2nd Annual Latino Policy Day 2026

Description: UCLA LPPI will host the 2nd annual Latino Policy Day at UCLA, “Building Systems for the New Normal: Data-Driven Solutions When Crisis Becomes Constant,” a convening of students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members, to highlight groundbreaking LPPI-supported research. The program will feature panels with LPPI faculty experts and issue-specific leaders and conclude with a networking reception.

Date: Thursday, May 14th, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM – 5:30 PM PT

Location: UCLA James West Alumni Center (JWAC), Collins Conference Room + Patio, 325 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095

RSVP Here

Program Agenda

Emcee: Lila Burgos, Deputy Director, UCLA LPPI

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch & Alumni Panel

1:05 PM – 1:10 PM Welcome Remarks

Session 1: Community Health at the Frontlines: Immigrant Services in a Time of Enforcement (45 min)

Description: This session examines how the current political moment is shaping the experiences of nonprofit service providers delivering social services like health care, mental health support, housing, food assistance, and employment support to immigrant communities. Drawing on provider perspectives, the panelists will discuss how changes in immigration enforcement affects access to care, the wellbeing of the nonprofit workforce, and overall community health.

1:15 PM – 2:00 PM Presentation & Panel Discussion

2:00 PM – 2:15 PM Break – Food & Coffee (15 min)

Session 2: Who Rebuilds While the Cameras Leave? Protecting Immigrant Workers in Disaster Zones (45 min)

Description: After every disaster immigrant workers show up to rebuild, from clearing debris, to repairing homes and restoring infrastructure. Yet research from the Eaton Canyon fire reveals a brutal irony, that these workers are experiencing exploitation such as wage theft and unsafe conditions and lack basic protections. This session examines worker protections and gaps in disaster recovery for immigrant laborers. Panelists will discuss concrete policy interventions that recognize immigrant workers as essential infrastructure and ask what would it look like if labor protections, occupational health standards, and worker organizing were embedded into disaster response from day one?

2:15 PM – 3:00 PM Presentation & Panel Discussion

3:00 PM – 3:15 PM Break – Food & Coffee (15 min)

Session 3: Beyond Recovery: Redesigning Economic Infrastructure for Climate Disruption (45 min)

Description: Wildfires tore through Altadena and Pacific Palisades and exposed how fragile small business ecosystems really are. When neighborhood anchors close, workers lose income and entire commercial corridors face collapse. This session asks how to stop treating environmental disasters as exceptional events and start building economic systems designed for recurring disruption. Panelists will explore how environmental disruption impacts local business and economies and discuss how to create protective infrastructure such as emergency capital pools, flexible procurement policies and community-controlled recovery funds that keep small businesses and workers stable when the next disaster strikes. It isn’t about bouncing back, but about building forward.

3:15 PM – 4:00 PM Presentation & Panel Discussion

4:00 PM – 4:05 PM Closing Remarks

4:15 PM – 5:30 PM Reception – Taquero & Bar

5:30 PM End

Parking Instructions

Visiting James West Alumni Center

Parking Location Recommendation: UCLA Parking Structure 4 (P4) located off Westwood Plaza or UCLA Parking Structure 8 (P8) located off Westwood Plaza.

Rate: $17 for the day (cash or card accepted)