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Kimberly Vandenberg has spent much of her life in the water. A competitive swimmer from California, she eventually became an Olympic medalist, competing in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Teaching was a natural next step when her competing days wound down. She had always coached in some capacity alongside her athletic career, and when…

LPPI Statement on the Passing of Dolores Huerta

The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) mourns Dolores Huerta’s passing. Her leadership raised the standard of living for farmworkers across California and redefined what it meant to be a woman in power. At a time when women, especially Chicanas, were expected to remain on the sidelines, Huerta was on the front lines of…

LPPI Welcomes 2026-2027 Student Fellows

The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) hosted the orientation for its new policy fellows on Sept. 21, during which LPPI leadership and returning fellows shared advice on how the new cohort will help advance the institute’s mission. The LPPI Policy Fellows Program gives students real, hands-on experience working on important issues that affect…

As Midterm Elections Near, LPPI, UnidosUS, and Project BRAVO Highlight Latino Voters’ Economic Priorities

LPPI and UnidosUS, the country’s largest Hispanic civil rights organization, co-hosted an Oct. 20 webinar on how the wealth gap and the country’s economic state are shaping Latino voters’ perspectives ahead of the midterm elections. Over 250 people attended the discussion, which included an overview of LPPI’s research on the Latino electorate, context as to…

2026 LPPI Field Fellows reflect on a summer of public service

On August 19, five students from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs marked the completion of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute’s 2026 Field Fellowship by presenting the projects and lessons from their summer placements. The eight-week Field Fellowship provides Luskin students with hands-on public policy experience at government offices and community-based organizations…

Examining the impact of immigration enforcement on Latino businesses

On August 12, LPPI, in partnership with Inclusive Action for the City, hosted a webinar highlighting findings from the report “The Cost of Fear: The Impacts of Immigration Enforcement on Small Businesses and Latino Entrepreneurs in LA County.” Nearly 350 people joined the discussion, which examined the economic impact of immigration enforcement and included first-person…

What Rebuilding Altadena Really Looks Like: Five Key Takeaways

In the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, recovery in Altadena is not an abstract policy concept, it is a daily, uneven, and deeply human process unfolding lot by lot. On a recent rebuilding and recovery tour hosted by Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County (NHSLA), that reality was on full display. The tour, which…

LPPI celebrates student accomplishments at end-of-year celebration

LPPI celebrated the 2025-26 policy fellows, field fellows, student workers, volunteers, and graduating class. This year’s cohort included a total of 28 students, whose contributions to the institute spanned the academic year. Hotel Angeleno’s poolside was buzzing with chatter and mariachi music as attendees – including LPPI staff, LPPI Advisory Board member Xochitl Castañeda, and…

Lessons from AltaMed on Advocacy and Systems Changes

On May 1, LPPI policy fellows and student leaders visited AltaMed Corporate Headquarters in Commerce, CA, for the leadership programming on advocacy and systems changes. The visit offered a close look at how one of the nation’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center networks is redefining the role of a healthcare provider, from patient care to…

LPPI hosts its 2nd annual Latino Policy Day

LPPI hosted its 2nd annual Latino Policy Day on May 14, bringing students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members together to discuss “Building Systems for the New Normal: Data-Driven Solutions When Crisis Becomes Constant.” The event kicked off with lunch and a panel of LPPI policy fellow program alumni. Current policy fellows Denisse Rodriguez and…

Recovery Starts Here: Margarita “Maggie” Cortez

Margarita “Maggie” Cortez is a single mother of three and the owner of El Patron Mexican Food Restaurant, a 15-year fixture on Lake Avenue in Altadena. There was no Mexican restaurant on that stretch of the street when Maggie opened El Patron. For a decade and a half, it became something more than a restaurant…

Recovery Starts Here: Kimberly Vandenberg

Recovery Starts Here: Helen Lam

Helen Lam built a life and business from the ground up in Altadena, CA, after fleeing the Vietnam War as a Vietnamese and Chinese-American refugee. She worked as an esthetician, steadily gaining experience and earning the trust of her clients. It was those very clients who encouraged her to open her own shop. And when…

Charlita: Gabriella Carmona on the Roots of the Latino Wealth Gap

Latinos make up almost 20% of the U.S. population, generating $4.1 trillion in economic output. Yet, Latinos continue to own far fewer wealth-building assets – such as homes, savings, and investments – than their white peers. We had a Q&A with Gabriella Carmona, a senior research analyst at LPPI and co-author of Sueño Incompleto: A…

Latinos as Agents and Targets: Power and Politics in Immigration Enforcement

On April 8, the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) and the Arizona State University School of Transborder Studies co-hosted “Latinos as Agents and Targets: Power and Politics in Immigration Enforcement” at the ASU California Center located in downtown Los Angeles. Over 100 community members attended a discussion on the complex identities and inequalities…

Charlita: Julia Silver on Unequal Exposure to Extreme Heat in the Central Valley

California experienced its first major heat wave in the first three months of 2026. As climate change lengthens and intensifies periods of extreme heat, it becomes crucial to examine who is most exposed, why, and how we can mitigate the health risks. That’s why the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute created a policy toolkit…

Charlita: Mariah Bonilla on Disparities Latinos Continue to Face in California

Latinos represent 40% of California’s population, driving economic and workforce growth. At the same time, Latinos in California face alarming gaps in earned income, homeownership, and insurance coverage compared to non-Latinos. We talked to Mariah Bonilla, project policy analyst at LPPI, who examined both sides of this narrative in a new report, State of Latinos…

Women’s History Month: Celebrating the Women on LPPI’s Staff

This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the team of formidable women who make LPPI’s work possible. In the roundtable below, several women on staff reflect on the adversities they overcame and the empowerment they found in their journeys to LPPI. Q: How has your identity as a woman of color impacted your academic and professional…

UCLA LPPI Statement on Allegations Against Cesar Chavez

“We are deeply troubled by the allegations reported this week regarding César Chávez. We at the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) acknowledge the profound pain this moment brings to many in our communities, particularly to those who have long looked to the farmworker movement as a source of dignity, courage, and collective struggle….

Webinar on Documenting the Economic Harm of ICE Enforcement

On February 25, LPPI Director Dr. Amada Armenta joined a discussion on the importance of documenting the harm that immigration enforcement causes to local economies. She highlighted LPPI’s research on the impact of ICE raids to business corridors in Los Angeles. The webinar was hosted by the Bay Area Asset Funders Network and sponsored by…

Policy Fellows Learn from Telemundo’s Enrique Chiabra

On February 27, Telemundo 52 news anchor Enrique Chiabra spoke with LPPI policy fellows at the quarterly communications module. Chiabra has won 11 Emmy awards in his 10 years at Telemundo, alongside awards from GLAAD and the Latino Journalists of California. In his time as a sociology undergraduate at UCLA, Chiabra was president of the…

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