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COVID-19 BRIEFS: New Omicron Cases, Community Org’s, Key to Vaccine Equity, Marking Year Anniversary of First C-19 Vaccine and Progress

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COVID-19 BRIEFS: New Omicron Cases, Community Org’s, Key to Vaccine Equity, Marking Year Anniversary of First C-19 Vaccine and Progress

Los Angeles County Reports Three Additional Cases of the Omicron Variant

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) Dec. 15, has received confirmation of three additional cases of COVID-19 with mutations consistent with the new Omicron variant (B.1.1.529). Two of the three newly infected individuals did not travel; the third person recently traveled domestically. All three individuals are fully vaccinated and experienced either no symptoms or mild illness. Close contacts have been identified, notified, and are getting tested.

Additionally, all residents across LA County should continue:

  • Getting tested to help reduce the spread, especially if you traveled for the holidays, have had a possible exposure, have symptoms, or are gathering indoors with non-household members
  • Adhering to masking requirements when indoors or at large outdoor mega events, regardless of vaccination status

Residents are also reminded that they are legally required to isolate if they have a positive COVID test result and that vaccinated close contacts with symptoms and unvaccinated close contacts need to quarantine.

Partnerships with Community Based Organizations is Key to Vaccine Equity Issues

As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, efforts to improve vaccine equity across the county’s most diverse communities remain a top priority for Public Health and community organizations across the county.

Community organizations have employed hundreds of health educators and health workers to provide residents in hard hit communities with resources and information. As of Dec. 14, these efforts have resulted in more than 350,000 outreach activities, including support for 2,000 in-person vaccination events and 11,000 virtual COVID-19 educational sessions. Combined, these efforts have reached more than 2.3 million residents to date.

More than four hundred local faith-based organizations have been critical, reaching out to their congregants and neighbors to sponsor more than 813 mobile vaccination clinics throughout the county, including mobile clinics at churches, mosques, and temples. To date, nearly 53,000 doses of vaccines have been administered at faith-based clinics, and an estimated 50,000 additional doses are expected to be administered at these clinics through early 2022.

Unique initiatives, including the TRAP Medicine’s barbershop outreach in South L.A, are tailored to provide information to younger Black and Latinx men, many who are not yet vaccinated. These partnerships and strategies have enabled in-person engagement with nearly 45,000 men in South L.A. since Nov. 1 2021. Countywide, these efforts have reached 300,000 men either virtually or in person over the last few months

Governor Newsom Marks One-Year Anniversary of First COVID Vaccine in California

SACRAMENTO – California Dec.14, marked the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 vaccine administered in the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom the same day released his latest “On the Record” ethnic media column highlighting California’s nation-leading measures to slow the spread of the virus and the imperative to continue the state’s progress with lifesaving boosters and vaccinations as we head into the winter months.

California has put more shots in arms than any other state – administering more than 62.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine – with 86% of all eligible Californians having received at least one dose and more than 6 million adults have received a booster.

Click here to read the latest column.

Amid an uptick in transmission since Thanksgiving, Gov. Newsom urged all eligible Californians to get vaccinated and receive their booster – the most impactful steps to take to protect residents and slow the spread of the virus. Boosters have been approved for those 16 and up who received the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago, those 18 and up who received the Moderna vaccine at least six months before and those 18 and over who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

Through the last year, California has launched first-in-the-nation vaccine measures, including requiring that workers in health care settings be fully vaccinated, adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccinations required to attend school in-person when fully authorized for applicable grade spans, and implementing a standard that all school staff and all state workers either show proof of full vaccination or be tested at least once per week.

Governor Newsom also highlighted the state’s partnerships with more than 130 faith-based and 700 community-based organizations, which have helped close vaccination equity gaps in hard-to-reach communities.

With COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations increasing, the California Department of Public Health or CDPH has issued updated guidance to curb the spread of COVID-19 and its variants. Since Dec. 15, the state requires masks to be worn in all indoor public settings irrespective of vaccine status through Jan. 15, 2022, at which point California will make further recommendations as needed in response to the pandemic. CDPH has also updated requirements for attending mega events and issued a new travel advisory, more information can be found here.

