New research that can light the way toward real policy solutions for California will be shared at the 2nd Annual Sacramento Briefing, presented by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Faculty from top UCLA research centers will join state lawmakers, agency officials and community leaders to present findings, build networks and pursue transformative change.
Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Time: 9 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Location: UC Student and Policy Center, Sacramento
Cost: Free
The Luskin Sacramento Briefing is also envisioned as a listening opportunity. If you’re involved in policymaking in Sacramento, please contact us about attending and encourage your colleagues to do so as well. We look forward to hearing your suggestions relating to legislative priorities that would benefit from UCLA research. INQUIRE ABOUT ATTENDING
SACRAMENTO BRIEFING PANELS
Can California Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled? Should It?
Presented by the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies
California has declared that it wants to reduce the total number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) across the state. In this session, presenters will discuss strategies and best practices for achieving this complex goal. VMT is accompanied by undeniable costs but also by real benefits — and the benefits may be largest, paradoxically, in places where driving is most common. Thus, the broader goal of making VMT less necessary involves both reducing the amount of space given over to automobiles while also recognizing that, for the immediate future, some increases in driving will be socially desirable.
Faculty Presenters: Adam Millard-Ball and Michael Manville, UCLA Luskin
Legislator: State Sen. Catherine Blakespear
Agency Representative: Darwin Moosavi, California State Transportation Agency
How Can California Maximize Investment Benefits for Heat-Resilient Communities?
Presented by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation
California is making significant investments and targeted interventions to build resilience to extreme heat, particularly for its most vulnerable communities. The efforts serve as a model that goes beyond state borders, especially amid calls for a more robust and well-funded nationwide strategy. To support this goal, the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI) has launched a first-of-its-kind, federally funded Center of Excellence for Heat Resilient Communities. LCI researchers and other expert panelists will shed light on why state legislators should care about extreme heat mitigation and management, what the state is doing, and how upcoming investments and additional policies could benefit Californians in direst need of intervention in settings such as schools, homes and public spaces.
Faculty Presenter: V. Kelly Turner, UCLA Luskin
Legislator: State Sen. Caroline Menjivar
Agency Representative: Braden Kay, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
Community Representative: Christian Rodriguez Ceja, Kounkuey Design Initiative
