latimes--2020-12-18--Stanford 'neglecting its front-line workers' in COVID-19 vaccine rollout, doctors say

Stanford Medical Center doctors who are completing their residencies and fellowships staged a protest Friday , saying they were passed over during the first wave of COVID-19 vaccinations even though they work directly with patients who have the highly contagious disease .
A few dozen of the residents and fellows carried signs at the demonstration outside a door where the Palo Alto hospital was staging a photo opportunity for journalists covering the initial vaccinations .
One protest sign read : “ I saw 16 Covid patients in the last 24 hours ... More than Double the amount of residents getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter to protest the vaccine distribution plan .
“ Disparities in distribution of the vaccine can be seen at a micro-level at Stanford today , ” tweeted Dr. Christine Santiago , an internal medicine resident .
“ I worry that the situation we see at Stanford is a harbinger of population-level inequities of vaccine distribution for our underserved communities.
” Another Stanford resident , who asked to remain unidentified because of fear of retaliation , said only seven of about 1,300 residents and fellows were slated to receive the vaccine during an initial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care and infectious-disease doctors also were passed over , the resident said .
On the other hand , some attending physicians who have been working from home and have not seen a COVID-19 patient in person since the pandemic began were slated to receive the inoculations , the resident said .
“ Stanford hospital is neglecting its front-line workers in their vaccination plans , ” the resident said .
“ The 5,000 vaccines went to [ attending physicians ] and many non-front-line workers , including those who have been working from their couches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ mask ] for the past nine months.
” Dr. Niraj Sehgal , Stanford ’ s chief medical officer , apologized to the doctors who were not included .
“ Despite our best intentions to thoughtfully map out a principled vaccine plan to include our residents , fellows , and faculty , it ’ s clear there were several unintended missteps , ” Sehgal said in an email this week .
“ Please know the perceived lack of priority for residents and fellows was not the intent at all.
” Sehgal said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next week .
“ We ’ re increasingly confident in getting everyone vaccinated , including all of you , ” Sehgal said .
The physician resident who spoke to The Times said the problem appears to be an algorithm that missed front-line responders when the vaccination plan was formed .
Residents and fellows , who are working to complete their medical education , tend to be in their 20s or 30s , an age group that is considered relatively safe from COVID-19 ’ s most serious effects .
But the resident said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Stanford have died of the disease , and some residents and fellows live with their parents , who are at higher risk .
“ My resident colleagues have been getting COVID , ” the resident said .
“ We ’ ve been given no direction or promise as to when we will be vaccinated .
It feels like a slap in the face after 10 months of long , relentless work.
” Some other physicians , including full-fledged doctors who work in intensive care , also did not make the vaccine list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the hospital said Stanford Health Care took “ complete responsibility for the errors in the execution of our vaccine distribution plan.
” “ Our intent was to develop an ethical and equitable process for distribution of the vaccine , ” said spokeswoman Lisa Kim .
“ We apologize to our entire community , including our residents , fellows and other front-line care providers who have performed heroically during our pandemic response.
” She said Stanford would immediately revise the distribution plan .

Stanford Medical Center doctors who are completing their residencies and fellowships staged a protest Friday, saying they were passed over during the first wave of COVID-19 vaccinations even though they work directly with patients who have the highly contagious disease.
A few dozen of the residents and fellows carried signs at the demonstration outside a door where the Palo Alto hospital was staging a photo opportunity for journalists covering the initial vaccinations. One protest sign read: “I saw 16 Covid patients in the last 24 hours ... More than Double the amount of residents getting the vaccine.”
Some doctors took to Twitter to protest the vaccine distribution plan.
“Disparities in distribution of the vaccine can be seen at a micro-level at Stanford today,” tweeted Dr. Christine Santiago, an internal medicine resident. “I worry that the situation we see at Stanford is a harbinger of population-level inequities of vaccine distribution for our underserved communities.”
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Proud of fellow Stanford residents today! Supporting in spirit while quarantining from home. #staysafestanford https://t.co/YHnXnKRWOc — Christine Santiago (@cksantiago_MD) December 18, 2020
Another Stanford resident, who asked to remain unidentified because of fear of retaliation, said only seven of about 1,300 residents and fellows were slated to receive the vaccine during an initial distribution of 5,000 doses. Some critical care and infectious-disease doctors also were passed over, the resident said.
On the other hand, some attending physicians who have been working from home and have not seen a COVID-19 patient in person since the pandemic began were slated to receive the inoculations, the resident said.
“Stanford hospital is neglecting its front-line workers in their vaccination plans,” the resident said. “The 5,000 vaccines went to [attending physicians] and many non-front-line workers, including those who have been working from their couches and haven’t touched an N95 [mask] for the past nine months.”
Dr. Niraj Sehgal, Stanford’s chief medical officer, apologized to the doctors who were not included.
“Despite our best intentions to thoughtfully map out a principled vaccine plan to include our residents, fellows, and faculty, it’s clear there were several unintended missteps,” Sehgal said in an email this week. “Please know the perceived lack of priority for residents and fellows was not the intent at all.”
Sehgal said the hospital was anticipating receiving more vaccine doses next week. “We’re increasingly confident in getting everyone vaccinated, including all of you,” Sehgal said.
The physician resident who spoke to The Times said the problem appears to be an algorithm that missed front-line responders when the vaccination plan was formed.
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Residents and fellows, who are working to complete their medical education, tend to be in their 20s or 30s, an age group that is considered relatively safe from COVID-19’s most serious effects. But the resident said in an interview that patients in their 30s at Stanford have died of the disease, and some residents and fellows live with their parents, who are at higher risk.
“My resident colleagues have been getting COVID,” the resident said. “We’ve been given no direction or promise as to when we will be vaccinated. It feels like a slap in the face after 10 months of long, relentless work.”
Some other physicians, including full-fledged doctors who work in intensive care, also did not make the vaccine list, the resident said.
A representative for the hospital said Stanford Health Care took “complete responsibility for the errors in the execution of our vaccine distribution plan.”
“Our intent was to develop an ethical and equitable process for distribution of the vaccine,” said spokeswoman Lisa Kim. “We apologize to our entire community, including our residents, fellows and other front-line care providers who have performed heroically during our pandemic response.”
She said Stanford would immediately revise the distribution plan.


latimes--2020-12-19--Earthquake: Magnitude 3.1 quake hits near King City, Calif.

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake was reported Saturday at 10:40 a.m. 18 miles from King City , Calif. , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
The earthquake occurred 22 miles from Coalinga , Calif. , 27 miles from Greenfield , Calif. , and 33 miles from Soledad , Calif .
In the last 10 days , there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby .
An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada , according to a recent three-year data sample .
The earthquake occurred at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you feel this earthquake ?
Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS .
Even if you didn ’ t feel this small earthquake , you never know when the Big One is going to strike .
Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit .
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS .
A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published .
If you ’ re interested in learning more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of frequently asked questions .

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake was reported Saturday morning 18 miles from King City, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A magnitude 3.1 earthquake was reported Saturday at 10:40 a.m. 18 miles from King City, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake occurred 22 miles from Coalinga, Calif., 27 miles from Greenfield, Calif., and 33 miles from Soledad, Calif.
In the last 10 days, there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
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The earthquake occurred at a depth of 5.2 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Even if you didn’t feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.


latimes--2020-12-19--COVID-19 spreading with astonishing speed — 100,000 new cases in L.A. County in little more than a w

COVID-19 spreading with astonishing speed — 100,000 new cases in L.A. County in little more than a week

