Tuesday, February 15, 2022

CA School Mask Mandate Remains for Now, but Could Lift at Month’s End

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Despite indications the state was on the verge of lifting its mask-wearing requirement in schools, California’s Health and Human Services secretary said Monday the requirement will remain in place for now, pending a Feb. 28 reassessment of COVID-19 case rates and other pandemic metrics.

Dr. Mark Ghaly said a lifting of the mandate is inevitable, saying it is just “a question of when.” He expressed confidence that the mandate would be lifted sometime after that Feb. 28 reassessment, barring another sudden spike in virus infection rates and hospitalizations.

He noted that if the Feb. 28 assessment supports lifting the mandate, it would not happen immediately on March 1. He said the state would set a date that gives school districts, staff and parents time to prepare for the change.

Ghaly gave a lengthy presentation noting significant downward trends over the past month statewide in COVID case rates, hospitalizations and testing positivity rates. But he said as far as schools are concerned,

Friday, February 11, 2022

Focus Group Finds Voters Have No Faith In LA County’s Response To Homelessness

CITY NEWS SERVICE

According to a voter focus group conducted Pasadena, Encino, and the Westside of Los Angeles, homelessness is L.A. County voters’ most important issue.

With local elections coming up in June and November of this year, a coalition of civic leaders released the results of a focus group study Thursday that found that Los Angeles County voters have a complete lack of faith in the city and county of L.A. to address the homelessness crisis.

The Committee for Greater L.A. conducted six focus groups with 39 people between Dec. 13 and 16 and found that homelessness is L.A. County voters’ most important issue.

“There is an absolute, total, complete, without exception, lack of faith in city and county government to address homelessness,” said public policy consultant Darry Sragow during a briefing of the focus group by the Committee for Greater L.A. Wednesday.

“In all the years that I’ve watched focus groups or conducted focus groups — it’s in the hundreds,

Friday, February 11, 2022

Criminal, Civil Trials Set to Fully Resume Feb. 14 in LA County

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Criminal and civil jury trials will resume fully in Los Angeles County’s courthouses beginning this coming Monday, Feb. 14, the court’s presiding judge announced Wednesday, citing subsiding COVID-19 cases.

“The court is working with its justice partners and members of the civil bar to resume full trial operations now that COVID trends are improving in LA County after the Omicron surge,” Presiding Judge Eric C. Taylor said in a statement.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have prioritized safe access to justice – – and will continue to do so. I remain in close contact with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to assess any emerging virus threats. However, while virus spread and hospitalizations are declining, it is time to restore full operations.”

The decision follows three emergency orders issued last month that authorized temporary delays in criminal jury trials and preliminary hearings amid the COVID surge. Preliminary hearings are also set to resume fully on Monday.

Friday, February 11, 2022

LA County Moves to Enforce COVID Vaccine Mandate in Sheriff’s Department

Supervisor Barger, who represents Pasadena, abstained from vote
CITY NEWS SERVICE

With Sheriff Alex Villanueva declining to enforce the county’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate among his deputies, the Board of Supervisors Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a proposal that would give the county personnel director overriding authority to discipline any employees who fail to comply with the requirement.

Villanueva condemned the proposal, calling it a “death blow to public safety” that would result in the firing 4,000 members of his department.

Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Holly Mitchell introduced the motion, saying countywide compliance with the employee vaccine mandate “remains a challenge four months after its issuance.” They noted that as of Feb. 1, 81.5% of the county’s 100,000 employees were fully vaccinated as required by the mandate.

But in the sheriff’s department, less than 60% of employees were in compliance with the vaccine mandate.

“Unsurprisingly, approximately 74% of the more than 5,000 COVID-19- related workers’ compensation claims filed by county employees as of Jan.

Friday, February 11, 2022

Supervisor Barger Champions Net-Zero Sustainable Housing Developments

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a motion on Tuesday by Supervisor Kathryn Barger that will help large-scale housing and other major development projects in unincorporated communities embrace and incorporate environmentally friendly net-zero energy solutions.

“Our board is serious about finding pathways to building new housing,” Barger said. “In unincorporated communities, more than 90,000 additional housing units must be accommodated in our land use plans to meet statewide housing demand. Large scale development and sustainability shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. My motion helps future housing development projects evolve by analyzing what it takes to achieve zero-net energy development standards in those communities.”

The heart of the motion is a call for county subject matter experts to develop a net-zero feasibility analysis, based on input and insights from both private industry and labor partners, that can help developers overcome challenges.

