Astor Weighs In on Investigation Following Fatal Graduation Shooting

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Following a fatal shooting after a graduation ceremony at Fairfield High School, KQED reported on the community’s efforts to mourn and heal while authorities continue their investigation. The June 3 shooting occurred after a commencement ceremony for Sem Yeto High School, a continuation school within the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District. Eighteen-year-old Jamario Baker was killed, and three others were injured.

More than a week later, local faith leaders organized a vigil and blessing ceremony at the school to honor the victims. Community members gathered to grieve and reflect on the tragedy, which many said has deeply affected the close-knit Fairfield community.

Ron Avi Astor, distinguished professor of social welfare at UCLA Luskin and an expert on school violence, provided context on the ongoing investigation. Astor noted that it is atypical for so little information to be publicly known about a suspect or motive in a case of this nature. The article also examined broader concerns about school safety and recent incidents of violence on the Fairfield High School campus.

David C. Turner III Discusses Community-Based Alternatives to Policing on Law & Disorder

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On a recent episode of “Law & Disorder” host Cat Brooks explored community-based alternatives to policing and ongoing debates over public safety funding in Oakland. Representatives from the Justice Team Network and the Anti-Police Terror Project explored the vision behind the Care Not Cops Conference, examining how communities can invest in care, healing, and supportive services rather than traditional law enforcement. Guests included Tanisha Cannon, Guadalupe Chavez, Diego Jimenez, and UCLA social welfare professor David C. Turner III, who discussed racial justice, healing-centered approaches, and strategies for building safer communities without reliance on policing.

Referencing recent incidents in which police killed a family’s dog during a New York Knicks celebration and fatally shot a one-year-old child during an alleged shoplifting investigation, Dr. David C. Turner III argued that society too often treats policing as the primary response to conflict.

“Reimagining public safety doesn’t mean conflict won’t exist,” said Dr. David C. Turner III. “It means creating the systems, tools, and strategies to intervene when conflict arises. That’s what creates real safety for people. Police do not create that safety—they often exacerbate the violence.”

The “Law & Disorder” podcast exposes the cracks in our system, agitates for resistance and collectively builds a new world that centers Black experience, movement building and art.

Listen to the full podcast episode.

A Rousing Sendoff for UCLA Luskin’s Class of 2026 At dual ceremonies, State Sen. Caroline Menjivar and Century Housing president and CEO Jacqueline Waggoner call on new graduates to empower the people around them

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UCLA Luskin celebrated its Class of 2026 with two commencement ceremonies on June 12, one for scholars earning advanced degrees in public policy, social welfare, urban planning, and real estate development, and a second honoring students awarded the bachelor’s in public affairs.

Two distinguished UCLA Luskin alumnae served as the day’s keynote speakers.

Graduate Ceremonies

California State Sen. Caroline Menjivar addressed students earning master’s and PhD degrees at a morning ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall. In the afternoon, Jacqueline Waggoner, a nationally recognized leader in the field of affordable housing, offered words of inspiration to Luskin undergrads at the UCLA Ackerman Grand Ballroom.

“Each of you arrived at Luskin through a different door and now are graduating ready to make a change you might have never thought possible,” said Menjivar, who earned a master’s of social welfare at UCLA Luskin as part of a long career devoted to public service.

“Whatever the reason, the commitment is the same. People matter.”

Menjivar encouraged the graduates to draw strength from their personal journeys and struggles, a lesson she has learned from her time representing 1 million Californians in Burbank and the San Fernando Valley.

“My identities as a Marine Corps veteran, a lesbian, a Latina, bring power to my voice when I am in rooms fighting for the most vulnerable communities in our state,” she said. “This is why your drive for change, and your experiences in hope and hardships, are not just your backstory. They’re your qualification.”

Undergraduate Ceremonies

Jacqueline Waggoner '18 on the stage in front of a podium giving her commencement speech to the undergraduate class of 2026.

Jacqueline Waggoner, MA UP ’96

Waggoner, president and chief executive officer of Century Housing, is a double Bruin who earned her bachelor’s in sociology and master’s in urban planning and now serves on the Luskin Board of Advisors. She underscored the value of bonds forged at UCLA.

“Many Bruins remain the change agents beside me, in front of me, and having our backs,” said Waggoner, who works to expand access to dignified housing and economic stability. “They’re speaking up for the unspoken, fighting for opportunity for those in need.”

