people think of los angeles, this is what they think of, people driving around in cars, but i am a reporter for nbc news and msnbc. and to be honest with you, this is not my normal mode of transportation, at least normally. i'm used to flying around the country on an airplane, but since the pandemic, i haven't been on an airplane but once. and i'm driving to get a covid test. it really wasn't supposed to be this way. we locked down fast and hard. a lot of people lost their jobs. new york seemed far, far worst, but in the last couple months, that has not been the case at all. and l.a. has become the epicenter. what i am trying to understand is how did this happen? how did the place that locked down first, fastest and hardest get so out of control? even though things aren't as bad as they were at the height of the holidays, our numbers are still worse than before the surgele that made us the epicenter that of the country. this appears to be the end of the line. how's it goin'? for a test. okay, thank you very much. le and, in fact, where i am right now, pacoima, became the epicenter of the epicenter. i met up with people who know this area better than anyone else to find out why. >> this school, 25% of the students are here homeless. >> reporter: you say 25? a quarter of all the students in this school are homeless? >> this is an area that has a lot of poverty, a lot of pain. it used to be an industrial place. there was a gm plant. le. >> a lot of manufacturing. >> it all died. in the '80s and '90s, it was gone. the people who have stayed here are the mexicans, central americans, service workers. >> now, crippled with record covid rates and unemployment. we visited a food bank where the line stretched down the block. what do you do for work? >> i clean houses. since the pandemic started everything went down. >> alex padilla is from pacoima. >> it doesn't get worse in the place that you came from. >> this is absolutely one of the hottest spots for the country. look at all the cars lined up for testing. people nervous, people anxious. people wondering if they have the virus. many people wondering if they're going to be evicted in a few weeks or how they're going to put food on the table. it's bad. >> how do you solve this? is it just a medical solution to what we're looking at? >> it's not just a medical solution. le how do we support families and small business. and when we rebuild, how do we build more equity. i call it twin pandemics. yes, it's the covid pandemic, there's impact disproportionately on communities like this, but the pandemic of inequality that's finally undeniable. >> last fall, researchers predicted california would be the epicenter of the next covid wave because it has the most economic inequality in the country. in aflew the brentwood, where kamala harris has a home, covid cases at the beginning of january averaged 601 for every 100,000 people. in pacoima, that number was five times as high. le many people in pacoima can't work from home, so they get infected at their workplaces, bringing the virus to their families. reuben took us to the housing project in pacoima where he grew up. you can see how covid has exacerbated the situation here. sfll oh, definitely. there's a lot of kids living here. but when you look around, nobody's outside. >> everybody's inside. >> why? >> you want to take care of your health as best you can, but also you have parents that are struggling. very overwhelmed by the situation. >> how many people do you guys know who live here and got the virus? >> like seven. >> is it pretty difficult with everybody living together like this? >> yeah. >> senator padilla is headed to washington with all of this in mind. the economy today is better than ever if you look at it on paper, but in your home city, my home city, you've got over 60,000 people living on the streets. many around neighborhoods like this one. >> just like the pandemic, there are inequity that are exacerbated. the wage to raise a family on is very different in different parts of the country. near california, in los angeles, people are feeling the pinch big time. >> still in line, getting closer to testing, and actually, the other daily an opportunity to speak with the surgeon general of california, the first surgeon general of california about how neighborhoods like pacoima became the epicenter of the epicenter. >> it's not a surprise that we are seeing greater rates of covid in our most vulnerable communities. because those are the communities that have fewer resources and more limited access to the things that we need, that anyone needs, to be able to keep themselves healthy. and that's what we're seeing laid out in the whole pandemic. >> you know, there's a term, social vulnerability, that is used to describe people like some of the folks that i've met here in pacoima, who are uniquely susceptible to contracting the virus because of who they are and where they live. le and even might be prevented from doing things like i'm doing, showing up in a car like this to get a covid test. she's got a really unique perspective on that, because of the fact that she used to run a community clinic in san francisco herself. >> i remember before