latimes--2020-12-30--'He's dying, aren't you going to help him?' Hospitals serving poor, nonwhite L.A. hit hardest by COV

'He's dying, aren't you going to help him?' Hospitals serving poor, nonwhite L.A. hit hardest by COVID-19

As the pandemic besieges the region ’ s hospitals , its destructive sweep is being dispensed in unequal measures .
While all hospitals across Los Angeles County are being slammed by waves of COVID-19 patients , those in lower-income , densely populated and nonwhite communities have been hit hardest and face the greatest challenge in providing care , according to a Times data analysis .
Hospitals in South Los Angeles , the cities in Southeast L.A. County along the 710 Freeway and in parts of the southern San Gabriel Valley are experiencing the greatest capacity problems , the data showed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small and are less able to add intensive care staff or expand bed capacity than the county ’ s biggest hospitals .
The data underscores how communities of color have been disproportionately hit by the pandemic , with Latino and Black residents far more likely to get the virus and die of it compared with whites .
Low-income essential workers often get sick while on the job and then spread COVID-19 to family , officials have said .
The released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in L.A. County on average last week , nearly four times as many as a month ago , pushing the share of all admitted patients with the disease above 40 % .
But it is much worse at some hospitals .
At Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center , more than 80 % of the patients have or are suspected to have been infected with the virus , according to the data .
Some new patients with the disease are being treated near the emergency department waiting area , in a triage room staffed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stable enough to leave are being sent home with oxygen .
Patients were “ piled in administrative hallways , stuffed in the corners , hanging over chairs , ” said one healthcare worker , who asked for anonymity out of fear of retribution .
When the emergency room ran out of crevices , staffers began treating people right in the waiting room .
“ It was like practicing civil war medicine .
It was the worst shift of my life , ” the worker said .
Patients with low blood pressure and low @ @ @ @ @ @ @ room for up to nine hours at a time .
“ Family members were screaming , ‘ He ’ s dying , aren ’ t you going to help him ?
’ ” the healthcare worker said .
“ We looked at each other and said , ‘ Are we gon na pull oxygen off of this lady to give it to someone else ?
’ ” The situation is also alarming at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in Willowbrook , which has 131 beds and 128 COVID-19 patients .
By Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was going to declare an internal disaster , meaning it did not have the space or staff to take any more patients .
“ If it continues to get worse , many hospitals will begin rationing care , ” said Dr. Elaine Batchlor , the hospital ’ s chief executive .
“ It means we will have to make decisions about who to treat and who we may not have enough resources to treat .
It ’ s horrible , it ’ s something that no health professional wants to contemplate.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because many of its patients are essential workers being put at risk every day , and they had pre-existing chronic diseases they ’ d struggled to get treatment for .
“ Diabetic amputations and wounds are the No .
1 surgical procedure in normal conditions [ at the hospital ] , ” Batchlor said .
“ This has made our community here a setup for having a very difficult time with COVID , and it ’ s all playing out in real time as one might expect.
” Many of the patients are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medicaid and Medicare , or are uninsured , and for this reason , larger hospitals will often decline to accept a transfer .
“ I was surprised by the fact that we ’ re treating more COVID patients than hospitals three to four times our size , ” Batchlor said after seeing the new federal data .
But those larger hospitals have long been turning away low-income patients from South L.A. who need a higher level of care than the community hospital can provide , Batchlor said .
“ This is how things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ It ’ s just that COVID has really increased the stakes .
It ’ s really a crisis , and we ’ re seeing the same pattern.
” Patients are being placed in every usable corner , including the gift shop , which instead of stuffed animals and greeting cards has patients on gurneys in need of emergency care .
The hospital ’ s intensive care unit is full , and staff converted its post-acute care surgery unit into more ICU space and has started boarding ICU patients in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single rooms , they ’ re doubling and sometimes tripling patients .
Both Kaiser Downey and King have among the highest COVID-19 patient rates in the county , according to the government data .
That can be a key indicator for facilities , said hospital administrators , who also monitor the capacity of their ICUs .
Several atop the list are from eastern or southern neighborhoods in the county .
The list includes White Memorial Medical Center in Boyle Heights , East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital and Monterey Park Hospital .
The list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two other Kaiser Permanente facilities , which take patients who aren ’ t necessarily insured through the company .
Its hospitals in the region have seen their share of COVID-19 patients increase from about 52 % two weeks ago to more than 80 % , said Bill Caswell , the company ’ s chief operating officer for Southern California .
“ These tend to be communities where there is dense housing , for a variety of reasons , and where many of the individuals in the community are essential workers — so they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gin , Kaiser ’ s regional medical director , who has worked to boost the company ’ s ICU capacity and find new ways to care for patients in their homes .
“ All of those factors play into why we have such a high rate of COVID.
” At County-USC , one of the nation ’ s largest pubic hospitals , officials had to stop taking new ambulance patients for 12 hours Sunday because the hospital was too jammed .
If conditions continue to worsen , medical staff are likely going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets care .
“ It ’ s difficult to reduce decisions about how to do the most good for the most people to a mathematical formula , ” said Dr. Brad Spellberg , the hospital ’ s chief medical officer .
“ Right now , the decisions we ’ re making hour-to-hour are , how do we stay out of crisis care ?
How do we keep bailing water out , and try to raise the levee , so we don ’ t end up having to make triage-level care decisions ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are struggling to survive .
At Emanate Health Inter-Community Hospital in Covina , “ the hospital is bursting at the seams , ” said Tanya West , a nurse who has worked the past six years in the hospital ’ s emergency department .
There , oxygen levels are running low and multiple patients are being placed in single-occupancy rooms in the emergency department .
“ Staff can barely get by in the room to do treatments for patients , ” she said .
Ambulances with patients wait outside hoping to offload COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the cold .
The lobby is typically full .
The hospital had about 150 COVID-19 patients last week , including 22 in intensive care — more than 60 % of all its patients — while also managing its normal load of other patients .
“ We are seeing a huge surge of COVID patients , but yet we still receive a large amount of patients with typical emergencies , from heart attacks to broken legs , ” West said .
“ Emergencies don ’ t stop.
” Times staff writers Melissa Gomez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Alejandra Reyes-Velarde contributed to this report .