Waggoner urged graduates to take two lessons to heart as they move into the world: Truly understand your purpose in life, which will carry you through setbacks and bring deeper joy in success. And listen well to the communities you are serving.

“Leadership is not only about speaking up. It’s also about making room for others to be heard,” Waggoner said.

“When people are at the core of your drive, success is not measured by your salary, your title, or how many followers you have. It’s by the impact you have, by the people and the communities that are stronger because you showed up.”

‘We live in a world with problems, at a time of extreme polarization, conflict, and change. It is in these precise times that we expect you to shine as beacons representing values of justice, tolerance, and kindness. — UCLA Luskin Dean Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris

This year, more than 425 students earned degrees from UCLA Luskin. At the dual ceremonies, Dean Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris welcomed enthusiastic crowds of families and friends and congratulated graduates while also issuing her own call to action.

“You are taking your places in the workforce during a challenging time. Who are we as a people? What are our values? Will we make the right decisions to better all of society?

“We live in a world with problems, at a time of extreme polarization, conflict, and change,” Loukaitou-Sideris said. “It is in these precise times that we expect you to shine as beacons representing values of justice, tolerance, and kindness.”

At each commencement ceremony, students delivered greetings in different languages, 14 in all, a reflection of the school’s cultural diversity. In addition, four students were selected by their peers to offer words of inspiration: Ziwen Li of Public Policy, Ari Zeen of Real Estate Development, Genesis Garcia of Social Welfare, Luis Valente of Urban Planning, and Thomas Contreras of the Undergraduate Program.

Following each ceremony, graduates and guests gathered at outdoor receptions to take photos and offer congratulations to UCLA Luskin’s newest alumni.

Watch the graduate ceremony on YouTube and view photos on Flickr and Grad Images.

UCLA Luskin Graduate Commencement 2026

 

Watch the undergraduate ceremony on YouTube and view photos on Flickr and Grad Images.

UCLA Luskin Undergraduate Commencement 2026

At UCLA, a Week of ‘Building Peace Through Education’ Research exchange brings together Jewish, Muslim and Druze educators from across Israeli society

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The 24 educators from the Middle East arrived at UCLA with two objectives: to share their experience building school communities where students can thrive amid turmoil, and to immerse themselves in the innovative centers of learning that Los Angeles has to offer.

The delegation came from the Amal Educational Network, which enrolls 30,000 students representing Jewish, Muslim, Druze, Christian and Bedouin communities across Israel. The network prioritizes academic excellence in settings that build personal resilience, civic responsibility and democratic values that bridge cultural divides.

“These schools are building peace through education. And so far, the data show it is working, even during war,” said Ron Avi Astor, professor of social welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, who has a joint appointment with the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies (SEIS). Astor organized the May 31–June 7 educational exchange in partnership with Mona Khoury, professor and vice president of strategy and diversity at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Karen Tal, superintendent and CEO of the Amal network.

A long-term research project led by Astor and Khoury is measuring the impact of the network’s 50 middle and high schools, and how its model can be scaled up across the Middle East. These case studies highlight Amal’s holistic curriculum weaving core academic subjects together with the arts, cutting-edge technology and volunteerism. It’s a formula that brings students of different backgrounds together more effectively than one-off cultural events or dialogues, the researchers found.

The visiting principals and professionals came from the Jewish, Muslim and Druze communities, but their schools represent the rich diversity of cultures across Israel. They shared challenges and success stories that held lessons not just for schools in conflict zones but for any campus seeking to create a stable and supportive climate free of violence, bullying and bias.

Man in glasses delivers lecture
Man in glasses delivers lecture
Group works on art project on outdoor patio
Group works on art project on outdoor patio
Woman holds small art collage with lyric "there is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in."
Woman holds small art collage with lyric "there is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in."

One case study focused on a remarkable partnership between two schools: Achva Gilboa, which is largely Arab Muslim, and Emek Harod, which serves students from Arab Muslim and Christian communities, secular and Orthodox Jewish traditions, and kibbutzim.

The schools host joint classes that bring students and teachers together on robotics projects, 3D printing and hackathons, and a documentary filmmaking option offers students the opportunity to express feelings of identity and belonging. Problem-solving with the most sophisticated technological tools draws students together, no matter what their backgrounds are, the educators said.

