BY ROBIN HEFFLER
UCLA Today
Playing a key non-partisan role in helping educate
citizens, UCLA is giving Los Angeles-area voters the opportunity
to size up candidates in two city council races where longtime
incumbents are losing their seats this year because of term
limits.
In January, UCLA Government and Community Relations,
in cooperation with the UCLA Black Alumni Association, assembled
a panel of local media representatives in the Crenshaw area
to question five of seven candidates vying for the central city,
10th District seat of outgoing Councilman Nate Holden. The district
is home to some 2,500 alumni, 1,500 UCLA employees and 68 campus-run
community service projects, such as tutoring and substance abuse
programs.
“The candidates said it was one of the
best forums they had attended,” said Derrick Mims, assistant
director of Local and Community Relations. “They were
able to cover a lot of ground. Everybody who was there came
away with a sense of the candidates’ views and vision.”
After the city election in March, UCLA also
plans to sponsor a candidates’ forum for the runoff election
expected in the race for the San Fernando Valley’s 12th
District seat, now held by Councilman Hal Bernson.
The two events are part of community initiatives
launched in recent years to fulfill UCLA’s public service
mission, showcase the university’s involvement in the
life of the city and create new campus supporters among community
leaders, residents and alumni.
“When I came on board four years ago,
I hoped we could make UCLA’s efforts in the community
more relevant by involving our experts on campus, bringing in
local community leaders and focusing on an exciting issue each
year,” said Diana Brueggemann, executive director of Local
and Community Relations.
The first event was a candidates’ forum
for the 1999 Los Angeles Unified School District’s Board
of Education race, which drew 150 people to campus. The office
then turned its attention to a larger political arena a year
later when the Democratic National Convention came to town.
Brueggemann organized “Red, White and Bruin,” a
panel discussion by academics, both Republicans and Democrats,
on national issues, that attracted some 400 people to campus.
A forum that brought candidates running for
mayor of Los Angeles to Royce Hall in spring 2001, “was
the most significant event we hosted in terms of community participation,”
Brueggemann said, drawing more than 800 people. The forum was
also carried on local cable television.
To educate L.A. residents on the importance
of the Census and its impact on people’s lives, UCLA literally
took the classroom from the campus to Latino, African-American
and Native-American neighborhoods throughout the city.
Last October, before the highly charged city-splitting
measures were defeated, UCLA coordinated “Secession: The
Last Word,” which featured experts from UCLA, Loyola Marymount
University and California State University campuses. The event
attracted 300 people from both sides of the issue for what organizers
called a very civil debate.
The various forums have helped UCLA build relationships, bringing
elected officials, some visiting UCLA for the first time, and
alumni to campus.
“After elected officials have personally
met the chancellor or the assistant vice chancellor of Government
and Community Relations, they’re more comfortable responding
to UCLA’s local government concerns,” Brueggemann
said. “They are also more likely to use our resources
to improve their communities and accept our invitations to speak
to students, faculty and staff.”
Manny Baldenegro, director of Advocacy Programs,
sees the forums as supporting the efforts of Bruin Caucus, a
group of alumni and friends who act as citizen advocates when
they contact elected officials.
“The candidate and issues forums help
us bring back to campus alumni, who may be willing to advocate
for the university,” Baldenegro said.
To learn more about Government and Community
Relations, see www.advocacy.ucla.edu.
