latimes--2020-07-06--'All he saw to me was my skin color': Clerk faces backlash from judge's comment

After two weeks of national protests over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer , the top federal judge in Southern California sat for a webinar to discuss the reopening of courthouses .
Kiry K. Gray , the top clerk and executive for the courts , missed the webinar , but afterward , several people told her that her name had come up .
They told her Chief Judge Cormac J. Carney had praised her as “ street-smart , ” a term some viewed as racially insensitive .
Gray , the first Black woman to serve in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accepted an apology from Carney and hoped to move on .
Yet as criticism mounted over the comment by others , the judge called her to vent .
“ I did not have to even mention your name during the webinar , ” Gray recalled Carney saying in the phone call , “ and it was not like I was the police officer standing on your neck.
” Gray said she was stunned and appalled .
“ I ’ m very sad that you feel this way , ” she later wrote to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call .
The two have not spoken since .
It was this pair of comments by the onetime UCLA wide receiver that set off a chain of events that roiled the courts , even reaching the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals .
Many hoped the firestorm would stay within the walls of the “ court family , ” where judges with lifetime appointments hold sway and expect deference .
But by the end of June , Carney announced that he was stepping down from the chief judgeship in an email to several hundred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his email June 26 , he said he considered “ street-smart ” to be a compliment and chalked up the private comment to her as born out of “ anger and frustration.
” “ It was directed at my critics , not Ms. Gray , and I said it with no ill will or disrespect toward people of color , ” Carney wrote in his resignation email .
“ My statement was an insensitive and graphic overreaction to the criticism that was leveled against me.
” Carney declined further comment , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his departure .
Gray at first was reluctant to publicly express her account .
But amid a national reckoning over racial justice , she said she felt a need to tell her story and correct the record .
She said she was shocked that when news of Carney ’ s resignation went public , some people attacked her for overreacting to the “ street-smart ” comment while dismissing the judge ’ s remark that followed .
“ Every time I think about it , it gets me upset , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand my story now.
” The turmoil began June 9 , during a lunchtime webinar with Carney that was organized by the L.A. chapter of the Federal Bar Assn .
It was nine days into Carney ’ s role as chief judge , a four-year term .
Appointed by George W. Bush in 2003 after years on the Orange County Superior Court bench , Carney had long been assigned to the federal courthouse in Santa Ana .
He relocated about two years ago to downtown L.A. , to prepare for the chief ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we have just a fabulous clerk of the court in Kiry Gray .
She ’ s so street-smart and really knows her job , ” Carney said during the webinar .
Gray never heard the remark , nor has she listened to a recording of the webinar .
She said she soon received notes and calls from attorneys and colleagues .
Carney , in his resignation note and emails to Gray , acknowledged that lawyers , judges and court staff expressed their displeasure .
After a state prosecutor reached out to Carney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the judge asked Gray if he should respond .
“ I advised him to let it go , ” Gray said , seeing criticism as a side effect of his new role .
“ I informed him that being a chief judge is not an easy job.
” On June 10 , the day after the webinar , Carney nevertheless replied to the prosecutor and copied Gray .
In his reply , the judge said that Gray “ knows my heart , that the term in no way offended her , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highly of her.
” “ Quite frankly , I view [ Gray ] as my sister , even though she is of color and I am a white man , ” Carney wrote to the prosecutor .
He added that his email could be shared widely .
Carney continued to be bothered by the criticism , according to Gray .
In a second call with her , Carney made the remark that she found so cutting : that he did not even have to mention her , and that it was not “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on your neck.
” Gray said the comment was a double punch .
It made her mind race toward an image of her adult son lying in the street , crying out .
She would replay the comment in her mind and wrestle with the implications : she should be grateful he called her name ?
A foot on my neck ?
She believed that if she were a white clerk of courts , none of this would have come into play .
“ All he saw to me was my skin color @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was appointed to the clerk of courts position in 2015 after a unanimous vote by a panel of judges , Courthouse News noted her “ incredible rise.
” To this day , judges single her out with praise .
“ We have the finest district executive and clerk of court , ” said U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. , who was appointed by President Carter .
Born in Flint , Mich. , Gray was raised in L.A. by parents who worked for the U.S .
Postal Service .
She did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she received her education through the court .
In 1985 , Gray started as a temporary worker for the federal courts , coding jury questionnaires at night .
She rose through the ranks , serving in nearly every department and earning a reputation for a strong work ethic .
Along the way , Gray raised a son and daughter , instructing them on the realities of being Black in America .
A longtime resident of the Inland Empire , Gray was clear to her son : no tattoos , no baggy pants , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hairstyle .
“ We taught him these things to keep him safe , ” said Gray of her son , a firefighter who has served in the military .
Carney was the third chief judge she had worked with , and in her years on the high-profile job , she knew well what was a central duty : daily , and sometimes hourly , contact with the chief judge .
The Central District of California is the nation ’ s largest and busiest federal court district , serving nearly 20 million people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting out fires , ” Gray said .
She likened the relationship of chief judge and clerk of courts to a marriage : constantly problem-solving and talking daily .
One or two times , the dynamic could grow tense , she said , but neither side ever crossed the line .
Carney had been chief judge for less than two weeks when the webinar occurred .
Their professional relationship , she believed , was in a good place .
She shared with him that they would not always see eye-to-eye .
“ But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relationships , ” she said .
Gray said she was agonized by the judge ’ s comment alluding to the death of Floyd .
She had difficulty sleeping , and when she recounted what he had said on the call , she ’ d start crying .
Still , she continued working .
In a June 15 email thread on temporary fencing outside the courthouse , Carney asked her , “ Are you OK ?
You sounded a little distant on the phone.
” Gray replied by confronting him , repeating the quote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her neck .
Carney replied in an email that he felt “ misinterpreted ” and said his use of “ street-smart ” was intended as a point of praise .
He noted that he used it to describe his wife , his best friend and his son .
“ The negative comments are upsetting to me because I only intended to recognize and compliment you publicly , which I did not have to do .
But I wanted people to know that you were special , ” Carney said .
“ In fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and calm me down , ” he added in a second email .
He lamented how some people now view him as racially insensitive and described his longstanding friendships and ties with men of color .
“ I can get past the criticism of others , but I can not continue as chief if you think this has irreparably damaged our relationship , ” Carney wrote .
“ The court can afford to lose me as chief , ” he said .
“ It can not afford to lose you.
” Over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the state of their professional bond , according to sources familiar with the matter .
The two did not speak directly .
Sidney R. Thomas , chief justice for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit , served as a quasi-mediator , several people said .
Gray was not the person who complained to or notified the 9th Circuit , she said .
On the last Friday in June , Carney sent an email to hundreds of fellow judges and court staff , announcing that he was relinquishing his post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I have apologized to Ms. Gray , but I have concluded that a simple apology will not put this matter to rest , ” Carney wrote .
“ There will be division in the court , unnecessary , negative and hurtful publicity , and a diversion from the court ’ s essential mission of administering justice if I were to continue serving as the chief district judge.
” The news caught Gray by surprise , as did his resignation letter .
She felt the letter did not give the full context of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the letter that she had told him that others wanted him to step down .
Still , she hoped to move on .
When The Times asked her for a comment about the judge ’ s abrupt departure , she declined .
It was a decision she soon regretted , feeling few knew her private anguish .
“ ‘ No comment ’ meant that his version of the truth is true , ” Gray said .
She soon received messages of vitriol laced with doubt , and she felt like the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moniker but dismissed everything else .
“ SHAME on YOU , ” said a stranger who messaged her on Facebook .
“ ‘ Street-smart ’ is not a term used for blacks… .
It is a compliment .
U turned it into something it isn ’ t. ” Letters to the editor printed by The Times echoed with disbelief .
And Earl Ofari Hutchinson , the president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable , called for Carney to reconsider stepping down , saying it was “ absurd ” to label “ street-smart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times he stood by his call , noting that the “ street-smart ” comment ignited the controversy .
But he acknowledged that perhaps the aftermath left no other choice but for the judge to leave his post .
“ It ’ s always going to be there .
That doesn ’ t make for a happy and smooth and efficient working relationship , ” Hutchinson said .
Gray has already met with the newly named chief district judge , Philip S. Gutierrez .
“ We have a new chief judge now , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be terrific , and we will move on , ” said Hatter , a veteran federal court judge .
“ I ’ m a big Laker fan , and they believe in the next Laker up , ” he added .
“ Our district believes in the next chief up .
”

