LMU | LA - Loyola Marymount University

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Some of L.A.’s most recognized pundits gathered at LMU and exchanged observations about the region’s unique culture, history, political world and economy. What makes L.A. so unique and desirable as a place to live and do business. Despite its historic diversity, how has L.A. treated ethnic groups also reaching for the California Dream? How have politicians and civic leaders tried to implement changes for the better—have those changes worked out as intended? The panel consisted of:

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A panel of highly regarded demographers and civil rights activists participated in a thought-provoking dialogue about the ethnic makeup of Los Angeles—past, present and future. Los Angeles was founded in 1781 as a Spanish pueblo town; when did it shed and regain its Latin flavor—or did it ever? How did white Angelenos come to dominated L.A.’s economic and political structure, and when did that begin to change? Which factors precipitated “white flight”? Has Los Angeles come full circle in terms of diversity? How are the struggles of new immigrants different for today’s immigrants from those in the 1800s? The panel consisted of:

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A dynamic cast of business leaders engaged LMU students in an interesting discussion about how to create jobs in Los Angeles and how difficult that is to do sometimes, even in the midst of a severe recession when unemployment is high and tax revenues are low. Is entertainment still L.A.’s dominant industry, or are film related jobs going to more attractive states? How has the city of Los Angeles added 1 million residents since 1990 but lost 60,000 jobs? The panel consisted of:

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Officeholders from the L.A. City Council, LAUSD school board and State Assembly made for a thought-provoking discussion about how decision making at the state level can make decision making the local level more challenging. Each panelist lamented the amount of budget cuts taking place and agreed that more regular communication between the jurisdictions would improve policy making and their constituents' quality of life. The panel consisted of:

• Hon. Steven Bradford (Assemblymember), State of California
• Hon. Bill Rosendahl (Council Member), Los Angeles City Council
• Hon. Steve Zimmer (Board Member), Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

Mar. 18 - Los Angeles Labor: Is There Work to Do?

Airing on LA36 and on LA36's website at http://www.la36.org/ch_lmu.html

A panel of seasoned labor hands and community organizers participated in an informative dialogue about labor's role in Los Angeles and how it helped transform local government and opinion leaders from a white male dominated structure friendly to corporate interests into a much more diverse set of decision makers allied with labor interests. The panel consisted of:

• Hon. Richard Alarcon (Council Member), Los Angeles City Council
• Julie Butcher (Regional Director), SEIU Local 721
• Hon. Wally Knox (former Assemblymember), State of California & (Director of External Affairs), Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)
• Jaime Regalado, Ph.D. (Director), Pat Brown Institute at CSU Los Angeles

Mar. 25 - Transportation/Housing/Smart Growth

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Some of the region's most visionary opinion leaders painted a clearer picture of how the region can grow in population and job growth in ways that minimize environmental and quality of life impacts such as transit oriented housing and mixed use developments. The panel discussed transportation corridors, transportation demand management ideas, and developments that include pedestrian and bicycle components. The panel consisted of:

• Hon. Pam O'Connor (Council Member), Santa Monica City Council & (Board Member) Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
• Rita Robinson (Director), Los Angeles Department of Transportation & (Board Member) Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
• Lupe Valdez (Director of Public Policy & Community Affairs), Union Pacific Railroad
• Michael Kodama (Chairman of Transportation), City Solutions
• Hilary Norton (Executive Director), Fixing Angelenos Stuck in Traffic (FAST)

Apr. 8 - Education

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A highly respected panel of education experts assembled at LMU for a lively discussion about different ways to improve public education, particularly for lower income students. The dialogue explored the pros and cons of charter schools, Mayor Villaraigosa’s partnership with LAUSD to allow his team to manage a handful of low-performing schools, and the challenges of implementing reforms at LAUSD, which is the nation’s second largest school district.The panel consisted of:

 

• Angela Bass (Superintendent of Instruction), Partnership for Los Angeles Schools
• Steve Barr (Founder and Chair Emeritus), Green Dot Schools
• Yolie Flores Aguilar (Board Member), Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

Leadership Initiative - Los Angeles Leaders in Education: Preliminary Findings

• brianne.gilbert@lmu.edu.
  
  

  Thursday, April 15th - Greening of LA
  

  Thursday, April 22nd - Health and Social Services
  

  
  
  

  An impressive panel of health professionals (and one pundit) addressed several facets of the recently enacted health insurance reform package from their diverse professional perspectives. All agreed that the reform package contains some positive items but that it stops short in reducing costs associated with health care, such as tort reform, and preparing more students to become doctors and nurses. The panel included:

  • Peter Weiss (Director and Founder), the Rodeo Drive Women's Health Center and The Rodeo Drive Health and Wellness Centers
  • Howard Mandel (Member), Board of Directors of the Friends of Saban Free Clinic
  • Roger Simon (Chief Political Columnist), Politico
  • Raul Ruiz (Emergency Physician), Eisenhower Medical Center
  • Gloria Rodriguez (President and CEO), Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County
  
  Leadership Initiative - Los Angeles Leaders in Health: Preliminary Findings
  
  • brianne.gilbert@lmu.edu.