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LOCAL NEWS
- The coronavirus crisis has put strain and increased scrutiny on California’s prisons and jails, as an inmate and four employees at Los Angeles County jails have tested positive. Inmates at Men’s Central Jail say that hygiene supplies have run out and many inmates have resorted to using bed sheets as toilet paper. In response, 3,500 California inmates have been released statewide in an effort to decrease the prison population, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved an order for the County Public Health Department to review conditions in the prisons, with plans to release more inmates. Last week, roughly 10% of Los Angeles County’s inmate population was released.
- Tracking of positive tests in each Los Angeles neighborhood reflects that the highest number of positive tests are in Pacific Palisades and Beverly Hills, while South Los Angeles has noticeably fewer positives. Wealthy neighborhoods are getting better access to testing; clinics in poorer neighborhoods like Saint John’s Well Child and Family Center are only getting dozens of tests for a patient pool of thousands. Los Angeles is suffering from the same shortfall in coronavirus testing capability that is hampering efforts to combat the pandemic across the U.S. Major problems include testing sites lacking basic materials such as swabs and many hospitals having to send their tests offsite, which can cause days-long delays of results. The delay renders the data “relatively useless” to officials, because it means the data cannot be used to trace an infected person’s contacts to stop the spread. Los Angeles County’s coronavirus testing coordinator said the “failure was federal, state and local. We all failed.”
- Measures taken by California Governor Gavin Newsom to protect renters are so weak that even the L.A. Times Editorial Board has called his executive order “flimsy,” saying the so-called moratorium on evictions is really just a delay. Evictions can still be initiated now due to non-payment and then enforced after May 31. Furthermore, the onus is placed on renters to prove in writing that their non-payment is related to COVID-19, which could be particularly difficult for undocumented workers or micro-entrepreneurs, such as street vendors, who do not have traditional proof of income. All missed rent also must be repaid in full. Newsom has the power to prevent all evictions, but is choosing not to.
- In a marathon 11-hour City Council online Zoom meeting last Friday, the Los Angeles City Council passed a round of emergency measures intended to add protections for renters and workers at large businesses struggling during the pandemic. The city now requires businesses with over 500 employees to provide 80 hours of paid leave that workers can use to recover from COVID-19 or to care for their family. This category of employers had been exempted from the federal coronavirus sick leave bill signed into law on March 18. The council also passed a watered-down motion that expands the length of time renters can pay back rent that goes unpaid during the coronavirus outbreak — from the six months originally proposed by Mayor Eric Garcetti to a year. It should be noted that eight of the 15 councilmembers are disclosed rental property owners, some of whom even still voted to strengthen protections for renters. The eviction moratorium failed by one vote, with Paul Krekorian and Curren D. Price Jr. recusing themselves. Price owns more properties than any other councilmember, with 13 units. The moratorium as it stands now would put a halt to all evictions and late fees for tenants that are impacted by COVID-19, until the emergency declaration is lifted, including commercial tenants.
- L.A. Times beat reporters David Zahniser and Emily Alpert Reyes have outlined the wide-reaching extent of the federal investigation that brought the downfall of former councilmember Mitchell Englander. Englander admitting last week to having taken envelopes full of cash in casino bathrooms is merely the latest cartoonish example of public grift. Englander was accompanied by current councilmember John Lee on the trip where the cash was handed over, though Lee claims innocence. Councilmember Jose Huizar had his home raided by the FBI in 2018 in connection to a political fundraiser.
- Militancy is rising among California’s tenants as they are pushed to the brink of survival by the coronavirus crisis. While advocacy coalitions such as Healthy LA (which includes DSA-LA and other partners) are pushing elected officials to do more with policies such as rent freezes and rent forgiveness, people are taking matters into their own hands with rent strikes and the Reclaiming Our Homes movement. For answers to common questions about what to do if a tenant cannot pay rent or receives an eviction notice due to coronavirus, see here.
- Public transit routes are being reduced or suspended throughout Southern California due to coronavirus, and the Beverly Hills City Council and Metro are moving to speed up construction on the Purple Line subway extension during the lull in congestion. Metro has also expanded its Mobility on Demand program to cover trips to grocery stores, pharmacies, and medical facilities.
- Power plant operator AES Corp. has finalized an agreement to sell 51 acres of Redondo Beach waterfront property to real estate developer Leo Pustilnikov, including a commitment to shut down the gas-fired power plant on the site by 2023. Redondo Beach officials and activists are pushing to shutter the plant this year, after years of debate over the fate of the power plant. State policy has mandated that coastal power plants either close or stop the destructive process of using ocean water for cooling, and AES Corp. had been scheduled to shut down the plant by the end of 2020. However, the California Public Utilities Commission proposed extending the closure deadline for four coastal power plants in November of 2019. Local officials are pressing the State Water Resources Control Board to reject the extension, with Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand commenting that “[the plant] emits tons of fine particulate emissions, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides and greenhouse gases every year it operates…there are 21,000 people living within one mile of the power plant.” Meeting the state’s target of 100% clean electricity by 2045 would likely require a total or near-total phaseout of gas.
ELECTIONS
- Certified election results from the March 3 primary were released on March 27. Nithya Raman, who is a member of and endorsed by DSA-LA, will advance to a runoff with incumbent David Ryu for the Los Angeles City Council’s Fourth District; DSA-LA member and school board incumbent Jackie Goldberg was victorious with 58% of the vote in L.A. Unified District 5; and Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey will compete in a runoff against former San Francisco D.A. George Gascon.