mercurynews--2020-10-27--Governor Newsom: Death penalty ‘is now, and always has been, infected by racism’

By ADAM BEAM | The Associated Press SACRAMENTO — California ’ s process for imposing the death penalty “ is now , and always has been , infected by racism , ” Gov .
Gavin Newsom declared Monday in a brief filed with the state Supreme Court .
Newsom filed the brief in the case of Donte Lamont McDaniel , who was sentenced to death in 2009 for the murder of 33-year-old George Brooks and 52-year-old Annette Anderson .
In California , juries can impose the death penalty if they find that “ aggravating factors ” outweigh “ mitigating factors.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ death must be unanimous .
But juries don ’ t have to unanimously agree on each aggravating factor .
McDaniel ’ s case is challenging that interpretation of the state Constitution .
In his brief , lawyers on behalf of Newsom argue not requiring juries to agree on those factors increases racial discrimination in death penalty cases .
They argue that “ decades of study ” show the percentage of Black people excluded from juries in death penalty cases was “ double to triple ” that of whites , mostly because as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oppose the death penalty than white people .
That ’ s a problem when it is time to sentence someone to death , they argue , because “ overall , White jurors ‘ are much less receptive to mitigation ’ than Black jurors ” in cases where the defendant is Black and the victim is white .
Meanwhile , Black jurors “ are more likely than white jurors to ‘ keep the sin separate from the sinner ’ no matter what the race.
” But beyond that , Newsom ’ s brief argues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States is “ rooted in the legacy of slavery , racial terror and subjugation , ” saying it has been “ disproportionately applied , first , to enslaved Africans and African Americans , and , later , to free Black people.
” The brief was written on behalf of Newsom by two professors at the University of California , Berkeley , School of Law : Elizabeth Semel , director of the school ’ s Death Penalty Clinic , and Erwin Chemerinsky , the school ’ s dean .
Newsom ’ s office said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California governor has filed a brief with the state Supreme Court “ calling attention to the unfair and uneven application of the death penalty.
” “ With this filing , we make clear that all Californians deserve the same right to a jury trial that is fair , and that is a matter of life and death , ” Newsom said in a news release .
California has not executed anyone since 2006 .
In 2016 , voters narrowly approved a ballot proposition designed to speed up the death penalty .
But Newsom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , declaring he “ will not oversee the execution of any individual.
” • Federal judge vacates decades-old conviction of California cop killer due to racial discrimination at trial • U.S. to execute first woman since 1953 , killer Lisa Montgomery Nancy Haydt , executive director of anti-capital punishment advocacy group Death Penalty Focus , praised Newsom for saying the death penalty is racially biased .
She pointed to cases in Los Angeles County , where 305 people have been sentenced to death since 1977 .
Of those , 44 % are Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Habeas Corpus Resource Center .
About 9 % of Los Angeles County ’ s population is Black .
Kent Scheidegger , legal director of the California Justice Legal Foundation , said it was “ baloney ” to say racism has infected the state ’ s death penalty process .
“ The relevant comparison is death row versus the population of murderers , not death row versus the general population , ” he said .

By ADAM BEAM | The Associated Press
SACRAMENTO — California’s process for imposing the death penalty “is now, and always has been, infected by racism,” Gov. Gavin Newsom declared Monday in a brief filed with the state Supreme Court.
Newsom filed the brief in the case of Donte Lamont McDaniel, who was sentenced to death in 2009 for the murder of 33-year-old George Brooks and 52-year-old Annette Anderson.
In California, juries can impose the death penalty if they find that “aggravating factors” outweigh “mitigating factors.” The decision to sentence someone to death must be unanimous. But juries don’t have to unanimously agree on each aggravating factor.
McDaniel’s case is challenging that interpretation of the state Constitution. In his brief, lawyers on behalf of Newsom argue not requiring juries to agree on those factors increases racial discrimination in death penalty cases. They argue that “decades of study” show the percentage of Black people excluded from juries in death penalty cases was “double to triple” that of whites, mostly because as a group Black people are more likely to oppose the death penalty than white people.
That’s a problem when it is time to sentence someone to death, they argue, because “overall, White jurors ‘are much less receptive to mitigation’ than Black jurors” in cases where the defendant is Black and the victim is white. Meanwhile, Black jurors “are more likely than white jurors to ‘keep the sin separate from the sinner’ no matter what the race.”
But beyond that, Newsom’s brief argues that the death penalty in the United States is “rooted in the legacy of slavery, racial terror and subjugation,” saying it has been “disproportionately applied, first, to enslaved Africans and African Americans, and, later, to free Black people.”
The brief was written on behalf of Newsom by two professors at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law: Elizabeth Semel, director of the school’s Death Penalty Clinic, and Erwin Chemerinsky, the school’s dean. Newsom’s office said it was the first time a sitting California governor has filed a brief with the state Supreme Court “calling attention to the unfair and uneven application of the death penalty.”
“With this filing, we make clear that all Californians deserve the same right to a jury trial that is fair, and that is a matter of life and death,” Newsom said in a news release.
California has not executed anyone since 2006. In 2016, voters narrowly approved a ballot proposition designed to speed up the death penalty. But Newsom halted all executions in California last year, declaring he “will not oversee the execution of any individual.”
Nancy Haydt, executive director of anti-capital punishment advocacy group Death Penalty Focus, praised Newsom for saying the death penalty is racially biased. She pointed to cases in Los Angeles County, where 305 people have been sentenced to death since 1977. Of those, 44% are Black and 17% are white, according to the Habeas Corpus Resource Center. About 9% of Los Angeles County’s population is Black.
“It’s undeniable,” Haydt said.
Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the California Justice Legal Foundation, said it was “baloney” to say racism has infected the state’s death penalty process.
“The relevant comparison is death row versus the population of murderers, not death row versus the general population,” he said.


mercurynews--2020-10-27--How the coronavirus pandemic is contributing to your insomnia