Amal schools also address polarization within cultural groups. Different Palestinian Muslim communities have distinct traditions, for example, and at Achva Gilboa, hundreds of grandmothers have come to campus to speak about their values and rituals. Students are now visiting the villages they learned about through their elders.

Technology and science education are prized at Amal schools, and the delegation’s Southern California itinerary included several treks to hubs of innovation including NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Getty Center, UCLA Lab School and Milken Community School.

In keeping with UCLA’s commitment to expand its global reach, the exchange invited leaders from schools across the region, as well as from groups including Holocaust Museum LA, Jewish Federation Los Angeles and the Holy Land Democracy Project, to join scholars and students in the cross-border dialogue.

“This was a transformative week,” Astor said as the exchange wrapped up. “These educators got to know each other as professionals, friends and partners in using their academic settings to educate

the next generation toward peace rather than polarization, demonization and hate.”

Added Amal Falah, an administrator at an Amal school serving the Druze community, “We arrived as visitors and leave as partners in a shared mission: shaping a better future through education.”

The exchange grew out of research by Astor and Khoury into the cultural context of school safety — scholarship that has taken them around the world, to Asia, Africa, Europe, the Mideast and the Americas.

The current research project by UCLA, Hebrew University and Amal is powerful, Khoury said. “The principals are doing the hard work. We are highlighting how they got to where they are and where they go in the future, for others to learn from.”

The research is supported by the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, which also sponsored the UCLA educational research exchange along with Gary Jacobs, trustee of the Rose and James Meltzer Trust, UCLA Luskin, UCLA SEIS and an anonymous donor.

Large group of people pose outdoors

Educators visit the Inverted Fountain during their stay at UCLA.

Turner on Addressing Poor Mental Health Outcomes of Black and Latino Boys

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According to the 2026 Children Now report scorecard, 94% of individuals aged 14-25 in California have reported mental health concerns each month, on average, and although the California Health and Human Services Agency provides guides and crisis hotlines on their website, families are unable to easily access these resources due to factors like financial hardship. 

Several individuals and organizations are advocating for changes to improve the accessibility of these resources, such as Children Now, who are currently supporting Senate Bill 363 which aims to improve the accessibility of mental health care services for youth through mandatory reporting by health insurance of the number of denials/modifications of treatment. 

However, assistant professor of social welfare at UCLA David C. Turner III argues that still more needs to be done to address the structural issues impacting the mental health outcomes of Black and Latino boys, such as systemic racism. “The overcriminalization of young people in schools oftentimes forces them to disengage from education. It demonstrates to these young men that they don’t matter, their opinions don’t matter, how they learn doesn’t matter and it creates a very dehumanizing environment for them,” said Turner, according to an article by CalMatters.

Luskin Professor Martin Gilens Elected to the National Academy of Sciences Martin Gilens is recognized for his influential research on inequality and democracy.

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Martin Gilens, professor of public policy, political science and social welfare at UCLA, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors in the scientific community. NAS membership is awarded to scholars in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievements in original research and is widely regarded as a mark of excellence across academic disciplines.

The National Academy of Sciences, established in 1863 under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln, elects members annually for their significant contributions to science and scholarship. Election reflects sustained impact in advancing knowledge and shaping research in one’s field.

Gilens is a leading scholar of American politics and public policy, widely recognized for his research on inequality, public opinion, and democratic responsiveness. His work has shaped contemporary understanding of how policy outcomes reflect—or diverge from—the preferences of citizens across socioeconomic groups.

Gilens earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and has held fellowships at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and the Russell Sage Foundation. Before joining UCLA in 2018, he held faculty appointments at Yale and Princeton Universities.

Hope Is Hard Work: Laphonza Butler Delivered Call to Action on Building Power From the Ground Up At the annual Luskin Summit, the former U.S. senator joined 400 scholars, students, and leaders in search for lasting equity and well-being

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Former U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler brought a message of resiliency and resolve to more than 400 scholars, students, community leaders, and elected officials who came together at UCLA last week to take on California’s most entrenched problems.

“Too many Californians, too many Angelenos, are not OK,” Butler told the crowd gathered for the eighth annual UCLA Luskin Summit on April 15. But she added, “The people in this room, the communities that you serve, have already proven that change is possible. …

“I keep returning to this one thing that sustains me: It’s that hope is not a joyful feeling. Hope, UCLA, is hard work.”

