Urban Planning Alum Patrick Horton Receives Honor Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated Horton for his service to the public

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Patrick Horton MA Urban Planning ’01 was recently honored for dual civilian and U.S. Coast Guard service at the Chamber of Commerce in his hometown of Temple City. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated Horton for his service to the public both within the Coast Guard and as a Los Angeles City employee. As a member of the Coast Guard, Lt. Horton serves in maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and marine wildlife protection as an Executive Officer based in Long Beach. Horton has served three terms as a Temple City Planning Commissioner.

Meet the 2015-2016 class of Luskin Senior Fellows Students and faculty met with Senior Fellows, members of the community that serve as mentors and advisors to UCLA Luskin.

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By Adeney Zo
UCLA Luskin Student Writer

Each year a distinguished group of leaders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors is invited to become part of the Luskin School of Public Affairs community.  The Senior Fellows represent a bridge connecting Luskin’s problem-solving academic departments of Public Policy, Social Welfare, and Urban Planning to the real world challenges being faced by community, policy and political leaders at local, regional, and national levels.

“VC actually matched me with my mentor, Stan Hoffman,” said first-year Urban Planning student Riddhi Chakraborty, who looks to enter the field of real estate analysis policy. “His job is so related to what I wanted to do [in the future] that it was perfect.”

In addition, Senior Fellows have been asked to enhance their participation as leadership role models, providing students with a career meeting, a networking experience that includes arranging informational interviews with colleagues, and an invitation to spend a half-day at the business location of each Fellow.

First year Public Policy/ School of Medicine student Adia Scrubb was a former student of her mentor, Dr. David Carlisle. Encouraged by Dr. Carlisle to apply, she hopes to gain more knowledge of the healthcare policy field through the program. “I wanted to gain insider information on the work of a physician in the public policy setting,” said Scrubb.

This year’s annual Senior Fellows breakfast was held on October 29, 2015. The guest speaker was Michele Prichard, Director of Common Agenda for the Liberty Hill Foundation and a graduate of UCLA’s Urban Planning program. In her keynote, Prichard addressed the current issues new policymakers would face once they graduate, but encouraged the Senior Fellows with her three main points: There is no better time than now, no better place than Los Angeles and no better program than Luskin Senior Fellows to prepare students for a future in public affairs.

For photos of the event click here.

Senior Fellows Leadership Program

2015-2016

Randy Barth — Founder and CEO of THINK Together and the Executive Chairman of the Principal’s Exchange.

Kafi Blumenfield — Founding executive director of the Discovery Cube Los Angeles science museum and former Executive Director of Liberty Hill Foundation.

Danielle Brazell — General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Carol Chodroff — Opportunity Youth Director for the Alliance for Children’s Rights.

Rima Cohen — Managing Director for Aspen Health Innovators Fellowship.

Melissa Martinez — U.S. Diplomat in Residence at UCLA (serving Southern California).

Steve Nissen — Senior Vice President of Legal & Government Affairs at NBC Universal.

 

Urban Planner Susanna Hecht Among Experts on Climate Change “Bending the Curve,” was released at the UC Climate Neutrality Initiative Summit

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Professor of Urban Planning Susanna Hecht is part of a team of 50 UC researchers and scientists who authored a report on climate change released Oct. 27.

“Bending the Curve,” was released at the UC Climate Neutrality Initiative Summit held in San Diego and includes 10 scalable solutions to reduce global greenhouse emissions such as methane, black carbon, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and ozone. The report’s title refers to “flattening the upward trajectory of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and consequent global climate change.”

Hecht, who focuses on political ecology, also was among UC scholars cited for providing “critical analyses and some of the quantitative estimates mentioned in the executive summary.”

Read the full UCLA story: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/ucla-uc-experts-release-report-with-solutions-to-slow-climate-change

Read the report “Bending the Curve”: http://uc-carbonneutralitysummit2015.ucsd.edu/_files/Bending-the-Curve.pdf

 

UCLA Luskin Report on Recruiting Homes for Foster Children The report focuses on the dual foster care recruitment system used to develop resource families

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The UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs has released a report on their analysis of the current process used to recruit and train new families for fostering and adopting children.  These families are referred to as “resource families.”  The report focuses on the dual foster care recruitment system used to develop resource families, one being the system used by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and the other being the system used by private state-licensed foster family agencies (FFAs).  By and large, the families recruited by DCFS become independent state-licensed foster homes, while those recruited by FFAs become certified foster homes providing care under the FFA’s management.  Patricia Curry, a Commissioner on the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families, remarks, “This report comes at a crucial time when L.A County is facing a serious shortage of foster homes. Hopefully we can take some of the key findings in the report and use them to guide us in developing a strategy for increasing the number of caring foster parents for children in the child welfare system.”

