Luskin Summit

This online session led by professor Matt Barreto of the UCLA Voting Rights Project will take a close look at restrictive voting efforts in 47 states, particularly legislative attempts to stifle the voting rights of communities of color in Arizona, Georgia and Texas.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23

International Approaches to Housing Policy: Lesson for California

Housing costs in California continue to soar without sign of abatement, so we turn abroad to look for policy inspiration. This online session led by professor Paavo Monkkonen of the Latin American Cities Initiative at UCLA Luskin will bring the knowledge and experience of high-level officials and policy experts from countries with notable and varied approaches to addressing housing challenges. Examples include representatives from a municipal housing agency or social housing association in Europe (both Helsinki’s and Paris’ are well-known); Singapore’s Housing Development Board, a public provider of homeownership opportunities; Japan’s National Spatial Planning and Regional Policy Bureau, which oversees zoning from a higher level of government than in the United States; and a housing secretary from Latin America (Mexico or Chile).

As climate change becomes increasingly urgent, cities around the world are making ambitious plans to mitigate its causes and adapt to its impacts. Too often these plans are unjust. Plans meant to adapt to climate change impacts or protect the city might do so only in unequal ways, or threaten to displace marginalized residents in vulnerable places. This online session led by author and professor Kian Goh of the UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy explores how grassroots climate justice activists in cities around the world fight back against unjust plans, build power among their constituents, and propose alternatives for a climate-just future.

“Sport for development” is the use of sport as a tool to achieve individual, community, national and international objectives. Around the world, sport has been used to improve physical and mental health and well-being, to promote economic development and social mobilization, to support communities affected by disaster response and to enhance peace building. More recently, the power of sport to address gender inequality has been recognized. This online session led by professor Manisha Shah of the Global Lab for Research in Action at UCLA Luskin will discuss emerging research that demonstrates how sport can be used to engage boys and young men alongside girls to advance gender justice. Panelists will discuss lessons that are relevant to a local / global audience — not only to practitioners and policymakers but to the wider public, including parents, teachers and even adolescents themselves.

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APRIL 22

Quality of Life Index

Former public official and current UCLA professor Zev Yaroslavsky will unveil the results of his seventh annual poll of Los Angeles County residents on their satisfaction with their lives across nine categories.

The State of California

Prominent public officials will join UCLA Blueprint editor Jim Newton to discuss the importance of governors regarding issues with a statewide focus, including climate change impacts, inequality, homelessness and the state’s political balance.