Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times

Samantha Masunaga

Los Angeles Times

Downey, CA, United States

Contact Samantha

Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.

Start free trial

Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • Los Angeles Times
  • Orlando Sentinel
  • The Union-Tribune
  • chicagotribune.com
  • New York Daily News
  • Sun Sentinel
  • Hartford Courant
  • The Morning Call
  • The Baltimore Sun
  • Carroll County Times
  • and more…

Past articles by Samantha:

Virgin Galactic launches commercial flights for space tourists

After years of hype, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic started commercial service Thursday with its first flight for paying customers — Italian researchers who conducted experiments. → Read More

The LIV Golf, PGA Tour merger shows why sports is so good for image washing

The merger of LIV Golf and PGA Tour shows the lure of sports to launder a country's reputation, in this case, Saudi Arabia and its human-rights abuses. → Read More

How Shaquille O'Neal has changed the 'retired athlete' paradigm

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has expanded his influence beyond the basketball court to almost every corner of the business world. → Read More

4 day workweeks are the norm for these California companies

The pandemic changed expectations of work-life balance. A small but growing group of companies has started a four-day week to improve that balance. → Read More

SpaceX's Starship launch: Environmental groups sue the FAA

Texas environmental groups have sued the FAA, alleging that it isn't doing enough to protect the natural habitat around SpaceX's Starship launch site. → Read More

How powerful was that SpaceX Starship liftoff? It blasted concrete up to 6.5 miles away

SpaceX's launch of its massive Starship rocket blasted concrete up to 6.5 miles away and resulted in more than 300 acres of debris, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. → Read More

SpaceX's massive Starship rocket clears the launch pad but ultimately explodes

This was the first launch attempt of the company's massive Starship moon rocket, which is crucial for the future of both SpaceX and U.S. plans for human space exploration. → Read More

Long Beach's Virgin Orbit lays off 675 people, 85% of its workforce

Long Beach-based Virgin Orbit, Richard Branson's rocket company, is laying off 85% of its employees after being unable to secure added funding for operations. → Read More

California weather: Rain is hurting restaurants, carwashes, more

The recent rains provided a major boost for some small businesses. But for others, it spelled disaster. → Read More

First came Angel City FC. Now, meet Monarch Collective, a new fund

Angel City FC proved that investing in women's sports is good business. Monarch Collective is a new, $100-million fund that plans to further that success. → Read More

Mattel lays off workers, including 93 employees in El Segundo

Toymaker Mattel Inc. told state officials that it would lay off 93 employees at its El Segundo headquarters as the company battles economic head winds and weakening consumer demand for toys. → Read More

In addition to layoffs, companies are taking back job offers

As tech companies and others slash tens of thousands of jobs, firms are also rethinking new hires and rescinding job offers. → Read More

Tips for bouncing back from a rescinded job offer

You got the job. Then the company rescinds the offer. What do you do next? → Read More

Making travel plans? Southwest’s holiday meltdown may be a sign of air travel drama to come

Southwest Airlines’ costly holiday meltdown highlighted how quickly airline operations can go off the rails, particularly when you add bad weather to the complex calculation of how to get crews on the right planes at the right time. → Read More

Southwest Airlines' meltdown may signal travel drama ahead

Can Southwest repair its flight network and reputation after it canceled nearly 17,000 December flights? Are other airlines vulnerable? → Read More

Lots of Californians are leaving the workforce. The reason: lack of child care options

The pandemic highlighted how crucial child care is for working parents. But the lack of options is still harming the ability of many parents to work. → Read More

Meet three California startups taking on America’s child-care crisis

While child-care startups have seen an influx of money and interest from investors in the last year, the industry's challenges run deep. → Read More

Is ChatGPT a marvel or a farce? We interviewed the chatbot to find out

We interviewed ChatGPT, a chatbot that has garnered widespread attention for its ability to mimic human conversation. Then we brought in experts in artificial intelligence and the arts to analyze ChatGPT's responses. → Read More

Northrop Grumman to debut new B-21 bomber as aerospace employment rebounds

Seven years after winning a U.S. Air Force contract to build a new bomber, Northrop Grumman is unveiling its B-21. The company has doubled its Antelope Valley workforce since winning the project in 2015. → Read More

What happens when CEOs return? History has some lessons for Bob Iger and Disney

So-called boomerang CEOs can be like Steve Jobs, who propelled Apple to new heights. Or they can fail to recapture the magic. → Read More