Commentaries from the Edge

Our final podcast episode in this series is describing an important research project at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles (StudyLA) at Loyola Marymount University, conducted by expert Research Associate Francisco Jasso Magana who received his Doctorate from the University of Caifornia at Irvine, California. His subject is Measure G, designed for major government reform and funded by the Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation. At a time when the status of Democracy is being questioned, this Foundation is dedicated to supporting projects that promote ways for government to better serve the public. Francisco describes first of all how Measure G came about to be passed by the electorate in Los Angeles. There were several reasons but a major catalyst was a scandal of a leaked recorded conversation by prominent political City leaders that displayed racist attitudes and gross incompetence. The goals for this Measure G government reform is accountability, transparency and more fair representation - meaning people power. Listen to Francisco and learn how this Measure G will be changing Los Angeles and developing some new governmental structures that have not changed in over a hundred years. This kind of government reform has the potential to become a model to be imitated by others far and wide.

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We are continuing with the podcast series describing several research projects which are the centerpiece of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles (StudyLA) at Loyola Marymount University. The podcast guest, Chhandosi Roy is a Co-Principal Investigator of StudyLA and has a Doctorate in Political Science from the University of Buffalo, New York. In this episode she is telling us all about the “Angeleno Poll”, a survey that has been conducted every year since 2014, and is the largest of its kind in any metropolitan area of urban America. This research project is asking the people of Los Angeles (Angelenos) their opinion on some of the most pressing problems facing the City, and reaches more than 22,000 residents. The survey covers hundreds of hours of conversation on various topics such as the following: sense of belonging in Los Angeles, the Black experience, housing and the unhoused, the upcoming 2028 Olympics and Paralympics. Chhandosi reports that some of the conversations may include general ideas of how Angelenos feel about the future of the region, or how they think things are going for the City. Given that Los Angeles and California often have a worldwide impact, famous for innovation, creativity and optimism, listen to the answers to salient questions. At the same time in this 2026 year of much turmoil and duress, contemplate your own thoughts on these highlighted issues. The results of the Angeleno Poll are published on the StudyLA website and, as the Center’s Director has discussed, reveal important information for Los Angeles leaders and organizations to use in making policy decisions for the future.

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It was a quiet, peaceful time as the year 2025 began in Los Angeles, California, in the first days of January. Then, suddenly, with winds of 100 miles an hour, a fire began that roared across the City with biblical destruction in its path. The fire came to be known as the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires for the two neighborhoods that were decimated. In truth, like disasters that cause a public trauma, it affected the very spirit of Los Angeles and its impact lingers as a two year marking point is fast approaching.

In this episode you will hear from Brianne Gilbert, Managing Director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University and a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science and International Relations. Now referred to as StudyLA, the Center cultivates knowing how the people of the City are feeling and coping. Brianne is telling us of a particular effort called the Community Action Project (CAP.LA) funded by the R & S Kayne Foundation. It is comprised of unique teams of experts from three Universities; Loyola Marymount, University of Southern California and Harvard. These teams of disaster recovery experts came together to gather information for the households and businesses from the affected neighborhoods to be empowered with data as they struggled to make critical decisions for their recovery. Here is an example of the academic world leaving the ivory tower with information to help solve community programs. It is the Action in CAP.LA which is most important and reflects the vision of the Center founded by Fernando Guerra, to create a bridge between the University and the community. That morning of early January 2025, thousands were evacuated from walls of fire that were whipped as high as the sky with air that had a stench with gray smoke everywhere. There were many who had everything swept away in the burning. Brianne will describe how information was power from the likes of the Community Action Project and gave hope to the immediate fire victims and to the City of Los Angeles as a whole.

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Professor Fernando Guerra has been a leader in linking the rigorous work of academic research to the community at large, empowering the voice of the people. This podcast episode is the beginning of a series highlighting the work at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University with three subsequent conversations with expert Research Associates and their respective projects. Fernando began the Center in 1996 which is now referred to as StudyLA. It has grown in importance to the City based on the founding principle of what he calls the three Rs: Rapid Research Response. It is the theme of StudyLA which uses scholarship from data accumulated from surveys that can respond to immediate happenings with vital information. As a guest on this podcast program several times, he continues to be the best communicator on how to organize research surveys that can guide organizations and civic leaders when developing policies and programs. At a time when it is common for citizens to feel helpless in the face of so many societal difficulties, StudyLA with Fernando’s stewardship makes people of L.A. feel heard by being asked their opinion.

For more information about StudyLA

Email: [email protected]

As the Chair of Jewish History at the UCLA Department of History, and for the 2026 - 27 academic year, on sabbatical at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Professor David Myers walks through paths of hope and hate in his work. In this episode we begin the conversation by dissecting the phenomenon of antisemitism now and from ancient times. We end by David describing his UCLA Institute of Kindness and Compassion, pushing “the better angels” in humanity. In between, he does not mince words about the current dangers in American society with the rise of Islamophobia, anti-immigrant, anti-Asian, racism as well as antisemitism, as a foaming caldron spilling into all parts of USA life. Nevertheless, David Myers, steeped in the study of many dark times, commits to being an optimist, cheering us all on to keep hope for better times.

