As a newly elected city councilmember, I am also looking forward to working with the new leadership in Washington D.C. Congratulations, President Biden and Vice President Harris!
And not a moment too soon. We are in dire need of help in Los Angeles to recover from the economic devastation of this pandemic, and to ramp up vaccine distribution to all of our people. Federal leadership will be key.
Nearly a year into the COVID crisis we’re still in the danger zone. In the 10th district alone, more than 26K residents have tested positive and almost 500 have died. Now that we’re beginning to get the vaccine out, there’s real potential for this to work. It requires stepping up. A sample of the larger issue we face, only 38 percent of adults in the 10th District have health coverage. So our priorities must be localized distribution sites & more consistent supply. Robust targeting of the most vulnerable communities & locating vaccination centers in accessible locations. (ie: mobile sites, partnerships with labor business, clinics, houses of worship, etc.) At the heart of this is an acknowledgement of who is bearing the disproportionate impact of the effects of the COVID. They must be central in our plans. It’s called equity.
In regards to ending homelessness in our city, key details still have to be worked out, but the news of additional FEMA support is big for #projectroomkey. Amid a crisis in a crisis, we have potentially an opportunity to not only keep the program going, but to expand.
Together we can, and together we will.