latimes--2020-08-13--Column One: I was a Chinese grad student and lost all of my money in a scam. How could it happen to

Column One: I was a Chinese grad student and lost all of my money in a scam. How could it happen to me?

“ Hi , is that Xinlu Liang ?
” The caller , speaking in Chinese , woke me from a nap .
“ This is a call from UPS .
You have a suspicious package blocked at Chinese customs ” in Beijing .
The person on the other end of the line said he was checking the information on the mailing label .
“ If you didn ’ t send this package , then your personal information may have been leaked .
We suggest you report this to the Chinese police.
” I ’ d arrived in Los Angeles just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of June 2019 — to start work on a master ’ s degree in journalism at USC , and every day was a struggle : seven hours of classes , Tuesday through Friday , followed by many more hours of writing .
I lived in an apartment near campus , with a roommate I didn ’ t really know .
I had few friends — and little familiarity with American customs .
And I had , in fact , been waiting for word on a package sent via UPS with some documents related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone had stolen my information ?
So , yes , I wanted to speak with the police .
The caller said he would transfer me .
Someone who identified himself as Zhigang Xu , “ a police officer in Beijing , ” came on the line and agreed to file a report on my behalf , reminding me how important it is to protect my identity data .
“ Ms .
Liang , let me run your name in the database to see if your information has been used anywhere else , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Minutes later , he came back on the line .
“ Xinlu Liang !
Why does your name pop up in the biggest money-laundering case in China ?
” he asked .
At first , I was bewildered ; then , I was terrified .
I was also hooked , desperate to clear my name .
Five days after that first call , I made the biggest mistake of my life : I walked to a nearby Bank of America branch and transferred all my money — $ 43,000 , which I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — to what I believed was an official bank account at an HSBC branch in Hong Kong .
This , I was assured , would be only temporary , so authorities could pursue their investigations and declare my innocence .
At this point , you ’ ve undoubtedly come to a conclusion that would take me another couple of days to reach : I ’ d been scammed .
How could I be so gullible ?
I subsequently discovered that my experience is not unique .
According to the Institute of International Education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the number of Chinese students in the U.S. has grown from 127,628 in 2009 to 369,548 in , and those students — accustomed to China ’ s authoritarian rule and susceptible to anyone who purports to be from the government — are particularly vulnerable .
Some students are being fleeced ( as I was ) for tens of thousands of dollars .
Behind these thefts are criminal syndicates that run , according to one scammer , “ a huge , well-organized ” operation with multiple tiers of people working out of different countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prey on students ’ fears — frozen bank accounts , extradition to China , years in prison , and shame .
Even now , I still shudder when I think of how I allowed myself to fall for their scheme .
My parents had worked hard to attend university and establish themselves as English teachers in the city of Guangzhou , a metropolis in southern China .
Throughout my childhood they emphasized the importance of education , and I was able to attend Sun Yat-sen University , a top school in China .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and saving so I could eventually study abroad as a graduate student .
This one-year experience at USC was not only my dream , but theirs as well .
Which is part of the reason I felt compelled to listen to the “ police officer in Beijing ” on that first call .
The gravity of my case demanded the attention of someone higher up , “ Officer Xu ” said , and he transferred me to “ Capt .
Ma , ” who came straight to the point .
“ How do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ credit card in your name with RMB230,000 [ charged ] on it ?
You are a suspect !
You must cooperate with the police !
” ( RMB , short for renminbi , is the official currency of China , and 230,000is equivalent to about $ 33,200 . )
“ This is a highly confidential case , ” he continued , adding that when we spoke , I should make sure I was alone .
“ To keep it secret , ” he said , “ call me ‘ Brother Ma ’ instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now on.
” During the next few days , “ Brother Ma ” texted me a “ warrant ” from the “ National Confidentiality Bureau , ” a list of victims of my “ money-laundering case , ” and “ orders ” for my extradition to China and the freezing of my bank account .
Then he called to hammer home his point : It appeared that the funds in my Bank of America account and the credit card with my name on it were connected to that money-laundering scheme .
Wiring those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ senior prosecutor ” would allow officials to further investigate .
The “ senior prosecutor ” instructed me to transfer my money to an HSBC account that belonged to “ Chang Li-Yu , ” who he said was an officer from the Independent Commission Against Corruption in Hong Kong , an organization that specializes in checking cross-border financial transactions .
I hung up , rushed to the bank and transferred the $ 43,000 .
I had less than $ 200 in cash on hand .
I was now broke , but , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be cleared up soon , and I was confident my money would be returned .
Then I got a call demanding $ 50,000 , which would serve as “ bail money.
