The New York Times featured commentary by Dr. David Eisenman, director of the UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters, about the abrupt withdrawal of support from the Department of Homeland Security for his team’s research into targeted and mass violence prevention. Eisenman, who is also a professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, had been studying bystander reporting programs in other countries, designed for family members or close friends of perpetrators who might “leak” their plans and intentions. The DHS, which initially was heavily invested in this work, told Eisenman to shut down all research operations in March 2024. Read more about UCLA in today’s ABC News, NPR and others.

More highlights from UCLA in the News: April 17, 2026

How LA’s unhoused population was devastated by the wildfires | Los Angeles Times

Four recently published UCLA-led studies draw a direct line between climate disasters, housing instability and homelessness, with researchers pointing to the 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires as one of the starkest recent examples. In the case of the January 2025 fires, some 200,000 people lost their homes. “The wildfires were among the most devastating … urban wildfires in history, and as traumatic as they have been for those who lost their homes, those living on the street suffered as well,” Randall Kuhn, professor in the UCLA Fielding Department of Community Health Sciences and a co-author of three of the studies, said in a university news release accompanying the most recent one, which was published Thursday. (UCLA’s Kathryn Leifheit was also quoted. Also: LAist and Spectrum News 1.)  

Scientists decipher the geological history of the Grand Canyon | Reuters

“Scientists have long debated when the Grand Canyon was carved, and our study contributes to that conversation,” said UCLA geologist John He, co-lead author of the ​study published this week in the journal Science. “Imagine you ⁠go out to a river bank and scoop up a handful of sand. In that handful, there are hundreds of thousands of sand grains that look like any other sand grain. But within that handful there will be a couple of hundred or even thousands of microscopic grains of zircon crystal, each of which is a vault of information about where it comes from,” he said. (Also: NPR.)

Feeling miserable? You’re not alone in Los Angeles County | Los Angeles Times

This year’s record-low Quality of Life Index, a metric compiled by UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, builds on a decline that accelerated rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic and has struggled to rebound, as L.A. County residents have faced several disasters and crises — destabilizing immigration raids and devastating wildfires — on top of some of the world’s highest housing costs. (UCLA’s Zev Yaroslavsky was quoted.)

Why do many people distrust higher education? | KCRW 89.9-FM’s “Press Play”

“I think a number of things, which the report reflects some of, are tuition — I think the rising cost of higher education leaves some people to distrust the value of it. ‘Is it really worth my time and money?’ I think on top of that, normalized talking points from political heads to social commentaries to what people see on social media, lead people to distrust,” said UCLA’s Eddie Cole.

U.S. Latino economy surpasses Japan, ranks fourth worldwide | City News Service

The U.S. Latino economy reached $4.4 trillion in 2024, surpassing Japan to become the fourth-largest gross domestic product in the world, according to a report announced today by researchers at UCLA and California Lutheran University … “New data indicate that the U.S. Latino GDP was not only larger and growing faster in 2024, but it shattered records for economic vibrancy,” Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, UCLA professor and co-author of the report, said in a statement. “Latinos are key to a bright future for the United States.” (UCLA’s Dr. Paul Hsu was also quoted.)

The latest on the conflict in the Middle East | KCAL-TV

“This is great news, and if the insurance companies that insure the tankers are moving to reengage, then that could bring all transit to a normal level, at least close to it, that we haven’t seen since the war started,” said UCLA’s Benjamin Radd.

Meet one of the most in-demand influencers in Democratic politics | ABC News

Matt A. Barreto, professor of political science at UCLA who also runs polling firm BSP Research, which worked for the Harris-Walz campaign in 2024, told ABC News that there has been “a proliferation of purposeful disinformation in Spanish” and that Espina has become a trusted voice in the Latino community. But he also cautioned that Espina cannot be the only solution to this problem.

Becerra surges in poll after Swalwell drops out of governor’s race | KCBS-TV

“Xavier Becerra should be the happiest of them all because he’s the biggest move in this survey,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, director at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs … “I believe over time, because Trump has endorsed Hilton for the governorship, that Hilton will continue to edge up and Bianco by definition will have to go down,” Yaroslavsky said.

Legislation proposes smartphone ban in all California schools | Bay Area News Group

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, also cautioned local and state leaders last year that uniform bans on school smartphone use can cause more harm than good and deepen existing inequities among students. “There’s no one-size-fits-all answer and the goal shouldn’t be just about restriction, but helping young people build those balanced, digital habits,” Kathy Do, lead author of the research, said last year. “Restriction alone is not going to teach adults or young people how to use their phones in responsible and balanced ways.”

As U.S. birth rate falls, officials downplay contraception in Title X program | CBS News

The most important factors, according to demographer Alison Gemmill of UCLA, are timing-related. “Childbearing is increasingly delayed as part of a broader shift toward later adult milestones, including stable employment, leaving the parental home and marriage,” she said.  

The truth about business in California (it hasn’t lost its luster) | Los Angeles Times

Jerry Nickelsburg, faculty director of UCLA’s Anderson Forecast, is skeptical that incentives can be effective when states have far lower land and labor costs and might be seeking to manufacture. But for tech companies seeking an advanced labor pool California can be very attractive. “You want to be where the talent is and for some industries you are going to locate in California,” he said.