i opened the clinic where i worked until i becamelele surgeon general of california, my patients before we opened our clinic would have to take three buses across town. le how do you do that when you have five kids in tow? and these things make a material difference in terms of people's ability to access the services that they need to be able to keep themselves healthy. >> about to get my test passed to me through this window here. >> thanks a lot. >> go all the way forward, okay? >> thanks a lot, i'll pull all the way forward. this is how this works. you take this little swab. open it up, extra long. you're supposed to cough five times. le and then start swabbing. forle 10 seconds in each area. not pleasant. not pleasant, but i think i did it. so shake this vial. you get the reagent, i think this's what it's called, all of the test and put it in the bag. thanks to dr. burke harris for talking to me. we're going to talk to some of those folks she was talking about specifically. some of those uniquely socially vulnerable, especially the people living in the shadows. we'll be right back. in the shads we'll be right back. >> i've known her for 30 years, and you can see those hands have cleaned so many homes in this city. that you cannot imagine. she's raised kids, you know, other moms' kids. they've given everything. at the end of the day, you know, the only safety net that they have is themselves, and the organizations. s themselves, and organizations. it all starts with an invitation... ...to experience lexus. the invitation to lexus sales event. lease the 2021 rx 350 for $429 a month for 36 month's, and we'll make you're first month's payment. experience amazing. my name is austin james. as a musician living with diabetes, fingersticks can be a real challenge. that's why i use the freestyle libre 14 day system. with a painless, onesecond scan i can check my glucose without fingersticks. now i'm managing my diabetes better and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. you can do it without fingersticks, too. ask your doctor for a prescription for the freestyle libre 14 day system. and visit freestyle libre.us to try it for free. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high you know how i feel ♪ ♪ breeze drifting on by you know how i feel ♪ [man: coughing] ♪ it's a new dawn, it's a new day... ♪ no matter how you got copd it's time to make a stand. ♪ ...and i'm feelin' good ♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. it's time to start a new day. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy. and save at trelegy.com. for skin that never holds you back don't settle for silver #1 for diabetic dry skin* #1 for psoriasis symptom relief* and #1 for eczema symptom relief* gold bond champion your skin it's time to switch to t-mobile. right now, pay zero costs when you do! keep your number and keep your phone -- we'll even pay it off! only at t-mobile. the leader in 5g. want to save hundreds on your wireless bill? with xfinity mobile, you can. how about saving hundreds on the new samsung galaxy s21 ultra 5g? you can do that too. all on the most reliable network? sure thing! and with fast, nationwide 5g included - at no extra cost? we've got you covered. so join the carrier rated #1 in customer satisfaction... ...and learn how much you can save at xfinitymobile.com/mysavings. usa. in los angeles, most people don't live in neighborhoods like this. they lived in cramped housing locations. many are undocumented. last year we met up with some to find out what it's like to live in the shadows during the pandemic. this cell phone video was geffen to us by a filipino caretaker who shares a two-bedroom apartment in los angeles with six other health care workers, four of whom are undocumented. >> you can see the shoes. so many people lief here. >> they live together to save money, but tight living conditions also prove risky, and they live in constant fear of contracting covid. both from their workplace and at home. in california, it's not unusual for frontline health care workers to be undocumented. many serve as caregivers in nursing homes where more than 40% of covid deaths in the u.s. occur. we met three of them on a recent morning. where are you from? >> philippines. >> philippines. >> nearly 20% of california's nurses are filipino, and while they account for a quarter of asian residents in california, they have a disproportionately high percentage of covid deaths amongst this group. and a new nationwide study showed them as some of the hardest-hit communities with deaths up 30% this year over the past five-year average. and for those who are undocumented, there's the add burden of being ineligible for federal relief. on top of covid you have the undocumented. >> that's the biggest problem. we cannot get the stimulus. we cannot file for unemployment. we don't know what will happen for the next month. we might be homeless. >> you said homeless. right over there, i'm looking at homeless people sleeping in the park behind you in the tents. ? >> you really think there's a chance you could be on the streets? >> yes. >> you have no choice but to go back to your job. >> he started the filipino worker