Details: Visit MyTurn.ca.gov or call 1-833-422-4255

www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) or www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

833-540-0473 to make an appointment or find a walk-in clinic.

Beautification Efforts of Clean California Prove Successful

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Beautification Efforts of Clean California Prove Successful
After photo of former dumping spot along Interstate 110 and 28th Street in South Los Angeles. See the before photo below.

LOS ANGELES – Revisiting the former dumping site in South Los Angeles where he unveiled his $1.1 billion Clean California initiative earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom Dec. 15, joined state and local officials at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new mini park project completed at the site and highlighted the progress underway to revitalize streets and public spaces across California.

As part of the Governor’s California Comeback Plan, Clean California invests $1.1 billion for state and local governments to clean up trash and debris statewide, beautify community gateways and public areas along highways, streets and roads and provide jobs to thousands of Californians. Over three years, Clean California will remove an additional 1.2 million cubic yards, or 21,000 tons, of trash from the state system alone – enough to fill the Rose Bowl three times over.

Clean California has already resulted in 4,500 tons of litter removed from the State Highway System – that’s the equivalent of 83 Olympic-size swimming pools. Caltrans has also hosted 24 bulk item “Dump Days” throughout the state, collecting 3,500 cubic yards of litter and 2,500 tires, and recycling 850 mattresses.

For years, trash on California’s State Highway System has contributed to economic, environmental and public health problems that require Caltrans to invest considerable time and taxpayer dollars to dispose of litter and hazardous waste. This initiative confronts this problem, substantially expanding state and local litter abatement efforts while generating thousands of jobs, including for people exiting homelessness, at-risk youth, veterans, those reentering society from incarceration, local artists and students. To date, Caltrans has hired 400 new team members, including 350 maintenance workers who collect litter and perform maintenance duties like graffiti removal.

Last week, Caltrans announced a $300 million grant program where California cities, counties, transit agencies, tribal governments and other governmental entities can submit proposals of up to $5 million to beautify their communities and address trash and debris. Among other examples, Caltrans will consider projects that remove litter on city streets, create a marker on a thoroughfare entering a town or neighborhood, beautify an area through greening or landscaping, or facilitate cultural connections and civic pride within a community.

The department plans to announce grant recipients on March 1. The Governor also announced a proposed $100 million increase to the local grant program as part of the upcoming budget.

Details: www.cleancalifornia.dot.ca.gov

Three Companies Charged of Negligent Conduct During Offshore Oil Leak

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Three Companies Charged of Negligent Conduct During Offshore Oil Leak

A federal grand jury Dec. 15, accused three companies with illegally discharging oil during a pipeline break in early October by acting negligently in at least six ways, including failing to properly respond to eight separate leak alarms over the span of more than 13 hours and improperly restarting the pipeline that had been shut down following the leak alarms.

An indictment filed Dec. 15, charges the companies that own and operate the 17-mile-long San Pedro Bay Pipeline with one misdemeanor count of negligent discharge of oil. The charged defendants are Amplify Energy Corp.; Beta Operating Co. LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of Amplify doing business as Beta Offshore); and San Pedro Bay Pipeline Co. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Amplify).

The pipeline, which was used to transfer crude oil from several offshore facilities to a processing plant in Long Beach, began leaking on the afternoon of Oct.1, but the defendants allegedly continued to operate the damaged pipeline, on and off, until the next morning. As a result of the allegedly negligent conduct, what is estimated to be about 25,000 gallons of crude oil were discharged from a point about 4.7 miles west of Huntington Beach from a crack in the 16-inch pipeline.

