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…
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…
We at the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) are deeply saddened by the passing of Kent Wong. Over years of service, Kent’s leadership at the UCLA Labor Center was rooted in relationships, trust, and conviction. He believed that building a just future requires both scholarship and solidarity. His steadfast support for community-based work,…
The Latino workforce is central to California’s economy, yet faces steep disparities in wages, job security, health coverage, and housing. To better understand these findings, we asked Alberto Vargas, a graduate fellow and co-author of LPPI’s workforce briefs, to share his reflections. In this conversation, Vargas highlights the growth of Latino workers across regions, the barriers…
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