by John Hawkins, President and CEO, The Club
Hello Club Members working all across our City to keep us safe during this unprecedented global pandemic. As I write this while working remotely, we’re finishing the third week under the mayor’s Safer at Home directive.
Not all of you can work from home, and the Club honors you. You’ve called us and responded on our social pages that you’re out there as first responders or front-line staff, working in the City. We’re talking about Fire and Police, sure, but also the DWP, General Services, Public Works, ITA, Airports, Neighborhood Councils, Rec and Parks, Transportation, Sanitation, and many more.
In fact, as you’ll see in the rest of this issue, we’ve attempted to list the major ways each department is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that I see it designed all in one place, I’m impressed at how quickly the City put this together.
What you see in this month’s cover story wasn’t what we had originally for this month. (You’ll get to see that story in the coming months.) We started on it, but after March 11, everything changed. The City got busy setting up for the emergency … the Club got busy taking care of Club Members with some of the biggest outreaches in our history … and Alive! changed plans on a dime and put together our main story this month. I haven’t seen a list like the one we’ve compiled anywhere else. It’s one for the City Archives, for sure.
We’ve always prided ourselves on good, original photography for the paper and Website. City Employees deserve the best we have. So we’re delighted to welcome back Juan Guerra, an independent photographer who focuses on the LAFD. We asked Juan what he had and what new photographs he could take for us, and you’re seeing the results of that. Well done, Juan!
As we all take extra care to be safe from this virus – six feet apart, everyone, and wash those hands frequently – remember that the point of everything the City and the Club are doing is to save lives, and to remind our Retired seniors that they matter. You matter to us, Club Members. We really want you to know that.
I say thanks to all those who are facing this crisis head on. The Club has your back, and we’ll continue to tell your stories. We’ll see you all again next month, and the month after that, and after that, until this virus is well in our rearview mirror.
Stay safe!
— John