After two weeks of national protests over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the top federal judge in Southern California sat for a webinar to discuss the reopening of courthouses.
Kiry K. Gray, the top clerk and executive for the courts, missed the webinar, but afterward, several people told her that her name had come up.
They told her Chief Judge Cormac J. Carney had praised her as “street-smart,” a term some viewed as racially insensitive.
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Gray, the first Black woman to serve in her post, was not offended but accepted an apology from Carney and hoped to move on. Yet as criticism mounted over the comment by others, the judge called her to vent.
“I did not have to even mention your name during the webinar,” Gray recalled Carney saying in the phone call, “and it was not like I was the police officer standing on your neck.”
Kiry K. Gray, clerk of court for the Central District of California. (Joe Barnet)
Gray said she was stunned and appalled. “I’m very sad that you feel this way,” she later wrote to the judge in an email memorializing the call. The two have not spoken since.
It was this pair of comments by the onetime UCLA wide receiver that set off a chain of events that roiled the courts, even reaching the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Many hoped the firestorm would stay within the walls of the “court family,” where judges with lifetime appointments hold sway and expect deference.
But by the end of June, Carney announced that he was stepping down from the chief judgeship in an email to several hundred court staff and fellow judges. In his email June 26, he said he considered “street-smart” to be a compliment and chalked up the private comment to her as born out of “anger and frustration.”
“It was directed at my critics, not Ms. Gray, and I said it with no ill will or disrespect toward people of color,” Carney wrote in his resignation email. “My statement was an insensitive and graphic overreaction to the criticism that was leveled against me.”
Carney declined further comment, as well as an interview request about the circumstances of his departure.
Gray at first was reluctant to publicly express her account. But amid a national reckoning over racial justice, she said she felt a need to tell her story and correct the record. She said she was shocked that when news of Carney’s resignation went public, some people attacked her for overreacting to the “street-smart” comment while dismissing the judge’s remark that followed.
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“Every time I think about it, it gets me upset,” she said in an interview. “People will understand my story now.”
*****
United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney in the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
The turmoil began June 9, during a lunchtime webinar with Carney that was organized by the L.A. chapter of the Federal Bar Assn.
It was nine days into Carney’s role as chief judge, a four-year term. Appointed by George W. Bush in 2003 after years on the Orange County Superior Court bench, Carney had long been assigned to the federal courthouse in Santa Ana. He relocated about two years ago to downtown L.A., to prepare for the chief’s post.
“Fortunately for me, we have just a fabulous clerk of the court in Kiry Gray. She’s so street-smart and really knows her job,” Carney said during the webinar.
Gray never heard the remark, nor has she listened to a recording of the webinar. She said she soon received notes and calls from attorneys and colleagues. Carney, in his resignation note and emails to Gray, acknowledged that lawyers, judges and court staff expressed their displeasure.
After a state prosecutor reached out to Carney with her critique of “street-smart,” the judge asked Gray if he should respond.
“I advised him to let it go,” Gray said, seeing criticism as a side effect of his new role. “I informed him that being a chief judge is not an easy job.”
On June 10, the day after the webinar, Carney nevertheless replied to the prosecutor and copied Gray. In his reply, the judge said that Gray “knows my heart, that the term in no way offended her, and she was touched that I thought so highly of her.”
“Quite frankly, I view [Gray] as my sister, even though she is of color and I am a white man,” Carney wrote to the prosecutor. He added that his email could be shared widely.
Carney continued to be bothered by the criticism, according to Gray. In a second call with her, Carney made the remark that she found so cutting: that he did not even have to mention her, and that it was not “like I was the police officer standing on your neck.”
Gray said the comment was a double punch. It made her mind race toward an image of her adult son lying in the street, crying out.
She would replay the comment in her mind and wrestle with the implications: she should be grateful he called her name? A foot on my neck?
She believed that if she were a white clerk of courts, none of this would have come into play.
“All he saw to me was my skin color,” Gray said.
*****
When Gray was appointed to the clerk of court position in 2015 after a unanimous vote by a panel of judges, Courthouse News noted her “incredible rise.”
To this day, judges single her out with praise.
“We have the finest district executive and clerk of court,” said U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr., who was appointed by President Carter.
Born in Flint, Mich., Gray was raised in L.A. by parents who worked for the U.S. Postal Service. She lacks a college degree but often says she received her education through the court.
In 1985, Gray started as a temporary worker for the federal courts, coding jury questionnaires at night. She rose through the ranks, serving in nearly every department and earning a reputation for a strong work ethic.
Along the way, Gray raised a son and daughter, instructing them on the realities of being Black in America.
A longtime resident of the Inland Empire, Gray was clear to her son: no tattoos, no baggy pants, no earrings. She mandated a clean-cut hairstyle.
“We taught him these things to keep him safe,” said Gray of her son, a firefighter who has served in the military.
Carney was the third chief judge she had worked with, and in her years on the high-profile job, she knew well what was a central duty: daily, and sometimes hourly, contact with the chief judge.
The Central District of California is the nation’s largest and busiest federal court district, serving nearly 20 million people in seven counties.
“You are constantly putting out fires,” Gray said.
She likened the relationship of chief judge and clerk of courts to a marriage: constantly problem-solving and talking daily. One or two times, the dynamic could grow tense, she said, but neither side ever crossed the line.
Carney had been chief judge for less than two weeks when the webinar occurred. Their professional relationship, she believed, was in a good place.
She shared with him that they would not always see eye-to-eye. “But proper communication is the key to healthy relationships,” she said.
*****
Gray said she was agonized by the judge’s comment alluding to the death of Floyd. She had difficulty sleeping, and when she recounted what he had said on the call, she’d start crying.
Still, she continued working. In a June 15 email thread on temporary fencing outside the courthouse, Carney asked her, “Are you OK? You sounded a little distant on the phone.”
Gray replied by confronting him, repeating the quote that specified a police officer kneeling on her neck.
Carney replied in an email that he felt “misinterpreted” and said his use of “street-smart” was intended as a point of praise. He noted that he used it to describe his wife, his best friend and his son.
“The negative comments are upsetting to me because I only intended to recognize and compliment you publicly, which I did not have to do. But I wanted people to know that you were special,” Carney said.
“In fact, you were trying to comfort me and calm me down,” he added in a second email.
He lamented how some people now view him as racially insensitive and described his longstanding friendships and ties with men of color.
“I can get past the criticism of others, but I cannot continue as chief if you think this has irreparably damaged our relationship,” Carney wrote.
“The court can afford to lose me as chief,” he said. “It cannot afford to lose you.”
Over the following 11 days, a maelstrom gathered over the state of their professional bond, according to sources familiar with the matter. The two did not speak directly.
Sidney R. Thomas, chief justice for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, served as a quasi-mediator, several people said. Gray was not the person who complained to or notified the 9th Circuit, she said.
On the last Friday in June, Carney sent an email to hundreds of fellow judges and court staff, announcing that he was relinquishing his post. He remains a federal judge.
“I have apologized to Ms. Gray, but I have concluded that a simple apology will not put this matter to rest,” Carney wrote. “There will be division in the court, unnecessary, negative and hurtful publicity, and a diversion from the court’s essential mission of administering justice if I were to continue serving as the chief district judge.”
The news caught Gray by surprise, as did his resignation letter. She felt the letter did not give the full context of what had happened and disputed his contention in the letter that she had told him that others wanted him to step down.
Still, she hoped to move on. When The Times asked her for a comment about the judge’s abrupt departure, she declined.
It was a decision she soon regretted, feeling few knew her private anguish.
“‘No comment’ meant that his version of the truth is true,” Gray said.
She soon received messages of vitriol laced with doubt, and she felt like the public zeroed in on the “street-smart” moniker but dismissed everything else.
“SHAME on YOU,” said a stranger who messaged her on Facebook. “‘Street-smart’ is not a term used for blacks…. It is a compliment. U turned it into something it isn’t.”
Letters to the editor printed by The Times echoed with disbelief. And Earl Ofari Hutchinson, the president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, called for Carney to reconsider stepping down, saying it was “absurd” to label “street-smart” as offensive.
Hutchinson told The Times he stood by his call, noting that the “street-smart” comment ignited the controversy. But he acknowledged that perhaps the aftermath left no other choice but for the judge to leave his post.
“It’s always going to be there. That doesn’t make for a happy and smooth and efficient working relationship,” Hutchinson said.
Gray has already met with the newly named chief district judge, Philip S. Gutierrez.
“We have a new chief judge now, and I think he’s going to be terrific, and we will move on,” said Hatter, a veteran federal court judge.
“I’m a big Laker fan, and they believe in the next Laker up,” he added. “Our district believes in the next chief up.”


latimes--2020-07-06--Women say they were groped, violated by police during L.A. curfew arrests

