AirTalk

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Tim Brewer from UCLA.

Today’s topics include:

OC will offer digital vaccine record as an option, not a mandate 

Regular exercise may help protect against severe COVID-19 

CDC advisers will meet today about the J&J COVID-19 vaccine

Why aren't more men getting the COVID-19 vaccine? 

Guest:

Timothy Brewer, M.D., epidemiologist and professor of medicine at UCLA’s school of public health; has served on the advisory boards of the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Today on AirTalk, we check in on the reopening of LAUSD elementary schools and early education centers. Also on the show, we discuss the latest reporting on mistreatments within a state nursing home chain; discuss the closure of ArcLight and Pacific Theaters; and more.

The iconic Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, beloved by filmmakers and film lovers alike, is one of 300 Pacific Theaters screens set to close down permanently after the pandemic.

“This was not the outcome anyone wanted, but despite a huge effort that exhausted all potential options, the company does not have a viable way forward,” a Pacific Theaters representative said in a written statement. Pacific Theaters is also the operator of the multiplexes at The Grove and The Americana, which function as important anchors to both shopping centers. The closures come as Los Angeles County recently expanded capacity for indoor moviegoing to 50%— but after over a year with shut doors, the economic effects of the pandemic have proven too catastrophic for smaller chains. Major Hollywood power players took to Twitter to mourn the loss of the ArcLight Hollywood, housed inside a concrete geodesic dome (the only one of its kind in the world) and featured prominently in films like “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.” 

Today on AirTalk, we want to hear your thoughts about the Pacific Theaters closures and the loss of LA’s iconic Cinerama Dome. Comment below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.

Guest:

Anthony D’Alessandro, editorial director and box office editor at Deadline who has been covering this story; he tweets @AwardsTony

At a nursing home in Glendale, a certified nursing assistant was charged with raping a mentally ill patient in her room. After the incident, according to investigators, the victim said she felt "scared, sad, wanted to kill herself."

At a facility in Simi Valley, the daughter of one elderly resident told LAist that staff didn't adequately care for her mother, who developed a gruesome bedsore. "I could stick my pinky in it," she said. "It was down to the bone."

At a nursing home in Compton, a schizophrenic patient with one leg was inappropriately discharged. He went missing, only to turn up two weeks later in a park, unconscious, under his wheelchair. Regulators charged that the facility's lapses presented "imminent danger or a substantial probability" that if the man hadn't been found, he would have suffered grave harm, even death.

All three nursing homes are connected to ReNew Health Group, a fast-growing chain of skilled nursing facilities founded in 2014 and headquartered in Southern California. ReNew Health and its CEO, Crystal Solorzano, own or are affiliated with at least 26 facilities throughout the state. Solorzano owns, or is applying to own, the majority of them; in five other facilities her company has been involved in management or in administration. The network stretches from Orange County to the Central Valley to the Bay Area.

In its short time caring for California's most vulnerable -- many of them elderly and mentally ill -- the company has racked up an inordinate number of red flags and citations, many for infractions known as "Immediate Jeopardies," the most severe federal citation a nursing home can receive.

Today on AirTalk, we talk to reporters from LAist and CalMatters to discuss their reporting on issues residents and workers have faced in nursing homes across California, as well as get legal insights on the subject. Questions? Call us at 866-893-5722.

With files from LAist. Read more here.

We reached out to the California Association of Health Facilities, the non profit trade association that represents skilled-nursing facilities and intermediate-care facilities for people with intellectual disabilities across the state of California, but they declined our interview request.

Guests:

Aaron Mendelson, investigative reporter at KPCC; he tweets @a_mendelson

Elly Yu, investigative reporter at KPCC; she tweets @ellywyu

Jocelyn Weiner, health reporter for CalMatters, her latest piece is “California oversight of nursing homes called ‘befuddling,’ ‘broken’”, she tweets @jocelynwiener

Mike Dark, staff attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform

A relative handful of Los Angeles Unified School District campuses will welcome students back this week, exactly one year and one month since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the state’s largest school district into online-only mode.

The beginning of LAUSD’s reopening marks a huge turning point in efforts to resume in-person instruction in California’s K-12 schools. This week, students at 72 LAUSD elementary schools and early education centers will begin coming back to campuses in waves. LAUSD kindergarteners and first graders at these campuses will return on Tuesday. Second and third graders will join them on Wednesday. The oldest elementary students will return on Thursday. This is just LAUSD’s soft opening: there are more than 700 elementary schools in LAUSD, and most of them will reopen next week. Middle- and high schools reopen the week of April 26.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll check in on how things are going at LAUSD schools where kids are returning for in-person learning and hear from parents about how they and their kids are feeling about it. Join the live conversation by calling us at 866-893-5722.

Guest:

Kyle Stokes, education reporter for KPCC/LAist covering K-12 education; he tweets @kystokes

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Kimberly Shriner of Huntington Hospital. 

