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Mike Garcia Supports Investigation Of Gavin Newsom Over COVID-19 Nursing Home Policy

Congressman Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, released a statement Wednesday morning in which he voiced support for an oversight investigation into the actions of Governor Newsom and other governors across the country over their nursing home policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After seeing that nearly half of the over 5,500 coronavirus-related deaths in California were reported within nursing homes, Garcia contacted the House of Representatives’ Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis for “more specific statistics.”

Congressman Steve Scalise, who serves as the Representative for Louisiana’s first Congressional District and the Ranking Member of the Select Subcommittee, shared “critical information” with Garcia regarding the effects COVID-19 has had on nursing home residents and long-term care patients.

“Rep. Scalise found that the governors of five states forced nursing homes to take in COVID-19 positive patients as part of their response to the pandemic despite guidance from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) advising against this practice unless the facility could follow CDC’s quarantining guidance,” reads a statement issued by Garcia Wednesday.

While that mandate has since been reversed, Scalise said that Californians “deserve to know why it was enacted in the first place.”

“The death toll in California’s nursing homes is a tragedy. Even worse – many of these deaths were preventable,” Scalise said. “If state officials will not be transparent and accountable to their constituents, then Congress must step in and shine a light on the flawed decision making behind the scandal.”

After speaking to Scalise, Garcia went on to request a briefing to gain further information on the issue.

“During that briefing, CMS data showed almost 30,000 nursing home residents and nearly 500 staff have fallen to COVID-19,” Wednesday’s statement reads. “But experts suggest that the number is closer to 60,000.”

See Related: Congressman Mike Garcia To Donate 10 Percent Of Monthly Salary To Charity

According to Garcia, the data also indicated that California had 2,644 nursing home deaths. Compared with other states of similar size, California has 11.23 nursing home deaths per 1,000 nursing home residents, whereas Florida has 9.07 and Texas has 6.2; a 124% increase and 180% increase respectively.

“Shame on our state’s leadership in Sacramento for blatantly ignoring guidance from CMS and, in turn, endangering the most vulnerable among us,” Garcia said. “Rather than doing everything within our power to flatten the curve and protect our seniors, Governor Newsom instead ordered that nursing homes ‘shall not refuse’ a patient with a positive COVID-19 test.”

Garcia also alleges that Governor Newsom offered a “cash incentive of $1,000 per day per patient to house COVID-19 positive patients in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.”

“Governor Newsom’s decision to entice nursing homes with taxpayer dollars to house COVID-19 positive patients among our seniors is disappointing,” he said. “That money should have been pointed towards prevention rather than placing vulnerable citizens in danger.”

In light of this information, Garcia has voiced support for an investigation into Newsom and other state officials over the nursing home policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I fully support Representative Scalise’s call on the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis to open an oversight investigation into the actions of Governor Newsom and others,” Garcia said.

Garcia represents California’s 25th Congressional District, which includes the Santa Clarita Valley, the Antelope Valley, and portions of Simi Valley.

His full statement can be viewed here.


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Mike Garcia Supports Investigation Of Gavin Newsom Over COVID-19 Nursing Home Policy

33 comments

  1. Michael Garcia is a divisive spineless worm. How about trying to move forward and unite people!

    • You can’t see what Newsom did unless your mother was in a nursing home and got infected. You can’t hide this under the rug.

    • And he stands there spewing his party line excrement after calling for bi-partisan cooperation… How IQ45 of him. And by the way… PUT ON A FREAKING MASK YOU HYPOCRITE!

  2. Thank You, Mike Garcia! Agreed money should’ve been used for prevention, instead of putting senior citizens in danger!! Newsom needs to go. We need new leadership.

    • Tell that to Trump who has done NOTHING to serve or safeguard the American public during this pandemic. Mike Garcia is just another in a long line of sycophants in the morally bankrupt Greed Over People party.

      • Alice,
        you do you! MAGA 2020 ?? I know who I’m supporting and it’s no longer a Democrat.

