The undergraduate student government External Vice President’s office is holding the first-ever UCLA Campus Climate Legislative Day next month to give students an opportunity to talk about campus climate issues with local legislators.
Conrad Contreras, Undergraduate Students Association Council external vice president, said the goal of the event is to bring legislators to campus so multiple groups can address lawmakers at once.
“At UCLA we have a lot of groups doing advocacy. We wanted to centralize these discussions on one day for legislators to hear what students need,” Contreras said.
Contreras said mental health issues, sexual assault, affordability and police brutality are likely going to be discussion topics at the event.
The event is the result of a collaboration between USAC’s External Vice President’s office and UCLA’s External Affairs Office of Government and Community Relations. Aurelia Friedman, a third-year political science student and intern at the Office of Government and Community Relations, said she wanted the two offices to work together to put on the event.
“We wanted to have students, legislators, faculty, staff and administration have a conversation. We constantly lobby legislators so it seemed like the logical thing to work with student government because these issues impact students,” Friedman said.
Assemblyman Richard Bloom will attend the event, Contreras said. Bloom represents the 50th district, which includes West Los Angeles, Brentwood and Beverly Hills, among other neighborhoods.
Friedman said she is writing a letter to other local, state and federal legislators inviting them to attend the event.
“We are reaching out to people who actually represent our district here at UCLA,” Contreras said.
The Office of the External Vice President has opened an online poll so students can vote on the issues they want to discuss at the event.
Contreras said the poll is expected to close Feb. 13.
The event will take place on Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the James West Alumni Center.
Compiled by Kat Bocanegra Speed, Bruin contributor.