Sleeping during the Covid-19 pandemic has become a nightmare for Aparna Aswani .
Between cooling off from the stress of the workday and managing her anxiety from reading about the pandemic and politics , she ’ s lucky to turn in before midnight .
Once the 44-year-old marketing executive falls asleep , she usually wakes up two or three times before the alarm rings around 6 a.m. On good nights , Aswani gets four or five hours of sleep before she must wake up and jump into her roles as mother and virtual learning facilitator for her 5-year-old son .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ any sleep at all .
“ I ’ ve never been a good sleeper , but it ’ s been 20 times worse since the pandemic started , ” she said .
“ It ’ s gotten to the point where just thinking about sleep stresses me out.
” Aswani , from San Clemente , California , is one of many people who have experienced some sort of disruption to their usual sleeping routines since the pandemic began this March .
For some , the changes are subtle — more restlessness or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the new reality is flat-out hell : either a chronic lack of sufficient sleep or full-on insomnia .
Some experts have gone so far as to nickname the current trend “ coronasomnia , ” said Christina Pierpaoli Parker , postdoctoral fellow of clinical psychology and behavioral sleep medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham .
Whatever we call it , Pierpaoli Parker said there are strong relationships between the pandemic and sleeplessness .
“ Good sleep undergirds every aspect of mental and physical health , which we need to support now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ When we create the optimal cognitive , behavioral and environmental conditions for sleep — including low ambient temperature — we also support optimal conditions for health overall.
” We can ’ t just blame the pandemic .
Sleeplessness was a problem long before this latest crisis .
Roughly a third of US adults were getting the minimum of seven hours of sleep per night recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine , according to 2016 data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Since the pandemic started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While there has been an 11.3 % overall decrease in the number of prescriptions filled for sleep disorders since 2015 , the number of prescriptions filled for sleep disorders between February 16 and March 15 increased by 14.8 % , a report from pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts indicated .
More recently , 36 % of Americans reported difficulty sleeping this summer due to stress about the pandemic , according to a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation .
Finally , while people are sleeping more during the pandemic , data from yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their sleep is declining precipitously .
There are many reasons to be concerned : Poor or insufficient sleep can increase risk for chronic health problems such as diabetes , obesity , high blood pressure , kidney disease , heart disease and depression .
Sleep also is considered a critical part of the proper function of our immune systems , which is important during a pandemic .
Poor sleep habits also can lead to weight gain , according to the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine .
That ’ s because lack of sleep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that make us hungry and tell us we ’ re full .
What ’ s more , fatigue hijacks our motivation to exercise , and when we ’ re tired , we generally make more impulsive choices about everything — especially what we eat .
There are several different manifestations of sleeplessness plaguing us at this point in the pandemic .
The most common of these conditions is insomnia , a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep or early morning awakenings without returning to sleep at least three nights a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three months .
Insomnia can include one or all of these symptoms , and can impact the patient ’ s ability to function during wakefulness , Pierpaoli Parker noted .
Insomnia typically affects 10 % to 14 % of American adults , according to the CDC .
This year , however , sleep experts say that based on the number of patients they ’ re seeing for this condition , the number has spiked dramatically .
Not everybody with formal sleep problems is diagnosed with full-on insomnia ; most sufferers instead are plagued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as a result , fail to get the minimum suggested amount , resulting in a chronic lack of sufficient quality sleep .
Jennifer Martin , professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California , Los Angeles , said both disorders are understandable since humans are wired to stay awake in the face of danger and we ’ re facing the first widespread global pandemic in 100 years .
“ It would have been an unfortunate mistake of evolution if we were sleepy when there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we went to sleep , ” Martin said .
“ When we perceive a threat , we are awake .
That ’ s adaptive .
That ’ s good for us .
Yet when there is a large threat in our environment like a global pandemic , one of our initial biological stress reactions is to not sleep so we can be prepared to deal with the threat.
” Why we ’ re up all night Experts agree there are several factors contributing to our general lack of sleep .
First on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beings operate in accordance with natural , internal processes that regulate our sleep-wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours .
Known as circadian rhythms , these are connected to certain external factors that happen every day : sunrise , sunset and more .
Because most of us are spending more time at home , we ’ re all thrown off our natural respective routines , adding to an overall sense of confusion and unrest .
Without typical social time cues such as getting dressed for work or dropping off the kids at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our brains are less aware of when to prepare for sleep , said Chandra L. Jackson , Earl Stadtman investigator at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences .
Staying in the house , which lowers our exposure to natural light , also throws off these circadian rhythms and sleep schedules , she said .
Another explanation : Between Zoom meetings for work and people being glued to their phones , screen time is at an all-time high .
Blue spectrum light generated from screens tells the brain to stop producing melatonin , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s sleep-wake cycle , said Dr. David Neubauer , associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore .
Of course , other factors contributing to poor sleep habits include money worries , anxiety over employment and the all-too-understandable fear about actually catching Covid-19 and transmitting it to loved ones .
For those formally diagnosed with insomnia , there are medicinal aids such as zolpidem ( Ambien ) or benzodiazepines ( Xanax and Valium ) , but these require prescriptions and generally are only limited to no more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ therapy for insomnia , or CBTi , helps people identify the underlying causes of their insomnia and adopt behaviors to change it .
It usually takes six to eight sessions to work — which means sufferers experience relief about two months after they start treatment .
Jennifer Kanady , a clinical psychologist and the clinical innovation lead for sleep at Big Health , a medical technology company in San Francisco , said the “ treatment is about breaking bad habits and retraining the individual to sleep the healthy way.
” Stimulus control is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and it “ strengthens the bed-sleep connection by limiting wakefulness in bed.
” For those suffering from a chronic lack of sufficient sleep , experts say it ’ s critical to get yourself back on a regular schedule — even if it means first depriving yourself of sleep to do it .
People should get out of bed if they can ’ t fall asleep ( or return to sleep ) within 15-30 minutes , or as soon as trying to fall asleep feels frustrating , Pierpaoli Parker suggested .
She added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to anything with blue light or a backlit screen for about an hour or two before bed .
This means no television or scrolling on your phone within an hour of bedtime .
Yes , really .
Tactical changes to your everyday lifestyle can improve sleep habits , as well .
Regular exercise is a great practice , as it helps tire your body .
Another good idea : making your bedroom sacred .
With so many people working from home , it ’ s important to ensure that the bed remains a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for activity , said Bill Fish , president of OneCare Media , which publishes SleepFoundation.org .
“ Set up your bedroom as a sanctuary for sleep and sex , ” Fish , a certified sleep science coach , said .
“ The more you do in there during the day , the harder it will be to recognize it ’ s a place for sleep at night.
” Another good strategy , Kanady said , is setting aside 20 minutes each day for letting out worries and anxieties by writing them down on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that by worrying at the same time and in the same place every day , your brain will start to learn that there is a dedicated place and time for worries , and the worries will start to interfere with sleep less .
Many sleep sufferers are open to trying anything .
Meg Alcazar , on the other hand , a single mother who lives in Durham , North Carolina , has had enough .
• Oakland A ’ s lay off 20 percent of employees across business , baseball operations • Coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Mexico to Bay Area due to health order • Outbreak deaths are rising again in the US “ My main issue seems to be that all the advice is about self-discipline : Cut out alcohol , don ’ t eat after 6 p.m. , no carbs , ” she said .
“ Our normal has already been upended , are we really to deny ourselves the few remaining pleasures for something as basic and unexciting as sleeping through the night ?
” Alcazar noted that she ’ d rather suffer through current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The idea of living like a monk on a mountain with the world burning down around me makes me feel I ’ d rather just sleep when I ’ m dead , ” she said .

Sleeping during the Covid-19 pandemic has become a nightmare for Aparna Aswani.
Between cooling off from the stress of the workday and managing her anxiety from reading about the pandemic and politics, she’s lucky to turn in before midnight. Once the 44-year-old marketing executive falls asleep, she usually wakes up two or three times before the alarm rings around 6 a.m.
On good nights, Aswani gets four or five hours of sleep before she must wake up and jump into her roles as mother and virtual learning facilitator for her 5-year-old son. On bad nights, Aswani barely gets any sleep at all.
“I’ve never been a good sleeper, but it’s been 20 times worse since the pandemic started,” she said. “It’s gotten to the point where just thinking about sleep stresses me out.”
[vemba-video id=”tv/2020/10/15/matthew-walker-sleep-immune-covid.cnn”]
Aswani, from San Clemente, California, is one of many people who have experienced some sort of disruption to their usual sleeping routines since the pandemic began this March. For some, the changes are subtle — more restlessness or a poorer quality of sleep. For others, the new reality is flat-out hell: either a chronic lack of sufficient sleep or full-on insomnia.
Some experts have gone so far as to nickname the current trend “coronasomnia,” said Christina Pierpaoli Parker, postdoctoral fellow of clinical psychology and behavioral sleep medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Whatever we call it, Pierpaoli Parker said there are strong relationships between the pandemic and sleeplessness.
“Good sleep undergirds every aspect of mental and physical health, which we need to support now more than ever,” she said. “When we create the optimal cognitive, behavioral and environmental conditions for sleep — including low ambient temperature — we also support optimal conditions for health overall.”
Sleep woes by the numbers
We can’t just blame the pandemic. Sleeplessness was a problem long before this latest crisis.
Roughly a third of US adults were getting the minimum of seven hours of sleep per night recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, according to 2016 data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since the pandemic started, the numbers have gotten worse. While there has been an 11.3% overall decrease in the number of prescriptions filled for sleep disorders since 2015, the number of prescriptions filled for sleep disorders between February 16 and March 15 increased by 14.8%, a report from pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts indicated.
More recently, 36% of Americans reported difficulty sleeping this summer due to stress about the pandemic, according to a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Finally, while people are sleeping more during the pandemic, data from yet another recent study indicated that the quality of their sleep is declining precipitously.
There are many reasons to be concerned: Poor or insufficient sleep can increase risk for chronic health problems such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart disease and depression. Sleep also is considered a critical part of the proper function of our immune systems, which is important during a pandemic.
Poor sleep habits also can lead to weight gain, according to the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine.
That’s because lack of sleep is associated with dysregulation of the hormones that make us hungry and tell us we’re full. What’s more, fatigue hijacks our motivation to exercise, and when we’re tired, we generally make more impulsive choices about everything — especially what we eat.
What’s plaguing us
There are several different manifestations of sleeplessness plaguing us at this point in the pandemic.
The most common of these conditions is insomnia, a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep or early morning awakenings without returning to sleep at least three nights a week for a period of at least three months. Insomnia can include one or all of these symptoms, and can impact the patient’s ability to function during wakefulness, Pierpaoli Parker noted.
Insomnia typically affects 10% to 14% of American adults, according to the CDC. This year, however, sleep experts say that based on the number of patients they’re seeing for this condition, the number has spiked dramatically.
Not everybody with formal sleep problems is diagnosed with full-on insomnia; most sufferers instead are plagued by anxiety about the world, and, as a result, fail to get the minimum suggested amount, resulting in a chronic lack of sufficient quality sleep.
Jennifer Martin, professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, said both disorders are understandable since humans are wired to stay awake in the face of danger and we’re facing the first widespread global pandemic in 100 years.
“It would have been an unfortunate mistake of evolution if we were sleepy when there was a tiger outside of our cave and we went to sleep,” Martin said. “When we perceive a threat, we are awake. That’s adaptive. That’s good for us. Yet when there is a large threat in our environment like a global pandemic, one of our initial biological stress reactions is to not sleep so we can be prepared to deal with the threat.”
Why we’re up all night
Experts agree there are several factors contributing to our general lack of sleep.
First on the list: disruption to routine. Human beings operate in accordance with natural, internal processes that regulate our sleep-wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. Known as circadian rhythms, these are connected to certain external factors that happen every day: sunrise, sunset and more. Because most of us are spending more time at home, we’re all thrown off our natural respective routines, adding to an overall sense of confusion and unrest.
Without typical social time cues such as getting dressed for work or dropping off the kids at school at a certain standard time, our brains are less aware of when to prepare for sleep, said Chandra L. Jackson, Earl Stadtman investigator at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Staying in the house, which lowers our exposure to natural light, also throws off these circadian rhythms and sleep schedules, she said.
Another explanation: Between Zoom meetings for work and people being glued to their phones, screen time is at an all-time high.
Blue spectrum light generated from screens tells the brain to stop producing melatonin, a hormone that regulates the body’s sleep-wake cycle, said Dr. David Neubauer, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.
Of course, other factors contributing to poor sleep habits include money worries, anxiety over employment and the all-too-understandable fear about actually catching Covid-19 and transmitting it to loved ones.
Seeking solutions
For those formally diagnosed with insomnia, there are medicinal aids such as zolpidem (Ambien) or benzodiazepines (Xanax and Valium), but these require prescriptions and generally are only limited to no more than a couple of weeks.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBTi, helps people identify the underlying causes of their insomnia and adopt behaviors to change it. It usually takes six to eight sessions to work — which means sufferers experience relief about two months after they start treatment.
Jennifer Kanady, a clinical psychologist and the clinical innovation lead for sleep at Big Health, a medical technology company in San Francisco, said the “treatment is about breaking bad habits and retraining the individual to sleep the healthy way.” Stimulus control is one component of treatment, she added, and it “strengthens the bed-sleep connection by limiting wakefulness in bed.”
For those suffering from a chronic lack of sufficient sleep, experts say it’s critical to get yourself back on a regular schedule — even if it means first depriving yourself of sleep to do it.
People should get out of bed if they can’t fall asleep (or return to sleep) within 15-30 minutes, or as soon as trying to fall asleep feels frustrating, Pierpaoli Parker suggested. She added it’s important to minimize exposure to anything with blue light or a backlit screen for about an hour or two before bed. This means no television or scrolling on your phone within an hour of bedtime. Yes, really.
Other options
Tactical changes to your everyday lifestyle can improve sleep habits, as well.
Regular exercise is a great practice, as it helps tire your body. Another good idea: making your bedroom sacred. With so many people working from home, it’s important to ensure that the bed remains a place for sleep, not a place for activity, said Bill Fish, president of OneCare Media, which publishes SleepFoundation.org.
“Set up your bedroom as a sanctuary for sleep and sex,” Fish, a certified sleep science coach, said. “The more you do in there during the day, the harder it will be to recognize it’s a place for sleep at night.”
Another good strategy, Kanady said, is setting aside 20 minutes each day for letting out worries and anxieties by writing them down on a piece of paper. She said that by worrying at the same time and in the same place every day, your brain will start to learn that there is a dedicated place and time for worries, and the worries will start to interfere with sleep less.
Many sleep sufferers are open to trying anything. Meg Alcazar, on the other hand, a single mother who lives in Durham, North Carolina, has had enough.
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Long Covid cases in US adults are on the decline, but many continue to struggle with symptoms Health | COVID Q&A: Can I use an expired test? Time to get boosted? How to cope with California’s sneaky summer surge “My main issue seems to be that all the advice is about self-discipline: Cut out alcohol, don’t eat after 6 p.m., no carbs,” she said. “Our normal has already been upended, are we really to deny ourselves the few remaining pleasures for something as basic and unexciting as sleeping through the night?”
Alcazar noted that she’d rather suffer through current challenges than give up things she loves.
“The idea of living like a monk on a mountain with the world burning down around me makes me feel I’d rather just sleep when I’m dead,” she said.
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mercurynews--2020-10-27--7 reasons California officials say major theme parks are too risky to reopen right now

