Mullin on the Delay in Disaster Relief for California’s Wildfire Recovery Effort

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Communities in California are undergoing recovery efforts to repair the damage caused by the wildfires that devastated parts of Los Angeles County last January. During his last days in office, former President Joe Biden promised that the cost for the first 180 days of initial cleanup would be completely covered by the federal government. 

However, this promise is yet to be acted upon as California Governor Gavin Newsom’s approximately $34 billion request for disaster aid from the federal government has not been answered. A recent article by Spectrum News stated that when President Donald Trump was asked if the delays were a result of his disputes with Governor Newsom, he stated that “hatred is never a good thing in politics. When you don’t like somebody, you don’t respect somebody. It’s harder for that person to get money.”

UCLA Professor of Public Policy Megan Mullin commented on the unusual, explicit politicization of this response, noting that past disaster relief responses have been historically bipartisan. “If those federal funds don’t come through, that will absolutely slow the recovery” she said.

Some Homeowners Are Going Without Insurance But Choosing to Stay Put Inaugural UCLA Luskin California Poll reveals residents’ financial well-being and views on voting age, A/C and bracing for wildfire

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More than 1 in 5 California homeowners have dropped their home insurance because their policies were canceled or premiums have become unaffordable.

Yet despite a greater financial risk from wildfire and other threats, more than 9 in 10 of these uninsured households would rather stay in their communities than relocate.

This snapshot of the state’s high insurance burden is one of many findings from the inaugural UCLA Luskin California Poll, which measures residents’ viewpoints on some of the most pressing issues of our time.

Directed by UCLA Luskin scholar Martin Gilens, the 2025 poll also took the temperature of Californians on issues including household financial stability, efforts to lower the voting age, air conditioning access at home and in schools, and concerns about climate change.

“Policymakers need a clear understanding of the challenges Californians face,” said Gilens, a professor of public policy, political science and social welfare. “The UCLA Luskin California Poll supports more effective policymaking by systematically documenting Californians’ lived experiences with the urgent economic, environmental and political issues of our times.”

Here are some insights from the poll of 2,419 adults in the state, conducted in English and Spanish from March 5 to May 25, 2025:

  • Financial well-being: One section of the poll set out to identify residents’ economic vulnerabilities using metrics that are more expansive than mere income level. For example, 22% of respondents reported that, faced with an emergency, they would not be able to come up with $2,000 in 30 days. The poll also showed frequent use of financial services outside of mainstream banking, including payday loans (used by 31% of respondents), auto title loans (25%), and pawn shops (22%). Read the policy brief
  • Ballot access: With growing interest in lowering the voting age in the U.S. and internationally, the survey set out to understand the level of support among Californians from different regions and demographic groups. For national elections, about 60% opposed lowering the age to 16 or 17. For school board and local elections, respondents were more evenly split, with about 52% in opposition. Age was a strong determinant of public opinion, with people age 18 to 34 showing robust support while those 55 and older were strongly opposed. Read the policy brief
  • Access to air conditioning: With temperatures rising across the state, access to cooling relief from air conditioning is a public safety issue. While nearly 85% of respondents reported having access to air conditioning in at least part of their homes, almost half said they have at times chosen not to use it due to cost. For those with a child enrolled in a K–12 school, 56% indicated that they have kept their student home due to concerns that the indoor temperatures at school are too hot. Read the policy brief
  • Climate hazards: California has unusually high exposure to climate change hazards, which contribute directly and indirectly to economic losses, social dislocation, illnesses and injuries, and premature death. The poll found that respondents’ No. 1 climate-driven concern is wildfire, followed by heat and drought. Flooding and sea level rise were named by less than 10% of respondents. The poll also found mixed attitudes on whether preparing for different hazards is a matter of personal responsibility or government action. Read the policy brief
  • Homeowners insurance: The poll section on Californians’ ability to insure their homes highlighted rising costs over the past three years. Homeowners whose policies have been canceled or who cannot afford the expense of insurance are acutely vulnerable to future financial risks from environmental hazards. Read the policy brief

 

One Year After the Fires, Recovery Remains Uneven Inequities in recovery and rising investor influence threaten the future of fire-impacted Los Angeles communities.

