Pierce on Restoring California’s Salton Sea

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Greg Pierce, director of UCLA’s Human Right to Water Solutions Lab at UCLA Luskin, commented in a USA Today story about efforts to revive California’s Salton Sea. Once a popular aquatic recreational destination 50 miles southeast of Palm Springs, the 343-square-mile former desert basin has, over the years, become regarded as an environmental disaster. While earlier efforts to restore the state’s largest lake have lacked adequate funding, the existence of lithium deposits beneath the lake and a state bill creating a conservancy focused on rehabilitating the area, along with state and federal funding, have increased the possibility of stabilization and restoration. “I think the lithium money there does actually increase the odds of salvageability just because there are so many resources potentially to invest,” said Pierce, an adjunct associate professor of urban planning and co-executive of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation.

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Peterson on California Response to Proposed Congressional Cuts

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Mark A. Peterson, professor of public policy at UCLA Luskin, commented in a LAist story on a proposed budget resolution in the U.S. Congress designed to reduce billions in federal spending on programs including Medicaid which could affect Medi-Cal, California’s insurance program for low-income people. The story focused on California Democrats and advocates opposed to the budget resolution passed in February along party lines. Opponents say that the stakes are high for the state where Medicaid provides healthcare for millions of Californians and more than 40 percent of children statewide. Democratic leaders, union representatives and healthcare advocates have been rallying to stress how budget cuts could affect Californians, especially children. “ Health care involving children is one of those things where most people don’t want to see those cuts,” said Peterson, an expert on healthcare policy who also holds appointments in political science, health policy, management and law at UCLA.

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Pierce on Building Resilient Water Systems

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Greg Pierce, director of UCLA’s Human Right to Water Solutions Lab at UCLA Luskin, commented in an Associated Press story about creating resilient water and waste systems for historically neglected communities most vulnerable to climate change. A report, published by the Pacific Institute, with DigDeep and the Center for Water Security and Cooperation, highlights ways that communities where climate change has disrupted access to water can use nature-based solutions paired with technology while also pointing out barriers to implementation. It notes that funding for critical infrastructure projects has been cut or paused under the Trump administration. The report “comes at a very depressing moment where we’re not going to see federal action in this space, it doesn’t seem, for the next four years,” said Pierce, an adjunct associate professor of urban planning and co-executive director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation.

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Wray-Lake on Teens Evolving Views of Racism and Equality

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An article published by The Conversation, authored by UCLA Luskin Professor of Social Welfare Laura Wray-Lake, highlights research on the polarization of young people’s beliefs and actions over time due to political divisions evident among adults since 2016. Wray-Lake and her colleagues focused on 1,400 ninth through 12th grade students — hypothesizing that the adolescents would become more divided — and noted that they, “did identify diverging worldviews about racism and inequalities among teenagers and increased discrimination.” The team pointed to research showing that adolescents are influenced in the long term by societal events and political shifts from the Great Depression to changing presidential administrations. “Likewise, the short-term impacts of Trump’s presidency identified by research may portend long-lasting effects for this generation of young people,” Wray-Lake wrote,” adding, “My colleagues and I were tracking adolescents’ beliefs and behaviors over time, which gave us a unique opportunity to document changes after Trump was elected.”

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Pandemic Set Kindergartners Back Developmentally

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The COVID-19 pandemic set kindergartners’ development back in several ways, according to new research led by Judith Perrigo, assistant professor of social welfare at UCLA Luskin. HealthDay News and several media outlets around the country shared the findings of the study, which found that post-pandemic kindergarten students on average scored significantly lower in language and thinking skills, social competence, and communication and general knowledge, when compared to pre-pandemic kids. But the research, published in JAMA Pediatrics, also revealed that kindergartners’ emotional maturity and resilience grew during lockdown, possibly due to increased exposure to adult stressors. While the researchers had hypothesized that scores would decrease across the board, “our results suggested a more complex picture,” they wrote.

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Lens on Racial and Economic Challenges in Dallas

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UCLA Luskin Urban Planning and Public Policy Professor Michael Lens weighed in on the challenges of establishing a so-called “Black Mecca” in Dallas in an interview with The Dallas Observer. While some cities have historically served as economic and cultural hubs for Black communities, Lens noted that Dallas lacks the key factors that have fostered such environments elsewhere. “The history of segregation and limited economic mobility for Black residents in Dallas makes it difficult to establish a thriving, self-sustaining Black economic center,” he explained. His comments highlight broader systemic barriers to Black homeownership, wealth-building, and neighborhood stability in the region.

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Veronica Terriquez Part of Human Atlas of LA

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Veronica Terriquez, UCLA Luskin professor of urban planning and director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, appeared on a Spectrum News 1 broadcast about a multi-media social impact art project in Los Angeles known as “Alta.” The project, a collaboration of photographer and artist Marcus Lyon, the Getty Conservation Institute and the Los Angeles Public Library, represents how the lives of Angelenos intersect with the city and is intended to create a legacy document about Los Angeles, its people and communities. “This exhibit is particularly important at a time when so many communities are struggling. I foresee us coming out of this difficult time and rebuilding and re-imagining a United States that is stronger,” said Terriquez. She also is among the 100 participants featured through photographs, DNA maps and interviews showcased in an exhibition at LA Central Public Library (running through April 27), public activations across regional libraries, outdoor spaces, a podcast and an interactive book.

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Wildfires Reshape Los Angeles’ Housing Market

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UCLA Luskin Urban Planning Assistant Professor José Loya shared insights in a Washington Post article on how wildfires are reshaping the Los Angeles housing market. As the region faces increased fire risk, property values and sales trends have been shifting. “Wildfires have become a key factor influencing where people choose to buy and invest,” Loya explained, noting that areas previously considered desirable are now seeing fluctuating demand. His analysis underscores the growing intersection of climate change and housing policy, raising questions about long-term affordability and resilience in fire-prone communities.

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Peterson on Threats to Medicaid Funding

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Mark A. Peterson, professor of public policy at UCLA Luskin, commented in a Los Angeles Times story on a Republican-backed congressional budget resolution that could result in cuts to Medicaid as well as Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The story focuses on California Republican Congressman David Valadao, representing the 22nd Congressional District, who supported his party on the cost-cutting resolution but said he would not support a final reconciliation bill that risks leaving his constituents behind. Republicans say the resolution will eventually provide $2 trillion in savings, while the Congressional Budget Office reported that it would be impossible to find enough savings not to impact those health programs. “Medicaid is the only place — it’s like the bank, it’s where the money is,” said Peterson, who also holds appointments in political science, health policy, management and law at UCLA. “He’s going to have a problem,” Peterson said of Valadao.

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America Is Becoming a Nation of Homebodies

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UCLA Luskin and Clemson University scholars authored an article in The Conversation about their recent research showing that Americans are spending more and more time at home — a trend seen not just since the COVID-19 era but for most of this century. On the whole, Americans are spending nearly 1.5 hours less outside their homes in 2023 than they did in 2003, write UCLA Luskin Urban Planning Professor Brian D. Taylor, PhD student Sam Speroni of the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies and Clemson University Professor Eric A. Morris, who earned his master’s and doctorate of urban planning at UCLA Luskin. This has major implications for traffic, public transit, real estate, the workplace, socializing and mental health. “Because hunkering down appears to be the new norm, we think it’s all the more important for policymakers and everyday people to find ways to cultivate connections and community in the shrinking time they do spend outside of the home,” they write. The research has been highlighted in several media outlets, including Perspective Living magazine.

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