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We Are California / Somos California (“Somos California”) is a group of Latino leaders in Southern California originally formed to coordinate activities commemorating 25 years since the passage of Proposition 187. Somos California has since continued its work by focusing on emerging issues affecting California’s Latino communities. They include Sonja Diaz, Founding Director, Latino Policy & Politics Institute and Kevin…

Press Release & Media Advisory → Entrepreneurship

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.

Continuing Public Health and Environmental Crisis at the Salton Sea Amid Gaps in Oversight

Drawing from over a year of high-frequency data collected since August 2023 by the Salton Sea Environmental Timeseries (SSET), the briefs reveal widespread nutrient pollution, dangerously low oxygen levels in the lake, and frequent episodes of hydrogen sulfide emissions that exceed California’s health standards—conditions occurring among residents in areas that rank among the most burdened by pollution in the state.

ASU and UCLA report: Latino-led organizations filled gaps in South Tucson and South Phoenix during COVID-19

Arizona Public Media, August 28, 2025

Challenges and Opportunities Priorities for Latina Entrepreneurs in California and Arizona

The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) has released two data briefs highlighting how Latina entrepreneurs in California and Arizona are navigating capital gaps, technology challenges, and climate risks in the post-COVID economy.

Latino-Led Economic Resilience in San Ysidro and Fruitvale

These briefs highlight Latino communities’ resilience, innovation, and community-driven strategies in San Diego’s San Ysidro and Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhoods during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Latino-Led Economic Resilience in South Phoenix and Tucson

These briefs, released in partnership with the Arizona State University Center for Latina/os and American Politics Research (CLAPR), highlight Latino communities’ resilience, innovation, and community-driven strategies in South Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona neighborhoods during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2025 Monica Salinas Field Fellowship Cohort Announced

The UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI) is proud to announce the 2025 cohort of the Monica Salinas Field Fellowship, a summer leadership program that offers students from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the field of public policy through placements at government offices, advocacy groups, and community-based organizations across Los Angeles and Southern California.

Latino Data Hub Unveils New Upgrades, Kicking Off a Series of Summer Updates

The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (UCLA LPPI) has released its 2025 update to the Latino Data Hub (LDH), expanding the platform’s capacity to analyze and visualize the conditions shaping Latino life across the United States.

Risks to California’s Safety Net from Federal SNAP Cuts

The new LPPI analysis uses data from the California Health Interview Survey and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to examine who depends on CalFresh and why any reductions in support would have widespread consequences. The findings from the report illustrate the program’s role in addressing food insecurity, supporting working families, and sustaining California’s broader safety net.

The Role of Latino Journalists in Fairer Pandemic Reporting

The report reveals a narrative deficit in local media coverage of Latinos and highlights how Latino journalists contributed to more inclusive and positive portrayals of Latino communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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