The January 2025 fires in Los Angeles made clear an issue that has been brewing for years: as wildfires become more urban in nature, what is the role of urban water systems in their prevention, response and recovery? How should water systems prepare for 21st century wildfire events? What policy changes and infrastructure investments are needed to increase resilience? Read about what the experts had to say about these questions at the first of four workshops hosted through a water supply + wildfire research and policy coordination network.

New data comes from UCLA's 2025 Southern California Community Water Systems Atlas shows that in Los Angeles County, average household water bills climbed nearly 60% from 2015 to 2025, faster than inflation, putting significant strain on the region's lower-income households. Read more.

Global warming has advanced wildfire season from one to almost seven weeks earlier, a new UCLA study shows.

In the wake of the January 2025 LA fires, LADWP commissioned UCLA—through its long-standing partnership with the university, stewarded by SLAGC—to bring together leading subject matter experts, high-level industry decision-makers at the cutting edge of innovation in water and energy infrastructure, and leadership from multiple regional utilities to tackle the challenges facing the country's largest municipal utility in the face of growing climate risks. Read more.

For households, going electric can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide healthier indoor air quality—but what happens to their energy bills? This is a critical question facing the LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP) as the utility aims to transition to renewable energy equitably. A new UCLA tool, built through the university's partnership with LADWP, illustrates potential savings across household types and upgrade scenarios.

No roadmap for recovery from the devastating January 2025 LA fires would be complete without meaningful engagement and inclusion of those who lived through the disaster and who are now navigating its aftermath. Read about how UCLA facilitated a robust community engagement effort that ensured the voices, concerns, and perspectives of fire survivors could inform the Blue Ribbon Commission’s recommendations.

More than 40 scholars contributed their expertise to the independent commission, which issued its final recommendations today. 

The effort was led by the Luskin Center of Innovation, in partnership with the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and with support from the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge. Read more.

UCLA’s Climate & Wildfire Research Initiative (CWRI) Launches New Research and Policy Working Group on Urban Water Supply-Wildfire Dynamics, led by UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI) in partnership with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources’ (UCANR) California Institute for Water Resources

UCLA experts discuss the impacts of the January 2025 LA Fires on public health.

A new study from UCLA experts breaks down the misconceptions around the limitations vegetation management could have played in mitigating the destructiveness of the January 2025 LA fires.