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One year after the January 2025 wildfires devastated Pacific Palisades and Altadena, recovery across Los Angeles remains slow, uneven, and deeply inequitable. More than 16,000 structures were destroyed, yet rebuilding has largely favored wealthier homeowners and developers, while many displaced residents remain underinsured or priced out altogether. As rebuilding drags on, outside investors are reshaping fire-impacted neighborhoods like Altadena, raising concerns about displacement and the long-term erosion of racial and economic diversity.

These findings reflect reporting by The Guardian, which examined the region’s prolonged recovery and the systemic failures exposed by the fires. Climate change–driven extremes—including record winds and prolonged drought—turned the blazes into fast-moving urban infernos, underscoring the limits of existing infrastructure and emergency planning.

Megan Mullin, professor of public policy and faculty director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation chairs a commission advising on resilient rebuilding. “The challenge we face long term is how much are we willing to do and how much are we willing to pay to protect ourselves from fire?” she said.

New data underscore the stakes. In the first nine months after the Eaton fire, outside investors purchased roughly two-thirds of the 241 lots sold in Altadena, according to recent research from UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute.

Researchers say the full scope of the disaster is still coming into focus. “As we dig into it all, we are also seeing the massive gaps,” said Edith de Guzman, a UCLA climate researcher studying wildfire resilience. “There are so many dimensions we need to consider as we think about what resilience actually looks like. Now that we’re approaching the one-year mark, we’re only just beginning to understand the magnitude.”

Mullin on Political Shift in Attitudes on Environmental Protection

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Megan Mullin, faculty director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation was a guest on the UCLA Daily Bruin podcast “Bruin to Bruin.” The episode focused on the growing polarization in environmental politics, the aftermath of the 2025 Los Angeles County fires and the UCLA Luskin professor of public policy’s work and journey as an environmental researcher. The UCLA Luskin Endowed Chair in Innovation and Sustainability was asked about the shift in attitudes about environmental protection between political parties in the U.S. “We all care about clean water, we all care about clean air, and if you put it to the test, we all want a climate that’s livable for human populations. How we get there becomes the real challenge,” said Mullin, who also is leading a UCLA team tasked with developing policy recommendations to help Los Angeles recover from the 2025 wildfires. “It’s been a 30-year trajectory of division.”

Listen to the podcast

 

UCLA Partners With New Independent Commission for Climate-Resilient Fire Recovery Experts will provide L.A. civic leaders with research-informed policy options for building safer, more resilient communities

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By Jason Islas

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk announced that UCLA will provide its world-class research expertise and programmatic support to an independent commission tasked with developing policy recommendations to guide a safe and resilient recovery for Los Angeles in the wake of the 2025 wildfires.

“The commission we are announcing is a terrific example of our university and its partners in the region working together,” Frenk said at a Feb. 13 news conference. “UCLA is not just a university in Los Angeles. It is a university of Los Angeles. Today’s blue-ribbon commission answers that call to action, and we are pleased to partner with Supervisor Horvath on this important initiative.”

“Los Angeles County cannot afford to simply rebuild what was lost — we must build for the future,” Horvath said. “This is our opportunity to rethink how we design communities, fortify infrastructure, and protect lives from the growing threats of the climate crisis. The blue-ribbon commission will ensure that we lead the way in creating fire-safe, climate-resilient communities that will stand for generations. Our communities are invited into this process led by Los Angeles’ leading experts across academia, urban design and sustainability, environmental justice, housing and finance.”

UCLA’s advisors will be led by Megan Mullin, faculty director of the Luskin Center for Innovation, in consultation with Julia Stein, deputy director for the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA School of Law, and in partnership with Alex Hall, director of the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge. They will marshal UCLA’s expertise to bring objective, research-informed insights and innovative options to a commission of more than a dozen respected civic leaders, chaired by Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator CEO Matt Peterson, to inform their policy recommendations for L.A.’s future.

“Our region has always lived with fire, but our communities weren’t built for the climate-induced mega-fires we see now,” Mullin said. “We have a short window of opportunity to not only rebuild homes and businesses but also to create more resilient and equitable communities.”

