People in Los Angeles must be pretty annoyed with us these days. We keep sending them things they don’t want. First, the Chargers. Now, hepatitis.

The hepatitis A outbreak is still a San Diego phenomenon, but it has grown tentacles. San Diego-related cases have been identified in Los Angeles, Santa Cruz and Imperial County. Their numbers are a fraction of San Diego’s — only one case in Imperial County, 10 reported in Los Angeles last week — but it’s not lost on our neighbors that it started off small here last fall.

All but two cases in L.A. were traced to San Diego.

As of Friday, San Diego had 16 hepatitis fatalities, with two more under investigation, and a total of 444 afflicted. No deaths had been reported in those other counties.


There hasn’t been civic animus from those regions directed toward San Diego, at least publicly, probably because they have their own precarious homeless and sanitation problems that could explode at any time. Los Angeles’ skid row has been joined by encampments on overpasses and elsewhere. The homeless numbers in that county have skyrocketed in just the past year.

The hepatitis scourge has seemingly leapfrogged over Orange County for now but officials there are holding their breaths. The city of Anaheim recently declared a homeless emergency, largely because of the hundreds-strong homeless encampment along the Santa Ana River bed. Local agencies are providing some services, but not restrooms.

That is viewed with a sense of foreboding from San Diego, where the lack of decent public restrooms has created a sanitation nightmare that health officials say has contributed to the spread of hepatitis.

One lesson learned from San Diego was to act fast. Los Angeles already had been washing down sidewalks and public rights of way where sanitation is an issue, an ongoing practice from previous viral and sanitation concerns. But county health officials there formally declared a hepatitis outbreak just this past week as they announced the 10 cases.


San Diego county and city officials have taken criticism for waiting to declare an emergency just this month, given that they officially determined an outbreak existed in March, with the first case identified in November.

An image problem? Ya think?

Just because our neighbors aren’t badmouthing San Diego, that doesn’t mean the city’s image isn’t taking a big hit. The hepatitis outbreak has become national news several times over.

This was once considered a problem among the homeless and largely ignored by the public. Now it has temporarily closed one restaurant, scared off one convention (though local officials suggest the outbreak was used as an excuse) and has required a broad effort by the hotel and tourism industry to calm the nerves of groups planning to visit.

While public health workers are working hard to improve the situation, you can almost sense civic leaders praying for a light at the end of the tunnel. But things may well get worse before they get better.


The city and county finally launched a public education campaign on Tuesday with recommendations on sanitation — washing hands frequently is the big one — and getting vaccinations. The determined, can-do vibe — “This is personal. This is our community. We will protect it,” Mayor Kevin Faulconer said — took a back seat to an ominous assessment.

“Frankly, this outbreak could last for at least another six months, and unfortunately there are going to be more lives that are going to be at risk,” said Dr. Nick Yphantides, the county’s chief medical officer.

But the event had its intended effect. Residents lined up in droves to get vaccines at a free clinic outside City Hall while some medical groups said they were deluged with requests and calls.

Sniping as crisis grows

The “we’re all in this together” spirit wasn’t universal, as City Councilman David Alvarez kept up his running criticism of Faulconer for being slow to act, and the mayor’s staff returning fire, questioning Alvarez’s commitment to combating homelessness.


Then, after the Democratic council majority passed a resolution opposing President Donald Trump’s enhanced border wall, the Republican mayor’s staff suggested council members had better things to do.

Faulconer spokeswoman Christina Chadwick called the resolution “a distraction from the very real and immediate issues facing the city of San Diego right now.”

That’s a slippery slope. Until hepatitis blew up into a crisis, the mayor was spending a fair amount of time addressing speculation that he might run for governor, making appearances and giving speeches out of town.

Two days after the council resolution, he appeared in a short promo for the ABC sitcom “The Mayor,” which premieres Tuesday.


The political toll

The mayor had been gliding through for a few years with public goodwill and relatively good relations with the council. But things have started to go south. The loss of the Chargers, despite extreme civic anguish, didn’t dent his armor. A healthy economy and budget seemed to keep the city humming. However, the pension system and other issues are causing financial challenges. The council scuttled his plans for a November special election to expand the convention center and generate more funds for homeless programs and fix roads.

The slow pace of addressing increasing homelessness has been laid at his doorstep. And the criticism has been even harsher about whether he and others didn’t take the hepatitis outbreak seriously enough early on.

There’s plenty of finger-pointing between the city and the county over who dropped the ball, but the only big-name player in all this is Kevin Faulconer.

Being associated with a hepatitis outbreak does not bode well for one’s political future.


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