Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles
Encyclopedia
The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles (LCSLA or CSLA) is a non-profit
, non-partisan education and research institute at Loyola Marymount University
in Los Angeles
, California
.
The center was founded in 1996 by Loyola Marymount University Professor of Political Science and Chicana/o Studies Dr. Fernando Guerra with a grant from the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation
. Guerra, who has been a faculty member at Loyola Marymount University since 1984, is currently the director of the Center.
The CSLA conducts expert and public opinion polls, focusing on public policy and community interests in the city of Los Angeles. Its research covers a broad range of issues including health care, education, race relations, urban outcomes and voter interests. The center offers employment and research experience opportunities to LMU undergraduate students.
In addition to attending the panels, the students are given the opportunity to personally meet with government leaders to discuss the state of California and possible future careers. LCSLA plays a key role in planning, coordinating and executing the Sacramento Legislative Seminar.
Urban Lecture Series The Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles has presented the Urban Lecture Series for the past 10 years. The Center plans, coordinates, and moderates these forums, however, the series is part of a larger inter-departmental curriculum.
The forums consist of panelists from the private and public sector of Los Angeles who then engage in discussion and debate over current issues facing Los Angeles. Each forum is hosted and moderated by Dr. Fernando Guerra,and are taped and televised on local television stations.
Notable Urban Lecture Series Participants:
s for the 2005 mayoral election
, 2008 presidential election
, and 2010 gubernatorial election
. Surveys were collected from 50 racially stratified homogenous polling locations. A total of 50 precincts were chosen, 10 for each ethnic category: White, Black, Latino, Asian, and mixed precincts. Survey collectors and data processors consisted of LMU undergraduate volunteers along with the CSLA staff. The data collected from these polls has been featured throughout various media outlets and has been analyzed in various scholarly studies.
LA Riots 5/10/15 years. In observance of each of the 5, 10, and 15 year anniversaries of the LA Riots, the Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles
(CSLA) at Loyola Marymount University
sponsored cross-sectional phone surveys of Angelenos to study their attitudes toward Los Angeles. The 1992 LA riots had a profound impact on nearly every aspect of Los Angeles
, from government and community relations to quality of life to demographics. In a longitudinal effort to learn more about this impact, the Leavey Center conducted surveys in 1997, 2002 and 2007.
Leadership Initiative. CSLA is engaged in a study of leadership and its relationship to urban outcomes in the city of Los Angeles.
“The Leadership Initiative,” will have established the largest action oriented effort that identifies the top 1000 leaders in Los Angeles and integrates leadership, research, collective action and outcomes across Los Angeles’s infrastructure. The study focused on specific areas of leadership: education, health, politics, business, law, community, arts/culture, media/entertainment, land use/housing, religion, and environment
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, non-partisan education and research institute at Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
The center was founded in 1996 by Loyola Marymount University Professor of Political Science and Chicana/o Studies Dr. Fernando Guerra with a grant from the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation
Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation
The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation is a charitable foundation founded by Farmers Insurance Group co-founder Thomas E. Leavey and his wife Dorothy E. Risley Leavey in 1952. In the fifteen year period from 1981 to 1994, the Leavey Foundation donated more than $100 million to institutions and...
. Guerra, who has been a faculty member at Loyola Marymount University since 1984, is currently the director of the Center.
The CSLA conducts expert and public opinion polls, focusing on public policy and community interests in the city of Los Angeles. Its research covers a broad range of issues including health care, education, race relations, urban outcomes and voter interests. The center offers employment and research experience opportunities to LMU undergraduate students.
Research Collection
The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles Research Collection covers various aspects of the Los Angeles region. The collection contains numerous materials and papers unique to Los Angeles, including:- The Bob Beverly Papers, 1962-1996
- Big Pine Citizen Newspaper Collection, 1922, 1924-1928
- The Citizen and Cheviot Chatter, 1927-1960
- The J.D. Black Papers, 1876-1999
- The Fritz Burns(2 Collections)
- Daniel FreemanDaniel FreemanDaniel Freeman was an American homesteader, physician and Civil War veteran. He was recognized as the first person to file a claim under the Homestead Act of 1862...
