The Los Angeles Times explored why LA ranks near the bottom among major U.S. cities for park access and public green space, featuring research from UCLA urban planning researcher Claire Nelischer. Nelischer said Los Angeles lacks the dense network of small neighborhood parks found in cities like New York and London, and noted that parks play an essential role in health, social connection and daily life — especially for renters and immigrant communities. Read more about UCLA in today’s Washington Post, NPR and others.

More highlights from UCLA in the News: May 6, 2026

A legal scholar defends critical race theory — a term she helped coin | NPR

Growing up in Canton, Ohio, [UCLA] legal scholar Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw was encouraged to call out conditions that were unfair or inexplicable. It was a form of “talking back” that continued into her career, she says. “We’re not living in a world in which we are all standing on equal footing,” Crenshaw says. “And we have to muster the courage … [and] the righteous indignation to talk back against these expectations.” Crenshaw is responsible for naming two of the most contested ideas in American politics: intersectionality and critical race theory. (Crenshaw was also interviewed by NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “Fresh Air.”)

UCLA report: U.S. Latino economy tops Japan | Hoodline

UCLA researchers say the economic punch packed by U.S. Latinos is now so large it would rank as the world’s fourth-biggest national economy, edging past Japan. The finding, rolled out during a Cinco de Mayo briefing at UCLA, casts Latino households, workers and small business owners as a driving force in U.S. growth. Here in Los Angeles, that surge translates into serious buying power for local storefronts and a deeper talent pool for employers. (UCLA’s David Hayes-Bautista was quoted.)

Why social circles shrink and how to build them back up | Washington Post

According to Jaimie Krems, social psychologist and director of the UCLA Center for Friendship Research, people aren’t always as motivated to prioritize their friendships as they are to invest in, say, romantic or familial ties. Though they should be. “We need to stop undervaluing and deprioritizing the benefits of friendship,” Krems said, noting that strong social connections are linked to living longer, feeling happier and even lowering the risk of cognitive decline later in life.

What’s the real story of Cinco de Mayo? | KCBS-TV

“It is not Mexican Independence Day — that’s September 16th. But it is related. In 1810, when Mexico declared independence, they also declared racial equality and citizenship, and the abolition of slavery. Well, California was part of Mexico then. These were our constitutional values,” said UCLA’s David Hayes-Bautista.

Indigenous Andeans’ digestive superpower possibly connected to potatoes | Scienmag

A groundbreaking study emerging from the collaborative efforts of evolutionary scientists at UCLA and the University at Buffalo has illuminated a fascinating chapter in human genomic adaptation, specifically among Indigenous Andean populations. This research, recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, reveals that these high-altitude inhabitants possess an unusually high number of copies of the salivary amylase gene, AMY1, a crucial genetic component facilitating starch digestion. (UCLA’s Abigail Bigham was cited.)  

Fire recovery could wipe out Altadena’s affordable rentals | Capital & Main

For Gabriella Carmona, a senior research analyst at the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute, all of this raises a question: “Are we prioritizing our recovery on returning Altadena to what it once looked like based on housing” density — or “based on people” who lived in the community prior to the fires? “Without directed policy, I fear that it might primarily be the housing piece, rather than the people,” she said. 

Why LA is struggling while San Francisco booming again | Los Angeles Times

Adding to Southern California’s economic struggles, the Eaton and Palisades fires contributed to a net loss of 0.5% in gross domestic product in Los Angeles County in 2025, according to a study by UCLA Anderson School of Management.

A look inside the case that enshrined political power for billionaires | New York Times

“On the one hand, there’s this huge concern about corruption in government,” said Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. “On the other hand, there are these very powerful First Amendment arguments that had not ever been really considered by the court.”

Hantavirus cases on cruise ship | BBC News 24

“Hantavirus is actually a family of viruses that tend to be spread from rodents, who are the reservoir. We’ve seen hantavirus here in the United States, associated with deaths and severe illness in the Western part of the United States,” said UCLA’s Anne Rimoin.

As cosmetic interventions are boom, ethical conversations lag | Associated Press

“It’s important to think about how those choices are constrained and to think about the social pressures,” said Abigail Saguy, a sociologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “This is a social issue. It is a collective problem. But it’s continually treated as an individual issue and what individual people should do.”