Judy Dixon goes over menu pricing at a La Mirada restaurant with Bureau of Labor Statistics staffer Kim Gomory. (Karen Tapia-Andersen / Los Angeles Times)
Gomory checks out camera prices in Claremont. “Many important things in life,” Gomory said, “school lunch prices, Social Security benefits, monetary policies, are all set up by CPI.” (Karen Tapia-Andersen / Los Angeles Times)
Bureau of Labor Statistics staffer Kim Gomory prices parts and services at a Walnut car repair shop. The $771.51 cost of an air conditioner compressor is one of the statistics she gathers. (Karen Tapia-Andersen / Los Angeles Times)