Seventeen of the 46 FFAs contracted by Los Angeles County agreed to participate in the study, along with DCFS managers involved in the resource family recruitment and training process.  The researchers used surveys and interviews of FFA and DCFS managers to gather their primary data.  Although many families expressed initial interest in participating, only two families fully participated, thus their insights were helpful, but could not be considered representative.  The data collection and analysis approaches were designed to describe each of the major points of the recruitment process and to document the impact of each part of the dual system, with emphasis on identifying areas of need and potential solutions.  The report notes positive aspects of the dual approaches, including the breadth of child-specific recruitment conducted by the County that is consistent with recruitment strategies recommended nationally and implemented in many counties and states.  These approaches include the weekly Wednesday’s Child TV feature on Fox 11 and the traveling and online Heart Gallery LA photo exhibits of children in foster care waiting for adoptive homes.  Like DCFS, FFAs are involved in a number of media campaigns (including television, radio, print and internet) to attract new resource families.  The report also highlights challenges presented by the dual system, including inconsistent information given to resource families regarding approval requirements and benefits.  According to the UCLA researchers, “The Resource Family Recruitment report highlights that there are many opportunities to overcome the challenges of the dual foster care recruitment system, including increased coordination and collaboration among agencies, more consistent quality foster parent training standards, and the creation of information systems capable of identifying and driving system improvements.”

The report was made possible through the financial support of the Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Family Foundation. “Our foundation is committed to supporting LA County and all its partners in ensuring that every child who enters foster care can look forward to being placed with a loving and supportive caregiver,” noted Winnie Wechsler, the foundation’s executive director, “UCLA Luskin School’s report offers some concrete proposals to help ensure that happens.”

Along with helpful charts and graphs representing the effectiveness of outreach efforts, the level of need for foster homes and the demographics of prospective resource parents, the report includes a number of recommendations related to each stage of becoming a resource parent (such as recruitment, training, assessment and approval).  Recommendations include exploring the use of online foster parent orientation, increasing transparency of the assessment and approval process, and improving interagency communication and collaboration.  Philip Browning, Director of DCFS, gives the report positive reviews, stating, “I am thankful to the Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Family Foundation for funding this report and to the UCLA researchers for their insights and recommendations, which will help us as we move forward with our FFAs to recruit even more high quality families to meet the needs of the children we both serve.”

The full report can be found here.

For additional information, please contact:
Armand Montiel or Neil Zanville, DCFS Public Affairs
(213) 351-5886
amontiel@dcfs.lacounty.gov or zanvin@dcfs.lacounty.gov

Dr. Todd Franke, Professor
Department of Social Welfare
UCLA – Luskin School of Public Affairs
tfranke@ucla.edu

Dr. Robert Blagg, Director of Evaluation
University Consortium for Children & Families (UCCF)
UCLA – Luskin School of Public Affairs
rblagg@luskin.ucla.edu

Reagan Fellowship recipient Sydney Ganon MPP ’17 Leadership, integrity, drive, and citizenship are qualities that leaders should have

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By Breanna Ramos
UCLA Luskin Student Writer

Leadership, integrity, drive, and citizenship are qualities that leaders should have —  Sydney Ganon (MPP ’17) has them all.

Ganon is the second recipient of the Ronald Reagan Public Policy Fellowship, an annual award. Through the support of The Reagan Presidential Foundation and The Draine Family Charitable Foundation, UCLA Luskin students apply to receive up to $30,000 for the two-year Fellowship. Upon hearing the news, Ganon declined offers to other schools.

As a Fellow, there are a number of requirements the recipient must uphold, academic strength being one of them.  Ganon, who graduated from the University of Vermont (cum laude with a B.A. in Anthropology and English is pursuing her MPP with a focus on educational policy and quantitative analysis.

“I’m interested in learning about the cross-sections between education and other policy, such as education and health, education and environment,” Ganon said. “I like that the broad program at UCLA lets me look at those other factors.”

