Culver City’s State Senator Holly J. Mitchell and Assembly member Sydney Kamlager-Dove lead an hour-long online Town Hall on Thursday night, March 26, 2020, updating listeners on actions being taken in Sacramento to help alleviate hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Kamlager-Dove and Mitchell began the call with a laundry list of state resources and initiatives, from mortgage leniency to grab and go meals for school children and their families.
“We know people are suffering economically because of the pandemic,” Kamlager-Dove said. Children under the age of 18 can visit any Grab and Go meal location in Los Angeles and get two free meals between 7a.m. and 11a.m. every weekday. The nearest locations to Culver City are Palms Middle School and Marina Del Rey Middle School.
The conversation is part of a series of town halls focused on helping the public navigate the resources available to Californians as the number of those infected with COVID-19 continues to increase across the state.
Recently, Gov. Newsom partnered with some of the nation’s largest banks to provide a 90-day grace period on mortgage loan payments. Mitchell and Kamlager-Dove emphasized that to have late fees excused, homeowners will have to call their mortgage lenders directly.
In the weeks since the coronavirus has shut down businesses and halted everyone in place, the homeless population, among the most vulnerable, has required special attention.
“This is an overwhelming issue,” Mitchell said of homelessness. “To now amplify it with this pandemic is terrifying, to be perfectly honest with you.”
Kamlager-Dove said she has sent a letter to Congresswoman Maxine Waters requesting, among other things, $5 million for emergency homelessness assistance, as well as to ban evictions, foreclosures and repossessions.
“We also know that no one should be taking advantage of those families and those folks who cannot afford to pay rent,” Kamlager-Dove said. “This is on par with price gouging.”
For many, the spread of the coronavirus and the ensuing change to quality of life, has been a shock.
“You think about this when you watch movies, you don’t think that something like this is going to happen in real life,” said Kamlager-Dove. She added, “We are trying to move as fast as this pandemic is moving.”
But the leaders were positive about how communities have responded to the pandemic.
“I have seen members of the community rise up to take care of each other,” Mitchell said.
“We’re only going to get through this if we stay at home, wash our hands and respect each other,” she said.
Elizabeth Moss
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