At home in two worlds, father and daughter are a living connection between UCLA and Homeboy Industries Cianna and Cesar Ulloa are rooted in Homeboy Industries, the venerable L.A. institution known for transforming lives

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Researchers at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs have examined Homeboy Industries and its relationship-centered approach to rehabilitation and community support. Among them is UCLA Luskin professor Jorja Leap, whose decades of research on gang intervention, violence prevention and reentry has included close work with Homeboy to understand how mentorship, community and trauma-informed care help people rebuild their lives.

by Ron Mackovich-Rodriguez

An eastbound Metro train rumbles on an elevated track above Homeboy Industries’s home in downtown Los Angeles near Chinatown. It’s part of the city’s burgeoning light rail network, set to connect downtown and UCLA in time for the summer Olympic Games in 2028.

The track noise goes unnoticed at Homeboy’s lively headquarters as scores of people stream in for a big morning meeting.

“I grew up around here, so these people have known me since I was little,” Cianna Ulloa said as she and her father, Cesar Ulloa, passed through Homegirl Café. The popular spot for coffee and uniquely L.A. cuisine is always hopping, and they can’t get more than a few steps before a familiar face stops her for another chat, hug or both.

Old family photo of UCLA student Cianna and her father Cesar Ulloa former gang-member. They both went through programs at Homeboy Industries.

Cianna and her father Cesar Ulloa.

Cesar lets everybody know Cianna is a third-year sociology student at UCLA. She’s quick to add something.

“My dad inspired me to do it,” Cianna said. “Just to see him better his life for me and for my entire family was so encouraging.”

Cesar Ulloa manages retail merchandizing at three of the organization’s thriving locations. He works nonstop overseeing sales of Homeboy’s popular apparel and mugs, some of which bear inspirational messages.

“You are exactly what God had in mind when he made you,” Cesar reads to Cianna from the back of a Homeboy t-shirt.

Life as an engaged, professional father is decades removed from Cesar’s life as a young man who didn’t expect to live long. He retells his story with clear-eyed reflection, as he did when Julio Frenk became the first UCLA chancellor to visit Homeboy Industries in January.

“Before I got to Homeboy, I was heavily involved in drugs and gangs,” he said. “It separated me from my family, from my kids.”

“One of the things we have to get used to at Homeboy is change,” Cesar said. “When I started, I was like, ‘Change what? I’m used to this. I was raised this way. There were drugs on the floor. Coming out of the house, there was a shooting. I saw older people getting beaten.”

“My dad was in survival mode back then,” Cianna said. “So many Homeboys were in survival mode before they got here. Change starts with being open and being honest, being OK with what has happened in the past to transform into the person you want to become.”

Images of Cesar and Cianna, taken nearly two decades ago, show an undeniable bond. Other pictures of Cesar, taken in and around Ramona Gardens in Boyle Heights, show a young man with a harder expression. It’s a face watching for danger around the dark corners of violent streets and lockups.

When Cianna was just a few years old, Cesar wrote messages to her in a leather journal, believing at the time she might read them after he passed away.

“I would write to Cianna, ‘This is what I want you to do when you grow up. This is what I want you to look out for.’ Then I thought, ‘I want to tell her these things in person.’ It was writing to Cianna that planted the seed for a different future. After a number of rehabs where I didn’t get it, I came to Homeboy Industries and I was able to turn my life around.”

Cesar’s former life is decades in the past, though its memories are never far from the minds of a father and daughter who lost a brother and uncle to gang violence.

“If it wasn’t for Homeboy, I wouldn’t have made it to UCLA,” Cianna said, remembering her teenage years in the organization’s summer youth programs, creating art and strengthening her writing prowess.

“My world expanded. I was able to gain new experiences, new skills and that prepared me for life at UCLA. I’m incredibly grateful that my mom and dad supported me, and I want to be more like my father.”

While still in high school, Cianna authored a research paper about the effectiveness of Homeboy’s rehabilitation efforts.

“I learned how important one-on-one case management is,” Cianna said. “That taught me social work was the path for me, a path of service and helping others.”

That tie between past and future, between UCLA and Homeboy, father and daughter, is illustrative of the connection between the two organizations.

UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk visits Homeboy Industries

Ron Mackovich-Rodriguez/UCLA Newsroom
UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk (far left) visits Homeboy Industries

UCLA’s connections to Homeboy include research into the organization’s relationship-focused programs through the Luskin School of Public Affairs. In addition, a UCLA Health physician has supported Homeboy’s tattoo removal services. Several Homeboy alums have also graduated from UCLA, including Romen Lopez.

