Features
Does Fox Cover Extremism? Or Cause It?
Researchers probe cause and effect with media and extremism
Racial Bias and Suicide
Bias has long distorted diagnoses of Black children with emotional distress. The results are tragic.
Special Report: Schools and Intolerance
Battered by COVID-19, schools now confront intolerance
Gavin Newson: California’s governor on the state of the state
Newsom defends California’s work on homelessness, immigration and guns — and his power to effect change
School Shootings: Can They Be Stopped?
From Sandy Hook to Uvalde, shootings bring anguish and a frustrating search for solutions
Karen Bass and Rick Caruso: A Blueprint Debate
Debate: Caruso and Bass debate homelessness, public safety and whether to charge Donald Trump
On Politics and Demographics
As California grows, it’s changing. Representation adjusts more slowly.
Special Report: Critical Race Theory and UCLA
Critics bent on squelching conversations about race have assailed the idea, usually without bothering to study it
Antonia Hernandez: The Optimism of Experience
Shrewd philanthropy and political acumen guide the work of the California Community Foundation
Frank Gehry on the Life of Cities
Visionary and humanitarian, Frank Gehry creates buildings and neighborhoods that serve people and satisfy souls
The Lessons and Future of Remote Learning
Universities moved to remote education in the pandemic. What have they learned?
COVID-19’s Quiet Toll on Children
When COVID hit, calls for service for troubled children dropped. That’s a good thing, right?
Voting in a Pandemic
The pandemic has scrambled political assumptions. The 25th District in California supplied a case study
Special Report: The League of Women Voters
At age 100, the League combines a history of protest with a commitment to fairness and civility
Child Criminals: A Legacy of Failure, a Chance for Progress
Locking up children who commit crimes has unintended consequences — for families, communities and society.
Bill McKibben: Sounding the Alarm
Climate change is not a problem for the future. Heat, drought, storms and fires are upon us now
Reducing Recidivism Through Public Health
Surprising results suggest that offenders can break the cycle of recidivism. Counseling and health are key.
Bob Hertzberg on the Big Issues
“What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? What does the research say about how to get there? And then how do you convince people?”
Kamala Harris: California’s “Top Cop”
California’s attorney general discusses the state of the state with Blueprint editor Jim Newton.
Strategies for Schools
The challenges of measuring what works — and what does not — in education
James Fallows: America Up Close
James and Deborah Fallows traveled America to examine the strength of its towns and cities. They report back.
Anthony Rendon: A New Speaker for a Changing State
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon reflects on leadership in the age of Twitter
Karen Bass: On Truth, Power, Public Office
Karen Bass is a native of Los Angeles and a rising force in Congress
New Strategies for Communities Under Stress
Activists confront a history of pressure and progress in Boyle Heights
Antonio Villaraigosa: Reflections on Los Angeles and California
The former mayor and veteran California politico takes stock of his city and state
“Sanctuary” and Safety: a Clash of Values
California leaders welcome and protect immigrants. Washington has had enough.
Bringing Equity to Education
Meredith Phillips is helping students to learn while learning from them about how to teach others.
Homeboy Industries: A History of Violence. A Hope for the Future.
At Homeboy, researchers discover a model that works.
Los Angeles Foster Children and Those Who Care for Them
Los Angeles was struggling to help its most vulnerable children. Then it learned some lessons.
Norman Lear: Culture Warrior
Norman Lear reflects on a career of influence and consequence.
Labor’s Maria Elena Durazo and a Life of Activism
Maria Elena Durazo has influenced Los Angeles politics for decades as a leader of a revived labor movement. Now she’s running for office.
The Movement of People and Things
Margaret Peters looks at the history of trade and immigration, both at the center of today’s Washington.
Unequal Schools, Generations of Poverty
Poor children get less attention in school, are more frequently interrupted in class and get less of the help they need.
Inequality Is Not The Issue. Growth Is.
Professor Lee Ohanian argues that economic growth, even if it exacerbates inequality, can lift all boats.
Changing Habits, Saving Power
How to convince consumers to track their energy usage and reduce it — the study of incentives.
Sketches
San Francisco Recall: A Parent’s View
While pundits looked for trends, parents thought about their kids
Closing Note: Governing Through Change
California’s problems are monumental, but history gives room for hope
Closing Note: Of challenges and opportunities
Los Angeles faces a difficult future, but does so with resources and potential
The Costs of War
A new book explores the ways public opinion shapes war and research informs opinion
Governing Los Angeles
Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez on governing through crises
The Struggles of Family
Zachary Slobig on the combined effects within his family of COVID-19 and national policing protests
Closing Note: Hope in the Ruins
This year of crisis has upended politics, public health and policing, among many other walks of life. It now moves to an election.
“A Lighter Look” — Dr. Wit
Rick Meyer’s regularly appearing column takes a lighter look at politics and public affairs around the world. This month: John P. Moore
Blueprint: In Defense of Thinking
Hofstadter warned of anti-intellectualism in America. A word to the wise
Closing Note: Start with Truth
The crying need for truth in an era of lies, distortions and stupidity
Los Angeles teachers strike and win
The public backs teachers, and charter schools may suffer.
40 Years Later: How Has Proposition 13 Fared?
California’s historic initiative protected homes, hurt services and schools
No Single Solution
To grapple with homelessness, we must begin by considering the varied nature of its challenge
Welcome to Blueprint on Philanthropy
This issue, we set out to look at the intersection of policy and philanthropy, as well as some of L.A.’s leading philanthropists.
California Faces Its Future
As the race for governor accelerates, the issues become clearer.
Where Good Intentions Meet Good Works
Upshot of much research on policy and philanthropy: They reinforce one another, to society’s benefit.
Blueprint Hosts a Lively Evening
Hundreds turn out for an evening discussion of inequality and its ramifications.
Ananya Roy: A Leading Voice for Change
One of America’s most forceful advocates for economic justice brings her work to UCLA.
Waxman: A Congressman in Winter
Congressman Henry Waxman represented Los Angeles for generations. Now in retirement, he reflects on his legacy and the challenges ahead.
Water, Power and the Future of Los Angeles
UCLA’s “Grand Challenges” tackle society’s most complex and pressing problems.
Vergara, Tenure and Me
Former teacher Nathan Holmes considers the state of tenure in California schools.