It was just getting dark when Julia Dupuis was handcuffed on a curfew violation and walked by two Los Angeles police officers to a fence on the side of an empty church , beyond the watchful eye of nearby apartment residents and a good 15 feet from the next protester .
“ Do you think it ’ s a female ?
” she heard one of the male cops say to the other , with a laugh .
Dupuis , who is gender nonconforming but identifies as a woman , felt paralyzed with fear .
The officers had already taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ female , and asked her name .
They didn ’ t appear confused about her gender , she said , just keen to mock it .
One of the officers then stepped up to her , jokingly patted down a few of her pockets , and felt one of her breasts , she said .
Almost immediately , the officer seemed to realize “ he had crossed a line , ” Dupuis said .
The laughter dropped off , the officers backed up , and one of them said they “ shouldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing , she recalled .
Only then was a female officer called over to search her .
Dupuis , 21 , saw the officers ’ actions not as an accident but as part of a broader pattern of sexual harassment experienced by women and gender-nonconforming protesters at the hands of LAPD officers during recent protests and curfew arrests .
Other arrestees on the bus she was eventually put on told Dupuis that they , too , had been inappropriately searched , she said .
They are not alone .
Among the growing ranks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joined lawsuits and otherwise pushed back against the tactics used by the LAPD and other area law enforcement agencies in the heated days of late May and early June are women who say they were targeted by male officers and groped , sexually harassed or inappropriately searched .
Josh Rubenstein , an LAPD spokesman , said at least three complaints have been formally submitted to police about “ inappropriate touching during a pat-down ” amid curfew arrests , and all are under investigation .
The department does not comment on pending litigation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No LAPD officers have been punished for actions during the protests , although 10 have been taken off the street pending investigations .
Laura Montilla , 22 , recently filed a lawsuit against the LAPD and other law enforcement officials alleging a range of abuses , including sexual assaults , after she was arrested on a curfew violation .
Officers “ aggressively touched and groped her body by patting their hands aggressively on her vagina and breasts in four separate instances , ” Montilla ’ s lawsuit states .
Other women who say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complaints ; some say they are in discussions with attorneys about filing lawsuits .
While sexual assaults and groping by officers are not among the central offenses alleged in a class-action lawsuit , filed in June , over the LAPD ’ s protest tactics , they are among the allegations that attorneys representing the plaintiffs have heard about and are exploring , those attorneys said .
Devon Young , a 31-year-old mental health therapist , is among the women who has shared her experiences with the attorneys .
Young , who was arrested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said officers refused to allow her to pull down her skirt after it had been caught around her waist while they were handcuffing her .
“ My underwear and butt were exposed to the crowd , and so I asked them to let me pull my skirt down so I wouldn ’ t be exposed , and they refused , ” she said .
On the bus , she heard officers verbally sexually harassing a woman they recognized from Instagram , “ talking openly about her body , openly ogling her body , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told her they had been subjected to intrusive searches , she said .
After she posted about the experience on Instagram , dozens of others told her that they had experienced similar abuses but didn ’ t feel comfortable coming forward to discuss them , she said .
Other lawyers are also fielding complaints , and not just about the LAPD .
Attorney Jorge Gonzalez said he represents a 44-year-old woman — whom he would identify only by her first name , Jessica — who was arrested June 1 in East L.A. by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after her boyfriend was pulled over while they were picking up fast food after curfew .
Jessica ’ s boyfriend , who was driving , was pulled out of the vehicle first , Gonzalez said .
When she disputed whether she should also have to exit the vehicle , in part because she was wearing only a bathrobe , they forced her out , Gonzalez said .
With no probable cause , they began searching the vehicle , then began searching Jessica , her attorney said .
“ They asked her if she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , ‘ No , ’ ” Gonzalez said .
“ And so then a female deputy began to check her and fondle her breasts and stuff and work her way down to her vagina , being very intrusive in the way she was searching.
” The sheriff ’ s office did not respond to a request for comment .
Gonzalez said the incident represented a clear violation of his client ’ s rights .
For such an intrusive search , “ there generally has to be some evidence that [ the person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drugs , that could have been secreted inside of their body , ” he said .
“ And there was none of that here.
” Although her boyfriend was allowed to drive away from the scene , Jessica was charged with a curfew violation and with resisting arrest , Gonzalez said — even though she says she was told she would be let off if she recorded a statement saying she had not been assaulted .
She plans to fight the charges and is considering civil litigation against the officers , Gonzalez said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience on Twitter and joined other women in recounting their experiences to the culture and news website L.A. Taco , said it took days for her to wrap her head around what had happened to her .
Then , she felt violated , too .
“ That ’ s when it really hit me that I had been assaulted and I had been targeted because of my gender identity , ” she said .
Dupuis said she was approached by an LAPD commander online about filing a complaint after her tweets garnered attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because she doesn ’ t trust the agency to believe her version of events over that of the two cops , or to acknowledge that there is a more systemic problem .
Dupuis , who said she was shot with a police projectile at another protest a few days before her arrest , said the officer touching her breast felt like “ another form of violence ” from a department intent on stifling protests against police brutality and killings of Black people by doubling down on brutality .
“ Whether it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence , all are just forms of control — them exercising their power to silence protesters , ” Dupuis said .
“ Their ultimate goal was to make us so dejected and so violated and so scared that we didn ’ t want to come back and protest the next day .
“ It just didn ’ t work , ” she said .
If anything , Dupuis said , her experience only solidified her belief that the LAPD must be challenged and called out for its abuses .

Julia Dupuis, 21, photographed Sunday, says an LAPD officer groped her June 2 as she was being arrested on a curfew violation while participating in a demonstration.
It was just getting dark when Julia Dupuis was handcuffed on a curfew violation and walked by two Los Angeles police officers to a fence on the side of an empty church, beyond the watchful eye of nearby apartment residents and a good 15 feet from the next protester.
“Do you think it’s a female?” she heard one of the male cops say to the other, with a laugh.
Dupuis, who is gender nonconforming but identifies as a woman, felt paralyzed with fear. The officers had already taken her ID, which identifies her as female, and asked her name. They didn’t appear confused about her gender, she said, just keen to mock it.
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One of the officers then stepped up to her, jokingly patted down a few of her pockets, and felt one of her breasts, she said.
Almost immediately, the officer seemed to realize “he had crossed a line,” Dupuis said. The laughter dropped off, the officers backed up, and one of them said they “shouldn’t be doing” what they were doing, she recalled.
Only then was a female officer called over to search her.
Dupuis, 21, saw the officers’ actions not as an accident but as part of a broader pattern of sexual harassment experienced by women and gender-nonconforming protesters at the hands of LAPD officers during recent protests and curfew arrests. Other arrestees on the bus she was eventually put on told Dupuis that they, too, had been inappropriately searched, she said.
They are not alone.
Among the growing ranks of protesters who have filed complaints, joined lawsuits and otherwise pushed back against the tactics used by the LAPD and other area law enforcement agencies in the heated days of late May and early June are women who say they were targeted by male officers and groped, sexually harassed or inappropriately searched.
Josh Rubenstein, an LAPD spokesman, said at least three complaints have been formally submitted to police about “inappropriate touching during a pat-down” amid curfew arrests, and all are under investigation.
The department does not comment on pending litigation, and Rubenstein declined to comment further. No LAPD officers have been punished for actions during the protests, although 10 have been taken off the street pending investigations.
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Laura Montilla, 22, recently filed a lawsuit against the LAPD and other law enforcement officials alleging a range of abuses, including sexual assaults, after she was arrested on a curfew violation.
Officers “aggressively touched and groped her body by patting their hands aggressively on her vagina and breasts in four separate instances,” Montilla’s lawsuit states.
Other women who say they experienced such behavior have not filed complaints; some say they are in discussions with attorneys about filing lawsuits.
While sexual assaults and groping by officers are not among the central offenses alleged in a class-action lawsuit, filed in June, over the LAPD’s protest tactics, they are among the allegations that attorneys representing the plaintiffs have heard about and are exploring, those attorneys said.
Devon Young, a 31-year-old mental health therapist, is among the women who has shared her experiences with the attorneys. Young, who was arrested in the same area as Dupuis, said officers refused to allow her to pull down her skirt after it had been caught around her waist while they were handcuffing her.
“My underwear and butt were exposed to the crowd, and so I asked them to let me pull my skirt down so I wouldn’t be exposed, and they refused,” she said.
On the bus, she heard officers verbally sexually harassing a woman they recognized from Instagram, “talking openly about her body, openly ogling her body,” Young said. And other women told her they had been subjected to intrusive searches, she said.
After she posted about the experience on Instagram, dozens of others told her that they had experienced similar abuses but didn’t feel comfortable coming forward to discuss them, she said.
Other lawyers are also fielding complaints, and not just about the LAPD.
Attorney Jorge Gonzalez said he represents a 44-year-old woman — whom he would identify only by her first name, Jessica — who was arrested June 1 in East L.A. by L.A. County Sheriff’s Department deputies after her boyfriend was pulled over while they were picking up fast food after curfew.
Jessica’s boyfriend, who was driving, was pulled out of the vehicle first, Gonzalez said. When she disputed whether she should also have to exit the vehicle, in part because she was wearing only a bathrobe, they forced her out, Gonzalez said.
With no probable cause, they began searching the vehicle, then began searching Jessica, her attorney said.
“They asked her if she was wearing a bra, and she said, ‘No,’” Gonzalez said. “And so then a female deputy began to check her and fondle her breasts and stuff and work her way down to her vagina, being very intrusive in the way she was searching.”
The sheriff’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Gonzalez said the incident represented a clear violation of his client’s rights.
For such an intrusive search, “there generally has to be some evidence that [the person being searched has] contraband, like drugs, that could have been secreted inside of their body,” he said. “And there was none of that here.”
Although her boyfriend was allowed to drive away from the scene, Jessica was charged with a curfew violation and with resisting arrest, Gonzalez said — even though she says she was told she would be let off if she recorded a statement saying she had not been assaulted.
She plans to fight the charges and is considering civil litigation against the officers, Gonzalez said.
“She felt violated,” he said.
Dupuis, who posted about her experience on Twitter and joined other women in recounting their experiences to the culture and news website L.A. Taco, said it took days for her to wrap her head around what had happened to her. Then, she felt violated, too.
“That’s when it really hit me that I had been assaulted and I had been targeted because of my gender identity,” she said.
Dupuis said she was approached by an LAPD commander online about filing a complaint after her tweets garnered attention but said she didn’t respond because she doesn’t trust the agency to believe her version of events over that of the two cops, or to acknowledge that there is a more systemic problem.
Dupuis, who said she was shot with a police projectile at another protest a few days before her arrest, said the officer touching her breast felt like “another form of violence” from a department intent on stifling protests against police brutality and killings of Black people by doubling down on brutality.
“Whether it’s physical violence or the more insidious sexual violence, all are just forms of control — them exercising their power to silence protesters,” Dupuis said. “Their ultimate goal was to make us so dejected and so violated and so scared that we didn’t want to come back and protest the next day.
“It just didn’t work,” she said.
If anything, Dupuis said, her experience only solidified her belief that the LAPD must be challenged and called out for its abuses.
“You can’t silence us,” she said. “You can’t break us.”