One of Homeboy’s executive leaders is UCLA alumna Shirley Torres, a strong presence in the lives of the Ulloa family who welcomed Chancellor Frenk during his January visit.

Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries and a close friend of Cesar Ulloa, was among key leaders at a multifaith conversation at UCLA in late February. The event was hosted by the UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute and the UCLA Center for the Study of Religion.

Cesar and Cianna Ulloa were in the audience.

Before heading back across town, Cesar takes a walk with his daughter across a UCLA campus enlivened by a Bruin basketball victory over USC at Pauley Pavilion. The energy is noisy and spirited, much like it is every morning at Homeboy.

Cianna is equally at home in both places. The first in her family to attend university, she is past the halfway point through her third year as a sociology major, minoring in civic engagement and social change. Her future is open, but focused.

“I would like to work with at-risk youth, possibly drug rehabilitation or children’s social work,” Cianna said. “The path is still broad, but I do know that I want to help people.”

A future of service, of giving back, is a pleasing vision for a father whose horizons did not extend past graffiti-covered walls.

“Looking at my baby girl walking on this campus with everybody else, it’s a proud feeling to see her succeed,” Cesar said.

It Turns Out Podcast: Rethinking Traffic with Michael Manville From gridlock to smarter solutions, Professor Manville explains why understanding incentives is key to moving cities forward.

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In the latest podcast episode of It Turns Out, host Kara Miller sat down with urban planning professor Michael Manville to tackle one of the most familiar frustrations in modern life: traffic congestion.

Rather than accepting traffic as an inevitable part of city living, Manville explains that traffic isn’t just a nuisance—it “robs you of time, health, and sometimes sanity.” What’s striking, he argues, is that many of the “obvious” solutions people and policymakers reach for, like widening freeways or building new transit lines, often fail to make traffic better in a meaningful way.

The episode delves into the underlying causes of congestion, including how underpriced road space and urban design choices contribute to persistent delays and bottlenecks. Manville highlights transportation research showing that smarter pricing mechanisms — such as congestion pricing that adjusts fees based on demand — can reduce gridlock by encouraging more efficient use of infrastructure. “People oppose it when it’s first proposed. After it’s implemented in the area, people like it. And yet after that happens, it’s uniquely uncontagious,” he notes.

Reflecting on his early experiences in the field, Manville adds, “When I first started studying congestion pricing back in grad school, occasionally we’d get called by a government entity or an elected official who wanted to talk about ideas for reducing traffic. Their reaction when we proposed congestion pricing then was, ‘Don’t let the door hit you on your way out, and don’t ever come back.’ But now, people at least talk about it and even consider it. We’ll take progress.”

Watch the podcast episode on YouTube or listen to the episode on Spotify.

Shaping Hollywood’s Future: UCLA Luskin Student Mehra Marzbani Champions California’s Creative Workforce

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As an actress and student, what does it mean to you to advocate for reforms that help keep California’s entertainment/creative workforce thriving?

As a California native and a once-little girl who was perpetually glued to the screen, I always knew I wanted to play a role in Hollywood–after all, it is a quintessential part of our state’s identity and legacy. It felt surreal to see the huge Hollywood sign on my way to a TV set for the first time, because it struck me that this truly is where dreams are born and come true. As a student, I want to leverage public policy to keep that magical feeling alive for other emerging creatives and ensure equitable access to innovation and opportunity. And that’s what advocating for reforms that sustain and uplift our creative workforce means to me–it’s cheering on that little TV-obsessed girl who doubted whether or not she had a place in the industry and ensuring future generations that the Hollywood dream will stay here, in California.

What inspired you to focus your policy work on California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program, and why is this issue important for the state’s creative economy?

In the conversations I’ve had with filmmakers and others, I’ve been overwhelmed by comments about red tape and permitting costs. It’s impacting not only the scope of productions, but causing more filming out of state and overseas. Now that I’m dabbling in independent production work, I completely understand the struggle; finding a location that’s within our small budget and seamlessly obtaining a permit–all without sacrificing the creative integrity of the project–is a major curveball. California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program does offer strong incentives to reclaim in-state production, but these tax credits should be paired with structural changes to be most effective–and that includes simplifying the permitting process and expanding eligibility to include student and low-budget productions.