Disneyland , Universal Studios Hollywood and other large California theme parks are high-risk settings that could increase exposure to COVID-19 and lead to outbreaks prolonging the coronavirus pandemic , according to state officials .
California issued long-awaited theme park reopening guidelines last week , but the new rules could leave small parks closed for weeks or months and major players like Disney and Universal unable to return until early 2021 or next summer .
Disneyland , Disney California Adventure , Universal Studios Hollywood , Knott ’ s Berry Farm , SeaWorld San Diego , Six Flags Magic Mountain , Legoland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed in mid-March amid the pandemic and remain shuttered under the new state guidelines in Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s four-tier Blueprint for a Safer Economy until their counties reach the yellow/minimal tier 1 risk level .
State officials visited Disneyland , Universal Studios Hollywood , Pacific Park , Disney World and Universal Orlando to review COVID-19 health and safety measures before issuing the California guidelines .
California Health and Human Services secretary Mark Ghaly laid out the risks of reopening large theme parks when he announced the new COVID-19 health and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief medical officer explained during the release of the new guidelines why large theme parks were higher-risk settings than small theme parks and outdoor professional sports stadiums .
Let ’ s take a closer look at the seven primary concerns state officials have about reopening California ’ s largest theme parks and the solutions offered by the shuttered tourist destinations .
State officials took aim at one of the chief complaints about large theme parks : Big crowds .
The trip to Florida theme parks by state officials raised concern .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very random and concerning to us , ” Ghaly said during a news conference .
The random , large-scale mixing of households makes it difficult in a theme park setting to control who passes by whom with or without a mask , according to Ghaly .
The constant mixing of theme park visitors makes it difficult to know where somebody was during a specific time , activity or event , according to Ghaly .
Random crowd mixing makes it hard to know who was in a theme park at any given moment in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ghaly said .
The new guidelines for large theme parks call for advance reservations and reducing attendance to 25 % of capacity .
Theme parks argue attendance caps and reservations would help reduce crowding .
Disneyland has announced that parades , fireworks shows and nighttime spectaculars that draw large crowds would be suspended upon reopening .
Another big gripe among theme park fans was also a chief concern for state officials : Long lines .
“ Things that we saw that we were very reassured by were really great management of how lines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a news conference .
“ Keeping separate groups apart while in a line , while on a ride.
” State officials are concerned about maintaining physical distancing throughout the entire theme park experience — from waiting in line for food to visiting the restroom , according to Ghaly .
Theme parks have established a host of health and safety protocols that include everything from six-foot social distancing markers in all attraction queues to virtual queueing for popular rides to mobile ordering at food stands .
A theme park is a high-touch environment — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ queue railings and ride restraints .
“ Many surfaces get touched and handled by a number of different people , ” Ghaly said during a news conference .
Most parks have established “ clean teams ” charged with a near-constant sanitizing of high-touch areas .
Theme parks have instituted health protocols to encourage regular hand cleaning — installing numerous washing and sanitizing stations throughout their parks .
Contactless transactions at point-of-sale locations throughout the parks also reduce touch points .
Security procedures have been updated at most theme park entrances to reduce contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ belongings .
Ghaly touted the outdoor nature of California ’ s small theme parks as one of their benefits compared to large theme parks .
“ They ’ re almost exclusively outdoors , ” Ghaly said during a news conference .
“ They don ’ t have as many indoor venues or aspects of being indoors .
Even many of the eateries are outdoors.
” Some Southern California theme parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood have a number of indoor attractions .
Others like Six Flags Magic Mountain and SeaWorld San Diego @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan to use virtual queueing systems to minimize wait times in indoor areas of attractions .
Legoland California has offered to close the few indoor attractions at the Carlsbad park and only operate outdoor rides .
Most live stage shows are not expected to immediately return to theme parks .
Disneyland canceled “ Frozen : Live at the Hyperion ” and “ Mickey and the Magical Map ” and plans to lay off more than 200 actors from the theatrical shows .
State officials want to discourage out of state and international travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parks draw thousands of visitors from a broad geographic base , Ghaly said .
“ You might have thousands of visitors coming together from a broad geographic area , ” Ghaly said during a news conference .
“ Not just the local community , but from other parts of the nation and sometimes even the globe.
” California ’ s small theme parks must limit attendance to visitors from within the park ’ s county .
Outdoor professional sports stadiums will be required to limit fans to those living within 120 miles of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reportedly part of initial draft theme park reopening guidelines .
Universal Studios Hollywood officials say the park relied on local visitors before the pandemic .
Southern California theme parks expect national and international travel to the region to be virtually non-existent when they first reopen and potentially remain stagnant for several years due to the pandemic .
National and international travelers tend to stay for a number of days or a whole week in areas surrounding California ’ s large theme parks compared to locals who might visit a small theme park for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ghaly .
“ That might promote mixing and congregating not just at the activity , but within that community , ” Ghaly said during a news conference .
Visitors to large and small theme parks will be required to make advance reservations under the state guidelines .
Theme parks with on-property hotels would have the ability to control each visitor ’ s length of stay .
Tens of thousands of people visiting a large theme park could have a significant impact on surrounding businesses like hotels , restaurants and retail shops , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amusement parks can reopen right now under new state guidelines • California allows some theme parks to reopen , but Disney and Universal won ’ t return for weeks or months “ People may keep their guard up while they ’ re in a theme park , but when they are milling around the community their guard may go down , ” Ghaly said during a news conference .
“ That could be just enough to create outbreaks and transmission risks that California just doesn ’ t want to see.
” Theme parks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside their gates , but city , county and state officials would have the ability to enforce COVID-19 health and safety measures at area businesses .
Most businesses outside theme park gates like hotels , restaurants and retail shops have already been issued reopening guidelines by the state .
Convention centers and live theaters have not yet received clearance to reopen in California .

Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and other large California theme parks are high-risk settings that could increase exposure to COVID-19 and lead to outbreaks prolonging the coronavirus pandemic, according to state officials.
California issued long-awaited theme park reopening guidelines last week, but the new rules could leave small parks closed for weeks or months and major players like Disney and Universal unable to return until early 2021 or next summer.
Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, SeaWorld San Diego, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Legoland California and other large California theme parks closed in mid-March amid the pandemic and remain shuttered under the new state guidelines in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-tier Blueprint for a Safer Economy until their counties reach the yellow/minimal tier 1 risk level.
State officials visited Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, Pacific Park, Disney World and Universal Orlando to review COVID-19 health and safety measures before issuing the California guidelines.
California Health and Human Services secretary Mark Ghaly laid out the risks of reopening large theme parks when he announced the new COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.
The state’s chief medical officer explained during the release of the new guidelines why large theme parks were higher-risk settings than small theme parks and outdoor professional sports stadiums.
Let’s take a closer look at the seven primary concerns state officials have about reopening California’s largest theme parks and the solutions offered by the shuttered tourist destinations.
1) Big crowds
State officials took aim at one of the chief complaints about large theme parks: Big crowds.
The trip to Florida theme parks by state officials raised concern.
“The level of mixing even without masks seemed very random and concerning to us,” Ghaly said during a news conference.
The random, large-scale mixing of households makes it difficult in a theme park setting to control who passes by whom with or without a mask, according to Ghaly.
Another challenge related to big crowds: Contact tracing.
The constant mixing of theme park visitors makes it difficult to know where somebody was during a specific time, activity or event, according to Ghaly. Random crowd mixing makes it hard to know who was in a theme park at any given moment in the event of a disease investigation, Ghaly said.
The new guidelines for large theme parks call for advance reservations and reducing attendance to 25% of capacity.
Theme parks argue attendance caps and reservations would help reduce crowding. Disneyland has announced that parades, fireworks shows and nighttime spectaculars that draw large crowds would be suspended upon reopening.
2) Social distancing
Another big gripe among theme park fans was also a chief concern for state officials: Long lines.
The Florida theme park trip reassured state officials about queue management.
“Things that we saw that we were very reassured by were really great management of how lines were managed,” Ghaly said during a news conference. “Keeping separate groups apart while in a line, while on a ride.”
State officials are concerned about maintaining physical distancing throughout the entire theme park experience — from waiting in line for food to visiting the restroom, according to Ghaly.
Theme parks have established a host of health and safety protocols that include everything from six-foot social distancing markers in all attraction queues to virtual queueing for popular rides to mobile ordering at food stands.
3) High-touch environment
A theme park is a high-touch environment — from door knobs and trash cans to queue railings and ride restraints.
“Many surfaces get touched and handled by a number of different people,” Ghaly said during a news conference.
Most parks have established “clean teams” charged with a near-constant sanitizing of high-touch areas.
Theme parks have instituted health protocols to encourage regular hand cleaning — installing numerous washing and sanitizing stations throughout their parks.
Contactless transactions at point-of-sale locations throughout the parks also reduce touch points.
Security procedures have been updated at most theme park entrances to reduce contact between security officers and visitors’s belongings.
4) Indoor attractions
Ghaly touted the outdoor nature of California’s small theme parks as one of their benefits compared to large theme parks.
“They’re almost exclusively outdoors,” Ghaly said during a news conference. “They don’t have as many indoor venues or aspects of being indoors. Even many of the eateries are outdoors.”
Some Southern California theme parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood have a number of indoor attractions. Others like Six Flags Magic Mountain and SeaWorld San Diego feature mostly outdoor rides.
Many parks plan to use virtual queueing systems to minimize wait times in indoor areas of attractions.
Legoland California has offered to close the few indoor attractions at the Carlsbad park and only operate outdoor rides.
Most live stage shows are not expected to immediately return to theme parks. Disneyland canceled “Frozen: Live at the Hyperion” and “Mickey and the Magical Map” and plans to lay off more than 200 actors from the theatrical shows.
5) Long-distance travel
State officials want to discourage out of state and international travel, according to Ghaly.
Large theme parks draw thousands of visitors from a broad geographic base, Ghaly said.
“You might have thousands of visitors coming together from a broad geographic area,” Ghaly said during a news conference. “Not just the local community, but from other parts of the nation and sometimes even the globe.”
California’s small theme parks must limit attendance to visitors from within the park’s county.
Outdoor professional sports stadiums will be required to limit fans to those living within 120 miles of the venue — a proposal that was reportedly part of initial draft theme park reopening guidelines.
Universal Studios Hollywood officials say the park relied on local visitors before the pandemic. Southern California theme parks expect national and international travel to the region to be virtually non-existent when they first reopen and potentially remain stagnant for several years due to the pandemic.
6) Extended visits
National and international travelers tend to stay for a number of days or a whole week in areas surrounding California’s large theme parks compared to locals who might visit a small theme park for just a few hours, according to Ghaly.
“That might promote mixing and congregating not just at the activity, but within that community,” Ghaly said during a news conference.
Visitors to large and small theme parks will be required to make advance reservations under the state guidelines. Theme parks with on-property hotels would have the ability to control each visitor’s length of stay.
7) Outside the gates
Tens of thousands of people visiting a large theme park could have a significant impact on surrounding businesses like hotels, restaurants and retail shops, according to Ghaly.
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Disneyland attendance rises and visitor spending increases thanks to higher ticket prices Business | Disneyland security dog attacks 81-year-old grandfather, lawsuit alleges “People may keep their guard up while they’re in a theme park, but when they are milling around the community their guard may go down,” Ghaly said during a news conference. “That could be just enough to create outbreaks and transmission risks that California just doesn’t want to see.”
Theme parks would have little control over independent businesses outside their gates, but city, county and state officials would have the ability to enforce COVID-19 health and safety measures at area businesses.
Most businesses outside theme park gates like hotels, restaurants and retail shops have already been issued reopening guidelines by the state. Convention centers and live theaters have not yet received clearance to reopen in California.


mercurynews--2020-10-27--Silverado fire forces 90,000 to evacuate; 2 firefighters critically burned

The wind-driven Silverado fire that ignited Monday , Oct. 26 near Silverado Canyon left two firefighters critically burned and forced more than 90,000 Irvine residents to evacuate .
By late Monday , the blaze had burned through 7,200 acres as the Santa Ana winds continued to push flames toward homes .
More than 500 firefighters were working to quell the blaze , which was sending smoke and ash across Southern California .
The blaze , dubbed the Silverado fire , was first reported at 10 acres just before 7 a.m .
Soon after , came the first round of mandatory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 60,000 residents in the community east of Irvine .
By nightfall , 90,800 had been forced to evacuate .
There was no containment on the fire by evening , fire officials said .
Containment is the percentage of the fire perimeter where flames are not expected to jump hand-cut lines or natural barriers such as rivers or roads .
So far , authorities have not reported that any structure had been destroyed .
Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy told reporters Monday afternoon that the two firefighters injured , ages 26 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hand crew .
Both men have second- and third-degree burns .
One of them had burns on 65 % of his body while the other had burns on 50 % , the chief said .
“ Both are intubated at this time , ” Fennessy said outside of Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana .
“ I got an opportunity to talk to members of their families and spend time with both firefighters in the emergency room while they were being treated , ” Fennessy said .
MAP : Where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were not in a position where they could speak with me .
Please keep these firefighters in your thoughts and prayers , and their families.
” The firefighters were working near where the fire started , the chief said , adding that authorities have requested an accident review team from the state come do the investigation .
He did not give any other details on what happened when the firefighters were injured .
“ This is a tough fire , ” the chief said .
“ We ’ re experiencing … very high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a very hazardous job.
” Monday morning , all homes north of Irvine Boulevard from Bake Parkway to Jamboree Road were ordered to leave as thick smoke blanketed the sky and air quality decreased .
Just before 2 p.m. , Irvine city officials announced another round of evacuations for residents in the areas from Irvine Boulevard south to Trabuco Road and from Jeffrey Road east to Portola High School .
Later that afternoon , the mandatory evacuations spread to Lake Forest with residents in the Baker Ranch and Foothill Ranch communities area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battling the fire with air support , the Orange County Fire Authority said , adding that it was moving at a “ moderate rate of speed.
” Forecasters warned last week that the Santa Ana winds would return heightening , ever-present fire dangers .
The strong winds hindered firefighting efforts : Officials said helicopters battling the Silverado fire had to be pulled from the blaze around 10:30 a.m. because the winds made water drops ineffective .
Fennessy said of the grounded aircraft : “ Largely the firefighters in the air dropping retardant , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that fire for the ground crews to do the things they need to do.
” The fire was first reported at Santiago and Silverado Canyon roads .
Authorities reported the blaze had jumped the 241 toll road , prompting parts of it to be closed , according to the California Highway Patrol .
Southern California Edison was investigating whether one of its power lines was involved in igniting the Silverado fire .
The company has no indication that there were downed lines in the area at the time the fire started , officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the California Public Utilities Commission .
But according to the notice and spokesman Chris Abel , a lashing wire connected to telecommunication lines , not to Edison equipment , may have come in contact with Edison ’ s overhead primary conductor , and that may have caused the fire .
Outages threatened more than 117,000 Southern California Edison customers in six Southern California counties with a power shutoff , according to the agency .
More than 18,000 customers had power shut off because of elevated fire risk .
Irvine Regional Park was closed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire .
Peters Canyon and Santiago Oaks regional parks were closed because of the high winds , the county parks department said .
City officials with Orange and Anaheim said via social media that there was no threat to homes in their communities but were monitoring the fire ’ s movement .
Residents on social media shared images of dark-orange skies and smoke moving quickly past , driven by the wind .
Many pointed out it was difficult to breathe as ash rained from the thick air .
Several schools in the Irvine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other campuses or released students early .
UCI suspended all operations on campus for the day and said the suspension would continue Tuesday , Oct. 27 .
All schools in Irvine , Tustin and Placentia-Yorba Linda school districts announced they ’ d also be closed for instruction , including distance learning , on Tuesday , the districts announced .
Wind gusts were at around 45 mph in the area , according to the National Weather Service .
“ It ’ s a big mess out here , it ’ s all around us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives deep in Harding Canyon , in the Modjeska Canyon area .
Wind knocked down trees , and residents were cutting them apart to get them out of the way of escape routes in case evacuation orders came .
“ I lost the roof on my garage , ” Hubble said .
In parts of the evacuation zones , roads were empty except for emergency vehicles .
Though the streets were devoid of people , they were awash with branches and other matter blown by the wind .
Some people chose to navigate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by car was difficult .
Jeremy Clift , 49 , was among several people standing at Irvine Boulevard and Sand Canyon Avenue watching smoke drift across Irvine Boulevard from the 133 Freeway .
Clift , who said he lives nearby , was riding his bicycle around the area to see how the firefighting efforts were going .
Clift , who has lived in his Irvine home near the evacuation zone for eight years , said he was somewhat worried about having to leave it at some point .
He and his wife , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things ready to pack if it came to that , he said .
“ It would have to march through these homes , like a major doomsday ” to get to his home , Clift said .
In Foothill Ranch , where evacuations were ordered later in the afternoon , some residents were ready to go .
Jordan Villwock got his family ready as a strike team deployed along his street .
“ We loaded up our boxes we pre-established to grab during an evacuation , ” he said .
“ We took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We greatly appreciate the firefighters and local government workers who are doing their best to keep us safe.
” The scenario was a familiar one .
In 2007 , he experienced the same evacuation .
Villwock is all too familiar with these types of operations .
He also is the fire administrative director for the city of Ontario .
And he used to manage Laguna Beach ’ s emergency operations .
• Utility says its equipment may have sparked California blaze • Bay Area dodges perfect storm of dangerous fire conditions — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with most of Southern California , was expecting significant wind storms and an increased chance of vegetation fires .
Ontario International Airport even halted flights for several hours midday because of 70 mph-plus winds .
So even after he evacuated Villwock on Monday afternoon , was back to work handling it for Ontario .
During a news conference in Irvine Monday afternoon , OCFA Chief Fennessy said winds were expected to decrease in strength through the evening which would help use aircraft in the firefight again .
“ But I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winds ) to increase in the early ( Tuesday ) morning hours , ” he said .
“ So we ’ re not out of this yet.
” Staff writers Eric Licas and Emily Rasmussen contributed to this story .