Los Angeles County has recorded 100,000 new coronavirus cases in little more than a week as the infections continued to multiply with astonishing speed not seen at any other point of the pandemic .
COVID-19 showed no signs of slowing in L.A. or across the state , which posted record numbers all week , heightening concerns that already overwhelmed hospitals will get even more strained in the coming weeks .
Experts say it typically takes two to three weeks for a person who contracts the coronavirus to become sick enough to require hospital care .
And California is now reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was at the beginning of December , according to data compiled by The Times .
As of Saturday morning , Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance was treating 97 patients for COVID-19 , according to hospital Chief Executive Anish Mahajan .
For the past 10 days , the hospital has been using a large section of the emergency room as a makeshift intensive care ward , with a dozen patients on ventilators .
If the surge in cases continues , Harbor-UCLA will likely convert the area of the hospital usually designated for patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mahajan said .
The nursing staff is stretched extremely thin due to the huge influx of patients , Mahajan said .
So the hospital has redeployed 100 nurses from other areas — even those on the administrative side who have critical-care skills — to join the ICU team .
Contributing to the staffing shortage is the increasing number of hospital employees who have contracted the virus , Mahajan said .
Hospital contact tracing efforts show that the majority of staff likely picked up COVID-19 outside of work , he said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with stress-related conditions , and they need a break , ” Mahajan said .
The state logged 53,326 new cases of the virus Friday , according to the Times ’ tally , topping the previous record of 52,330 cases set Wednesday and marking the third consecutive day that new cases surpassed 50,000 .
Before Wednesday , the state had never added more than 50,000 cases in a single day .
The state ’ s previous single-day record for new cases , set Monday , was 42,088 .
California is now averaging more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last week , a new record and more than triple the figure from three weeks ago , when the state was reporting about 13,000 new cases a day .
California is averaging 226 deaths a day , also a new record .
There were 16,465 COVID-19 patients in California hospitals Friday , according to data released by the state Saturday , an increase of nearly 635 % from two months before , when there were 2,241 patients .
Los Angeles County , which one health official said is on the verge of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday recorded 13,521 new cases of the virus and 64 deaths , according to The Times ’ independent tally , bringing its total to 610,907 cases and 8,822 deaths .
“ We are bearing witness every day to the terrible suffering caused by a virus that is spreading out of control throughout the county , ” County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statment .
“ Following the safety measures saves lives and is our only way to protect essential workers and our hospitals.
” Orange County , which has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitalizations , had 1,601 patients in its hospitals .
The county Saturday reported 3,445 new cases and 26 deaths .
The availability of intensive care unit beds throughout Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley remained at 0 % Saturday , and officials warned that conditions in hospitals are expected to erode further if the coronavirus continues to spread unchecked .
L.A. County-USC Medical Center was treating 160 COVID-19 patients , 65 of them in the ICU .
Of the hospital ’ s 600 beds , about 100 of them are ICU beds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that less than half of them remain available to be used by other critically ill or injured patients , said Dr. Brad Spellberg , chief medical officer .
Many mornings over the past seven to 10 days , hospital workers have come in to find there are no available ICU beds , and as soon as one opens up , a patient in the emergency department is often waiting to use it , Spellberg said .
“ We are scrambling to move people around , to find places for people to go , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on several occasions resorted to using a triage station set up in a tent outside its emergency department and has outfitted an area that doesn ’ t usually house severely ill patients with beds and staff to provide care , he said .
But the main challenge is staffing , not physical space , he said .
The hospital has scaled back outpatient clinic visits and elective procedures , withholding care for these noncritical services so it can reassign staff “ to allow us to tread water so we don ’ t go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is the level of what we call contingency care , where we ’ re scrambling to maintain care standards , ” he said .
“ We ’ ve not progressed yet to crisis care but it ’ s getting close.
” If that happens , he said , the hospital will have to do things like break the acceptable ratio of staff to patients and assign people to provide levels of care they don ’ t have specific expertise in .
“ We won ’ t have a choice , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to what comes to us.
” Already on Dec. 11 , the California Department of Public health began granting waivers that permit hospitals to increase the number of patients nurses can treat at one time .
For ICU nurses , that means they are now expected to treat three patients instead of the customary two .
The California Nurses Assn .
has decried this move , saying it will impact the quality of care patients receive .
“ Heavier patient assignments sharply cut the time nurses can provide individualized patient care , properly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and increase the likelihood of mistakes , as studies have documented for years , ” said Zenei Cortez , a registered nurse and president of California Nurses Assn .
“ In a pandemic , that ’ s an open invitation to increase the risk of spreading the virus to other patients and other staff.
” The California Hospital Assn .
has rebuffed the nurses ’ union ’ s opposition to the waiver , pointing to a statewide shortage of critical care nurses .
“ In times like these , California ’ s healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hand on deck to save people ’ s lives , ” Carmela Coyle , CEO of the California Hospital Assn.
, said in a statement .
The waivers affect not only ICU nurses .
Nerissa Black , a registered nurse at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia and a California Nurses Assn .
member , works in a COVID-19 unit that treats 29 patients .
Her patient load jumped from four to six last week .
Black ’ s patients aren ’ t in critical condition , but the new patient-to-nurse ratio has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change , she spent 15 minutes with every patient each hour ; now she has 10 minutes .
“ That includes putting on our PPE , documenting my interventions , reviewing lab results and imaging results and any abnormal findings , ” she said .
“ So there are some things that slide .
We don ’ t get to brush their teeth , wash their hair , talk to them about their lives and how we can help them better at home.
” Whether it ’ s necessary for hospitals like L.A. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , increasing employees ’ workloads even more , depends entirely on whether new cases begin to slow , Spellberg said .
“ If cases stay at this level and then start to decline , we ’ ll hold on by our fingernails , ” he said .
But , he said , if there ’ s a significant further rise , “ we ’ re going to have patients in the hallways and we ’ re going to be starting to make tough decisions about who ’ s going to get care.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine to their workers .
In L.A. County , hundreds of healthcare workers at county-run hospitals have received a vaccine dose so far , and that number was expected to hit roughly 6,000 by Christmas , officials said earlier this week .
The county received an initial allotment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last week and will receive a second batch next week ; both are earmarked for workers at acute care hospitals .
The vaccinations have been one bright spot amid the grueling days at Harbor-UCLA , Mahajan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from doctors to X-ray technicians to custodial staff , were vaccinated Friday morning .
“ There was an amazing atmosphere of relief , ” Mahajan said .
“ People were jovial in a way I hadn ’ t seen in so long.
” Another 1,000 will be vaccinated next week , Mahajan said , and several thousand more will be inoculated after Christmas .
Next week L.A. County expects to receive doses of the vaccine developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health , which the Food and Drug Administration recently authorized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reserved for staff and residents and skilled nursing facilities , frontline EMTs and paramedics , and those who administer vaccines , public health officials said Saturday .

Pulmonologist Dr. Laren Tan, center, and his team of nurses and respiratory therapists intubate a COVID-19 patient in the ICU at Loma Linda University Medical Center on Tuesday.
Los Angeles County has recorded 100,000 new coronavirus cases in little more than a week as the infections continued to multiply with astonishing speed not seen at any other point of the pandemic.
The virus’ spread showed no signs of slowing in L.A. or across the state, which posted record numbers all week, heightening concerns that already overwhelmed hospitals will get even more strained in the coming weeks.
Experts say it typically takes two to three weeks for a person who contracts the coronavirus to become sick enough to require hospital care. And California is now reporting two to three times more cases than it was at the beginning of December, according to data compiled by The Times.
As of Saturday morning, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance was treating 97 patients for COVID-19, hospital Chief Executive Dr. Anish Mahajan said. For the last 10 days, the hospital has been using a large section of the emergency room as a makeshift intensive care ward, with a dozen patients on ventilators.
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If the surge in cases continues, Harbor-UCLA will probably convert the area of the hospital usually designated for patients recovering from surgery into a critical-care ward, Mahajan said.
The nursing staff is stretched extremely thin due to the huge influx of patients, Mahajan said. So the hospital has redeployed 100 nurses from other areas — even those on the administrative side who have critical-care skills — to join the ICU team.
Contributing to the staffing shortage is the increasing number of hospital employees who have contracted the virus, Mahajan said. Hospital contact tracing efforts show that the majority of them probably were infected outside work, he said.
“Also, people are exhausted, dealing with stress-related conditions, and they need a break,” Mahajan said.
The state logged 53,326 new coronavirus Friday, according to The Times’ tally, topping the previous record of 52,330 cases set Wednesday and marking the third consecutive day that new cases surpassed 50,000.
California averaged more than 40,000 new coronavirus cases a day over the last week, a new record and more than triple the figure from three weeks ago, when the state was reporting about 13,000 new cases a day.
California is averaging 226 deaths a day, also a new record.
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There were 16,465 COVID-19 patients in California hospitals Friday, according to data released by the state Saturday, an increase of nearly 635% from two months before, when there were 2,241 patients.
Los Angeles County, which one health official said is on the verge of becoming the epicenter of the pandemic, on Saturday recorded 13,521 new coronavirus cases and 64 deaths, according to The Times’ independent tally, bringing its total to 610,907 cases and 8,822 deaths.
“We are bearing witness every day to the terrible suffering caused by a virus that is spreading out of control throughout the county,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “Following the safety measures saves lives and is our only way to protect essential workers and our hospitals.”
Orange County, which has also broken records for new cases and hospitalizations, had 1,601 patients in its hospitals. The county Saturday reported 3,445 new cases and 26 deaths.
The availability of intensive care unit beds throughout Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley remained at 0% Saturday, and officials warned that conditions in hospitals are expected to erode further if the coronavirus continues to spread unchecked.
L.A. County-USC Medical Center was treating 160 COVID-19 patients, 65 of them in the ICU. Of the hospital’s 600 beds, about 100 of them are ICU beds capable of handling COVID-19 patients, meaning that less than half of the beds remain available to be used by other critically ill or injured patients, said Dr. Brad Spellberg, chief medical officer.
Many mornings over the last seven to 10 days, hospital workers have come in to find there are no available ICU beds, and as soon as one opens up, a patient in the emergency department is often waiting to use it, Spellberg said.
“We are scrambling to move people around, to find places for people to go,” he said.
The hospital has on several occasions resorted to using a triage station set up in a tent outside its emergency department and has outfitted an area that doesn’t usually house severely ill patients with beds and staff to provide care, he said.
But the main challenge is staffing, not physical space, he said. The hospital has scaled back outpatient clinic visits and elective procedures, withholding care for these noncritical services so it can reassign staff “to allow us to tread water so we don’t go under,” Spellberg said.
“This is the level of what we call contingency care, where we’re scrambling to maintain care standards,” he said. “We’ve not progressed yet to crisis care but it’s getting close.”
If that happens, he said, the hospital will have to do things like break the acceptable ratio of staff to patients and assign people to provide levels of care they don’t have specific expertise in.
“We won’t have a choice,” he said. “Hospitals can only react to what comes to us.”
Already on Dec. 11, the California Department of Public Health began granting waivers that permit hospitals to increase the number of patients nurses can treat at one time. For ICU nurses, that means they are now expected to treat three patients instead of the customary two.
The California Nurses Assn. has decried this move, saying it will degrade the quality of care patients receive.
“Heavier patient assignments sharply cut the time nurses can provide individualized patient care, properly monitor a patient’s condition, and increase the likelihood of mistakes, as studies have documented for years,” said Zenei Cortez, a registered nurse and president of the California Nurses Assn. “In a pandemic, that’s an open invitation to increase the risk of spreading the virus to other patients and other staff.”
The California Hospital Assn. has dismissed the nurses union’s opposition to the waiver, pointing to a statewide shortage of critical care nurses.
“In times like these, California’s healthcare providers need, without exaggeration, every hand on deck to save people’s lives,” Carmela Coyle, CEO of the California Hospital Assn., said in a statement.
The waivers affect not only ICU nurses. Nerissa Black, a registered nurse at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia and a California Nurses Assn. member, works in a COVID-19 unit that treats 29 patients. Her patient load jumped from four to six last week.
Black’s patients aren’t in critical condition, but the new patient-to-nurse ratio has still taken a toll. Before the change, she spent 15 minutes with every patient each hour; now she has 10 minutes.
“That includes putting on our PPE, documenting my interventions, reviewing lab results and imaging results and any abnormal findings,” she said. “So there are some things that slide. We don’t get to brush their teeth, wash their hair, talk to them about their lives and how we can help them better at home.”
Whether it’s necessary for hospitals like L.A. County-USC to move to crisis care mode, increasing employees’ workloads even more, depends entirely on whether new cases begin to slow, Spellberg said.
“If cases stay at this level and then start to decline, we’ll hold on by our fingernails,” he said.
But, he said, if there’s a significant further rise, “we’re going to have patients in the hallways and we’re going to be starting to make tough decisions about who’s going to get care.”
Hospital officials are simultaneously scrambling to provide the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine to their workers.
In L.A. County, hundreds of healthcare workers at county-run hospitals have received a vaccine dose so far, and that number was expected to hit roughly 6,000 by Christmas, officials said earlier this week. The county received an initial allotment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last week and will receive a second batch next week; both are earmarked for workers at acute care hospitals.
The vaccinations have been one bright spot amid the grueling days at Harbor-UCLA, Mahajan said. Nearly 600 hospital staffers, including doctors, X-ray technicians and custodial workers, were vaccinated Friday morning.
“There was an amazing atmosphere of relief,” Mahajan said. “People were jovial in a way I hadn’t seen in so long.”
An additional 1,000 will be vaccinated next week, Mahajan said, and several thousand more will be inoculated after Christmas.
Next week L.A. County expects to receive doses of the vaccine developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, which the Food and Drug Administration recently authorized for emergency use. They will be reserved for staff and residents and skilled nursing facilities, front-line EMTs and paramedics, and those who administer vaccines, public health officials said Saturday.
Times staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-12-19--Two weeks after defying a COVID-19 stay-home order, Solvang reverses course

