Benjamin Genta: UC should divest from fossil fuels, invest in green energy

If the University of Hawaii has its way, fossil fuels could go the way of the dinosaurs. Last week, the University of Hawaii System voted to divest from coal, oil and gas companies. While the University of California is taking a step in the right direction, it could take note from the effort. Fossil fuels […]

UCPD must implement body cameras, heighten sensitivity measures

The Los Angeles Police Department will equip 7,000 of its officers with body cameras. University police, on the other hand, have not equipped a single officer to date. Recent events have shed light on the need to equip police officers, and consequently the UCPD, with cameras. However, progress in implementing body cameras for UCPD has […]

Benjamin Genta: UCLA needs to encourage student voting, raise youth voter turnout

Less than 9 percent of eligible voters aged 18 to 24 turned out to vote in the 2014 midterm election this past November in California, a historic low, according to a January UC Davis report. In Los Angeles county, it was even less, with only between 5.5 and 7.5 percent of the same age demographic […]

Benjamin Genta: Student representation on Board of Regents should be increased

The UC Board of Regents is an exclusive club, and students have only minimal membership.
Recent protests over the regents’ newly approved tuition hike plan show the lack of student voice at the legislative level with the Board of Regents.

Candidate Marianne Williamson speaks at Ackerman Thursday

This post was updated at 8:12 p.m. Marianne Williamson, a candidate for the House of Representatives for the district where UCLA is located, talked about ways she hopes to reform government politics in a speech at UCLA Thursday night. “Democracy is not working. It’s not an expression of the American people,” she said. “Money in politics is […]

UCLA, California schools compete to host emissions lab

UCLA is among a group of four California public universities competing to host a potentially $100 million motor vehicle emissions laboratory. By having the facility on campus, UCLA officials hope to maintain collaboration with the California Air Resources Board, a government agency that works to regulate vehicle emissions and smog, said Suzanne Paulson, director of […]