The City of Los Angeles began to build a magnificent architectural beauty for its Central Library in the downtown area. As part of the ceremony to mark the building’s site in 1925, a time capsule was created and buried. When the Central Library opened its doors in July of 1926, the Time Capsule was securely covered buried in a cornerstone made of Indiana Limestone. Did the Leaders of the City and the Library imagine then that this Time Capsule would not be seen nor opened for 100 years, until May of 2026? Todd Lerew, Director of Special Projects for the Los Angeles Library Foundation, tells us about that moment, the effort it took to retrieve it, and what was found once opened. For Todd, he considers that to be his greatest experience in his eleven year career at the Library. This historic event came about for the celebration of the Centennial of the iconic building’s architectural achievement and the importance of Libraries to the citizens of Los Angeles. The Time Capsule will be part of the July 11 Centennial Festival to be held at the Central Library, 630 West 5th Street, Los Angeles, 90071, phone (213) 228-7000. Come join the free fun on July 11th and throughout the year for

CENTRAL 100, 1926 to 2026, with the theme, “Celebrating a Century of the Light of Learning”. To view the entire program go to LAPL.org/Central 100.

The approach and the entrance to the Los Angeles Central Library in the City’s downtown, is both dramatic and inviting. The experience can conjure the feeling of entering a Cathedral. One is walking through arches, rotundas, gothic high ceilings past large posters, rare paintings and sculpture, and ahead the awesome sight of escalators facing huge figurines hanging overhead. It is from the escalators that you will have a dizzying choice of reading rooms to visit like the International Room with books in over 100 different languages, the History Room, The Literacy Room for tutoring, and so many more to explore. Christina Rice, Senior Librarian of the Photo Collection and Madeline Pena, Director of Engagement and Learning Division, are the dynamic and creative team who for over the last two years have been preparing for a grand celebration of this very 100 year old building and its history. They named this Centennial, CENTRAL 100, 1926 to 2026. The theme is, “Celebrating a Century of the Light of Learning”. It is a celebration of the architecture, of the survival of the Central Library and its role as a “crown jewel” of a Library system of 73 branches beloved in a City that has gown with it in the last 100 years. The highlight of the year long activities is the July 11th Festival to be held all day, from 10:00 a. m. to 4:00 p. m. Listen to Christina and Madeline and hear their stories of an iconic building welcoming people from the diversity of Los Angeles and from around the world. To View the full program of the July 11th Free Festival go to the website, LAPL.org/Central 100

Central Los Angeles Library

630 West 5th Street

Los Angeles, 90071, phone (213) 228-7000

From radio days as an Actress, to the political halls of California State and County governments, Sheila Kuehl has always excelled. In her youth and young adulthood she was in key roles on very popular T. V. programs for years. At Harvard Law School she was a leader in various campus organizations, and once a Lawyer, began to use her power and influence to make a difference for good. Los Angeles became the center of her activism and the issue that propelled her into public life was the way battered women had no protection, no laws that supported their needs. Listen to Sheila Kuehl and hear why she is a celebrity - from her acting days and in the world of public service. She has made a path in her long life on the forefront of creating pioneering legislation when at the California Assembly and the Senate. At the time she was the first openly Lesbian to be elected to both politics institutions and served their for 14 years. Her stand out legislative accomplishments to name a few were in family law for parental leave, establishing training for Judges to understand their personal bias, and water use in the State essential for its huge population and agricultural needs, and for gender and LGQBT in the work place. We are fortunate to have Sheila Kuehl among us who is a leader who leads with character and values and has always made peoples’ lives better in her distinguished and inspiring career as a public servant.

The need for calm, for compassion, to feel centered, all attributes that can be result of meditating according to return guest to the podcast, Dr. Marvin J. Southard. He carries an expertise about meditation not only professionally as a leader in the field of mental health, but personally as a long time practitioner. Listen to his ideas of what meditation is, how it can benefit your daily life and instructions on how to begin. Living in a world of constant crisis, as we are, with a sense of turmoil and an increase of violence and anger toward others, it seems a perfect time to introduce a tool that can calm the spirit and open a path to a more peaceful inner life. It may be a tool that each of us in our own way can use to make the world around us a better place.

Podcast Guest Professor Paul Bergman easily expresses a kind of joy and delight he has enjoyed in his over 40 years as a Professor at the UCLA School of Law. As retired and now with the status of Emeritus, he continues to allow his students at the Law School to contemplate their upcoming profession in a special light. Listen and you will hear from a pioneering educator who chartered new directions in how to teach law with great creativity. He added also a most crucial element; a determination to have his students see the practice of law as helping people at a most difficult time in their life. Bergman insists that his students understand their role as advocates for their clients so that they

may have a better life. In general his contribution to the UCLA School of Law, which was transformative, was the idea of developing clinical education where real cases are used as teaching tools, dissected and analyzed, with role playing. An evolution from this idea came his next innovation based on his enthusiasm for films to present famous courtroom scenes in movies in his classes. Bergman discovered that using these movie scenes had a certain power in preparing future Lawyers for courtroom experiences. Today, Professor Paul Bergman is as active as ever, continuing to teach a class at the Law School, writing books and bringing his creative approach to classes he teaches in the community. He is the Author of 15 books including THE COURTROOM GOES TO THE MOVIES.