Topics today include:

U.S. urges pause in use of J&J vaccine due to blood clotting issue

A year into the pandemic, it’s even more clear that it’s safer to be outside

Recent rise in U.S. COVID-19 cases driven by younger people

New study finds U.K. variant no more deadly than original virus strain

What to do with your COVID-19 vaccine card, including if you lose it

Are herd immunity and the California coronavirus variant preventing a West Coast spring surge?

Guest:

Kimberly Shriner, M.D., infectious disease specialist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena

Today on AirTalk, we break down the latest COVID-19 news. Also on the show, we discuss the latest on the Tejon Ranch housing project; analyze what the defeated Amazon union effort means for the future of unions in the country; and more.

Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama handed the online retail giant a decisive victory when they voted against forming a union and cut off a path that labor activists had hoped would lead to similar efforts throughout the company and beyond.

After months of aggressive campaigning from both sides, 1,798 warehouse workers ultimately rejected the union while 738 voted in favor of it, according to the National Labor Relations Board, which is overseeing the process.

Of the 3,117 votes cast, 76 were voided for being filled out incorrectly and 505 were contested by either Amazon or the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which led the organizing efforts in Bessemer. But the NLRB said the contested votes were not enough to sway the outcome. About 53% of the nearly 6,000 workers cast their ballots.

In February, the Democratic-controlled House approved a bill that would make it easier for workers to form unions and bargain for higher wages, better benefits and improved working conditions. President Biden recommended the PRO Act to be a part of his infrastructure package.

The “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment.

In one of its most controversial provisions, the bill would close loopholes that allow what supporters call intentional misclassification of workers as supervisors and independent contractors in order to prevent them from joining a union.

Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about the significance of Amazon’s triumph over the Bessamer unionization effort, what the implications could be for the PRO Act and how it all fits into the larger picture of unions in America. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.

With files from the Associated Press

GUESTS: 

Karen Weise, technology reporter for The New York Times covering Amazon; she tweets @KYWeise 

Rebecca Givan, associate professor of Labor Studies and Employment Relations at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Nelson Lichtenstein, professor of history at the University of California Santa Barbara where he directs the Center for the Study of Work, Labor, and Democracy; he tweets @NelsonLichtens1

Last week, Getty and the city of Los Angeles announced the African American Historic Places Project, a new program aimed at identifying and preserving historic Black landmarks in the city.

The three-year initiative aims to rectify a glaring disparity in LA landmark designations— only 3% of current landmarks are connected to Black heritage and history. “There’s much work to be done to rectify that disparity and ensure that the heritage of African Americans in Los Angeles is fully woven into our historic designation, and recognition of historic places in Los Angeles,” said Ken Bernstein, principal city planner and manager of the Office of Historic Resources. The Getty and the city are actively searching for a project leader with the help of an advisory group, and will work with local communities and cultural institutions to identify landmarks. The initiative also aims to reconsider what a “landmark” might be; while landmark designation is often granted to buildings, leaders are interested in expanding the boundaries of this classification to include more intangible spaces that honor African-American heritage in the city.

Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from you. What histories, destinations or cultural landmarks connected to Black Angeleno heritage would you like to see designated as landmarks? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or comment below.

GUESTS:

Sara Lardinois, project manager of the Los Angeles African American Historic Places Project at the Getty Conservation Institute; she tweets @LardinoisSara

Susan D. Anderson, history curator and project manager at the California African American Museum who sits on the advisory panel for the project; she tweets @SusanDAnderson_

A long-running plan to build a community of 19,000 homes on vast Tejon Ranch north of Los Angeles has been halted by a judge who cited high wildfire risk.

Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff on Tuesday rejected Los Angeles County’s approval of the developer’s environmental impact report, effectively blocking construction. The judge cited aspects of the environmental review concerning fire danger and additional greenhouse gases generated by vehicles, the Los Angeles Times reported. The ruling does not kill the project on the southern flanks of the Tehachapi Mountains near the Kern County border, the newspaper said, but it does threaten to delay it significantly.

The Center for Biological Diversity, one of the project’s most vocal opponents, hailed the judge’s decision. The project’s developer said the ruling would merely delay construction. The Centennial development has faced significant opposition since it was proposed by Tejon Ranch Co. in 1999. Opponents cite impacts on plant and animal habitats, earthquake and wildfire hazards, traffic congestion and pollution, among others. Advocates say Centennial would bring housing, jobs and revenues to the county, as well as needed infrastructure in the region 70 miles (112. kilometers) north of downtown Los Angeles.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk about what’s next for Tejon Ranch and hear how environmental advocates plan to work with the developers as the project progresses.

With files from the Associated Press

We invited Tejon Ranch Company to join our discussion, but they could not make someone available to speak with us at the time of our interview.

GUESTS:

J.P. Rose, staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity; he tweets @JPRose5

Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at UC Berkeley; he also leads the Climate Change and Business Research Initiative on behalf of UC Berkeley Law and UCLA Law

With contributions from Manny Valladares