The town of Solvang on California ’ s Central Coast would normally be jammed with tourists now , strolling a main street bedecked with 100 brightly decorated Christmas trees or pouring into Danish-themed shops and restaurants , some with rooftop windmills , in search of tasty pastries and souvenirs like wooden shoes and puppets .
Instead , “ People are calling from all over , saying , ‘ What the hell is going on ?
’ ” City Councilman Mark Infanti said earlier this week after the community of about 5,000 announced it would not enforce the latest stay-at-home order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dec. 6 .
Newsom ’ s order closed many businesses , forbids restaurants from offering anything other than takeout and delivery , and limits retail stores to 20 % capacity , a level devastating for Solvang ’ s small storefronts that at peak times before the pandemic overflowed with shoppers .
The unanimous 5-0 vote by Solvang ’ s council on Dec. 7 encouraged businesses to stay open .
“ As of tonight , they can go about their business as they had done , ” Councilman Daniel Johnson said following the vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Johnson and two other council members — one of them the mayor — whose terms ended one week later .
Their replacements took office this week and quickly denounced the resolution and implored the business community to follow the rules .
“ I think for a few dollars to make for a couple or three weeks is not worth anyone ’ s life , ” new Mayor Charlie Uhrig said .
Infanti and the other new council member , Claudia Orona , agreed with him .
The two holdovers have since said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s intent to have people breaking the law .
Instead it was to pressure Santa Barbara County officials to push the state to put less densely populated areas into separate categories without as many restrictions as urban centers like Los Angeles .
“ The original bottom line was to join Santa Barbara , Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties asking the governor to remove the tri-county region from Southern California , ” Councilman Robert Clarke told the Associated Press in an email .
“ And , we were not going to encourage businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just not going to actively pursue enforcement , ” he added .
Solvang — Danish for “ sunny field ” — is 130 northwest of Los Angeles .
It was settled in 1911 by Danes who moved from the Upper Midwest seeking a better climate .
Its unusual look and feel made it a tourist destination .
In recent years , it has attracted 1.5 million visitors , many from Asia .
But this month , normally its busiest of the year because of the huge Danish-styled Christmas celebration the city puts on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 % , City Manager Xenia Bradford said .
Restaurant business is off 50 % , said Tracy Beard , executive director of the Chamber of Commerce .
Still , no one seems to be breaking the tough new rules , both say , although even if they were the city doesn ’ t have the authority to police most of them .
The Santa Barbara County Health Department , for example , licenses restaurants and has the power to impose fines or revoke the licenses of lawbreakers .
“ All of us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we ’ re held accountable by the [ county ] health department and [ state ] Alcoholic Beverage Control , ” said Lisa Mesa , who with her husband , Alfred , owns the popular Good Life wine and beer cellar , which has canceled all its tastings .
“ While I as a business owner certainly appreciate the gesture by the previous city council , it ’ s not enforceable , and I knew that , ” she added .
What ’ s more , she said , everyone in town @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even if it hasn ’ t hit Solvang as hard as other places .
“ We ’ re not a bunch of rebels running around out here eating outside and , you know , flipping the bird to the rest of the state , ” she said .

The town of Solvang on California’s Central Coast would normally be jammed with tourists now, strolling a main street bedecked with 100 brightly decorated Christmas trees or pouring into Danish-themed shops and restaurants, some with rooftop windmills, in search of tasty pastries and souvenirs like wooden shoes and puppets.
Instead, “People are calling from all over, saying, ‘What the hell is going on?’” City Councilman Mark Infanti said earlier this week after the community of about 5,000 announced it would not enforce the latest stay-at-home order Gov. Gavin Newsom put into effect Dec. 6.
Newsom’s order closed many businesses, forbids restaurants from offering anything other than takeout and delivery, and limits retail stores to 20% capacity, a level devastating for Solvang’s small storefronts that at peak times before the pandemic overflowed with shoppers.
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The unanimous 5-0 vote by Solvang’s council on Dec. 7 encouraged businesses to stay open. “As of tonight, they can go about their business as they had done,” Councilman Daniel Johnson said following the vote.
That vote was a last hurrah for Johnson and two other council members — one of them the mayor — whose terms ended one week later. Their replacements took office this week and quickly denounced the resolution and implored the business community to follow the rules.
“I think for a few dollars to make for a couple or three weeks is not worth anyone’s life,” new Mayor Charlie Uhrig said. Infanti and the other new council member, Claudia Orona, agreed with him.
The two holdovers have since said it was never the old council’s intent to have people breaking the law. Instead it was to pressure Santa Barbara County officials to push the state to put less densely populated areas into separate categories without as many restrictions as urban centers like Los Angeles.
“The original bottom line was to join Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties asking the governor to remove the tri-county region from Southern California,” Councilman Robert Clarke told the Associated Press in an email.
“And, we were not going to encourage businesses to break any rules, we were just not going to actively pursue enforcement,” he added.
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Solvang — Danish for “sunny field” — is 130 northwest of Los Angeles. It was settled in 1911 by Danes who moved from the Upper Midwest seeking a better climate.
Its unusual look and feel made it a tourist destination. In recent years, it has attracted 1.5 million visitors, many from Asia.
But this month, normally its busiest of the year because of the huge Danish-styled Christmas celebration the city puts on, hotel occupancy has plunged to around 20%, City Manager Xenia Bradford said. Restaurant business is off 50%, said Tracy Beard, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce.
Still, no one seems to be breaking the tough new rules, both say, although even if they were the city doesn’t have the authority to police most of them. The Santa Barbara County Health Department, for example, licenses restaurants and has the power to impose fines or revoke the licenses of lawbreakers.
“All of us in the food and beverage industry know that we’re held accountable by the [county] health department and [state] Alcoholic Beverage Control,” said Lisa Mesa, who with her husband, Alfred, owns the popular Good Life wine and beer cellar, which has canceled all its tastings.
“While I as a business owner certainly appreciate the gesture by the previous city council, it’s not enforceable, and I knew that,” she added.
What’s more, she said, everyone in town knows the coronavirus is a serious threat, even if it hasn’t hit Solvang as hard as other places.
“We’re not a bunch of rebels running around out here eating outside and, you know, flipping the bird to the rest of the state,” she said.