The commission will develop recommendations focused on:

  • Fire-safe reconstruction: Implementing fire-resistant materials, defensible space strategies and climate-smart building standards.
  • Resilient infrastructure: Undergrounding utilities, expanding water storage and conveyance, and hardening power grids.
  • Faster rebuilding: Identifying resilient home designs and systems that could be pre-approved to expedite reconstruction, and offering financial incentives to support rebuilding.
  • Equitable recovery: Reducing the risk of displacement, ensuring affordable insurance and prioritizing support for vulnerable communities.

“An uncoordinated race to rebuild will amplify inequality and leave people at risk of future fires. This commission seeks to change that with thoughtful, data-driven policy solutions to build resilient communities for the future we’re facing,” Mullin said.

Hall, who launched the Climate and Wildfire Research Initiative through the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge to develop knowledge, tools and new modes of thinking to confront Southern California’s rapidly evolving wildfire challenge, said, “Los Angeles is at a turning point. This commission is a generational opportunity for UCLA to provide L.A. civic leaders with the expert knowledge — drawn from years of rigorous research — they need to create the policies that will shape the region for decades to come.”

“The world is watching to see how L.A. comes back from these devastating fires; it is hard to overstate the historic importance of this moment — and the role our university will play,” Hall said.

Participating UCLA faculty include:

  • Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment: Mary Nichols
  • Luskin School of Public Affairs: Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Evelyn Blumenberg, Greg Pierce, Mike Lens, Paul Ong, Minjee Kim, Liz Koslov
  • School of Architecture and Urban Design: Dana Cuff, Stephanie Landregan
  • Ziman Center for Real Estate: Stuart Gabriel
  • Institute of the Environment and Sustainability: Stephanie Pincetl, Aradhna Tripati
  • UCLA Labor Center: Saba Waheed
  • Fielding School of Public Health: Wendy Slusser

A portion of this effort is supported by a grant from the California Community Foundation and in-kind support from UCLA.

A Deepening Political Divide Over Clean Energy Investments

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Megan Mullin, faculty director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, spoke to The Atlantic and The New York Times about the growing political polarization surrounding policies to combat climate change. A new Pew Research Center survey found that support for electric vehicles and renewable energy has fallen among Republicans over the past four years. During that time, President Joe Biden has launched initiatives including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which invests at least $370 billion in the manufacturing of electric vehicles, solar panels and other renewable power, while former President Donald Trump has dismissed global warming as a “hoax.” “It’s on Republican airways right now because the IRA is one of Biden’s key successes,” Mullin said. She did point to a bright spot in public opinion data: Climate change has become a more urgent concern among Democrats over time, now ranking near long-standing Democratic priorities as education and health care. Mullin also expressed hope that the economic logic of clean energy investments will eventually outweigh partisan politics.

Read the Atlantic article
Read the New York Times article

 

Mullin on How News Reporting Affects Local Infrastructure

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Megan Mullin, faculty director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, spoke to Susanne Whatley, host of “Morning Edition” on LAist 89.3, about a newly published study connecting local reporting to voter support for public works projects. Mullin, also a professor of public policy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, is co-author of the study on how information content affects public response to news coverage of a local issue. Specifically, Mullin and co-author Andrew Trexler of Duke University focused on preventive spending on infrastructure maintenance and repair and its relationship with the character and depth of news reporting. Through the national survey, the researchers found that readers responded to more informative coverage. “There’s a lot of great research demonstrating the importance of political news for the health of our democracy and the negative impacts that have followed from the closure and consolidation of news outlets,” Mullin said.

Read the transcript

Downsizing Local News Contributes to Crumbling Infrastructure

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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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Mullin on the Contradictions of Central California’s Climate Emergency

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Megan Mullin, faculty director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, spoke to the Los Angeles Times about the San Joaquin Valley, where flagging resilience to drought, floods and heat have made it one of the front lines of climate change in America. The region is also the center of oil and gas production in California and skews conservative, creating many internal contradictions, said Mullin, co-author of a recent paper that found that climate change is projected to disproportionately affect Republican voters. The valley’s residents are “getting messages that action on climate is jeopardizing their well-being, jeopardizing their livelihoods,” she said, yet at the same time they face dried-up wells, dreadful air quality, huge flood risks and other perils. Mullin did point to Fresno as one area that is making climate gains through the state’s Transformative Climate Communities program, which funds hyper-local projects in places that have been disproportionately affected by legacy pollution and other environmental hazards.

Read the article