SEIU Local 721 member Stacee Karnya is a chemist at LA City's massive Hyperion water treatment plant, which is literally where the sewers meet the sea.
Like other city professionals, she's on a 10% furlough. She spent her furlough day with a TV crew from NBC Nightly News on the beach in Santa Monica, where LA City employees test the water to keep swimmers and surfers safe from toxic runoff.
"We consider ourselves public safety," Stacee said. "We protect the public's health by testing the beach water -- over 54 miles are tested every day to make sure it's OK to swim, that the fish you catch are OK to eat."
Watch the segment on NBC Nightly News:
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