Author Archives: Jonathan Van Dyke

California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon has dinner with the public higher education leadership of the Los Angeles area at the Chancellor’s residence.

Los Angeles higher education leaders came together under one roof — in this case that of the UCLA Chancellor’s residence — for a Joint Higher Education Dinner with special guest California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon to discuss the challenges they face, along with how current and future collaboration can help support and enrich the state.

Chancellor Gene Block hosted the evening event on May 11, which was attended by CSU Long Beach President Jane Close Conoly, CSU Dominguez Hills President Willie Hagan, CSU Los Angeles President William Covina, CSU Northridge Vice President Robert Gunsalus and Los Angeles Community College District Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez.

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Carol Block, wife of UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, led a group of volunteers at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank on May 5.

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has been serving the area for 43 years, mobilizing resources in the community to alleviate hunger. UCLA Government and Community Relations, along with Carol Block, donated time in April and May as a continued partnership between the two Los Angeles institutions.

Two separate groups visited the Food Bank at 1701 E. 41^st Place on April 21 and May 5, respectively, helping to organize a combined 29,554 pounds of dry food, which equals 24,529 meals for the hungry.

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Professor David Hayes-Bautista takes a moment with California Senator Ben Hueso, who is Chair of the Latino Caucus and a UCLA alumnus, during a recent presentation on Cinco de Mayo.

UCLA Professor David Hayes-Bautista is becoming a bit of a regular up in Sacramento these last two months, lending his unique expertise to legislators regarding the Latino experience in California and the country as a whole.

Hayes-Bautista is the director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the UCLA School of Medicine. In March, he visited several freshmen legislators for a briefing on a new book he just published, “La Nueva California: Latinos from Pioneers to Post-Millennials”.

He visited with Assemblymembers Sabrina Cervantes and Freddie Rodriguez, along with staff members of Assemblymembers Raul Bocanegra, Anthony Rendon, Blanca Rubio, Sharon Quirk-Silva, Monica Limón and Senator Ricardo Lara.

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Telemundo anchor Julio Vaqueiro moderates a forum between Los Angeles City Council candidates Monica Rodriguez and Karo Torossian.

The final two candidates vying to represent Los Angeles City Council District 7 squared off in a forum on April 29 hosted by UCLA in partnership with Telemundo, Pacoima Neighborhood Council, Valley Industry Commerce Association (VICA), and Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND).

The general election to fill the seat will take place on May 16. Previously, there were 20 candidates vying for the seat during the March 7 primary, but no candidate received 50+ percent of the votes, so the top two candidates moved on to a runoff election.

Former Vice President of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works Monica Rodriguez received 27.82 percent of the vote in the primary, and Councilmember Paul Krekorian’s Director of Planning and Environment Karo Torossian received 16.46 percent.

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(from left) Los Angeles Community College District Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez, Senator Ricardo Lara, Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León, and Chancellor Gene Block.

On April 29, Moore Hall was the site of a meeting of the educational minds to discuss the implications the new presidential administration is having, and could potentially have, on the local K-12 and higher education communities in the coming years.

The program, called Moving Forward In Education: Responding to the Challenges of the Next Four Years, was presented by the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies’ (GSEIS) Education Leadership Program.

Keynote speakers included California Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León, Senator Ricardo Lara, Los Angeles Community College District Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez and Dr. Pedro Noguera, who is the director for the Center for the Study of School Transformation at GSEIS.

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