The wind-driven Silverado fire that ignited Monday, Oct. 26 near Silverado Canyon left two firefighters critically burned and forced more than 90,000 Irvine residents to evacuate.
By late Monday, the blaze had burned through 7,200 acres as the Santa Ana winds continued to push flames toward homes.
More than 500 firefighters were working to quell the blaze, which was sending smoke and ash across Southern California.
#OCSDPIO New evacuation orders for the city of Lake Forest east of the 241 toll road between Lake Forest Dr. and El Toro Rd/Santiago Canyon Rd. Map to evacuation warnings and orders here- https://t.co/X3WvEM95yy — OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) October 27, 2020
The blaze, dubbed the Silverado fire, was first reported at 10 acres just before 7 a.m. Soon after, came the first round of mandatory evacuations, in Orchard Hills, affecting about 60,000 residents in the community east of Irvine. By nightfall, 90,800 had been forced to evacuate.
There was no containment on the fire by evening, fire officials said. Containment is the percentage of the fire perimeter where flames are not expected to jump hand-cut lines or natural barriers such as rivers or roads.
So far, authorities have not reported that any structure had been destroyed.
Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy told reporters Monday afternoon that the two firefighters injured, ages 26 and 31, are part of a hand crew.
Both men have second- and third-degree burns. One of them had burns on 65% of his body while the other had burns on 50%, the chief said.
“Both are intubated at this time,” Fennessy said outside of Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana.
“I got an opportunity to talk to members of their families and spend time with both firefighters in the emergency room while they were being treated,” Fennessy said.
MAP: Where the Silverado fire is burning
“But they were not in a position where they could speak with me. Please keep these firefighters in your thoughts and prayers, and their families.”
The firefighters were working near where the fire started, the chief said, adding that authorities have requested an accident review team from the state come do the investigation. He did not give any other details on what happened when the firefighters were injured.
“This is a tough fire,” the chief said. “We’re experiencing … very high winds, very low humidities. This is a very hazardous job.”
Monday morning, all homes north of Irvine Boulevard from Bake Parkway to Jamboree Road were ordered to leave as thick smoke blanketed the sky and air quality decreased.
Just before 2 p.m., Irvine city officials announced another round of evacuations for residents in the areas from Irvine Boulevard south to Trabuco Road and from Jeffrey Road east to Portola High School.
Later that afternoon, the mandatory evacuations spread to Lake Forest with residents in the Baker Ranch and Foothill Ranch communities area ordered to leave.
Firefighters were initially battling the fire with air support, the Orange County Fire Authority said, adding that it was moving at a “moderate rate of speed.”
Forecasters warned last week that the Santa Ana winds would return heightening, ever-present fire dangers.
The strong winds hindered firefighting efforts: Officials said helicopters battling the Silverado fire had to be pulled from the blaze around 10:30 a.m. because the winds made water drops ineffective.
Fennessy said of the grounded aircraft: “Largely the firefighters in the air dropping retardant, dropping water, they’re slowing that fire for the ground crews to do the things they need to do.”
The fire was first reported at Santiago and Silverado Canyon roads. Authorities reported the blaze had jumped the 241 toll road, prompting parts of it to be closed, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Southern California Edison was investigating whether one of its power lines was involved in igniting the Silverado fire. The company has no indication that there were downed lines in the area at the time the fire started, officials said in a notice filed Monday to the California Public Utilities Commission. But according to the notice and spokesman Chris Abel, a lashing wire connected to telecommunication lines, not to Edison equipment, may have come in contact with Edison’s overhead primary conductor, and that may have caused the fire.
Outages threatened more than 117,000 Southern California Edison customers in six Southern California counties with a power shutoff, according to the agency.
More than 18,000 customers had power shut off because of elevated fire risk.
Irvine Regional Park was closed for fire operations to assist during the fire. Peters Canyon and Santiago Oaks regional parks were closed because of the high winds, the county parks department said.
City officials with Orange and Anaheim said via social media that there was no threat to homes in their communities but were monitoring the fire’s movement.
Residents on social media shared images of dark-orange skies and smoke moving quickly past, driven by the wind. Many pointed out it was difficult to breathe as ash rained from the thick air.
Several schools in the Irvine and Tustin school districts moved students to other campuses or released students early. UCI suspended all operations on campus for the day and said the suspension would continue Tuesday, Oct. 27.
All schools in Irvine, Tustin and Placentia-Yorba Linda school districts announced they’d also be closed for instruction, including distance learning, on Tuesday, the districts announced.
Wind gusts were at around 45 mph in the area, according to the National Weather Service.
“It’s a big mess out here, it’s all around us,” said Joanne Hubble, who lives deep in Harding Canyon, in the Modjeska Canyon area.
Wind knocked down trees, and residents were cutting them apart to get them out of the way of escape routes in case evacuation orders came.
“I lost the roof on my garage,” Hubble said.
In parts of the evacuation zones, roads were empty except for emergency vehicles. Though the streets were devoid of people, they were awash with branches and other matter blown by the wind.
Some people chose to navigate the area via bicycle since getting around by car was difficult.
Jeremy Clift, 49, was among several people standing at Irvine Boulevard and Sand Canyon Avenue watching smoke drift across Irvine Boulevard from the 133 Freeway. Clift, who said he lives nearby, was riding his bicycle around the area to see how the firefighting efforts were going.
Clift, who has lived in his Irvine home near the evacuation zone for eight years, said he was somewhat worried about having to leave it at some point. He and his wife, who was at their home, had things ready to pack if it came to that, he said.
“It would have to march through these homes, like a major doomsday” to get to his home, Clift said.
In Foothill Ranch, where evacuations were ordered later in the afternoon, some residents were ready to go.
Jordan Villwock got his family ready as a strike team deployed along his street.
“We loaded up our boxes we pre-established to grab during an evacuation,” he said. “We took pictures, baby books laptops and keepsakes. We greatly appreciate the firefighters and local government workers who are doing their best to keep us safe.”
The scenario was a familiar one. In 2007, he experienced the same evacuation. Villwock is all too familiar with these types of operations.
He also is the fire administrative director for the city of Ontario. And he used to manage Laguna Beach’s emergency operations.
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Living with air pollution, especially from wildfires or agriculture, raises risk of dementia, US study finds Crashes and Disasters | Cadaver dogs are in Maui to help find the dead. Here’s how it works and why it’s difficult The city of Ontario, along with most of Southern California, was expecting significant wind storms and an increased chance of vegetation fires. Ontario International Airport even halted flights for several hours midday because of 70 mph-plus winds.
So even after he evacuated Villwock on Monday afternoon, was back to work handling it for Ontario.
During a news conference in Irvine Monday afternoon, OCFA Chief Fennessy said winds were expected to decrease in strength through the evening which would help use aircraft in the firefight again.
“But I’m also told that we can expect (winds) to increase in the early (Tuesday) morning hours,” he said.
“So we’re not out of this yet.”
Staff writers Eric Licas and Emily Rasmussen contributed to this story.


mercurynews--2020-10-28--Racist attack ad from Silicon Valley’s Chamber of Commerce PAC sparks outrage