latimes--2020-07-06--California coronavirus spikes worsen over holiday weekend

The California coronavirus outlook worsened over the holiday weekend , as hospitalizations continued to rise and more counties were added Sunday to Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s COVID-19 watch list , which is now at its highest level since the pandemic began .
The rate at which coronavirus tests in California are coming back positive has jumped 42 % over the last two weeks , according to data published on the .
An increasing rate of positive test results is an indication that disease transmission is worsening .
The Fourth of July marked the 15th consecutive day that California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients .
On Saturday , the state recorded 5,669 patients with confirmed coronavirus infections in California hospitals—an increase of 62 % over the previous two weeks .
On June 27 , just a week earlier , the state had reported 4,498 hospitalized patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 .
On June 20 , the number was 3,494 .
The number of intensive care unit patients statewide with confirmed coronavirus infections is up 63 % over the last three weeks .
On Saturday , there were 1,711 people with confirmed coronavirus infections in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there were 1,376 ; the week before that , there were 1,149 ; and on June 13 , there were 1,049 .
And Los Angeles County officials said Sunday that the holiday weekend saw the highest single-day count of new cases since the pandemic began .
More than 3,200 new cases were reported in the county on Friday .
Contra Costa County , in the San Francisco Bay Area , and rural Colusa County , northwest of Sacramento , were added Sunday to the list of regions being monitored for their rising case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number to 24 .
Marin , Monterey and San Diego counties joined the list Thursday .
In many areas , the jump in cases is attributed to more people leaving home to go to work or seek services and a rise in family and community gatherings — hallmarks of summer and an increasing restlessness as the pandemic drags on .
Marin County , according to the state , has an additional problem ; an outbreak raging in San Quentin State Prison has infected nearly a third of the inmates .
On Sunday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dining rooms would again be required to shut their doors , bringing an end to a short window of sit-down service and hold-in-your-hand menus .
Restaurant dining rooms in the area had only been open for a week since the statewide shelter-in-place order was established in mid-March .
The current ban will last for at least 21 days .
Nationwide , the picture is also grim .
The former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on CBS ’ s “ Face the Nation ” Sunday that “ we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peak of the epidemic during the New York outbreak.
” But Dr. Scott Gottlieb , who served for two years during the Trump administration , said there ’ s a big difference now : “ We really had one epicenter of spread when New York was going through its hardship .
Now we really have four major epicenters of spread : Los Angeles , cities in Texas , cities in Florida , and Arizona.
” Gottlieb also added that it ’ s possible the nation could run short on the supply of remdesivir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sickest COVID-19 patients .
“ That drug has a long manufacturing cycle , ” he said .
“ We ’ re unlikely to be able to ramp up supply between now and the end of the year.
” And he warned that there is no relief in sight , that autumn will be a “ hard ” one , that “ it ’ s not clear that it ’ s going to get better.
” “ We ’ re going to have epidemics that come and go across the nation in different cities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll light up at different times .
But we ’ re not going to really be able to crush this virus at this point because there ’ s just so much infection around.
” Hospitalizations of patients with confirmed coronavirus infections in Los Angeles County have jumped nearly 50 % in the last three weeks .
On Saturday , there were 1,921 patients in L.A. County hospitals with confirmed coronavirus infections ; seven days earlier , there were 1,710 ; the week before that , there were 1,453 ; and the week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Just days before the holiday weekend began , L.A. County officials warned about “ in cases , positivity rates and hospitalization ” and projected the possibility of running out of hospital beds in two to three weeks ; the number of ICU beds could be exhausted sometime in July .
In a memo issued Saturday to local healthcare providers , the L.A. County Department of Public Health warned that , “ if the trajectory continues , the number of ICU beds — our most limited resource — is likely to become inadequate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ update July 1 on the San Bernardino County website , officials said the county reported 753 new cases on June 30 , “ the highest number of cases reported on a single day.
” On the Fourth of July , the county tallied 1,024 new cases .
COVID-19-related hospitalizations and use of ICU beds , the county said , have “ seen a steady increase since June 17.
” In Orange County , COVID-19 hospitalizations are up 72 % in the last two weeks .
On Saturday , there were 624 people hospitalized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; on the previous Saturday , 492 were hospitalized ; and on the Saturday before that 363 were in the hospital .
Coronavirus hospitalizations in Ventura County rose 74 % in the last two weeks .
On Saturday , 82 people were in the hospital with confirmed coronavirus infections ; the previous Saturday , there was 65 , and the Saturday before that , there were 47 .
Riverside County has reported a 63 % rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases over the past three weeks , according to the Los Angeles Times coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 ; 340 on June 27 ; 297 on June 20 .
Brooke Federico , public information officer for Riverside County , said Sunday that the region ’ s licensed intensive care units are 97.4 % full , “ a high number.
” But only 71 % of the county ’ s licensed hospital beds are currently in use , she said , and only 13 % of those beds have confirmed COVID-19 patients in them .
“ Our hospitals do have surge capacity to treat people at the facilities above and beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ That ’ s what we ’ ve been preparing for.
” Imperial County — where there ’ s a serious doctor shortage and a quarter of the population lives in poverty — is a different story .
During a June 26 news briefing , Newsom singled out Imperial County as the area statewide hit hardest by the coronavirus .
For every 100,000 people in the county , which borders Arizona and Mexico , more than 3,800 have been infected with the coronavirus .
In the state as a whole , about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The only two hospitals in Imperial County — El Centro Regional Medical Center and Pioneers Health Center in Brawley — have been overrun .
In just the last five weeks , Imperial County has transferred more than 500 coronavirus patients to other counties for treatment — an average of 15 to 17 people a day , Newsom said .
Some of the overflow has been attributed to an unusually high number of hospital admissions linked to cross-border traffic from Mexicali .
Newsom said the state is “ working with Customs and Border @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relating to the border in Mexicali and Calexico .
Hospitals do not disclose where their patients come from , but they do routinely treat cross-border travelers , said Karina Lopez , public affairs liaison at Pioneers Health Center .
Imperial County ’ s population is 85 % Latino , and many residents are migrant farmers or recent immigrants .
When determining which patients to care for , Lopez said , Pioneers Health Center does not consider a patient ’ s residence .
But while the hospital has filled only 68 of its 107 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some patients away .
“ The main concern for us was that we do not have enough acute care nurses to care for the patients coming in , ” Lopez said .
“ While we do have beds for them , and we do have space for them , we don ’ t have enough staff .
”