      • Trump turned responsibly over to the Governor’s/Mayor, of which we have two mealy mouth metrosexuals!! Not to mention Liberals, who are part of the deceitful machine, so busy trying to overthrow Trump, instead of caring for the citizens! Why did they allow BLM, rioters & looters to commit mayhem for so long!!?

        • Continue keeping America stupid. Sheep

        • BLM are not causing mayhem. If rioting and looting happened during peaceful protest by some taking advantage of the situation it should not be used to distract from the real problem. And as far as Trump’s leadership during this pandemic, well let’s just call it as it is. A complete and total disastrous failure.

  3. I don’t know about spineless if he is willing to take on the People’s Republic of Kalifornia and fuhrer Graven Nuisance.

  4. That’s why we hired you Mike!

  5. With SCV pandemic numbers are on the rise, it is prudent to review nursing home policies initiated during the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. Protecting our most vulnerable is important to our community. However, this is one of many issues deserving of immediate inquiry.

    An important piece of legislation concerning law enforcement, the JUSTICE Act bill introduced by Congressman Garcia, increases reporting requirements for use of excessive force in law enforcement. There is nothing in the bill that stipulates outside oversight and enforcement and provides no path in victims’ ability to sue. In short, there are procedural guidelines offered, with little accountability.

    While it is apparent that there are a significant number of good officers in the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department (LASD), it is shameful that these individuals may labor at cross purposes and be subjected to retaliation from within.

    There have been clubs that have existed in the various stations under the sheriff’s department, with some groups becoming defunct, leaving new cliques to take their place. This is nothing new.

    As recently as late September 2019, eight LASD deputies filed a lawsuit against one such group, called the “Banditos,” a deputy clique of several dozen members who operate out of the department’s East Los Angeles station.

    Body cams have been recommended as far back as 2015. In Sheriff Villanuevas’ first month in office, he loudly proclaimed that he would roll out body cams to patrol deputies in the 1st Quarter of 2019. Deputies still don’t have them. Nor do they have — or is the agency planning on getting — audio recorders or dash cameras for department vehicles.

    Sheriff Villanueva is not alone in his resistance to addressing the issue of deputy gangs. Every LA County Sheriff from Sherman Block forward has failed to take on the corrosive deputy cliques that have plagued the LASD for at least 50 years.

    California is one of just five states in the country that don’t decertify officers for misconduct. Almost all employment decisions are left to local departments and police chiefs. LASD’s failure to deal with deputy gangs creates a ripple effect that negatively impacts the entire criminal justice system and, in turn, our community as a whole. Internal oversight might be likened to the fox guarding the henhouse.

    It’s the same old, same old and the JUSTICE Bill does nothing to solve this long-standing problem. I urge Congressman Garcia to take the important step of refining the JUSTICE Act to provide accountability to this insidious problem faced by our community.

  6. Some of you hate the coloreds, the gays, and the might-be-gays…I guess it’s fine as long as we are all being honest about it. Thank you for being upfront about your disgusting and vile existence. I just hope that those in your immediate vicinity see you for what you truly are. That fact that you shitb*gs live amongst me sickens me to my core. Move your hateful asses to Mississippi where that backward sh*t is welcome. I hear they have lower taxes and excellent Trump rallies. Please go. GTFO here.

    • Well said! I totally agree and it sickens me as well that these hateful disgusting pigs live amongst us! Soon as they open their vile mouths, I realize they belong in the mid-West with the rest of those POS brainless idiots! Wish they’d move away now!
      Look at the guy in the picture. Looks like he’s going, “muuuuuaaahahahah!” and really getting into it! He’s a loser. Soon, he’ll be out of a job in November when we finally Dump Trump too!

    • Lol no one hates the colored as you call them or the gays you sound crazy. More proof media is Brainwashing America. The far left is Brainwashed into thinking America is racist “especially the Republican ones”and cops are hunting blacks, then you have the far right that is Brainwashed into thinking masks don’t work and the virus is being pushed by the Dems. Time to turn your media off people and take a deep breath. Anyone can join any party no matter what your race,religion or sexual orientation is. I was Democrat last year but after seeing the Democrats push this fake racism and the white privilege conspiracy theory in America I will be voting Republican this year.

