About me

Hello! I’m Ryan Menezes. Here are some things you ought to know about me:

Since 2024, I’ve been a researcher at SEIU Local 99, a labor union based in Los Angeles. Local 99 represents public school employees, most notably the more than 30,000 classified workers of the Los Angeles Unified School District. In addition, the union also represents family childcare providers through Child Care Providers United (CCPU). I help fulfill all research needs of the local, whether at the bargaining table, in the political sphere or in our campaigns to raise public awareness of our workers.

From 2013 to 2021 I was a journalist at the Los Angeles Times, where I analyzed data for stories across different subjects. As a member of the Data and Graphics team I also wrote, crafted visualizations and tackled random journalistic problems with the help of code.

My job at The Times combined two of my passions: storytelling and data analysis. I came to love both while I was an undergraduate student at UCLA. For four years I wrote and edited for the student newspaper, the Daily Bruin, covering sports while earning my B.S. in statistics.

In between the two jobs that have served as the tentpoles of my career, I worked as a freelance tutor, helping middle- and high-school students in Los Angeles better understand their math classes, and as a Trader Joe’s crew member. I also spent some months traveling through Mexico and Europe. I still tutor on a limited basis in addition to my day job at Local 99.

I consider myself a hack computer programmer after years of using R and python to write scripts that extract meaning from data. But I’m also interested in learning more statistical theory, particularly methods used in the social sciences to illuminate disparities in the world.

I was born in India and raised in four countries and four U.S. states. My family ended up finding a semi-permanent home in Irvine, CA, and I have now spent most of my life in Southern California. Currently I reside in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. My other interests include playing basketball, watching soccer, cooking in my Instant Pot and filling out crosswords.

If you’re interested in chatting about any of the above, please get in touch.