latimes--2020-12-19--Column: He promised his wife he'd keep the house. Then he took out a reverse mortgage

There is nothing grand about the white one-story house in the middle of Roxbury Drive in San Bernardino , particularly in its current state of disrepair .
But to Juan Gutierrez , that house is home .
As a young man he worked in construction , saved up for a down payment and , in 1968 , bought the three-bedroom house where he and his wife raised their three children .
And then , in 2014 , he was evicted as part of a dispute with his reverse mortgage lender that continues to this day .
It ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ common in coming months , as COVID-19 pushes more seniors to the brink of financial disaster , prompting some to resort to reverse mortgages even as others default on them .
So deep is Gutierrez ’ s pain over the loss of his house that on some days he travels from his nearby apartment to Roxbury Drive just to sit outside the abandoned , vacant house .
He watches the comings and goings on the street , imagining himself back home .
Weeks ago , when I met him there , Gutierrez sat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Behind him was a boarded-up window and a red tag warning visitors not to enter the condemned property .
Gutierrez , 77 , leaned on his cane , lifted himself from his chair and walked gingerly through the front yard to the sidewalk .
He pointed out the paving work he had done decades earlier , when he was young and healthy , before a work accident left him disabled with no income other than disability insurance .
His 54-year-old son , Raul , who was at the house with his dad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me his father is determined to honor a vow he made many years ago , before his wife died of cancer .
“ He told my mom he would keep the house in the family forever , ” said Raul .
But that ’ s a matter the courts will decide .
Gutierrez sued his lender in 2018 , alleging fraud , breach of contract and elder abuse .
The lender has denied all the allegations and asked that the case be dismissed , but Gutierrez is still hoping to have his day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your television for an hour or more , you ’ re likely to see actor Tom Selleck serving as pitch man for a leading lender and promising that “ a reverse mortgage loan isn ’ t some trick to steal your home.
” And it ’ s true that a reverse mortgage can be a great way for people 62 and older to pay their bills and stay in their homes longer .
The homeowner essentially borrows against the equity in the house , and when the owner dies , the loan must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heirs .
If that ’ s not possible , a common way to settle the debt is to give the house to the lender .
But reverse mortgages have also been a source of controversy , and some lenders have been criticized and fined for failing to disclose the risks as well as the benefits .
The fine print is considerable on reverse mortgage contracts , and each year , scads of them end up in default .
Housing advocates tell me that some homeowners aren ’ t clear on the fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and insurance on their property , or that those costs may increase .
Joanne Savage of Legal Counsel for the Elderly , an AARP affiliate , told me low-income people of color are often involved in reverse mortgage defaults in Washington , D.C. , where she represents homeowners , and she anticipates more defaults after COVID-related eviction moratoriums are lifted .
Savage said that today , with so many seniors financially affected by the pandemic , new protections for elderly homeowners may be necessary , especially given the scarcity of affordable housing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outlined the events leading to Gutierrez losing his home , San Francisco attorney Ingrid Evans , who specializes in elder abuse and financial fraud , was unsurprised .
“ It happens all the time , ” Evans said .
She couldn ’ t comment on the specifics of Gutierrez ’ s situation , but noted that some “ lenders are ridiculously aggressive … and always looking for loopholes , and they will foreclose in a minute.
” Evans said destitute homeowners often have trouble finding affordable legal help , and even if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teams of corporate hired legal guns who work for some of the nation ’ s biggest financial institutions .
Beverly Hills litigation attorney Michael Waddington , who represents Gutierrez , said he found out about his plight through an acquaintance and took on the case four years ago .
Gutierrez lived in his car and couch surfed for a while after losing his home .
For the last two years , Juan has been staying in an apartment paid for by Waddington ’ s law firm .
To back up a bit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when he made a good living .
But late in 1968 , the same year he bought the house , his construction company was laying underground pipes for a shopping center in Big Bear when a cave-in buried him .
Gutierrez told me he was pulled from the rubble with bones in his lower back and pelvic area crushed .
Both knees were injured as well , and he was permanently disabled .
The family survived for decades on Gutierrez ’ s disability insurance , but the budget was always tight .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t keep up with maintenance costs .
When he saw ads for reverse mortgages being offered by Bank of America , he thought his financial troubles were over .
For Gutierrez , who took out a $ 60,000 reverse mortgage with Bank of America in 2009 , the benefits were many .
He still had to pay the monthly taxes and insurance on his property , but having so much cash in hand made it possible to pay for things he couldn ’ t previously afford .
“ I fixed the roof @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the house inside and out , widened the driveway , ” Gutierrez told me .
But three years after he signed the contract , Bank of America handed off the mortgage to Nationstar Mortgage and the related Champion Mortgage Co .
The new lenders claimed Gutierrez was behind in his insurance payments and needed an additional insurance policy , according to Gutierrez and his attorney .
Waddington called this a case of David and Goliath , saying Gutierrez was evicted from his own house without cause .
Nationstar Mortgage argues in court documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled payments , despite many attempts to negotiate a new payment plan with him .
The company also says Gutierrez filed the suit after the statute of limitations had expired .
A media representative for Nationstar told me the company does not comment on pending litigation .
Gutierrez says he was unaware that Bank of America had passed off his reverse mortgage to another company , and he was confused about the mail from Nationstar and Champion , assuming it was unwanted solicitations .
Gutierrez told me he thought that under the terms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covered by Bank of America .
But when the new mortgage holder convinced him that was his responsibility and he was in arrears , he agreed to a monthly repayment plan .
Gutierrez says he made the new payments , but Nationstar argues in court documents that Gutierrez did not return a signed copy of that new repayment agreement in a timely fashion .
Bank documents indicate that while Gutierrez was trying in good faith to comply with the new requirements and payments , Nationstar had already begun foreclosing on his property .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ still living in it , Waddington says , and the new owners went to court to evict Gutierrez , who was removed by police .
For reasons that are unclear to Waddington and not specified in court documents , the sale was rescinded .
When Gutierrez found that out , and learned that the buyers had vacated the property , he moved back in to his home , which by then had been gutted for remodeling , with plumbing and electrical systems ripped out .
The house was condemned because of the condition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who couldn ’ t afford to fix it up , was once again booted .
You ’ d think Gutierrez ’ s nightmare couldn ’ t get any darker , but it has .
Waddington says Gutierrez is still technically the owner of the house on Roxbury Drive , and the state and the city of San Bernardino are suing him to bring the damaged property up to code .
The lender , meanwhile , is billing Gutierrez for taxes and insurance , as well as compound interest on the debt , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 100,000 .
“ He was wrongly kicked out of his own home , which was then destroyed ... and they ’ re still sending him bills for a house he can ’ t live in because it was condemned by the city , ” said Waddington .
Gutierrez told me that as long as he ’ s able , he ’ ll fight for the right to go home .
The bottom line is that reverse mortgages may be great for some borrowers .
But they ’ re also complicated and no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the terms .
For information on reverse mortgages , talk to a financial planner or review information at the National Council on Aging ( go to NCOA.org and click on Home Equity ) or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( go to consumerfinance.gov and click on Consumer Education , then on Reverse Mortgages .

