UCLA In the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription to view. See more UCLA In the News.
California is getting drier, worsening fire risk | Los Angeles Times
Led by UCLA climate scientist Karen McKinnon, the research team examined temperature and humidity data from 28 weather stations in California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. They found that between 1973 and 2019, a measure known as “specific humidity” decreased by about 22% on the hottest, driest days, after accounting for rising temperatures. (McKinnon and UCLA’s Daniel Swain are quoted.)
It wasn’t just politics that led to Netanyahu’s ouster | The Conversation
(Commentary by UCLA’s Dov Waxman) There is something Shakespearean about Benjamin Netanyahu’s downfall. As in a scene from “Julius Caesar,” who was assassinated by Roman senators, Netanyahu was deposed by his former underlings, the leaders of the three right-wing parties that have joined the new government — Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman and Gideon Sa’ar, all of whom once worked for Netanyahu.
Latinas left workforce at highest rate, see slow recovery | Associated Press
Latinas have left the workforce at rates higher than any other demographic and have had some of the highest unemployment rates throughout the pandemic, according to a report by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative, a Latino-focused think tank, provided to the Associated Press before its release on Wednesday. … “If we don’t recognize the complexities or the nuances of these narratives, of what’s happening with Latinas, we might actually be set back,” [UCLA’s Kassandra] Hernández said. (Also: KCBS-TV, KABC-TV, KMEX-TV and KPCC-FM.)
A Cheyenne leader was beaten, and the response brought more pain | New York Times
“It’s so pervasive that it even happens to our elected tribal leaders, and there’s no recourse,” said Desi Small-Rodriguez, a demographer and sociologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Northern Cheyenne citizen. “In Montana, Indian women are not safe. We’re not even safe among our own people.”
Climate change batters the West | New York Times
“We’re still a long way out from the peak of the wildfire season and the peak of the dry season,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Things are likely to get worse before they get better.”
Heat wave grips the West | Associated Press
“Heat waves are getting worse in the West because the soil is so dry” from the region’s megadrought, said Park Williams, a University of California, Los Angeles, climate and fire scientist who has calculated that soil in the western half of the nation is the driest it has been since 1895. “We could have two, three, four, five of these heat waves before the end of the summer.”
COVID vulnerability is linked to poor air quality | City News Service
“This is evidence that long-term exposure to poor air quality increased the risk of COVID-19 during each surge, and cumulatively, in the United States,” said Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health distinguished professor of epidemiology and associate dean for research. “And although both state-level implementation of face masks mandates and stay home orders were effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19, no clear effects were observed in terms of long-term exposure to fine particulate matter.” (UCLA’s Dr. Jody Heymann and Dr. Jianyu Rao are also quoted. Also: KCRW-FM, MyNewsLA and The Science Times.)
Half of unvaccinated people would get the jab from their doctor | Bloomberg Law
“Local doctors and nurses of color are very trusted messengers. And so our best path forward is by working with those local doctors and nurses who look like us, who are from our community, encouraging us to come into their doctor’s office and take notes,” Matt Barreto, a professor of Chicano/a studies at UCLA, said at a briefing announcing the poll, which surveyed more than 12,000 Americans.
How California’s COVID restrictions saved its economy | San Francisco Chronicle
Take the latest edition of UCLA’s Anderson Forecast, which found that the California lockdowns had scant consequences for growth and employment that weren’t experienced by states that allowed business to resume more quickly. Restrictive states such as California and Washington suffered less economic retraction than Florida, Texas and the nation as a whole during the pandemic, the forecast found, and the Golden State’s recovery is expected to outpace the nation’s. (UCLA’s Jerry Nickelsburg was quoted.)
Variants may change coronavirus treatment, vaccines | Daily Breeze
Dr. Christina Ramirez, a professor in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and co-author of the study, noted that the number of variants has skyrocketed since last April, jumping from 10 to 100. “The speed by which the virus travelled, even during lockdowns, emphasizes the difficulty in suppressing transmission of highly contagious respiratory viruses,” Dr. Ramirez said.
Governor announces new vaccine incentives | KTTV-TV
“Two important takeaways from what we’ve done. … The first is that: changing people’s material condition. So, offering them money, or a change in how they’re living day to day, like not having to wear masks. Those kinds of changes increased peoples’… intention to get vaccinated,” said UCLA’s Lynn Vavreck.
Immigrants crucial to vaccination plan, but gaps remain | Roll Call
Hesitancy relating to immigration status goes beyond worries about having to show identification. Some immigrants fear that taking advantage of a public health service like free vaccinations could jeopardize their chances of earning permanent legal status, said Ninez Ponce, a professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.