Environment & Climate Resilience

Alejandra G. Lopez is a PhD student in Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Brown University, where her research focuses on the Salton Sea, combining remote sensing, air and water quality, and community science. A resident of the Eastern Coachella Valley, she began her environmental work as a volunteer community scientist before working as a…

Why the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Deregulation is a Public Health Crisis in the Making

On February 12, 2026, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the Trump administration, finalized a significant rollback of the federal government’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions by repealing the Endangerment Finding under the Clean Air Act, which has been in place since 2009.¹ The Endangerment Finding is a formal scientific determination that greenhouse…

Webinar Examines Uneven Wildfire Recovery in Altadena

On January 6, LPPI hosted “The Altadena Recovery: Who Gets to Come Back?”, a webinar bringing together researchers and partners on the ground to mark the one-year anniversary of the Eaton wildfire. LPPI director of research Silvia González and senior research analyst Gabriella Carmona opened the program with their research on Altadena’s housing and small…

Inside LPPI’s Rapid-Response Research on the L.A. Wildfires

Parsing through data until 4 am. Eyes glued to the Watch Duty app. Every minute, a new Slack notification. That’s what the immediate days were like for UCLA LPPI director of research Silvia R. González after the Pacific Palisades and Altadena wildfires broke out. Like many Angelenos, González watched the wildfires grow each hour on…

LPPI Staff and Fellows Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity in Altadena

On Friday, November 7, UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI) staff and fellows volunteered with the San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity in Altadena, contributing to the first home being rebuilt through the organization’s Eaton Fire recovery efforts. Since the wildfire in January 2025, Habitat for Humanity has been working closely with homeowners to…

When Extreme Heat Becomes the Opponent

During my high school cross-country meets in Los Angeles, the competition doesn’t always feel like it’s just between runners. Sometimes the toughest opponent is the sun. I’ve watched teammates collapse to the floor after races, fighting off nausea from dehydration. On most days, practices stretch late into the afternoon, and the heat lingers long after…

Real Data, Real Impact: Confronting California’s Climate Inequities

For two decades, I had the honor of representing communities in Riverside and Imperial Counties in local and state government—places like Mecca, Coachella, and Calexico. These are hardworking families living near the Salton Sea, where the air is often thick with dust and pollution, and kids grow up with higher rates of asthma. The jobs…

Extreme heat doesn’t just bring discomfort, it can turn into a life-threatening risk

All Californians have received various extreme heat advisories this week. It’s a stark reminder of how climate change is reshaping daily life here and across the country. Heat is the deadliest climate hazard today, killing more people in the U.S. each year than floods, wildfires, or hurricanes. Yet, not all neighborhoods feel these increased temperatures…

As federal heat rules for workers stall, local data becomes even more critical

We all know how hot California summers can get. But for a lot of people, heat isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s dangerous. Farmworkers, delivery drivers, construction crews, jardineros, and warehouse workers. Jobs you can’t do from an air-conditioned office—those are the ones heat hits hardest. When the temperature spikes, so does the risk of illness and even…

How community shaped the Latino Climate and Health dashboard

When LPPI set out to build the Latino Climate and Health Dashboard, the research team knew one thing: it couldn’t just be about numbers. It had to be about people—about the communities who live every day with the impacts of climate change and environmental injustice, and who are often left out of the conversations that…

LPPI Hosts a Wildfire Research Briefing with Journalists

The recent Los Angeles wildfire research by the UCLA Latino Politics Institute (LPPI) was the focus of a media briefing hosted on March 5 at UCLA. Dr. Silvia González, LPPI’s director of research and representatives from the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California (IDEPSCA), an organization that has been on the front lines of wildfire support…

Wildfire Relief Resources from our Partners

As wildfires continue to impact our communities, accessing timely and reliable information is essential. To help individuals and families navigate these challenges, we’ve compiled a list of resources from trusted partners working on the frontlines of wildfire preparedness, response, and recovery. Explore our Partners Wildfire Relief Funds and Resources 805 UndocuFund Disaster Relief Fund: Donations…

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