In 2014, Juan Gutierrez was evicted from the home where he and his wife raised their three children.
There is nothing grand about the white one-story house in the middle of Roxbury Drive in San Bernardino, particularly in its current state of disrepair.
But to Juan Gutierrez, that house is home. As a young man he worked in construction, saved up for a down payment and, in 1968, bought the three-bedroom house where he and his wife raised their three children.
And then, in 2014, he was evicted as part of a dispute with his reverse mortgage lender that continues to this day. It’s a kind of dispute that could become more common in coming months, as COVID-19 pushes more seniors to the brink of financial disaster, prompting some to resort to reverse mortgages even as others default on them.
Advertisement
So deep is Gutierrez’s pain over the loss of his house that on some days he travels from his nearby apartment to Roxbury Drive just to sit outside the abandoned house. He watches the comings and goings on the street, imagining himself back home.
Weeks ago, when I met him there, Gutierrez sat in a chair on the front porch. Behind him was a boarded-up window and a red tag warning visitors not to enter the condemned property.
Gutierrez, 77, leaned on his cane, lifted himself from his chair and walked gingerly through the front yard to the sidewalk. He pointed out the paving work he had done decades earlier, when he was young and healthy, before a work accident left him disabled with no income other than disability insurance.
His 54-year-old son, Raul, who was at the house with his dad on the day I visited, told me his father is determined to honor a vow he made many years ago, before his wife died of cancer.
“He told my mom he would keep the house in the family forever,” said Raul.
But that’s a matter the courts will decide. Gutierrez sued his lender in 2018, alleging fraud, breach of contract and elder abuse. The lender has denied all the allegations and asked that the case be dismissed, but Gutierrez is still hoping to have his day in court.
::
If you turn on your television for an hour or more, you’re likely to see actor Tom Selleck serving as pitchman for a leading lender and promising that “a reverse mortgage loan isn’t some trick to steal your home.” And it’s true that a reverse mortgage can be a great way for people 62 and older to pay their bills and stay in their homes longer. The homeowner essentially borrows against the equity in the house, and when the owner dies, the loan must be paid back by surviving relatives or heirs. If that’s not possible, a common way to settle the debt is to give the house to the lender.
Advertisement
But reverse mortgages have also been a source of controversy, and some lenders have been criticized and fined for failing to disclose the risks as well as the benefits.
The fine print is considerable on reverse mortgage contracts, and each year, scads of them end up in default. Housing advocates tell me that some homeowners aren’t clear on the fact that they are still responsible for paying taxes and insurance on their property, or that those costs may increase.
Joanne Savage of Legal Counsel for the Elderly, an AARP affiliate, told me low-income people of color are often involved in reverse mortgage defaults in Washington, D.C., where she represents homeowners, and she anticipates more defaults after COVID-related eviction moratoriums are lifted.
Savage said that today, with so many seniors financially affected by the pandemic, new protections for elderly homeowners may be necessary, especially given the scarcity of affordable housing for those on fixed incomes.
When I outlined the events leading to Gutierrez losing his home, San Francisco attorney Ingrid Evans, who specializes in elder abuse and financial fraud, was unsurprised.
“It happens all the time,” Evans said. She couldn’t comment on the specifics of Gutierrez’s situation but noted that some “lenders are ridiculously aggressive … and always looking for loopholes, and they will foreclose in a minute.”
Evans said destitute homeowners often have trouble finding affordable legal help, and even if they do, they’re up against teams of corporate hired legal guns who work for some of the nation’s biggest financial institutions.
Beverly Hills litigation attorney Michael Waddington, who represents Gutierrez, said he found out about the man’s plight through an acquaintance and took on the case four years ago. Gutierrez lived in his car and couch-surfed for a while after losing his home. For the last two years, he has been staying in an apartment paid for by Waddington’s law firm.
::
To back up a bit, Gutierrez bought that house in better times, when he made a good living. But late in 1968, the same year he bought the house, his construction company was laying underground pipes for a shopping center in Big Bear when a cave-in buried him. Gutierrez told me he was pulled from the rubble with bones in his lower back and pelvic area crushed. Both knees were injured as well, and he was permanently disabled.
The family survived for decades on Gutierrez’s disability insurance, but the budget was always tight. As the house aged, Gutierrez couldn’t keep up with maintenance costs. When he saw ads for reverse mortgages being offered by Bank of America, he thought his financial troubles were over.
For Gutierrez, who took out a $60,000 reverse mortgage with Bank of America in 2009, the benefits were many. He still had to pay the monthly taxes and insurance on his property, but having so much cash in hand made it possible to pay for things he couldn’t previously afford.
“I fixed the roof … bought a used car, painted the house inside and out, widened the driveway,” Gutierrez told me.
But three years after he signed the contract, Bank of America handed off the mortgage to Nationstar Mortgage and the related Champion Mortgage Co. The new lenders claimed Gutierrez was behind in his insurance payments and needed an additional insurance policy, according to Gutierrez and his attorney.
Waddington called this a case of David and Goliath, saying Gutierrez was evicted from his own house without cause. Nationstar Mortgage argues in court documents that Gutierrez violated his contract by missing scheduled payments, despite many attempts to negotiate a new payment plan with him. The company also says Gutierrez filed the suit after the statute of limitations had expired. A media representative for Nationstar told me the company does not comment on pending litigation.
Gutierrez says he was unaware that Bank of America had passed off his reverse mortgage to another company, and he was confused about the mail from Nationstar and Champion, assuming it was unwanted solicitations. Gutierrez told me he thought that under the terms of his contract, insurance payments were covered by Bank of America. But when the new mortgage holder convinced him that was his responsibility and he was in arrears, he agreed to a monthly repayment plan.
Gutierrez says he made the new payments, but Nationstar argues in court documents that Gutierrez did not return a signed copy of that new repayment agreement in a timely fashion. Bank documents indicate that while Gutierrez was trying in good faith to comply with the new requirements and payments, Nationstar had already begun foreclosing on his property.
The house was sold while Gutierrez was still living in it, Waddington says, and the new owners went to court to evict Gutierrez, who was removed by police. For reasons that are unclear to Waddington and not specified in court documents, the sale was rescinded.
When Gutierrez found that out, and learned that the buyers had vacated the property, he moved back in to his home, which by then had been gutted for remodeling, with plumbing and electrical systems ripped out. The house was condemned because of the condition it was in, and Gutierrez, who couldn’t afford to fix it up, was once again booted.
You’d think Gutierrez’s nightmare couldn’t get any darker, but it has. Waddington says Gutierrez is still technically the owner of the house on Roxbury Drive, and the state and the city of San Bernardino are suing him to bring the damaged property up to code. The lender, meanwhile, is billing Gutierrez for taxes and insurance, as well as compound interest on the debt, with an unpaid tab now in excess of $100,000.
“He was wrongly kicked out of his own home, which was then destroyed ... and they’re still sending him bills for a house he can’t live in because it was condemned by the city,” said Waddington.
Gutierrez told me that as long as he’s able, he’ll fight for the right to go home.
The bottom line is that reverse mortgages may be great for some borrowers. But they’re also complicated, and no one should enter into one without understanding all the terms. For information on reverse mortgages, talk to a financial planner or review information at the National Council on Aging (go to NCOA.org and click on Home Equity) or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (go to consumerfinance.gov and click on Consumer Education, then on Reverse Mortgages.
steve.lopez@latimes.com


latimes--2020-12-19--California sues to recover costs for Exide lead cleanup, but community still wants justice

