S A N TA M O N I C A
InSIDe
SAnTA MOnICA VOnS’S DeVeLOPMenT SeeS DeSIGn CHAnGeS
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY smmirror.com
PAGE 4
January 21 – January 27, 2022 Volume CXXIV, Issue 128
160 Santa Monica City employees Have Confirmed COViD infections Public Works employees record most cases among workforce By DoloreS Quintana Among Santa Monica city employees there are a total of 160 individuals who have been verified to have been infected with COVID-19 in the last two weeks. “Community spread of COVID-19 and the high contagiousness of the Omicron variant has caused some City staff to fall ill. Modifications have been made to the City’s already stringent infection control measures to proactively prevent COVID-19 spread in the workplace, such as upgrading masks to medical-grade personal protective equipment citywide and implementing physically distancing and augmented testing in impacted areas,” said Constance Farrell, Public Information Officer for the City of Santa Monica. These are totals among the different departments, as provided by Farrell, between 1/1 – 1/14. She stated that any employees who
are infected “are out after testing positive for COVID-19”. • Big Blue Bus, including bus drivers, 34 • Community Services (includes Swim Center) 12 • Fire Department 13 • SMPD 36 • Public Works 44 • Other Departments 21 • Farrell added that “this has not impacted the City’s ability to provide for the public’s safety and services. Early in the pandemic, essential service City departments developed staff contingency plans to manage staff COVID-19 absenteeism. The City continues to strictly follow all LA County Department of Public Health workplace prevention protocols, both in our worksites and when staff are working with the public.” The city required vaccination as a requirement of employment in August of 2021 with a deadline of October 29, 2021 to submit proof of vaccination. With a surge this large, the Omicron COVID variant is one of the most infectious viruses in the world with an infection factor of 15. The most infectious virus is measles which has an infection factor of 18.
Santa Monica City Hall.
Photo: Sam Catanzaro
Anti-Semitic Fliers Linking Jewish People to AntiVaxx Movement Posted at Santa Monica Schools Police investigation incidents at Eddison, Will Rogers, McKinley and Grant elementary schools By Sam Catanzaro
Santa Monica police are investigating anti-Semitic fliers posted at public schools last week linking Jewish people with the anti-vaccine movement. The incidents were first reported by the Los Angeles Times on January 13 and took place that same day at four public elementary schools. According to Santa Monica Malibu-Unified School District spokesperson Gail Pinsker, faculty at the four schools–Eddison Language Academy, Will Rogers Learning Community, and McKinley and Grant elementary schools– discovered the fliers Thursday morning upon arrival before 8 a.m. The fliers were on walls and signs,
among other surfaces, and showed a Star of David constructed by the letters A and V along with the phrase “anti-vaxxer.” The fliers also asked people to report those against vaccines “because you care and they don’t” and listing a number to text, as reported by the Times. The number, with a Kentucky area code, says it’s an “Anti Vax Reporting Hotline,” operated by the Safer Tomorrow Organization. “We are recognizing an antisemitic element here with the image and the star,” Pinsker told the Times. “The school district is encouraging vaccinations for students and we do have a vaccination mandate for staff but it doesn’t seem that there’s any connection with any of those things.” The Times goes on to report that when more information is requested from the phone number, an automated response says that the organization is “starting to collect (but not act on) information on antivaxxers…That way we can work toward a solution together as a society.” The Santa Monica Police Department says it responded to the respective schools to collect information and is investigating the incident.
Grant elementary school in Santa Monica.
Photo: Sam Catanzaro