Last year in early April, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti made a bold claim in response to criticism from homeless advocacy groups and a federal judge that said hand-washing stations rolled out to encampments in response to the early pandemic took too long to hit the streets and when they finally did, they weren’t being properly maintained.
“We have talked to the folks that are our vendors and instead of being checked once a week, [hand-washing stations] will now be checked daily.”
“That will begin tomorrow,” Garcetti promised.
On the streets, not much changed though. On the day of Garcetti's announcement, L.A. TACO assessed a hand-washing station in Westlake, one of the city's most densely populated neighborhoods, where more than 1,800 unhoused residents live.