The indictment alleges that the defendants acted negligently by:

  • Failing to properly respond to eight alarms from an automated leak detection system that were activated between 4:10 p.m. Oct. 1 until the final alarm at 5:28 a.m. the following day;
  • Shutting down and then restarting the pipeline five times after the first five alarms were triggered on Oct. 1, resulting in oil flowing through the damaged pipeline for a cumulative period of more than three hours;
  • Despite the sixth and seventh alarms, pumping oil for three additional hours late on Oct. 1 into the early morning hours of Oct. 2 while a manual leak test was performed;
  • Despite the eighth alarm, operating the pipeline for nearly one hour in the predawn hours of Oct. 2 after a boat they contacted failed to see discharged oil in the middle of the night;
  • Operating the pipeline with crewmembers who had not been sufficiently trained on the automated leak detection system; and
  • Operating the pipeline with an understaffed and fatigued crew.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

For a corporate defendant, the charge of negligently discharging oil carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years of probation, as well as fines that potentially could total millions of dollars.

The Coast Guard Investigative Service; the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division; and the FBI are investigating the oil leak.

Environmental Briefs: California Clean Water Infrastructure/ Martha Guzman Appointed to EPA Admin. Region 9

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Environmental Briefs: California Clean Water Infrastructure/ Martha Guzman Appointed to EPA Admin. Region 9

California to Receive $600 Million for Clean Water Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that California will receive over $600 million for water infrastructure projects in 2022 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that President Biden signed into law last month. Projects supported by this funding will create new jobs across California, provide clean drinking water to underserved communities, and help remove harmful lead and PFAS chemicals from drinking water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or EPA will allocate $7.4 billion to states, Tribes, and territories for 2022—including over $600 million to help California address water infrastructure demands which have historically exceeded available funding. This funding is provided through EPA’s State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs. Nearly half of the total funding is available as grants or principal forgiveness loans that remove barriers to investing in essential water infrastructure in underserved communities across rural America and in urban centers. The 2022 allocation is the first of five years of $43 billion in dedicated EPA SRF funding that states will receive through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Details: https://www.epa.gov/infrastructure

Martha Guzman Appointed as Regional Administrator for EPA Region 9

WASHINGTON, DC (TBD, 2021) — Dec. 9, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan announced that President Biden will appoint Martha Guzman to become EPA’s Regional Administrator for Region 9. Guzman will lead the implementation of the Biden-Harris environmental agenda in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 Tribal Nations. Martha Guzman has served as a Commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission or CPUC for the last five years, appointed by Governor Jerry Brown. Her portfolio included leadership on issues related to fiscal oversight of utilities, broadband for all, water affordability, increasing access to clean energy programs and preventing disconnections of basic utilities for disadvantaged communities. Guzman spearheaded the interagency solar consumer protection taskforce, the Tribal Land policy, and the COVID-19 arrears response. Prior to joining the CPUC she served as Deputy Legislative Affairs Secretary in the Office of the Governor where she worked on the passage of the Human Right to Water and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, re-organized the safe drinking water program, and helped to shape climate goals related to short-lived climate pollutants and renewable energy legislation. Earlier in her career, she was the sustainable communities program director for the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation where she worked for Swanton Berry Farm on human resource issues. Guzman started her career as the legislative coordinator for the United Farm Workers.

Open Letter Re: Recent New York Times George Gascón Article

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Open Letter Re: Recent New York Times George Gascón Article
BY

We are writing in response to the recent New York Times Magazine story about George Gascón: He’s Remaking Criminal Justice in L.A. But How Far is Too Far?by Emily Bazelon and Jennifer Medina. We appreciate it when reporters ask difficult questions about what policies best protect public safety, when they interrogate well-accepted but unproven norms about how to reduce crime, and when they examine public perception of crime and causation versus reality. This article does some of that, but it also misleads the public on the current state of criminal legal system change in Los Angeles and across the country. We are at a precipice in this country, where criminal justice reporting that strays from an objective discussion of research and evidence can support political attempts to roll back badly needed change. For this reason, we issue this response.