This close to an election , almost everyone expects to get slammed with an 11th-hour volley of attack ads .
But even by those low standards , this one hit San Jose residents and leaders differently .
Situated prominently as the backdrop of a campaign ad on the Silicon Valley Organization PAC website was a black-and-white photo of a group of Black men rioting in the streets .
The photo was clearly not taken in San Jose ; it ’ s a 2018 photo shot by South African photographer Pawel Janiak , though it ’ s unclear where .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Do you really want to sign onto this ?
” The ad was part of an expensive assault led by the Silicon Valley Organization PAC — the campaign arm of the region ’ s largest chamber of commerce — against San Jose District 6 City Council Candidate Jake Tonkel .
The photo had been up on the website for about three days before the organization ’ s leaders say they were made aware and took it down .
Although Tonkel and his opponent , incumbent Dev Davis , are both White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Organization and Police Officers Association , which both support Davis , have joined in an organized campaign to attack Tonkel for his participation in some of the demonstrations that took place last summer in the wake of George Floyd ’ s killing by a Minneapolis police officer , including a video he posted on Facebook of demonstrators holding up signs with the acronym ACAB , which stands for “ all cops are bast****.
” The SVO has also falsely claimed that Tonkel wants to defund the San Jose Police Department by 80 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has no plans to do .
The SVO has since issued an apology for the photo and acknowledged that it was “ insensitive and racist.
” “ We apologize sincerely for the error and the pain we know the image may have caused those who saw it , ” the organization wrote in a statement Tuesday .
“ The person who posted the picture was attempting to demonstrate the consequences of cutting the police budget by 80 % , but the image chosen was offensive and should not have been posted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ procedures to make sure something like this does not happen again.
” But members of the community , elected officials and Tonkel himself are outraged by the bad judgment in the first place .
“ To put something out like this is just great hatred , ” said the Rev .
Jethroe Moore , president of San Jose-Silicon Valley NAACP chapter .
“ Who sits on their board ?
What is its makeup ?
Because they ’ re surely not being socially conscious right now.
” Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among the first elected officials in the county to condemn the SVO for the ad .
“ I understand how negative campaigning works , but things seem to be going over the edge , ” Stone said .
“ This was disgusting and racist — something right from the playbook of Donald Trump.
” For his part , Tonkel said he was “ not surprised ” by the ad , but he is calling for the leadership at SVO in charge of its campaign efforts to “ step aside.
” “ There have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of attacks made against my campaign , ” Tonkel said .
“ We can ’ t have people who are blatantly stoking fear and racism involved in the future of where the community in District 6 is going.
” Tonkel , a biomedical engineer and Green Party member , is facing off against Incumbent Dev Davis for the District 6 race .
Their contest , along with that for an open seat representing District 4 , could shift the council from a business-backed majority to a labor-packed majority .
With what is at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the SVO and South Bay Labor Council are pouring substantial amounts of money behind candidates .
Still , the funding spent on attack ads is lopsided .
The San Jose Police Officers Association and business groups such as the SVO and California Apartment Association have spent nearly $ 500,000 in attack ads and mailers against Tonkel .
Meanwhile , the South Bay Labor Council , which supports Tonkel , has spent less than a fifth of that in opposition to Davis .
Messages sent to hundreds of officers and personnel in the San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protested outside Davis ’ home during the George Floyd protests earlier this summer although Tonkel denies participating in the protest outside of her house .
The law enforcement union also launched a website called ‘ Taxin ’ Tonkel ’ that falsely claims the Green Party member supports all of the tax hikes the party ’ s presidential candidate does .
Tonkel has not publicly taken any official stance on about half the taxes mentioned — from snack and soda taxes to corporate-asset taxes to financial transactions taxes .
“ This is literally the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters and buy voters with their money , and it ’ s entirely unacceptable , ” Tonkel said .
Davis , Tonkel ’ s opponent , quickly denounced the SVO ’ s ad late Tuesday and removed the organization from the endorsements page on her website .
“ I am angry and shocked by the horrible graphic and truly disappointed by the very poor judgment and racist picture the SVO posted , ” the councilwoman wrote in a statement .
“ I denounce this in the strongest terms and am ashamed of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

This close to an election, almost everyone expects to get slammed with an 11th-hour volley of attack ads. But even by those low standards, this one hit San Jose residents and leaders differently.
Situated prominently as the backdrop of a campaign ad on the Silicon Valley Organization PAC website was a black-and-white photo of a group of Black men rioting in the streets. The photo was clearly not taken in San Jose; it’s a 2018 photo shot by South African photographer Pawel Janiak, though it’s unclear where. On top of the photo, it read: “Do you really want to sign onto this?”
The ad was part of an expensive assault led by the Silicon Valley Organization PAC — the campaign arm of the region’s largest chamber of commerce — against San Jose District 6 City Council Candidate Jake Tonkel. The photo had been up on the website for about a day before the organization’s leaders say they were made aware and took it down.
Although Tonkel and his opponent, incumbent Dev Davis, are both White, groups such as the Silicon Valley Organization and Police Officers Association have joined in an organized campaign to attack Tonkel for his participation in some of the demonstrations that took place last summer in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by a Minneapolis police officer, including a video posted on his campaign Facebook page that included demonstrators holding up signs with the acronym ACAB, which stands for “all cops are bast****.” The SVO has also claimed that Tonkel wants to defund the San Jose Police Department by 80%, which the District 6 candidate says he has no plans to do.
The SVO has since issued an apology for the photo and acknowledged that it was “insensitive and racist.” The organization would not identify the individual responsible for posting the photo and only referred to the employee as a “web administrator.”
“We apologize sincerely for the error and the pain we know the image may have caused those who saw it,” the organization wrote in a statement Tuesday. “The person who posted the picture was attempting to demonstrate the consequences of cutting the police budget by 80%, but the image chosen was offensive and should not have been posted. We are reviewing all of our internal procedures to make sure something like this does not happen again.”
But members of the community, elected officials and Tonkel himself are outraged by the bad judgment in the first place.
“To put something out like this is just great hatred,” said the Rev. Jethroe Moore, president of San Jose-Silicon Valley NAACP chapter. “Who sits on their board? What is its makeup? Because they’re surely not being socially conscious right now.”
Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone, who has endorsed Davis, also was among the first elected officials in the county to condemn the SVO for the ad.
“I understand how negative campaigning works, but things seem to be going over the edge,” Stone said. “This was disgusting and racist — something right from the playbook of Donald Trump.”
For his part, Tonkel said he was “not surprised” by the ad, but he is calling for the leadership at SVO in charge of its campaign efforts to “step aside.”
“There have been incredibly racist undertones throughout the entirety of attacks made against my campaign,” Tonkel said. “We can’t have people who are blatantly stoking fear and racism involved in the future of where the community in District 6 is going.”
Tonkel, a biomedical engineer and Green Party member, is facing off against Incumbent Dev Davis for the District 6 race. Their contest, along with that for an open seat representing District 4, could shift the council from a business-backed majority to a labor-packed majority. With what is at stake, special interest groups such as the SVO and South Bay Labor Council are pouring substantial amounts of money behind candidates.
Still, the funding spent on attack ads is lopsided.
The San Jose Police Officers Association and business groups such as the SVO and California Apartment Association have spent nearly $500,000 in attack ads and mailers against Tonkel. Meanwhile, the South Bay Labor Council, which supports Tonkel, has spent less than a fifth of that in opposition to Davis.
Messages sent to hundreds of officers and personnel in the San Jose Police Officer Association claimed that Tonkel protested outside Davis’ home during the George Floyd protests earlier this summer although Tonkel said he left when it got to that point.
The law enforcement union also launched a website called ‘Taxin’ Tonkel’ that claims the Green Party member supports all of the tax hikes the party’s presidential candidate does. Although Tonkel supports the Green New Deal, as a councilmember, he said he does not have plans to implement all of the taxes mentioned in the plan.
“This is literally the SVO and their allies trying to mislead voters and buy voters with their money, and it’s entirely unacceptable,” Tonkel said.
Davis, Tonkel’s opponent, quickly denounced the SVO’s ad late Tuesday and removed the organization from the endorsements page on her website.
“I am angry and shocked by the horrible graphic and truly disappointed by the very poor judgment and racist picture the SVO posted,” the councilwoman wrote in a statement. “I denounce this in the strongest terms and am ashamed of the past support I have received from them.”
This is not the first time the SVO has been accused of funding racist attack ads. In previous races, the organization was accused of darkening photos of current councilmembers Sylvia Arenas and Sergio Jimenez, who are both Latino.


mercurynews--2020-10-28--‘Pokemon Go’: November set for two Community Days with Electabuzz and Magmar

