Assistant Professor, Urban & Environmental Policy
B.A., California State University Northridge; M.S., University of Michigan; M.S., Ph.D., Cornell University
Appointed In
2023
Office
UEP 205
Hours
via appointment only (On Sabbatical Leave AY2026-27)
Karla Peña's teaching and research is centered on social movements and the political ecology of natural resource extraction and environmental change, from a local and global perspective.
Karla Peña is writing a book on the sustainability of bananas - from the plantations of Ecuador’s southern coast to the school cafeterias of the Los Angeles Unified School District. She is a faculty affiliate in Latino/a and Latin American Studies (LLAS) and Food Studies and welcomes students interested in learning more about the local-global agri-food system and environmental-climate justice.
Fall 2025 Courses
- UEP 101 Environment and Society
- UEP/LLAS 390 Los Angeles and the Global Food Economy
- UEP 410 Controversies in Policy and Politics (UEP seniors only)
Spring 2026 Courses
- UEP 300 Environmental Law and Policy
- UEP 493 Seniors Directed Research (UEP seniors only)