Rong-Gong Lin II, Maria L. La Ganga, Kristi Sturgill

The California coronavirus outlook worsened over the holiday weekend, as hospitalizations continued to rise and more counties were added Sunday to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 watch list, which is now at its highest level since the pandemic began.
The rate at which coronavirus tests in California are coming back positive has jumped 42% over the last two weeks, according to data published on the Los Angeles Times’ California coronavirus tracker . An increasing rate of positive test results is an indication that disease transmission is worsening.
The Fourth of July marked the 15th consecutive day that California tallied record hospitalization numbers of confirmed coronavirus patients. On Saturday, the state recorded 5,669 patients with confirmed coronavirus infections in California hospitals—an increase of 62% over the previous two weeks.
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On June 27, just a week earlier, the state had reported 4,498 hospitalized patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19. On June 20, the number was 3,494.
The number of intensive care unit patients statewide with confirmed coronavirus infections is up 63% over the last three weeks. On Saturday, there were 1,711 people with confirmed coronavirus infections in the ICU; on the previous Saturday, there were 1,376; the week before that, there were 1,149; and on June 13, there were 1,049.
And Los Angeles County officials said Sunday that the holiday weekend saw the highest single-day count of new cases since the pandemic began. More than 3,200 new cases were reported in the county on Friday.
Contra Costa County, in the San Francisco Bay Area, and rural Colusa County, northwest of Sacramento, were added Sunday to the list of regions being monitored for their rising case counts and increasing hospitalizations, bringing the number to 24. Marin, Monterey and San Diego counties joined the list Thursday.
People on Ocean Beach in San Francisco on July 5. Californians seemed to mostly heed warnings to stay away from beaches and other public spaces over the long weekend. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)
In many areas, the jump in cases is attributed to more people leaving home to go to work or seek services and a rise in family and community gatherings — hallmarks of summer and an increasing restlessness as the pandemic drags on. Marin County, according to the state, has an additional problem; an outbreak raging in San Quentin State Prison has infected nearly a third of the inmates.
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On Sunday, Marin County officials announced that indoor restaurant dining rooms would again be required to shut their doors, bringing an end to a short window of sit-down service and hold-in-your-hand menus. Restaurant dining rooms in the area had only been open for a week since the statewide shelter-in-place order was established in mid-March. The current ban will last for at least 21 days.
Nationwide, the picture is also grim. The former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday that “we’re right back where we were at the peak of the epidemic during the New York outbreak.”
But Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who served for two years during the Trump administration, said there’s a big difference now: “We really had one epicenter of spread when New York was going through its hardship. Now we really have four major epicenters of spread: Los Angeles, cities in Texas, cities in Florida, and Arizona.”
Gottlieb also added that it’s possible the nation could run short on the supply of remdesivir, a key drug used for the sickest COVID-19 patients.
“That drug has a long manufacturing cycle,” he said. “We’re unlikely to be able to ramp up supply between now and the end of the year.”
And he warned that there is no relief in sight, that autumn will be a “hard” one, that “it’s not clear that it’s going to get better.”
“We’re going to have epidemics that come and go across the nation in different cities,” Gottlieb said. “They’ll light up at different times. But we’re not going to really be able to crush this virus at this point because there’s just so much infection around.”
Southern California is a case in point.
Hospitalizations of patients with confirmed coronavirus infections in Los Angeles County have jumped nearly 50% in the last three weeks. On Saturday, there were 1,921 patients in L.A. County hospitals with confirmed coronavirus infections; seven days earlier, there were 1,710; the week before that, there were 1,453; and the week prior to that, there were 1,285.
Customers wait in line to have lunch at the Rose restaurant in Venice. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Just days before the holiday weekend began, L.A. County officials warned about “ alarming increases in cases, positivity rates and hospitalization” and projected the possibility of running out of hospital beds in two to three weeks; the number of ICU beds could be exhausted sometime in July.
In a memo issued Saturday to local healthcare providers, the L.A. County Department of Public Health warned that, “if the trajectory continues, the number of ICU beds — our most limited resource — is likely to become inadequate in the near future.”
In an update July 1 on the San Bernardino County website, officials said the county reported 753 new cases on June 30, “the highest number of cases reported on a single day.” On the Fourth of July, the county tallied 1,024 new cases. COVID-19-related hospitalizations and use of ICU beds, the county said, have “seen a steady increase since June 17.”
In Orange County, COVID-19 hospitalizations are up 72% in the last two weeks. On Saturday, there were 624 people hospitalized in Orange County with confirmed coronavirus infections; on the previous Saturday, 492 were hospitalized; and on the Saturday before that 363 were in the hospital.
Coronavirus hospitalizations in Ventura County rose 74% in the last two weeks. On Saturday, 82 people were in the hospital with confirmed coronavirus infections; the previous Saturday, there was 65, and the Saturday before that, there were 47.
Riverside County has reported a 63% rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases over the past three weeks, according to the Los Angeles Times coronavirus tracker: 485 new cases on July 4; 340 on June 27; 297 on June 20.
Brooke Federico, public information officer for Riverside County, said Sunday that the region’s licensed intensive care units are 97.4% full, “a high number.” But only 71% of the county’s licensed hospital beds are currently in use, she said, and only 13% of those beds have confirmed COVID-19 patients in them.
“Our hospitals do have surge capacity to treat people at the facilities above and beyond the licensed capacity,” she said. “That’s what we’ve been preparing for.”
Imperial County — where there’s a serious doctor shortage and a quarter of the population lives in poverty — is a different story.
During a June 26 news briefing, Newsom singled out Imperial County as the area statewide hit hardest by the coronavirus. For every 100,000 people in the county, which borders Arizona and Mexico, more than 3,800 have been infected with the coronavirus. In the state as a whole, about 650 per 100,000 people have been infected.
The only two hospitals in Imperial County — El Centro Regional Medical Center and Pioneers Health Center in Brawley — have been overrun. In just the last five weeks, Imperial County has transferred more than 500 coronavirus patients to other counties for treatment — an average of 15 to 17 people a day, Newsom said.
Some of the overflow has been attributed to an unusually high number of hospital admissions linked to cross-border traffic from Mexicali. Newsom said the state is “working with Customs and Border [Protection] because of issues” relating to the border in Mexicali and Calexico.
Hospitals do not disclose where their patients come from, but they do routinely treat cross-border travelers, said Karina Lopez, public affairs liaison at Pioneers Health Center. Imperial County’s population is 85% Latino, and many residents are migrant farmers or recent immigrants.
When determining which patients to care for, Lopez said, Pioneers Health Center does not consider a patient’s residence. But while the hospital has filled only 68 of its 107 acute care beds, it has turned some patients away.
“The main concern for us was that we do not have enough acute care nurses to care for the patients coming in,” Lopez said. “While we do have beds for them, and we do have space for them, we don’t have enough staff.”


latimes--2020-07-05--L.A. County coronavirus cases hit a record one-day high heading into July 4 weekend

Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday announced a record high number of coronavirus-related infections , recording 3,187 new cases Friday — the highest daily total since the pandemic began — and a three-day total of 7,232 infections and 30 related deaths , numbers that account for Thursday , Friday and Saturday of last week .
Bars and indoor dining remain off-limits as officials attempt to control the spread of the coronavirus .
The number of hospital patients with confirmed coronavirus infections jumped 41 % in the last three weeks , county data show .
As of Saturday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County with confirmed COVID-19 cases ; 28 % of those people were in the ICU and 18 % were on ventilators .
L.A. County officials warned last week about “ alarming increases in cases , positivity rates and hospitalization ” and projected the possibility of running out of hospital beds in two to three weeks ; the number of ICU beds could be exhausted sometime in July .
L.A. County has recorded and almost 3,500 deaths .
Beaches were closed by local government officials in Los Angeles , Orange , Ventura and Santa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The warnings appeared to have an effect on residents , as beaches and parks were sparsely populated on Saturday .
“ Thank you to everyone who modified their holiday plans to help us get back to the work of slowing the spread , ” Barbara Ferrer , the county health director , said in a statement .

Few people were at Universal CityWalk Hollywood on Thursday.
Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday announced a record high number of coronavirus-related infections, recording 3,187 new cases Friday — the highest daily total since the pandemic began — and a three-day total of 7,232 infections and 30 related deaths, numbers that account for Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week.
Bars and indoor dining remain off-limits as officials attempt to control the spread of the coronavirus.
The number of hospital patients with confirmed coronavirus infections jumped 41% in the last three weeks, county data show. As of Saturday, there were 1,921 people hospitalized in L.A. County with confirmed COVID-19 cases; 28% of those people were in the ICU and 18% were on ventilators.
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L.A. County officials warned last week about “alarming increases in cases, positivity rates and hospitalization” and projected the possibility of running out of hospital beds in two to three weeks; the number of ICU beds could be exhausted sometime in July.
L.A. County has recorded a total of nearly 115,000 cases and almost 3,500 deaths.
Beaches were closed by local government officials in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties to deter holiday weekend crowds. The warnings appeared to have an effect on residents, as beaches and parks were sparsely populated on Saturday.
“Thank you to everyone who modified their holiday plans to help us get back to the work of slowing the spread,” Barbara Ferrer, the county health director, said in a statement.
Times staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-07-05--Soledad fire burns 1,100 acres, but firefighters make progress

The Soledad fire in Santa Clarita has burned more than 1,100 acres and forced evacuations , but firefighters were beginning to make progress Monday morning .
The brush fire broke out in the area of Soledad Canyon Road and spread rapidly , jumping the 14 Freeway around 4 p.m. , according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department .
The 14 freeway was shut down for several hours .
The blaze , dubbed the Soledad fire , grew to 1,100 acres by 8 p.m. and was 0 % contained , the Fire Department said .
Four hundred personnel were battling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living near the freeway in the Agua Dulce Canyon Road area were ordered to evacuate .
The Red Cross established a temporary evacuation site in Palmdale at the Victory Outreach church parking lot on 25th Street East .
Evacuees will be required to stay in their vehicles .
Firefighters will work throughout the night to contain the blaze , officials said .
Fire officials urged Los Angeles County residents to refrain from setting off fireworks anywhere near dry brush .
In Hawthorne , all southbound lanes of the 405 Freeway at El Segundo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a small brushfire , the California Highway Patrol said .
The causes of the fires were not immediately known .
The fires follow a night of relentless Fourth of July pyrotechnics .
L.A. firefighters responded to thousands of emergency calls Saturday and extinguished at least one large blaze that consumed half an apartment complex in Northridge , officials said .
Dry conditions , hot temperatures and high winds in some parts of L.A. County have raised concerns about the potential for fires to spread quickly over the weekend .
Minimum humidities dropped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many inland and foothill areas on Sunday , while high temperatures in those areas were forecast to reach up to 10 degrees above normal , the National Weather Service said .
Elevated fire danger is expected to continue into Monday across inland areas such as Santa Clarita , with highs in the 90s and gusty winds in the forecast .