Years after pledging to recover cleanup costs from those responsible for spreading lead pollution over thousands of homes in southeast Los Angeles County , California regulators have finally filed suit against multiple companies connected to the closed Exide Technologies battery recycling plant in Vernon .
The action notably excludes Exide , which under a recently approved bankruptcy plan was allowed to walk away from the half-demolished hazardous site and stick California taxpayers with much of the cleanup bill .
That angered community groups and environmentalists in the largely working-class Latino neighborhoods surrounding the plant , who reacted tepidly this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why it took so long and what it would change on the ground .
More than six years into the cleanup effort , thousands of homes and other properties across a massive cleanup zone remain riddled with unsafe levels of brain-damaging lead while families wait for the state to remove contaminated soil .
“ Anything that can help recover money and put it toward the cleanup is needed , but it feels like too little too late because the real responsible parties are already off the hook , ” said Idalmis Vaquero , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Better Environment who lives in a Boyle Heights apartment complex that has not yet had its soil cleaned .
In the complaint filed Monday , the state Department of Toxic Substances Control alleges that three companies , or their corporate successors , that were past owners or operators of the facility and seven companies , or their successors , that sent hazardous waste or arranged for its treatment or disposal there are liable for cleaning up the pollution under the federal Superfund law .
The state seeks to recover more than $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cleanup since 2015 , plus the future cost of cleaning lead , arsenic and other harmful pollutants left behind at the facility and in surrounding neighborhoods .
The 39-page suit names NL Industries , JX Nippon Mining & Metals and Gould Electronics as previous owners or operators of the plant or their successors .
It names Kinsbursky Bros. , Trojan Battery Co. , Ramcar Batteries , Clarios , Quemetco , International Metals Ekco and Blount as companies or successors of companies that transported hazardous waste to the plant , arranged for it to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The lawsuit says those firms were identified on shipping manifests from 1988 to 2015 .
Exide operated the site from 2000 until its 2015 closure , and was responsible for cleaning up the mess left behind .
Kinsbursky Bros. Vice President Daniel Kinsbursky said that “ KBI , like thousands of other companies , shipped recyclable materials to Exide ’ s Vernon site which California state regulators had for decades authorized Exide ( and prior operators ) to accept and process for recycling ” and was never involved in the plant ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Quemetco , said the company “ takes its environmental responsibilities seriously and looks forward to defending itself once the complaint is served and we have had an opportunity to investigate the allegations.
” Kari Pfisterer , a Clarios spokeswoman , said the company was aware of the suit but could not provide further comment on pending litigation .
Calls and messages requesting comment from the other companies were not returned .
Legal experts and environmental groups said that even if the state ’ s lawsuit succeeds , they expect it will take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and put to use cleaning contaminated homes , day care centers , schools and parks .
The lawsuit marks the latest attempt to deal with government ’ s failure to protect the public from health-damaging pollution from the facility , a slow-moving disaster that has become a symbol of environmental injustice .
Local leaders have called it California ’ s Flint , Mich. Decades of air pollution from the plant , which operated about five miles from downtown L.A. melting down used lead-acid car batteries , is blamed for spreading lead dust over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to 1.7 miles away .
Lead is a powerful neurotoxin with no safe level of exposure .
Even tiny amounts can cause learning deficiencies and other permanent developmental and behavioral problems in children .
California regulators had allowed the facility to operate without a full permit for more than three decades and did not require the company to set aside adequate funds to clean up its pollution , even as it racked up violations of hazardous waste and emissions rules .
Despite community outcry over the health risks and a flurry of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the company or its employees .
The company admitted to environmental crimes but avoided prosecution in a 2015 deal with the U.S. attorney ’ s office in exchange for permanently closing its plant .
State and local prosecutors did not file their own charges .
As the size and cost of the cleanup ballooned , state Department of Toxic Substances Control officials assured the public for more than five years that they and the state attorney general ’ s office were “ vigorously pursuing Exide as a responsible party ” and would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ costs ” from the company and others responsible .
The effort included extensive soil testing to prove the source of the contamination .
Department of Toxic Substances Control Director Meredith Williams said this week that her department had been pushing Exide to take responsibility for the cleanup through a separate , parallel process while it built its case against other responsible parties .
She said the timing of the lawsuit was unrelated to the company ’ s bankruptcy and liquidation .
“ Obviously Exide has evaded their responsibility , ” Williams said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve built as strong a case as we can and we are going to pursue this with the full intent of recovering funds.
” Toxic Substances Control spokeswoman Allison Wescott said the department secured tens of millions of dollars for residential and on-site cleanup work from Exide in 2014 but that a negotiated settlement agreement it entered into with the company that year “ prevented DTSC from pursuing additional residential cleanup costs from Exide.
” In what has since become the largest cleanup of its kind undertaken in California , crews have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the worst-polluted properties over the last six years .
But thousands more properties with lead contamination above state health limits have yet to be cleaned .
That work has been funded largely by taxpayers .
The bill for the cleanup , already more than $ 250 million , could ultimately approach $ 650 million , a state auditor ’ s report estimated .
That audit , released in October , found the cleanup was running behind schedule and over budget due to poor management by the Department of Toxic Substances Control and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poisoning .
State Assemblyman Miguel Santiago ( D-Los Angeles ) said he and other lawmakers have for years been pressing for the department to take legal action against Exide and other companies responsible for the contamination .
“ We are absolutely angry and frustrated that it ’ s taken this long , ” he said .
“ This kind of emergency required warp speed and instead we got a sluggish pace at best.
” In the meantime , state lawmakers are seeking an additional $ 411 million in public funds to pay for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transparency measures to prevent cost overruns and delays .
The money would be used to remove contaminated soil from thousands more properties and finish cleaning the Vernon site itself .
Lawmakers have also reintroduced legislation to reform the toxic substances department , which was passed earlier this year but vetoed by Gov .
Gavin Newsom .
Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia ( D-Bell Gardens ) said changes are needed to “ prevent any future Exides.
” The type of lawsuit California filed is unlikely to satisfy community desires for justice because “ it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about finding the money to pay for cleanup , ” said Craig Johnston , an environmental law professor at Lewis & Clark Law School .
“ But the good news is there appears to be a lot of companies who are likely going to be held responsible.
” Johnston said it is “ not unusual at all that people will take several years developing a complex Superfund case , ” but that California officials at the same time “ could have pursued criminal sanctions and cost recovery .
These things are not mutually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pollution have for years demanded that those responsible be charged criminally , to no avail .
Atty .
Gen. Xavier Becerra ’ s office did not respond to questions about whether it investigated Exide criminally or pursued charges against the company .
The L.A. County district attorney ’ s office spent years on a criminal investigation but did not file charges .
L.A. Dist .
Atty .
spokesman Greg Risling said other agencies , including local air quality officials , never presented “ a case to our office for criminal filing consideration against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office is unable to file criminal environmental pollution or contamination charges without a referral from a regulatory agency because we rely on the information they provide to us on these complex scientific cases.
” A spokeswoman for the South Coast Air Quality Management District , which regulated the facility ’ s emissions , said it “ shared information ” with the district attorney ’ s office and U.S. attorney ’ s office , and that “ it is their decision whether to use that information to file a criminal action , a civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The air district filed its own civil complaint against Exide in 2014 seeking $ 80 million for alleged violations of lead and arsenic emissions rules , a case that is ongoing and “ currently stayed in state court pending the resolution of various bankruptcy issues , ” spokeswoman Nahal Mogharabi said .
Vaquero , the Boyle Heights resident , said “ everyone is just pointing the finger at someone else , when in fact each one had their role in protecting communities from Exide .
And they didn ’ t do that.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head of environmental crimes for the L.A. County district attorney ’ s office , said the lawsuit was a necessary , if late , step , but that the state ’ s position is compromised by its history of weak oversight of Exide and the role it played in allowing the facility to continue polluting for decades .
Groveman expects the companies targeted in the suit to challenge it , at least in part , by arguing that the state does not have clean hands and “ may itself be liable for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result of its negligent management.
” Groveman , who in the past has represented the county , the L.A. Unified School District and other government bodies , also criticized state and local officials for failing to conduct a serious investigation into what went wrong with Exide and how to prevent similar failures in the future .
“ This is going to be repeated because nobody has been held accountable , ” he said .

