Why Lancaster is unhappy with LA County public health department's COVID approach

A mask abandoned on the ground. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris says, “I now have 74 dead people [in Lancaster], and I think that could have been substantially less. What they [LA County Department of Public Health] failed to do very early, that everyone knew they should do, was have a mask ordinance that was enforced.”

A mask abandoned on the ground. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris says, “I now have 74 dead people [in Lancaster], and I think that could have been substantially less. What they [LA County Department of Public Health] failed to do very early, that everyone knew they should do, was have a mask ordinance that was enforced.” Photo by Amy Ta/KCRW

On Thursday, the City of Lancaster in the Antelope Valley issued a vote of no confidence in Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH). Lancaster also plans to see whether it can create its own public health department that’s independent of the county. KCRW talks about all this with Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris.

From this Episode:

Credits

Host:

Madeleine Brand

Producers:

Sarah Sweeney, Angie Perrin, Michell Eloy, Amy Ta, Rosalie Atkinson, Brian Hardzinski, Bennett Purser, Rebecca Mooney