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Starting on April 14th, Eugene A. Obregon Park will begin serving as the County-operated vaccination site in East L.A.

Obregon Park will replace El Sereno Recreation Center in Los Angeles and centrally serve residents from East L.A. and the surrounding communities.

The new site will increase the number of vaccinations that can be administered on a daily basis, increasing capacity from 1,500 doses administered to 2,000 doses administered per day.

In addition, Obregon Park is more easily accessible via public transportation.

The El Sereno site will offer vaccinations until Tuesday, April 13.

“Transitioning the vaccination site from the El Sereno Recreation Center to Obregon Park in East Los Angeles will allow us to provide a more centralized option for our most vulnerable in the Eastside,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis, Supervisor for the First District. “The increase in capacity and doses coincides with the expansion of all residents 16 years of age and older eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, meaning that more community members across the Eastside will be able to have direct access to these lifesaving resources. This is the beginning of a new chapter for our families in this region – one that will get us closer to the end of this pandemic.”

“The El Sereno Recreation Center has been critical in our effort to vaccinate the residents of East Los Angeles, which has been one of the hardest hit communities during the pandemic with higher rates of cases and deaths,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We are so grateful to the City of LA and their Department of Recreation and Parks for their partnership. Without El Sereno serving as a vaccination site, fewer vaccines would have been administered to those who need it the most, and we’re pleased to announce that the new vaccination site at Obregon Park will continue that critical mission.”

“Thanks to the City of L.A., its Department of Recreation and Parks and the El Sereno Recreation Center, we were quickly able to serve our residents in East LA and offer the life-saving COVID-19 vaccine to vulnerable residents and to frontline workers,” said Kevin McGowan, Director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. “ As we evolve our vaccine distribution plans, we want to make sure our sites are easily accessible to those in our hardest-hit communities. Our new Obregon Park site helps us meet that important goal.”

The vaccination site at El Sereno was the first County-operated site to administer vaccinations and began operating January 2021.

It is one of the County-operated vaccination sites. The other County-operated sites are:

• Pomona Fairplex in Pomona
• The Forum in Inglewood
• California State University, Northridge
• L.A. County Office of Education in Downey
• Balboa Sports Complex in Encino

L.A. County residents are able to confirm their eligibility and make their vaccination appointments by visiting VaccinateLACounty.com.

Los Angeles County is evolving its vaccination distribution strategy and shifting to community-based sites to increase accessibility to the COVID-19 vaccines.

Starting on April 19, College of the Canyons and Palmdale Oasis Park Recreation Center will begin operating as County-operated vaccination sites in the northern part of Los Angeles County. Both of these sites will replace Six Flags Magic Mountain, which will cease providing vaccinations on April 18. These new vaccination sites will centrally serve residents from both the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley communities.

The College of the Canyons and Palmdale Oasis Park Recreation Center vaccination sites will each have the ability to administer up to 2,000 vaccinations per day and will provide walk-up appointment options.

“I am incredibly grateful to Magic Mountain for their generosity and critical partnership as we provided the vaccine to thousands of residents at their mass vaccine distribution site,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “Ensuring equitable vaccine access for communities in the North County is a priority and I appreciate the collaboration between the County and our community partners, including Magic Mountain, to run efficient operations that support our monumental task of vaccinating our residents. Moving forward, we are continuing to provide crucial vaccine accessibility for residents in both the Antelope and Santa Clarita Valleys.”

“The partnership with Six Flags Magic Mountain has proven invaluable to the County’s vaccination efforts, as the site provided vaccine to so many residents living in our hardest-hit communities” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We are forever grateful for their partnership, and are committed to providing vaccines to northern Los Angeles County residents through these two additional sites.”

“Six Flags Magic Mountain was there for the community when the County needed to quickly organize large-scale vaccination sites,” said Kevin McGowan, Director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. “We are grateful for their partnership and contribution in this unprecedented effort to protect our community and save lives.”

The vaccination site at Magic Mountain began operating January 2021. Approximately 129,000 vaccines have been administered at that site.

It is one of five large-scale vaccination sites operated by Los Angeles County.

The remaining large-scale sites operated by the County are:

• Pomona Fairplex in Pomona
• The Forum in Inglewood
• California State University, Northridge
• L.A. County Office of Education in Downey

In addition, two smaller-scale, walk-up sites are also operated by the County.