      • Same. To far left for me. It’s beyond crazy now. Seeing the Seattle and attempt in Portland. SF has turned into a dump. The lawlessness is out of control. The belief that an act of arson is ok because that person is mad. It’s not ok to destroy property and steal. Even if you feel angry. Vandalizing iconic historical statues and buildings, that’s not ok but Democrats condone it.

        • Oh baloney! Democrats don’t condone violence or vandalism! You’re obviously grabbing at straws and have a desperate need to make everything political and point your finger at someone! Why do some people feel the need to act that way, is beyond me! In some people’s mind it seems there’s some kind of defect there! These political hypothesis are utterly ridiculous!

          • Arn: Yes Liberals & ACLU do condone all sorts of violence and uncivilized behavior!! Look at what these traitors have done to the Left coast from Seattle to San Diego, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Chicago, etc. It was the Anarchist Liberals who created Prop. 47(Gascon) & 57 and AB 109, letting filthy criminals out of jail early and reducing felonies to misdemeanors!! The Liberals excuse all sorts of uncivilized behavior /lifestyles!! They condone all types of non Judeo-Christian behavior, then blame it on others!

      • If you were a Democrat last year, the Democratic Party is even more varied than I ever knew!LOL!

  7. Wow some of you are completely blind!!!
    The only people that need to be investigated are DEVIL Nuñes , McConnel, the Barr set Low!! And the fake president Frump!!!

  8. I grew up in this community being called things like a w*tback and bean*r by your lovely children and heard many more lovely slurs being thrown around for other groups as well. This was the norm and I doubt these kids learned these terms from the wicked mass media back in those days. They picked these things up at home. This was before the internet… let’s not pretend that this is something that doesn’t exist in our lovely community, that’s all. We live in a very diverse community here that includes a bunch of outright bigots, noose deniers, decent and open-minded folks, and a bunch of snowflakes too. We have everything. And the fact that some of you can’t understand that it’s beyond belief. Good grief.

    • Jesus C.: If you were called names by others, was it true? Or did your behavior warrant it?! We’re you speaking a rude, divisive language it front of those people who believe in decent, respectful manners?! Often times, one reaps what they sow!!

    • I grew up in the SFV and it was the same thing. It was like that everywhere, not just here! It was the times, not the places! Yeah, that was way before the internet. Why would you think it would be any different here?

  9. Also. in your earlier post, you accused “The Liberals” of “excusing all kinds of uncivilized behavior…” but now you are looking to excuse the behavior of those kids who mistreated Jesus C.

    • He always uses the “Liberals” like some folks use the race card! (Every chance he gets!) So simple-minded and pathetic, this is all some people have to fight with, so you kinda expect it from them, then you just feel sorry for them, as that’s the limit of their mentality.

  10. Screw Garcia and his partisan BS. I’ll wait while he scolds the White House resident for allowing thousands of people to cross our borders from infected countries through March. We would not even be in this predicament had the government taken this seriously, they knew about COVID outbreak in China in December and did nothing. And then lied to the American people stating that 15 cases would turn to 0. Complete idiots and Mike Garcia is a puppet,

  11. Trump/2020. “No Lives Matter”

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About Michael Brown

Michael Brown has lived in Santa Clarita his whole life. Graduating from Saugus High School in 2016, he continued to stay local by attending The Master’s University, where he achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. Michael joined KHTS in January of 2018 as a news intern, and has since gone on to become the News Director for the KHTS Newsroom. Since joining KHTS, Michael has covered many breaking news stories (both on scene and on air), interviewed dozens of prominent state and federal political figures, and interacted with hundreds of residents from Santa Clarita. When he is not working, Michael enjoys spending time with his family, as well as reading any comic book he can get his hands on.