Mike de la Rocha

There’s an epidemic of houselessness in Los Angeles.  In 2017 alone, the number of people living without homes rose 23% to 58,000. While most attribute this trend to addiction, mental illness, and poor lifestyle choices, the data suggest that chronic housing insecurity, gentrification, and sky-high rents underlie the crisis. Hosted by Becky Dennison, Executive Director of Venice Community Housing, Barbara Schultz, Director of Litigation and Policy at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, and Pete White, LACAN Executive Director and Founder, this conversation will focus on how public policy, structural obstacles, and upcoming ballot measures can all help combat this local and national crisis. An interactive strategy session will follow.  

Los Angeles is one of the most diverse cities in the world, representing the spectrum of nationalities. So it’s a fitting venue for a wide-ranging discussion of immigration--from the latest in policy and reform movements to broader viewpoints on what it means to be an American. Join Tanzila Ahmed, activist, storyteller and politico, immigration attorney Brigit Greeson Alvarez, and Latina transgender activist Bamby Salcedo as they probe these urgent and topical issues about immigration in the US and Los Angeles.