Recipients also must have a keen interest in public policy and assisting in the local community. At the Knowledge is Power Program New York City (KIPP NYC), which is a national network of public charter schools, Ganon was heavily involved: from organizing volunteers to connecting students’ families with local officials through lobbying.

“I’m really happy that I worked before going to grad school,” Ganon said. “If I hadn’t worked at KIPP, I would have never known that education was what I wanted to have as my career. The experience totally shaped where I wanted to go.”

A key part of the Fellowship is access to Reagan’s Presidential Library. As a part of the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Presidential Learning Center’s internship program, Ganon must complete 100 internship hours at the library. Over the two-year Fellowship, the internship hours will give Ganon the time she wants to research Reagan’s educational policies.

“One of the incredible things about the Fellowship is that you get to see and learn about things from the politician’s side,” Ganon explained. “In order to create change, you have to understand what’s going on from both sides.”

Upon earning her MPP, Ganon plans on pursuing a career that provides opportunities to improve education for all.

“I would like to be working pretty specifically in education analytics, either with a school district or the state,” Ganon elaborated. “I want to be heavily involved in student data and test scores, using that information to make schools better.”

 

Inequality is Focus of New Issue of Blueprint Income and wealth inequality is the focus of the newly release issue of Blueprint

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By Stan Paul

Income and wealth inequality is the focus of the newly released issue of Blueprint, a UCLA partnership with the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

The second edition is once again led by editor-in-chief, Jim Newton, a 25-year veteran reporter and editor for the Los Angeles Times.

“American inequality decreased in the 1950s, only to explode in the 1970s and ’80s and to expand yet again during the recent recession,” writes Newton in the introduction.

Included in the Fall 2015 “Table Talk” section is an interview with economics Nobel Laureate and former presidential adviser, Joseph Stiglitz, author of the influential 2012 book, The Price of Inequality. Los Angeles Times editorial writer and deputy editorial page editor, Jon Healey, interviewed Stiglitz on subjects ranging from taxes and growth since the great recession to minimum wage and basic fairness.

“…we have become one of the nations among the advanced countries with the least opportunity. In the United States, the life chances of young people are more dependent on the income and education of their parents than in almost any other advanced country,” Stiglitz comments.

Research and profiles by noted journalists and scholars in this second edition include a look at leadership in Los Angeles, the physical suffering of the poor, unequal schools, wages and the middle class, and economic growth. Blueprint’s “Landscape” section includes writing on voter turnout (by Newton) as well as pieces on the working poor and same-sex marriage.

“We are more about conversations, writes Newton, adding, “I hope the pieces contained here will start some of those conversations, as policy makers and others who care about society consider inequality and how it shapes neighborhoods and destinies. Few questions more define our history; few are more important to consider and address.”

A public discussion led by Jim Newton is set for Oct. 21 at the California Endowment in Los Angeles. Scheduled discussants are: former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Homeboy Industries’ Father Greg Boyle and the California Endowment’s Robert Ross.

For more information and registration, please go to: http://blueprint.ucla.edu/event/public-discussion-thoughtful-l-a-leaders-on-poverty-and-politics/

Read the newly released second edition online at: Blueprint.ucla.edu

 

Study to focus on experiences of LGBT service members in military UCLA, USC study will be one of the first U.S. Department of Defense-funded research projects of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations

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Researchers from the UCLA and USC will collaborate on one of the first studies of the experiences of LGBT service members in the military.

The study will lay a foundation for future research of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender active-duty service members by exploring how they are integrated into the military; determine if health disparities exist between them and their heterosexual counterparts; and develop recommendations for better assimilation of LGBT service members to promote military readiness.

The two-year, $1.89 million grant marks one of the first times the U.S. Department of Defense has funded a study of this population since the 2010 repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the law barring homosexuals from openly serving in the military.

“In some ways, we will start with an exploratory study to uncover what it’s like to be an LGBT service member in the military,” said Jeremy Goldbach, assistant professor at the USC School of Social Work, who is one of three principal investigators on this study. The other investigators are Carl Castro, assistant professor at the USC School of Social Work, and Ian Holloway, assistant professor of social welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

“No one’s ever asked this question of active-duty service members before because we hadn’t been allowed to. We know very little about this population,” Goldbach said.

About 65,000 service members identify as LGBT. In the general population, LGBT individuals experience stress related to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Given the military’s “hypermasculine” culture, active-duty LGBT individuals could experience distinct stress that impacts their health and military readiness.

