Collegian ollegian Los Angeles
PANDEMIC RESISTANCE ISSUE II See Resources Pg.5
The Voice of Los Angeles City College Since 1929
Wednesday, April 15, 2020 Volume 184 Number 4
COVID-19 CASES
AROUND THE WORLD
OBITUARY
Kabwe Chanda
Compiled By Richard Martinez
Mayor Mandates Hiring Freeze In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti implemented a citywide hiring freeze. This action is just one tactic the mayor used to tighten the city’s budget during the pandemic. According to a city interoffice memo, no new staff can be hired or onboarded, even if job offers were made. Any exceptions are subject to guidelines as set by the city administrative officer and the mayor. Because the hiring freeze was made effective as of March 19, 2020, this directive applies to all new hires, both for full-time and as-needed positions.
Health Department Issues New Instructions to Stop COVID-19 Guidelines for social distancing and for disinfecting have been issued by officials at the L.A. County Department of Public Health to prevent the spread of pulmonary diseases like COVID-19. This includes handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and using hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. L.A. County’s stay-at-home order and business closures have been extended to May 15. Health officials say that physical-distancing helped slow the spread of COVID-19. The County Department of Public Health encourages Angelenos to stay at home as much as possible and maintain a distance of at least six feet from others when going outside. They also advise residents to work at home when possible and refrain from inviting visitors to their homes.
Kabwe Chanda Photo Courtesy tumfweko.com
City College IT Manager Dies By Abiu Izquierdo
NORTH WILL REMEMBER ‘ITALIAN LESSON’ Collegian culture reporter Will Torres shows how in the age of coronavirus the distance and differences between Italy and the U.S. are shorter and fewer than anyone might think. As much as Marcello Faotto loves to drink a couple of glasses of pinot grigio, eat charcuterie from his beloved Café Mazzini, located in the Piazza Guiseppe Mazzini near the harbor of Como and hang out with friends, he knows it is not safe to do so at the moment. Italy is in second place behind the USA with over 143,000 coronavirus cases and more than 18,849 deaths. Marcello is 37 years old, from the Lombardia region in Como, Italy. He has been in his flat since day-one of the
lockdown. He used to go to the square with his mates every weekend until the mandatory stay at home order occurred. “I felt like a prisoner in my own country when Italy decided to lockdown my city,” Marcello said. Unfortunately, shutting down the North of Italy did not succeed. By March 9, Italy had 9,172 confirmed cases with a total of 463 fatalities—a 5 percent higher death rate than the global average of 3.4 percent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
SEE “ITALIAN LESSON ” PAGE 6
L.A. Firefighters, Police Find Risk in Virus Fight
Face Coverings Required on LACCD Properties Following a mandate from Mayor Garcetti for essential workers to wear face coverings when interacting with the public, the L.A. Community College District is requiring all employees to wear face coverings while on district property. According to a statement from the LACCD, a delivery of disposable face coverings to each campus may occur this week. This is the latest effort by L.A. County officials to curb the spread of COVID-19 by preventing the transmission of respiratory droplets that may contain the virus.
Photo CREATIVECOMMONS
Police and fire stations receive extra maintenance as officials grapple with a spike in positive test results for coronavirus among police and firefighters. By Xennia Hamilton
INDEX Opinion & Editorial
2-3
Features
4-5
News
6
Resources
7
Sports
8
It seems like parts of the world have come to a standstill with the coronavirus pandemic. Angelenos have been ordered to shelter in place until May 15, and officials have ordered non-essential businesses shuttered. Yet, police and firefighters remain on the front lines, and some have contracted COVID-19. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has had 46 cases
diagnosed within its department, and 15 Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighters have tested positive, according to NBC 4 Los Angeles. Police and firefighters help battle the virus in Los Angeles at a personal cost to their health. Neither the LAPD nor LAFD would comment on the employees who tested positive. Both departments have taken steps to keep the virus at bay and protect police and fire personnel. “Regarding what is being done,
officers have been issued personal protective equipment, practice social distancing “whenever possible” and COVID-19 questions are being asked by our Communications Division when officers respond to radio calls,” said LAPD Officer Drake Madison. The department also works to keep the facility clean and safe for officers. The virus can survive on metal and cardboard for hours and on plastic surfaces for as long as 72 hours according to the Centers for
SEE “VIRUS FIGHT” PAGE 6
Disease control. “Surfaces are frequently wiped down at divisions and work spaces. Our officers still need to respond to radio calls to keep the public safe, at the same time doing their best to stay safe and healthy,” Drake said. The Department is particularly vulnerable because they are the ones who enforce the “Stay at Home Order,” which puts them in close contact with members of the public. There are approximately 9,000 police officers in the Los
Los Angeles City College IT manager Kabwe Chanda died April 8, at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Chanda was well known among Los Angeles Community College District employees and LACC instructors and staff for his professionalism and kind disposition. Chanda was an alumnus of Cal State University Long Beach and West Los Angeles College. In his more than 15 years of service to the district, Chanda worked at Southwest College, West Los Angeles College and LACC. President Mary Gallagher says she remembers when Chanda was new to the district at L.A. Southwest College when she was vice president of administrative services. “So, when we had an opportunity to work together again in late 2018, we were both so happy,” Gallagher wrote to the Collegian. “There are several things that were unique and amazing about Kabwe. His smile, his laughter, his wit, his deep love for his wife and his son, his ability to get anything done, his compassion for others, his leadership that instilled confidence in his team and to the entire campus. “ Gallagher called Chanda “a highly skilled technician and a great project manager.” She says his powers of imagination allowed him to accomplish the task at hand—whatever needed to be done. Los Angeles Southwest College President Sewer Ahan praised the native of Zambia in a remembrance on the LASC website. Chanda worked at LASC from 2006 to 2012, and again in 2018, according to the website. “This loss is devastating for our college and our community,” Ahan wrote in the statement. “As many of you can attest, Kabwe had an incredible spirit. He was more than a co-worker, but a friend to almost all he interacted with. He was quick to smile and laugh and also quick to support his colleagues. No matter the difficulty of the job, you could always expect Kabwe to be prepared, calm and ready to offer critical assistance. His positivity resonated throughout any room that he was in and was transferred amongst all of the individuals in it.” Chanda was an alumnus of Cal State University Long Beach and West Los Angeles College. As recently as the spring semester 2020, he taught a computer hardware class on Saturdays at West L.A. “He was a teacher – to his students at West Los Angeles College, to his staff at LACC, and to his son,” Gallagher said. “And he was a good friend to all. He made you smile even in serious times.” In recent weeks, he was excited to be taking on new responsibilities as a regional IT manager. Chanda is survived by his wife and a son. Los Angeles Southwest College is currently trying to organize a virtual remembrance for Chanda so all those who knew him, worked with him or want to remember him may do so. Some of his friends ask that people please honor his memory by showing others kindness and empathy, a way of celebrating his life and the impact he made on those around him. “It was my great fortune to have been able to work with him again,” Gallagher wrote. “Kabwe will live in my heart forever.”