Facility Security and Employees Under Duress in HUD 202 Housing

The shooting this week at Progressive Home for the Elderly in South Los Angeles—reported by KTLA after three staff members were critically injured inside the residential lobby—must be examined beyond the breaking news cycle.

It's more than just what we saw on the news about this week's shooting at Progressive Home for the elderly in South Los Angeles. Three employees were shot in the lobby of the senior living facility. After the incident, many officials praised the LAPD for arriving in a timely manner to help the more than 100 seniors who live there. We should look further at facility security at senior living homes funded by HUD and how we can better provide our employees with resources to prevent these situations. HUD provides housing for our senior citizens through its Section 202 program. We as public administrators know that most hospital facilities have security personnel on site. Most private businesses have some type of security protocol when having visitors come into their establishment. 

Many senior homes are built to allow senior citizens to feel at home and have access to their surrounding community. There are many cases where we see funding constraints at these facilities to provide adequate security for their tenants. When an active shooter occurs, we cannot expect our senior citizens to hide or take the proper actions to survive this situation. They may not even be able to evacuate if necessary due to medical issues or disabilities. Having law enforcement show up to these situations is not going to solve the problem; we need more security at these facilities. We should start providing more non-criminal-related funds to these facilities that would allow them to better secure their buildings. According to media outlets, the suspect in this case was one of the employees at the facility. The suspect was extremely upset before he committed this act of violence. There will always be people who commit violent acts, and we can't let that happen because we have not provided the right services for our employees. 

As public managers, we need to be aware of the stress our employees go through on a day-to-day basis. Employees who work in the field of senior living can become very emotional when caring for these individuals. Cleaning, cooking, and even office jobs all have their stress. These employees need to feel comfortable reaching out for help when they need it. Providing background checks on your employees is not enough. 

Some ways we can ensure our employees are getting help when they need it. 

Provide employees with an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) or mental health resources. 

Train supervisors on spotting behaviors that could lead to an incident like this. 

Have an open line of communication for employees who may be suffering from workplace violence. 

More importantly, we need to protect our elderly who depend on these facilities and also provide the tools to keep our employees healthy. It's better to have a facility that has the proper security and resources than to see what happened in Los Angeles this past week. 

The Euphemism Trap: Regulatory Loopholes and the Illusion of Competency in Cosmetology Licensing

When New York recently implemented its textured hair licensing mandate alongside California’s Assembly Bill 2166 (Weber Pierson, Chapter 384, Statutes of 2024), headlines heralded a major step forward for consumer equity. Both statutes aim to dismantle decades of Eurocentric bias in state-regulated beauty curricula. Yet, beneath the legislative optimism lies a glaring administrative loophole: the reliance on ambiguous, race-neutral statutory euphemisms.

By mandating instruction only on "varying hair types and textures, curl or wave patterns, and volumes," rather than explicitly codifying Afro-textured and Type 4 hair physiology, state policy designs an administrative escape hatch:

• Curricular Evasion: Under current California Business and Professions Code § 7362.5, accredited academies can satisfy curriculum audits using loose-curl (Type 2–3) mannequins, teaching basic blowouts while completely bypassing tightly coiled (4A–4C) hair.

• The Practical Testing Vacuum: Following California’s elimination of hands-on practical state board exams under SB 803, licensure relies 100% on a multiple-choice computer exam (BPC § 7338). A computer screen can evaluate memorized vocabulary, but it cannot measure physical touch, mechanical tension, or thermal regulation on fragile, elliptical hair fibers.

• Economic Inefficiency & Service Deserts: Despite Black consumers driving a multi-billion-dollar hair care economy, mainstream salon pipelines remain structurally ill-equipped to serve them, perpetuating service deserts and unnecessary consumer harm.

Closing this gap requires the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (BBC) to move beyond statutory ambiguity in its Title 16 rulemaking. True equity demands codified Type 4 technical standards, mandatory hands-on clinic-floor quotas with diverse hair models, and instructor recertification protocols.

Beyond the Grid: Why Local Governance Must Drive Infrastructure Equity in the Inland Empire

 

By Eric A. Devezin

Published on The Policy Nexus

Across the United States, macro-level economic analyses frequently highlight the systemic benefits of expanding technology and logistics infrastructure. National studies point to capital investment, GDP contributions, and grid cost-sharing mechanisms that theoretically drive down aggregate utility rates over time.

However, macro-level economic models often obscure micro-level local realities.

In municipal policy, regional averages do not mitigate localized burdens. When high-capacity industrial facilities, distribution centers, or energy-intensive infrastructure projects enter a community, the immediate impacts, ranging from diesel particulate emissions and localized water table strain to traffic congestion, are absorbed almost entirely by host zip codes.

