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A new report from the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) shows that Latinos are central to California’s workforce and its future growth. However, deep and persistent gaps in wages, housing, health coverage, and environmental exposure continue to hold many families back, limiting the state’s ability to fully realize its economic potential.

Press Release & Media Advisory → Demography & Population Studies

Closing Latino Opportunity Gaps Is Key to California’s Long-Term Economic Prosperity

Pico-Union’s Community-Based Organizations Were a Lifeline for Residents Excluded From Federal Relief

The case study examines the experiences of three longstanding nonprofit organizations —Inclusive Action for the City, Central City Neighborhood Partners, and the Central American Resource Center—whose deep roots in the community made them uniquely equipped to respond when formal systems could not reach residents most in need.

Most Fire-Impacted Rental Housing In Altadena Shows No Signs Of Rebuilding One Year After The Eaton Fire

Analysis shows that nearly 7 in 10 severely fire-damaged homes show no progress toward rebuilding, with Black and Asian homeowners most likely to remain stalled.

Advisory Board to Guide Research on Altadena Housing Recovery is Formed

The newly formed Board is dedicated to grounding the research in community experience and ensuring local data is accurate, timely, and relevant to recovery partners, residents, advocates, and policymakers. Every member brings expertise in housing, land use, tenant protection, small-business recovery, and community-led rebuilding.

Immigration Crackdown Could Undermine State Economies

This brief highlights the essential role Latino immigrant workers play in sustaining state economies and shows the economic risks states face if this workforce is reduced.

Younger, Latino, and Moderate Republicans in California Diverge from Party Line on Immigration Enforcement

The analysis examines partisan responses across ten immigration-related questions. The poll results show that Democratic opposition to current immigration enforcement never falls below 88 percent and reaches up to 95 percent on some items, while Republican responses reveal significant fractures in support for some enforcement measures.

New Policy Toolkit Centers Community-Informed Solutions to California’s Air Pollution Crisis

The Latino Air Pollution and Health Policy Toolkit builds directly on insights from advocates, organizers, and environmental justice leaders.

Community College Bachelor’s Degrees Can Drive Economic Mobility and Strengthen Workforces

Accessibility and affordability is a key factor in Latino students pursuing CCB programs across states.

Latino Workers Power the Inland Empire’s Growth, Yet Struggle to Get Ahead

The factsheet—which includes interviews with workers—reveals how wages, education gaps, and housing costs are shaping the lives of the region’s Latino workforce.

The Impacts of Los Angeles Wildfires on Small Businesses

The series provides the first integrated look at the pre- and post-fire business. The first brief establishes a baseline of the business landscape before the fires; the second quantifies structural damages; and the third examines short-term outcomes such as business closures and parcel sales.

Altadena Faces Uneven Wildfire Recovery as Black, Latino, and AAPI Homeowners Struggle to Rebuild

Analysis shows that nearly 7 in 10 severely fire-damaged homes show no progress toward rebuilding, with Black and Asian homeowners most likely to remain stalled.

LPPI Awarded $500,000 from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

The project focuses on how communities recover from shocks to the housing system, such as climate disasters or rapid policy changes, and how these disruptions affect long-term housing affordability and stability for Latino and Black residents. The initiative will generate neighborhood-level data insights to inform policies that strengthen resident resilience and prevent displacement.

Latinas Remain the Lowest-Paid Group in the U.S. Workforce, Despite Historic Gains in Education

LPPI’s national data analysis shows that in 2023, Latinas earned a median wage of just $17 per hour, compared to $25 for all men. When measured against their white male peers, the gap translates into more than $1 million in lost income over a lifetime — money that could have supported housing, health care, and wealth-building for their households.

Data shows Latinos in Inland Empire face higher heat and air pollution risks

KVCR (NPR), September 18, 2025

Latino Neighborhoods Across California Face “Triple Burden” of Extreme Heat, Pollution, and Health Inequities

A new data brief from the UCLA LPPI shows how segregation and decades of disinvestment have left Latino-majority communities disproportionately exposed to climate risks and harmful health outcomes compared to non-Latino white neighborhoods.

Latino workers drive California’s economy but face deep inequities

Sacramento Bee, September 16, 2025

Latino-Owned Businesses Across the U.S. Drove Post-pandemic Growth Despite Systemic Barriers

Despite historic disruptions in health, trade, employment, and credit markets, the number of Latino self-employed entrepreneurs rose significantly during the pandemic—from about 533,000 in 2018 to 658,000 in 2022—boosting the Latino share of all self-employed from 16% to 19% over this period. Yet, this growth occurred in the face of sustained earnings decline, greater financial needs, and limited access to capital.

The rotten egg smell at the Salton Sea isn’t just a nuisance. It can make people sick.

CalMatters, September 10, 2025

New UCLA study highlights large disparities in L.A.’s Latinx labor force

De Los (Los Angeles Times), September 10, 2025

Regional Workforce Trends for Latinos Across California

The briefs provide an in-depth examination of demographics, human capital, and employment conditions of Latino workers who now comprise 40% of California’s workforce and are projected to account for nearly 80% of new workers nationwide over the next six years.

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