Centinela Valley Union High School District Corruption: Public Service Investigation
Overview: In 2014, the Daily Breeze launched an investigative series exposing cronyism, inflated salaries, and misuse of public funds in the Centinela Valley Union High School District, which serves 6,600 students across four high schools. For this project, I translated complex financial data into clear infographics, including salary comparisons against state averages. I worked closely with reporters Rob Kuznia, Rebecca Kimitch, and editor Frank Suraci to identify key storytelling angles and maintain visual consistency. The series won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting, recognized for its strong use of online visuals, and led to criminal investigations, board recalls, and administrative reforms aimed at restoring fiscal accountability.
Chromium‑6 in Hinkley: Investigative Series
Overview: In 2013, SCNG investigated lingering hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) contamination in Hinkley’s groundwater. This followed PG&E’s dumping, involving mapping plume migration, charting health-risk correlations, outlining remediation timelines from 1952 through Erin Brockovich’s 1993 litigation to present cleanup efforts, and comparing water-supply readings against safety thresholds. For this project, I distilled public records and monitoring reports into print-ready and interactive web graphics. These included plume maps, health-impact charts, remediation chronologies, and comparative metrics. I collaborated with reporters to highlight critical points (such as when levels surpassed California’s 0.02 ppb health goal) and ensured responsive design across devices. The series earned a National Headliner Award, two CNPA Awards, and a Sigma Delta Chi Award. It drove a 35% lift in online engagement over comparable investigations, and its visuals have informed academic case studies and nonprofit outreach on Hinkley’s ongoing remediation efforts.
Additional Editorial Infographics
Fireworks: Basic Anatomy
For SCNG’s Fourth of July coverage, I designed a full-page “Fireworks: Basic Anatomy” infographic. It featured exploded-view cutaways of single- and multi-break shells, labeled chemical components, and photographic examples of six common burst patterns (chrysanthemums, comets, crossettes, palms, peonies, and willows). A brief “Safe and Sane Fireworks” guide was included as well. I researched pyrotechnic science with reporters and subject-matter experts, created vector illustrations, developed a cohesive nighttime color palette, and organized the content for both print and web. Published across SCNG’s network, which reaches over 6 million readers, and promoted on social media, the graphic drew 15,000 digital views within 48 hours and sparked conversation around fireworks safety. It showed how clear visuals and concise copy can inform and engage a wide audience.
For SCNG’s Fourth of July coverage, I designed a full-page “Fireworks: Basic Anatomy” infographic. It featured exploded-view cutaways of single- and multi-break shells, labeled chemical components, and photographic examples of six common burst patterns (chrysanthemums, comets, crossettes, palms, peonies, and willows). A brief “Safe and Sane Fireworks” guide was included as well. I researched pyrotechnic science with reporters and subject-matter experts, created vector illustrations, developed a cohesive nighttime color palette, and organized the content for both print and web. Published across SCNG’s network, which reaches over 6 million readers, and promoted on social media, the graphic drew 15,000 digital views within 48 hours and sparked conversation around fireworks safety. It showed how clear visuals and concise copy can inform and engage a wide audience.
Anchorman: Anatomy of a Toy
For a feature in the Daily Breeze Arts & Culture section (circulation around 200,000), I designed a full-page “Anchorman: Anatomy of a Toy” infographic centered on a detailed illustration of the Ron Burgundy action figure. Inset panels and callouts traced each production step: Gentle Giant’s facial scanning and 3D model rendering at the top; Bell Sound’s voice-box recordings placed at the chest; body castings by a Hollywood sculptor aligned with the limbs; the custom “Scotchy Scotch Scotch Vision” eye viewer inset near the face; Torrance-based Dots Design’s tailored suit shown with fabric swatches; and final manufacturing and packaging in China displayed with product-shot vignettes at the base. By combining annotated diagrams, studio stills, and packaging photography, the graphic highlighted collaborations between Southern California vendors and overseas partners, sparked reader Q&As with the toy’s designer, and celebrated the region’s creative manufacturing expertise.
For a feature in the Daily Breeze Arts & Culture section (circulation around 200,000), I designed a full-page “Anchorman: Anatomy of a Toy” infographic centered on a detailed illustration of the Ron Burgundy action figure. Inset panels and callouts traced each production step: Gentle Giant’s facial scanning and 3D model rendering at the top; Bell Sound’s voice-box recordings placed at the chest; body castings by a Hollywood sculptor aligned with the limbs; the custom “Scotchy Scotch Scotch Vision” eye viewer inset near the face; Torrance-based Dots Design’s tailored suit shown with fabric swatches; and final manufacturing and packaging in China displayed with product-shot vignettes at the base. By combining annotated diagrams, studio stills, and packaging photography, the graphic highlighted collaborations between Southern California vendors and overseas partners, sparked reader Q&As with the toy’s designer, and celebrated the region’s creative manufacturing expertise.
Mechanized Workforce
For SCNG’s special report on automation, I designed a full-page “Mechanized Workforce” infographic that combined a global heat map, a U.S. sector bubble chart, and a wage-versus-automation scatter plot to show that 49 percent of paid activities worldwide could be automated. I researched data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the McKinsey Global Institute, then visualized real-world examples such as TraPac’s automated gantry cranes and straddle carriers at the Port of Los Angeles, along with Amazon’s airborne fulfillment airship and delivery drones, to connect abstract percentages with tangible case studies. Using a clean layout with blue-accented data points, detailed isometric port illustrations, and clear callouts, the piece was published in print and online across SCNG’s network, which reaches more than 6 million readers weekly. It drew thousands of digital views and sparked active conversations on social media about the future of work.
For SCNG’s special report on automation, I designed a full-page “Mechanized Workforce” infographic that combined a global heat map, a U.S. sector bubble chart, and a wage-versus-automation scatter plot to show that 49 percent of paid activities worldwide could be automated. I researched data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the McKinsey Global Institute, then visualized real-world examples such as TraPac’s automated gantry cranes and straddle carriers at the Port of Los Angeles, along with Amazon’s airborne fulfillment airship and delivery drones, to connect abstract percentages with tangible case studies. Using a clean layout with blue-accented data points, detailed isometric port illustrations, and clear callouts, the piece was published in print and online across SCNG’s network, which reaches more than 6 million readers weekly. It drew thousands of digital views and sparked active conversations on social media about the future of work.
