Research Internship: Past Projects

Partner: Future Caucus

What factors influence whether young candidates choose to run for Congress, and what barriers or advantages affect their chances of being elected? What changes should be implemented to help more young people get elected to Congress?

Partner: Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Public Safety

What lessons can U.S. cities learn from non-American cities or regions of emergency medical services (EMS) to improve quality of care? And what policy recommendations could facilitate these improvements?

Partner: Heal the Bay

What can Los Angeles do to make the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games as low waste and plastic-free as possible?

Partner: Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs

How can the approaches of cities like Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, and New York in navigating migrant buses be combined to create adaptable, evidence-based strategies that integrate recent arrivals into their regional communities?

Partner: LA City Attorney’s Office

How does new development and the short term rental market impact the displacement of residents? What solutions can address both affordable housing supply and homelessness issues in Los Angeles?

Partner: NationBuilder

How should technology, including social media and AI, be used to facilitate political participation, mobilization, and fundraising on NationBuilder?

Partner: Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove

How has eminent domain affected communities in south Los Angeles, especially Black communities within California’s 37th Congressional district? And what, if anything, should be done to address those impacts on land ownership, generational wealth, and community prosperity?

Partner: Los Angeles Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky

What policies should be implemented to make the best use of vacant buildings in Los Angeles?

Partners: Convergence, Interfaith America, Business for America, Resolutionaries

Can the Building Civic Bridges Act become a viable bill to attain vital funding for bridging organizations? Or should momentum be directed into new efforts with a more realistic chance of passage?

Partner: FixUS

Which political reforms have the greatest chance of passage and reducing political polarization in the United States?

Partner: Metrolink

How might we help Metrolink grow their ridership, especially among Gen Z?

Partner: USC Center on Public Diplomacy

What is the global role that California, a subnational entity, plays in the international system? What are the ways in which California, as a nation-state is leading the world and where is it lacking?

Partner: SnapChat

How do young people decide to engage with a cause and/or organization? What messaging is most effective to engage young people around civics (elections, voting, volunteering, etc.) and encourage them to take civic action, particularly voting?

Partner: Senator Ben Allen (D-CA)

What are some regulations that can be implemented at the state level in California to protect children’s privacy on the internet?

Partner: California Strategies

How might we convince candidates in upcoming elections to prioritize early childhood education as a key issue in Los Angeles County and other surrounding counties?

Partner: Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s Office

What’s the most appropriate facility and staffing model to safely house and treat the mentally ill population in the L.A. County jails who cannot safely be diverted to community based treatment? How can we bypass California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) challenges on affordable housing developments to address Los Angeles’ housing crisis?

Partner: Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell’s Office

How can we provide more equitable service delivery in the wake of COVID-19 and make disproportionate investments in the 2nd supervisorial district?

Partner: Downtown Women’s Center

How can DWC better assist the unaccompanied woman population in Los Angeles?

Partner: Senator Ben Allen (D-CA)

How can California’s wildfire management policies adapt and improve?

Partner: Civic Health Project

What unifies individuals who have the lowest propensity to bridge the partisan gap and what barriers keep them from bridging?

Partners: California Strategies, Crown Castle

How can Crown Castle rapidly overcome the deployment barriers to building the infrastructure for 5G technology throughout California?

Partner: LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin

How can LAUSD implement a universal preschool program?

Partner: California Strategies

What improvements can the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services institute to improve early childhood education?

Partner: Nature Conservancy

With sea levels posing fatal and economic risks to coastline properties and infrastructures, what are the best communication and policy recommendations to enact and confront managed retreat, while recognizing current federal and state regulations, structures, and grant programs?

Partner: USC Gould Immigrants and Global Migration Initiative (IGMI)

How can we use the cross-sections of historical immigration legislation and the immigration platforms of the leading Democratic candidates in the 2020 Presidential election to formulate practical immigration policy reform that will confront 21st century challenges?

Partner: Bob Shrum, Director of USC Center for the Political Future

What are the current practices for the Democratic primary and caucus elections and how can they be improved?

Partner: California Strategies

A crucial problem exists in the link between Merced/Fresno in the Central Valley and San Jose in the Bay Area. What is the best way to proceed? How can the costs be absorbed? Should these costs be absorbed singularly by government? Should there be a government/private relationship? What other innovative solutions may exist?

Partner: Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and the Mayor’s Office of Resilience

What are the policy barriers and opportunities for the City of Los Angeles to move forward its biodiversity strategy? What are established best practices locally, nationally, and globally to enhance biodiversity in urban areas? How do these practices intersect with other urban policies such as green infrastructure, transportation, and buildings?

Partner: Office of Los Angeles County Councilmember Mike Bonin, District 11

What are the effects of affordable housing in “high-market” community areas, like Westchester and Del Rey, in relation to issues such as transportation, parking, and public safety for effective future land use, housing, or other related policy decisions that ultimately address the identified concerns in the community plans?

Partner: Leslee Sherrill, Co-Founder of Let the Voters Choose (LVC)

Is the ballot initiative system an effective method of governance?

Partner: California Strategies

This project analyzed current barriers involving access to early child care education, including the achievement gap, staffing issues, and funding, as well as offering potential solutions to help move this issue forward.

Partner: Office of Los Angeles Councilmember Paul Krekorian

This project evaluated the current homelessness crisis in Los Angeles County and City and looking towards the future.

Partner: USC Center for the Political Future

What are alternative ways to allocate votes in the United States, and which of these systems is best for California?

Partners: USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness, Skid Row Housing Trust

How can the homeless services industry in Los Angeles best use their increased funds to build their capacity efficiently?