UCLA School of Law’s Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, the leading environmental law and policy program in the country, has received a new $5 million commitment from the Emmett Foundation. The contribution includes a matching opportunity and is the latest of several transformative gifts that the foundation, which is led by Dan and Rae Emmett, has made during nearly 15 years of dedicated engagement with UCLA Law.

A candidate’s messaging, charisma and likability may all factor into a voter’s decision on election day. But the rubber hits the road when those candidates get sworn into office and begin to write, pass and block legislation that affects citizens’ everyday lives. Beyond the legislation that elected officials may pass, other issues loom large in the midterms, including election integrity and the evolving role of social media.

Here, UCLA School of Law’s faculty experts share what they’re paying attention to.

UCLA School of Law graduates helped local residents score a big win in May, when Los Angeles County transportation officials axed a decades-long plan for a multibillion-dollar expansion of the 710 Freeway. As the principal corridor diesel trucks use to haul goods from the ports to Southern California, the 710 has been a major source of pollution in the predominantly Black and Latino communities nearby.