Making the investment in California’s entertainment industry and the success of the next generation of creatives here is an investment in California’s economic strength and security. It supports thousands of jobs and livelihoods, attracts tourism, the list goes on. Especially in light of all the recent unprecedented challenges we’ve endured as a state, protecting our creative labor force now is essential.

As you look ahead, how do you hope to use your platform as both an artist and a policymaker to create systemic change or drive social change on a larger scale?

I truly believe in the power of storytelling and would like to continue doing that. Both art and policy tell a story, and the narratives we read and hear can challenge perceptions and spark tangible social change. The tricky part is to understand what makes a story effective for a given audience. Through acting, I’ve learned empathy, and through policymaking, precision. My education has given me the language and tools to translate the creative community’s needs into buzzwords legislative officials can act on, and I see my platform as a bridge–connecting arts workers, young innovators, policymakers, and local leaders to pursue mutually beneficial goals. We’ve all heard the phrase “Lights, Camera, Action,” but the call now is for the entire community to take action together, collectively shaping our dreams for the future.

Designing Patient-Centered Care: Jenny Gao’s Policy Internship with Kaiser Permanente

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From classroom to care strategy: A Luskin Public Policy student’s summer at Kaiser Permanente shaping patient-centered health policy.

Where are you working this summer and what are your primary responsibilities or focus areas day-to-day?

I’m working at Kaiser Permanente this summer as a Care Delivery Strategy Intern on the National Clinical Services team. Our team consists of specialists from multiple disciplines to design care that is more personalized, predictive, and coordinated for patients and members. We focus on creating seamless experiences across settings, from prevention and early intervention to acute care and long-term support. Our work spans a range of areas, from kidney care services to national initiatives like improving end-of-life care through the Dignified Journeys program. In my role, I contribute to multiple projects within these portfolios, supporting strategies that advance our goal of ensuring that patients receive the right care at the right time in the right place.

Have you drawn on any skills, concepts, or lessons from your Luskin coursework in your summer role? If so, how have they come into play?

One of the most valuable skills I’ve been able to apply from my Luskin coursework is stakeholder engagement. At Kaiser, this takes on a unique context because the organization is both the insurance plan and the care provider. My projects have involved collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders that include operations leaders, managerial consultants, project managers, physicians, nurses, and more. Through these projects, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of how each stakeholder’s background, training, and responsibilities shape the way they approach challenges. 

Drawing on what I’ve learned at Luskin, I’ve practiced actively listening to their perspectives while identifying common priorities and finding ways to cater towards different viewpoints to move projects forward. I’ve also been able to apply lessons on decision making analysis, particularly around balancing multiple priorities such as efficiency, equity, and cost. Our Luskin coursework has given me the lens to carefully consider how each decision impacts our overall goal of optimizing the quality of care and quality of life for patients and members.

Describe a specific project, interaction, or milestone this summer that made you think, “Yes, this is why I chose this field.” What did you take away from that moment?

One of my goals this summer has been to connect with colleagues across Kaiser and learn from their career journeys. A memorable conversation I had was with a senior operations leader working on a falls prevention initiative. He shared his journey from starting out as a physical therapist to now leading national research and advocacy efforts to reduce falls, while still working directly with complex case management. Hearing the statistics behind this initiative was compelling, for example, in older adults, a serious fall can increase mortality rates by nearly 50%. In more complex cases, families and clinicians face difficult decisions about whether surgery will improve quality of life, given the risks of recovery. What inspired me was how he balances both the individual impact of serving vulnerable patients with the large scale change of shaping policy and strategy within Kaiser. His work showed me that improving care for vulnerable populations requires both empathy and strategy, understanding lived experiences while building solutions that can optimize their quality of life. Witnessing how much meaning he finds in connecting direct patient care with national strategy deeply inspired me and reinforced why I want to dedicate my career to advancing health policy. 

 

Beyond shade: UCLA researchers improve radiant cooling to make outdoor temperatures feel cooler Approach uses low-cost, scalable, transparent and infrared-reflective surfaces and hydronic panels

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A team of UCLA engineers and researchers has developed a new technique to make it feel up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit cooler outside while preserving a sense of safe and open space.

Nature Sustainability magazine shows thermal imaging of a person sitting in a folding chair inside a radiant cooling structure

Recently featured as the June cover story in Nature Sustainability, the UCLA-led study demonstrated a new way to harness radiant cooling. Instead of relying on dark and windowless spaces, such as a tunnel, to create radiant cooling that raises safety concerns for public outdoor spaces, the new approach combines water-cooled aluminum panels and see-through, infrared-reflective thin polymer film, which allows both efficient cooling and visibility — a top priority, especially for residents in urban communities.