Portions of the former Exide Technologies lead-acid battery recycling plant in Vernon, seen in October, are wrapped in plastic to prevent the release of lead and other contaminants.
Years after pledging to recover cleanup costs from those responsible for spreading lead pollution over thousands of homes in southeast Los Angeles County, California regulators have finally filed suit against multiple companies connected to the closed Exide Technologies battery recycling plant in Vernon.
The action notably excludes Exide, which under a recently approved bankruptcy plan was allowed to walk away from the half-demolished hazardous site and stick California taxpayers with much of the cleanup bill.
That angered community groups and environmentalists in the largely working-class Latino neighborhoods surrounding the plant, who reacted tepidly this week to news of the lawsuit, asking why it took so long and what it would change on the ground. More than six years into the cleanup effort, thousands of homes and other properties across a massive cleanup zone remain riddled with unsafe levels of brain-damaging lead while families wait for the state to remove contaminated soil.
“Anything that can help recover money and put it toward the cleanup is needed, but it feels like too little too late because the real responsible parties are already off the hook,” said Idalmis Vaquero, a member of the group Communities for a Better Environment who lives in a Boyle Heights apartment complex that has not yet had its soil cleaned.
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In the complaint filed Monday, the state Department of Toxic Substances Control alleges that three companies, or their corporate successors, that were past owners or operators of the facility and seven companies, or their successors, that sent hazardous waste or arranged for its treatment or disposal there are liable for cleaning up the pollution under the federal Superfund law. The state seeks to recover more than $136 million it has spent on the cleanup since 2015, plus the future cost of cleaning lead, arsenic and other harmful pollutants left behind at the facility and in surrounding neighborhoods.
The 39-page suit names NL Industries, JX Nippon Mining & Metals and Gould Electronics as previous owners or operators of the plant or their successors. It names Kinsbursky Bros., Trojan Battery Co., Ramcar Batteries, Clarios, Quemetco, International Metals Ekco and Blount as companies or successors of companies that transported hazardous waste to the plant, arranged for it to be shipped there, or both. The lawsuit says those firms were identified on shipping manifests from 1988 to 2015. Exide operated the site from 2000 until its 2015 closure, and was responsible for cleaning up the mess left behind.
Kinsbursky Bros. Vice President Daniel Kinsbursky said that “KBI, like thousands of other companies, shipped recyclable materials to Exide’s Vernon site which California state regulators had for decades authorized Exide (and prior operators) to accept and process for recycling” and was never involved in the plant’s operations.
Patrick Dennis, an attorney for Quemetco, said the company “takes its environmental responsibilities seriously and looks forward to defending itself once the complaint is served and we have had an opportunity to investigate the allegations.”
Kari Pfisterer, a Clarios spokeswoman, said the company was aware of the suit but could not provide further comment on pending litigation.
Calls and messages requesting comment from the other companies were not returned.
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Legal experts and environmental groups said that even if the state’s lawsuit succeeds, they expect it will take years for any money to be recouped and put to use cleaning contaminated homes, day care centers, schools and parks.
Protesters march from Boyle Heights to the Los Angeles Civic Center in October to demand accountability for pollution caused by the Exide battery recycling plant. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
The lawsuit marks the latest attempt to deal with government’s failure to protect the public from health-damaging pollution from the facility, a slow-moving disaster that has become a symbol of environmental injustice. Local leaders have called it California’s Flint, Mich.
Decades of air pollution from the plant, which operated about five miles from downtown L.A. melting down used lead-acid car batteries, is blamed for spreading lead dust over homes, yards, schools and parks up to 1.7 miles away. Lead is a powerful neurotoxin with no safe level of exposure. Even tiny amounts can cause learning deficiencies and other permanent developmental and behavioral problems in children.
California regulators had allowed the facility to operate without a full permit for more than three decades and did not require the company to set aside adequate funds to clean up its pollution, even as it racked up violations of hazardous waste and emissions rules.
Despite community outcry over the health risks and a flurry of investigations, no criminal charges were filed against the company or its employees. The company admitted to environmental crimes but avoided prosecution in a 2015 deal with the U.S. attorney’s office in exchange for permanently closing its plant. State and local prosecutors did not file their own charges.
As the size and cost of the cleanup ballooned, state Department of Toxic Substances Control officials assured the public for more than five years that they and the state attorney general’s office were “vigorously pursuing Exide as a responsible party” and would use “all legal avenues to recover costs” from the company and others responsible. The effort included extensive soil testing to prove the source of the contamination.
Department of Toxic Substances Control Director Meredith Williams said this week that her department had been pushing Exide to take responsibility for the cleanup through a separate, parallel process while it built its case against other responsible parties. She said the timing of the lawsuit was unrelated to the company’s bankruptcy and liquidation.
“Obviously Exide has evaded their responsibility,” Williams said. “I would also say that we’ve built as strong a case as we can and we are going to pursue this with the full intent of recovering funds.”
Toxic Substances Control spokeswoman Allison Wescott said the department secured tens of millions of dollars for residential and on-site cleanup work from Exide in 2014 but that a negotiated settlement agreement it entered into with the company that year “prevented DTSC from pursuing additional residential cleanup costs from Exide.”
In what has since become the largest cleanup of its kind undertaken in California, crews have removed lead-tainted soil from more than 2,100 of the worst-polluted properties over the last six years. But thousands more properties with lead contamination above state health limits have yet to be cleaned.
That work has been funded largely by taxpayers. The bill for the cleanup, already more than $250 million, could ultimately approach $650 million, a state auditor’s report estimated. That audit, released in October, found the cleanup was running behind schedule and over budget due to poor management by the Department of Toxic Substances Control and has left children at continued risk of poisoning.
Map shows the cleanup zone around the former Exide plant in Vernon. (Los Angeles Times)
State Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) said he and other lawmakers have for years been pressing for the department to take legal action against Exide and other companies responsible for the contamination.
“We are absolutely angry and frustrated that it’s taken this long,” he said. “This kind of emergency required warp speed and instead we got a sluggish pace at best.”
In the meantime, state lawmakers are seeking an additional $411 million in public funds to pay for residential cleanup, as well as new transparency measures to prevent cost overruns and delays. The money would be used to remove contaminated soil from thousands more properties and finish cleaning the Vernon site itself.
Lawmakers have also reintroduced legislation to reform the toxic substances department, which was passed earlier this year but vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) said changes are needed to “prevent any future Exides.”
The type of lawsuit California filed is unlikely to satisfy community desires for justice because “it’s not about punishment. It’s about finding the money to pay for cleanup,” said Craig Johnston, an environmental law professor at Lewis & Clark Law School. “But the good news is there appears to be a lot of companies who are likely going to be held responsible.”
Johnston said it is “not unusual at all that people will take several years developing a complex Superfund case,” but that California officials at the same time “could have pursued criminal sanctions and cost recovery. These things are not mutually exclusive.”
Community members suffering from the pollution have for years demanded that those responsible be charged criminally, to no avail.
Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra’s office did not respond to questions about whether it investigated Exide criminally or pursued charges against the company. The L.A. County district attorney’s office spent years on a criminal investigation but did not file charges.
L.A. Dist. Atty. spokesman Greg Risling said other agencies, including local air quality officials, never presented “a case to our office for criminal filing consideration against Exide,” adding that “our office is unable to file criminal environmental pollution or contamination charges without a referral from a regulatory agency because we rely on the information they provide to us on these complex scientific cases.”
A spokeswoman for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which regulated the facility’s emissions, said it “shared information” with the district attorney’s office and U.S. attorney’s office, and that “it is their decision whether to use that information to file a criminal action, a civil complaint or pursue a different action.”
The air district filed its own civil complaint against Exide in 2014 seeking $80 million for alleged violations of lead and arsenic emissions rules, a case that is ongoing and “currently stayed in state court pending the resolution of various bankruptcy issues,” spokeswoman Nahal Mogharabi said.
Vaquero, the Boyle Heights resident, said “everyone is just pointing the finger at someone else, when in fact each one had their role in protecting communities from Exide. And they didn’t do that.”
Barry Groveman, an attorney and former head of environmental crimes for the L.A. County district attorney’s office, said the lawsuit was a necessary, if late, step, but that the state’s position is compromised by its history of weak oversight of Exide and the role it played in allowing the facility to continue polluting for decades.
Groveman expects the companies targeted in the suit to challenge it, at least in part, by arguing that the state does not have clean hands and “may itself be liable for a portion of the cleanup costs as a result of its negligent management.”
Groveman, who in the past has represented the county, the L.A. Unified School District and other government bodies, also criticized state and local officials for failing to conduct a serious investigation into what went wrong with Exide and how to prevent similar failures in the future.
“This is going to be repeated because nobody has been held accountable,” he said.


latimes--2020-12-19--They risk their lives cleaning hospitals. Now, they are getting vaccinated. 'I want people to know t

They risk their lives cleaning hospitals. Now, they are getting vaccinated. 'I want people to know that we exist'

Maria Saravia changes in and out of protective gear 24 times a day — once for each patient room she enters on the COVID-19 floor at Keck Hospital of USC .
She takes out biohazardous waste , freshens linens and sanitizes everything , down to the television remote .
At Rady Children ’ s Hospital in San Diego , Rosalina Baez knows which sign outside a child ’ s room signals a high-risk infection case , which could be COVID-19 .
She comforts parents and cracks jokes with their sons and daughters as she cleans bathrooms and mops floors .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ department at UC Davis Medical Center , senior custodian Shashi Kant , 65 , sometimes works 12-hour shifts emptying trash cans and sanitizing rooms .
These are the men and women who do the humblest work in hospitals filled with COVID-19 patients .
But they are so integral to patient care that they were among the first to get inoculated this week as the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech rolled out across the country .
It was a rare moment at the front of the line for the housekeepers and custodians , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are often an invisible shield between hospitals and disaster .
They comfort adults and children , protect patients and staffers from the spread of infection and toil in a landscape of heartache and risk alongside nurses and doctors for a fraction of the pay — and none of the glory .
The unleashing of the vaccine has raised questions about its distribution : who will get it first and whether the rich , powerful and famous can cut to the front of the line .
The hospital housekeepers ’ moment in the spotlight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small cosmic push in the direction of equity .
“ Whether it ’ s that [ environmental services worker ] or it ’ s this top-notch physician , they are the same for us , ” said Dr. Neha Nanda , medical director of infection prevention at Keck Medicine of USC .
“ Each person is equally important.
” Or as Dr. Robert Wachter , chairman of the Department of Medicine at UC San Francisco , tweeted Thursday evening , along with a photo of a custodian being inoculated : “ How awesome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did .
The vaccine rollout is a window into the culture and priorities of an organization.
” On Thursday afternoon , Saravia waited inside USC ’ s Norris Healthcare Center with the left sleeve of her blue scrubs rolled up .
She has worked at Keck Hospital of USC for 10 years .
In March , the 8-West COVID floor became her domain .
She watched as the rooms filled .
Most of the ailing people , like her , were Latino .
Some recovered and left .
“ Others I ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The 56-year-old had been waiting for this moment since learning of the vaccine ’ s approval .
The virus took her best friend in May and filled her with fear each time she returned to the Boyle Heights home she shares with two daughters and her parents , both in their 80s .
But when she talked to co-workers about getting vaccinated , some told her it would give her the virus , that she could get sick and die .
She knew she needed to get it to “ show my co-workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prove them wrong .
“ I decided to do it for my family , ” said Saravia , who began her career cleaning houses after emigrating from El Salvador in 1979 .
“ For everyone ’ s. ” Environmental services workers clean areas throughout hospitals , including patient rooms , operating rooms and ancillary places like radiology , labs and pharmacies .
They are tasked with discarding waste material , such as syringes .
For more than 20 years , Rosa Luna worked as an environmental services housekeeper at Riverside Community Hospital .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mexican state of Zacatecas and “ took great pride in disinfecting every inch ” of a room , said her daughter Dora Reaza .
“ She understood the risk of someone getting sicker from catching an infection in the hospital , ” Reaza said .
“ She always thought , ‘ What if it was one of my kids laying in the bed ?
’ ” When Luna got home from work around midnight , she would strip , leave her shoes and backpack outside and immediately go inside and shower .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go to work , Reaza said .
In April , the 68-year-old tested positive for the coronavirus .
She died May 4 of COVID-19 complications .
Last month , Baez , who works at Rady Children ’ s , and her husband tested positive for the virus .
They believe he contracted it while working his landscape construction job and gave it to her .
Their 19-year-old daughter , who lives with them , tested negative .
Baez , 51 , who has worked at the hospital for 15 years , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sense of smell for a month .
Her three children were happy that she was the first in the family to get vaccinated .
“ We ’ re on the front lines , ” Baez said .
“ We need to be protected so we can help these families and do the best job we can.
” The virus also hit close to home for Kant , the senior custodian at UC Davis Medical Center .
His 36-year-old daughter , who worked in a Modesto hospital , died three months ago of COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kant , who has worked at the medical center for 28 years , got vaccinated Tuesday at 11 a.m. “ I ’ m protecting myself , and I ’ m protecting the patients , ” said Kant , who will receive his second shot Jan. 5 .
Like Saravia and Baez , Kant went right back to work after getting his vaccination .
Angela Balam , who works for Kaiser Permanente , didn ’ t tell her four children she was getting vaccinated until the deed was done .
The 49-year-old shared the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweet with a photograph of her getting her injection .
“ Say hi to the mayor , ” one daughter joked before adding , “ Thank god mom !
!
!
!
!
!
” Her children shared it on Snapchat and Instagram , thanking their mother for her hard work and calling her an inspiration .
Only her youngest daughter sent her a text asking why she had volunteered , but later , the 21-year-old told her mother she was proud of her .
This year , Balam was among the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospital .
As the patient was pushed through the hospital in a wheelchair , Balam followed closely behind , disinfecting .
She soon found herself sent to every room housing a COVID patient .
One day , she would speak to a patient ; the next , the person would be intubated and silenced .
She often worked 16-hour days , especially after her son lost his job due to the pandemic , making her the only breadwinner in the family .
“ It doesn ’ t matter if they have COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deserve to have clean rooms , to be treated like any person who comes to the hospital.
” After emigrating from the Mexican state of Yucatan in 1990 , Balam spent 20 years working in maintenance before landing her dream job at Kaiser in 2018 .
She didn ’ t think twice before volunteering to get the vaccine .
In fact , she was so eager Monday morning that she twice asked if it was her turn and was told , “ Not yet.
” When she finally got the shot , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like “ a door to the future.
” In the last year , she ’ d watched co-workers and supervisors get sick .
And amid the surge , she sees it happening again .
“ We ’ re indispensable , just like any other person , ” Balam said .
“ I want people to know that we exist , that we ’ re here .
… All the departments are important , but so is ours .
”

