vani sanganeria

I'm Vani Sanganeria, a journalist based in Los Angeles.

I'm passionate about local, digital and investigative journalism, and I spend most of my time riding the Metro to meet my neighbors and their stories.

Featured Work

Knock LA •

Inside UCLA Student Workers’ Fight for a Truly Public University

For Menelik Tafari, losing a day’s worth of pay could mean losing care for his daughter, who was born with serious health complications earlier this year.

“My daughter has been on seizure watch, in [hospitals], and she’s needed more care and more support,” Tafari said. “I’ve had to opt to be a stay-at-home dad — not working and not teaching — really just focusing on my child.”

Tafari is a native Angeleno, lifelong public educator, and fourth-year urban schooling graduate student at UCLA. Befor
Knock LA •

Student Workers Move Closer to Unionizing at USC

Two and a half years before the historic graduate worker strike at neighboring University of California, Kritika Pandey canceled her flight back home to New Delhi from Los Angeles. As COVID-19 cases grew rapidly in LA, she was forced to extend her stay as an international student worker at the University of Southern California on a $30,500 stipend that barely covered her initial nine months of rent and living expenses in LA.

“During the pandemic, I really had to struggle to make ends meet while
LA Public Press •

This is how liquor licenses play a role in gentrifying Highland Park

HIGHLAND PARK — Angela Gonzales-Torres has no problem with a cheeky Fig Leaf Negroni served up on a laid-back patio on a Tuesday afternoon. She does have a problem with her neighborhood turning into a playground for the rich, she said, which is why she filed with the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to protest Highly Likely and its alcohol permit when the restaurant opened in Highland Park last July.

“I was photographing these staple establishments — the 98 Cent Store, the affordable
LA Public Press •

Health concerns prompt LA City Council to reject changes at Van Nuys Airport

Eric Gill said that at times, the air around Van Nuys airport is so thick with jet fumes that “you could cut it with a knife.”

Gill, from Sun Valley, is just one of many residents opposing a new management lease at Van Nuys Airport (VNY). They believe that changes to the airport could lead to an increase in emissions — which is why they attended an LA City Council special session to oppose helicopter company Helinet Aviation’s
L.A. TACO •

An Egyptian Immigrant Takes on Birria and Border Culture Outside Tijuana’s Centro Islamico ~ L.A. TACO

A few blocks from the beachfront row of Jalisco-inspired birria vendors, Egyptian aromatics cut through the traditionally spiced, ancho, and guajillo chile-scented ocean mist of Playas de Tijuana, where Mohammed Gamal sets up shop in front of the Centro Islamico de Baja y Masjid Omar. It’s Tijuana’s most prominent Islamic cultural center and mosque—serving Arabic migrants, Muslim mosque-goers, and longtime residents of the Tijuana borough.

Gamal’s most popular staple on his menu is also the nam
Daily Trojan •

Queer nightlife becomes ground zero to L.A.’s monkeypox response

On the corner of 4th Street and Broadway, Brian Sullivan and his husband spent Friday night at Precinct, a popular gay bar in Downtown Los Angeles. It was their first night out since news of the monkeypox virus broke in the queer community.

Drawn in by familiar strobe lights pulsing to the DJ’s ‘80s disco mix, Sullivan weaved through tipsy strangers and barely audible conversations to the dance floor. He spent the last few weekends, Sullivan said, trying to find monkeypox vaccines for him and h

Audio Q&A: Highland Park resident protests alcohol permit for cafe Highly Likely

(Photo by L.A. TACO) Angela Gonzalez-Torres says corporate newcomers to her Highland Park neighborhood are displacing longtime residents and small businesses. As president of the volunteer-run Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, she began protesting prominent L.A. restaurateur Carey Mosier’s request for an alcohol permit for his new cafe Highly Likely last July. In an interview with Vani Sanganeria, Gonzalez-Torres explains how too many bars and too little regulation from local government has changed Highland Park from home to an “amusement park,” and what can be done to reinvest in the local community moving forward.
Annenberg Media •

Award-winning journalists Cerise Castle and Mc Nelly Torres on the strength it takes to run toward danger

Journalist Cerise Castle was covering protests in response to George Floyd’s murder for a local radio station in 2020 when a Los Angeles Police Department officer shot her with a rubber bullet. She was left with a severe leg injury and a doctor’s mandate to leave the field for six months of bed rest.

“In that moment, as a Black woman in journalism,” said Castle, “I just did not feel comfortable sitting down and being still.”

Days after she was shot, Castle read about an 18-year-old security gu
L.A. TACO •

Video: Everything There Is to Know About Nixtamal History at Tijuana's Carmelita with Chef Jose Figueroa

Jose "Joe" Figueroa is part of Tijuana's next generation of Tijuana-raised chefs who are contributing to the border city's booming food and drink scene. He is the first in his hometown to open up an heirloom corn-based restaurant, Carmelita Molino y Tortillería, where he sells tortillas, coffee, and a masa-based menu that changes with the seasons. As part of L.A. TACO's and U.S.C. Annenberg's collaboration Tijuana Week, student Vani Sanganeria produced this video about the process of nixtamal and its history.
Annenberg Media | Opinion •

The University of California can’t intimidate its way out of the graduate worker strike

The University of California could have prevented its largest labor crisis at the bargaining table.

Instead, as professors cancel lectures due to teaching assistant shortages, lab sections pause crucial lessons and undergraduate assignments go ungraded, the university’s pattern of intimidation and foot-dragging becomes less a tactic and more a liability in negotiating against 48,000 striking graduate workers — the university’s backbone for all day-to-day curricular activities.