The Inland Empire Dynamic

Here in the San Jacinto Valley, these dynamics are actively playing out across municipal borders. Neighboring jurisdictions like Hemet have responded to community advocacy by enforcing development moratoriums, revising general plans, and establishing stricter zoning oversight to prevent unchecked logistics expansion.

Yet, public administration teaches us that infrastructure and environmental burdens do not stop at city limits. San Jacinto shares a single air basin, regional transit network, and water system with its neighbors. In the absence of proactive, local policy frameworks, municipalities that lack strict land-use standards inadvertently become the path of least resistance for projects turned away elsewhere.

Proactive Municipal Governance

To ensure sustainable growth that protects community health without forfeiting economic opportunity, municipal leadership must transition from reactive project reviews to proactive governance. Effective policy frameworks should incorporate four core pillars:

1. Equitable Siting & Setbacks: Establishing statutory buffers between heavy industrial or high-emission operations and sensitive receptors (schools, residential neighborhoods, and healthcare facilities).

2. Clean Backup Power Mandates: Prohibiting high-emission diesel backup generators or unmitigated gas turbines for large-scale commercial facilities to protect regional air quality.

3. Resource Capacity Reviews: Implementing rigorous peak-demand assessments for water and electricity to ensure commercial expansion does not shift infrastructure costs onto residential ratepayers.

4. Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs): Enforcing legally binding frameworks that require developers to invest directly in local workforce development, infrastructure, and public health.

Moving from Oversight to Action

Local governance is most effective when it anticipates structural challenges rather than reacting to public crises. Establishing local ad-hoc advisory committees and updating municipal land-use guidelines before high-impact applications are submitted is essential for long-term equity and administrative resilience.

As public policy scholars and practitioners, our role is to bridge the gap between high-level economic theory and on-the-ground community impact, ensuring that progress never comes at the expense of public health or local democratic accountability.

Who builds the next economy determines who benefits from it for generations. ✊🏽📚

 

📄 Executive Policy Brief: Accountability, Institutional Restitution, and Democracy at the Crossroads

By Eric Anthony Devezin | The Policy Nexus

Date: August 2026

Executive Summary

As state and local governments navigate shifting federal priorities, public administrators face a dual challenge: defending core democratic mechanisms while advancing structural equity. Recent developments across police accountability, municipal redress, public health modeling, and voting policy demonstrate that local policy execution remains the primary engine for institutional change.

Key Policy Pillars & Findings

1. Municipal Police Accountability & Oversight

The appointment of civil rights veteran Jennifer Jones Austin as permanent chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) marks a pivotal moment for urban governance.

• Institutional Experience: Jones Austin brings three decades of legal and public policy experience, including co-leading the historic 1999 Amadou Diallo investigation at the NY State AG’s office, which contributed to the landmark Floyd litigation, and chairing the NYC Racial Justice Commission.

• Administrative Strategy: The appointment underscores the operational necessity of bridging administrative policy with community trust to build sustainable oversight frameworks within municipal law enforcement.

2. Local Execution vs. Macro-Frameworks for Reparations

While federal reparations proposals remain stalled in legislative committees, local jurisdictions and scholars are establishing operational blueprints for restitution:

• Municipal Models in Action:

  • Evanston, IL: Pioneered municipal housing and property grants funded through local tax revenue.

  • Oakland & Alameda County, CA: Demonstrating targeted policy redress through Alameda County’s $1.3M+ Redress Fund (compensating families displaced by historic land seizures) and Oakland Unified School District’s Black Student Thriving Fund.

• Public Health Impact (BMJ Study): Research in BMJ Global Health (Mullen, Darity, Richardson, & Bassett) outlines a viable framework to eliminate the $16 trillion Black-White wealth gap. The study models how closing the racial wealth gap directly reduces excess premature mortality and narrows chronic life-expectancy disparities.

• Legal & Historical Precedent: In Getting to Reparations (Crown, 2026), tax law scholar Dorothy A. Brown details historical precedents for government-funded restitution (e.g., the 1862 slaveholder compensation, the 1892 Italian-American lynchings, and the Indian Claims Commission settlements). Brown proposes a federal Post-Slavery Discrimination Commission (PtSD) to address systemic "badges of slavery" across housing, banking, and criminal justice.

3. Countering Structural Regressions in Civil & Voting Rights

Local progress faces significant counterpressures from state and federal policy rollbacks:

• State of Black America 2026: The National Urban League’s latest report details significant headwinds facing Black employment, civil rights enforcement, and economic stability following federal policy shifts and DEI rollbacks.

