AdvertisementIn California, Nursing Home Owners Can Operate After They're Denied A LicenseMay 26, 2021Aaron MendelsonElly YufacebookEmailIn December 2019, Cynthia Carrillo placed her older brother David at Villa Mesa Care Center, a nursing home in Upland, Calif. After the shutdown in March of 2020, Cynthia Carrillo couldn't visit David inside Villa Mesa. One month later, David, 65, who had Down syndrome, died from COVID-19. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)