Family Papers - Documents for the History of the Daniel Freeman Family and the Rancho Centinela
- Documents for the History of the Machado Family and the Rancho La BallonaRancho la BallonaRancho La Ballona was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California confirmed by governor Juan Alvarado in 1839 to Ygnacio and Augustin Machado and Felipe and Tomas Talamantes...
- Documents for the History of Nineteenth-Century Los Angeles, 1846-1908
- The DockweilerDockweilerDockweiler is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
Family Collection (2 Collections) - Thomas A. Gaudette Paper, 1938-1996
- James Keane Collection of Fritz Burns Biographical Materials, 1923-2001
- LAAMP Collection, 1984-2001
- LEARN Collection, 1974-1999
- "LA 2000" Records of the 2000 Democratic National Convention2000 Democratic National ConventionThe 2000 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention for the Democratic Party. The convention nominated Vice President Al Gore as its candidate for President and Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman as its candidate for Vice President. The convention was held at...
, 1992-2001 - Charles LuckmanCharles LuckmanCharles Luckman was a businessman and an American architect, famous as the "Boy Wonder of American Business" when he was named president of the Pepsodent toothpaste company in 1939 at the age of thirty...
Papers, 1908-2000 - William F. Masterson Papers, 1960-2001
- Carroll and Lorrin Morrison Photographic Collection, 1889-1964
- Rancho La Ballona Map (1876)
- Rebuild L.A. Collection, 1992-1997
- Mayor Richard J. Riordan Administrative Papers, 1980-2001
- The David A. Roberti Papers
- The Mike Roos Papers, 1977-1990
- Joseph ScottJoseph Scott (attorney)Joseph Scott was a prominent British-born attorney and community leader in Los Angeles, California. His service to the community was so varied and important that he earned the nickname "Mr. Los Angeles."-Early life:...
Collection, 1909-1951 - Joel WachsJoel WachsJoel Wachs , was a Los Angeles, California, City Council member for thirty years and a three-time candidate for mayor of that city, who is now the president of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in New York City...
Papers, 1951-2002 - Which Way, LA? Collection, 1992-2001
- The Stephen Mallory White Papers, 1871-1936
- Workman Family Papers, 1881-1997
- Mary Julia Workman Research Materials
- WPA Transcriptions of Los Angeles City Archives Records, 1825-1850
- JackJack WratherJohn Devereaux "Jack" Wrather, Jr. , was a petroleum millionaire who became a television producer and later diversified by investing in broadcast stations and resort properties...
and Bonita Granville Wrather Papers, 1890-1990 - Wrather Investment Corporation Incorporation Records, 1961
Events
Sacramento Seminar The Sacramento Legislative Seminar is a longstanding program in the Loyola Marymount University’s Political Science Department. The program is held at the Capitol Building and consists of a number of panels that include legislators, government leaders and advocates. Each panel focuses on current issues and allows the students to engage in the discussion by asking pressing questions during the Question and Answer session.In addition to attending the panels, the students are given the opportunity to personally meet with government leaders to discuss the state of California and possible future careers. LCSLA plays a key role in planning, coordinating and executing the Sacramento Legislative Seminar.
Urban Lecture Series The Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles has presented the Urban Lecture Series for the past 10 years. The Center plans, coordinates, and moderates these forums, however, the series is part of a larger inter-departmental curriculum.
The forums consist of panelists from the private and public sector of Los Angeles who then engage in discussion and debate over current issues facing Los Angeles. Each forum is hosted and moderated by Dr. Fernando Guerra,and are taped and televised on local television stations.
Notable Urban Lecture Series Participants:
- Bernard ParksBernard C. ParksBernard C. Parks is an American politician. He is a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing the 8th District in South Los Angeles. He served as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from August 1997 to May 2002...
, L.A. city council members - Bill RosendahlBill RosendahlWilliam Joseph "Bill" Rosendahl is an American politician. He is serving on the Los Angeles City Council, representing Council District 11. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Biography:...
