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New Book Chronicles Citizen Action to Combat Environmental Injustice

In communities around the world, toxic pollution has taken a terrible toll on public health, leading to more than 12.5 million deaths a year, according to the World Health Organization. In her new book “Slow Harms and Citizen Action: Environmental Degradation and Policy Change in Latin American Cities,” UCLA Luskin’s Veronica Herrera sheds light on the struggle against toxic exposure and the role of grassroots activism in crafting effective environmental policies. “For the millions of communities around the world where pollution is a slow-moving, long-standing problem, residents born into toxic exposure often perceive pollution as part of the everyday landscape,” writes Herrera, an associate professor of urban planning. The book, published by Oxford University Press, shares her pathbreaking research into river pollution on the poor fringes of three Latin American capitals: Bogotá, Colombia; Lima, Peru; and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Through original interviews, photographs, maps and other sources, Herrera illustrates how human rights movements that had previously helped dismantle state-sponsored militarized violence have also laid the groundwork for successful environmental activism. “In many instances, citizen-led pressures are increasingly the environmental regulatory institution of last resort in Global South cities,” Herrera writes.


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Violence, Aggression Against Educators Grew Post-Pandemic, Study Finds

While threats and violence against pre-K to 12th-grade teachers and other school personnel in the United States declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, after the restrictions were lifted, incidents rebounded to levels equal to or exceeding those prior to the pandemic. As a result, the percentage of teachers expressing the intention to resign or transfer rose from 49% during the pandemic to 57% afterward. These are the findings of new research led by the American Psychological Association’s Task Force on Violence Against Educators and School Personnel, whose members include UCLA Luskin Social Welfare Professor Ron Avi Astor. “Aggression and violence against educators and school personnel are major concerns that affect the well-being of school personnel and the students and families they serve,” the researchers concluded. They recommended an overhaul of existing policies, with the goal of bringing school personnel, students, parents and communities together to work toward improving campus climate, work environment, and student learning and well-being. The study compared the results of two surveys of educators and school personnel from all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The first was conducted during the height of the pandemic in 2020-2021 and the second in 2022, after many campuses had lifted COVID-19 restrictions. Respondents were asked about their encounters with various forms of violence, including verbal, cyber and physical, from students, parents and guardians, colleagues and administrators. They were also asked if they intended to quit, retire early or transfer to another position within the school system. The study was published May 30 in the journal American Psychologist.

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UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute Hosts Briefing in State Capital

California’s housing and environmental justice challenges were the focus of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute’s fifth annual policy briefing held at The California Endowment in Sacramento. Over 80 people representing legislative offices, community organizations, staff and students were welcomed to the May 1 event by Amada Armenta, LPPI’s associate faculty director and a UCLA Luskin associate professor of urban planning. “At LPPI, we like to say that all issues are Latino issues. And we know that to address these issues, you need data,” Armenta said. “Our research is led by a Latino team that draws on their personal experiences, as well as their deep expertise, to produce research that shines a light on communities that are too often ignored so you can serve your constituents through targeted and data-driven policy interventions.” California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara opened the session, followed by a panel on the complexities of environmental challenges, moderated by LPPI co-director of research Silvia González MURP ’13, PhD ’20. The briefing also shared research on the high prevalence of “doubled-up homelessness,” in which individuals share overcrowded and substandard housing, and highlighted the Latino Data Hub, the digital data platform developed by LPPI researchers. More than 20 UCLA students attended the briefing as part of the institute’s leadership fellowship curriculum. “Today, I see experts, scholars and students who are the future leaders. I see the staff for elected offices who have the knowledge, passion and power to change the trajectories and lives of our communities,” said Lila Burgos MURP ’13, deputy director of LPPI. — Cristian Rivera

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aerial view of water overflow on damaged dam

Downsizing Local News Contributes to Crumbling Infrastructure

Reading strong local journalism is tied to greater support for funding dams, sewers and other basic infrastructure vital to climate resilience, according to new research from UCLA and Duke University. The study, published this month in the journal Political Behavior, found that reading fictionalized samples of news coverage with specific local details about infrastructure maintenance requirements led to as much as 10% more electoral support for infrastructure spending compared to reading bare-bones reporting. Just a few extra paragraphs of context in the mock news stories not only increased support for spending, but also increased voters’ willingness to hold politicians accountable for infrastructure neglect by voting them out of office. “Heat, floods, drought and fire are putting new stress on aging and deteriorating infrastructure, which must be maintained to protect communities against these growing climate risks,” said Megan Mullin, faculty director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and co-author of the study. “Our study shows that investing in facilities that improve our resilience to climate hazards requires investing in the health of local news.” Deep cuts to local news staffs nationwide have led to reduced original reporting and local political stories in favor of national news that can be centrally produced and shared in many newspapers within the same ownership structure, the study’s authors noted. “Empty newsrooms and AI reporting don’t provide communities with the information they need to make investments for their own health and security,” said Mullin, a UCLA Luskin professor of public policy whose research focuses on environmental politics. — Alison Hewitt

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Weisburst Selected as National Bureau of Economic Research Fellow

Emily Weisburst, assistant professor of public policy at UCLA Luskin, has been named a faculty research fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Weisburst, a labor economist who studies the economics of crime, criminal justice and legal policy, education and immigration, is one of 54 fellows chosen this year. Appointees were selected after a review by directors of NBER’s 20 research programs, who consulted with steering committees made up of leading scholars. Weisburst will work with NBER’s Law and Economics Program, which studies the economic dimensions of specific legal rules and the broader legal system. She also has affiliations with UCLA’s California Policy Lab and California Center for Population Research, and is a research affiliate at the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA). Weisburst’s recent scholarship sheds light on the factors that impact police decision-making and public trust in police, and how interactions with the criminal justice system affect individuals, families and communities.


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Public Affairs Grad Named 2024 Young Alumnus of the Year

Born at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, UCLA quarterback Chase Griffin has been a true lifelong Bruin, earning a bachelor’s degree in public affairs in 2021 and a master’s in education in 2023. Now he’s poised to add a UCLA master’s in legal studies to the list. Recently named the 2024 Young Alumnus of the Year for his leadership and philanthropic commitment, Griffin has leveraged his status as one of college football’s most recognizable athletes to raise awareness of social justice issues and encourage corporations to invest in community organizations. Griffin, a leader in the NIL (name, image, likeness) licensing, which gives student-athletes power over their personal brand, launched the Chase Griffin Foundation to help combat food insecurity and has donated more than $50,000 of his NIL earnings to the Los Angeles Food Bank and other local groups. He has served on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Student-Athlete Task Force, mentored students at the Horace Mann UCLA Community School and in 2023 was initiated into the Order of the Golden Bruin, UCLA’s oldest honorary society, for his service to the university and community.

Read more about Griffin and the other 2024 UCLA Alumni Award recipients