On the Pandemic:
‘Ask Dr. Mom’ How Far Have We Come? By Melina Paris, Assistant Editor
[See How Far?, p. 4]
Rat Infestation: Residents say SPHS construction is to blame p. 3
Civil rights activist Najee Ali and Justice for Murdered Children Executive Director Lawanda Hawkins at a press conference at Toberman Community Center. They both expressed concern over the hiring of controversial former police Chief Sandra Spagnoli. Photo by Chris Villanueva
Exec. Director Kiyan and former Police Chief resign By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
In a surprise move, Toberman Neighborhood Center Executive Director Darlene Kiyan tendered her resignation on Jan. 10, three days after a press conference in which civic leaders and civil rights activists blasted the hiring of a controversial former police chief from Beverly Hills as its new director of “social justice.” The position would have overseen Toberman’s gang intervention and prevention program. The nonprofit’s board of directors named Lorenzo Hernandez as acting executive director, effective Jan. 10, 2022. Civil rights activist Najee Ali called for the cutting of Toberman’s Gang Reduction and Youth Development program if the former Beverly Hills police chief, Sandra Spagnoli, didn’t resign. In a farewell message sent on Jan. 12, Kiyan said she was leaving the 120-year-old nonprofit for a position at a larger agency. Her last day was Jan. 14. Spagnoli turned in her resignation around the time of Kiyan’s announcement. In her farewell message, Kiyan discussed the values
with which her parents reared her while working multiple jobs and noted how losing a family to gang violence influenced her work with young people. Kiyan said she announced her resignation to Toberman’s board of directors last month. The departing executive director made no mention of Spagnoli, nor the fallout once the community became aware of the hiring. In an interview with Random Lengths News, Toberman executive director Darlene Kiyan confirmed that Spagnoli had been hired and that Jan. 5 was Spagnoli’s third day on the job. Kiyan also explained that Spagnoli was to oversee Toberman’s gang intervention program. After the press conference, there was a Jan. 10 meeting between Toberman and community members concerned about Spagnoli. According to sources who attended the meeting, Tober[See Shake-up, p. 14] 1
January 20 - February 2, 2022
FILM REVIEW: Loving Lucy no prerequisite for loving Being the Ricardos p. 9
Shake-up at Toberman
Hundreds caravan for Medicare across California p. 5
Dr. Jessica Kiss of the Palos Verdes Medical Group, who also runs an Instagram account called askdr.mom. Photo by Arturo Garcia-Ayala
Real People, Real News, Really Effective
January 2021, almost one year into the global pandemic, Random Lengths News spoke to Dr. Jessica Kiss of Palos Verdes Medical Group about the state of Los Angeles County’s health. Hospitals were operating at dangerously close to full capacity while frontline healthcare workers were triaging what seemed like an endless line of COVID-19 patients fighting for their lives. Patients who needed medical care for anything other than COVID-19 often had to be turned away. [As of Jan. 17, 4,564 people with COVID-19 are currently hospitalized in Los Angeles County]. If that sounds familiar, that’s because we’re reliving it. It was a grim existence. Yet, as the pandemic persists, some parts of the United States and California in particular gained greater control over COVID-19. This was possible through treatments and ongoing research in medicine and science, including vaccine trials. But we also reached this point because people have become educated, armed and remain committed to the rituals of maintaining their health and that of those around them via COVID-19 vaccinations, testing, social distancing, masking and hand washing. In December, Dr. Nava Yeganeh, MD, MPH medical epidemiologist with the Acute Communicable Disease Control Program, Department of Health, framed how far we had come since one year earlier. Over the past year, we are so fortunate to have gained access to an incredibly safe and effective vaccine in protecting our children from serious short and long-term complications from COVID-19. Furthermore, these vaccines have allowed the children in our community to return to a more interactive and joyful life, from attending in person school to participating in social events, sport teams and extracurricular activities important for their development and growth. In Los Angeles County specifically, we have administered over 590,000 doses