As climate change accelerates, extreme heat events are occurring with greater intensity and frequency, threatening the safety of people who spend significant time outdoors. Active radiant cooling, which uses surrounding surfaces such as cool roofs or floors to absorb heat from a space, has recently emerged as a promising strategy for outdoor thermal comfort, as it offers cooling at a distance without the inefficiency of conditioning unconfined air. However, for radiant cooling structures to be effective, the overwhelming majority of their internal surfaces must be actively cooled, typically with opaque panels, raising practicality and safety concerns. The UCLA team found a way to address these issues.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge’s Heat Resilient LA project.

“This low-cost and scalable design is a practical step beyond shade to help people who have to be outdoors on hot days, especially during periods of extreme heat,” said study co-author Aaswath Raman, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering who specializes in developing new materials and technologies to help lower temperatures. “This additional level of cooling can bring some relief in outdoor places where traditional air conditioning simply isn’t possible, such as metro stops, parks and plazas.”

In field studies, the researchers conducted experiments on the UCLA campus and at the San Fernando Swap Meet on days when temperatures reached the mid-80s at each location. The team constructed a nearly 10-by-10-foot “tent,” comprising semi-transparent, infrared-reflective walls made of half-metallized thin polymer film; a roof built from radiative-cooling sheets; and three hydronic radiant-cooling panels made of aluminum sheets with cold water flowing behind them to keep the panels actively cool. To enhance cooling efficiency, the team also painted the inward-facing side of the panels black to absorb incidental heat, such as body heat from people within the structure. The semi-transparent walls allow occupants to see outside without visual obstruction.

Interior and exterior of a tent structure with three hydronic radiant-cooling aluminum panels and polymer film walls

Raman Lab/UCLA
The interior and exterior of the nearly 10-by-10-foot “tent.”

The researchers found that their structure had a mean radiant temperature of about 78 degrees Fahrenheit. This was not only lower than the ambient air temperature of approximately 84 degrees but also more than 10 degrees cooler than the mean radiant temperature of about 90 degrees that a person would have otherwise experienced due to heat radiating from surrounding surfaces. The team also surveyed participants who stood in the cooling structure, with most reporting feeling cooler and more comfortable than they would in shade alone.

“Radiant temperature” refers to a commonly experienced phenomenon: when a person’s perceived temperature differs from the actual air temperature. For example, when someone walks from an asphalt-paved parking lot to a grassy area, then to a space under a tree, the air temperature stays the same, but it feels cooler because the grass and shade shield the person from heat radiated by surrounding surfaces, such as asphalt. This effect helped inspire the researchers’ new approach to tackling heat.

“Cities need to think about shade as infrastructure,” said study co-author V. Kelly Turner, a UCLA associate professor of urban planning and geography and associate director of the Luskin Center for Innovation who studies heat equity. “This accessible design can help patch in where there is not enough shade for people to be comfortable outdoors on hot days.”

The paper’s lead author is David Abraham, a doctoral student in Raman’s research group at UCLA Samueli. Other authors include Dr. Mackensie Yore, an emergency medicine physician at UCLA Health; Kirsten Schwarz, an associate professor of urban planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and of environmental health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health; Dr. David Eisenman, a professor-in-residence at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA with a joint appointment at Fielding School; and Walker Wells, an urban planning lecturer at the Luskin School. Other authors from Raman’s group are undergraduate student Robert Yang, former graduate student Xin Huang and former postdoctoral scholar Jyotirmoy Mandal.

This article was originally published on UCLA Newsroom. Read the full article here.

Luskin Alum Edgar Garcia MURP ’06 Welcomes Mayor Bass at Executive Directive Signing Edgar Garcia stands alongside Mayor Karen Bass as city advances protections for immigrants at historic Los Angeles landmark.

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UCLA Luskin alum Edgar Garcia MURP ’06 helped mark a significant moment in Los Angeles history as he welcomed Mayor Karen Bass to El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument on July 11, where she signed a new executive directive to strengthen city protections for immigrant communities.

“In 1931, our plaza here, was the site of the forced repatriation of U.S. citizens of Mexican heritage, where raids occurred on unsuspecting visitors…It’s a sad history but a powerful reminder of what we are facing today,” said Garcia. “The fear and trauma of so many back then, has once again been awakened across our city. But there’s also another history — one rooted in hope, unity and solidarity.”