center to help undocumented filipinos. >> undocumented workers doing home care and domestic workers are still very much needed right now, so they're essential workers. >> it's this paradox of being undocumented but essential workers. >> that's right. it brings all the problems that undocumented workers are facing. >> this is the overlap of multiple problems at once. >> that's right, and this crisis right now just shows all of those intersections. given that, we need to make sure that these jobs are good jobs so they actually can afford decent housing, so they actually can afford health care and transportation. >> check out the sign right here. for temporary workers, go to pasadena community job center. this spot right here, it's pretty quiet right now. but in normal times this is a meeting place for another group of uniquely vulnerable people, undocumented day laborers. they don't have access to health care or financial services, and those are problems that existed long before covid. as we got an up close look at earlier this summer. >> what we do is have love and solidarity. the very people who helped us for many years now need help. >> he co-heads a network that assists day laborers. with no safety net for many of these workers, pablo and community volunteers here in pasadena, california are left to fill the void. you're the co-executive director of the national day laborer center but are not there but are here at a basically, a food bank on wheels. >> we ask the workers to stay home to protect themselves, the community and the employers. these are worker whose are left out of federal assistance. >> you're talking about undocumented workers. ? some of them are undocumented. >> the reality is, there are thousands of families, tens of thousands, maybe even millions across the country who need assistance like this. >> we are facing multiple crises that are converging, not just the pandemic, but the racial justice crisis. >> the largely latinx community has more than twice the covid infection rate of whites. they're also roughly twice as likely to die from the virus than white residents. we followed along as he made food dlefryes to some of his most at-risk residents. she says they're alone. and without the people like you. >> i've known porfedia for 20 years. those hands have cleaned so many homes that you cannot imagine. she's raised kids, other moms' kids. they've given everything. at the end of the day, you know, the only safety net they have is themselves and the organizations. >> living right next door is another worker pablo's been helping, marta. >> do you work? >> i used to. >> you used to. what were you doing before covid? >> housecleaning. >> housecleaning. >> mm-hm. >> and since covid? >> house cleaning in my house. >> in your house. >> what's that feel like to you? >> well, i think that the harder thing for us is money to pay the rent. >> the workers that have been most affected by the pandemic, restaurant workers, household workers, the low-wageworkers, you know. bringing the food helps but it's not what's going to get these people out of the difficulty reality they're in. >> and what will? >> jobs, good-paying jobs. >> this is the pasadena job center, one of the places those workers can go to for help. they have to rely on the altruism of the people inside. places like this are popping up all over, including in hollywood. the mutual aid has been necessary far longer than the pandemic. albert, from ground game l.a. sets out on one of his group's daily delivery runs. for the past couple years, ground game has seen demand for basic food and supplies grow, and albert believes this is because the city has its priorities wrong. how is pasta sauce and chili and surgical masks have anything to do with defunding the police? >> if that money weren't going to police, it could help people. >> more than $3 billion went to the lapd. albert and other activist groups believe that money could be better spent elsewhere. >> defund the police! >> and in the wake of the george floyd protests that took over the streets this summer, a coalition led by black lives matter proposed a new alternative people's budge its, which allocated just 5.7% to the lapd, directing the remaimeder to affordable housing, health care and education to fight inequality. zoe lost her waitressing job when covid shut down the city. >> do you want these paper bags? usually we don't give them. >> how has it been to get these deliveries? >> really easy. defund the police, has that occurred to you? >> our government in general has failed the citizens. the only way i can survive the last few months during covid is by community. >> albert started to become active in organizing two years ago after his sister, melee, was killed by police when she was caught in the crossfire of a shootout with an armed suspect as he ran toward a trader joe's where she was working. the los angeles police commissional on which on full disclosure, my own dad sits found that the police response was in policy. al berlt and his family have filed a wrongful death lawsuit. >> you have people who are every part of their being in this fight. i fight for melley. >> after his sister's death, he die