Environmental services attendant Rosalvina Baez cleans a room at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. She was among the workers who got a COVID-19 vaccine shot at the hospital.
Maria Saravia changes in and out of protective gear 24 times a day — once for each patient room she enters on the COVID-19 floor at Keck Hospital of USC. She takes out biohazardous waste, freshens linens and sanitizes everything, down to the television remote.
At Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, Rosalvina Baez knows which sign outside a child’s room signals a high-risk infection case, which could be COVID-19. She comforts parents and cracks jokes with their sons and daughters as she cleans bathrooms and mops floors.
For the record: An earlier version of this article misspelled the first name of environmental services worker Rosalvina Baez of Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego as Rosalina.
In the intensive care units and emergency department at UC Davis Medical Center, senior custodian Shashi Kant, 65, sometimes works 12-hour shifts emptying trash cans and sanitizing rooms.
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These are the men and women who do the humblest work in hospitals filled with COVID-19 patients. But they are so integral to patient care that they were among the first to get inoculated this week as the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech rolled out across the country.
It was a rare moment at the front of the line for the housekeepers and custodians, known as environmental services workers, who are often an invisible shield between hospitals and disaster.
Jesse Gonzalez, environmental services attendant at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, was among the front-line workers there to get a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shot this week. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)
They comfort adults and children, protect patients and staffers from the spread of infection and toil in a landscape of heartache and risk alongside nurses and doctors for a fraction of the pay — and none of the glory.
The unleashing of the vaccine has raised questions about its distribution: who will get it first and whether the rich, powerful and famous can cut to the front of the line. The hospital housekeepers’ moment in the spotlight of the vaccination of America is a small cosmic push in the direction of equity.
“Whether it’s that [environmental services worker] or it’s this top-notch physician, they are the same for us,” said Dr. Neha Nanda, medical director of infection prevention at Keck Medicine of USC. “Each person is equally important.”
Or as Dr. Robert Wachter, chairman of the Department of Medicine at UC San Francisco, tweeted Thursday evening, along with a photo of a custodian being inoculated: “How awesome that William received his vaccine before I did. The vaccine rollout is a window into the culture and priorities of an organization.”
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Maria Saravia gets vaccinated at Keck Hospital of USC. Saravia changes in and out of protective gear 24 times a day: once for each patient room she enters on the COVID-19 floor at the hospital. (Gabriella Robison / Keck Medicine of USC)
On Thursday afternoon, Saravia waited inside USC’s Norris Healthcare Center with the left sleeve of her blue scrubs rolled up. She has worked at Keck Hospital of USC for 10 years.
In March, the 8-West COVID floor became her domain. She watched as the rooms filled. Most of the ailing people, like her, were Latino. Some recovered and left. “Others I’ve seen die,” she said.
The 56-year-old had been waiting for this moment since learning of the vaccine’s approval. The virus took her best friend in May and filled her with fear each time she returned to the Boyle Heights home she shares with two daughters and her parents, both in their 80s.
But when she talked to co-workers about getting vaccinated, some told her it would give her the virus, that she could get sick and die. She knew she needed to get it to “show my co-workers it’s important.” And to prove them wrong.
“I decided to do it for my family,” said Saravia, who began her career cleaning houses after emigrating from El Salvador in 1979. “For everyone’s.”
Environmental services workers clean areas throughout hospitals, including patient rooms, operating rooms and ancillary places like radiology, labs and pharmacies. They are tasked with discarding waste material, such as syringes.
Danny Hernandez, left, environmental services manager of Riverside Community Hospital, stands with Dora Reaza, holding a photo of her mother, Rosa Luna. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
For more than 20 years, Rosa Luna worked as an environmental services housekeeper at Riverside Community Hospital. She immigrated to the U.S. from the Mexican state of Zacatecas and “took great pride in disinfecting every inch” of a room, said her daughter Dora Reaza.
“She understood the risk of someone getting sicker from catching an infection in the hospital,” Reaza said. “She always thought, ‘What if it was one of my kids laying in the bed?’”
When Luna got home from work around midnight, she would strip, leave her shoes and backpack outside and immediately go inside and shower. She was the only one leaving the house to go to work, Reaza said.
In April, the 68-year-old tested positive for the coronavirus. She died May 4 of COVID-19 complications.
Last month, Baez, who works at Rady Children’s, and her husband tested positive for the virus. They believe he contracted it while working his landscape construction job and gave it to her. Their 19-year-old daughter, who lives with them, tested negative.
Rosalvina Baez and her husband tested positive for the coronavirus last month. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Baez, 51, who has worked at the hospital for 15 years, said she and her husband both lost their sense of smell for a month.
Her three children were happy that she was the first in the family to get vaccinated.
“We’re on the front lines,” Baez said. “We need to be protected so we can help these families and do the best job we can.”
The virus also hit close to home for Kant, the senior custodian at UC Davis Medical Center. His 36-year-old daughter, who worked in a Modesto hospital, died three months ago of COVID-19.
So there was no hesitation when Kant, who has worked at the medical center for 28 years, got vaccinated Tuesday at 11 a.m.
“I’m protecting myself, and I’m protecting the patients,” said Kant, who will receive his second shot Jan. 5. Like Saravia and Baez, Kant went right back to work after getting his vaccination.
Angela Balam, who works for Kaiser Permanente, didn’t tell her four children she was getting vaccinated until the deed was done. The 49-year-old shared the news via a screenshot of a Kaiser tweet with a photograph of her getting her injection.
Today is a historic day. As we grieve those whose lives were affected or lost to #COVID19, we take a moment to celebrate hope for our future. Thank you to all who made this vaccine possible, and to the physicians & staff who will distribute it with great care. #COVIDVaccine pic.twitter.com/iof2Hlwzzi — Kaiser Permanente Southern California (@KPSCALnews) December 14, 2020
“Say hi to the mayor,” one daughter joked before adding, “Thank god mom!!!!!!” Her children shared it on Snapchat and Instagram, thanking their mother for her hard work and calling her an inspiration. Only her youngest daughter sent her a text asking why she had volunteered, but later, the 21-year-old told her mother she was proud of her.
This year, Balam was among the first to interact with a COVID-19 patient at the hospital. As the patient was pushed through the hospital in a wheelchair, Balam followed closely behind, disinfecting.
She soon found herself sent to every room housing a COVID patient. One day, she would speak to a patient; the next, the person would be intubated and silenced. She often worked 16-hour days, especially after her son lost his job due to the pandemic, making her the only breadwinner in the family.
“It doesn’t matter if they have COVID,” she said. “They deserve to have clean rooms, to be treated like any person who comes to the hospital.”
After emigrating from the Mexican state of Yucatan in 1990, Balam spent 20 years working in maintenance before landing her dream job at Kaiser in 2018.
She didn’t think twice before volunteering to get the vaccine. In fact, she was so eager Monday morning that she twice asked if it was her turn and was told, “Not yet.”
When she finally got the shot, she was flooded with emotions — it felt like “a door to the future.” In the last year, she’d watched co-workers and supervisors get sick. And amid the surge, she sees it happening again.
“We’re indispensable, just like any other person,” Balam said. “I want people to know that we exist, that we’re here. … All the departments are important, but so is ours.”