Press

The study draws from the U.S. Census Bureau to analyze the trends in microbusiness ownership—firms with fewer than 10 employees—providing a detailed view of the growth and challenges facing Latine microentrepreneurs during the 2020 economic downturn.

News Articles & Media Coverage → Democracy & Voting Rights

UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI) in Politico: “Latino Dems lean on Padilla to pump up midterm turnout”

In the recent gubernatorial recall election, an estimated 78 percent of Latinos voted no on the recall, according to an analysis by UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Institute. In Southern California, Latino support for Newsom was upward of 75 percent, even in historically Republican places like Orange and Riverside counties. Only 40 percent of non-Latino…

Arturo Vargas Bustamante in The Fresno Bee: “California está construyendo una nueva escuela de medicina. ¿Agregará más médicos latinos?” (Spanish)

“Tener un médico que hable el idioma que ellos hablan, o alguien que esté dentro de su mismo grupo étnico o racial, pudiera definitivamente ayudar en el tipo de atención y confianza que estos pacientes tienen en el sistema de salud”, dijo Arturo Vargas Bustamante, profesor asociado de la Escuela de Salud Pública Fielding de…

UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) in Los Angeles Times: “Which COVID vaccine booster shot is right? Important information you should know”

The disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on their community in the early days of the pandemic forced many older California Latinos to do something they normally avoid: call 911 and ask for help. That transformation in usage provides a critical opportunity to reconsider how the state’s EMS system is deployed and who works within it, say…

Esmeralda Melgoza & Arturo Vargas Bustamante in Capital and Main: “During COVID, California’s Latinos Used 911 More Than Ever Before. Here’s Why That Matters.”

That transformation in usage provides a critical opportunity to reconsider how the state’s EMS system is deployed and who works within it, say the authors of a new study conducted by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute — and it can be a springboard to create more efficient local EMS agencies in areas like…

Matt Barreto in Yakima Herald: “New redistricting proposal would create a Latino majority by voting age in the 14th”

In an area that displays polarized voting, like the Yakima Valley, Latino-majority districts aren’t enough to ensure Latino voters elect their favored candidates, UCLA’s Voting Rights Project director Matt Barreto said in the report. Mapmakers need to consider the number of Latino voters, not the total number of Latinos, when drawing political boundaries, Barreto said.

Esmeralda Melgoza in Voz de America: “UCLA: latinos en California usaron más servicios de emergencia durante pandemia” (Spanish)

Aparece Esmeralda Melgoza, una experta en salud pública y coautora de un nuevo reporte de UCLA ‘s Latino Policy and Politics Institute en esta entrevista con Voz de América. Hablan de las reformas recomendadas para mejorar los servicios médicos de emergencia para la comunidad latina.

Sonja Diaz in East County Today: “Latina Elected Officials and Leaders Demand Progress to Close California’s Latina Pay Gap”

Panelists for the hearing included: California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower, Executive Director of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls Holly Martinez, Founding Director of the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute Sonja Diaz.

Matt Barreto in Crosscut: “Proposed WA redistricting maps may violate Voting Rights Act”

Matt Barreto, faculty director of the UCLA Voting Rights Project and an expert on Latino voting patterns, said that’s a problem because the Yakima Valley has both a large Latino population and a well documented history of racially polarized voting, in which Latino voters consistently choose different candidates than white voters.

Maria Samaniego & Rodrigo Dominguez Villegas in Nonprofit Quarterly: “How We Can Dismantle the Noxious Myths that Undermine Racial Justice”

Last year marked the beginning of a racial reckoning, spurred by the tragic murder of George Floyd and a pandemic that disproportionately ravaged the wealth and health of non-white Americans. Across the country, white Americans found themselves pressed to recognize inequities that, for years, communities of color have been screaming into a void about.

Silvia González in UCLA Newsroom: “UCLA scholars aim to help shape President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative”

“A theme across the states we studied is a history of grassroots strategy and organizing by communities of color,” said Silvia González, a co-author of the report and the director of research at the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute. “In states such as California, New York, and Illinois, those communities have helped shape investment…

Michael Méndez in UCI News: “UCI researcher gets NSF-backed grant to study wildfires’ effects on farmworkers”

Michael Méndez of the University of California, Irvine has received a two-year, $400,000 grant from the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s Early Career Faculty Innovator Program. It will fund a joint project with researchers at NCAR – which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation – to explore the disparate treatment of undocumented Latino/Latina and…

Jason De Leon in Documented NY: “Vigil Pushes for Humane Treatment of Black Migrants”

Anthropologist Jason De Leon of UCLA was inspired by data of remains found throughout Arizona’s border. Most of the deaths were steered by a change in an immigration policy carried out in 1994. Border Report

Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas in UCLA Newsroom: “California Latinos’ use of emergency medical services increased disproportionately during pandemic”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Latinos in California were relatively unlikely to use emergency medical services. But during the pandemic, across much of the state, Latinos’ use of such services — specifically seeking treatment for respiratory ailments — increased more than it did for non-Latino whites, according to a new report by the UCLA Latino…

Jason De Leon in The CW33: “Toe tag art exhibit highlights migrants who died crossing into Arizona desert”

The exhibit was designed by anthropologist Jason De Leon of UCLA who was inspired by data of remains found scattered throughout the border region in Arizona. A majority of deaths were driven by a change in immigration policy implemented in 1994, which is why the exhibit is called Hostile Terrain 94.

Matt Barreto in WSKG: “Communities Of Color Want To Be ‘Stewards,’ Not ‘Victims’ Of PA Redistricting Plans”

“It is forbidden that a minority community is diluted,” UCLA political science professor and researcher Matt Barreto said. “When there is minority voter strength that could emerge, it cannot be reduced, cracked or divided into different districts.”

Pedro Noguera in ABC 30 Action News: “State education leaders launch task force to improve academic performance for Black students”

“The real problems are in the places where black children are the minority, with their parent’s voices not being heard, where they are too easily dismissed,” says UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools Faculty Director Dr. Pedro Noguera. Research shows having just one black teacher helps African American students do better and they’re more…

Michael Méndez in Los Angeles Times: “You thought the oil spill was bad? In L.A., toxic waste is everywhere”

Now let’s hear from Michael Méndez, an assistant professor at UC Irvine’s school of social ecology, and author of “Climate Change From the Streets.” The book stems from his analysis of environmental catastrophes — natural and manmade, from polluting industries to wildfires — and how they are visited most, and most invisibly, on the poor,…

UCLA Voting Rights Project in Tri-City Herald: “Judge allows Franklin County to throw out Latino voting rights settlement”

Three local members of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) filed a lawsuit, with the help of the UCLA Voting Rights Project, challenging how the commissioner districts are drawn and calling for district-only elections in April. The lawsuit was filed about six months after the county was given a chance to change it.

David E. Hayes-Bautista in ABC 7 News: “Central Americans in California continue to celebrate their countries’ independence from Spain”

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, we want to take a moment to remind folks that for 200 years, Central Americans in California have been celebrating their independence from Spain. Watch Dr. David E. Hayes-Bautista get interviewed by ABC-7 reporter Anabel Muñoz in her coverage of the history behind Central American Independence celebrations.

Leisy Abrego in El Sol de Yakima: “US arrests increase at southern border”

The political, economic, and social situation is affecting Central America, especially Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. It is not possible to continue living there,” said Leisy Abrego, a researcher on immigration issues at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Work

Issues

People

Newsroom

Press

Issues

Resources

Experts

Join us in expanding opportunity for
all Americans