The county’s Fifth District is home to some of the largest new developments in the region, including the FivePoint Valencia and Tejon Ranch Centennial projects.

Monday, January 31, 2022

Barger Releases Statement Seeking Re-Evaluation of COVID-19 Masking Policy in LA County

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger wants the county to re-evaluate its masking policy.

“Masking rules set by the state and county weren’t followed consistently by everyone at yesterday’s NFC Championship,” Barger said in a statement Monday.

“Instead, we saw individuals choosing to mask up based on calculated personal risk. Modern stadiums like SoFi Stadium have strong air circulation and all attendees of the game were required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test. Some fans evidently felt this was enough to protect them against COVID-19.”

Last week, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said every fan attending next month’s Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will be given a KN95 mask, and extensive outreach will be done to remind attendees to wear their masks at all times during the game, except when eating or drinking.

The County is currently battling the more contagious Omicron variant. County health officials reported high numbers over the past two months that led to the cancellation of some events.

Friday, January 28, 2022

Convicted Felon Who Allegedly Fired BB Guns at Pasadena Planned Parenthood Facility Arrested

An Altadena man who allegedly fired BB guns at the Planned Parenthood facility in Pasadena on multiple occasions was arrested Friday on federal charges of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm for reportedly carrying a loaded handgun during one of the attacks on the women’s reproductive health clinic.

Richard Royden Chamberlin, 53, who currently resides in Altadena, but also maintains a residence in Ontario, was arrested this morning by FBI special agents.

The arrest was made pursuant to a one-count criminal complaint filed on January 21 that charges Chamberlin with the illegal possession of a .22-caliber handgun.

Chamberlin is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, on multiple occasions in 2020 and 2021, Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley reported to the police that it had been fired upon by the occupant of a moving vehicle.

Monday, January 24, 2022

Lawmaker Announces Bill to Close “Personal Belief Exemptions” for Student Vaccinations

CITY NEWS SERVICE

A state lawmaker said he wants to ensure that all school students in Los Angeles and throughout the state are vaccinated against COVID-19, and to do that, he announced a proposal Monday to eliminate personal belief exemptions and expand upon a state vaccine mandate.

“We have an opportunity here to keep kids safe,” Sen. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) said during a California Medical Association news conference at Arleta High School in the San Fernando Valley, where the legislator and pediatrician announced details of the Keep Schools Open and Safe Act.

“As a pediatrician, parent and legislator, I am committed to giving the public confidence and certainty that we are working to prevent or slow down the next coronavirus surge,” Pan said. “Legislators have the ability to pass laws to make our communities safe, including increasing vaccination rates to keep schools open and safe.”

Under state law, personal belief exemptions must be allowed for any newly required childhood vaccine unless the legislature passes a law banning them.

Friday, January 21, 2022

Unemployment Rate Dips in LA County in December

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 8.4% in December, down from a revised 8.9% in November, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

The December unemployment rate was down from 12.6% in December 2020.

In Orange County, where seasonally adjusted numbers were not available, the December unemployment rate was 3.7%, down from 4.1% in November.

California’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.5% in December, down from 7% in November but below the 9.3% rate from December 2020. The comparable rates for the nation were 3.9% in December, 4.2% in November and 6.7% a year earlier.

Los Angeles County’s total nonfarm employment between November and December increased by 22,000 jobs to reach nearly 4.4 million, its highest level since March 2020. The trade, transportation and utilities sector led the way by adding 8,800 jobs.

Saturday, January 15, 2022

LA County Reports Another 40,000-Plus COVID Cases; Hospital Number Up Again

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Another 40,000-plus cases of COVID-19 were reported in Los Angeles County Friday as the easily transmitted Omicron variant of the virus continued to make its impact felt, particularly in hospitals, where patient numbers continue to rise.

According to state figures, there were 4,257 COVID-positive people in county hospitals as of Friday, up from 4,175 on Thursday. A total of 600 of those patients were being treated in intensive care, up from 586 a day earlier.

County Department of Public Health officials said the 600 patients represents nearly 25% of all ICU patients in the county, topping the rate seen during the recent COVID infection surge caused by the previous Delta variant. During that summer surge, COVID patients only represented 20% of overall ICU patients.

As of Friday, more than 80% of all adult ICU beds in the county were occupied, according to the county.

Overall COVID patient numbers are still well below those seen last winter,