Los Angeles advocates worry that millions in unspent federal pandemic assistance will fund infrastructure projects instead of supporting residents with Long COVID or preventing new infections.
This article was published in collaboration with the LA Public Press.
Long COVID and COVID-19 safety advocates are criticizing the Los Angeles City Council for its decision last month to reallocate more than $13 million in unspent federal pandemic relief funds to what they characterize as unrelated projects. And they point out that, with infections still occurring daily and potentially hundreds of thousands of Angelinos debilitated with Long COVID, now is not the time to cut back on resources.
The council voted unanimously, with two members absent, to reallocate funds following recommendations from the LA Community Investment for Families Department (CIFD). The department recommended redirecting $4.23 million in CARES Act funds, plus $8.92 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds originally designated for COVID-related services and post-infection care. Instead, the money is now set for infrastructure improvements including HVAC upgrades, street lighting improvements, and roof replacements.
Critics who flooded the council with comments argue that the proposed reallocation violates the spirit — possibly the letter — of the law.
Michelle Felix, a photographer based in LA who became an advocate after losing her mother to COVID-19, said that the city hasn’t provided a sufficient explanation for the proposed redirection of federal dollars. “I think it’s pretty reckless behavior on the city’s part,” she said. “And it’s really kind of confusing because they’re worried about maintaining the economy, but there won’t be any people around to maintain it if they keep dropping off due to chronic illness and death.”
Federal guidelines require CARES Act funds “to address unmet needs caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
But critics question how $170,000 for “Los Angeles Mission Improvement Skid Row” and $90,000 for “Arleta-Weidner Street Lighting” relate to COVID-19 response. While HUD allows funds for projects that “prevent, prepare for, or respond to coronavirus,” the connection isn’t clear for many proposed projects.
Most of the redirected money would go to the Department of Economic and Workforce Development’s Microenterprise Recovery Grant project, which would fund small businesses hit by both the pandemic and January’s fires.
The $13 million represents a fraction of LA’s total pandemic relief funding. According to federal data, the city received more than $694 million in pandemic assistance, though city officials have not confirmed how much of that funding remains unspent.
“The balance of reprogrammed funds will be allocated to city-owned and city-supported sites that need replacement heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, ensuring that any future pandemics will be met with facilities that can safely ventilate heated or cooled air,” the document states.
Mayor Karen Bass has until June 2 to sign or veto the proposal. If signed, a public comment period will reopen for seven days. The reallocation requires HUD approval.
In an email to LA Public Press, the CIFD defended its recommendations for proposed HVAC improvements, but did not address other line items in the proposal.
“Improving a public facility to be prepared to address a future pandemic that would require a facility to have proper air circulation and space to accommodate future pandemic needs is an eligible use,” a CIFD spokesperson said in an email.
But that explanation doesn’t satisfy COVID-19 safety advocates like Paul Hennesey. He argues that proposing “HVAC upgrades,” without specifying what kind of upgrades, is inadequate. “They are telling us to take their word for it,” Hennesey said.
Unless the upgrades are based on a standard for clearing infectious aerosols from the air, such as ASHRAE 241, they’re not ideal for preventing airborne illnesses, Hennesey continued. “A vague statement about HVAC replacements may or may not mean they’re shooting for these standards. LA Metro has the capability to follow [San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit] BART’s lead and install denser filters and more frequent air changes, which has not taken place.”
Hennesey added that the city could give grants to businesses to help them upgrade air filtration, but hasn’t done so.
Naomi Roochnik, a spokesperson for Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who voted in favor of the reallocation, defended the proposal. “These buildings and projects often house services people rely on, so fixing them up actually is part of our greater recovery,” Roochnik wrote in an email. Representatives for other council members who voted yes did not respond to requests for comment.
But critics say even if the money is legitimately spent on improving air quality for public spaces in the future, it could be better spent on helping people with Long COVID who desperately need immediate relief.
LA Metro has the capability to follow [San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit] BART’s lead and install denser filters and more frequent air changes, which has not taken place.
Paul Hennesey
Long COVID is an economic issue
Long COVID advocates — many of whom have petitioned the city and county for years — have specific recommendations for how the unspent federal dollars could be used. Their suggestions include creating a permanent office of Long COVID in either the city or county — or both — and having the city provide housing support, meals and in-home care, transportation, legal aid, benefits navigation, and case management for people with Long COVID.
