In the crowded kitchen of a McDonald’s in Oakland, it was as though the coronavirus didn’t exist.
Social distancing wasn’t enforced in the early weeks of the pandemic. As workers boxed Big Macs and bagged orders, they often stood shoulder to shoulder. latimes.com/california/sto…
There weren’t enough masks, so managers told workers to improvise, offering up a box of dog diapers somebody had left at the store. Often, the outlet was so busy that workers said they had no time to wash their hands, let alone disinfect the countertops.
When the coronavirus surged through the store in May, employees — even those with symptoms — said they were pressured to keep working, according to formal complaints filed with the local health department and the state.
By summer, the coronavirus had flared at nine other outlets within 15 miles of the store, with more than 70 workers and their families testing positive or exhibiting symptoms, complaints show. Many employees worked at more than one outlet, potentially spreading the infection.
It’s a pattern that has repeated itself across the country as fast-food restaurants have struggled to maintain the health and safety of front-line workers who face conditions that frequently put themselves and their families at risk of contracting COVID-19.latimes.com/california/sto…
A lack of protective equipment and social distancing and pressure to work at all costs have persisted deep into the pandemic, according to a review of summaries of 1,600 complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. latimes.com/california/sto…
A new bill introduced in the State Assembly excoriates the fast-food industry for its response to the pandemic, contending that chains have flouted measures intended to protect the state’s 500,000 fast-food workers and their customers from COVID-19. latimes.com/california/sto…
Trump has been delegating daily responsibilities to Mike Pence while hunkering down with a small group of aides and contemplating additional presidential pardons. latimes.com/politics/story…
Since the pro-Trump mob smashed through the Capitol, Pence has taken over.
Pence was the one who authorized the deployment of the National Guard to quell the mob.
Breaking: During his first days in office, President-elect Joe Biden plans to send legislation to congress that would provide a pathway to citizenship for 11 million immigrants who are in the country without legal status.
Biden’s legislation does not include money to support detention and deportation. Previous immigration bills passed under both Democratic and Republican administrations linked an expansion of immigration with stepped-up enforcement and security measures. latimes.com/california/sto…
The bill would provide a shorter pathway to citizenship for people with Temporary Protected Status, for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients and likely also for certain frontline essential workers, vast numbers of whom are immigrants. latimes.com/california/sto…
Five large COVID-19 vaccination sites are slated to open next week in Los Angeles County:
• Pomona Fairplex
• The Forum in Inglewood
• Cal State Northridge
• L.A. County Office of Education in Downey
• Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia latimes.com/california/sto…
Each site is expected to vaccinate 4,000 people a day. Appointments and proof of employment in the healthcare industry will be required to get the shot, the county said. The five sites are expected to remain open for at least four weeks. latimes.com/california/sto…
They are run separately from the city’s Dodger Stadium vaccine site.
Jesus Alegria was skateboarding with some friends at a Compton park on an afternoon in April when Deputy Miguel Vega and his partner, Chris Hernandez, pulled up.
🧵👇 latimes.com/california/sto…
Hands on their holsters, the deputies approached a group of teens. Alegria and his friends shouted at them to stop harassing the kids. The deputies, he said, rounded on them and words were exchanged. latimes.com/california/sto…
Vega suddenly grabbed Alegria’s wrists and shoved him into the back of the patrol car. The deputy didn’t handcuff him and didn’t ask Alegria’s name. latimes.com/california/sto…
Can workers be fired if they refuse to get vaccinated? Should they lose their jobs if they won’t do their part to achieve herd immunity?
Questions like these will be asked with increasing frequency as more doses of COVID-19 vaccine become available. latimes.com/science/story/…
The legal issues alone are complicated.
An employer can establish a mandatory vaccination policy if the need for it is job-related or if remaining unvaccinated would pose a direct threat to other employees, customers or themselves. latimes.com/science/story/…
But there are two main exceptions.
Employees can object to the vaccine if they think it will exacerbate an established disability or medical condition. They can also turn it down if it goes against their sincerely held religious belief. latimes.com/science/story/…