The Soledad fire in Santa Clarita has burned more than 1,100 acres and forced evacuations, but firefighters were beginning to make progress Monday morning.
The brush fire broke out in the area of Soledad Canyon Road and spread rapidly, jumping the 14 Freeway around 4 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The 14 freeway was shut down for several hours.
The blaze, dubbed the Soledad fire, grew to 1,100 acres by 8 p.m. and was 0% contained, the Fire Department said. Four hundred personnel were battling the fire.
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More than 200 residents living near the freeway in the Agua Dulce Canyon Road area were ordered to evacuate.
The Red Cross established a temporary evacuation site in Palmdale at the Victory Outreach church parking lot on 25th Street East. Evacuees will be required to stay in their vehicles.
Firefighters will work throughout the night to contain the blaze, officials said.
UPDATE (6:50 pm): The fire is now reportedly 800 acres in size with winds moving N/NE. Mandatory evacuations are in place for the fire area - East of Agua Dulce Cyn, West of Briggs, North of Soledad Cyn, South of 14 Fwy - 9 homes have been evacuated thus far. We are updating map. — Santa Clarita City (@santaclarita) July 6, 2020
Fire officials urged Los Angeles County residents to refrain from setting off fireworks anywhere near dry brush.
In Hawthorne, all southbound lanes of the 405 Freeway at El Segundo Boulevard were also temporarily shut down because of a small brushfire, the California Highway Patrol said.
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The causes of the fires were not immediately known.
The fires follow a night of relentless Fourth of July pyrotechnics. L.A. firefighters responded to thousands of emergency calls Saturday and extinguished at least one large blaze that consumed half an apartment complex in Northridge, officials said.
Dry conditions, hot temperatures and high winds in some parts of L.A. County have raised concerns about the potential for fires to spread quickly over the weekend.
Minimum humidities dropped to the single digits and teens in many inland and foothill areas on Sunday, while high temperatures in those areas were forecast to reach up to 10 degrees above normal, the National Weather Service said.
Elevated fire danger is expected to continue into Monday across inland areas such as Santa Clarita, with highs in the 90s and gusty winds in the forecast.
Times staff writer Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-07-07--California braces for a spike in coronavirus deaths as infections soar. But how bad will it be?

New coronavirus cases roughly doubled in California over the last month .
Hospitalizations have soared 88 % , filling some medical centers close to capacity .
Now , public health officials are bracing for the grimmest phase of the cycle : a spike in COVID-19 fatalities .
So far , new deaths have remained relatively flat in California even as cases have surged .
In the last six weeks , the state has recorded an average of 436 weekly coronavirus deaths , down from the previous six-week average of 510 weekly deaths , according to a Los Angeles Times data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicator , and many experts predict an increase in the coming weeks .
California has seen far fewer coronavirus fatalities than some hot spots across the country , recording more than 6,400 deaths , compared with more than 32,000 in New York and 15,000 in New Jersey .
How much the death toll in California will rise is the subject of some debate .
This new wave of infections is increasingly being driven by younger people , while outbreaks in skilled nursing facilities have slowed .
For that reason , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will result in deaths .
“ It ’ s hard to say because right now , it ’ s this cloud of information that needs to sort itself out , ” said Dr. Neha Nanda , healthcare epidemiologist and medical director of infection prevention at Keck Medicine of USC .
But others on the front lines say the younger COVID-19 demographics won ’ t necessarily result in a decreased death toll .
Adrienne Green , chief medical officer for UC San Francisco Medical Center , said she is worried about the current wave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a subsequent wave for older people who have interacted with them .
“ Perhaps there might be a lull in the death rates and then [ they ] catch up , ” Green said .
“ I think it ’ s going to be a wave up and down.
” Answers should come soon .
Experts say it can take three to four weeks after exposure to the virus for infected people to become sick enough to be hospitalized , and four to five weeks after exposure for some of the most vulnerable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California recorded nearly twice the number of coronavirus cases in June as it did in May — 119,938 versus 61,694 , according to a Times data analysis .
Yet the number of deaths declined , with 2,128 people dying in May and 1,915 in June .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom said Monday that while a higher percentage of coronavirus tests are confirming infections , “ we ’ re not seeing a commensurate increase yet in mortality.
” More younger people are also testing positive for the virus , a trend that has become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working-ageadults returned to jobs and resumed social gatherings .
Early in the pandemic , in March , about half of California ’ s new infections were identified among people ages 18 to 49 , a Times data analysis found .
In June , as the number of new cases began to climb sharply , that share increased to nearly 62 % .
So far in July , roughly 65 % of new infections have been diagnosed among those 18 to 49 .
That ’ s despite the fact that just 45 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ These are individuals who tend not to be as likely to get serious disease or require either hospitalization or to die from COVID-19 , ” said Timothy Brewer , professor of medicine and epidemiology at UCLA .
“ So particularly the 18- to 50-year-old age group is a group that has relatively low mortality rates , but there has been a big surge in infections.
” Meanwhile , outbreaks in skilled nursing and other long-term care facilities have slowed .
That appears to be particularly true in Los Angeles County , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s cases and more than half the deaths .
In early May , L.A. County was reporting an average of 25 daily coronavirus deaths out of nursing home residents .
By late June , the average daily death toll from nursing homes was around 10 , Barbara Ferrer , the county health director , said last week .
Officials have said better use of personal protective equipment , such as masks , gowns and gloves , and increased testing , has helped reduce the impact of the pandemic on skilled nursing facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in care facility outbreaks is having a beneficial effect on overall mortality rates , as residents of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities account for 49 % of the state ’ s total COVID-19 deaths .
Nick Jewell , a UC Berkeley biostatistics expert who has tracked the pandemic , said the steady mortality rate may also reflect that those who were most susceptible to the virus — the elderly and the infirm — have already succumbed to it .
“ To be crude , you wouldn ’ t expect as many nursing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or three months ago because the susceptibles in the nursing homes have been picked off , ” said Jewell .
Improvements in the treatment and care of COVID-19 patients also may have made a difference , as doctors have learned more about how to treat the virus .
Medical staff have gotten better at managing the ventilation and oxygenation of critically ill patients , learning to do things such as positioning them on their bellies instead of on their backs , Brewer said .
Physicians also say they are generally intubating less frequently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down a person ’ s throat — can cause an array of complications , but doctors have been able to choose other options first , instead of quickly intubating a person who is struggling to breathe .
Dexamethasone , a corticosteroid that has been shown to improve survival in patients who require oxygen or mechanical ventilation , is now in standard use in hospitals across California , Brewer said .
Remdesivir , an antiviral that has been linked to improved outcomes , is also being widely used , he said .
UCSF ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medications including Remdesivir but said the drug may soon be harder to come by .
Some point out that the declining numbers do not take into account the well-documented racial disparities seen in both infections and outcomes of COVID-19 cases .
Across the country , researchers are finding that Black and Latino people are hit harder , and have worse survival rates than white counterparts .
In California as of Sunday , Latino people accounted for 55 % of coronavirus cases and 42 % of deaths , while making up about 39 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to data from the California Department of Public Health .
Black Californians account for 9 % of the state ’ s deaths , while making up about 6 % of the overall population .
But even those figures may be low — 35 % of cases are missing race and ethnicity data .
Stephen Lockhart , chief medical officer of Sutter Healthcare , said it is too soon to know if reopening has made those disparities worse .
Many of those who have worked through the pandemic or returned to work in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurants , agriculture and service sectors are people of color , he and other experts pointed out .
Lockhart said that although the data are not yet available on how they are faring , he would “ be surprised if that were not the case ” that those workers of color will be hard hit in coming weeks .
“ That is just my conjecture as a Black man seeing what I am seeing and my overall intuition , ” Lockhart said .
“ I am imagining that the gap has widened.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease specialist at Stanford , said the demographics of the epidemic have “ really changed ” in recent months .
“ Now it has become much more in minority communities , much more blue-collar workers , ” Maldonado said .
On Saturday , Maldonado did free testing in a low-income Silicon Valley neighborhood that is predominantly Asian and Latino .
After testing about 300 people , she found about 3 % were positive — what she considers a difficult rate to contain , despite higher rates in other parts of the state and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and wealth disparities that can increase the severity of the virus.. “ We know that these are populations that have real health equity and access problems , ” Maldonado said , pointing to more risk factors such as diabetes , more crowded living spaces and less financial ability to take time off work .
Some also fear that it ’ s only a matter of time before California sees a surge in COVID-19 deaths to match the increase in cases and hospitalizations .
Many experts believe the increasing infections began around Memorial Day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may begin soon .
They also point out that recent Independence Day celebrations could bring another bounce in coming months .
On Sunday , there were 5,790 people hospitalized in California with confirmed coronavirus infections .
That ’ s an 88 % increase from that number on June 5 , when there were 3,072 hospitalized .
L.A. County on Sunday broke a record for the largest number of hospitalized patients with confirmed coronavirus infections .
There were 1,969 such patients in hospitals in the county on Sunday ; the previous record was on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospital .
Jewell cautioned that “ things are changing rapidly in the state.
” He said that California , though not as bad as states such as Texas — where hospitals are already facing capacity issues — remains in “ dangerous waters , ” and he expects July to be a “ real gut check.
” There are also concerns that the younger people who are currently testing positive at a higher rate and also tend to have a higher level of mobility will eventually transmit the virus to more people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ driving deaths even higher .
“ It ’ s not until the first group [ of infected individuals ] goes out and infects the next larger group and gets a bit exponential ” that we see those deaths , said a nurse who works in an intensive care unit in L.A. “ It ’ s the calm before the storm — I have no doubt , ” she added .
Times staff writers Ben Welsh , Colleen Shalby , Iris Lee and Sandhya Kambhampati contributed to this report .