First, the article suggests a causal link between Gascón’s policies and rising crime. The subheading of the on-line edition reads: “[Gascón] is risking everything: rising violent crime, a staff rebellion and the votes that made him district attorney.” It is dangerous and false to imply that there is a connection between crime and the criminal legal system policy changes enacted by Gascón since he took office barely one year ago. While researchers often cannot pinpoint exactly why crime fluctuates, right now, they have a pretty good idea of what has caused any recent increases: the deadly pandemic and its destabilizing effects on every aspect of people’s lives. Anexamination of crime in California’s Republican and Democrat-leaning countiesconfirms that violent crimes and homicides per capita are higher in Republican-voting counties than in Democrat-voting counties. Any suggestion to the contrary is unsupported by evidence and unnecessarily threatens needed changes to our system of incarceration. While the body of the story presents both sides of the argument as plausible explanations, research and evidence only supports one conclusion. Gascón’s criminal legal system policies have not caused recent crime spikes.

There is a faction of line prosecutors in every office that a newly elected prosecutor with a different vision will never be able to win over, no matter how they approach the change they were elected to implement.

Next, the story strongly implies that Gascón has lost considerable support from within the office and alienated long-time prosecutors by changing office policies swiftly and dramatically. This angle ignores the hard truth we have seen across the country: there is a faction of line prosecutors in every office that a newly elected prosecutor with a different vision will never be able to win over, no matter how they approach the change they were elected to implement. Whether he moves slowly or quickly, Gascón will never be able to shift the hearts and minds of many of the prosecutors in the office he inherited. That’s because prosecution is an inherently ideological profession. Gascón’s ideology — shared by a majority of L.A. voters — is simply at odds with the ideology of a segment of the prosecutors in his office. The L.A. Association of Deputy District Attorneys’ response to Gascón’s campaign provides solid evidence of this fact, as they actively and vehemently campaigned against him. They oppose his proposed changes to their core, and no amount of sweet talking, incrementalism, or careful management will change that.

Additionally, the voters did not want slow change (a fact the article omits), and the D.A.’s office responds to us. On the campaign trail, Gascón promised to reverse the policies that put too many people in prison for too long, policies that devastated Black and brown communities. People voted for that promise and Gascón’s commitment to work swiftly to roll back mass incarceration. Take baby steps to placate people who will never agree, and the system will continue to inflict massive harm.

The story also suggests that Gascón’s policies, like his decision to end the use of sentencing enhancements, retraumatize victims. There is no question that some crime survivors want those who have caused harm to serve lengthy sentences. This is a natural response, especially because for so long, it has been the only “solution” or “justice” our criminal legal system offered to ease their pain. It is no wonder, then, that some would feel betrayed. But as arecent poll from the Alliance for Safety and Justicehas shown, crime victims are not monoliths; they do not all want the same results. Some want long sentences, some want short sentences, some want restorative justice. Some want incarceration only for so long as it takes for a dangerous situation to abate. And themajority of survivors of violent crime in Los Angeles Countyfavor investments in rehabilitation and crime prevention over more incarceration.

The former District Attorney’s commitment to excessive sentences did not make us safer. When we spend all of our money on incarcerating people and asking for enhancements or lengthy sentences for juveniles, we take resources away from the things that actually help crime survivors to heal, like trauma support, medical care, and financial assistance. We also neglect interventions that could prevent similar crimes from occurring in the future. Los Angeles victims of violent crime prioritize responses that can help ensure no one else ever suffers what they have experienced, but few communities can fund both these measures and their sprawling incarcerative systems. The article does not explore these tradeoffs.

Perhaps this article’s fatal flaw is that it discusses the problems with Gascón’s administration without looking closely, or explaining, what he is trying to repair. Our criminal legal system has long caused tremendous harm to communities, by draining financial resources from people who need them, by condoning abusive police practices that cause long-lasting trauma to Black and brown communities, and by offering those harmed the promise of closure while failing to provide the tools people need for long-term healing. The article does not explore these failures, instead juxtaposing Gascón’s policies against the legal system’s status quo without delving into the devastation the status quo causes. Any new policy changes must be viewed against theenormous harm of prior policies, and the way notions of justice have been built around those practices for a generation. Our system of mass incarceration has never made us safe, and it has prevented us from exploring solutions that will. In that light, Gascón’s changes are the only acceptable ones, and they meet the urgency of the moment.