devoted himself to fighting for the people the city's let down. >> i don't think cops should be treating vulnerable communities. and i think that's misguided and will lead to people being harassed and worst case scenario, being killed. >> you know, when we were with albert, one of the things that struck me is how all that stuff in there, the beans, tomatoes, whatever, rice, unions, ppe, you see how people are struggling in housing, it was bad before covid, once we show you the end of the moratoriums, we'll show what you that may look like. >> the first time i've been on an eviction, and it feels intense even to approach one of these houses. do we know if they're here? >> yes. >> it's the middle unit on top. eviction on number five, open the door, they said. berty mutual — they customize my car insurance so i only pay for what i need. 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(vo) ideas exist inside you, electrify you. they grow from our imagination, but they can't be held back. they want to be set free. to make the world more responsible, and even more incredible. ideas start the future, just like that. you guys might have seen around thanksgiving of last year, which was really the start of the big covid surge in l.a. that some of these houses right here were the site of big evictions. houses were occupied by people who had nowhere else to go. and in a big clash, look down there even, there's still some police officers, california highway patrol making sure it doesn't happen again, and there are private security guards right here. they threw a lot of these folks out. that sort of public spectacle is not usually how this goes. evictions are routine. they happen all the time in l.a. and even during the covid moratorium. and according to researchers at ucla, they are only poised to get a whole lot worse. we're on our way to the first of what the sheriff department says are going to be six evictions they're going to attempt today. in normal times they're doing 30,000 evictions in l.a. county alone, but that pales in comparison, 495,000 households, not people, households, are at risk of eviction. we went out with a sergeant, a 25-year veteran. you got a second to give us the scoop? >> yeah. apparently, initially, we told that the male had covid. he took the test two weeks ago. so that time has expired, so that can't stop it. >> the man who was living here is going to get his pets, it looks like, from the back yard. >> we watched as the occupants dropped off their pets to a neighbor and loaded other possessions into a car. looks like we're going to north hollywood, not far from where our nbc l.a. location is. the sheriff's department sends multiple notices in advance of the eviction, warning the occupants to leave. so, it was just a matter of changing locks. the first time i've been on an eviction, and it feels intense even to approach one of these houses. do we know if they're here? >> yeah, they're supposed to be. >> so it's the middle unit on top here. eviction on number five, open the door, they said. yeah, he said he had personal problems, lost his job. >> he said he was waiting for this. >> he said he was waiting for? >> yeah, a lot of people do. they don't have anywhere else to go, they stay there until we get there and then leave. >> this stays with you, i guess. >> as you see, you're driving into the middle of people's lives and altering them. >> vast inequality existed long before covid. but now with job losses mounting because of the virus, the consequences are more for everyone. the resident left through a back door and we ran into him. you worked at chipotle. what happened? >> i quit. >> how come you weren't paying? >> i didn't have a job. >> i got to tell you, i'm really sorry you're going through it. >> it's okay, i've been through worse. >> you don't know where you're going to stay tonight? >> no, i don't. >> you think there's a chance could you end up staying in your car? >> probably, but oh, well, what can i do, you know? le. >> next was an unexpected eviction. a pizzaria behind on its rent. >> this started pre-covid. for the past 11 months, he hasn't paid one dollar rent. >> another sign in the window, another lock change. the way the economy's going with small businesses, do you think there will be more like this in the future? >> i believe so, yes. >> now we're in a really nice neighborhood. these are really big houses, probably until dollar homes. not exactly sure where we are headed. are they home? >> we met by a homeowner with an increasingly common problem. what's going on? >> we have some squatters in the house. >> when you say squatters, these are people who moved in without permission? >> correct. >> they had already va kalted by the time we arrived. here in los angeles, the sheriff's department is bracing for when both federal and state moratoriums on evictions expire. you could be doing this a lot more in the not-too-distant future. >> yes, a lot more. >> as that young man told me when he was evicted, after that process he could end up just like this, ending up on the street. l.a. was already the unhoused capital of america, more people living on the streets than anywhere else in the united