Michael Manville, professor of urban planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, told the Los Angeles Times that it is generally hard to get people out of their cars, even in times of high gas prices. “People are kind of locked into their cars,” Manville said. “Even when they do start to feel the pinch, they don’t necessarily change their travel behavior, they cut back on other things.” Read and hear more about UCLA in today’s Los Angeles Daily News, LAist and others. 

More highlights from UCLA in the News: April 23, 2026

The California Zone Zero debate: Can trees protect homes from fire? | LAist

For more than a year, a group of researchers and students from UCLA, UC Davis, University of Florida and the U.S. Forest Service, alongside local volunteers and students, have collected data on more than 2,000 trees — about 600 in the Palisades and 1,500 in Altadena — to analyze how they may recover after the fires and their role in the fires’ spread. The question about the fires’ spread is key as California debates new regulations, called Zone Zero, near homes in high-risk fire areas. Their ongoing research is showing that in some cases, well-maintained vegetation may actually help buildings survive a fire. (UCLA’s Edith de Guzman was quoted.)

Blockade maintained as Iran’s factions struggle to unite | Los Angeles Times

Benjamin Radd, a political scientist at UCLA who studies Iran, said the dispute is a sign of a larger power struggle for control of Tehran’s government. “There are clear divisions within the leadership,” Radd said in an interview. “Right now, it’s the IRGC faction that has all the power. They have the guns, they have the weapons. What they don’t have is the diplomatic connections and experience dealing with the United States.”

UCLA health survey adds Armenian language option | Pasadena Now

UCLA’s California Health Interview Survey is now being offered in Armenian for the first time, expanding the state’s largest health survey to better capture data from one of California’s largest ethnic communities, officials announced Wednesday. The CHIS survey, administered by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research since 2001, is the largest population-representative state health survey in the nation, according to the university. (UCLA’s Ninez Ponce was quoted.)

Bunche Middle School, UCLA Health, LA Care open fitness center  | LA Sentinel

Bunche Middle School celebrated the grand opening of its new UCLA Health Sound Body Sound Mind Fitness Center, a transformative investment in student health and wellness, made possible through partnerships with UCLA Health Sound Body Sound Mind and LA Care Health Plan. (UCLA’s Matt Flesock was cited.)

Checking in on California’s protection for marine life | LAist’s “AirTalk”

“We were specifically looking at kelp forests. These are the valuable and iconic feature of California’s coastline. They’re super important. They provide food and habitat for lots of different species of fish, invertebrates, things like lobster and sea urchin, marine mammals, birds,” said UCLA geography professor Kyle Cavanaugh (approx. 4:50 mark).

UCLA Earth Day Extravaganza celebrates caring for the planet | LA Daily News 

Earth Day Extravaganza, hosted by the USAC Facilities Commission in collaboration with UCLA Sustainability and other campus partners, was on full display to celebrate and promote caring for the planet.