Featured Speaker: Secretary Xavier Becerra

Former California Attorney General and Secretary of HHS, Xavier Becerra will deliver remarks about protecting and expanding democracy in 2025. In particular, Becerra will discuss what is at stake for Californians ahead of the Prop. 50 vote on temporary new district boundaries and compare and contrast to other efforts in Texas, Missouri, Florida and more. Beyond democracy, Becerra will outline his views on the importance of expanding access to quality health care, protecting immigrant rights, and more. Following the keynote address Becerra will be joined by Chad Dunn (School of Law and Luskin Public Affairs) who is currently leading a lawsuit against Texas redistricting on behalf of Black and Latino plaintiffs in Texas, and Dr. Natalie Masuoka (Political Science and Asian American Studies) an expert in redistricting and voting behavior to discuss the importance of voting rights and representation for Americans of all backgrounds. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Matt Barreto (Political Science and Chicana/o Studies) who is Faculty Director of the UCLA Voting Rights Project.