states. and help has always been hard to come by. it's the same thing that the act vests and residents in ucla, jane nguyen, is also up against, going to try to solve the underlying conditions of this pandemic. she showed us how this past august. you guys are going to bring them down, see if people want anything? >> yeah. >> i can come with you. >> sure, yeah. >> do you have a way you normally approach people? >> yeah, just ask if people need anything. hello. do you need any socks? i have some supplies. >> you're welcome. >> dean and gabby, a veteran, used to have homes and jobs, until a series of financial reversals and injuries. how long have you been on the street? >> for about the same time we're together. >> eight, eight to ten years. >> and you guys have stayed together through all this? >> mm-hm. >> we were trying to get the city to, instead of spending $3 billion on the police, they should be spending that money on housing, services. >> a lot of people would be scared to walk into a homeless encampment like this and talk to total strangers, but you're not. >> you know, i've approached hundreds of encampments. i've never felt threatened or scared before, because people know that i'm there to help them. they're victims of poverty. it has nothing to do with, you know, them being a danger or anything. so. >> and you really think that what it says on your button, defund the police, that's the way to solve what we're looking at here? >> well, i don't know if that will solve it, i just know that right now it's mathematically impossible to solve homelessness, when so much of our budget goes to police instead of housing and services. >> for those most at risk in los angeles just like these folks, the situation could not be more dire. but for people with resources, people who can get help, life goes on. we'll show you that right after this break. how's your pandemic going? >> i don't know, i'm in construction, so my reality's a bit skewed. >> real estate market couldn't be hotter right now. >> seriously, especially in los angeles w. >> seriously, especially in los angele n a friday night ♪ ♪ a pair of jeans that fit just right ♪ ♪ and the radio up ♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's. you can't plan for your period's... what the gush moments. but the right pad can. only always ultra thins have rapiddry technology and, they absorb 40% faster. the gush happens fast. that's why always absorbs faster. sure, your health insurance tells you to see a doctor but, um, look around. these days it's not that easy. you're telling me. but humana helps make it easy. human care gives you tons of ways to talk to your doctor: phone, computer, in person, or tablet. hey jean! hi! this is just a quick follow up. your numbers are looking great. you don't even have to put on shoes. ooo! easy peasy. you like that, huh? mhm. humana. a more human way to healthcare. humana. visible is wireless that doesn't play games. it's powered by verizon for as little as $25 a month. but it gets crazier. bring a friend every month and get every month for $5. boom! 12 months of $5 wireless. visible, wireless that gets better with friends. ♪ ♪ smooth driving pays off. saving is easy when you're in good hands. allstate. click or call for a quote today. losing a tooth didn't stop you but your partial can act like a bacteria magnet, allstate. putting natural teeth at risk. new polident propartial helps purify your partial and strengthens and protects natural teeth. so, are you gonna lose another tooth? not on my watch! cranky-pated: a bad mood related to a sluggish gut. miralax is different. it works naturally with the water in your body to unblock your gut. free your gut, and your mood will follow. angeles.. in this part of los angeles county, houses can go for a million dollars easily, and leave can be good even in the middle of a global pandemic, nothing like we've seen so far. what's up, guys? we're going to go over there and talk to people buying their fruits and veggies at the farmer's market to see how things are going for them. i haven't eaten yet, so i'm looking forward to this. can i get a bag of kara kara? >> sure. >> did the surge slow you guys down? not in this area. do you live in this area? how's your pandemic going? >> i don't know. i'm in construction, so my riality's a bit skewed. it's weird, right? how's everybody, you and yours doing during the pandemic? >> well, it's a slow process, it's a process that you've got to be fully aware and follow, follow the rules that are presented. you know, and then you should be fine. you know, i'm most concerned about those that are less fortunate than we are. you know, there's another option. as you know. >> and that is? >> death. which i'm not interested in. >> nor am i. >> uh-huh. >> mix and match! >> how are you guys doing? >> all right. i mean, the farmer's market is like one of the only places we go to on the weekends, so we look forward to it. >> what's been the biggest challenge for you guys during thele pandemic? >> extensional fear. she's pregnant. >> congratulations. >> we're nervous already, so the pandemic makes everything more anxious for us. >> how about you? what are you feeling are the big