In light of the unprecedented economic and health challenges presented to working families and small businesses by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, has employed the full force of her office and leveraged new technology to assist the people of the 43rd District.
“I want my constituents to know that despite the challenges presented to us by the coronavirus pandemic, my office has not stopped working on behalf of our community,” said Congresswoman Waters. “It is imperative that the people of the 43rd District have a federal government that they can rely upon to address this unprecedented crisis. My office is respecting the social distancing guidelines, and actively taking advantage of telephone and video conferencing technology services that will help us keep in touch with and better serve you.”
On March 19 and April 2, Congresswoman Waters conducted the first two in a series of 43rd District telephone town hall meetings that included approximately 19,000 and 15,000 local residents, respectively. Her calls featured presentations by the Los Angeles County Department of Health, the IRS, the Small Business Administration, all of the school districts in the 43rd District, LA Metro, LA Homeless Services Authority, LA Regional Food Bank, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Watts Health Care, South Bay Family Health Clinic, and UMMA Community Clinic.
Congresswoman Waters also organized conference calls with 43rd District mayors Patrick Furey (Torrance), James Butts (Inglewood), Alex Vargas (Hawthorne), Tasha Cerda (Gardena), Robert Pullen-Miles (Lawndale), and James Gazeley (Lomita), and leaders of the hospitals serving her district, including Torrance Memorial Hospital, Centinela Hospital, Providence Little Company of Mary, Memorial Hospital of Gardena, and Harbor UCLA Medical Center. She and her staff are urgently following up on a number of concerns raised during the calls such as the need for increased federal funding for coronavirus testing; PPE and medical supplies for health care workers, city employees, and first responders; health care services for the uninsured and the homeless; and reimbursement for lost city revenue and emergency housing and homelessness assistance programs. She has also joined conference calls, led by Rev. Jesse Jackson, with national clergy leaders who outlined their concerns regarding minority communities and small businesses who are desperately in need of federal assistance.
Congresswoman Waters is also continuing to provide direct constituent casework services for 43rd District residents, which have included: identifying and directing seniors and local families to free meal programs and local food pantries; securing emergency U.S. State Department chartered flights for Americans who were stranded abroad in Morocco due to coronavirus-related flight cancellations; and advocating for increased demographic, testing, and medical supply data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the African American community in Los Angeles County and counties across the country.
For additional updates on Congresswoman Waters’ efforts, please visit her website, waters.house.gov.
