On February 29, from 5pm to 6:30pm, the UCR School of Public Policy is hosting a policy debate at the UCR Alumni & Visitors Center on the question: “Should California Step In to Fight Against NIMBYism & Homelessness?”

Four UCR Students will be debating the pros and cons of this topic. The debaters are: 

• Nadia Colón, Senator, College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences
• Liam Burley, School of Public Policy 
• Miriam Fadel, Founder, Re-Entry Without Any Yield (R’Way), School of Public Policy
• Naia Pizarro, Senator, School of Public Policy

Determining the winners of the debate are three board officers of the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California, who will serve as guest judges: 

• Ken Gutierrez, Former Planning Director, City of Riverside
• Neil Okazaki, Attorney, Corona City Attorney’s Office
• Launa Wilson, Executive Director, RCC District Foundation

“I hope to help expand [our guest’s] ideas of how homelessness can be fought, while also keeping in mind the potential costs of new, perhaps extreme action,” said Colin Dohanue, a public policy student who is serving as event organizer. “I want to help people realize that the situation is not hopeless and that there are still some actions we can take to abolish homelessness.”

You can watch the debate here.

You can view photos from the event here.

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The UCR School of Public Policy Community Seminar Series brings policy makers, practitioners, and researchers to UCR to talk about today’s pressing societal challenges. Learn more by visiting spp.ucr.edu/events.