From the painful legacy of forced repatriations in the 1930s to the sanctuary movement sparked at La Placita Church in the 1980s by Father Olivares, Edgar reminded us our city’s history holds both trauma and hope — and a responsibility to protect our most vulnerable.

Mayor Bass’ directive comes in response to a wave of recent ICE raids in Los Angeles. The directive requires all city departments to comply with L.A.’s sanctuary ordinance, submit preparedness plans, and expand access to resources through Immigrant Affairs Liaisons. It also forms a working group to guide LAPD response to ICE activity and seeks federal records on recent immigration enforcement actions.

Garcia currently serves as Interim General Manager of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, where he uses his educational background in urban planning as a tool for preservation, education, and community empowerment. His leadership reflects a deep commitment to honoring Los Angeles’ diverse history while shaping how future generations engage with and protect the city’s cultural and historic spaces.

Zepeda-Millán on the Meaning of the Red, White and Green

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Chris Zepeda-Millán, Associate Professor of Public Policy at UCLA Luskin, is quoted in a number of media outlets, including the New York Times, about the presence and meaning of the Mexican flag at ongoing protests in downtown Los Angeles. Interpretations and characterizations vary depending on the source. The story notes that government officials have cast the Mexican flag and other Latin American flags as symbols of insurrection by “illegal foreign invaders,” implying that protesters are not U.S. citizens. “They’re the children and grandchildren of immigrants,” said Zepeda-Millán, who also serves as chair of UCLA’s labor studies program and holds appointments in Chicana/o studies and political science at UCLA. “They have no doubt in their own citizenship or their own belonging here, but they understand the racial undertones of the attacks on immigrants,” he said, adding, “So you’re getting this reaction of ‘We’re not going to let you make us be ashamed of where our parents and grandparents came from.’”

Read the story

MPP 2024 Alumni Fellowship Recipient Dorothy Pirtle, MPP '25

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Dorothy Faye Pirtle is a Master of Public Policy student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Luskin School of Public Affairs and a recipient of the UCLA Graduate Opportunity Program award. She also completed the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Program’s Junior Summer Institute Fellowship at the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. In 2020, Pirtle founded Lily of the Nile 1992, a 501(c)3 organization operating farmers’ markets, farm stands, and food distributions in South Central Los Angeles, celebrating African American culinary traditions. Pirtle holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the University of California, Irvine, and is an alumna of Los Angeles Trade Technical College’s Culinary Arts, Professional Baking, and Restaurant Management programs. Her research interests include Community and Economic Development, Environmental Policy, Food Policy, GIS, and Social Policy.

A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Dorothy has earned recognition through several scholarships, including the Community Development Corporation of San Diego Arthur H. Goodman Scholarship, Congressional Black Caucus Spouses Education Scholarship, Korean American Scholarship Foundation Western Scholarship Award, LINC TELACU Education Foundation Scholarship, and the Women’s Organization Reaching Koreans (WORK) Hae Won Park Memorial Scholarship.

Please see Dorothy’s LinkedIn for further details.

2024 MPP Alumni Fellowship Recipient Vivana Morales, MPP '25

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Viviana Morales received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Chicano Studies from UC Berkeley. Viviana’s career interests lie in wanting to improve both educational and economic outcomes for low-income families and youth in California through research and data analytics. Prior to graduate school, Viviana worked in public service for 4 years in the Office of California State Senator Monique Limon as a District Representative in Santa Barbara. During this time she engaged with city, county, and federal stakeholders to help move the needle on critical issues in Santa Barbara and Ventura County relating to issues in Health, K-12 Education, Immigration, and Childcare. As a first-generation Latina student, she is passionate about education and economic policy because she understands, from personal experience, that education not only opens doors of opportunity but also plays a critical role in driving economic mobility and reducing inequality. She believes that investing in education is essential for empowering individuals and fostering broader economic growth, especially in underserved communities. During the school year, Viviana also works as a Graduate Student Researcher with the Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI), where she helps conduct research on several projects focused on zero-emission transportation and equity within LCI’s Clean Transportation Initiative. This summer, Viviana is a Fellow at Liberty Hill, where she is working with the Youth Justice team to strategically mobilize community organizers, donors, activists, and allies in advancing transformative social justice initiatives within the Youth Justice sphere across the greater Los Angeles area.

Please see Viviana’s LinkedIn for more information.