Thursday, August 18, 2022

Monkeypox Vax Eligibility Expands to Those Under 18, County Says It Got Less Than One Half the Doses It Expected

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County opened an additional monkeypox vaccination site Thursday — one day after officials announced the county this week had received less than half the number of new doses it originally anticipated.

Despite the unexpected shortfall, however, health officials said the county will still begin offering second doses of the two-shot regimen to those eligible for it. The county also announced Thursday an expansion of vaccine eligibility to include those under age 18 who are considered at high risk of infection.

County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis also said Thursday the county had confirmed its first known monkeypox case at a jail, and the first at a homeless shelter. Details of those patients were not released, but Davis said the county was performing contact tracing and vaccinating people who were exposed.

Meanwhile, Supervisor Hilda Solis announced the opening of the new vaccination site at the Jack Crippen Senior Center at 3120 Tyler Ave. in El Monte.

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Woman, 23, Reported Missing in Altadena

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Authorities sought the public’s help Wednesday to locate a 23-year-old woman who was last seen in Altadena.

Jai Rmanii Hicks was last seen on July 16 in the 200 block of West Woodbury Road, near the Foothill (210) Freeway, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Hicks is Black, 5-feet-10 inches tall and weighs 185 pounds, with red shoulder-length dreadlocks, brown eyes and tattoos of an ankh on her back, a tribal symbol on her torso and an image of a girl on her right thigh. She was last seen wearing a black shirt and black pants, and was carrying a brown backpack.

Anyone with information on Hicks’ whereabouts was asked to contact the LASD Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.

Monday, August 15, 2022

Another Effort to Recall LA County DA George Gascón Fails

CITY NEWS SERVICE

An effort to recall Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón was rejected Monday, with the county clerk’s office announcing that organizers submitted only 520,050 valid petition signatures, well short of the required 566,857.

Organizers of the recall submitted a total of 715,833 petition signatures to the county Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office in an effort to force Gascón into a recall election. County officials initially conducted a random sampling of the signatures to verify their validity. Based on that initial sampling, the county undertook an effort to verify all 715,833 signatures individually.

The county announced Monday that 195,783 of the signatures were invalid. In many cases, the person signing the petition was not a registered voter, and there were also more than 45,000 duplicate signatures, according to the county.

According to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office, the signature-verification process “was conducted in compliance with the statutory and regulatory requirements of the California Government Code, Elections Code and Code of Regulations.

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

LA County Puts Cannabis Business Tax Measure on November Ballot

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County voters will be asked in November to consider a ballot measure that would impose business taxes on cannabis operations in unincorporated areas, once such businesses are permitted.

The county is still developing regulations for cannabis operations in unincorporated areas, with an ordinance expected to come before the Board of Supervisors next year. In the meantime, the board on Tuesday voted unanimously – – with Supervisor Janice Hahn absent — to place a proposed tax measure on the Nov. 8 ballot.

The measure will require a simple majority of voters to be approved.

The proposal would enact a series of initial tax rates — 4% for gross receipts for retail operations, 3% for manufacturing and distribution, $4 per square foot for mixed light cultivation and $7 per square foot for indoor cultivation. According to county staff, the levies would initially generate an estimated $10.36 million a year. Those rates would be in effect until July 1,

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

REAL ID Enforcement Date Now Nine Months Away

Californians whose licenses expire this month can upgrade to a REAL ID

Nearly a half million California drivers will need to renew their driver’s licenses this month, and the California Department of Motor Vehicles suggests this is the perfect time to upgrade to a REAL ID.

Driver’s licenses expire on a customer’s birthday every five years.

“While you don’t have to wait, if your driver’s license is expiring, you can give yourself a birthday present and get your REAL ID,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “The REAL ID is good for five years and, starting May 2023, if you want to use your license to board flights within the United States, you’ll need a REAL ID.”

Customers who want to upgrade to a REAL ID can fill out an application and upload their required documents online before visiting a DMV office to complete their application and take a new photo. Get started at REALID.dmv.ca.gov.

Customers renewing a REAL ID may qualify to do so online.