Matt Stiles, Emily Baumgaertner, Jaclyn Cosgrove, Andrew J. Campa

Michelle Goldson, a registered nurse in the intensive-care unit at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital. The hospital has been forced to treat some patients in its gift shop.
As the pandemic besieges the region’s hospitals, its destructive sweep is being dispensed in unequal measures.
While all hospitals across Los Angeles County are being slammed by waves of COVID-19 patients, those in lower-income, densely populated and nonwhite communities have been hit hardest and face the greatest challenge in providing care, according to a Times data analysis.
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Hospitals in South Los Angeles, the cities in Southeast L.A. County along the 710 Freeway and in parts of the southern San Gabriel Valley are experiencing the greatest capacity problems, the data showed. Many of these facilities are relatively small and are less able to add intensive care staff or expand bed capacity than the county’s biggest hospitals.
The data underscores how communities of color have been disproportionately hit by the pandemic, with Latino and Black residents far more likely to get the virus and die of it compared with whites. Low-income essential workers often get sick while on the job and then spread COVID-19 to family, officials have said.
The data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that more than 6,000 patients with the coronavirus were hospitalized in L.A. County on average last week, nearly four times as many as a month ago, pushing the share of all admitted patients with the disease above 40%.
But it is much worse at some hospitals.
At Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, more than 80% of the patients have or are suspected to have been infected with the virus, according to the data. Some new patients with the disease are being treated near the emergency department waiting area, in a triage room staffed with doctors, and some who are stable enough to leave are being sent home with oxygen.
Patients were “piled in administrative hallways, stuffed in the corners, hanging over chairs,” said one healthcare worker, who asked for anonymity out of fear of retribution. When the emergency room ran out of crevices, staffers began treating people right in the waiting room.
“It was like practicing Civil War medicine. It was the worst shift of my life,” the worker said.
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Patients with low blood pressure and low oxygen levels were sitting in the waiting room for up to nine hours at a time.
“Family members were screaming, ‘He’s dying. Aren’t you going to help him?’” the healthcare worker said. “We looked at each other and said, ‘Are we gonna pull oxygen off of this lady to give it to someone else?’”
The situation is also alarming at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in Willowbrook, which has 131 beds and 128 COVID-19 patients. By Monday afternoon, the hospital had 215 patients and was going to declare an internal disaster, meaning it did not have the space or staff to take any more patients.
“If it continues to get worse, many hospitals will begin rationing care,” said Dr. Elaine Batchlor, the hospital’s chief executive. “It means we will have to make decisions about who to treat and who we may not have enough resources to treat. It’s horrible, it’s something that no health professional wants to contemplate.”
Batchlor said her hospital is so full because many of its patients are essential workers being put at risk every day, and they had pre-existing chronic diseases they’d struggled to get treatment for.
“Diabetic amputations and wounds are the No. 1 surgical procedure in normal conditions [at the hospital],” Batchlor said. “This has made our community here a setup for having a very difficult time with COVID, and it’s all playing out in real time as one might expect.”
Many of the patients are either publicly insured, through programs like Medicaid and Medicare, or are uninsured, and for this reason, larger hospitals will often decline to accept a transfer.
“I was surprised by the fact that we’re treating more COVID patients than hospitals three to four times our size,” Batchlor said after seeing the new federal data.
But those larger hospitals have long been turning away low-income patients from South L.A. who need a higher level of care than the community hospital can provide, Batchlor said.
“This is how things usually work for us,” she said. “It’s just that COVID has really increased the stakes. It’s really a crisis, and we’re seeing the same pattern.”
Patients are being placed in every usable corner, including the gift shop, which instead of stuffed animals and greeting cards has patients on gurneys in need of emergency care.
The hospital’s intensive care unit is full, and staff converted its post-acute care surgery unit into more ICU space and has started boarding ICU patients in the emergency department. In some emergency department single rooms, they’re doubling and sometimes tripling patients.
Both Kaiser Downey and King have among the highest COVID-19 patient rates in the county, according to the government data.
That can be a key indicator for facilities, said hospital administrators, who also monitor the capacity of their ICUs. Several atop the list are from eastern or southern neighborhoods in the county. The list includes White Memorial Medical Center in Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital and Monterey Park Hospital.
The list of facilities with high COVID-19 share includes two other Kaiser Permanente facilities, which take patients who aren’t necessarily insured through the company. Its hospitals in the region have seen their share of COVID-19 patients increase from about 52% two weeks ago to more than 80%, said Bill Caswell, the company’s chief operating officer for Southern California.
“These tend to be communities where there is dense housing, for a variety of reasons, and where many of the individuals in the community are essential workers — so they have greater exposure,” said Nancy Gin, Kaiser’s regional medical director, who has worked to boost the company’s ICU capacity and find new ways to care for patients in their homes. “All of those factors play into why we have such a high rate of COVID.”
At County-USC, one of the nation’s largest public hospitals, officials had to stop taking new ambulance patients for 12 hours Sunday because the hospital was too jammed. If conditions continue to worsen, medical staff are likely going to have to make wrenching choices about who gets care.
“It’s difficult to reduce decisions about how to do the most good for the most people to a mathematical formula,” said Dr. Brad Spellberg, the hospital’s chief medical officer. “Right now, the decisions we’re making hour-to-hour are, how do we stay out of crisis care? How do we keep bailing water out, and try to raise the levee, so we don’t end up having to make triage-level care decisions?”
Even smaller hospitals in more far-flung areas are struggling to survive.
At Emanate Health Inter-Community Hospital in Covina, “the hospital is bursting at the seams,” said Tanya West, a nurse who has worked the past six years in the hospital’s emergency department.
There, oxygen levels are running low and multiple patients are being placed in single-occupancy rooms in the emergency department. “Staff can barely get by in the room to do treatments for patients,” she said.
California Oxygen supply shortages bedevil hospitals already overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients Problems on Sunday caused at least five hospitals in L.A. County to declare an internal disaster, which closed the facilities to all ambulance traffic.
Ambulances with patients wait outside hoping to offload COVID-19 sufferers while other patients sit under canopies in the cold. The lobby is typically full.
The hospital had about 150 COVID-19 patients last week, including 22 in intensive care — more than 60% of all its patients — while also managing its normal load of other patients.
“We are seeing a huge surge of COVID patients, but yet we still receive a large amount of patients with typical emergencies, from heart attacks to broken legs,” West said. “Emergencies don’t stop.”
Times staff writers Melissa Gomez, Harriet Ryan, Rong-Gong Lin II and Alejandra Reyes-Velarde contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-12-30--California hits new 1-day COVID-19 death record as hospitals plan for potential rationing

California broke the single-day record for COVID-19 deaths yet again Tuesday , logging 442 fatalities in a Times county-by-county tally of local health jurisdictions — a number equivalent to someone dying of the disease every three minutes .
More than half of those deaths — 242 — were of Los Angeles County residents , according to The Times ’ survey .
That ’ s a record high in a single day for the nation ’ s most populous county , a count boosted in part by a backlog of reports from the Christmas weekend .
At that rate , cumulative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California on Wednesday and 10,000 in L.A. County by New Year ’ s Day .
As of Tuesday night , California had a cumulative 24,987 deaths and L.A. County , 9,806 .
Over the past week , the state averaged 240 deaths a day , and L.A. County , 111 .
The climbing death toll has changed daily life throughout Los Angeles .
In East L.A. , the Continental Funeral Home has seen its typical caseload more than quadruple , with 80 % of its services honoring people who died from COVID-19 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Allied Health is postponing the admission of nursing students for the spring semester because faculty and staff have been redeployed to county hospitals .
The “ healthcare situation has never been this critical and the need for healthcare workers is at its peak , ” Mildred Gonzales , dean and program director of the college ’ s School of Nursing , wrote in a letter , calling the current time an “ unprecedented critical situation.
” With intensive care units across California overcrowded , healthcare providers have already been forced to take steps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We certainly know that Southern California hospitals are in crisis , ” said Dr. Mark Ghaly , the California health and human services secretary .
And with some people likely to ignore pleas to stay home for New Year ’ s Eve , officials expect hospitalizations to worsen again in the coming weeks , particularly during mid- to late January .
Even now , paramedics and emergency medical technicians are declining to transport some less severely ill patients whom they might take to the hospital under ordinary circumstances .
In Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients and releasing them to stay at home , because they aren ’ t quite sick enough to need hospital-level care .
...
If they did come to the hospital , they may not get the type of attention that they might expect , ” Ghaly said .
That ’ s an example of the unusual measures healthcare personnel have been forced to take amid a systemwide overcrowding of hospitals not seen in modern California history , a result of the worst pandemic in more than a century .
For the first time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 statewide has exceeded 20,000 , a figure eight times higher than that on Nov. 1 .
The overcrowding is already causing the quality of healthcare to suffer , Ghaly said .
State officials have yet to hear reports of the direst circumstances , such as a hospital having to choose who gets the last ventilator .
Nonetheless , some hospitals in L.A. County are running dangerously low on supplies of oxygen , treating patients in conference rooms and gift shops , and leaving patients waiting in ambulances for as long as eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the emergency room .
Hospital systems are already coming up with triage plans , which entail prioritizing the time of highly trained staff — such as respiratory therapists , ICU nurses and critical care doctors — in a way to keep as many people alive as possible .
That means that those less likely to survive might not receive the same level of care they would have otherwise .
Most hospitals in California are no longer able to offer regular hospital services , switching instead to “ contingency care , ” Ghaly said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work longer shifts , hospital rooms are reconfigured to hold more beds than originally intended , scarce supplies are conserved or even reused and the movement of patients within the hospital is delayed because of a lack of space or staff .
Even worse is “ crisis care , ” when patients are placed on cots instead of standard hospital beds ; patients normally grouped in one unit are scattered across the facility ; and certain supplies , therapies and staff need to be rationed , Ghaly said .
If some hospitals in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in “ crisis care ” mode , other hospitals in the region will be asked to share their resources to relieve the worst-hit facilities , Ghaly said .
Kim McCoy Wade , director of the California Department of Aging , said Tuesday that tough decisions on how to allocate medical care must be “ grounded in the likelihood of [ a patient ] surviving in the near term.
” Such decisions can not be based on age , race , disability , chronic medical conditions , gender , sexual orientation , gender identity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoken , ability to pay , weight , socioeconomic status , insurance status , perceived self-worth , perceived quality of life , immigration status , incarceration status , homelessness or past or future use of resources , she said .
The state Department of Public Health on Monday issued a memo about its “ California Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines , ” which , they said , must follow ethical principles , health equity goals and civil rights laws .
Facilities that need to begin to ration critical care resources must notify local and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a state memo issued in June , in a situation where there ’ s a severe shortage of medical resources and a patient has a poor immediate survival prognosis , healthcare providers may need to decide to give palliative care aimed at providing patients relief from pain as they die , rather than improving their prognosis .
When it comes to deciding who is eligible for ICU admission or should have access to a ventilator , patients who are more likely to survive with such care will receive priority .
A hospital-appointed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to benefit populations of patients , “ even though these decisions may not necessarily be best for some individual patients , ” according to the memo .
Hospitals and health officials throughout the state are reporting severe problems .
In the agricultural community of Gilroy in Santa Clara County , every regular ICU bed at St. Louise Regional Hospital is occupied , and patients are now in overflow beds , said Gloria de la Merced , the hospital ’ s chief operating officer .
“ This level of hospitalizations has never happened during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ If we go beyond the surge capacity , everyone will be affected — more people in our community will know someone who died.
” In Fresno County , emergency rooms are so crowded that paramedics are dropping off patients in hospital hallways , where they ’ re cared for by other emergency workers , or in the waiting room .
Officials are battling a sense of fatalism in the general public that nothing can be done about the pandemic or denial about the record hospitalizations and death toll .
“ That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do have a choice , and we really can try to protect ourselves in our communities with the choices that we make , ” such as wearing masks and canceling New Year ’ s parties , said Dr. Rais Vohra , the Fresno County interim health officer .
“ Whenever you choose to ignore the science , that ’ s when we really get into trouble.
” In rural Northern California , Humboldt County became the first county in some time to see conditions improve enough that it was moved from the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a less restrictive red tier , enabling it to reopen indoor restaurant dining , indoor gyms and movie theaters , although at a limited capacity .
Local health officials , however , criticized the state for moving Humboldt into a less restrictive tier , saying that ongoing trends suggest the county could fall back into the most restrictive tier in the coming days .
“ Our case rates are the highest they ’ ve ever been , and our contact investigation teams are tracking more cases , not fewer .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a conversation with the state before this decision was handed down , ” the Humboldt County health officer , Dr. Ian Hoffman , said in a statement Tuesday .
Times staff writers Emily Baumgaertner , Andrew J. Campa , Andrea Castillo , Jaclyn Cosgrove , Adam Elmahrek , Marisa Gerber , Soumya Karlamangla and Ryan Murphy contributed to this report .

Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money, Sean Greene

The new, potentially more contagious variant of the coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom has been found in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.
He did not specify where in the state the variant was identified, but San Diego County officials announced later in the day that they had confirmed the strain in a 30-year-old man who tested positive there after developing symptoms Sunday.
Officials said the man had “no travel history.” As a result, “we believe this is not an isolated case in San Diego County,” Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said during a press conference.
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“While it’s been pointed out that there is not yet evidence that the strain has any more severe symptoms, there is significant evidence that it does spread considerably faster, that it is much more contagious,” he said.
That’s all the more reason why county officials “continue to encourage the public and plead with the public to please come together, especially over the next 72 hours and the New Year’s holiday, to please follow the public health order,” Fletcher added.
The first reported U.S. case of COVID-19 caused by the variant was detected in Colorado, officials there announced Tuesday.
Newsom disclosed the recent finding during a virtual conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease official — who said he was not surprised by the development, given the strain’s prevalence in the United Kingdom and how common travel is between there and the United States.
“I don’t think that Californians should feel that this is something odd,” he said. “This is something that’s expected.”
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Mutations in the coronavirus are also not unanticipated, Fauci said, since “the more you replicate, the more you mutate. So, when you have a lot of virus that’s circulating in the community, it means it’s infecting a lot of people; it’s replicating a lot.”
The “overwhelming majority of mutations are irrelevant,” he continued, but “every once in a while, you get a mutation that does impact a function of the virus.”
“It appears, from what we’ve learned from the U.K. and what we’ll prove here, that this particular mutation does in fact make the virus better at transmitting from one person to another,” he said.
Some scientists, however, are more skeptical that genetic changes in the strain, known as B.1.1.7, make it more contagious. There are other possible explanations for the variant’s rapid spread in England, such as its transmission through dense communities and among people who are less likely to wear masks and socially distance.
Either way, “there’s no indication at all that it increases the virulence … the ability to make you sick or kill you,” Fauci said of the variant, adding that it appears existing vaccines also remain effective.
Officials have yet to find any evidence of the variant in Los Angeles County, which the coronavirus is already hitting particularly hard, according to Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
“This doesn’t mean that the variant is not circulating in L.A. County,” she cautioned during a briefing Wednesday. “We have thousands and thousands of people getting tested every day, and we are just able to sample a small number of those test results and do the gene sequencing.”
Whether the variant is present or not, she added, “doesn’t change the need for all of us to use the strategies that we have available right now to limit exposure and spread of the virus.”
The announcement came as California reached another sobering milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic, recording 25,000 deaths from the disease as it continues to run rampant through the state.
The toll, confirmed through a Times county-by-county tally of local health jurisdictions, includes a new single-day record set Tuesday, when the state logged 442 fatalities: equivalent to someone dying of the disease every three minutes.
Newsom called the recent death figure “very, very sobering” and said he hopes it underscores “the importance of being safe and using common sense,” particularly with New Year’s Eve right around the corner.
“We look forward to turning the proverbial page on 2020, at least many of us do, and I hope we all do it safely as we celebrate the end of this very long, arduous year,” he said during a briefing Wednesday.
More than half of the deaths reported Tuesday — 242 — were of Los Angeles County residents, according to The Times’ survey. That’s a single-day record for the nation’s most populous county, though the count was boosted in part by a backlog of reports from the Christmas weekend.
At that rate, cumulative COVID-19 deaths will likely exceed 10,000 in L.A. County by New Year’s Day. As of Tuesday night, L.A. County had 9,806 cumulative deaths.
Over the last week, the state averaged 240 deaths a day and L.A. County 111.
“Suffering followed by more suffering continues as too many residents and businesses behave as if we are not living in the most dangerous time of the most devastating pandemic,” Ferrer said in a statement. “Our healthcare workers are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients and this current path of surging COVID-19 hospitalizations is not sustainable.”
The climbing death toll has changed daily life throughout Los Angeles. In East L.A., the Continental Funeral Home has seen its typical caseload more than quadruple, with 80% of its services honoring people who died from COVID-19. The L.A. County College of Nursing and Allied Health is postponing the admission of nursing students for the spring semester because faculty and staff have been redeployed to county hospitals.
The “healthcare situation has never been this critical and the need for healthcare workers is at its peak,” Mildred Gonzales, dean and program director of the college’s School of Nursing, wrote in a letter, calling the current time an “unprecedented critical situation.”
With intensive care units across California overcrowded, healthcare providers have already been forced to take steps limiting how much hospital care is given.
Southern California hospitals in crisis
“We certainly know that Southern California hospitals are in crisis,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, the California health and human services secretary.
And with some people likely to ignore pleas to stay home for New Year’s Eve, officials expect hospitalizations to increase again in the coming weeks, particularly during mid- to late January.
“The next number of weeks will be challenging, in particular as it relates to this surge on top of a surge — I would argue on top, again, of a likely additional surge coming from Christmas and, hopefully, one that’s a little more modest from New Year’s,” Newsom said.
Ferrer urged all Angelenos to eschew hosting or attending in-person parties with other households for the coming holiday.
“Make ending this deadly surge part of your New Year’s resolution,” she said.
Even now, paramedics and emergency medical technicians are declining to transport some less severely ill patients whom they might take to the hospital under ordinary circumstances.
In Los Angeles County, EMTs “are assessing patients and releasing them to stay at home, because they aren’t quite sick enough to need hospital-level care. ... If they did come to the hospital, they may not get the type of attention that they might expect,” Ghaly said.
That’s an example of the unusual measures healthcare personnel have been forced to take amid a systemwide overcrowding of hospitals not seen in modern California history, a result of the worst pandemic in more than a century. For the first time, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 statewide has exceeded 20,000, a figure eight times higher than that on Nov. 1.
The overcrowding is already causing the quality of healthcare to suffer, Ghaly said.
A plan to triage and ration hospital care
State officials have yet to hear reports of the most dire circumstances, such as a hospital having to choose who gets the last available ventilator.
Nonetheless, some hospitals in L.A. County are running dangerously low on supplies of oxygen, treating patients in conference rooms and gift shops, and leaving patients waiting in ambulances for as long as eight hours until they can be taken into the emergency room.
Hospital systems are already coming up with triage plans, which entail prioritizing the time of highly trained staff — such as respiratory therapists, ICU nurses and critical care doctors — in a way to keep as many people alive as possible. That means that those less likely to survive might not receive the same level of care they would have otherwise.
Most hospitals in California are no longer able to offer regular hospital services, switching instead to “contingency care,” Ghaly said, in which staff are asked to work longer shifts, hospital rooms are reconfigured to hold more beds than originally intended, scarce supplies are conserved or even reused and the movement of patients within the hospital is delayed because of a lack of space or staff.
Preparing for ‘crisis care’
Even graver is “crisis care,” when people are placed on cots instead of standard hospital beds; patients normally grouped in one unit are scattered across the facility; and certain supplies, therapies and staff need to be rationed, Ghaly said.
If some hospitals in a region declare that they’re in “crisis care” mode, other hospitals in the region will be asked to share their resources to relieve the worst-hit facilities, Ghaly said.
Kim McCoy Wade, director of the California Department of Aging, said Tuesday that tough decisions on how to allocate medical care must be “grounded in the likelihood of [a patient] surviving in the near term.” Such decisions cannot be based on age, race, disability, chronic medical conditions, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, language spoken, ability to pay, weight, socioeconomic status, insurance status, perceived self-worth, perceived quality of life, immigration status, incarceration status, homelessness or past or future use of resources, she said.
The state Department of Public Health on Monday issued a memo about its “California Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines,” which, they said, must follow ethical principles, health equity goals and civil rights laws. Facilities that need to begin to ration critical care resources must notify local and state public health departments immediately.
Choosing who gets care
According to a state memo issued in June, in a situation where there’s a severe shortage of medical resources and a patient has a poor immediate survival prognosis, healthcare providers may opt for palliative care aimed at providing patients relief from pain as they approach death.
When it comes to deciding who is eligible for ICU admission or should have access to a ventilator, patients who are more likely to survive with such care will receive priority.
A hospital-appointed triage officer is expected to make decisions to benefit populations of patients, “even though these decisions may not necessarily be best for some individual patients,” according to the memo.
Health officials battling fatalism and denial
Hospitals and health officials throughout the state are reporting severe problems. In the agricultural community of Gilroy in Santa Clara County, every regular ICU bed at St. Louise Regional Hospital is occupied, and patients are now in overflow beds, said Gloria de la Merced, the hospital’s chief operating officer.
“This level of hospitalizations has never happened during my career,” she said. “If we go beyond the surge capacity, everyone will be affected — more people in our community will know someone who died.”
In Fresno County, emergency rooms are so crowded that paramedics are dropping off patients in hospital hallways, where they’re cared for by other emergency workers, or in the waiting room. Officials are battling a sense of fatalism in the general public that nothing can be done about the pandemic or denial about the record hospitalizations and death toll.
“That’s really unfortunate. … We really do have a choice, and we really can try to protect ourselves in our communities with the choices that we make,” such as wearing masks and canceling New Year’s parties, said Dr. Rais Vohra, the Fresno County interim health officer. “Whenever you choose to ignore the science, that’s when we really get into trouble.”
In rural Northern California, Humboldt County became the first county in some time to see conditions improve enough that it was moved from the state’s most restrictive purple tier to a less restrictive red tier, enabling it to reopen indoor restaurant dining, indoor gyms and movie theaters, although at a limited capacity.
Local health officials, however, criticized the state for moving Humboldt into a less restrictive tier, saying that ongoing trends suggest the county could fall backward in the coming days.
“Our case rates are the highest they’ve ever been, and our contact investigation teams are tracking more cases, not fewer. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to have a conversation with the state before this decision was handed down,” the Humboldt County health officer, Dr. Ian Hoffman, said in a statement Tuesday.
Times staff writers Emily Baumgaertner, Andrew J. Campa, Andrea Castillo, Jaclyn Cosgrove, Adam Elmahrek, Marisa Gerber, Soumya Karlamangla and Ryan Murphy contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-12-30--L.A. activist Marc Ching and his foundation exaggerated tales of animal abuse, vets and rescuers say

