With the American midterms upon us, democracy at home and abroad is facing existential challenges. The Fall 2026 issue of UCLA’s Blueprint magazine, now available in print and online, explores those threats, examining their implications for fields as far-ranging as international relations, Los Angeles city and county government, the American rule of law and the safety of children at school.
Tani Cantil-Sakauye was drawn to law by her mother’s battle for her home. Having reached the highest level of the state judiciary, she now works to protect California’s democracy. Molly Selvin profiles the chief.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the integrity of American elections. What happens if the midterms don’t go his way? Jon Regardie reports.
The effects of American division extend beyond paralysis in Congress. They reach into playgrounds and classrooms, exacerbating tensions at elementary and high schools across the country. Lisa Fung speaks with UCLA’s John Rogers.
Saving democracy, one election at a time
Blueprint sits down with two of California’s most esteemed thinkers on democracy, author and educator Erwin Chemerinsky and Secretary of State Shirley Weber. They offer perspectives on the state of democracy and threats new and old.
Governor Gavin Newsom recently visited UCLA and met with Chancellor Julio Frenk for the first time. In a social media post following the meeting, Frenk highlighted the university’s mission of education, research, and public service, and its deep connection to California and the communities it serves. The visit underscored ongoing coordination between state leadership and the university on issues affecting students, research, and communities across the state.
That day, Newsom also signed legislation creating a new state certification seal for non-ultra-processed foods, expanding California’s efforts to provide clearer labeling on packaged products.
Zev Yaroslavsky, director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, outlined the issues surrounding Proposition 40, a proposed 5% tax on the wealth of California billionaires. Placed on the ballot by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, the measure would direct 90% of its estimated tens of billions in revenue to healthcare and 10% to education as a response to recent federal budget cuts affecting Medi-Cal. Yaroslavsky noted strong opposition from Governor Newsom and others who warn that the tax could prompt wealthy residents to leave the state, reducing income tax revenue, while supporters view it as a necessary step toward greater equity. He also flagged expected legal challenges and competing ballot measures that could nullify the tax if it passes.
The fall issue of UCLA Magazine
highlights the partnership of researchers at UCLA and UC Berkeley who have launched the Deportation Data Project to track the significant increase in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests and deportations under the current administration. The project provides detailed data derived from Freedom of Information Act requests; it reports a fivefold increase in deportations and an 11-fold rise in street arrests since early 2025. Additionally, the Behind Bars Data Project gathers statistics on all deaths in ICE custody, responding to the Department of Justice’s discontinuation of mortality data collection, while the Mapping Deportations initiative has documented more than 8 million deportations from 1895 to 2022.
Incoming transfer student Nathaly Blas credits El Camino College instructor and UCLA alum Michael Reyes with guiding her through the transfer process. Blas began her higher education journey at UC Santa Barbara but left after one quarter. The culture shock and anxiety were too much for her. She enrolled at El Camino College, where Reyes, a former transfer student and co-coordinator of the Puente Project, provided academic support and encouragement. He helped her strengthen her writing skills and prepare for UCLA-level coursework. Blas is now a pre-psychology major at UCLA and plans to join campus groups such as the Peruvian Student Association and the UCLA Bruin Geological Club.
UCLA art professor Rodney McMillian has been named a 2026 MacArthur Fellow by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. McMillian, who heads the sculpture area in the UCLA Department of Art and has taught at the university since 2009, creates work across sculpture, painting, video, and performance that examines history, race, class, and power through found objects and historical source material. The prestigious fellowship includes an $800,000 stipend paid over five years. McMillian is the 41st UCLA faculty member or graduate to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research released their annual California Health Interview Survey indicating sharp rises in wildfire experiences and related health harms among California adults, with 2.1 million reporting mental health harm from wildfire smoke, up from 1.6 million the prior year. Nearly 30% of Los Angeles County adults said they or a household member personally experienced wildfires in the past two years, while 45% of the lowest-income adults struggle to afford enough food. The findings also reveal higher barriers to care for transgender and gender expansive adults, lower routine checkup rates among non-U.S. citizen adults, and a near doubling of witnessed hate incidents attributed to perceived immigration status.
A UCLA study finds that 2024 broke the record for global extreme precipitation, with the occurrence of heavy rainfall days running 20% above baseline and surpassing previous strong El Niño years. Lead author Chad Thackeray and senior author Alex Hall report that climate change accounted for 40% of the increase while El Niño explained only 20%, and that extreme rain continued even after the Pacific cooled. The researchers note that a developing strong El Niño and ongoing warming could make 2027 another record year.
In less than two years, the Olympic and Paralympic Games will return to Los Angeles for the first time since 1984 — and UCLA will once again have the honor of welcoming the world to our campus as the home of the Olympic and Paralympic Village.
Last week, UCLA launched its central digital hub at 2028.ucla.edu to share campus history, athlete stories, and anticipated impacts, with a dedicated neighboring communities section that will provide additional details as plans develop. Community members can
submit questions
about neighborhood effects and sign up for updates through the site.
UCLA Athletics invites nominations for its Veteran of the Year award, which honors a military veteran with roots in the greater Los Angeles community who continues to serve local veterans and active-duty members. The recipient will be recognized on-field during the Military Appreciation game at the Rose Bowl on November 13.
UCLA Health leads a national initiative supported by a five-year, $25 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to evaluate artificial intelligence tools for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. This effort includes partnerships with the Mayo Clinic and the University of Wisconsin, focusing on ensuring AI tools are safe and effective for diverse patient populations. Researchers will assess new technologies across California while evaluating findings in various health care settings, sharing methods and safety standards nationally to help health systems identify beneficial AI advancements for patient care.
A new study from UCLA Health shows that using biosimilars, which are lower-cost versions of cancer drugs like bevacizumab, rituximab, and trastuzumab, can save money for both patients and insurance companies. Patients who chose biosimilars saved an average of $3,820 per month for insurers and $39.50 out of pocket compared to those using the original branded drugs. The study also found that after biosimilars became available, the prices of original biologics dropped by 3.8% each year, and their market share decreased by 30% among patients with commercial insurance, demonstrating how biosimilars can help lower cancer treatment costs.
Supporting communities: UCLA's impact
Discover how UCLA's students, staff, and faculty are enhancing the well-being of Greater Los Angeles throughUCLA Community Partnerships.
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
Exploring Your Universe(EYU)brings science to life through hands-on experiments, interactive demonstrations, and engaging science talks. Hosted annually at UCLA, this graduate student-led science fair welcomes more than 10,000 attendees and 75 science booths, as well as approximately 20 science talks and planetarium visits. Free and open to the public, EYU encourages K–12 students across the L.A. region to discover the excitement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
