The 2017-18 edition of the Housing, Equity, and Community Series — a collaboration between the Lewis Center, the Institute for Inequality and Democracy at UCLA Luskin, and the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate — kicked off in the fall with a screening of the award-winning documentary “East LA Interchange.” The film traces the intersections of pollution, transportation, and gentrification in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Director Betsy Kalin and longtime Boyle Heights resident Nancy Romero joined Lewis Center associate director Michael Lens, the host of the series, for a moderated discussion.
Part 1 of the series’ lunchtime panel discussions tackled the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles and featured Jerry Ramirez, manager of Los Angeles County’s homeless initiative; Dora Leon Gallo, CEO of A Community of Friends; Jordan Vega, a current UCLA student and a director of Bruin Shelter, a registered student organization; and activist and Skid Row resident Suzette Shaw.
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Part 2 examined protections for renters, including how current state laws on tenancy and evictions affect residents in Los Angeles and the political appetite for reform. The panel included UCLA Luskin professor Joan Ling, Tony Samara of Urban Habitat, and Doug Smith of Public Counsel.
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Part 3 covered a new report from the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge (CNK) on housing discrimination and homeownership in South Los Angeles since the 1960s, and featured CNK director Paul Ong and UCLA Asian American Studies Center assistant director Melany De La Cruz-Viesca.
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Stay tuned for information on the 2018-19 Housing, Equity, and Community Series, coming this fall!