As news reports have shown, even after the controversial policy’s repeal, acceptance in the military as an LGBT service member has not been universal. The policy changes have not been implemented flawlessly, and experiences of LGBT veterans highlight that many remained uncomfortable serving openly.

The study also comes at a critical time as the department works to update its current policy relating to transgender service members, also allowing them to serve openly in the military.

“We’ll actually be able to talk to transgender service members and see how they feel about this policy shift and if they see an impact on their service,” said Holloway.

The study will consist of two parts:  in-depth interviews with 80 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines; and a survey of 480 service members—split evenly between LGBT service members and their heterosexual counterparts.

Advisory boards will also be established with subject-matter experts and LGBT veterans and active-duty service members. The military board will help ensure any developed recommendations are feasible within the military context.

Castro, a retired Army colonel and director of the USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families, said the scope of the study is purposely ambitious. The inclusion of all the services will make it difficult for any military branch to dismiss the study’s recommendations as not pertaining to it.

Another reason the researchers decided against limiting the scope of the study was because the Defense Department only funded two LGBT projects this year.

“Just think about the magnitude of studies that are needed before any changes can be made,” Castro said. “Turning the dial just a little bit will not get us anywhere.”

“One of our goals is to lay a solid foundation for other researchers to build upon when they focus on single services,” he added.

The study benefits from the unique perspectives and expertise of each of the investigators.

Castro is a subject-matter expert in the military, including how service members integrate into the military and transition to civilian life. USC colleague Goldbach has studied LGBT mental health issues. Holloway’s research expertise includes analysis of LGBT social networks, which can contribute to health outcomes.

“All good research is collaborative and multidisciplinary,” Castro said. “This is recognition that it takes a lot of people from different areas and disciplines to pull this off.”

“This was a perfect recipe,” Goldbach added. “Without the three of us, this project would not have been possible.”

Goldbach’s research has focused on how stigma creates stress for people and how that results in poor health outcomes. “If someone is experiencing stress, then he or she is coping in some way,” he said. “One of the ways to cope is to seek resources through social networks.”

A focus on LGBT service members’ social networks is an important aspect of this project. Social networks refer to the relationships and bonds that surround individuals, such as family, friends, romantic relationships and colleagues, among others. Holloway said these networks can have great impact on the health and well-being of individuals.

“The basic idea is that LGBT people face the same stressors as heterosexuals, but they also face additional ones that are unique to them based on discrimination and exclusion,” Holloway said. “Supportive social networks can buffer those stressors.”

In the military, these networks are the bonds between service members and their leaders that form cohesion, a hugely important aspect in sustaining unit readiness, performance and effectiveness in combat, Castro said.

Whether and how active-duty LGBT service members have disclosed their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and how their supervisors and fellow service members have reacted can impact their networks and, in turn, their well-being.

“I think all of us feel a tremendous sense of responsibility,” Holloway said. “Our study will be able to elicit from LGBT military personnel themselves what they see as their challenges and provide insights to improve their individual outcomes and improve the overall organizational structure.”

About the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs: Founded in 1994 and dedicated in 2011, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs is a leading institution for research and scholarship in the areas of public policy, social welfare and urban planning. Based in the global metropolis of Los Angeles, UCLA Luskin develops creative solutions and innovative leaders that confront challenges in immigration, drug policy, prison reform, transportation, the environment, and other areas vital to the continued health and well-being of our global society. For more than 65 years, the UCLA Department of Social Welfare has maintained a commitment to advancing education and scholarship in service of society’s most vulnerable communities.

About the USC School of Social Work: The University of Southern California’s School of Social Work ranks among the nation’s top social work graduate programs. A recognized leader in academic innovation, experiential learning, online education and translational research, the school prepares students for leadership roles in public and private organizations that serve individuals, families and communities in need. The school is the first research university to offer a large-scale military social work program that prepares students to care for service members, veterans and their families, helping them cope with the stresses of military life. The school’s Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families focuses its research efforts on understanding all facets of military transitions.

 

Melissa Martinez, New State Department Diplomat in Residence at Luskin New diplomat in residence brings international experience from Mexico City to guide students on campus

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By Stan Paul

Melissa Martinez

Melissa Martinez

Melissa Martinez is the new U.S. State Department Diplomat in Residence at UCLA this year. As with the last several years, the Luskin School of Public Affairs Department of Public Policy will continue to be the home department of the Diplomat in Residence while assigned to UCLA.