Days after an abandoned puppy was found near a San Bernardino elementary school with acid burns on its face , animal activist Marc Ching posted a devastating update on his charity ’ s Facebook page .
The brown floppy-eared dog named Riley , who would later become the namesake of an animal-rights bill , also had been sodomized , he wrote .
“ I bawled my brains out , ” said Sedna Moseley , the dog ’ s foster owner , who at the time worked as a veterinarian technician at Loma Linda Animal Hospital .
“ I remember just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” But Moseley , who went on to adopt Riley , learned later that examinations by two veterinarians determined Ching ’ s claim that the dog had been sodomized had no merit .
“ Marc didn ’ t need to make up anything extra — the truth was more than horrifying , ” Moseley said .
“ He used my dog to make money.
” Moseley ’ s experience with Ching was not an isolated one .
In interviews with The Times , veterinarians and animal rescue workers said Ching ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sherman Oaks exaggerated or fabricated stories of abused dogs .
The veterinarians and workers cited emotional social media posts in which Ching ’ s charity promoted his efforts to rescue injured and neglected animals here and to free dogs and cats from slaughterhouses in Asia that butcher them for human food .
The posts are among many that helped make Ching a hero in celebrity circles , and his charity has collected millions of dollars in donations .
Ching , 42 , and the foundation ’ s board of directors did not respond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Their attorney , Russell Selmont , said some of the information about abuse that the foundation publicized originated with other people or groups in the animal rescue community .
In Riley ’ s case , the foundation was told of the sodomy by a woman who transferred Riley to the foundation , Selmont said .
The woman , who runs a local animal rights group , told The Times she learned from someone at a veterinary hospital where Riley was examined that the dog showed signs of rectal trauma , but she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person or the hospital .
She said she never had possession of the dog .
Natalia Soto , a Studio City veterinarian , said Ching asked her to examine Riley after his treatment at the Loma Linda hospital , and she confirmed that the puppy had not been sodomized .
Ching ’ s charity continued to make the claim on its Facebook page .
The head of Thailand-based Soi Dog Foundation , John Dalley , said Ching ’ s foundation falsely claimed online in 2016 that one of eight dogs Dalley gave the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thai slaughterhouse .
Ching also posted on Facebook a photo of himself at an airport in Thailand with eight dogs in airline transport cages with the hashtag , # DogsFromTheMeatTrade .
Dalley said he had told Ching none of the dogs was from the meat trade .
He said most were injured in road accidents .
“ Our adoptions manager gave him a bio of each dog , ” Dalley said .
Selmont said the foundation made “ an unfortunate but honest mistake ” in posting false information about the limbless dog .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ made by Valarie Ianniello , the former executive director of Ching ’ s foundation .
Ianniello , who did not accompany Ching on the Thailand trip , told The Times she based the post on what he told her .
She said she came to doubt such heartbreaking tales , including one in which he claimed to her that a puppy with a prolapsed rectum had been raped with a beer bottle .
“ The stories are just created , ” Ianniello said .
“ And I would fight with him about it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foundation was told by a group that provided the dog that it was assaulted with a beer bottle .
“ The foundation recently inquired with the group that sent the dog to the foundation and they continue to maintain the dog was violated with a bottle , ” Selmont said .
A woman he identified as a representative of the group told The Times in a text message that she receives background information about dogs she provides to Ching ’ s foundation from animal control officers , police , shelters or people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respond to questions about the beer bottle incident .
Last year , Ianniello filed an anonymous complaint to the state attorney general ’ s office alleging troubling financial practices , including that the foundation made misleading and deceptive claims in soliciting donations .
“ Animal Hope and Wellness exaggerates their efforts on social media in order to gain donations .
Describing dogs having been abused , spray painted , sodomized , etc… When there is no proof for that , ” she wrote , according to a copy of the complaint reviewed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not receive a response to the complaint until after The Times published an investigation of Ching in May that exposed troubling financial practices by his charity , including the withdrawal of more than $ 350,000 in cash from the foundation .
The newspaper also found evidence contradicting Ching ’ s heavily publicized claims about the authenticity of videos he recorded and shared showing dogs in Asian meat markets being tortured and killed in horrifying ways .
Ching and his foundation used some of the images in a searing 2016 public service announcement narrated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other Hollywood celebrities that denounced the limited but enduring trade in Asia of slaughtering dogs and cats for human food .
But butchers in Indonesia who were featured in a video that showed them blowtorching a dog told The Times that Ching paid them to hang the animal and burn it to death — a manner of killing more cruel than any they say they normally employ — so that he could stage the scene for the camera .
Animal activists who work in Asia and speak out against the dog meat trade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed in the ways Ching claimed they are on a regular basis .
Ching has denied the butchers ’ allegations and said he never paid anyone to hurt dogs .
The foundation said Ching used the large sums of withdrawn cash to pay for dog rescues and veterinarians on his trips to Asia and to cover other legitimate costs .
It did not provide details or documentation for the expenditures .
In April , the Federal Trade Commission accused Ching of making false or deceptive claims that an herbal supplement he was selling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his other products could treat cancer .
Ching denied wrongdoing .
In July , he in which he is that his products can treat COVID-19 or cancer .
Los Angeles prosecutors filed charges against Ching in September after the newspaper uncovered that he persuaded pet owners to abandon prescribed treatment regimens and instead give their ailing dogs and cats products he sells at his for-profit pet food store , the Petstaurant .
The city attorney ’ s animal protection unit has charged Ching with seven counts , including practicing veterinary medicine without a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ching faces up to six and a half years in prison and $ 13,500 in fines , a city attorney ’ s office spokesman said .
He is due in court in March .
Outrage over the abuse of Riley contributed to Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian ’ s ( D-Van Nuys ) effort earlier this year to introduce legislation dubbed “ Riley ’ s Law ” with another nonprofit Ching founded , Animal Hope in Legislation , as a co-sponsor .
The bill would have allowed courtroom advocates to represent the interests of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nazarian said he was troubled by the allegations against Ching , as well as the erroneous claim his foundation repeatedly touted that Riley had been sodomized .
“ It ’ s disheartening because you ’ re placing your trust in someone that you ’ re working with , ” Nazarian told The Times .
“ The reality is I still believe that there ’ s merit to these issues.
” He said the bill was put on hold because the COVID-19 pandemic has shortened the Legislature ’ s schedule , and he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the measure forward next year .
If he does , he said , Ching will no longer be part of the effort .
Riley , a brown-furred pit bull mix , was found in 2017 with acid burns on his face near Monterey Elementary School in San Bernardino .
Lydia Savala , founder of a small , Orange County rescue charity named Poochmatch , arranged to get the puppy treated at Loma Linda Animal Hospital .
Soon , she was in touch with Ching , who offered on behalf of his foundation to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the veterinary hospital where Soto worked .
Ching ’ s foundation publicized Riley ’ s story on Facebook with new , heartbreaking details : “ He was beat , sodomized , jaw shattered .
As he was left to die , they poured acid on his face.
” The foundation ’ s posts about Riley sparked international revulsion and brought more attention to Ching ’ s charity .
Animal lovers from as far as Australia demanded authorities bring Riley ’ s abusers to justice .
No one was ever arrested .
Savala and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vet tech who went on to adopt Riley , said Ching told them the attack was part of a gang initiation , although he provided no evidence of that .
They said Ching also told them that he hired two investigators to help find the perpetrators and that his veterinarian discovered Riley had been sodomized .
Soto , the veterinarian who examined Riley on Ching ’ s behalf , said she made no such finding .
“ It was not true , ” Soto said of the sodomy claim , adding that she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time .
“ I told them I never found any evidence that that happened.
” Selmont did not respond to a query about the gang initiation claim .
He said Soto examined Riley “ many days or weeks ” after the foundation became involved , at which point the wounds had healed and thus evidence of the attack was not noticeable .
But medical records show Soto examined Riley eight days after his rescue and four days after the dog was released to Ching .
Soto said the trauma Ching described would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the point that the injury was undetectable .
Moseley , who was involved in Riley ’ s treatment at Loma Linda , said no one at her animal hospital found evidence suggesting the puppy had been sodomized .
The Times examined Riley ’ s medical records for that period and they contain no mention of rectal trauma .
Damage to Riley ’ s brain from his abuse eventually caused seizures , Moseley said , and the dog , which was 3 years old , died in January .
In February , Nazarian introduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later , Ching ’ s foundation once again went on social media to claim that Riley had been sodomized .