Gascón’s policies will have long term benefits for all who reside in Los Angeles County. To support victims, he developed the first Victims Advisory Board to help the office increase the type of support services it provides. He has pushed to remove barriers to accessing the state’s victims’ compensation fund. He has launched investigations to hold police accountable for state-sponsored violence and prosecuted numerous public officials for corruption and violating the public’s trust. He has eliminated punishments thatresearch shows do not increase public safety. DA Gascón has remained accountable to his campaign promises. We recognize that bringing meaningful change to an office long committed to the harshest punishments cannot be easy and will not be seamless, especially in year one. As leaders in this community, we stand behind Gascón’s policies, and hope in the future the media will take a more nuanced and accurate view of his critical work.

8thAmendment Project

ACLU of Southern California

Anti-Racist Action Los Angeles (ARA-LA)

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles

Black Lives Matter – Los Angeles (BLMLA)

California Coalition for Women Prisoners

Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB)

Courage Campaign

Creative Acts

District Attorney Accountability Coalition

Elise Moore, Chair of Legislation for Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley

Fair Chance Project

Families United to End LWOP (FUEL)

Ground Game LA

Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP)

LA Progressive

Los Angeles Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG-LA)

Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership (LAARP)

Megan Denkers Baca, Senior Staff Attorney and Investigation Coordinator, Loyola Project for the Innocent

The Organizer Collective Los Angeles

Paula M. Mitchell, Legal Director, Loyola Project for the Innocent

Reform LA Jails

Revolve Impact

SEIU 2015

Smart Justice California

White People 4 Black Lives (WP4BL)

Why the Jan. 6 Panel Is On The Clock

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Why the Jan. 6 Panel Is On The Clock

By Elana Schor for POLITICO Nightly, With help from Kate Irby

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly/2021/12/06/why-the-jan-6-panel-is-on-the-clock-495341

It’s been 11 months since thousands of people besieged the Capitol in a violent bid to disrupt the congressional certification of Donald Trump’s election loss, and the public is still learning major details about the mishandling of the military’s response.

POLITICO reported this morning on a 36-page memo from Col. Earl Matthews, who served as the top attorney to the chief of the D.C. National Guard on Jan. 6, that undercuts senior Army officials’ characterization of their response to the Capitol attack. The memo accuses two generals of lying to Congress.

The emergence of such serious allegations from a former high-ranking official — who held Trump-administration posts at the Pentagon and National Security Council — underscores the value of a comprehensive investigation into a riot that led to multiple deaths. Multiple players in the rally that metastasized into the insurrection are already cooperating with the Jan. 6 select committee to varying degrees.

Which reinforces the fact that right now, the Jan. 6 panel is the only comprehensive investigation in Washington that’s probing how the government responded to an attack on one of its branches. Republicans don’t approve of the way Speaker Nancy Pelosi is conducting the Jan. 6 probe, but they have yet to announce any alternative investigation of their own.

That leaves a serious burden on the shoulders of Democrats, as well as select panel Republican Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger: They have to beat the midterm clock with an inquiry that can result in significant findings and recommendations before the 2022 elections that are all but guaranteed to end with a GOP majority and a shuttered effort.

It wasn’t always this way: House Republicans have bitterly protested Pelosi’s veto of two of their picks to serve on that committee, which prompted Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to yank his entire slate of selections. But35 House Republicans also voted for an independent Jan. 6 commissionbefore their Senate GOP colleagues made the legislation their first filibuster of 2021.

The participation of Cheney and Kinzinger has not registered as a bipartisan imprimatur for the investigation for most Republicans because of their status as two vocal Trump critics. Yet whether the inquiry feels partisan to political partisans is less important right than the rarity of its sweeping nature — from the Matthews memo to multiple subpoenas of critical individuals.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the select committee’s chair, is well aware that his probe could have a dim post-midterms future. He’s told us that he hopes to finish by “early spring.”Cheney has vowed “multiple weeks” of public hearings next year.