Butler, who served as a labor leader, political advisor and UC regent before joining the U.S. Senate in 2023 to complete the term of the late Dianne Feinstein, delivered the keynote address following a morning centered on strengthening resilience and equity at the local level.

Sharing Research and Solutions

Researchers from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs teamed up with difference-makers in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to share the latest advances in four areas of concern:

  • California’s housing strategy, including the state’s new zoning rules aimed at making shelter more affordable
  • Environmental health and justice, including the impact of extreme heat as L.A. hosts a series of mega-events, and the toll plastic pollution takes on vulnerable communities
  • Transportation security, including new strategies for elevating security, trust, and comfort among public transit riders
  • Socioeconomic vulnerability, including strategies to bridge intergenerational inequities, and regulatory tools that can be used to promote more inclusive growth

Launched in 2019, the UCLA Luskin Summit provides a bridge between academia, policymakers, and civil society, with the goal of finding evidence-based solutions to California’s most pressing concerns. This year’s gathering highlighted recent research from the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies, UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, and departments of Public Policy, Social Welfare, and Urban Planning.

Master of Urban Planning student O’Philia Le said she chose to attend the summit to learn how UCLA Luskin research is put into practice in the world.

“A key takeaway for me was that large-scale racial justice and global environmental impacts really start with local solutions. However, those solutions don’t just happen on their own,” she said.

“They require political pressure, community engagement, and an intentional push to actually move forward. As an aspiring planner, I believe that this is key to the work that we do.”

three men in suits sitting on stage

From left, ABC7’s Josh Haskell, Miguel Santana of the California Community Foundation, and Zev Yaroslavsky of UCLA Luskin’s Los Angeles Initiative review results from the 2026 Quality of Life Index. Photo by Michael Troxell

Quality of Life Index Reveals Growing Strain

The summit also hosted the release of this year’s UCLA Quality of Life Index (QLI), a project of the Luskin School’s Los Angeles Initiative, directed by Zev Yaroslavsky. The survey found that Los Angeles County residents’ satisfaction with their lives has hit the lowest level in the QLI’s 11-year history.

“We’ve been through a lot in the last five years: COVID; punishing increases in the cost of living; last year’s catastrophic fires, the worst natural disaster in the history of this city; tariffs; and this year the destabilizing implementation of the Trump administration’s immigration sweeps, which started right here in our own back yard,” he said. “All of these have taken their toll on virtually every aspect of our lives in every part of our region.”

Cost of living continues to be the single biggest driver of residents’ quality of life, though its rating declined from 2025, according to the survey. Among the 1,400 Los Angeles County residents polled in March, housing affordability remained the dominant concern, while rising costs for utilities, groceries, and taxes were cited more frequently than in prior years.

Ratings fell across nearly every category compared with last year, with six areas reaching their lowest levels since the survey began in 2016: education, transportation and traffic, jobs and the economy, public safety, neighborhood conditions, and relations among different races, ethnicities, and religions.

A Call to Action for the Next Generation

In her remarks, Butler also addressed the sobering results of the QLI.

“Every year the Quality of Life Index holds up a mirror to Los Angeles County,” she said. “And every year, it asks us to be brave enough to look in that mirror.”

She stressed, however, that “alongside every data point of strain, there’s a counter story, one that doesn’t get enough attention — the story that happens when people organize, when coalitions hold, when accountability is real.”

To the service-minded students in the room, she issued a call to action, echoing the summit’s theme of empowering local communities. Some of them would go to Washington and some to Sacramento, where they are desperately needed, she said.

“But some of you — hear me — need to go to places that don’t make headlines. To neighborhoods where the data actually lives, to communities where the stakes are immediate, not to study them but to be accountable to them. …

“The communities most impacted by vulnerability are also most engaged in building solutions. … Survival demands participation.”

UCLA Luskin professor Veronica Herrera introduces a session on plastic pollution before a standing-room-only audience. Photo by Mary Braswell
Men and women listening to speaker
Men and women listening to speaker
Three people in conversation
Three people in conversation

View more photos from the 2026 UCLA Luskin Summit on Flickr.

David C. Turner III Receives AERA Early Career Award

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David C. Turner III, assistant professor of Black Life and Racial Justice at UCLA Luskin, has been recognized with an Early Career Award from the Grassroots Community and Youth Organizing Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association.