Alex Wigglesworth, Anita Chabria, Emily Baumgaertner, Rong-Gong Lin II

The boardwalk in Mission Beach was full of locals, surfers and tourists during the Fourth of July weekend in San Diego. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the typical holiday crowd appeared to be less than in previous years.
New coronavirus cases roughly doubled in California over the last month. Hospitalizations have soared 88%, filling some medical centers close to capacity.
Now, public health officials are bracing for the grimmest phase of the cycle: a spike in COVID-19 fatalities.
So far, new deaths have remained relatively flat in California even as cases have surged. In the last six weeks, the state has recorded an average of 436 weekly coronavirus deaths, down from the previous six-week average of 510 weekly deaths, according to a Los Angeles Times data analysis. But deaths are a lagging indicator, and many experts predict an increase in the coming weeks.
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California has seen far fewer coronavirus fatalities than some hot spots across the country, recording more than 6,400 deaths, compared with more than 32,000 in New York and 15,000 in New Jersey.
1 / 46 Newport Beach police enforce closures along the Wedge in Newport Beach, a popular surf spot. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 46 Spectators along the Wedge in Newport Beach, a surf spot, on July 4. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 46 A bicyclist rides along Highland Avenue with the pier closed to beachgoers on July 3 in Manhattan Beach. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 46 Peter Gratzinger of Pacific Palisades heads to the water at Santa Monica State Beach, which opened to the public at 5 a.m. July 6. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 46 A bicyclist with her child rides along the closed bike path on July 3 in Manhattan Beach. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 6 / 46 A police officer and a lifeguard boat comb the shoreline in Venice Beach on July 5. Even though the beach was closed over the weekend a few still made their way to the shoreline. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 7 / 46 No-parking signs from the July 4 weekend still block spots on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica on Monday. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times) 8 / 46 Dusk sets in over the the Santa Monica Pier on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 46 Southern California residents watch the fireworks during the Drive-Up 4th of July Spectacular at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base on Saturday in Los Alamitos. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 10 / 46 Bella Nousiainen, left, with daughter, Helmi Nousiainen, of Los Angeles, at the Santa Monica Pier, which reopens after being closed to guests for months because of the coronavirus. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 11 / 46 Dr. Jamie Taylor checks the ventilators at the refashioned St. Vincent Hospital. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 12 / 46 Shoppers and mannequins wear protective masks in the Los Angeles downtown garment district on Thursday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 13 / 46 Patrons wear face coverings at Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. A recent surge in COVID-19 cases in California has pushed the state’s total past 200,000 with more than 5,800 deaths. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times) 14 / 46 LAPD officers E. Rosales, left, and D. Castro, patrol the Metro Red Line at the Hollywood/Highland Metro Station Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 15 / 46 Visitors wear protective masks while walking through historic Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 16 / 46 People wait in line to have a COVID-19 screening administered by the Community Organized Relief Effort at the Los Angeles City Mayor’s test site at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 17 / 46 A woman adjusts a protective mask while walkiing along Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Ti mes) 18 / 46 Cameron Johnson,18, left, headed to UC Berkeley in the fall and Simona Krasnegor,17, headed to UCLA in the fall, watched the sun set while sitting next to the Manhattan Beach Pier, following their drive-through graduation from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 19 / 46 Jair Guido, 36, a veterinarian visiting from Durango, Mexico, right, wearing a sombrero with an American flag draped over his shoulders, walks with other pedestrians along Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. Guido said that he wore this outfit to show people that he is proud to be a Mexican and that he loves America. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered all Californians to wear face coverings while in public. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 46 A mask-wearing skateboarder and her dog make their way along the boardwalk in Venice Beach. Californians must wear face masks in public under a coronavirus order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 46 Pedestrians, some with face coverings, some without, walk past musicians Brent Kendell, background left, and Sam Jones, background right, as they perform at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 46 People wear masks while walking along the boardwalk in Venice Beach. Californians must wear face masks in public under a coronavirus order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 46 Pedestrians cross the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered all Californians to wear face coverings while in public, following growing concerns that an increase in coronavirus cases has been caused by residents failing to voluntarily take that precaution. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 46 Sophia Strauss, left, and Sarah Hoffmeister celebrate after their drive-through graduation from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 46 New West Charter School vice principal Mark Herrera shouts at graduate Joe Reid to come and receive his diploma during a drive-up graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020 at the charter school in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 26 / 46 A worker directs drivers at a drive-up testing site for COVID-19 outside of Jackie Robinson Stadium at UCLA.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 27 / 46 Destiny VanSciner is tested for COVID-19 with an oral swab by family nurse practitioner Anniesatu Newland at a walk-in site at St. John’s Well Child and Family Center in South Los Angeles. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 46 Melissa Gomes fixes the tassel on the mortarboard of Sarah Anggraini as the new graduate gets ready for a photo at Chaffey College, which held a drive-through graduation, in Rancho Cucamonga. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 46 Maricela Moreno, manager at El Tarasco in Marina del Rey, disinfects cash at the restaurant. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 46 Mildred “Millie” Stratton waves to a caravan of cars led by Alhambra police officers and firefighters. The parade past her home celebrated Stratton’s 102nd birthday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 46 Eric Larkin hands an order to Brittany Wright as she fastens her face covering outside the Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 46 A jogger passes Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles as local stay-at-home orders are increasingly relaxed months into the coronavirus outbreak. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 46 Hikers and bikers traverse the Santa Fe Dam trail as county parks officially reopen to the public. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 46 A woman, masked against COVID-19, walks past a building that features the image of Britney Spears at a shopping center in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 46 Manon Guijarro, a new graduate of Pierce College, has her photo taken by friend Paige Johnson at Chris Burden’s outdoor work “Urban Light” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 46 Mary Perez, a salesperson at High Class Jewels on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, helps a customer as he tries on a gold rope chain inside the recently reopened store. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times) 37 / 46 Professional dog walker Lindsay Rojas takes golden retrievers Gomez, left, and Nikki for a stroll along Le Bourget Avenue in Culver City. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 46 The Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying team banks over downtown Los Angeles in formation to salute healthcare workers and first responders on May 15. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 46 Maria Morales, center, a member of the USC class of 2020, participates in virtual graduation via Zoom with her brother Manny Morales, left, mom Pilar Morales and stepdad Victor Ramos from her home in Orange. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 46 On a recent day, there’s not a face mask in sight as a roller skater and others share the reopened walking path on the Strand in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 46 Crew members of a Hainan Airlines flight walk through the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 42 / 46 A woman wearing a protective mask walks past a shuttered business in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 43 / 46 Thousands of rental cars are stored at Dodger Stadium as the coronavirus crisis has caused rentals to nosedive. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) 44 / 46 Some beachgoers actively use the beach while others relax on the sand, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s active-use-only order, in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 45 / 46 Traveling nurse Gail Cunningham waves thanks outside the emergency room entrance to Riverside University Health System in Moreno Valley as residents pay tribute to her and other medical personnel with a drive-by rally. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 46 / 46 A scene from “Knives Out,” with actor Don Johnson, seen at the Mission Tiki Drive-in Theatre in Montclair. Opened with one screen in 1956, the Mission Tiki expanded to four screens in 1975 and began renovation in 2006, updating to FM transmitters and digital projectors. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
How much the death toll in California will rise is the subject of some debate. This new wave of infections is increasingly being driven by younger people, while outbreaks in skilled nursing facilities have slowed. For that reason, it’s possible that fewer of the recent cases will result in deaths.
“It’s hard to say because right now, it’s this cloud of information that needs to sort itself out,” said Dr. Neha Nanda, healthcare epidemiologist and medical director of infection prevention at Keck Medicine of USC.
California Young adults who think ‘they are invincible’ increasingly infected by coronavirus, Newsom says Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday said the surge in coronavirus cases hitting California was due in part to younger people who might believe “they are invincible” but nonetheless are becoming sick from COVID-19.
But others on the front lines say the younger COVID-19 demographics won’t necessarily result in a decreased death toll. Adrienne Green, chief medical officer for UC San Francisco Medical Center, said she is worried about the current wave of infections among younger people leading to a subsequent wave for older people who have interacted with them.
“Perhaps there might be a lull in the death rates and then [they] catch up,” Green said. “I think it’s going to be a wave up and down.”
Answers should come soon. Experts say it can take three to four weeks after exposure to the virus for infected people to become sick enough to be hospitalized, and four to five weeks after exposure for some of the most vulnerable patients to die from the disease.
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California recorded nearly twice the number of coronavirus cases in June as it did in May — 119,938 versus 61,694, according to a Times data analysis. Yet the number of deaths declined, with 2,128 people dying in May and 1,915 in June.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that while a higher percentage of coronavirus tests are confirming infections, “we’re not seeing a commensurate increase yet in mortality.”
More younger people are also testing positive for the virus, a trend that has become apparent as the economy has reopened and working-age adults returned to jobs and resumed social gatherings.
Early in the pandemic, in March, about half of California’s new infections were identified among people ages 18 to 49, a Times data analysis found. In June, as the number of new cases began to climb sharply, that share increased to nearly 62%. So far in July, roughly 65% of new infections have been diagnosed among those 18 to 49. That’s despite the fact that just 45% of Californians fall into that age range.
“These are individuals who tend not to be as likely to get serious disease or require either hospitalization or to die from COVID-19,” said Timothy Brewer, professor of medicine and epidemiology at UCLA. “So particularly the 18- to 50-year-old age group is a group that has relatively low mortality rates, but there has been a big surge in infections.”
Meanwhile, outbreaks in skilled nursing and other long-term care facilities have slowed. That appears to be particularly true in Los Angeles County, which is home to nearly half the state’s cases and more than half the deaths.
In early May, L.A. County was reporting an average of 25 daily coronavirus deaths out of nursing home residents. By late June, the average daily death toll from nursing homes was around 10, Barbara Ferrer, the county health director, said last week.
Officials have said better use of personal protective equipment, such as masks, gowns and gloves, and increased testing, has helped reduce the impact of the pandemic on skilled nursing facilities.
Brewer said he suspects the decline in care facility outbreaks is having a beneficial effect on overall mortality rates, as residents of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities account for 49% of the state’s total COVID-19 deaths.
Nick Jewell, a UC Berkeley biostatistics expert who has tracked the pandemic, said the steady mortality rate may also reflect that those who were most susceptible to the virus — the elderly and the infirm — have already succumbed to it.
“To be crude, you wouldn’t expect as many nursing home deaths today as you would two or three months ago because the susceptibles in the nursing homes have been picked off,” said Jewell.
Improvements in the treatment and care of COVID-19 patients also may have made a difference, as doctors have learned more about how to treat the virus.
Medical staff have gotten better at managing the ventilation and oxygenation of critically ill patients, learning to do things such as positioning them on their bellies instead of on their backs, Brewer said.
Physicians also say they are generally intubating less frequently. Intubation — inserting a breathing tube down a person’s throat — can cause an array of complications, but doctors have been able to choose other options first, instead of quickly intubating a person who is struggling to breathe.
Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid that has been shown to improve survival in patients who require oxygen or mechanical ventilation, is now in standard use in hospitals across California, Brewer said. Remdesivir, an antiviral that has been linked to improved outcomes, is also being widely used, he said.
UCSF’s Green attributes better fatality rates to medications including Remdesivir but said the drug may soon be harder to come by.
Some point out that the declining numbers do not take into account the well-documented racial disparities seen in both infections and outcomes of COVID-19 cases. Across the country, researchers are finding that Black and Latino people are hit harder, and have worse survival rates than white counterparts.
In California as of Sunday, Latino people accounted for 55% of coronavirus cases and 42% of deaths, while making up about 39% of the state’s population, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. Black Californians account for 9% of the state’s deaths, while making up about 6% of the overall population. But even those figures may be low — 35% of cases are missing race and ethnicity data.
Stephen Lockhart, chief medical officer of Sutter Health, said it is too soon to know if reopening has made those disparities worse. Many of those who have worked through the pandemic or returned to work in recent weeks at jobs including retail, restaurants, agriculture and service sectors are people of color, he and other experts pointed out. Lockhart said that although the data are not yet available on how they are faring, he would “be surprised if that were not the case” that those workers of color will be hard hit in coming weeks.
“That is just my conjecture as a Black man seeing what I am seeing and my overall intuition,” Lockhart said. “I am imagining that the gap has widened.”
Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Stanford, said the demographics of the epidemic have “really changed” in recent months.
“Now it has become much more in minority communities, much more blue-collar workers,” Maldonado said.
On Saturday, Maldonado did free testing in a low-income Silicon Valley neighborhood that is predominantly Asian and Latino. After testing about 300 people, she found about 3% were positive — what she considers a difficult rate to contain, despite higher rates in other parts of the state and country, and one coupled with health and wealth disparities that can increase the severity of the virus..
“We know that these are populations that have real health equity and access problems,” Maldonado said, pointing to more risk factors such as diabetes, more crowded living spaces and less financial ability to take time off work.
Some also fear that it’s only a matter of time before California sees a surge in COVID-19 deaths to match the increase in cases and hospitalizations. Many experts believe the increasing infections began around Memorial Day, meaning a corresponding increase in deaths may begin soon. They also point out that recent Independence Day celebrations could bring another bounce in coming months.
On Sunday, there were 5,790 people hospitalized in California with confirmed coronavirus infections. That’s an 88% increase from that number on June 5, when there were 3,072 hospitalized.
L.A. County on Sunday broke a record for the largest number of hospitalized patients with confirmed coronavirus infections. There were 1,969 such patients in hospitals in the county on Sunday; the previous record was on April 28, when 1,962 were in the hospital.
Jewell cautioned that “things are changing rapidly in the state.” He said that California, though not as bad as states such as Texas — where hospitals are already facing capacity issues — remains in “dangerous waters,” and he expects July to be a “real gut check.”
There are also concerns that the younger people who are currently testing positive at a higher rate and also tend to have a higher level of mobility will eventually transmit the virus to more people, including those who are more vulnerable, driving deaths even higher.
“It’s not until the first group [of infected individuals] goes out and infects the next larger group and gets a bit exponential” that we see those deaths, said a nurse who works in an intensive care unit in L.A.
“It’s the calm before the storm — I have no doubt,” she added.
Times staff writers Ben Welsh, Colleen Shalby, Iris Lee and Sandhya Kambhampati contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-07-06--Crews fire near Gilroy destroys two homes, chars 5,400 acres