” “ Mom , you know the tuition fee for the fall semester is due soon , but now there ’ s a discount if we pay for the spring semester as well .
Could you please give me another $ 50,000 ?
” “ Screenshot the announcement and send it to us , ” she said .
“ Actually , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stole all the money in it , ” I said , bursting in tears .
She was suspicious .
“ What happened , Lulu ?
Why can ’ t you tell me ?
” “ Why can ’ t you just believe me !
It ’ s urgent and secret !
” I screamed from the bathroom .
After I spoke with my parents , I called the “ senior prosecutor , ” who bristled at me .
“ You ’ re not cooperating with the police !
… Capt .
Ma and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then he let out a long sigh , adding : “ You disappoint me.
” But something about his reaction didn ’ t sound professional , and for the first time in this horrible odyssey , my confidence in the “ officials ” started to waver .
“ It ’ s a scam !
” she blurted out .
“ Just click online and you ’ ll see how many cases like this happened four to five years ago.
” I tossed and turned all night .
Panic shifted to anger and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The next morning , I walked to USC Department of Public Safety to make a report .
But the officer focused on the money transfer , and I didn ’ t get the chance to explain in detail how I fell for the scam in the first place .
There was no translator , so I was forced to fumble for words that weren ’ t yet in my vocabulary .
The officer filed a report to the Los Angeles Police Department , which , he said , would take over my case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me a copy of the DPS investigative report , which consisted of two sentences : “ Susp told vict , she was suspected of money laundering , and she needed to pay $ 43,000 to clear her name .
Vict transferred money.
” My next stop was my local Bank of America branch , where I explained that I ’ d been scammed .
The bank set up a case file , but I was told that the money was probably gone — forever .
Ryan Showell , a Bank of America executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says it ’ s possible for the bank to flag suspect transactions .
If something seems amiss , an employee can ask a client to confirm that they really want to make the transfer .
But some scammers coach victims on their responses to bank employees , to say things like “ my family needs the money , ” which is exactly what I said .
And once the money is transferred , things can get sticky .
Bank of America spokeswoman Betty Riess said , in an email , “ Unfortunately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get the money back once it is sent by the client because the receiving account often is already closed or fraudsters have already withdrawn the money from the account.
” I had come to the U.S. to study journalism , so I forced myself to shake free of my self-pity and get to work .
I pored over dozens of court verdicts obtained from China Judgments Online , an archive of legal cases , and learned about China-based criminal rings that impersonate law enforcement officials .
Although they target victims in China , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who prey on Chinese students overseas .
I read up on the growing number of international students who are scammed at U.S. colleges and universities , including USC .
According to the university ’ s Department of Public Safety , during the 2018 fall semester 17 students were defrauded in government-impersonation scams over the phone or via email .
The average loss was $ 3,500 ; the largest amount was $ 75,000 .
Officials acknowledge they can ’ t know exactly how many people are ensnared in these schemes .
“ Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t report them to us , ” Carlisle said .
“ Sometimes they ’ re embarrassed .
Sometimes they upset their family , so there could be at least a few cases that are never reported to us.
” If a student wants help , the process may seem labyrinthine .
When my parents got in touch with police in Guangzhou , they were told that I had to ask Los Angeles law enforcement for help .
A friend who lives in Hong Kong tried to get some assistance from police there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the LAPD .
But the detective who handled my case said if the money had been transferred to a bank in Hong Kong and the criminals were not in the U.S. , the investigation was beyond their jurisdiction .
In early January , when I was home for winter break , I visited the HSBC bank branch in central Hong Kong where I ’ d sent all my money .
A customer service officer at HSBC said officials could not — and would not — tell me anything about a person who withdrew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kong police required it .
Every August , before the start of the fall semester , USC holds an orientation for new students , which includes information about campus life , classes — and warnings about scams .
But I ’ d been in school since June , overwhelmed with work , and was unable to attend .
When I interviewed university officials about what happened to me , they all emphasized USC ’ s commitment to creating awareness about scams .
Eddie North-Hager , USC ’ s executive director of media relations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email that the university “ is deeply committed to student security and well-being , ” adding : “ We were sorry to hear about [ this ] case , which highlights the importance of our communications with international students , one of many groups targeted by scammers .
“ Each semester , we send several emails with scam notices and prevention tips as well as publish updates online about scams at https : //dps.usc.edu/be-aware-of-scams/ and https : //ois.usc.edu/living-in-la/safety/.
” Carreño-Diaz says the DPS holds a monthly meeting with representatives from different international student @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scholars Assn.
, or CSSA .
Scams are sometimes a topic of discussion .