challenges? >> well, we just moved to l.a. a month ago. >> from where? >> from brooklyn. >> you came to l.a. from new york during the epicenter. >> we're like collective bill paxton in "twister." >> it didn't stop you. >> we had already kind of set our hearts on coming. so i don't know. he took all the precautions he could. >> thank you so much, appreciate it. >> so you're a doctor. >> yes. >> what's that been like? >> it's been stressful. i feel a lot better that we were able to get our vaccine. we're still seeing patients and going to work every day. >> how are most of the people you see? are they from around here? >> they're from around here. middle school teens are really struggling, it's a hard time. >> what about the parents? >> they're struggling, too it's hard to struggle teaching and working and everything 24/7. >> thank you, i heard this stuff is good. what do you do? >> i'm in ad sales. >> i work at disney. >> at disney? >> mm-hm. >> have you been able to work from home? >> yeah. >> how's that been? >> i guess as good as it can be. we used to live on the west side in venice, so it was definitely a lot different. >> more dense there, probably. >> much more dense. once we moved here, it was a little bit more relaxed, and, you know, it's so spread out that it feels a little bit safer almost to go outside and do things like this. >> i think statistically, it's safer. if you look at the map of where there's more covid and less covid in places like this where you have more space, you're going to be safer. >> totally. >> kind of like, i don't live in this neighborhood, but i don't live far away, same deal, an added layer. it's not the vaccine but an added layer of protection. >> totally. >> what did you get? >> oh, man, i got salad dressing, kara kara oranges and i was recommended the moroccan bread. >> yeah. >> supposely, it's delicious. his name is jack. >> awesome. >> nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you, too. enjoy the farmer's market. >> nice to meet you guys. >> got all my stuff. as you can see, here at the farmer's market, if you've got the resources, and if you've got the time and energy to log online you are going to stay pretty safe in l.a. county, but that is not the case for everyone, and we will show you why when we come back. you want a picture with him? i'll take it. give me your phone. get in there. mayor garcia's already a celebrity in long beach but become an extra celebrity because of his response. how has his response been to the virus? >> fantastic, amazing. virus? >> fantastic, amazing. excuse me ma'am, did you know that liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need? thank you! hey, hey, no, no, limu, no limu! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ (announcer) verizon believes everyone deserves the best. that's why we start with 5g from america's most reliable network. verizon 5g is incredible. (announcer) and offer the best in entertainment like apple music, with a beautiful iphone 12 on us when you buy one. only from verizon. tide pods ultra oxi one ups the cleaning power of liquid. can it one up whatever they're doing? for sure. seriously? one up the power of liquid, one up the toughest stains. any further questions? uh uh! one up the power of liquid with tide pods ultra oxi. discover the replenishing power of new pronamel mineral boost. teeth need natural minerals to keep enamel healthy, strong, and white. but every day, acidic food and drink can wash these minerals away, weakening and dulling enamel over time. pronamel mineral boost protects teeth by working with your mouth to boost absorption of calcium and phosphate which naturally strengthens enamel. pronamel mineral boost helps keep teeth strong, white, and protected from sensitivity. new pronamel mineral boost at visionworks, we want you to feel safe and we want you to see yourself in your new glasses and think, "ooh!" but if you get home and your "ooh" is more of a "hmm..." you have 100 days to change your mind. that's the visionworks difference. visionworks. see the difference. welcome back. we made our way to chau vez ravine, also known as dodger stadium. it is one of the largest mass vaccinations sites in the u.s. on a normal day, they can do 8,000, 9,000, 12,000 at capacity, vaccinations a day. when they're going full steam. today they are doing absolutely zero. they're closed. they ran out of doses. this is the city of los angeles. in this city, they have massive logistical challenges. mayor garcetti says they may not be able to vaccinate everybody until 2022. but a couple weeks ago we got an up-close look at what the operations inside this place looked like. see for yourself. i wish i was here to go to a ball game. >> me too. >> iconic dodger stadium, where i've seen the dodgers play more ball games than i can count is now one of the largest vaccination sites in the country. los angeles fire department chief terrazas showed me around. >> they fill the syringes in the trailer and make sure that they have the right amount. >> i see. >> we're ready to go? . >> we have two left, the passenger and the driver. you ready for this? how's your day been? >> good. >> you're good as new, thank