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Board of Supervisors Ratifies Local Emergency Due to Monkeypox

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors ratified a local emergency declaration Tuesday in response to the monkeypox outbreak.

Board Chair Holly Mitchell issued a proclamation late Monday declaring the emergency in Los Angeles County, where 400 monkeypox cases have been identified so far — nearly the double the amount from a week ago.

“This proclamation is critical in helping us get ahead of this virus,” Mitchell said in a statement. “By declaring a local emergency, it allows us to cut through the red tape to better dedicate resources and educate residents on how to protect themselves and help stop the spread. It will also allow the county to quickly administer vaccines as more become available and to take the necessary efforts to obtain supplies and enhance outreach and awareness.”

The Board of Supervisors ratified the declaration Tuesday on a unanimous vote.

As part of the proclamation, the Board of Supervisors will request recovery assistance be made available under the California Disaster Assistance Act,

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Governor Newsom Proclaims State of Emergency to Support State’s Response to Monkeypox

As part of the state’s ongoing response to the monkeypox outbreak, Governor Gavin Newsom today declared a State of Emergency to bolster the state’s vaccination efforts. The proclamation supports the work underway by the California Department of Public Health and others in the administration to coordinate a whole-of-government response to monkeypox, seek additional vaccines and lead outreach and education efforts on accessing vaccines and treatment.

“California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach,” said Governor Newsom. “We’ll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization.”

To expand vaccination efforts, the proclamation enables Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel to administer monkeypox vaccines that are approved by the FDA, similar to the statutory authorization recently enacted for pharmacists to administer vaccines.

Monday, August 1, 2022

Novavax Vaccine Against COVID-19 Available This Week in LA County

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Long Beach health officials began offering doses of the newly approved Novavax vaccine against COVID-19 Monday, with Los Angeles County scheduled to start administering the medication on Wednesday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the vaccine July 13 after it was found to be 90% effective against mild, moderate and severe disease in the company’s Phase 3 clinical trial involving 30,000 participants ages 18 and older.

Unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, the protein-based Novavax vaccine was developed without the use of mRNA technology.

“We are thrilled to begin offering the Novavax vaccine to our community,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “With more options available, we are increasing access to these life-saving vaccines. We urge everyone to become vaccinated and protected if they haven’t already. Vaccines are safe and effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death.”

Residents 18 years and older can get the Novavax vaccine,

Thursday, July 28, 2022

COVID: LA County Opts Against Reinstating Universal Indoor Mask Mandate

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Citing continued downward trends in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, Los Angeles County scrubbed plans Thursday to re-impose a universal indoor mask-wearing mandate that would have taken effect Friday.

Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told reporters in an online briefing that the county’s average daily number of new COVID cases over the past week was about 5,900 per day, down from 6,750 a week ago. There were 1,239 COVID-positive patients hospitalized in the county as of Thursday, down from 1,329 a week ago.

She also noted that the average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus has been holding mostly steady.

According to Ferrer, the decline in new infection numbers is “potentially signaling a downward trend in cases.” She said hospitalizations have also begun declining “for the first time since mid-April.”

Declines in new cases and hospitalizations will likely also lead to a reduction in virus-related deaths, she said.

Ferrer had previously said that a new indoor masking mandate would be imposed if the county remained in the “high”

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

LA County Property Assessments Sees Record Jump of Nearly 7%

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The value of all assessed properties in Los Angeles County jumped by a record 6.95% this year, reaching a combined value of $1.89 trillion, the county Assessor’s Office announced Tuesday.

It’s the 12 consecutive year of increases in the tax roll, with this year’s total up $122 billion from last year’s overall assessment of $1.76 trillion.

“I am pleased to report the 6.95% increase in assessed property values in Los Angeles County shows we are slowly emerging from the pandemic that has been with us for the past two years,” Assessor Jeff Prang said in a statement. “Although the housing market is showing signs of leveling off now, it had been robust with low interest rates, inflation, and a high demand during the COVID restrictions.”

The county’s property valuation translates to about $19 billion in property tax dollars to fund public education, first responders, public health and other county, municipal and public education services.

Property sales contributed $69.6 billion to the Assessment Roll,