Diplomats in Residence (DIRs) are a select group of career Foreign Service Officers and Specialists located throughout the U.S. who provide guidance and advice on careers, internships and fellowships to students and professionals in the communities they serve, according to the U.S. State Department.

She replaces Michelle Los Banos (Diplomat in Residence in 2014-2015) who was recently recalled to a new assignment in Washington, D.C.

Martinez is a media and communications professional with 13 years of international and domestic experience in the U.S. diplomatic service. She most recently worked as Deputy Press Attaché at the U.S. Embassy Mexico City, one of the largest U.S. diplomatic missions in the world, and led her team in crafting messages for one of the United States’ most important bilateral partnerships.

Before coming to Mexico, Melissa served as the Director of the Media Hub of the Americas for Latin American and Caribbean media based in South Florida. She fostered new partnerships with the academic community, civil society, and private sector in Miami and throughout the Americas to advance policy outreach for senior U.S. officials.

Previous Foreign Service assignments include Press Attaché at U.S. Embassy San Jose; Policy Officer for Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America with the Bureau of International Information Programs in Washington D.C.; Consular Officer at U.S. Embassy Mexico City and Deputy Public Affairs Officer at U.S. Embassy Montevideo.

In 2002, Melissa received a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International Public Affairs where she was a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellow and National Security Exchange Program International Graduate Fellow. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from New Mexico State University in 1999. Born and raised in New Mexico, Melissa is fluent in Spanish and has studied Portuguese and Italian.

For more information on U.S. State Department programs or to inquire about office hours, please contact Martinez at mmartinez@luskin.ucla.edu) or her UCLA campus phone number 310-206-2552.

 

Monkkonen Examines Airbnb’s Impact on Housing Prices In a study commissioned by Airbnb, Urban Planning professor Paavo Monkkonen documents a limited impact on home values in L.A.

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Urban Planning professor Paavo Monkkonen is attracting attention in the media for his work on a new report commissioned by the home-sharing service Airbnb.

In interviews with the LA Times and with “AirTalk” on KPCC-FM, Monkkonen has spoken about his analysis of an Airbnb study that documents the scale of the company’s impact on housing prices in Southern California. The study finds that short-term rentals occurring through peer-to-peer sharing on Airbnb make up a small portion of the region’s housing inventory.

Airbnb conducted this study in response to report written by Roy Samaan MA UP ’11 for LAANE. Monkkonen argues that the focus on the housing supply impacts of Airbnb distracts us from the more important causes of the housing affordability crisis in the city.

When asked about the recent coverage of the topic, Monkkonen mentioned his pleasure at engaging with an alumnus from the school on this topic. “The discussion that LAANE and other groups initiated about Airbnb is important to have at this moment given that the City of LA is crafting an ordinance to regulate short-term rentals.”

 

More Than 100 Participants Attend UCLA Luskin Center Lower L.A. River Workshop Workshop hosted to provide feedback on projects surrounding the LA River

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More than 100 people gathered for the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and the Watershed Conservation Authority (WCA) co-hosted, in conjunction with North East Trees, the Lower Los Angeles River: From Gray to Green workshop on Tuesday, August 18th.

Participants had an opportunity to give their feedback about what improvements they would like to see and where on the river parkway and how a Los Angeles River Greenway Toolkit could best help these efforts. Using the feedback provided by workshop participants, the Luskin Center will work to make the Toolkit more user-friendly, and incorporate new ideas and information.

This news was adapted from a UCLA Luskin Center report.

Over 100 people gathered for the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and the Watershed Conservation Authority (WCA) co-hosted, in conjunction with North East Trees, the Lower Los Angeles River: From Gray to Green workshop on Tuesday, August 18th.
Participants had an opportunity to give their feedback about what improvements they would like to see and where on the river parkway and how a Los Angeles River Greenway Toolkit could best help these efforts. Using the feedback provided by workshop participants, the Luskin Center will work to make the Toolkit more user-friendly, and incorporate new ideas and information.
Joseph Gonzalez, Watershed Conservation Authority, Associate Project Manager (right), discusses ways in which River stakeholders can give feedback about improvements to the river parkway, while Zed Mason, CSULB Assistant Vice Chancellor of Research, looks on.