They’re tiny, weaponized, and carry a potentially deadly payload. They’re called “Assassin Bugs” and they can be as common as the backyard mosquito or as exotic as the so-called “kissing bug"--and they're here in Southern California, spreading some of the deadliest - and neglected- diseases in the world.

SUBSTANDARD OF LIVING

In this episode, SoCal Connected's Deepa Dernandes meets with Dario Pini, a landlord who calls himself a savior of Santa Barbara’s working class, but the City—and many of his tenants—have a different take on Pini. SoCal Connected looks at whether this self-proclaimed savior is actually a slumlord, and why it's taken officials nearly three decades to stop him.

BACK FROM THE BRINK

As new developments pop up all over L.A., many are asking, 'Who approved that?'

Exclusive: What happens when dogs have behaved badly - or accused of it? They end up in LA's animal hearings. 

How did an Altadena family cut its energy use by 90%? It helps when the dad is a climate scientist who is committed to doing about global warming. Anchor Val Zavala meets Peter Kalmus to find out how and why he felt compelled to shrink his carbon footprint so dramatically.

Los Angeles has some of the worst streets in America and the degradation and disrepair is costing the city millions in costly personal injury claims. What's being done to fix L.A.'s roadways and stop the costly litigation?

Socal Connected investigates Motorized outdoor equipment like leaf blowers and lawnmowers will soon surpass cars as California's top pollutant. In a joint investigation with FairWarning, Socal Connected looks at the politics and pollution behind leafblowers.

A man's search for his missing wife who suffers from early onset Alzheimer's reveals gaps in the system meant to locate and care for the mentally impaired in California. Socal Connected documents the journey to answer, where's Nancy.

She's called the unstoppable woman. Meet one of the world's top virus hunters, who travels to the most remote parts of the planet to identify and stop pandemics.