a lot about scams. We talked to former con artist Frank Abagnale, whose life story was turned into a Hollywood movie, "Catch Me If You Can" starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. He talks about some of the con games he pulled and about how you can help protect yourself and your family members.

This has been a challenging year for many parents and students. We talked to a parent about the difficulties associated with online learning and about the possibility of returning to class in person. We also talked to a professor about the mistakes school systems made, how teachers can better help students now, and what can be done to better handle a situation like this in the future.

The race for the White House is heating up after the presidential candidates debated for the first time. We talked to a political expert about key moments in the debate and about issues like voter fraud. We also look at how the presidential race could impact Southern California congressional races.

They allegedly have names like the Executioners and Banditos. But these aren't street gangs, they're allegedly cliques within the LA Sheriff's Department. Eric Leonard takes a look at an alleged culture within the department that some claim has been going on for years.

The pandemic has also brought with it a rise in scams, and it has hit close to home. Shaky Town Executive Producer Tim Howick tells how his mother was scammed out of $1600 and his mother-in-law was conned out of $65,000! Our NBC4 Los Angeles consumer investigator Randy Mac also talks about the prevalence of these scams and why they are on the rise. We also talk to a psychiatrist about why people are more susceptible to these scams during the pandemic and about steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Polls show public perception of "Black Lives Matter," both the phrase and the organization, has changed since the death of George Floyd. More Americans now support BLM than have in years past. We talk to a USC Professor about the significance of this shift. We also talk to the co-founder of Black Lives Matter LA about what the group wants to see happen next.

Athletes are taking a stand in the fight against police brutality and for social equity in ways that we've never seen before. We talk to a professor at USC about the historical and social significance of their actions.

NBC Los Angeles Anchor Chuck Henry tells the frightening story of his close encounter with a wildfire. We also talked to a director of the Netflix documentary "Fire in Paradise" about his experience making that film and talking to the survivors of the most destructive fire in California history, the Camp Fire.

Billboards are going up around Southern California with pictures of homicide victims and the phrase "Do you know who murdered us?" This is being done in an effort to generate new leads in these unsolved cases. We talked to 2 mothers whose sons were killed about their hopes for this campaign.

It's back to school time for many students, but most of them are not returning to the classroom. Instead they are receiving their instruction virtually because of the Coronavirus pandemic. We spoke with a parent and a school administrator about the challenges this is presenting.

Some say she is responsible for LA's homeless crisis, but she says she is just doing what's right. We chat with homeless advocate and attorney Carol Sobel about her storied career fighting for the people living on the streets of Los Angeles.

Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, Stanford University announced it's eliminating 11 athletic programs, including volleyball. We hear from some of the Southern California athletes who play volleyball for the school, about how this decision affects them. We also spoke to the USA Men's Volleyball coach about what this means for the sport as a whole.

With a surge in Coronavirus cases, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a new order for many businesses to shut down again. Some Southern California business owners, however, say they refuse to close their doors. We spoke with one gym owner who says he's not shutting down.

We talk to former white supremacist Timothy Zaal about how he got involved in hate groups, the kinds of things he did while mixed in with that crowd, and how he was able to see his way out of that lifestyle.

All over the country, Americans are having conversations about race. NBC4 Los Angeles Reporter, Beverly White, recounts her experiences with racism and discusses why she believes real change is coming.

Most people consider Los Angeles to be progressive and don't think about it as a place with entrenched racism, but if you drive around, you will see that many of the LA neighborhoods are segregated. We discuss how this came to be.

Many people are now calling for reform in police departments across the country following the death of George Floyd. To get a sense of what can and should be done, we talked to former LAPD chief Bernard Parks.

Following the death of George Floyd, many are questioning just how prevalent racism is within America's police departments. Many police officers will say that there is an "us vs. them" mentality within a lot of precincts; meaning that instead of protecting and serving, many of the officers may feel that they are going to war against the people who live in the communities they patrol. We spoke to a former LAPD detective who says racism was rampant in the department. We also hear from NBC Consumer Investigator Randy Mac about the time bogus charges almost landed him in prison for 20 years.

In the wake of the death of George Floyd, there have been demonstrations all over the world. Some of them have turned violent. But how did we get here? We discuss how racial tension in America has reached a boiling point and led up to some of the problems we are seeing in this country right now and why so many African-Americans have been so affected by the George Floyd arrest video.

Many barbershop and salon owners in Los Angeles County are frustrated because businesses like theirs have been allowed to open in other parts of the state, but they are still being forced to remain closed. We talked to one barbershop owner who believes, he can reopen his locations safely and should be allowed to do so.

