Our Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 Task Forces Throughout the 2020-21 academic year, the Young Initiative strengthened its collaboration with the City of Los Angeles through our ongoing city-academic research partnerships. With faculty support, 33 Oxy students participated in task force projects based on the Young Initiative’s commitment to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 Agenda. Task Force on Ensuring Equity During Decarbonization This yearlong task force led by Professor Mijin Cha of the Urban and Environmental Policy Department focused on an L.A.-based just transition away from fossil fuels. Five task force students sought to answer the question: What strategies can the City of Los Angeles implement to ensure a successful and equitable just transition for workers and communities? In addition, the research team sought to define the meaning and scope of a just transition in Los Angeles—who and what will be impacted by decarbonization and who and what should be included in just transition planning. Cha’s students worked for the L.A. Mayor’s Sustainability Office. The ultimate goal of the research was to provide the City of Los Angeles with a set of strategies to advance a successful and equitable just transition. Task Force on Gender Equity Professor Madeline Baer supervised a spring task force where students worked in consultation with the Mayor’s Office of the City of Los Angeles to implement SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The task force proposed a set of gender equity indicators for Los Angeles and the newly launched global network of cities (City Hub and Network for Gender Equity, or CHANGE), of which Los Angeles is a founding member. The data collected from these indicators will inform cities on their progress toward gender equity. The proposed indicators explicitly recognize intersecting inequalities predicated upon race, religion, ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression.
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