you. did that hurt? >> no. nothing. >> not at all, right? i'm pretty good, right? >> oh, yeah. >> dodger stadium is set up to give as many as 12,000 injections per day. >> we're doing 8,000 today. we don't have the vaccine doses. >> you don't have enough. >> we don't have enough. >> you can do 8,000 a day, you'd like to be doing 12. >> we'd like to do 12. we could do more. >> this is like a natural disaster at your hands. >> kind of like a base camp for a brurp brush fire. >> you're operationally set up, but you don't have enough water to put out the fire. ? that's a good analogy. the water would be the this sit other sites throughout the city. >> and you're perfectly capable of doing it. it's just a matter of you're low on doses for the amount of demand at this point? >> that's correct. >> in california, the first people in line to be vaccinated were health care workers and residents of nursing homes. then california governor gavin newsom said everyone 65 and over were eligible. is the lack of a supply because now there is a bigger pool of people that are eligible to be vaccinated? >> that contributed to it. >> was the pool of people eligible expanded too quickly, is that what happened here? >> that did happen. >> is there a chance age only let others slip through the cracks? >> you hit it on the nose. people that have a higher likelihood of exposure might have to wait longer now because we're letting older people go first who maybe are retired and don't get out a lot of >> pretty big group of people excited about to get vaccinated. what are your names? >> shirley. >> and? >> marcia. >> nice to meet you. >> we happen to be college roommates. >> and now you're taking the vaccination together? >> yes, we are. >> how long did it take you guys to get here? not like today, but did you have to search for a place to get it? >> it took many, many days. somehow my daughter got online and she just got us both signed up. >> she was the one who found it for you? >> yes. it's a small window when things were open. >> tell me how you're feeling before getting the vaccination. >> thrilled, thrilled. i haven't seen my daughter in over a year. that's hard. >> and i haven't seen mine either. >> and she's here. >> that's like me, i don't think i've hugged my mom in i a year. you're going to make me cry. >> when i get the vaccine i can give you a hug. >> you don't want to hug me. you don't know where i've been. >> that's true. >> we took a break. now they're ready to get the vaccination. >> my name is maria and i'm going to be giving you the vaccine today. >> go for it. >> you did it. >> thank you. >> congratulations. >> thank you, thank you. >> leaving the city of l.a. which is the biggest city in l.a. county, about 4 million people, and we're heading to the second biggest city, long beach. the mayor there, his philosophy is get as many shots into as many arms of as many people as possible, and he's going to explain to us why. there's the mayor right there, robert garcia. just got here. hey, mayor. >> hi, how are you? >> at a time when what seems like a chaotic and disorganized vaccine rollout has been producing anger and frustration, the mayor whose own mother and stepfather died of covid is the leader doing things right. is this the main vaccination site for the city? >> we have three or four. mainly the convention center. >> you adopted a different approach. why did you come up with a different strategy? >> we made a decision early on we needed to vaccinate all groups early on. once we completed the health care sector which was the first priority, we did nursing homes. 90% of our nursing homes are done. then we immediately went into firefighters, paramedics, police officers, all the emergency response folks and also grocery workers and teachers. these are seniors, but if you were to go today to the convention center, you would see teachers getting their second shots. you'd see grocery workers getting their first shots. so it's more mixed. >> so why, what's going on? why are you able to do this? why are you able to get back closer to normal so much faster? is it just the fact that l.a. is so big? >> honestly it's a policy decision. >> it's a policy decision? >> the state has put in their guidelines that 65-plus seniors and teachers are actually in the same exact category. one is not above the other, but we're also recognizing that we cannot reopen schools unless teachers are safe and they can keep their kids and the parents safe. i spent, you know, ten years in the classroom as a teacher. my husband is a teacher. so i understand that for teachers and schools to function, for parents to get back to any sense of normalcy we had to focus on schools. how are you? >> he is doing a fantastic job. >> thank you, sir. >> you guys want a picture with him? i'll take it. give me your phone. get in there. >> my daughter is -- >> mayor garcia is already a celebrity in long beach. he's become an extra celebrity because of his response. how has his response been to the virus? >> fantastic, amazing. loving it. >> this is yours. don't let me steal your phone. thank you, guys. take care, you guys. mayor, hearing them, hearing everybody be so happy, equity is an