Author Archives: Jonathan Van Dyke

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Chancellor Gene Block share a laugh before guests arrive for a special dinner at the Chancellor’s Residence. (photo by Jonathan Van Dyke)

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block welcomed Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and approximately 30 prominent UCLA staff, faculty and alumni to the Chancellor’s Residence on March 1 for an open discussion on the state of Los Angeles and the most important projects taking place across the campus and the city.

As Garcetti made his way through talking with all of the guests, he had two requests. First, he wanted an introduction, but second: “Everyone tells me problems, so instead, I would like to hear one solution from each of you.”

The guests were happy to oblige, tackling important Los Angeles topics ranging from mass transportation to homelessness and diversity. The night in pictures follows.

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Marqueece Harris-Dawson is in the middle of his first year on the Los Angeles City Council, representing the Eighth District. (photo by Jonathan Van Dyke)

UCLA and a coalition of groups including L.A.’s Promise, Los Angeles Urban League, Crenshaw Chamber of Commerce, Holman United Methodist Church and UCLA Black Alumni Association presented a special welcome reception for freshman Eighth District Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson.

Advocates and community members gathered at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza on Feb. 29 to celebrate civic engagement at the local level as one of their own settles in at City Hall.

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Community partners of the SLATE-Z Promise Zone application signed an MOU on Feb. 19. (photo by Jonathan Van Dyke)

And with a ceremonial swipe of the pen, dozens of community leaders made a promise to lift up South Los Angeles for the next generation.

UCLA is among more than 140 organizations that will have signed onto the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone’s (SLATE-Z) Promise Zone application, which if the federal government adopts, could be transformative to an area in need.

Two years ago, South Los Angeles came up short on its application, Los Angeles Eighth District Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson said, and instead, an area encompassing parts of Hollywood, Koreatown, Pico-Union, and Westlake won the designation. Leaders vowed to push forward on a new and even more inclusive application.

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The new 8-Clap Stack was served during a special Pancakes and Politics event with Mrs. Carol Block and Councilman Felipe Fuentes. (photo by Jonathan Van Dyke)

A group of UCLA alumni gathered Feb. 25 at Myke’s Cafe in Pacoima to enjoy good conversation and the company of Mrs. Carol Block and Seventh District Councilman Felipe Fuentes for a special Politics and Pancakes event.

The restaurant, with the help of Mrs. Block, introduced the 8-Clap Stack. The new menu item consists of two massive blueberry buttermilk pancakes with lemon curd to emphasize UCLA’s blue and gold colors.

Fuentes also engaged the audience about various local issues that his council district and the city are dealing with now and into the future.

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Former Democratic U.S. Representative Henry Waxman spoke about his years on Capitol Hill and the changes that have occurred in Congress over his four decades in Washington, D.C. (photo by Jonathan Van Dyke)

Former U.S. Congressman and current UC Regents Professor Henry Waxman is not ready to pull the plug on government, regardless of how negative the political climate and election season have become.

“I think Congress is capable of actually getting things done,” said Waxman, former Democratic U.S. representative representing Los Angeles, on Tuesday before a capacity crowd at the UCLA Faculty Center.

The Department of Political Science and Government and Community Relations at UCLA hosted the former congressman and UCLA alumnus at a public event where he talked with moderator Jeffrey B. Lewis, professor and department chair, about his 40-year career in the U.S. House of Representatives and how American politics have evolved during that time. He has two degrees from UCLA, a B.A. in political science (1961) and a law degree (1964). He retired from Congress in 2015,

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