Summer newsletter

Welcome to the Summer issue of the Science Policy Group at UCLA Newsletter!

Upcoming

If you haven't voted yet, make your voice count in California's primary election!

Every vote matters. All your local laws, the vast majority of law enforcement interactions, housing, healthcare, etc, are all controlled by your state and local representatives! Remember this quirk about how LA’s elections work. These are non-partisan races, and the June election is technically not a partisan primary; it’s a qualifying election. This means that the top two vote-getters will face off in November’s election, but anyone who gets 50%+ one vote in June will win automatically.

HOW TO VOTE

Return your vote-by-mail ballot by mail with prepaid postage as long as it's postmarked on or before June 7th.
Return your vote-by-mail ballot in-person to a secure ballot drop box, to a voting location or your county elections office by 8:00 p.m. on June 7.
Vote in-person (locations will offer voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines, and language assistance to those who need it)
- If you plan to vote in person, you can fill out a sample ballot online, save your choices, and scan a QR code at the polling station to automatically populate your official ballot with your saved choices (or change your selections if you change your mind)

If you've already mailed-in or dropped off your ballot and have yet to receive a notification, sign up to track your ballot at CA's Where's My Ballot tool.

So many seats, so many candidates.. WHO TO VOTE FOR?

There are a plethora of voter guides on the web. We have compiled a collection of guides below. Note, these are nor endorsements or suggestions by SPG.

Knock LA’s voter guide has detailed recommendations
LA Forward’s voter guide covers most local races and recommends the California Working Families Party voter guide for state races.
Los Angeles Times endorsements
Progressive voter guide with in-depth explanations for each office by Kris Rehl, a Street Watch member
Progressive voter guide by Tracey Rosenthal, co-founder of the LA Tenants Union
The League of Women Voters voter guide including survey questions answered by candidates, but does not endorse candidates.
The LA County Bar Association’s Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee report gives each candidate for judge a qualified/not qualified rating. (Although take these ratings with a grain of salt as they tend to favor white and male judges.)
Streetsblog LA’s Joe Linton and Sahra Sulaiman look at the transportation platforms of mayoral candidates, including surveys from eight candidates (two of which have since dropped out).
Sammy Roth at the LA Times gathered the climate plans from mayoral candidates. Some of their platforms are thin or nonexistent, some did not participate, and some have since dropped out.
Scott from LA Podcast compiled a spreadsheet tracking some of the above voter guides.
Hear from 4 mayoral candidates on where they stand on housing, crime, climate, and the role of science in policy from our very own panel event.

External opportunities:

Upcoming events and deadlines by date:

June 1: AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship application is open! As a fellow, you will serve a yearlong assignment in a selected area of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the federal government in Washington, D.C., enhancing your professional influence by tackling problems and participating in policy development and implementation. The fellowship is also paid with a competitive stipend!! 💰 Want to learn more? AAAS is hosting informational chats + Q&As for the fellowship throughout the summer.
June 10: NSPN Advocacy committee is partnering with Science Debate to interview local public office candidates (including in California) about critical Science & Technology issues! They're looking for people to join their team. This is a great way to join a project focusing on government engagement!
June 24: The UC Center Sacramento is accepting applications for their annual STEM Solutions in Public Policy Award Competition! Submissions will be accepted through Friday, June 24, 2022. For questions, please see the UCCS STEM Solutions FAQ.
June 24: NSPN is seeking volunteers for our next edition of the SciPolBites blog series for forward-thinking perspectives on the future of science policy. Drafts should be around 200-600 words and are requested by Friday, June 24. Email communications@scipolnetwork.org to get involved!

Recap:

Want to get involved?

here are LINKS TO resources on:

thank you for being part of the science policy group at ucla!

As always, feel free to email us to let us know about campus/community opportunities & ideas for events.

And please spread the word!

Do you have a recent Science Policy achievement?

Email us at uclascipolgroup@gmail.com so we can brag about you!

University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States