It appears as though “ Pokemon Go ” won ’ t have a pseudo-legendary celebration this year as Niantic announced two Community Days for November starring Electabuzz and Magmar .
In previous years , the company was more generous when assigning Pokemon to Community Days .
In 2018 , three events featured Dratini ( February ) , Larvitar ( June ) and Beldum ( October ) .
In 2019 , that dwindled down to Bagon in April .
For those curious about the pseudo-legendaries , it ’ s a fan term given to Pokemon with a three-stage evolution and high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They are often powerful Pokemon used in raids and in PvP .
They ’ re also highly sought-after .
Usually , Game Freak introduces one pseudo-legendary for each generation .
It appears as though pseudo-legendaries — either Gible or Deino — won ’ t have a Community Day in 2020 .
December is usually reserved for a Community Day makeup , in which players can get Pokemon that have previously appeared in the monthly celebrations .
With that said , having Electabuzz isn ’ t so bad when it comes to Community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effective in Go Battle League thanks to Wild Charge and Ice Punch .
Magmar is a little more iffy but Fire-type Pokemon are severely underpowered with their movesets in PvP .
The exclusive Community Day moves are geared toward surprising opponents because they normally wouldn ’ t have access to them .
In anime terms , the two pocket monsters share a weird connection similar to Luck Voltia and Magna Swing in “ Black Clover.
” Here ’ s a look at November ’ s “ Pokemon Go ’ Community Days .
Electabuzz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ p.m. Nov. 15 Players will find Electabuzz more common with a high chance of encountering a shiny one .
The shiny form is an interesting orange color with its evolution Electivire being a dark gold .
Players who evolve Electabuzz into Electivire by 7 p.m. will have their Pokemon learn Flamethrower .
Ideally , it could provide more coverage against Steel-type Pokemon that dominate the Ultra and Master leagues but it would also mean missing out on Ice Punch , which is an excellent surprise against Dragon types .
Wild Charge is mandatory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bonus to note is that Elekid will be hatching from 2km eggs , and the shiny version of that Pokemon is one of the rarer ones in “ Pokemon Go.
” Best of all , with the 1/4 hatch distance for the event , players who walk around will have a decent chance at getting one .
As usually , incense will last three hours and taking snapshots will likely spawn an Electabuzz .
Players can also get an event-exclusive Timed Research and Field Research tasks .
The Timed Research provides Sinnoh Stones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For those wanting to spend money , players will have a chance to purchase a Community Day box for 1,280 PokeCoins .
It features an Elite Fast TM , three Super Incubators , three incense and 30 Ultra Balls .
If you can only purchase one Community Day box that month , this isn ’ t it .
Elite Charge TMs are more valuable than Elite Fast TMs because the effectiveness of exclusive moves is better for charged TMs .
The better value will be the $ 1 Special Research story , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Poffin and a Rocket Radar .
Magmar Community Day : 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 21 Players have had more chances at a shiny Magmar .
They have been shiny in the wild and as part of events such as Pokemon Go Fest .
Nevertheless , players have a chance at getting a shiny Magmar with better stats .
The exclusive move for the pocket monster will be Thunderbolt .
Players who evolve their Magmar into Magmortar before 7 p.m. will get that move .
Having Thunderbolt would be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counters .
It shores up a weakness but it would still go down to the other Ground- and Rock-types .
The shiny version is nice-looking .
It ’ s more of a magenta than the normal crimson and it stands out when you place it on a gym .
• First look : Unboxing the PlayStation 5 and its accessories • Review : FNATIC React is built with eye toward competition • Review : ‘ Mario Kart Live : Home Circuit ’ uses toys to bring series to life • Two congresswomen created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Among Us ’ on Twitch Similar to Electabuzz Community Day , the best perk for the event is that Magby will hatch from 2km eggs .
This along with the 1/4 hatch distance gives players a better chance at grabbing a shiny Magby .
Expect a shiny Magmar to show up if players take a snapshot .
Incense will also last three hours .
Similar to Electabuzz , Magmar needs Sinnoh Stones to evolve to Magmortar so players will find them available via a Timed Research tasks .
They will also have special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the event .
They ’ ll likely have another chance at Magmar or get balls or berries to help with the catching .
Lastly , the Magmar Community Day Box will be the one to get .
It will cost 1,280 PokeCoins and it features an Elite Charged TM , three Super Incubators , three Lucky Eggs and 30 Ultra Balls .
The best value will again be the $ 1 Special Research Story — No Match for Magmar .

It appears as though “Pokemon Go” won’t have a pseudo-legendary celebration this year as Niantic announced two Community Days for November starring Electabuzz and Magmar.
In previous years, the company was more generous when assigning Pokemon to Community Days. In 2018, three events featured Dratini (February), Larvitar (June) and Beldum (October). In 2019, that dwindled down to Bagon in April. For those curious about the pseudo-legendaries, it’s a fan term given to Pokemon with a three-stage evolution and high base stat total, according to Bulbapedia. They are often powerful Pokemon used in raids and in PvP. They’re also highly sought-after. Usually, Game Freak introduces one pseudo-legendary for each generation.
It appears as though pseudo-legendaries — either Gible or Deino — won’t have a Community Day in 2020. December is usually reserved for a Community Day makeup, in which players can get Pokemon that have previously appeared in the monthly celebrations.
With that said, having Electabuzz isn’t so bad when it comes to Community Day. Its final evolution Electivire is effective in Go Battle League thanks to Wild Charge and Ice Punch. Magmar is a little more iffy but Fire-type Pokemon are severely underpowered with their movesets in PvP. The exclusive Community Day moves are geared toward surprising opponents because they normally wouldn’t have access to them. In anime terms, the two pocket monsters share a weird connection similar to Luck Voltia and Magna Swing in “Black Clover.” Here’s a look at November’s “Pokemon Go’ Community Days.
Electabuzz Community Day: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 15
Players will find Electabuzz more common with a high chance of encountering a shiny one. The shiny form is an interesting orange color with its evolution Electivire being a dark gold. Players who evolve Electabuzz into Electivire by 7 p.m. will have their Pokemon learn Flamethrower. Ideally, it could provide more coverage against Steel-type Pokemon that dominate the Ultra and Master leagues but it would also mean missing out on Ice Punch, which is an excellent surprise against Dragon types. Wild Charge is mandatory on this Pokemon.
The one big bonus to note is that Elekid will be hatching from 2km eggs, and the shiny version of that Pokemon is one of the rarer ones in “Pokemon Go.” Best of all, with the 1/4 hatch distance for the event, players who walk around will have a decent chance at getting one. As usually, incense will last three hours and taking snapshots will likely spawn an Electabuzz. Players can also get an event-exclusive Timed Research and Field Research tasks. The Timed Research provides Sinnoh Stones needed to evolve Electabuzz to Electivre.
For those wanting to spend money, players will have a chance to purchase a Community Day box for 1,280 PokeCoins. It features an Elite Fast TM, three Super Incubators, three incense and 30 Ultra Balls. If you can only purchase one Community Day box that month, this isn’t it. Elite Charge TMs are more valuable than Elite Fast TMs because the effectiveness of exclusive moves is better for charged TMs. The better value will be the $1 Special Research story, which usually nets players goodies such as stardust, a Poffin and a Rocket Radar.
Magmar Community Day: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 21
Players have had more chances at a shiny Magmar. They have been shiny in the wild and as part of events such as Pokemon Go Fest. Nevertheless, players have a chance at getting a shiny Magmar with better stats. The exclusive move for the pocket monster will be Thunderbolt. Players who evolve their Magmar into Magmortar before 7 p.m. will get that move. Having Thunderbolt would be a great surprise when facing its usual water-type counters. It shores up a weakness but it would still go down to the other Ground- and Rock-types. The shiny version is nice-looking. It’s more of a magenta than the normal crimson and it stands out when you place it on a gym.
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What to play: ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ will keep gamers busy during August Entertainment | ‘First Descendant’ crossplay beta delayed until September but will be open to all Similar to Electabuzz Community Day, the best perk for the event is that Magby will hatch from 2km eggs. This along with the 1/4 hatch distance gives players a better chance at grabbing a shiny Magby. Expect a shiny Magmar to show up if players take a snapshot. Incense will also last three hours. Similar to Electabuzz, Magmar needs Sinnoh Stones to evolve to Magmortar so players will find them available via a Timed Research tasks. They will also have special Field Research tasks that will help players during the event. They’ll likely have another chance at Magmar or get balls or berries to help with the catching.
Lastly, the Magmar Community Day Box will be the one to get. It will cost 1,280 PokeCoins and it features an Elite Charged TM, three Super Incubators, three Lucky Eggs and 30 Ultra Balls. The best value will again be the $1 Special Research Story — No Match for Magmar.


mercurynews--2020-10-27--Experts propose colon cancer screenings at 45, not 50

NEW YORK — A panel of health experts wants U.S. adults to start getting colon cancer screenings at age 45 , five years younger than it previously recommended .
While overall , colon cancer rates have been declining , the draft guidelines issued Tuesday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reflect a growing concern about rising rates in people under the age of 50 .
“ We ’ ve seen more data showing that younger people are getting colon cancer at higher rates , ” said Dr. Alex Krist , a family doctor at Virginia Commonwealth University and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Basically a 45-year-old today has the same risk of getting colon cancer as a 50-year-old from years past.
” The task force is a volunteer panel of doctors that regularly reviews evidence and issues advice on medical tests and treatments .
The group is proposing that adults of average risk for colon cancer be screened from ages 45 to 75 .
How often the tests are done depends on the type of screening : a colonoscopy is usually every five to 10 years while stool-based tests are every year .
After age 75 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be made on an individual basis .
“ Most people who get colon cancer have no signs , no symptoms and no risks .
And so that ’ s why we recommend that everyone get screened , ” Krist said .
The task force advice on screening doesn ’ t apply to those with colon cancer , polyps or a family history of colon cancer or genetic disorders that increase their risk .
Tuesday ’ s proposal also emphasizes that the disease occurs more often , is screened for less and leads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colon cancer , along with rectal cancer , is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. , with an estimated 148,000 new cases this year .
The task force proposal brings it in line with guidelines from the American Cancer Society , which in 2018 lowered the screening age from 50 to 45 .
With the change , doctors should feel comfortable recommending colon cancer screens to younger patients , said the cancer group ’ s Robert Smith .
“ We ’ ve been anticipating this for a while , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help detect precancerous polyps or early cancer in younger patients before the disease requires more aggressive treatment , said Dr. Nancy You of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston .
“ We have a lot more treatment options that are less invasive and have better results when we treat cancer at the earlier stages , ” she said .
“ That makes a huge difference to our patients.
” Experts anticipate it will still be a challenge getting people screened .
Currently , 1 in 4 people between 50 and 75 have never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only about 60 % of U.S. adults are up to date on their colon cancer screenings , Krist said .
If the recommendations are finalized , screenings for younger people would be covered by most private insurance plans , with no copay .
The Affordable Care Act mandates that insurers cover services recommended by the task force .
The proposal is open for public comment through Nov. 23 .