I never attended any of those monthly meetings , but in November , when I attended a “ Boba night ” co-hosted by the CSSA and the DPS to alert Chinese students about safety issues , the conversation about scams seemed a little lighthearted and didn ’ t take long ; many of the students chuckled and looked at one another in disbelief .
In the days after I realized I had been duped , I fell into a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come up with another $ 43,000 to get me through school .
I felt so guilty that I refused to spend $ 2 to dry my clothes , hanging my laundry out to dry instead .
I stayed in bed for hours , binge-watching Korean TV shows .
Eventually , I started to joke about my nightmare with American friends .
I thought I ’ d weathered the crisis , but I hadn ’ t , and I sought counseling .
When Sarah Schreiber , a counselor at USC Engemann Student Health Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fraud , I had to fight back tears .
Schreiber told me that emotional support for the victims is important after they report the case to the police .
“ It ’ s not your fault , ” she said to me .
“ Don ’ t blame yourself.
” I talked to my parents , and my mother reminded me of a dream I ’ d shared with her after the scam .
“ You said you dreamed of the fake police banging at your door and trying to take you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You ’ re scared to death but can ’ t wake up .
No one is by your side .
You ’ re all alone in an empty room , haunted by their voices and the everlasting bang , bang , bang….
” The scars will be slow to heal .

“Hi, is that Xinlu Liang?” The caller, speaking in Chinese, woke me from a nap. “This is a call from UPS. You have a suspicious package blocked at Chinese customs” in Beijing.
The person on the other end of the line said he was checking the information on the mailing label. “If you didn’t send this package, then your personal information may have been leaked. We suggest you report this to the Chinese police.”
I’d arrived in Los Angeles just 45 days earlier — at the end of June 2019 — to start work on a master’s degree in journalism at USC, and every day was a struggle: seven hours of classes, Tuesday through Friday, followed by many more hours of writing.
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I lived in an apartment near campus, with a roommate I didn’t really know. I had few friends — and little familiarity with American customs. And I had, in fact, been waiting for word on a package sent via UPS with some documents related to my undergraduate education.
What if someone had stolen my information?
So, yes, I wanted to speak with the police. The caller said he would transfer me.
This is a highly confidential case ... To keep it secret call me ‘Brother Ma’ instead of ‘Capt. Ma’ from now on.
Someone who identified himself as Zhigang Xu, “a police officer in Beijing,” came on the line and agreed to file a report on my behalf, reminding me how important it is to protect my identity data. “Ms. Liang, let me run your name in the database to see if your information has been used anywhere else,” he said and placed me on hold.
Minutes later, he came back on the line. “Xinlu Liang! Why does your name pop up in the biggest money-laundering case in China?” he asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” I responded.
At first, I was bewildered; then, I was terrified.
I was also hooked, desperate to clear my name.
Five days after that first call, I made the biggest mistake of my life: I walked to a nearby Bank of America branch and transferred all my money — $43,000, which I needed for tuition and room and board — to what I believed was an official bank account at an HSBC branch in Hong Kong. This, I was assured, would be only temporary, so authorities could pursue their investigations and declare my innocence.
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At this point, you’ve undoubtedly come to a conclusion that would take me another couple of days to reach: I’d been scammed.
How could I be so gullible?
Xinlu Liang, 22, is now a freelance writer who completed her master’s degree in journalism at USC in May 2020. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
I subsequently discovered that my experience is not unique. According to the Institute of International Education, which helps administer study-abroad programs, the number of Chinese students in the U.S. has grown from 127,628 in 2009 to 369,548 in 2018, and those students — accustomed to China’s authoritarian rule and susceptible to anyone who purports to be from the government — are particularly vulnerable. Some students are being fleeced (as I was) for tens of thousands of dollars.
Behind these thefts are criminal syndicates that run, according to one scammer, “a huge, well-organized” operation with multiple tiers of people working out of different countries. With their well-scripted tactics, they prey on students’ fears — frozen bank accounts, extradition to China, years in prison, and shame.
Even now, I still shudder when I think of how I allowed myself to fall for their scheme.
My parents had worked hard to attend university and establish themselves as English teachers in the city of Guangzhou, a metropolis in southern China. Throughout my childhood they emphasized the importance of education, and I was able to attend Sun Yat-sen University, a top school in China. All the while, they were scrimping and saving so I could eventually study abroad as a graduate student.
This one-year experience at USC was not only my dream, but theirs as well.
Which is part of the reason I felt compelled to listen to the “police officer in Beijing” on that first call.
The gravity of my case demanded the attention of someone higher up, “Officer Xu” said, and he transferred me to “Capt. Ma,” who came straight to the point.