Neither of them has openly alluded to the second part of their messaging challenge, though: They have to remind the public that Republican leaders, in an unsubtle bid to shield Trump, are prepared to shut the committee down. That’s why Thompson identified his ideal wrapup of next spring in the first place.

Right now, the need to wrap up the Jan. 6 investigation before Republicans take over the House is a Beltway assumption that has yet to resonate for most voters. The Democratic message machine has yet to truly ramp up to communicate some big-picture themes of the Jan. 6 inquiry, beyond emphasizing its bipartisan nature with Cheney and Kinzinger involved.

Consider, though, what is likely to happen if the select committee continues its work next year — submitting a slate of legislative recommendations that, let’s say, are likely to sail through the House on a largely party-line vote but face the same resistance from Senate Republicans that an independent Jan. 6 commission did. The midterms would come and go, a likely Republican speaker would wind down the select panel, and Democrats would be forced to work from the minority to safeguard Congress from future threats.

Might be a good idea to start talking more about it all now, huh?

Attorney General Bonta Launches Independent Review of Torrance Police Department

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Attorney General Bonta Launches Independent Review of Torrance Police Department

California Attorney General Rob Bonta Dec.8, launched an independent review of the Torrance Police Department or TPD as part of an effort to identify and correct potential systemic failures in the department’s policies and practices.

The review comes amidst deeply concerning allegations of excessive force, racist text messages, and other discriminatory misconduct, and follows a request for assistance by the Torrance Chief of Police. More broadly, the review will aim to promote public safety and rebuild trust between TPD and the community it serves.

The independent review will be conducted by the California Department of Justice or DOJ Civil Rights Enforcement Section with the assistance of DOJ’s Division of Law Enforcement. DOJ attorneys and special agents will work to consider all relevant information, including from community members and organizations, local officials, TPD, individual officers and more.

However, it is important to note that the Office of the Attorney General has made no determinations at this time about specific complaints or allegations against TPD. The Attorney General’s independent review of TPD is separate from ongoing administrative and criminal investigations at the local level. Given that interaction and cooperation with the community is at the core of law enforcement’s work in order to provide public safety and create public trust, the Attorney General encourages anyone with information relevant to this review to contact DOJ’s Civil Rights Enforcement Section at Police-Practices@doj.ca.gov.

In May, Attorney General Bonta launched the Racial Justice Bureau within the Civil Rights Enforcement Section to, among other things, help address issues of implicit and explicit bias in policing. In July, the Attorney General released a full guidance package for the DOJ’s implementation of Assembly 1506, which requires DOJ to investigate all incidents of an officer-involved shooting resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian in the state. He also launched the Office of Community Awareness, Response, and Engagement to directly engage with and respond to the needs of communities and organizations across California. In August, the Attorney General announced the creation of the Tribal Assistance Program to develop guidance for law enforcement on policing on tribal lands. Attorney General Bonta also secured a stipulated judgment involving the Bakersfield Police Department requiring an extensive range of actions to promote public safety and strengthen oversight and accountability systems in Bakersfield.

COVID-19 News: LA County Reports Additional Case of the Omicron Variant and Public Health Encourages Children’s Vaccination Ahead of Holidays

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COVID-19 News: LA County Reports Additional Case of the Omicron Variant and Public Health Encourages Children’s Vaccination Ahead of Holidays

With Unvaccinated 12-17 Year Old’s Nine Times More Likely to Get COVID-19 than their Vaccinated Peer’s, Parents Encouraged to Vaccinate Their Children Ahead of the Holidays

As residents prepare to gather for holidays, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health or Public Health encourages parents to protect their children and prevent the transmission of COVID-19 by getting everyone in their family who is eligible vaccinated or boosted.

COVID-19 is now one of the top 10 causes of death among children nationwide. The COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to protect your child from getting sick, being hospitalized, or developing long-term symptoms. Most importantly, vaccinating your child also helps protect family members, including siblings who are not eligible for vaccination and those who may be at high risk for getting very sick if infected.

