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Almost Half Of Workers In LA Have Been Let Go Or Put On Reduced Hours, Survey Finds
Nearly half of the city's workforce has been cut or had their hours reduced because of the ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study from Loyola Marymount University.
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti has teased out some of the study's findings in recent days, though the full report from LMU's Center for the Study of Los Angeles is not scheduled for release until tomorrow morning. Tonight Garcetti asked the center's associate director, Brianne Gilbert, to share a few more of the findings.
The study is based on surveys of 2,000 adult residents by phone and online in English and Spanish and found that 48% of respondents were impacted in all, and that younger and poorer workers were hit hardest, Gilbert said.
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Some of the other takeaways from the study:
- Nearly 1 in 5 Angelenos do not have anyone they can depend on for care
- 95% of Angelenos support the Safer at Home order
- The majority (59%) say that the government's response has been just about right so far, while 30% think the government could do even more
- Most Angelenos gave accurate answers to the ways to protect themselves and others as well as the most common symptoms
We'll bring you the full report tomorrow.
CHILD CARE FOR HOSPITAL WORKERS
Tonight the mayor announced an initiative to help cover child care for hospital workers and their families so they can focus on doing their jobs.
Participants will have three options:
- Apply for a stipend of $100 per shift. You'll be encouraged to use the stipend to help your kids stay at home or in the home of a trusted relative or neighbor, and participating hospitals must commit to making the full stipend available to all non-professional employees and prioritize low wage workers, Garcetti said.
- Get free referrals to licensed providers in your community via Carina, WeeCare, and "referrals throughout the county," Garcetti said.
- Free child care for kids aged 6-14 at rec centers for those who qualify. Starting Monday, the city will begin staffing its recreation centers from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.
STREET REPAIRS
Garcetti also said the city will take advantage of the lull in traffic to work on some major repaving project. The Bureau of Street Services will shift from residential streets to major corridors that would normally take much longer because of the high traffic volume.
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"We're always stuck between people saying 'Don't do this during rush hour' and 'Do it quickly.' Well, now we don't have rush hour, and we can do it quickly."
You can find more details on the program, including the streets scheduled for work, at streets.lacity.org/adapt.
Moving that work away from residential streets could have a side benefit: less noise for all of us stuck at home.
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