Urban Development Expert to Discuss Los Angeles's Social Challenges

PASADENA, Calif.-Occidental College professor of political science Peter Dreier will present the final keynote address in the 2004-2005 season of the Social Activism Speaker Series at the California Institute of Technology. Dreier is the director of the Urban and Environmental Policy program at Occidental College and a commentator on social and civic issues facing Los Angeles. This event will take place on Thursday, May 19, at 7:30 p.m., in the Beckman Institute Auditorium at Caltech. It is free and open to the public.

Before joining the Occidental faculty in 1993, Dreier served for almost a decade as a senior policy advisor to Boston mayor Ray Flynn and also as Boston's director of housing. Since moving to Los Angeles, he has coauthored several books, including The Next Los Angeles: The Struggle for a Livable City, and he has contributed regularly to the Los Angeles Times, The Nation, and other publications.

The event will be hosted by the Social Activism Speaker Series, which focuses attention on current social and political issues by inviting prominent activists and experts to share their experiences and perspectives with the Caltech community and the public. This series is coordinated with the help of the Caltech Y, and is made possible by contributions from the Moore-Hufstedler Fund, Student Affairs, the Alumni Association, Campus Life, the Diversity Program Fund, the Graduate Student Council, Jack and Edith Roberts, and the Associated Students of Caltech.

Beckman Institute Auditorium is located on the west side of the Caltech campus. Free parking is available in the lots south of Del Mar Boulevard between Wilson and Chester avenues, and in the Wilson Avenue and Holliston Avenue parking structures between San Pasqual Street and Del Mar Boulevard.

For more information, visit http://sass.caltech.edu or contact Greg Fletcher, Caltech Y, (626) 395-6163. ### Contact: Deborah Williams-Hedges (626) 395-3227 debwms@caltech.edu

Visit the Caltech Media Relations website at: http://pr.caltech.edu/media