Sedna Moseley, with a large photo of her dog Riley, whom she adopted as a puppy.
Days after an abandoned puppy was found near a San Bernardino elementary school with acid burns on its face, animal activist Marc Ching posted a devastating update on his charity’s Facebook page.
The brown floppy-eared dog named Riley, who would later become the namesake of an animal-rights bill, also had been sodomized, he wrote.
“I bawled my brains out,” said Sedna Moseley, the dog’s foster owner, who at the time worked as a veterinarian technician at Loma Linda Animal Hospital. “I remember just thinking, how could somebody do this?”
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But Moseley, who went on to adopt Riley, learned later that examinations by two veterinarians determined Ching’s claim that the dog had been sodomized had no merit.
“Marc didn’t need to make up anything extra — the truth was more than horrifying,” Moseley said. “He used my dog to make money.”
Moseley’s experience with Ching was not an isolated one. In interviews with The Times, veterinarians and animal rescue workers said Ching’s Hollywood-backed Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation in Sherman Oaks exaggerated or fabricated stories of abused dogs.
The veterinarians and workers cited emotional social media posts in which Ching’s charity promoted his efforts to rescue injured and neglected animals here and to free dogs and cats from slaughterhouses in Asia that butcher them for human food. The posts are among many that helped make Ching a hero in celebrity circles, and his charity has collected millions of dollars in donations.
California law prohibits charities from engaging in deceptive fundraising practices.
Ching, 42, and the foundation’s board of directors did not respond directly to emailed questions for this story. Their attorney, Russell Selmont, said some of the information about abuse that the foundation publicized originated with other people or groups in the animal rescue community. In Riley’s case, the foundation was told of the sodomy by a woman who transferred Riley to the foundation, Selmont said.
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The woman, who runs a local animal rights group, told The Times she learned from someone at a veterinary hospital where Riley was examined that the dog showed signs of rectal trauma, but she could not recall the name of the person or the hospital. She said she never had possession of the dog.
Natalia Soto, a Studio City veterinarian, said Ching asked her to examine Riley after his treatment at the Loma Linda hospital, and she confirmed that the puppy had not been sodomized. Ching’s charity continued to make the claim on its Facebook page.
Natalia Soto, with her dog Moo, is a veterinarian who raised concerns about Marc Ching giving bad medical advice to pet owners. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
The head of Thailand-based Soi Dog Foundation, John Dalley, said Ching’s foundation falsely claimed online in 2016 that one of eight dogs Dalley gave the charity had its limbs severed at a Thai slaughterhouse. Ching also posted on Facebook a photo of himself at an airport in Thailand with eight dogs in airline transport cages with the hashtag, #DogsFromTheMeatTrade.
Dalley said he had told Ching none of the dogs was from the meat trade. He said most were injured in road accidents.
“Our adoptions manager gave him a bio of each dog,” Dalley said.
Selmont said the foundation made “an unfortunate but honest mistake” in posting false information about the limbless dog. He noted that the erroneous post was made by Valarie Ianniello, the former executive director of Ching’s foundation.
Ianniello, who did not accompany Ching on the Thailand trip, told The Times she based the post on what he told her. She said she came to doubt such heartbreaking tales, including one in which he claimed to her that a puppy with a prolapsed rectum had been raped with a beer bottle.
“The stories are just created,” Ianniello said. “And I would fight with him about it all the time.”
Selmont said the foundation was told by a group that provided the dog that it was assaulted with a beer bottle. “The foundation recently inquired with the group that sent the dog to the foundation and they continue to maintain the dog was violated with a bottle,” Selmont said.
A woman he identified as a representative of the group told The Times in a text message that she receives background information about dogs she provides to Ching’s foundation from animal control officers, police, shelters or people who find the animal. She did not respond to questions about the beer bottle incident.
Last year, Ianniello filed an anonymous complaint to the state attorney general’s office alleging troubling financial practices, including that the foundation made misleading and deceptive claims in soliciting donations.
“Animal Hope and Wellness exaggerates their efforts on social media in order to gain donations. Describing dogs having been abused, spray painted, sodomized, etc… When there is no proof for that,” she wrote, according to a copy of the complaint reviewed by The Times.
Ianniello said she did not receive a response to the complaint until after The Times published an investigation of Ching in May that exposed troubling financial practices by his charity, including the withdrawal of more than $350,000 in cash from the foundation. The newspaper also found evidence contradicting Ching’s heavily publicized claims about the authenticity of videos he recorded and shared showing dogs in Asian meat markets being tortured and killed in horrifying ways.
Founder of Animal Hope and Wellness Marc Ching attends The Fluffball 2015 at The Little Door on October 3, 2015 in Los Angeles (Angela Weiss / Getty Images)
Ching and his foundation used some of the images in a searing 2016 public service announcement narrated by Matt Damon, Joaquin Phoenix and other Hollywood celebrities that denounced the limited but enduring trade in Asia of slaughtering dogs and cats for human food.
But butchers in Indonesia who were featured in a video that showed them blowtorching a dog told The Times that Ching paid them to hang the animal and burn it to death — a manner of killing more cruel than any they say they normally employ — so that he could stage the scene for the camera. Animal activists who work in Asia and speak out against the dog meat trade said dogs are not routinely tortured and killed in the ways Ching claimed they are on a regular basis.
Ching has denied the butchers’ allegations and said he never paid anyone to hurt dogs. The foundation said Ching used the large sums of withdrawn cash to pay for dog rescues and veterinarians on his trips to Asia and to cover other legitimate costs. It did not provide details or documentation for the expenditures.
In April, the Federal Trade Commission accused Ching of making false or deceptive claims that an herbal supplement he was selling could treat COVID-19 and that some of his other products could treat cancer. Ching denied wrongdoing. In July, he agreed to a settlement in which he is barred from making baseless claims that his products can treat COVID-19 or cancer.
Los Angeles prosecutors filed charges against Ching in September after the newspaper uncovered years of complaints by veterinarians that he persuaded pet owners to abandon prescribed treatment regimens and instead give their ailing dogs and cats products he sells at his for-profit pet food store, the Petstaurant.
The city attorney’s animal protection unit has charged Ching with seven counts, including practicing veterinary medicine without a license and false advertising. If convicted, Ching faces up to six and a half years in prison and $13,500 in fines, a city attorney’s office spokesman said. He is due in court in March.
Outrage over the abuse of Riley contributed to Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian’s (D-Van Nuys) effort earlier this year to introduce legislation dubbed “Riley’s Law” with another nonprofit Ching founded, Animal Hope in Legislation, as a co-sponsor. The bill would have allowed courtroom advocates to represent the interests of animals in criminal proceedings involving animal cruelty.
Nazarian said he was troubled by the allegations against Ching, as well as the erroneous claim his foundation repeatedly touted that Riley had been sodomized.
“It’s disheartening because you’re placing your trust in someone that you’re working with,” Nazarian told The Times. “The reality is I still believe that there’s merit to these issues.”
He said the bill was put on hold because the COVID-19 pandemic has shortened the Legislature’s schedule, and he’s uncertain whether he will push the measure forward next year.
If he does, he said, Ching will no longer be part of the effort.
Riley, a brown-furred pit bull mix, was found in 2017 with acid burns on his face near Monterey Elementary School in San Bernardino.
Lydia Savala, founder of a small, Orange County rescue charity named Poochmatch, arranged to get the puppy treated at Loma Linda Animal Hospital. Soon, she was in touch with Ching, who offered on behalf of his foundation to pay for an expensive jaw surgery at the veterinary hospital where Soto worked.
Ching’s foundation publicized Riley’s story on Facebook with new, heartbreaking details: “He was beat, sodomized, jaw shattered. As he was left to die, they poured acid on his face.”
The foundation’s posts about Riley sparked international revulsion and brought more attention to Ching’s charity. Animal lovers from as far as Australia demanded authorities bring Riley’s abusers to justice. No one was ever arrested.
Savala and Moseley, the Loma Linda animal hospital vet tech who went on to adopt Riley, said Ching told them the attack was part of a gang initiation, although he provided no evidence of that. They said Ching also told them that he hired two investigators to help find the perpetrators and that his veterinarian discovered Riley had been sodomized.
Soto, the veterinarian who examined Riley on Ching’s behalf, said she made no such finding.
“It was not true,” Soto said of the sodomy claim, adding that she made it clear to the foundation at the time. “I told them I never found any evidence that that happened.”
Selmont did not respond to a query about the gang initiation claim. He said Soto examined Riley “many days or weeks” after the foundation became involved, at which point the wounds had healed and thus evidence of the attack was not noticeable. But medical records show Soto examined Riley eight days after his rescue and four days after the dog was released to Ching. Soto said the trauma Ching described would not have healed in that time to the point that the injury was undetectable.
Moseley, who was involved in Riley’s treatment at Loma Linda, said no one at her animal hospital found evidence suggesting the puppy had been sodomized.
The Times examined Riley’s medical records for that period and they contain no mention of rectal trauma.
Damage to Riley’s brain from his abuse eventually caused seizures, Moseley said, and the dog, which was 3 years old, died in January.
In February, Nazarian introduced Riley’s Law. A day later, Ching’s foundation once again went on social media to claim that Riley had been sodomized.