important and understandable concern. is it the right way to approach vaccinations, i guess? >> it is. and so there's a couple things we have to understand about equity in the state. equity is a complex question when it comes to vaccinating california just because of the way of demographics. >> explain that. >> take long beach, for example. majority of seniors in long beach are caucasian. >> they look like these folks. >> but the vast majority of folks under 30 are latino. and so when you vaccinate older seniors, you are going to be vaccinating a large part of your caucasian situation. that's just what it is. we have to be honest with people about that. when you start vaccinating grocery workers and younger teachers and health care workers, a vast majority of them are people of color. that's part of what we're trying to get through as well. the thing is everyone is worthy of a vaccine. i don't care what color you are or what job you do. everyone is worthy of the vaccine. and you see a lot of in fighting of folks online saying, why is that person getting one, or we should be first. and my response is everyone should get one. so we understand that it's frustrating, but there is no one that is not deserving. >> doesn't sound like as many frustrated people here. >> honestly, i feel like we've been doing a pretty good -- i feel that we have been a state model in long beach. >> is scaleability -- can other big cities have their schools open and have people back to work and people clapping at the vaccination site? >> absolutely. i always tell people, too, long beach, it's the same size as atlanta, georgia, from a population perspective. that's bigger than pittsburgh, miami, new orleans, st. louis. >> it's one of the biggest cities in the country. >> yes, one of the biggest in the country. certainly we can do it here -- >> you can do it anywhere. >> i wake up every morning and i'm completely obsessed -- thank you. >> thank you so much. >> you got your second shot? >> yes, we did. >> how is he doing, all right? >> hey, he's great. >> really grateful. you've done such a good job. >> thank you. >> have you ever done anything as a politician that has given you such good feedback? >> honestly i've been around a lot of politicians and i have not seen a politician lauded in this way for such a controversial, you know, what could be such a controversial thing. >> i've never gotten more happiness out of anything. it's weird because this covid pandemic has been so awful and like tragic for my family and has been probably the hardest year of my life. but this has also brought me immense joy to see people get vaccinated. >> how are you? good to see you again. how is it going today? >> perfect. we're doing our second doses here. everything is going really well. >> we love you. >> oh, thank you. >> how is he doing, a pretty good job? >> he's doing a good job. we'll keep him. >> thank you. >> that must be nice to hear. like you were saying earlier, it must be bitter/sweet because of what you've gone through personally. >> it is. i remember when i is saw the first person in long beach get their vaccine. as i was driving to the site, we were going to the hospital where my mom died. and we got there, i just got really emotional. i saw this young nurse get his vaccine, you know, just steps away from where my mom passed away. it just really hit me how important this process is. there is nothing more important than this, nothing. >> we're only a few miles away from where we met mayor garcia, the mayor of long beach. this is the combined port of los angeles and long beach. it's the largest container port. this place was shutdown, quiet. the longshoremen went home at the beginning of covid when that lockdown hit. a million people in the county lost their jobs and despite that you had a million infections. we thought we were ahead of it and it turned out that was not the case at all. you heard from mayor garcia talk about policy is ultimately how you are going to save lives. taking a look at who are the most vulnerable people. i've never seen the adulation that mayor garcia got for another politician in such a amount of time. i've covered a lot of politicians. you don't see it for the mayor of l.a. or the governor of california facing recall effort in part because of his response to covid. it's a warning to politicians across the country if you look at this in terms of equality. you can't stop a pandemic but you can stop inequality. it's a message we heard throughout the pandemic in los angeles. whether from james, albert, the surgeon general of california, padilla. that message to go after the most vulnerable, to level of playing field in terms of inequality. that's what's going to get us through this, through this pandemic or any other big disaster in the future. and the only way that you can see that is doing what we have done, coming and taking a look at it right here at street level. chris hayes joins me to talk about it. also, the science makes it clear, we're not doing enough to save the planet. my interview with climate activist and global icon greta thunberg. ♪♪ good evening. i'm medi hassan. welcome

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