• The Direction of Democracy (MAP Report): The Movement Advancement Project’s 2026 report reveals a stark national divergence in voting access:

  • 54% of eligible voters live in states where voting policy scores have declined since 2021.

  • 48% of Black adults nationwide live in states with "Low" or "Negative" voting policy scores, driven heavily by restrictive legislation across the South.

Practical Policy Implications for Public Administrators

"The destruction of Black history means destroying the reality of our identity and what defines us today. Our existence showcases past struggles and our ongoing demonstration of strength and brilliance, which fuels our revolutionary spirit." — Eric Anthony Devezin

1. Focus on Targeted Redress: As state-level gridlock persists, local policy administrators must design legally sound, targeted programs (housing grants, educational equity funds, and land restitution) that bypass federal inertia.

2. Integrate Health and Wealth Data: Equity assessments in municipal planning should incorporate wealth-gap metrics to address chronic disparities in health and life expectancy.

3. Protect Ballot Integrity at the Local Level: With state voting policies diverging rapidly, county and municipal election officials must leverage local administrative discretion to safeguard voting access and security.

Key Sources & Further Reading

• 📰 Amsterdam News: Jennifer Jones Austin CCRB Appointment

• 📰 Amsterdam News: EDITORIAL: Why the reparations debate is still a growing issue

• 🏥 BMJ Global Health: A Plan for Black American Reparations (Mullen, Darity, et al., 2026)

• 📚 Democracy Journal: Review of Getting to Reparations by Dorothy A. Brown (2026)

• 📊 Black Information Network: National Urban League 2026 State of Black America Report

• 🗳️ Movement Advancement Project: The Direction of Democracy: Five Years of Deepening Divides (August 2026)

Addressing the Health Care Gap: Why Hemet/San Jacinto Needs Equitable Policy Action

     

The health of our community is the foundation of our collective future. As we analyze current data from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a critical reality for our region has been brought into sharp focus: the Hemet/San Jacinto Service Area is officially designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) cite. 

What does this mean for us? With an Index of Medical Underservice (IMU) score of 53.8, our district is demonstrating a clear, documented shortage of primary health services. This isn't just a number—it represents real barriers to preventative care, chronic disease management, and overall community well-being for our neighbors.

Moving from Analysis to Advocacy: It is time to move beyond identifying these gaps and start closing them. My focus, both in my academic research and my commitment to this community, is centered on developing equitable and sustainable policies that bridge these disparities.

Actionable steps include: 

1. Targeted Resource Allocation: Directing federal and state grants toward local health infrastructure. 
2. Community-First Strategies: Expanding primary care access points that reflect the unique needs of our residents. 
3. Sustained Advocacy: Engaging stakeholders, from local leadership to regional health officials, to prioritize equitable health funding for Hemet/San Jacinto. 

We have the data; now we must build the capacity to ensure that the benefits of social justice and public health reach every member of our community.

✊🏾✨Still Walking in Our Truth: From the LA Marquee to the Public Sector Margins ✊🏾✨

 By Eric Anthony Devezin, M.P.A.

On June 17, 2026, I had the privilege of serving as a featured panel speaker for the ASPA LGBT Advocacy Alliance webinar, "Still Walking in Our Truth: Queer Backlash in the 21st Century."

The panel brought together a distinguished group of public administration scholars, practitioners, and advocates to explore the political, social, and administrative dimensions of modern queer backlash. Below is the text and framework from my presentation.

At the recent ASPA LGBT Advocacy Alliance panel, I was asked how my personal journey navigating 1970s Los Angeles informs my response to the contemporary queer backlash we are witnessing today. The answer lies in understanding that bureaucratic retaliation is not a new invention; it is an administrative tradition.

The Socio-Historical Baseline: Weaponizing the Bureaucracy

If we are going to deconstruct how socio-political backlash functions today, we have to remember the levels of operation established when our visibility was first created.

Growing up in Los Angeles before relocating to Oakland, California. I witnessed the push and pull between macro-level bureaucratic aggression and grassroots cultural tenacity.

A critique from a public policy perspective views the past as a grim lesson in institutional gatekeeping. When activists attempted to hold the first officially sanctioned Gay Pride Parade on Hollywood Boulevard, the government pushed back violently. When rhetoric failed to stop the movement, bureaucracy was weaponized. The Los Angeles Police Commission created unnecessary, targeted permit stipulations such as a $1.5 million fee masquerading as a safety concern, essentially pricing a minority community out of exercising their constitutional rights.

