Mari Frank Interviews LA Times Columnist David Lazarus

David Lazarus is a business columnist at the Los Angeles Times, focusing on consumer affairs. His work has resulted in a variety of laws protecting Californians, including a ban on sending voter information abroad and limits on how frequently banks can recycle former customers' checking account numbers. He is a two-time winner of the prestigious National Headliner Award and, among other honors, has been named Journalist of the Year by both the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists and the Consumer Federation of California. He previously worked as a columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle and a talk-show host at KGO Radio, and has been published in a variety of newspapers and magazines, including Fortune, Newsweek and National Geographic. He is the author of two books about Japan- one is "Japan, Seriously" and the other is a collection of short stories called "The Secret Sushi Society." He resides in Los Angeles with his wife and son. www.LATimes.com