latimes--2020-12-30--Earthquake: Magnitude 3.2 quake hits near Soledad, Calif.

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake was reported 12:30 a.m. Wednesday , 11 miles from Soledad , Calif. , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
The earthquake occurred 17 miles from Hollister , 18 miles from Greenfield , 21 miles from Salinas and 24 miles from Prunedale , Calif .
In the past 10 days , there has been one earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby .
An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada , according to a recent three-year data sample .
The earthquake occurred at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel this earthquake ?
Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS .
Even if you didn ’ t feel this small earthquake , you never know when the Big One is going to strike .
Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit .
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS .
A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published .
If you ’ re interested in learning more about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frequently asked questions .

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake was reported 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, 11 miles from Soledad, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A magnitude 3.2 earthquake was reported 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, 11 miles from Soledad, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake occurred 17 miles from Hollister, 18 miles from Greenfield, 21 miles from Salinas and 24 miles from Prunedale, Calif.
In the past 10 days, there has been one earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
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An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 4.0 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Even if you didn’t feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.


latimes--2020-12-30--Photo: Snow blankets parts of Southern California

A sampling of the dozens of vehicles that were abandoned , stuck or wrecked along Highway 18 in Crestline , @ @ @ @ @ a snowstorm .
Some motorists did not heed warnings to stay off mountain roads during @ @ @

A sampling of the dozens of vehicles that were abandoned, stuck or wrecked along Highway 18 in Crestline, Calif., on Tuesday after a snowstorm. Some motorists did not heed warnings to stay off mountain roads during the storm.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)


latimes--2020-12-29--While Southern California remains in coronavirus crisis, San Francisco seeing signs of hope

While Southern California remains in crisis over spiraling coronavirus cases that have pushed hospitals to the breaking point , the San Francisco Bay Area is beginning to show signs of improvement .
In San Francisco , about 100 intensive care unit beds are available for a city with fewer than 900,000 residents , while L.A. County has about half as many available ICU beds for a county of more than 10 million people .
Following the stay-at-home order that went into effect on Dec. 6 , San Francisco officials estimate they have averted more than 500 deaths through the spring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needing hospitalization .
“ Look what that did to our numbers , a decline of an estimate of 1,200 fewer hospitalizations … and over 500 deaths averted , ” said Dr. Grant Colfax , San Francisco ‘ s director of public health .
“ Now , we need to continue to make this progress continue.
” Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley remain in the California COVID-19 red zone , with 0 % available ICU beds .
But in the San Francisco Bay Area , officials believe the restrictions have stabilized the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ICU capacity , which has been hovering around 10 % .
The greater Sacramento area is even better off , with available ICU capacity stable at 19 % .
San Francisco is also doing better compared with its other Bay Area neighbors , with the city having the second-lowest case count in the region , “ thanks to our dedication to staying at home , ” Colfax said .
San Francisco has already shrunken the effective reproductive rate of the coronavirus .
On Dec. 5 , every coronavirus-infected person in San Francisco was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other people , but by Saturday , that number had fallen to 1.13 .
If that number falls below 1 , that means the virus will begin to decrease in prevalence throughout the city .
“ As we lower the reproductive rate , we see fewer sick people , requiring fewer ICU beds , and fewer people dying , ” Colfax said .
“ By staying home and not gathering , we have been able to prevent hundreds of hospitalizations and save so many lives.
” On a per capita basis , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents as Southern California .
For the most recent seven-day period available , the Bay Area reported about 386 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents , while Southern California had 838 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents .
“ We are still far from out of the woods , ” Colfax said .
“ We still have more cases — far more cases — per day than we had in the previous two surges .
And we also have to wait until January to see the overall impacts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is likely that people gather.
” “ As we head into this New Year ’ s Eve , let ’ s remember that the power is in our hands to continue to turn the surge around , ” Colfax said .
“ Families in San Francisco will have a chance to spend next New Year ’ s Eve together in good health because of the choices we make this week.… Please wait till New Year ’ s of 2022 for your traditional New Year ’ s celebration.
” Among his advice : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediate household .
Do not travel .
Keep your distance and cover your face with a mask when and if you have to go out , ” Colfax said .
San Francisco is also requiring people who have traveled outside the Bay Area to self-quarantine for 10 days upon their return or arrival in the city to monitor themselves for signs of illness .

