Greater LA

On this episode of Greater LA: As we adjust to the new normal, some parents are concerned their young kids may be getting too much screen time as distance learning takes hold. A therapist addresses unease about the prospect of heading back to work as coronavirus restrictions slowly ease. And we take a look at the pandemic spectator’s sport of peeping into newscasters and commentators houses as they broadcast from home.

Rich, poor, housed, or unhoused, the coronavirus has touched every population. One of the oldest organizations in Los Angeles helping those in need is the Union Rescue Mission. The organization's longtime CEO, Andy Bales, says the last eight weeks have been like nothing he has ever seen.

Last weekend was the first glimpse of LA’s new normal. Under phase two of Governor Gavin Newsom’s reopening plan for California, several non-essential businesses — including clothing stores, bookshops, and sporting goods stores — were allowed to serve customers. Some formerly-closed state parks also welcomed hikers. As the state slowly reopens, people are cautiously rediscovering their routines.

Extra food packages, more cleaning products, and the return of flimsy single-use plastic bags are hallmarks of the pandemic, and they’re piling up in our wastebaskets. While a fair amount of the things we’re tossing are recyclable, workers at recycling plants are being forced to adapt to physical distancing. That’s slowed down an already struggling system.

An apartment building in Hollywood called Treehouse was designed for co-living and face-to-face interactions between residents. Now in the age of COVID-19, residents are hanging out via Zoom and playing virtual games together. Some have moved out, while others have signed new leases and moved in.

Crime fell 23% in Los Angeles during the first month of stay-at-home orders, according to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore. With residents staying home to curb the spread of COVID-19, it’s tougher to find someone on the street to rob, or to burgle a house without being seen.

A group of unhoused and housing insecure people have moved into homes in El Sereno owned by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The state agency bought them decades ago, and many of the homes have been sitting vacant. Caltrans hasn't given the reclaimers permission to move in. New occupants don't have leases and aren't paying rent.

An estimated 40,000 day laborers in California are looking for work every day in parking lots, on street corners, and at hiring centers. Many are feeling the economic effects of COVID-19. They can’t find work or face reduced hours. A majority of day laborers lack legal residency status in the U.S., which means the social safety net is out of their reach.

Angelenos who lost jobs due to COVID-19 are worrying about making rent payments. Meanwhile, landlords have to cover mortgages, property taxes, and garbage bills. Some renters say their landlords are pounding on their doors and windows at all sorts of hours, demanding rent checks. Other landlords are taking a more civil approach by trying to create payment plans. 

Thousands of people in Los Angeles County who cannot fully care for themselves rely on home care workers for daily tasks like meal prep and bathing. To do their jobs well, home care workers must be physically close to their clients, breaking the rules of social distancing. Now they have a dilemma: How do they protect themselves when their livelihoods are about taking care of someone else?