In L.A. County, COVID-19 cases among school-aged children decreased by 30% between late September and late November. Over a two-week interval at the end of November, unvaccinated 12-17-year old’s were nine times more likely to be infected than those who had been vaccinated. During this same interval, two children aged 5 to 11 and eight children aged 12 to 17 were hospitalized, all of them unvaccinated. There were 6 confirmed MIS-C cases in L.A. County in October 2021 and 4 confirmed cases in November 2021. Pediatric trends mirror adult trends: over the same interval, unvaccinated L.A. County residents over 18 were infected and hospitalized at rates 3 and 14 times higher than vaccinated adults, respectively.

Public Health continues to see very low numbers of school cases given the 1.55 million students enrolled countywide. During the week ending Dec. 4, 1,311 cases and 3 outbreaks were identified, and test positivity was 0.28%.

If you’d like to get your child vaccinated, please check www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) or www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to find a site near you, you can also check with your child’s healthcare provider to find out if they offer COVID vaccines.

Public Health would like to remind residents that getting vaccinated or boosted remains critical as holiday traveling and gatherings begin.

Additionally, all residents across LA County should continue:

  • Getting tested to help reduce the spread, especially if you traveled for the holidays, have had a possible exposure or have symptoms
  • Adhering to masking requirements when indoors or at large outdoor mega events, regardless of vaccination status

 

LA County Reports Additional Case of the Omicron Variant, Possibly Through Local Transmission

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health or Public Health has received confirmation of a fourth case of COVID-19 with mutations consistent with the new Omicron variant. This latest case is a possible result of local transmission.

The individual is fully vaccinated and received a booster. The individual had mild symptoms and had multiple close contacts who have since tested positive and are self-isolating. Several of the close contacts are fully vaccinated, while the vaccination status of some is still being determined.

Public Health is working to determine if these additional cases are of the Omicron variant.

“The identification of a case of Omicron attributed to community spread is a reminder that we all need to take necessary precautions to prevent transmission of COVID-19,” Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Celebrating with those we love this holiday season requires layering on the protections that are now available to us: vaccinations, boosters, masking up, and testing. This is how we slow the spread of Delta and Omicron.”

Public Health would like to remind residents that getting vaccinated or boosted remains critical as holiday traveling and gatherings begin.

Additionally, all residents across LA County should continue:

Getting tested to help reduce the spread, especially if you traveled for the holidays, have had a possible exposure or have symptoms

Adhering to masking requirements when indoors or at large outdoor mega events, regardless of vaccination status

Residents are also reminded that they are legally required to be isolated if they have a positive COVID test result and that vaccinated close contacts with symptoms and unvaccinated close contacts need to be quarantined.

NDAA Includes Barragán’s Bill Designating the U.S.S. Iowa Battleship as the National Museum of the Surface Navy

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NDAA Includes Barragán’s Bill Designating the U.S.S. Iowa Battleship as the National Museum of the Surface Navy

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Defense Authorization Act passed the U.S. House last night and includes Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán’s legislation to designate the battleship U.S.S. Iowa Museum as the National Museum of the Surface Navy. Once it becomes law, as expected, this bill will make the Battleship Iowa the first and only museum in the nation dedicated solely to the men and women who have served in the surface forces of the U.S. Navy.

Commissioned in 1943, the U.S.S. Iowa was the most powerful American warship of its time. The ship saw action across much of the Pacific during World War II and even transported President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the first transatlantic leg of his journey to the 1943 Tehran Conference with the other allied leaders. The Iowa was present during the Japanese surrender at Tokyo Bay 75 years ago and continued to serve our country throughout the Cold War. It was active during the Korean War and supported NATO in the 1980s after being recommissioned.

Since 2012, the battleship has been berthed in San Pedro, acting as a museum and monument to those who have served. The museum and its dedicated team also offer resources to educate students, including science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics programs, field trips, and the “Camp Battleship” youth overnight camping program aboard Battleship Iowa. Additionally, the Battleship Iowa Museum promotes veterans’ causes through hosting job fairs, Los Angeles Fleet Week, Memorial Day and Veteran Day ceremonies, and serving as a veterans’ resource center.

