David K. Li is a staff reporter for The New York Post. He's based in Los Angeles and covers West Coast news. David has been with The Post since March 1996 (minus one year off in 1997-98 when he won a fellowship with the American Political Science Association).

Originally hired as a general assignment reporter in New York, David was sent to Los Angeles in late 1996 to cover the O.J. Simpson civil trial. Ever since (other than the Congressional year off), David has been kept in Southern California to cover West Coast news.

Although David reports and writes primarily for the news section, his bylines often appear in the Post sports and TV sections.

David began his career as a sportswriter for The Daily Breeze in Torrance, Calif. from 1986 to 1989. He switched to news when he was hired by the now-defunct Los Angeles Herald Examiner in May, 1989.

After that paper folded at the end of 1989, David went to the Los Angeles Daily News and worked there until August 1992, when he left for The Oakland Tribune.

David was born in Hong Kong, but grew up primarily in San Dimas, Calif., as the youngest of three brothers.

His father, Seung P. Li, is a retired administrator and professor of engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. David graduated from Fullerton (Calif.) State University in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in communications.

He can be reached at davidkli@nypost.com.