Check out what we’ve been up to lately!
CA State Senator Holly Mitchell: evidence-based policy & local elections
Senator Mitchell answered questions about her extensive record of evidence-based and data-backed legislation, her process of involving scientists in her decision-making, and measures affecting LA County right now, like Measure J and the allocation of resources to alternatives to incarceration. She also gave us tangible steps for how scientists can involve themselves in policymaking!
The Power of Local Races
Local races in LA County can be won or lost by just a few hundred votes – equivalent to just a few UCLA lecture halls. Voting and getting your friends to vote in local elections could make a very impactful difference in our city. Learn why!
Ballot measures: Pros, cons, & recommendations
Learn about what ballot measures are and the pros and cons of those being voted on this November!
Beyond Cash Bail: Public Health, Risk Assessment, and California Senate Bill 10
Read a new publication from SPG in the Journal of Science Policy & Governance!
Adriana Bankston: Crafting Your Science Policy Career
Dr. Bankston, Principal Legislative Analyst at the UC Office of Federal Government Relations, shared tangible insights into her career path and what she’s learned along the way. Watch the whole video on our YouTube channel!
Local Elections Matter With California State Senator Holly Mitchell
Science Questions for California Candidates w/SciDebate + NSPN
We’re thrilled to be participating in drafting science-based questionnaires for California candidates. The questions will cover various topics, from climate and water to mental health and technology.
Racism & Public Health: UCLA Chapter Creates Infographics
Check out this blog post written by SPG officers Yuki Hebner & Zoe Guttman for the NSPN blog!
Announcing our new NEWSLETTER!
Introducing our new monthly newsletter!
Ballot Guide: 2020
Congratulations to SPG officers for new NSPN positions!
Congratulations to officers Conner Philson and Zoe Guttman for their new positions on the NSPN Diplomacy Committee as Liaisons for Europe and the Americas!
ADvocacy: Environmentalism Bill AB-345
A script and social media toolkit from VISIÓN (Voices in Solidarity Against Oil in Neighborhoods) to call key state senators on the committee & urge them to support this bill.
Infographics: Racism is a Public Health Issue
Working to become anti-racist requires that we research and acknowledge the persistence and gravity of structural racism, including within the sciences. We hope that this series will help to serve as a primer on some prevalent yet severely under-addressed issues.
Shareable Infographics
We’re making shareable graphics from our Racism is a Public Health Problem infographic series. Let us know if you’re interested in helping!
Continuing the BLM Movement – Statement & Action Items
We as scientists are often taught to be impartial. However, we cannot ignore the existence of systemic racism and the role that it has played in the history of science and policy. We are upset, we are angry, and we utterly condemn the continued marginalization and targeting of Black people that results from senseless racial biases.
Congratulations to Zoe Guttman for being selected as a 2019 sfn Early Career Policy Ambassador!
Congratulations to SPG at UCLA President Zoe Guttman for being selected as a Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Early Career Policy Ambassador (ECPA)! Read a little bit about what it was like.
L.A. County District Attorney Candidates Q&A!
And finally, our evening with D.A. candidates George Gascon and Rachel Rossi! It was an inspiring and uplifting evening, filled with nuanced and thoughtful answers by both candidates about how science can inform their decision-making.
Dr. Elizabeth Barnert: Translating Science on Juvenile Justice to Policy Change
We were so lucky to have Dr. Elizabeth Barnert, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine, tell us about her remarkable work in successfully translating her research into policy.
Why Science Matters for the Upcoming LA County District Attorney Race
We had three events around the theme of why the D.A. race matters for science.
Wildfires: From Ecology to Policy
We spoke about the past policies that helped us arrive here, and the relevant ecology. We definitely all left better educated and more prepared to move forward.