L.A. County residents are able to confirm their eligibility and make their vaccination appointments by visiting VaccinateLACounty.com.

Beginning today, April 12, Los Angeles County residents can apply for financial help for funeral expenses through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program.

“We can never take away the pain and suffering of those grieving the loss of a loved one from COVID-19, but in so many communities already struggling to pay for basic necessities, like food and rent, funeral costs only compounds that grief,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis, Supervisor to the First District. "Over the past year, too many of our residents have had to depend on organizing car wash fundraisers, GoFundMe online campaigns and food sales to come up with the money for burial costs. With thousands in our County grieving from the loss of a loved one due to COVID-19, we have a responsibility to help provide for a proper burial — allowing dignity for those who have passed and closure for their families. The FEMA Funeral Assistance Program will provide much needed relief for our residents and allow them to heal.”

FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Line is (844) 684-6333 and (800) 462-7585 (TTY) for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Members of the public can call Monday through Friday, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Translators will be available to assist callers who do not speak English.

To be eligible for funeral assistance, LA County residents must meet three important conditions established by FEMA:

• The death must have occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
• The death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to COVID-19.
• The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or a qualified non-citizen who incurred funeral expenses after January 20, 2020.

There are no residential or legal status requirements pertaining to the deceased person.

Applicants may apply for multiple deceased individuals. If multiple persons helped pay for funeral expenses for one individual, they should apply under a single application as applicant and co-applicants. FEMA’s financial assistance is limited to a maximum amount of $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application.

If you had COVID-19 funeral expenses, you may now apply for FEMA funeral relief. Begin gathering documentation that will be needed, such as an official death certificate that documents the death was due to COVID-19 and receipts of funeral expenses paid by the applicant.

FEMA will not duplicate benefits received from burial or funeral insurance, financial assistance received from voluntary agencies, government agencies, or other sources.

More information about this program is available at FEMA.gov.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors offered the following statement in response to Los Angeles County entering the Orange Tier with key sectors reopening, resuming indoor operations and/or increasing capacity starting Monday, April 5:

“Reaching the Orange Tier is a welcome milestone for Los Angeles County and everyone who lives and works here. After a long, tough year, this is the clearest sign yet that we are moving into a new season of hope and renewal. Thanks to our collective vigilance, starting Monday more of us can now take part in more of the rituals and activities that we’ve missed—whether that means joining together, safely, in a place of worship, at the gym or visiting a museum or movie theater. We’ve come too far to let our guard down now, so please continue to follow the Public Health guidance on masking and distancing, and be sure to get vaccinated as soon as it’s your turn. We are still on a long road to recovery, and we don’t want to lose the momentum that has helped us reach the Orange Tier, and all it stands for in terms of enjoying a ‘new normal’ in our daily lives.”

As Los Angeles moves out of the Red Tier into the less restrictive Orange Tier, key sectors reopening, resuming indoor operations or increasing capacity include:

For more information, please visit the Department of Public Health's website.

Beginning in early April, Los Angeles County residents will be able to apply for financial help for funeral expenses through FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program.

To be eligible for funeral assistance, LA County residents must meet all of these FEMA established conditions:

• The death must have occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
• The death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to COVID-19.
• The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or a qualified non-citizen who incurred funeral expenses after January 20, 2020.

There are no residential or legal status requirements pertaining to the deceased person.

If you had COVID-19 funeral expenses, we encourage you to prepare to apply for FEMA funeral relief by gathering documentation that will be needed, such as:

• An official death certificate that attributes the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19 and shows that the death occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.

• Funeral expenses documents such as receipts and funeral home contracts that include the applicant’s name, the deceased person’s name, the amount of funeral expenses, and the dates the funeral expenses happened.
• Proof of funds received from other sources specifically for use toward funeral costs. FEMA will not duplicate benefits received from burial or funeral insurance, financial assistance received from voluntary agencies, government agencies, or other sources.

Applicants may apply for multiple deceased individuals. If multiple persons helped pay for funeral expenses for one individual, they should apply under a single application as applicant and co-applicants. FEMA’s financial assistance is limited to a maximum amount of $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application.

In the coming weeks, FEMA will be establishing a toll-free telephone number to assist applicants with their submissions, but in the meantime, the County of Los Ángeles encourages eligible applicants to visit FEMA.gov for additional information.