Beyond federal money, advocates want a permanent Long COVID line item in both the city and county budgets to provide ongoing funding for long-term disability response. They point to a similar approach used with HIV — which studies show may also increase the risk of Long COVID. Advocates also want the LA County Health Department and the LA City Health Commission to integrate Long COVID into their monthly epidemiological reporting, alongside RSV, flu, tuberculosis, and other infections.
Currently, neither the city nor county provides dedicated services for people with Long COVID.. The county held a virtual Long COVID town hall in April that viewers criticized for not providing information on what the county could do for people with the disease.
Given the ongoing threat of new infections — this reporting comes amid warnings of an upcoming summer wave — spending more on public awareness would also make sense, they say.
Dr. Anish Mahajan, chief deputy director of LA County Public Health, acknowledged the ongoing need for Long COVID support when asked for comments for this story at a healthcare journalists conference session last month. “Our hearts still go out to sufferers of Long COVID,” he said. “It is an area that needs more attention, research and planning around care, delivery and access.”
However, Mahajan said he could not speak to specifics of COVID-19 and Long COVID funding in LA.
[Long COVID] is an area that needs more attention, research and planning around care, delivery and access.
Dr. Anish Mahajan, LA County Public Health
Government research and surveys suggest over 20 million American adults have Long COVID, a complex chronic illness that can last for months or years and may be indefinite. Despite clear evidence of what the virus can do to the body, there’s no consensus on how to prevent or eliminate the long-term effects — beyond not getting infected in the first place, which is difficult without constant isolation or masking in public spaces.
Nicholas Rodello, a data researcher in LA who is affected by Long COVID, experienced weeks of cognitive dysfunction that threatened his job more than three years ago. “I was struggling to do basic things. It was severe for three months, and then probably another six months after that I was not really fully there. I went to my doctor and kind of described what I was going through, and I was just kind of brushed off.”
While Rodello’s symptoms improved with time, that is not the case for many with Long COVID. A 2024 study found that up to 14% of U.S. adults surveyed had not returned to work three months after their SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Rodello, who said the CIFD proposal is “clear misappropriation” of federal funds, wanted to show the city that spending money on Long COVID would be a more effective use of funds. To make this case, he enlisted the help of Harvard economist David Cutler, who in 2022 published a paper analyzing the costs of Long COVID, to estimate the impact of the disease on the city of LA.
Based on his estimate that 268,000 people in LA are affected by mild or severe Long COVID at any given time, Cutler determined that the disease would cost the city of LA more than $12 billion in five years if not addressed.
In an email to LA Public Press confirming his findings, Cutler emphasized that “Long COVID is a huge burden on the economy, and it is incumbent upon us to recognize that.”
Long COVID advocates say they have been disappointed by the lack of urgency at the city, county and federal level as society has “moved on” from the crisis, but people with the disease can’t. In February, the Trump administration directed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to terminate the Federal Advisory Committee on Long COVID. In March, the HHS closed the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice, despite promises that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made to Senators during his confirmation hearing. He also vowed in a May Senate hearing to find treatments for Long COVID.
Lila Nordstrom, an author and long-term 9/11 survivor and advocate, said she’s “frustrated” by public officials who don’t seem interested in putting resources toward researching Long COVID. “As somebody who has been working for years with a post-disaster, health-compromised community that also did not receive proper research, I know what’s coming for Long COVID,” Nordstrom said.
“We face the same thing in the 9/11 community, where we can’t get autoimmune disorders covered because there’s no research. One of the ways you can make yourself resilient to future crises like this is to study the effects of the crisis that happened and understand the long-term implications. Long COVID is common in people who don’t even realize they have Long COVID at this point.”
As somebody who has been working for years with a post-disaster, health-compromised community that also did not receive proper research, I know what’s coming for Long COVID.
Lila Nordstrom
Journalist Larry Buhl reported this story for the LA Public Press.
For Long COVID information, advocacy, and patient resources:
- Long COVID Essentials, The Sick Times and Long COVID Justice
- Long COVID support groups
- National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) definition of Long COVID
For COVID-safer events and organizations around Los Angeles:
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