LCHP Reports

The UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy regularly engages in original historical research on issues of contemporary relevance, uncovering the lessons that history has to impart on us today. These reports, written by teams of LCHP researchers, can provide important context and serve as useful guides for present-day decision makers. Check back regularly for updates and new publications.

For details on the research of individual Luskin Center Research Fellows, see here.

LCHP Releases Report on the History of Voter Access in California

Reckoning with Our Rights: The Evolution of Voter Access in California

A new report by the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy takes a historical view to understand why, in 2020, the electorate in California specifically remains so demographically and socioeconomically skewed.

This report was spearheaded by Alisa Belinkoff Katz, LCHP fellow and associate director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. The research team also included Zev Yaroslavsky, a senior fellow at the center, UCLA PhD candidate Izul de la Vega, undergraduate Saman Haddad and recent graduate Jeanne Ramin.

To read the paper, click [HERE].

To read the UCLA Newsroom announcement, click [HERE].

To watch the Why History Matters event discussing this report, click [HERE].

All is Not Well in the Golden State: The Scourge of White Nationalism in Southern California

White nationalism is alive in Southern California today. This report examines white nationalism’s history, ideology, and present-day operations, and provides some recommendations for confronting the dangers it poses.

The research team of exceptional UCLA undergraduates included: Sareen Ishanyan, Gavin Quan, Noga Tour, and Jeremy Powel, Grace Johnston-Glick, Mayumi Okazaki, James Nee, Rachel Sass, and Matt Ospina, and Lacy Green.

The group’s work was facilitated by Ph.D. candidate Sarah Johnson, and Professor David N. Myers, director of the Luskin Center for History and Policy.

To read the paper, click [HERE].

You can also find the Executive Summary [HERE].

To listen to Grace Johnston-Glick, Gavin Quan, and James Nee discuss the report on our “Then & Now” podcast, click [HERE].

Pandemics Past and Present: One Hundred Years of California History

As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 global pandemic, Dr. Kirsten Moore-Sheeley, Jessica Richards, and Talla Khelghati examine the last hundred years of pandemics in California – namely, the Influenza Outbreak of 1918, the AIDS/HIV crisis of the 1980s, and various other influenza outbreaks in recent history.

They explore the division of power between local, state, and federal government in response to these pandemics, the resulting stigmatization of groups and places, and their divergent effects on the economy.

To read the paper, click [HERE]. For key takeaways, click [HERE].

To listen to the authors discuss the report on our “Then & Now” podcast, click [HERE].

Pandemics Past and Present cover page

People Are Simply Unable to Pay the Rent What History Tells us About Rent Control in Los Angeles

This paper, published October 2018, presents several options that could help ameliorate the economic vulnerability and anxiety of the city’s growing number of rent-burdened residents.

The study is the first major publication of the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy. It was written by Alissa Belinkoff Katz, with historical contributions by Peter Chesney, Lindsay Alissa King, and Marques Vestal. Introduction by Zev Yaroslavsky.

To read the paper, click [HERE].