While Southern California remains in crisis over spiraling coronavirus cases that have pushed hospitals to the breaking point, the San Francisco Bay Area is beginning to show signs of improvement.
In San Francisco, about 100 intensive care unit beds are available for a city with fewer than 900,000 residents, while L.A. County has about half as many available ICU beds for a county of more than 10 million people.
Following the stay-at-home order that went into effect on Dec. 6, San Francisco officials estimate they have averted more than 500 deaths through the spring, and prevented even more people from needing hospitalization.
“Look what that did to our numbers, a decline of an estimate of 1,200 fewer hospitalizations … and over 500 deaths averted,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco‘s director of public health. “Now, we need to continue to make this progress continue.”
Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley remain in the California COVID-19 red zone, with 0% available ICU beds. But in the San Francisco Bay Area, officials believe the restrictions have stabilized the region’s remaining supply of available ICU capacity, which has been hovering around 10%. The greater Sacramento area is even better off, with available ICU capacity stable at 19%.
San Francisco is also doing better compared with its other Bay Area neighbors, with the city having the second-lowest case count in the region, “thanks to our dedication to staying at home,” Colfax said.
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San Francisco has already shrunken the effective reproductive rate of the coronavirus. On Dec. 5, every coronavirus-infected person in San Francisco was on average transmitting the virus to 1.45 other people, but by Saturday, that number had fallen to 1.13. If that number falls below 1, that means the virus will begin to decrease in prevalence throughout the city.
Tracking the coronavirus in California The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.
“As we lower the reproductive rate, we see fewer sick people, requiring fewer ICU beds, and fewer people dying,” Colfax said. “By staying home and not gathering, we have been able to prevent hundreds of hospitalizations and save so many lives.”
On a per capita basis, the Bay Area has fewer than half as many coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents as Southern California. For the most recent seven-day period available, the Bay Area reported about 386 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents, while Southern California had 838 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents.
“We are still far from out of the woods,” Colfax said. “We still have more cases — far more cases — per day than we had in the previous two surges. And we also have to wait until January to see the overall impacts of these pivotal holiday weeks when it is likely that people gather.”
“As we head into this New Year’s Eve, let’s remember that the power is in our hands to continue to turn the surge around,” Colfax said. “Families in San Francisco will have a chance to spend next New Year’s Eve together in good health because of the choices we make this week.… Please wait till New Year’s of 2022 for your traditional New Year’s celebration.”
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Among his advice: “Do not gather with people outside your immediate household. Do not travel. Keep your distance and cover your face with a mask when and if you have to go out,” Colfax said.
San Francisco is also requiring people who have traveled outside the Bay Area to self-quarantine for 10 days upon their return or arrival in the city to monitor themselves for signs of illness.


latimes--2020-12-29--Police respond to protest against coronavirus restrictions outside Fairfax market

Los Angeles police responded Tuesday afternoon to what appeared to be a protest against coronavirus restrictions outside a market in the Fairfax district .
Video showed at least six police vehicles near Erewhon market on Beverly Boulevard .
A crowd of protesters chanted in front of the market , some shouting , “ Open up L.A. !
” One person yelled , “ They want you to wear a mask , they want you to lock down !
” Ira Brian Miller , a resident of West Hollywood , said he was walking toward the market to buy cheese and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ storm the entrance of the building .
None of them had on masks , he said , and some wore red hats in support of President Trump .
“ They were pushing their way in , ” said Miller , 39 .
“ They were trying to push the workers out of the way for them to enter the store.
” Once inside , he said , he heard a female protester urge customers to take off their masks .
Officers responded to a call received about 3:30 p.m. No arrests were made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and contained , ” said Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Mike Lopez .
An office administrator at Erewhon ’ s corporate headquarters said the market was not commenting on the incident .

Los Angeles police responded Tuesday afternoon to what appeared to be a protest against coronavirus restrictions outside a market in the Fairfax district.
Video showed at least six police vehicles near Erewhon market on Beverly Boulevard. A crowd of protesters chanted in front of the market, some shouting, “Open up L.A.!” One person yelled, “They want you to wear a mask, they want you to lock down!”
Ira Brian Miller, a resident of West Hollywood, said he was walking toward the market to buy cheese and vegetables when he saw several dozen people storm the entrance of the building. None of them had on masks, he said, and some wore red hats in support of President Trump.
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“They were pushing their way in,” said Miller, 39. “They were trying to push the workers out of the way for them to enter the store.”
Once inside, he said, he heard a female protester urge customers to take off their masks.
Officers responded to a call received about 3:30 p.m. No arrests were made.
“The situation became under control and contained,” said Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Mike Lopez.
An office administrator at Erewhon’s corporate headquarters said the market was not commenting on the incident.


latimes--2020-12-29--Amigo Bob Cantisano, towering figure in West Coast organic farming, dies at 69

Amigo Bob Cantisano , a ninth-generation Californian , put his life ’ s work into the state ’ s very soil — beginning , fittingly enough , on the first Earth Day in 1970 .
At an event at San Francisco State he listened to a speaker decry what pesticides introduced after World War II were doing to the environment , farmworkers and food .
His course was set .
Cantisano , a Bay Area native , joined a generation of largely urban youth who moved back to the land and began farming as a way to reform the food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of California organic farming , ” said Tom Willey , a Madera farmer and another elder of the organic movement .
“ He had such knowledge and authority that he was responsible for taking organics beyond small farmers like ourselves .
He was determined to remove as much toxins as he could.
” Cantisano , who battled cancer for several years , died Saturday at his North San Juan farm , Heaven and Earth , which he revered as both .
He was 69 .
His legacy lives in the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Napa to rescued heirloom fruit and nut trees in the Sierra foothills .
His was a mission to revolutionize farming — including large-scale agriculture — by cutting the use of toxic chemicals .
Alice Waters , the owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley and a fellow food activist , said the movement Cantisano helped create is key to the future of California ’ s agriculture .
“ It took someone rare like him to get people ’ s attention , ” she said .
“ What he inspired led to the silver lining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might be able to create in this state.
” Cantisano started California ’ s first natural foods distribution company and its first organic farm supply company , as well as the state ’ s first — and for many years only — organic crop consulting agency .
In 1973 , he helped found California Certified Organic Farmers , setting organic standards .
He was also one of the founders of the Committee for Sustainable Agriculture , which sponsors the EcoFarm Conference .
The event , held every January in Pacific Grove , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the world of sustainable agriculture .
Bestselling author Michael Pollan , who writes about the socio-cultural impacts of food , said Cantisano carried in him the sum total of organic practices .
“ Organic agriculture was not developed in a laboratory or at the university or a land grant , but willy-nilly by hundreds of pioneering farmers .
He was one of those people , ” Pollan said .
“ But even more than that , he was the way that the knowledge any individual farmer was developing would spread to other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of knowledge.
” Cantisano was born in San Francisco in June 1951 .
His father was a jazz disc jockey who also announced games for the Golden State Warriors .
Family lore had it that his mother , then a homemaker , was related to Karl Marx .
He spent summers at his paternal grandmother ’ s , where he first learned to garden .
The early organic communal farms he joined in his 20s were called radical and considered a communist threat to California .
Later , his work bridging the divide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , commercial agriculture sometimes drew the criticism of small farmers who then had to compete with large enterprises for organic market share .
It also created unlikely partnerships .
Sam Earnshaw , whose specialty is increasing biodiversity on farms , recalls accompanying Cantisano to the palatial headquarters of one large Salinas business .
Cantisano , an unwavering aficionado of shorts , sandals and rainbow-colored tie-dye who went by the nickname “ Amigo ” since his teen years , spoke to a boardroom full of no-nonsense farm managers about organic techniques .
“ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He had encyclopedic knowledge .
He listened to their problems .
He never went in saying , ‘ You ’ re diabolical.
’ He always offered alternatives , ” Earnshaw said .
In 2003 , Cantisano and his wife , Jenifer Bliss , founded the Felix Gillet Institute with partner Adam Nuber .
The institute was named after the French nurseryman who first brought the trees and vines planted at stagecoach stops and homesteads throughout the California foothills in the late 1800s .
The hope was that cataloguing and propagating those heirloom varieties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to survive a warmer , drier planet than single-variety crops .
Near the end of his life , Cantisano expressed frustration that organic farming was still only a small slice of agriculture — even as environmental threats increased .
But he was never consumed by the disappointment .
He liked to swim in lakes and rivers and hike in the Sierra and dance .
“ Amigo was about adding life , whether it was microbes in the soil or turning up the music , ” Earnshaw said .
“ He always said perseverance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things to change .
And lately I ’ ve been thinking he was talking about more than farming.
” He is survived by his father , Martin ; his second wife , Jenifer Bliss ; sister Nancy Cantisano ; four children , Brook Cantisano , Cirra Mason , Amber Stegner and Tierra Kampas ; their mother , Kalita Todd ; and five grandchildren .
Bliss said that the morning after her husband died , she was awakened by a small earthquake .
“ Maybe this sounds strange , ” she said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giving a send-off to a man who had worked all his life to protect it .
”