The award honors emerging scholars whose work advances research and practice in community and youth organizing. Turner’s scholarship is deeply rooted in community-based research and advocacy, supporting grassroots movements across Los Angeles and California. As faculty director of the Million Dollar Hoods Project and a faculty affiliate with the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, his work examines the impacts of incarceration while actively partnering with communities to advance change.

“I’m humbled to receive the award,” Turner said, emphasizing that it reflects collective efforts. “We have so much more work to do. As scholars, we must go beyond simply ‘studying’ organizing—we must be involved.”

Founded in 1916, AERA is the nation’s leading research organization dedicated to advancing knowledge and improving education through scholarship.

Supporting Justice-Involved Youth: MSW Michelle Cisneros on Trauma-Informed Care

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Michelle Cisneros is a Master of Social Welfare student at UCLA, where she is focused on supporting system-impacted communities. Through her work at Los Padrinos Juvenile Detention Center and in school-based settings, she brings a trauma-informed, community-centered approach to advancing equity and mental health.
Headshot of Michelle Cisneros

Michelle Cisneros

You’ve worked with justice-involved youth at Los Padrinos Juvenile Detention Center. What has been the most rewarding or eye-opening part of supporting these youth, and how has it shaped your approach to social work?

One of the most eye-opening parts of working with justice-involved youth at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall has been realizing how many of their behaviors are rooted in unmet needs, trauma, and lack of support rather than simply “bad choices”. Building trust in such a structured environment has been especially rewarding, as seeing a student open up or try new coping and communication skills shows how impactful consistency and genuine care can be. At the same time, I have learned that supporting youth is not just about the one-on-one relationship, but also about building strong connections with the other adults in their lives, including probation staff, teachers, and administration. Establishing that rapport helps create bridges across systems, streamline communication, and makes it easier to provide consistent and effective support when everyone is aligned. This experience has shaped my approach by reinforcing the importance of being trauma-informed, strengths-based, collaborative, and intentional in both direct practice and system-level work.

Looking ahead, how do you hope to apply your Luskin education and field experiences to make an impact on at-risk youth or survivors of violence after graduation?

Looking ahead, I hope to apply what I have learned at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs by working with system-impacted individuals in a way that feels both culturally grounded and genuinely supportive. As a Latina in this field, I carry a strong awareness of how culture, family, and community shape the way people experience and talk about mental health, and I want to use that perspective to create spaces where individuals feel seen without having to explain or justify their identities. My goal is not only to provide individual support through skills like emotional regulation and communication, but also to challenge systems that often overlook or misunderstand communities like the ones I come from. I hope to bridge direct practice with advocacy by pushing for more accessible, culturally responsive mental health resources and by showing up in this field as someone who reflects the lived experiences of the individuals I serve.

What advice would you give to students or early-career professionals interested in pursuing a career that bridges social work, community engagement, and system-involved populations?

My biggest advice would be to stay open, patient, and grounded in why you chose this work, because working with system-involved populations can be challenging but deeply meaningful. Focus on building strong foundational skills like active listening, rapport building, and trauma-informed care, as these matter more than having all the “right” answers. Seek out hands-on experiences early, even if it feels uncomfortable at first, because that is where the most growth happens. It is also important to understand the systems your clients are navigating while still seeing each person as more than their involvement in those systems. Most importantly, find your why and hold onto it. This work can be heavy, but when you find purpose and happiness in it, along with strong supervision and support, it will help you stay grounded and continue showing up in a genuine way.

Ron Avi Astor Receives AERA Research Award in Human Development

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UCLA Luskin Social Welfare Professor Ron Avi Astor has received the Division E Distinguished Research Award in Human Development from the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

Astor and three co-authors were recognized for their article “The Contribution of School Victimization to Sadness, Hopelessness, and Suicidal Ideation Among Bias-Based and Non-Bias-Based Victims and the Moderating Role of School Climate.”

Published last year in the journal Educational Researcher, the article examined the impact of students’ victimization, including how a positive school climate could affect mental health outcomes. The research was based on a study of more than 1 million middle and high school students in California.

Astor, an international scholar of school climate and violence, has a dual appointment with the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies. The award will be presented at AERA’s annual conference in Los Angeles this week.

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