The nation’s lar

Data Report: LAPD Fatal Shooting of Palms Resident

On Monday, Jan. 11, 2020 at 12:51 pm, Victor Valencia was walking to his sister’s house on the south
side of Venice Boulevard and Tuller Avenue next to a Shell gas station in Culver City, located next to Palms, a
community in the city of Los Angeles, and nearby a homeless encampment under the 405 freeway. Valencia
was holding and waving around a stray bicycle part in his hand, which appeared to be a small black gun to
several pedestrians who called 911 and reported a man erratically pointing and waving a gun at them.
Annenberg Media •

Twenty-Eight for ‘28: Metro madness

Los Angeles public transportation will see significant changes as the city prepares to host the 2028 Olympics. As funding increases for dozens of transit projects, L.A. residents, city leaders and political organizers disagree about how these infrastructure changes will affect local communities.

In 1984, L.A. hosted the most profitable Olympic Games in history, earning $223 million, due in large part to its existing stadium infrastructure. In 2028, the city government hopes to set the stage for
Annenberg Media •

Wage theft accusations slow momentum for city council candidate

The Los Angeles City Council may seem synonymous with scandal these days and the race for South Los Angeles’ 15th District may add to that impression.

Danielle Sandoval is running against Tim McOsker for the city council seat representing San Pedro, Harbor City, Wilmington and Watts. In September, the Los Angeles Times reported complaints of wage theft against Sandoval from former employees at Caliente Cantina, Sandoval’s now closed restaurant in San Pedro.

The complaints, which date back eigh
Annenberg Media •

What to consider when reporting on Iran, from the Equity Board

Recently, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini (also known by her Kurdish name Jina Amini, which she was not allowed to go by in Iran) was arrested by the Islamic Republic or Iranian morality police who enforce the Islamic Republic’s dress code. It’s worth noting that there has been Islamophobic rhetoric surrounding Iran; this is not an Islamic morality police, but the Iranian government’s morality police.

She was arrested for improper wearing of her hijab, but it is also integral to note that she is from t
Annenberg Media •

USC celebrates inclusivity at Latinx Heritage Month kickoff event

USC students, faculty and alumni kicked off Latinx Heritage Month on Thursday with a university-wide event at Tommy’s Place, USC’s concert venue at Ronald Tutor Campus Center. Joined virtually by President Carol L. Folt, the Latinx Chicanx Center for Advocacy and Student Affairs (La CASA) hosted the celebration with a theme of Unidos — Inclusivity for a Stronger Community.

From pupusas to tostones, a buffet of Latin American dishes lined an entire wall of the basement venue, where attendees gat
Annenberg Media •

Video: Media workers demand better working conditions at popular content agency

On May 12, Adolescent Content voluntarily recognized the Adolescent Creative Labor Guild Union. This video was filmed prior to the recognition, shortly after the ACLG announced its formation on April 18.

Gen Z creatives are unionizing at Adolescent Content (@adolescentcontent), one of Instagram's most popular advertising agencies that specializes in content by and for the younger generation. As a founding member of the Adolescent Creative Labor Guild (ACLG), Creative Strategist Sydney N. Sweeney hopes to reset the agency’s standard for labor conditions with the progressive values of youth culture.

On May 12, the ACLG was recognized by Adolescent Content, making it one of the nation’s first unions in the advertising industry. In partnership with Communication Workers of America, the ACLG has begun negotiating a settlement for pay equity, transparency, and fair labor practices with the company’s leadership.

Victor Serrano, a District Organizing Coordinator CWA and representative for the ACLG, feels optimistic about the new union’s future. Annenberg Media's Vani Sanganeria reports on the ACLG's unionization efforts.

Correction: this video description was updated to make clear that the union was voluntarily recognized by Adolescent Content before the publishing of this video.

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Annenberg Media •

How Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill impacts LGBTQ+ youth

Florida’s in the news again. What’s new?

On Tuesday morning, the Florida Senate passed the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Under this legislation, kindergarten through 3rd grade teachers will be banned from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in their classrooms.

Officially called the Parental Rights in Education Bill, the legislation is now headed to the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis. While the Republican lawmaker has expressed his support for the bill, he hasn’t explicitly
Annenberg Media •

Audio: USC community navigates first day without mask mandate

As COVID positivity rates decrease in L.A. County, USC has lifted its indoor mask mandate. Today marks the first day that everyone can go without masks since the return to in-person classes in Fall 2021. Vani Sanganeria has the story.

For the first time in nearly two years, students are able to walk into indoor spaces without a mask.

Still, some professors are encouraging their students to continue wearing masks in person.

USC physics and astronomy professor Dr. Vahe Peroomian sent an email r
Annenberg Media •

Audio: Biden to address Ukraine, Inflation, and SCOTUS nomination at State of the Union

Ukraine will figure a lot on President Joe Biden’ State of the Union speech tomorrow evening. The annual address comes as the world seems increasingly chaotic. With foreign tensions and inflation rising, there’s a lot for Biden to talk about and also, his historic supreme court nomination. Nick Charles reports.

The state of the union address falls during a especially tumultuous moment this year. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has dominated the headlines. Biden reportedly has revised his address s
Annenberg Media •

Audio: USG Presidential race down to one ticket after drop-out

The USG presidential race has dwindled down to only one ticket. One of the tickets that had been in the race withdrew, so now the only remaining ticket will run unopposed for President of USG. Vani Sanganeria has more on this curious story.

Weston Belle-Geddes and Erica Wang announced Thursday on Instagram that they will be withdrawing from the race. In their post, the pair states they want to make positive changes at USC, but USG is not the place to achieve their goals.

Their decision to with