Homelessness? The Los Angeles Times spoke with Jim Newton LA veteran journalist and editor of UCLA Blueprint magazine, who said that most Angelenos would be happy to spend money if it solved the issue. Most want encampments gone for good, he said, and not by locking people up or punishing them for being poor but by genuinely helping them. “Is that possible?” he asked. “I don’t know.” Read more about UCLA in today’s USA Today, Atlantic, Forbes and other outlets.

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More highlights from UCLA in the News: November 3, 2026

Will the government stop the CA vote count? | Los Angeles Times

“Both of the items, together, I think should raise alarms for threats against democracy in California,” said Matt Barreto, director of the UCLA Voting Rights Project.

Is Elon Musk setting his sights on Hollywood? | Los Angeles Times

“I suspect his motives are a mix of a profit-oriented desire to demonstrate the capabilities of the Grok AI and a personal desire to express cultural and political reservations about the Nolan ‘Odyssey,’” Gabriel Rossman, a UCLA professor who studies cultural industries and economic sociology, told me via email. “It is not unheard of for wealthy people to get involved in film in part as a profit-seeking interest, but also as a form of cultural patronage and an attempt to shape the culture.”

Democrats dominate California but face challenges | Los Angeles Times

Lee Ohanian, a professor of economics at UCLA, said the major issue California faces is that the state budget has expanded about 75% in the last eight years. This translates to a 40% increase when adjusted for inflation. California’s budget growth is particularly alarming, Ohanian said, considering politicians have had limited success in addressing major challenges such as homelessness and had delayed maintenance of public road and water infrastructure.

Trump asks Supreme Court to get involved in CA ballot fight | USA Today

Rick Hasen, an elections law expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, called the administration's Supreme Court appeal a “Hail Mary petition.” The Justice Department is asking for an “extraordinary remedy” it’s unlikely to get because the request exceeds the federal government’s powers under election law and comes too close to the election, Hasen wrote in a blog post.

California’s Mono Lake still needs water | SFGate

In March, UCLA scientists told the state water board that if Los Angeles continues to divert water from the Mono Basin, it’s “unlikely” Mono Lake will ever see 6,392 feet. But, if Los Angeles stops diverting water, Mono Lake has about a 66% chance of rising to the state’s target by 2064. 

What causes dandruff? | New York Times

Dandruff is “so common,” said Dr. Carolyn Goh, a clinical professor of dermatology at UCLA Health, who specializes in hair and scalp disorders. Research published this year estimated that about half of the world’s population is affected. Experts are still working to understand what causes dandruff. What they do know is it’s a chronic but manageable issue that can come and go, Dr. Goh said.

Jackson's chances of beating Collins in Maine | Newsweek

Matt Barreto, faculty director of the UCLA Voting Rights Project, called Collins “one of the most difficult Republicans to unseat” in recent comments to Newsweek, a characterization often linked to her demonstrated willingness to cross the aisle on Capitol Hill.

New approach could help immune cells fight cancer longer | Fox News

Scientists may have found a way to help the body's immune cells fight cancer for longer, potentially making some treatments more effective. Researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that temporarily boosting a protein called p53 helped specially prepared immune cells stay stronger and kill more melanoma cells in laboratory experiments.

American Dream wasn’t built for climate change | Grist

While the American Dream is usually all about independence and personal freedom, living through a disaster has a way of revealing how people depend on each other. The experience can prompt people to hold tightly to what they have, doubling down on protecting their communities, said Nick Tinoco, a sociology researcher in a doctoral program at the University of California, Los Angeles, who interviewed survivors of the 2018 Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles County.

Do you need a preventative rabies vaccine? Probably not. | Popular Science

If exposed to a rabid or possibly rabid animal, you will require more than one dose of a rabies vaccine. “The injection site and number of doses recommended are dependent on the type of exposure you’ve had to a potentially rabid animal,” says Dr. Mirava Yuson, an epidemiologist and postdoctoral researcher working at the UCLA TIDE (Translational Infectious Disease Eco-epidemiology) Lab. 

Surprises in Michigan Senate race | CNN

“When the other team fumbles the football at five-yard-line, you pick it up and you run with it. This is Rogers trying to say to voters, ‘I like her. So if you like her, you should like me,’” said UCLA’s Lynn Vavreck (approx. 3:25 mark).