Dominguez-Villegas on Prioritizing Vaccination of Latinos

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Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, director of research at the Latino Policy and Politics Initiative (LPPI) at UCLA Luskin, was featured in a Univision video discussing a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom about the importance of prioritizing the vaccination of Latino residents. Sent by LPPI and Latino leaders from across California, the letter is “a call to action for the governor, his administration and state leaders to increase the investment of resources and necessary information so that the vaccines get to Latino communities,” Dominguez-Villegas said. Despite making up the majority of the essential workforce and suffering a disproportionate number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in California, people of color are not receiving equitable access to vaccines, he said. “This is why we wrote the letter and called on Latino leaders to get the governor’s attention,” he explained, adding that the letter was signed by more than 60 leaders who are important in the Latino community.

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Umemoto on Preserving Asian American History

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Karen Umemoto, urban planning professor and director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, was featured in an NBC News article about the role of ethnic studies programs in preserving Asian American history. Many of the activists who led the Asian American movement in the 1960s for representation in politics, scholarship and culture are now passing away. The loss has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re at an important point in history where we have to record their stories,” Umemoto said. “There are so many rich life lessons that we can learn from their involvement in movements for social change.” It has been more than 50 years since the first Asian American studies curricula were established in California colleges, but only a handful of post-secondary institutions offer degrees in the field. Even within those programs, the story of the Asian American civil rights movement and the people who built it is often given short shrift, Umemoto said.

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COVID Relief Program Deepened Disparities

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The Los Angeles Times and KCBS Radio were among media outlets covering a new UCLA study showing inequities in the Paycheck Protection Program, part of the 2020 federal stimulus package that aimed to aid small businesses hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Majority white areas of California received more money from the program than majority Latino areas did, worsening economic and racial disparities across the state, according to the Latino Policy and Politics Initiative (LPPI) and Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, both housed at UCLA Luskin. The disparities arose primarily because the loans were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, favoring established businesses with ties to big banks, Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, LPPI’s director of research, told the L.A. Times. Communities of color have “really borne the brunt of the pandemic, not just in terms of infection and mortality, but job loss and economic devaluation,” LPPI Executive Director Sonja Diaz said on KCBS’ “The State of California.”

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Diaz on Deep-Seated Disparities Exposed by COVID-19

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Sonja Diaz, executive director of the Latino Policy and Politics Initiative, was featured in a New York Times Magazine article about the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black and Latino communities in Los Angeles. The disease has killed Black residents at nearly twice the rate and Latinos at nearly three times the rate of white Angelenos. “This is a public policy conundrum and systems failure of a whole other level because of the economic and the public health consequences,” Diaz said. “Ultimately, we’ve failed to respond and to stop the bleeding because we’ve made decisions that either willfully or because of the lack of understanding have excluded the very populations that are critical to the state’s functioning and are also the ones that need our help the most.” She highlighted the importance of making investments now to address these disparities so that vulnerable communities are able to not only survive COVID-19 but also thrive in recovery.

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DeShazo on Political Liability in Texas

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JR DeShazo, director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, was featured in an Atlantic article about the aftermath of the energy crisis in Texas. State leaders failed to fully prepare for the recent storm, resulting in blackouts across the state that lasted for days. The collapse of the power grid resulted in the deaths of dozens of Texans, and many are pointing to the lapse in state leadership for the mismanagement of the crisis. While this crisis is likely not enough to flip Texas blue, experts predict that the disaster will inspire more Democrats to challenge the state’s ruling party. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott was responsible for appointing the three members of the state’s Public Utility Commission, which regulates the Texas grid. While Abbott is one step removed from the commission, “just like any other agency failure, the chief executive was responsible for the appointments,” said DeShazo, a professor of public policy and urban planning.

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Holloway on Fostering Connection Among Gay Men During Pandemic

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Associate Professor of Social Welfare Ian Holloway joined Channel Q’s “Let’s Go There” podcast to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gay and bisexual men. In a recent study of over 10,000 gay and bisexual men in 20 countries, Holloway found that boredom, loneliness and isolation are driving some men to seek sex with others outside of their households, while others are turning to technology to fulfill a need for connection. While gay and bisexual men have been targeted as culprits of breaking lockdown orders, nearly two-thirds of the males in the study were following stay-at-home orders in their local jurisdictions, Holloway said. “It’s natural for gay men to want to foster sexual connection during a pandemic,” he said. “This isn’t our first rodeo.” Holloway said he believes there can be good public health messaging around how to maintain sexuality even while taking precautions against COVID. The podcast segment featuring Holloway begins at minute 29.

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Dominguez-Villegas on Bill to Support Immigrants and the Economy

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Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, director of research at the Latino Policy & Politics Initiative at UCLA Luskin, spoke to Marketplace about new legislation aimed at overhauling the American immigration system. The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 would update family-based immigration and work visa programs, protect workers from exploitation, and provide a path to citizenship for some unauthorized immigrants now living and working in the country. Dominguez-Villegas weighed in on the impact of the “earned roadmap” to citizenship. “There is a 35% income gap between documented and undocumented immigrants,” he said. “So we refer to this as the undocumented wage penalty.” That penalty doesn’t just lead to hardship for individuals. It also translates into reduced spending and economic activity overall, he said. Supporters of this reform argue that bringing these workers fully into the legal workforce will boost wages for both them and their documented peers.

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Peterson Weighs In on Objections to Becerra’s Nomination

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An article examining opposition to the confirmation of Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Xavier Becerra cited Public Policy Professor Mark Peterson. Conservative groups are targeting Becerra’s long track record in support of government-run health care, calling it “hostile to our current system.” However, the article from Politifact and Kaiser Health News noted that President Joe Biden does not support “Medicare for All,” meaning that Becerra’s ability to advance it would be constrained if he is confirmed. Becerra is California’s attorney general, and Peterson said Republicans have a history of painting Democrats from the state as “socialists.” “They’re arguing it’s just showing the infiltration of the radical socialist California state into the federal government,” Peterson said. “But this is ridiculous, because there are not socialist politics, per se, happening in California, and often the California Democrats in Washington are moderate.”

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Lewis Center Reviews Perspectives on Housing Development

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An article in Planetizen highlighted the findings of a recent publication from the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies on the effects of market-rate housing development on surrounding neighborhoods. The report, co-authored by Lewis Center project manager Shane Phillips and UCLA Luskin faculty Michael Manville and Michael Lens, reviews the findings of six papers published since 2019, highlighting different perspectives on the zoning debate. “On one side are those who think new market-rate units — unsubsidized homes whose price often places them beyond the reach of lower- and middle-income households — make nearby housing more affordable by increasing availability and relieving pressure on the existing housing stock,” they explained. “An opposing view, however, is that new housing only attracts more wealthy households, brings new amenities to the neighborhood (including the housing itself), and sends a signal to existing landlords that they should raise their rents.” The report helps to guide the ongoing conversation about the effects of market-rate development.

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Torres-Gil on Building a California for All Ages

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Professor of Social Welfare and Public Policy Fernando Torres-Gil was featured in a Forbes article about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Aging. The number of Californians age 60 and older is expected to nearly double from 6 million in 2010 to 11 million in 2030. One in five older adults in the state is living in poverty and older adults comprise the fastest-growing group of homeless individuals in California, Torres-Gil said. The Master Plan was also shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, including recommendations to avoid prioritizing younger people with COVID-19 over older ones and acknowledging the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on older adults. “The pandemic really dramatized that certain populations were at terrible risk, especially Black and brown communities, low-income communities, older adults, nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities, and persons with disabilities and chronic conditions,” Torres-Gil said.

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