A video of Congresswoman Barragán, Rear Admiral Shatynski, and Museum CEO Williams aboard the Iowa speaking about the legislation when it was first introduced in September 2020 is available here, www.youtube.com/resolution-uss-iowa-as-museum-of-surface-navy

The final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22 NDAA) has been agreed to by leaders of both the U.S. House and Senate. The Senate is expected to vote on it later this week. President Biden must then sign it into law.

The FY22 NDAA passed by the House this evening also includes two additional Barragan bills:

  • Creating a program informing non-citizen military service members of options to become naturalized citizens. At both the time of enlistment and the time of separation from the military, non-citizens will be informed of existing programs or services that may aid in their naturalization process.
  • The Strengthening Local Transportation Security Capabilities Act, which will improve information sharing by putting more federal intelligence analysts and resources near high-risk surface transportation assets, including public transportation rail and bus systems. The bill would also provide new terrorism-focused training, and improve cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement partners.

Additionally, the FY 22 NDAA:

  • secures a 2.7 percent pay increase for our men and women in uniform;
  • invests in Historically Black Colleges and Universities to help build a fairer and more diverse Armed Services; and
  • makes key investments to address the threat of climate change and bolster energy resiliency.

A summary of all the provisions in the FY22 NDAA is available here.

El Camino College Union Newspaper, Magazine Garner Big Wins in National Media Competition

Reporters Desk
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El Camino College Union Newspaper, Magazine Garner Big Wins in National Media Competition

TORRANCE — El Camino College’s student-run campus newspaper, The Union, continued its award-winning legacy as its staff brought home several awards from the virtual Fall National College Media Convention, co-hosted by the Associated Collegiate Press or ACP and the Collegiate Media Association or CMA last month.

Under the leadership of The Union newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief and El Camino student Nicholas Broadhead, El Camino College won a total of seven awards including FirstPlace for Best Website (eccunion.com), Second Place for Best Feature Magazine (Warrior Life Magazine), and Second Place for Best Two-Year College Media Outlet (The Union Newspaper). The staff also won the following:

  • Third Place, Two-year Feature Magazine of the Year.

https://eccunion.com/category/warrior-life-2021/

  • Fourth Place Reporter of the Year, by Juan Miranda.

https://eccunion.com/warrior-life/2021/05/31/serving-the-community-through-warrior-pantry/

  • Fifth Place Story of the Year, Editorial, by Molly Cochran
  • Honorable Mention: Best Viral Video

https://eccunion.com/top-stories/2021/05/26/ecc-fire-academy-training-during-the-pandemic/

El Camino students who submitted entries and also won awards in this year’s competition include the following:

  • First place, news photo, by Gary Kohatsu
  • First place, newspaper profile feature story, by Walter Jay Jr.
  • Second place, magazine illustration, by Kendal Foreman
  • Third place, newspaper editorial, by Nicholas Broadhead
  • Third place, magazine photo, by Gary Kohatsu
  • Fourth place, newspaper opinion story, by Maverick Marcellana
  • Fourth place, magazine opinion story, by Manuel Guzman
  • Fourth place, magazine design, by Jennifer Torres
  • Honorable mention, environmental portrait, by Walter Jay Jr.
  • Honorable mention, editorial, by Molly Cochran
  • Honorable mention, magazine cover design, by Jennifer Torres
  • Honorable mention, magazine profile, by Molly Cochran
  • Honorable mention, magazine illustration, by Lauren Hadnot

The confidence and success exhibited by the The Union newspaper and Warrior Life Magazine staffs during the three-day competition and convention were the results of hard work and determination to consistently put together a quality product. El Camino College journalism professor and student media adviser, Stefanie Frith, was excited to watch her students win big against some very competitive collegiate journalism programs.

The Union’s former Editor-in-Chief Juan Miranda, who died in January, posthumously won 4th place for this year’s Reporter of the Year award, further demonstrating how his newsroom legacy continues.

The ACP and the CMA are professional media advisory outlets for colleges and universities throughout the United States; they host two annual conventions aimed at providing journalism students access to research and resources from news and media professionals throughout the industry.

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