A wildfire near Gilroy has charred 5,400 acres , destroyed two homes and forced dozens of residents to evacuate , officials said Monday .
The Crews fire ignited about 11:30 a.m. Sunday in the area of Canada Road and Highway 152 , according to Pam Temmermand , a fire prevention specialist with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
As of 7:30 p.m. , the blaze was 20 % contained .
Temmermand said one minor injury had been reported , though it was not immediately clear whether that person was a firefighter or a civilian .
An evacuation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place along Canada Road , and there ’ s “ no timetable for when that evacuation will be lifted , ” Temmermand said shortly after 10 a.m. About 375 firefighters are actively battling the blaze .
The cause is under investigation .
In Southern California , a large brush fire broke out along Soledad Canyon Road and the 14 Freeway near Agua Dulce about 3:30 p.m. Sunday and burned 1,500 acres before firefighters got the blaze mostly under control Monday morning .
Evacuation orders in the area were lifted at 2 p.m. and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contained as of 7 p.m. , according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department .

A wildfire that broke out Sunday has forced the evacuation of dozens of residents near Gilroy.
A wildfire near Gilroy has charred 5,400 acres, destroyed two homes and forced dozens of residents to evacuate, officials said Monday.
The Crews fire ignited about 11:30 a.m. Sunday in the area of Canada Road and Highway 152, according to Pam Temmermand, a fire prevention specialist with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
As of 7:30 p.m., the blaze was 20% contained.
Temmermand said one minor injury had been reported, though it was not immediately clear whether that person was a firefighter or a civilian.
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An evacuation order affecting roughly 70 residents remains in place along Canada Road, and there’s “no timetable for when that evacuation will be lifted,” Temmermand said shortly after 10 a.m.
About 375 firefighters are actively battling the blaze. The cause is under investigation.
In Southern California, a large brush fire broke out along Soledad Canyon Road and the 14 Freeway near Agua Dulce about 3:30 p.m. Sunday and burned 1,500 acres before firefighters got the blaze mostly under control Monday morning.
Evacuation orders in the area were lifted at 2 p.m. and the Soledad fire was nearly 50% contained as of 7 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.