An investigative reporter unveiled an expose on a chain of nursing homes in California called Country Villa which has 18 nursing homes that have been unlicensed for years. Two of their facilities lost over a dozen of residents due to COVID-19. The Staye of California requires that nursing home operators be licensed by the California Department of Public Health, which oversees nursing homes. But the Department has allowed the owner to operate with a “pending license” for years. The owner, Shlomo Rechnitz, has acquired 81 nursing homes with 9,000 beds, making him the largest operator in California. “I’m just a little speechless when it comes to this ownership nightmare in California and now it’s gotten to this point,” said Molly Davies, the Los Angeles County long-term care ombudsman. In Monterey, our ombudsman said that they have not had in-person access to assisted living facilities during the pandemic, a situation which is just making things worse.