Many people who suffer from autoimmune diseases are worried they may not be able to get the medication they need. Many of them rely on a drug called Hydroxychloroquine, and since President Trump began touting that medication as a potential way to treat and prevent Coronavirus, supply has gone down and prices have gone up. We talked to a Lupus patient about her concerns. We also spoke to a Los Angeles doctor who has first hand experience with Hydroxychloroquine about what he thinks about its effectiveness as a Covid-19 treatment.

Many owners of Southern California businesses that are still shut down are upset because they want to reopen their doors and try to provide for their families. Health and fitness clubs are among those businesses that have not been allowed to open yet, and it may be months before they can. We talked to the man who runs dozens of Orangetheory locations in California about how his business is handling the Coronavirus crisis.

The Coronavirus pandemic has forced an unprecedented number of Californians to file for unemployment benefits, but many have had extreme difficulty receiving any financial relief. We speak to one Southern California family about their struggles trying to get help from the Employment Development Department, and we hear from NBC4 Los Angeles Consumer Investigator Randy Mac about why the problem is so enormous.

Despite the fact that raising rents while stay at home orders are in effect is illegal in many cases, some landlords are apparently trying to squeeze more money out of tenants anyway. We spoke to one woman who says her rent is being raised unlawfully. We also talked to the Los Angeles City Councilman who is trying to do something about this problem.

Local governments everywhere are thinking about the best way to go about reopening their cities and counties. As public health officials begin that process in Los Angeles County, figuring out exactly how widespread Coronavirus is becomes increasingly important. We talked to Dr. Paul Simon with the LA County Public Health Department about the research that may shed more light on covid-19's reach.

With the devastating global impact of Coronavirus, scientists from around the world are urgently working to find a treatment. We talked to one of those researchers at UCLA, where they are testing several new drugs that could help people infected with Covid-19 better fight the illness.

As governments everywhere are in the middle of trying to deal with the Coronavirus outbreak, a bitter battle is underway between some of Los Angeles County's most powerful and most visible leaders. We talk to a law professor and former LA Ethics Commission president about how this ongoing fight could impact the ability of those leaders to get their constituents through the Covid-19 crisis.

The Coronavirus crisis has the potential to put a major strain on the health care system across the country. We talked to a Los Angeles emergency room nurse about what health care professionals are dealing with as cases of Covid-19 continue to grow.

Coronavirus concerns left many Los Angeles residents stuck in Peru after that country's president shut down the border. We talked to 2 Southern Californians about their experience being stranded on international soil.

As more cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed in Southern California and local governments have now declared emergencies, one question that’s been coming up -- is how concerned should you really be? We talk with two infectious disease specialists - and try to separate the truth from the hype.

From Beverly Hills to Hollywood, you may not recognize a sex trafficking victim when you see one. We talk to one woman who used to be in that life. She tells us victims are everywhere, and they may be right under your nose. Listen, as she talks about how she was able to get out of that sinister world and how she is now working with the police to help improve the way they deal with this issue.

A judge ordered that he be released from prison years ago, but he’s still incarcerated. Justin Wolfe was convicted of ordering a hit on his drug kingpin boss, but the man who pulled the trigger later said, Wolfe had nothing to do with it. Evidence revealed prosecutors hadn’t played fair. We talk to Justin Wolfe’s childhood friend, Mike Trella about this wild case and what he’s doing to get his friend’s story out there.

The LA gang life was popularized by songs, movies, and TV shows, but what is the gang culture really like? And how have things changed over the years? A former gang member turned gang intervention worker gives us an inside look at life on the streets, then and now. He also tells us about the heart-wrenching moment that led him to leave that life behind, and the work he’s doing now to help get others out of the gang life.

With the growing concern in the minds of millions over the threat of a mass shooting, we talk to former police officer and FBI agent, Dr. Erroll Southers. He talks about what may motivate mass shooters like the Saugus High School shooter. He also discusses the high-tech way he’s trying to help design safer schools and offices.

Kobe Bryant's tragic death shocked the world. NBC4 Los Angeles Sports Anchor, Fred Roggin, looks back at the life of the Laker Legend and his impact on L.A.

Congressman Adam Schiff - From Glendale to Washington D.C., how this Los Angeles politician has become the face of Democrats in the Impeachment of President Trump. Eric Leonard talks to political expert Conan Nolan.

Carolina Rodriguez' rent was about to double. The single mother of six decided to fight back. Her powerful story to keep her family together and change the law for some renters.

In the world of big rig truckers, Shaky Town refers to Los Angeles, due to earthquakes.And in SoCal politics, policing and the powerful, the undercurrent is as treacherous as ourfault lines. NBCLA investigative reporter, Eric Leonard, digs deeper into the unfair, amazing andbizarre stories that impact and inspire locals. Our new weekly podcast exposes what's really happening in Shaky Town. Coming soon.