It’s a simple and intuitive idea: People tend to listen more to those they know.
So in L.A. County, health officials are enlisting people living in tents, RVs and makeshift shelters to help get unhoused people vaccinated against COVID-19.
Dozens of people have become peer ambassadors through the demonstration project, which compensates them to do the work for up to eight hours in total, providing $25 gift cards to stores such as Target or Ralphs for each hour worked.
They work side by side with L.A. County Department of Health Services workers, sharing their personal experiences with the vaccine. The teams also hand out snacks, water and other critical supplies, including naloxone kits to treat opioid overdoses.
As of late September, public health officials estimated that 56.7% of people experiencing homelessness across L.A. County were at least partially vaccinated, compared with nearly 78% of the broader population.
“Every day is different,” said Anthony Coleman, a community health worker who led the team around Lincoln Park, cautioning them to watch for protective dogs outside tents and RVs. “One day we can get a hundred, next day we might get none.”
One of the big benefits of bringing on peer ambassadors is that they can say things to their friends and neighbors that wouldn’t fly from health workers.
For decades, the Stauffer Chemical Co. disposed of thousands of tons of industrial waste near its factory grounds along Richmond’s southeast shoreline.
But the barbed-wire-ringed Richmond site wasn’t Stauffer’s only dumping ground.
Warning signs along the Richmond, Calif., site’s perimeter attempt to discourage trespassers from breaching the locked gates, where soil testing has detected cancer-causing gamma radiation more than 60 times higher than background levels in some places.
In the last two decades, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control has overseen the investigation into the extent of contamination, revealing elevated radioactivity underground and at the surface. latimes.com/environment/st…
South Korea currently recycles close to 100% of its food waste, a remarkable jump from just 2.6% in 1996.
So, how did the nation's composting system become a model for the world?
Let's take a journey!
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The food waste that ends up at Nanji Sewage Treatment Center starts out in a translucent yellow bag, which South Koreans have been required to use for throwing out their uneaten food since 2013. latimes.com/world-nation/s…
By purchasing them, which are priced at around 70 cents per liter and sold at any convenience or grocery store, residents effectively pay a tax on the food that they are throwing away. latimes.com/world-nation/s…
The decision to fire Tucker Carlson came straight from Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, according to people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to comment. latimes.com/entertainment-…
Murdoch is said to be concerned over Carlson’s coverage of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, where the host has promoted the conspiracy theory that it was provoked by government agents. latimes.com/entertainment-…
Tucker Carlson has called Ray Epps — a Texas man who participated in the storming of the Capitol but did not enter the building — an FBI plant, without any evidence. latimes.com/entertainment-…
Tucker Carlson is leaving Fox News. The network announced the departure of its top rated and most provocative conservative host Monday with no explanation. His last show was Friday. latimes.com/entertainment-…
Tucker Carlson's departure from Fox News comes nearly one month after a Fox News producer filed a discrimination lawsuit against the network, Carlson and other producers, alleging that the network is rife with sexist, misogynistic and abusive behavior. latimes.com/entertainment-…
Fox News last week reached a $787.5-million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems to resolve a defamation lawsuit. Dominion accused Fox of knowingly making false claims related to the 2020 election. latimes.com/entertainment-…
The junta, which would go on to rule South Korea as a dictatorship for the next eight years, sent about 3,000 elite paratroopers — including Choi Byung-moon — to crush demonstrations.
For 10 days straight, the commandos went on a campaign of terror.
At least 165 people were killed – including, Choi suspected, a young girl he handed off to fellow soldiers following a bloody minibus attack. latimes.com/world-nation/s…
Affluent communities with little low-income housing have been among those most targeted by state legislators who have strengthened half-century-old laws requiring cities to plan for growth.
In the past, Coronado only had to set aside land for 50 homes to meet state requirements. But this time, it is responsible for 912, 70% of which should be affordable to low- and middle-income residents. latimes.com/homeless-housi…
The allocation derives from a complex formula based on projected population increases and proximity to jobs and mass transit, among other factors. The law doesn’t mandate that cities build or approve new housing, just that they zone for it. latimes.com/homeless-housi…