While local media gatekeepers implemented a vigorous brownout to wipe us from existence, Black community-first leaders directly on Washington Boulevard were creating their own grassroots defiance. Right there on the marquee, the Ebony Showcase Theatre was producing Norman, Is That You?—a groundbreaking comedy that directly and compassionately tackled a Black family's acceptance of their gay son.

Contemporary Regions and Intersectional Vices

Following a successful career as a celebrity makeup artist and cosmetics entrepreneur for over 20 years, I made a conscious decision to re-enter academia to pursue my DPA at California Baptist University. What I have learned in the municipal buildings and academic spaces of the Inland Empire is that the administrative blowback we experience today is deeply systemic.

I describe these experiences as intersectional vices. Institutional friction in public service spaces does not occur solely because of race or presumed queerness but because of the poisonous intersection of racialized gatekeeping and homophobia.

This brings me to the core empirical focus of my current policy work: Administrative Chrononormativity—the institutional enforcement of strict timelines that systematically exclude non-normative life cycles.

We are in the midst of a quiet crisis with our aging LGBTQ+ community. By 2030, there will be four million LGBTQ+ elders living in the United States. The generation who waited outside the doors of the Ebony Showcase Theatre is now entering assisted living facilities, public housing, and public hospitals. They are entering systems with intake forms, statutes of limitations, and operating procedures designed entirely around heteronormative, nuclear-family timelines. Our elders are experiencing terrifying degrees of fragility, forcing them to ask: "Do I go back into the closet to allow the government to provide me with basic care?"

The Case Study: The Financialization of Human Safety

We must transcend superficial diversity statements and demand concrete accountability. In my current policy advocacy work in California, I am collaborating with Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson’s office to reform surveillance media retention legislation.

Most schools and municipalities have short-lived policies that dictate the administrative deletion of surveillance media within 30 days. From a policy perspective, a 30-day timeline is an administrative obstruction of justice. When queer or intersectional students and staff face targeted violence and harassment within institutional spaces, trauma and fear often prohibit timely reporting. By the time a victim navigates the emotional and administrative hurdles to report the incident, the strict 30-day chrononormative deadline has passed, the media has been erased, and the institution is protected.

Recently, when advocating for this reform at a local institution, the administrative pushback was the predictable bureaucrat stall: the anticipated expense of cloud storage.

We must name this what it is: the financialization of human safety. In the same way the L.A. Police Commission weaponized a $1.5 million permit fee in 1970, today's public systems weaponize the marginal cost of cloud servers to price vulnerable students and faculty out of their safety.

By working to extend that retention mandate from 30 days to three years, we intentionally rewire the administrative apparatus and remove the bureaucratic cover-up.

A Blueprint for Local Leaders

Our elders leave public administrators and local leaders with three straightforward instructions:

1. Audit Your Timelines: Intentionally design safety nets that make space for authentic realities, recognizing that chosen families do not always adhere to heteronormative life cycles.

2. Fund the Intersections of Care: Invest resources into physical spaces where queer individuals of all ages can grow old visibly and with dignity.

3. If You Don’t Speak Up, We Can’t Hear You: If your public service program or community center does not loudly and proudly state that you welcome queer elders, your silence will be interpreted as hostility.

When you craft public policy with the most intersectionally vulnerable in mind, you create the strongest public system for all marginalized people. We are still marching in our truth, applying thoughtful public administration theory to ensure equity becomes a codified, legally binding reality.

This presentation was delivered virtually on June 17, 2026, as part of the ASPA LGBT Advocacy Alliance Pride Panel Seminar.

This critical dialogue was made possible by the collective efforts of public sector leaders across the discipline. I want to express my deepest gratitude to the team who shared this space:

• Moderator: Dr. Richard Greggory Johnson III (Chair, ASPA LGBT; University of San Francisco)

• Other Featured Speakers: Eliza Farrow (Northeast Wisconsin Rainbow Collective), Diego Galego (Rutgers University-Newark), Samantha Larson (University of Wisconsin Oshkosh), and Wallace Swan (Walden University).

• Discussant & Tech Support: Claire Mostel (Miami-Dade County) and José Luis Irizarry (North Carolina Central University).

Event Co-Sponsors: Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration, ASPA Research Triangle (Pi Alpha Alpha), Northeast Wisconsin Rainbow Collective, Rutgers-Newark School of Public Affairs and Administration, PA Theory Network, Administrative Theory & Praxis (ATP), and the ASPA Student & New Administration Professionals Section.

To view the original event platform or connect with the organizers, visit Luma.