, L.A. city council members - Alex Padilla (now CA State Senator), and L.A. city council member
- Richard Alarcon. L.A. city council member
- Richard RiordanRichard RiordanRichard J. Riordan is a Republican politician from California, U.S.A. who served as the California Secretary for Education from 2003–2005 and as the 39th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1993–2001...
, Former LA Mayor - James HahnJames HahnJames Kenneth "Jim" Hahn is an American politician. Hahn was elected the 40th Mayor of Los Angeles in 2001. He served until 2005, at which time he was defeated in his bid for re-election...
, Former LA Mayor - Antonio VillaraigosaAntonio VillaraigosaAntonio Ramón Villaraigosa , born Antonio Ramón Villar, Jr., is the 41st and current Mayor of Los Angeles, California, the third Mexican American to have ever held office in the city of Los Angeles and the first in over 130 years. He is also the current president of the United States Conference of...
, Current LA Mayor. - Steve SoboroffSteve SoboroffSteve Soboroff is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Weingart Foundation and past Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Playa Vista...
- Tom Smith, Senior Vice-President of NBC Universal.
- Professor Raphael SonensheinRaphael SonensheinRaphael J. Sonenshein is a political science professor at California State University, Fullerton. He is also the current chairman of the department. An instructor at the university since 1982, Sonenshein holds a bachelor's degree in public policy from Princeton University and a doctorate in...
, PH.D, from Cal State Fullerton - Professor Steven Erie from U.C. San Diego.
- Dolores HuertaDolores HuertaDolores C. Huerta is the co-founder and First Vice President Emeritus of the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO , and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.-Early life:...
, President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation - Angela Acosta-Salazar, Trustee, Rio Hondo College Board of Trustees
- Susan Rubio, Councilmember, City of Baldwin Park
Studies
Exit polls. The center conducted exit pollExit poll
An election exit poll is a poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations. Unlike an opinion poll, which asks whom the voter plans to vote for or some similar formulation, an exit poll asks whom the voter actually voted for. A similar poll conducted before actual...
s for the 2005 mayoral election
Los Angeles mayoral election, 2005
The 2005 Los Angeles mayoral election took place on March 8, 2005, with a runoff election on May 17. Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa defeated the sitting mayor, James Hahn, becoming the city’s first Hispanic mayor since the 19th century...
, 2008 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, and 2010 gubernatorial election
California gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 California gubernatorial election was held November 2, 2010 to elect the Governor of California. The primary elections were held on June 8, 2010. Because constitutional office holders in California are prohibited from serving more than two terms in the same office since 1990, incumbent...
. Surveys were collected from 50 racially stratified homogenous polling locations. A total of 50 precincts were chosen, 10 for each ethnic category: White, Black, Latino, Asian, and mixed precincts. Survey collectors and data processors consisted of LMU undergraduate volunteers along with the CSLA staff. The data collected from these polls has been featured throughout various media outlets and has been analyzed in various scholarly studies.
LA Riots 5/10/15 years. In observance of each of the 5, 10, and 15 year anniversaries of the LA Riots, the Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles
Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles
The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles is a non-profit, non-partisan education and research institute at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California....
(CSLA) at Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
sponsored cross-sectional phone surveys of Angelenos to study their attitudes toward Los Angeles. The 1992 LA riots had a profound impact on nearly every aspect of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, from government and community relations to quality of life to demographics. In a longitudinal effort to learn more about this impact, the Leavey Center conducted surveys in 1997, 2002 and 2007.
Leadership Initiative. CSLA is engaged in a study of leadership and its relationship to urban outcomes in the city of Los Angeles.
“The Leadership Initiative,” will have established the largest action oriented effort that identifies the top 1000 leaders in Los Angeles and integrates leadership, research, collective action and outcomes across Los Angeles’s infrastructure. The study focused on specific areas of leadership: education, health, politics, business, law, community, arts/culture, media/entertainment, land use/housing, religion, and environment