Analysis from the Los Angeles Times found pockets of population growth in some surprising locations. Zev Yaroslavsky, a former L.A. city councilmember and county supervisor and the current director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, said that overall, some of these areas had more room to grow than most urban areas in Los Angeles County. Learn more about UCLA in today’s BBC, The Conversation and others. 

More highlights from UCLA in the News: July 7, 2026

Is this a breakthrough moment for soccer in the U.S.? | BBC

“Soccer has picked up where [American] football as a youth sport has declined,” said Steve Bank, an expert in sports law at the University of California Los Angeles School of Law, told the BBC. “In [American] football, people worry about concussions, and that kind of thing has made it more problematic over the years.”

California could start testing kindergarteners in math | LAist

Megan Franke, professor of education and vice chair of professional programs at UCLA, said one challenge is that many standardized assessments do not reflect all students’ understanding of mathematical concepts. “Young children solve problems differently than adults do, and they don't all solve problems in the same way at the same time,” Franke said.

Rising temps and shifting seasons are threatening birds | The Conversation

“About 70% of the bird species found in the United States are migratory. Some migrate just 50 to 100 miles, and others migrate all the way from the farthest tip of South America in order to breed in Canada. Our work has found that the birds that migrate the farthest are the ones that are having the hardest time keeping up with climate change,” said UCLA’s Morgan Tingley (Tingley was interviewed.)

Short of bilingual teachers, California turns to high schoolers | EdSource

“Grant funding is important, but to me it just doesn’t feel like it’s going to be enough, given our size and also the size of our dreams and our ambitions as a state,” said Lucrecia Santibañez, a UCLA professor and author of two recent reports on bilingual teacher preparation.

Another Smithsonian director faces the White House’s wrath | New York Times

The historian David Myers, who invited Ms. Hartig to speak to the UCLA students, said the White House had an outdated view of the profession. Public historians “want to open new interpretations of the past and not just present existing ones,” he explained. “History is a tool of civic engagement.”

Even without birthright citizenship, Supreme Court co-signs much of Trump’s immigration agenda | Los Angeles Times

“The implication of this is that at least most of the claims that have been litigated to challenge this administration’s illegal war on TPS are now foreclosed,” said Ahilan Arulanantham, co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA, who presented arguments for the Syria case.

7 best water flossers that help remove plaque from your teeth | NBC Select

A water flosser earns the American Dental Association’s Seal of Acceptance if a brand submits data to the organization showing that its device is safe for teeth and effective at reducing plaque and gingivitis. This doesn’t mean water flossers without the ADA Seal are ineffective — it just means brands haven’t submitted their products for the organization to review, says Dr. Edmond Hewlett, a professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry.

5 myths about heart health, according to cardiologists | Prevention

While some heart attacks do trigger classic symptoms (crushing chest pain, arm pain, difficulty breathing), you may only feel a heaviness in your chest or notice subtle signs such as dizziness, indigestion, nausea, fatigue, jaw pain, and headache. While chest pain is the most common symptom for both men and women, “women are more likely to also have these vague symptoms,” says Dr. Tamara Horwich, medical director of UCLA’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.

Going outside in this heat? Follow these guidelines to stay safe | NPR

“When you're taking these medications and you're exposed to heat, it’s like asking a car to drive up a mountain in the summer with the air conditioner broken,” David Eisenman, a physician and researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, told NPR. “Overheating becomes much more likely.”