By Marion Renault | Associated Press
NEW YORK — A panel of health experts wants U.S. adults to start getting colon cancer screenings at age 45, five years younger than it previously recommended.
While overall, colon cancer rates have been declining, the draft guidelines issued Tuesday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reflect a growing concern about rising rates in people under the age of 50.
“We’ve seen more data showing that younger people are getting colon cancer at higher rates,” said Dr. Alex Krist, a family doctor at Virginia Commonwealth University and a member of the task force. “Basically a 45-year-old today has the same risk of getting colon cancer as a 50-year-old from years past.”
The task force is a volunteer panel of doctors that regularly reviews evidence and issues advice on medical tests and treatments.
The group is proposing that adults of average risk for colon cancer be screened from ages 45 to 75. How often the tests are done depends on the type of screening: a colonoscopy is usually every five to 10 years while stool-based tests are every year. After age 75, the task force says screening decisions should be made on an individual basis.
“Most people who get colon cancer have no signs, no symptoms and no risks. And so that’s why we recommend that everyone get screened,” Krist said.
The task force advice on screening doesn’t apply to those with colon cancer, polyps or a family history of colon cancer or genetic disorders that increase their risk. Tuesday’s proposal also emphasizes that the disease occurs more often, is screened for less and leads to more deaths in Black adults.
Colon cancer, along with rectal cancer, is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., with an estimated 148,000 new cases this year.
The task force proposal brings it in line with guidelines from the American Cancer Society, which in 2018 lowered the screening age from 50 to 45. With the change, doctors should feel comfortable recommending colon cancer screens to younger patients, said the cancer group’s Robert Smith.
“We’ve been anticipating this for a while,” Smith said.
Earlier testing would help detect precancerous polyps or early cancer in younger patients before the disease requires more aggressive treatment, said Dr. Nancy You of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
“We have a lot more treatment options that are less invasive and have better results when we treat cancer at the earlier stages,” she said. “That makes a huge difference to our patients.”
Experts anticipate it will still be a challenge getting people screened. Currently, 1 in 4 people between 50 and 75 have never been screened for the disease, and only about 60% of U.S. adults are up to date on their colon cancer screenings, Krist said.
If the recommendations are finalized, screenings for younger people would be covered by most private insurance plans, with no copay. The Affordable Care Act mandates that insurers cover services recommended by the task force.
The proposal is open for public comment through Nov. 23.


mercurynews--2020-10-27--4 dead, 15 rescued in English Channel migrant sinking

By Angela Charlton and Jill Lawless | Associated Press PARIS — At least four people , including two young children , died Tuesday when a boat carrying at least 19 migrants capsized off France while trying to cross the English Channel to Britain , French authorities said .
Fifteen migrants have been saved so far and rescue and search operations were still under way , according to the regional administration for the Nord region .
It said in a statement that the dead were a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old , an adult woman and an adult man , and stressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pending further searches in the area .
Aid groups decried the deaths and called for more government help for struggling migrants , while British and French authorities expressed their condolences .
Such crossings have become increasingly common in recent years , despite political uproar in Britain and stepped-up police efforts to stop them , but deaths are rare .
French authorities reported four migrant deaths in total in small boats crossing the Channel in 2019 .
On Tuesday , a sailboat alerted authorities to a migrant boat in distress off the coast of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a Belgian helicopter nearby to help with the rescue , according to the regional French maritime agency .
It had said earlier that 18 people were rescued and were receiving treatment in hospitals in Calais and Dunkirk .
The reason for the different numbers of rescued migrants was not explained .
The Dunkirk prosecutor launched an investigation into the cause of the sinking , which occurred on a day when both British and French weather authorities had warned of gusty winds in the area .
Despite joint police efforts on both sides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used northern France as a launching point to sneak into Britain , and the issue has long strained relations between the neighbors .
Britain ’ s Press Association news agency calculates that more than 7,400 migrants have crossed the Channel to the U.K. by boat so far this year , up from about 1,800 in all of 2019 .
French maritime officials have rescued hundreds more in routine operations in the Channel , known for high winds , strong currents and heavy maritime traffic .
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who tragically lost their lives in the Channel today.
” “ We have offered the French authorities every support as they investigate this terrible incident and will do all we can to crack down on the ruthless criminal gangs who prey on vulnerable people by facilitating these dangerous journeys , ” he said .
U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was “ truly saddened to learn of the tragic loss of life.
” France ’ s minister for citizenship issues , Marlene Schiappa , tweeted “ great sadness ” at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been confirmed aboard the boat , but the overall toll “ is serious , and still uncertain.
” The British government ’ s tough stance — which has included using a military plane to patrol the Channel — has drawn criticism from aid and human rights groups .
Aid group Channel Rescue said in a statement that “ This is a burgeoning humanitarian crisis … The government must urgently ensure safe and legal passage for those seeking safety.
” Clare Mosely of migrant support group Care4Calais said : “ This unnecessary loss of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should ever feel they have to get into a fragile craft and risk their lives crossing the Channel , least of all vulnerable children.
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She called for the incident to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in power in the U.K. and France .
Save the Children said “ the British and French governments must work together to expand safe and legal routes for desperate families fleeing conflict , persecution , and poverty.
” “ Parents shouldn ’ t be compelled to risk their children ’ s lives in search of safety and no child should have to make a dangerous , potentially fatal , journey in search of a better life , ” the group said .

By Angela Charlton and Jill Lawless | Associated Press
PARIS — At least four people, including two young children, died Tuesday when a boat carrying at least 19 migrants capsized off France while trying to cross the English Channel to Britain, French authorities said.
Fifteen migrants have been saved so far and rescue and search operations were still under way, according to the regional administration for the Nord region. It said in a statement that the dead were a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old, an adult woman and an adult man, and stressed that the toll so far is provisional pending further searches in the area.
Aid groups decried the deaths and called for more government help for struggling migrants, while British and French authorities expressed their condolences.
Such crossings have become increasingly common in recent years, despite political uproar in Britain and stepped-up police efforts to stop them, but deaths are rare. French authorities reported four migrant deaths in total in small boats crossing the Channel in 2019.
On Tuesday, a sailboat alerted authorities to a migrant boat in distress off the coast of Dunkirk, and France mobilized five vessels and a Belgian helicopter nearby to help with the rescue, according to the regional French maritime agency. It had said earlier that 18 people were rescued and were receiving treatment in hospitals in Calais and Dunkirk. The reason for the different numbers of rescued migrants was not explained.
The Dunkirk prosecutor launched an investigation into the cause of the sinking, which occurred on a day when both British and French weather authorities had warned of gusty winds in the area.
Despite joint police efforts on both sides of the Channel, migrants have long used northern France as a launching point to sneak into Britain, and the issue has long strained relations between the neighbors.
Britain’s Press Association news agency calculates that more than 7,400 migrants have crossed the Channel to the U.K. by boat so far this year, up from about 1,800 in all of 2019. French maritime officials have rescued hundreds more in routine operations in the Channel, known for high winds, strong currents and heavy maritime traffic.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his “thoughts are with the loved ones of those who tragically lost their lives in the Channel today.”
“We have offered the French authorities every support as they investigate this terrible incident and will do all we can to crack down on the ruthless criminal gangs who prey on vulnerable people by facilitating these dangerous journeys,” he said.
U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was “truly saddened to learn of the tragic loss of life.”
France’s minister for citizenship issues, Marlene Schiappa, tweeted “great sadness” at the news. She said 19 people had been confirmed aboard the boat, but the overall toll “is serious, and still uncertain.”
The British government’s tough stance — which has included using a military plane to patrol the Channel — has drawn criticism from aid and human rights groups.
Aid group Channel Rescue said in a statement that “This is a burgeoning humanitarian crisis … The government must urgently ensure safe and legal passage for those seeking safety.”
Clare Mosely of migrant support group Care4Calais said: “This unnecessary loss of life has to stop. No one should ever feel they have to get into a fragile craft and risk their lives crossing the Channel, least of all vulnerable children.”
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Save the Children said “the British and French governments must work together to expand safe and legal routes for desperate families fleeing conflict, persecution, and poverty.”
“Parents shouldn’t be compelled to risk their children’s lives in search of safety and no child should have to make a dangerous, potentially fatal, journey in search of a better life,” the group said.