Amigo Bob Cantisano, a ninth-generation Californian, put his life’s work into the state’s very soil — beginning, fittingly enough, on the first Earth Day in 1970.
At an event at San Francisco State he listened to a speaker decry what pesticides introduced after World War II were doing to the environment, farmworkers and food.
His course was set. Cantisano, a Bay Area native, joined a generation of largely urban youth who moved back to the land and began farming as a way to reform the food industry.
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“He was the godfather of California organic farming,” said Tom Willey, a Madera farmer and another elder of the organic movement. “He had such knowledge and authority that he was responsible for taking organics beyond small farmers like ourselves. He was determined to remove as much toxins as he could.”
Cantisano, who battled cancer for several years, died Saturday at his North San Juan farm, Heaven and Earth, which he revered as both. He was 69.
His legacy lives in the state’s rich landscape, from pesticide-free vineyards in Napa to rescued heirloom fruit and nut trees in the Sierra foothills. His was a mission to revolutionize farming — including large-scale agriculture — by cutting the use of toxic chemicals.
Food Growers Reap Benefits of Move to Organic Farming Bob Cantisano is an organic farmer with a ponytail that reaches the small of his back.
Alice Waters, the owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley and a fellow food activist, said the movement Cantisano helped create is key to the future of California’s agriculture.
“It took someone rare like him to get people’s attention,” she said. “What he inspired led to the silver lining of the better food system that we might be able to create in this state.”
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Cantisano started California’s first natural foods distribution company and its first organic farm supply company, as well as one of the state’s first — and for many years only — organic crop consulting agency.
In 1973, he helped found California Certified Organic Farmers, setting organic standards. He was also one of the founders of the Committee for Sustainable Agriculture, which sponsors the EcoFarm Conference. The event, held every January in Pacific Grove, is still one of the most influential events in the world of sustainable agriculture.
Bestselling author Michael Pollan, who writes about the socio-cultural impacts of food, said Cantisano carried in him the sum total of organic practices.
“Organic agriculture was not developed in a laboratory or at the university or a land grant, but willy-nilly by hundreds of pioneering farmers. He was one of those people,” Pollan said.
“But even more than that, he was the way that the knowledge any individual farmer was developing would spread to other farmers. He was a pollinating honeybee of knowledge.”
Cantisano was born in San Francisco in June 1951. His father was a jazz disc jockey who also announced games for the Golden State Warriors. Family lore had it that his mother, then a homemaker, was related to Karl Marx. He spent summers at his paternal grandmother’s, where he first learned to garden.
The early organic communal farms he joined were called radical and considered a communist threat to California.
Later, his work bridging the divide between small, organic farms and conventional, commercial agriculture sometimes drew the criticism of small farmers who then had to compete with large enterprises for organic market share. It also created unlikely partnerships.
Sam Earnshaw, whose specialty is increasing biodiversity on farms, recalls accompanying Cantisano to the palatial headquarters of one large Salinas business. Cantisano, an unwavering aficionado of shorts, sandals and rainbow-colored tie-dye who went by the nickname “Amigo” since his teen years, spoke to a boardroom full of no-nonsense farm managers about organic techniques.
“They treated him with the utmost respect. He had encyclopedic knowledge. He listened to their problems. He never went in saying, ‘You’re diabolical.’ He always offered alternatives,” Earnshaw said.
In 2003, Cantisano and his future wife, Jenifer Bliss, founded the Felix Gillet Institute with partner Adam Nuber. The institute was named after the French nurseryman who first brought the trees and vines planted at stagecoach stops and homesteads throughout the California foothills in the late 1800s. The hope was that cataloguing and propagating those heirloom varieties could help develop food sources more able to survive a warmer, drier planet than single-variety crops.
Near the end of his life, Cantisano expressed frustration that organic farming was still only a small slice of agriculture — even as environmental threats increased.
But he was never consumed by the disappointment. He liked to swim in lakes and rivers and hike in the Sierra and dance.
“Amigo was about adding life, whether it was microbes in the soil or turning up the music,” Earnshaw said.
“He always said perseverance and diligence are the key to getting things to change. And lately I’ve been thinking he was talking about more than farming.”
He is survived by his father, Martin; his second wife, Jenifer Bliss; sister Nancy Cantisano; four children, Brook Cantisano, Cirra Mason, Amber Stegner and Tierra Kampas; their mother, Kalita Todd; and five grandchildren.
Bliss said that the morning after her husband died, she was awakened by a small earthquake.
“Maybe this sounds strange,” she said. “But it felt like the Earth was giving a send-off to a man who had worked all his life to protect it.”


latimes--2020-12-30--Woman faces murder charges following crash that killed two boys in Westlake Village

A Hidden Hills woman faces murder charges for running over two boys in Westlake Village in September and then fleeing the scene of the crash , prosecutors said Wednesday .
The Los Angeles district attorney ’ s office said it has charged Rebecca Grossman — the 57-year-old co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation — with two felony counts each of murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence .
She also faces one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death .
Pamela Johnson , a spokeswoman for the district attorney ’ s office , said that Grossman pleaded not guilty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set at $ 2 million .
Grossman posted bail following her arraignment Wednesday , Johnson said .
Grossman ’ s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment .
Prosecutors allege that on Sept. 29 , Grossman drove at excessive speeds on Triunfo Canyon Road in Westlake Village , striking and killing Mark , 11 , and Jacob Iskander , 8 , who were crossing the street that evening in a marked crosswalk with their parents .
After hitting the boys , prosecutors said , Grossman continued driving until stopping about a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Following the crash , L.A. County Sheriff ’ s Department officials said that six family members were crossing the three-way intersection — which does not have a stoplight — when the mother heard a car speeding toward them .
Both parents reached out to stop their children , but the two boys were too far into the intersection .
One boy died at the scene while the other child was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the crash .
Video from the accident showed a scooter in the street , a helmet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crash site and a white Mercedes with front-end damage .
The Grossman Burn Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Grossman Burn Centers Inc. , which treats burn victims around the world .
Grossman has accrued numerous honors for her work in human rights , domestic violence prevention and other humanitarian efforts , including the American Heart Assn .
's “ Woman of the Year ” award in 2007 , according to the foundation ’ s website .
If convicted on all charges , Grossman faces a possible maximum sentence of 34 years in @ @ @

Rebecca Grossman, left, has been charged with murder. At right, Dr. Peter Grossman in this 2017 photo.
A Hidden Hills woman faces murder charges for running over two boys in Westlake Village in September and then fleeing the scene of the crash, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The Los Angeles district attorney’s office said it has charged Rebecca Grossman — the 57-year-old co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation — with two felony counts each of murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. She also faces one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death.
Pamela Johnson, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, said that Grossman pleaded not guilty to the charges and that bail was set at $2 million. Grossman posted bail following her arraignment Wednesday, Johnson said.
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Grossman’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
Prosecutors allege that on Sept. 29, Grossman drove at excessive speeds on Triunfo Canyon Road in Westlake Village, striking and killing Mark, 11, and Jacob Iskander, 8, who were crossing the street that evening in a marked crosswalk with their parents.
After hitting the boys, prosecutors said, Grossman continued driving until stopping about a quarter mile from the crash scene.
Following the crash, L.A. County Sheriff’s Department officials said that six family members were crossing the three-way intersection — which does not have a stoplight — when the mother heard a car speeding toward them. Both parents reached out to stop their children, but the two boys were too far into the intersection.
One boy died at the scene while the other child was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the crash.
Video from the accident showed a scooter in the street, a helmet and rollerblades on a sidewalk near the crash site and a white Mercedes with front-end damage.
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The Grossman Burn Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Grossman Burn Centers Inc., which treats burn victims around the world. Grossman has accrued numerous honors for her work in human rights, domestic violence prevention and other humanitarian efforts, including the American Heart Assn.’s “Woman of the Year” award in 2007, according to the foundation’s website.
If convicted on all charges, Grossman faces a possible maximum sentence of 34 years to life in state prison.
Times staff writer Faith E. Pinho contributed to this report.