“How do you explain how the criminals have a credit card in your name with RMB230,000 [charged] on it? You are a suspect! You must cooperate with the police!” (RMB, short for renminbi, is the official currency of China, and 230,000 is equivalent to about $33,200.)
“This is a highly confidential case,” he continued, adding that when we spoke, I should make sure I was alone. “To keep it secret,” he said, “call me ‘Brother Ma’ instead of ‘Capt. Ma’ from now on.”
During the next few days, “Brother Ma” texted me a “warrant” from the “National Confidentiality Bureau,” a list of victims of my “money-laundering case,” and “orders” for my extradition to China and the freezing of my bank account.
Then he called to hammer home his point: It appeared that the funds in my Bank of America account and the credit card with my name on it were connected to that money-laundering scheme. Wiring those funds to a bank account specified by a “senior prosecutor” would allow officials to further investigate.
The “senior prosecutor” instructed me to transfer my money to an HSBC account that belonged to “Chang Li-Yu,” who he said was an officer from the Independent Commission Against Corruption in Hong Kong, an organization that specializes in checking cross-border financial transactions.
I hung up, rushed to the bank and transferred the $43,000. I had less than $200 in cash on hand.
I was now broke, but, strangely, relieved. The matter would be cleared up soon, and I was confident my money would be returned.
Then I got a call demanding $50,000, which would serve as “bail money.”
I panicked and called my parents.
“Mom, you know the tuition fee for the fall semester is due soon, but now there’s a discount if we pay for the spring semester as well. Could you please give me another $50,000?”
My mother wasn’t buying it.
“Screenshot the announcement and send it to us,” she said.
“Actually, I lost my debit card yesterday and someone stole all the money in it,” I said, bursting into tears.
She was suspicious. “What happened, Lulu? Why can’t you tell me?”
Column One A showcase for compelling storytelling from the Los Angeles Times. Read more stories
“Why can’t you just believe me! It’s urgent and secret!” I screamed from the bathroom.
After I spoke with my parents, I called the “senior prosecutor,” who bristled at me. “You’re not cooperating with the police! … Capt. Ma and I will also be punished!” Then he let out a long sigh, adding: “You disappoint me.”
But something about his reaction didn’t sound professional, and for the first time in this horrible odyssey, my confidence in the “officials” started to waver.
I consulted a lawyer friend in China.
“It’s a scam!” she blurted out. “Just click online and you’ll see how many cases like this happened four to five years ago.”
I tossed and turned all night. Panic shifted to anger and then hate, which smoldered inside me.
The next morning, I walked to USC Department of Public Safety to make a report. But the officer focused on the money transfer, and I didn’t get the chance to explain in detail how I fell for the scam in the first place. There was no translator, so I was forced to fumble for words that weren’t yet in my vocabulary.
(Later in the year, I spoke with DPS Community Affairs Manager Elizabeth Carreño-Diaz, who said the department has subscribed to a “language bank” where translations for international students can be done via phone, but this option wasn’t offered to me when I first reported that I’d been scammed.)
The officer filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department, which, he said, would take over my case. A few hours later he gave me a copy of the DPS investigative report, which consisted of two sentences: “Susp told vict, she was suspected of money laundering, and she needed to pay $43,000 to clear her name. Vict transferred money.”
(When I spoke with David Carlisle, assistant chief of the DPS, about this process, he said, “Some of our officers are not as skilled as others in how to conduct an investigation, so I apologize if that was not done well. What we typically do is talk to our detectives who have more investigative experience and alert them that we’re taking this type of report.”)
My next stop was my local Bank of America branch, where I explained that I’d been scammed. The bank set up a case file, but I was told that the money was probably gone — forever.
Ryan Showell, a Bank of America executive client care advocate and fraud specialist, says it’s possible for the bank to flag suspect transactions. If something seems amiss, an employee can ask a client to confirm that they really want to make the transfer. But some scammers coach victims on their responses to bank employees, to say things like “my family needs the money,” which is exactly what I said. And once the money is transferred, things can get sticky.
Bank of America spokeswoman Betty Riess said, in an email, “Unfortunately, it isn’t always possible to get the money back once it is sent by the client because the receiving account often is already closed or fraudsters have already withdrawn the money from the account.”
::
I had come to the U.S. to study journalism, so I forced myself to shake free of my self-pity and get to work.
I pored over dozens of court verdicts obtained from China Judgments Online, an archive of legal cases, and learned about China-based criminal rings that impersonate law enforcement officials. Although they target victims in China, their tactics are much the same as those who prey on Chinese students overseas.
I read up on the growing number of international students who are scammed at U.S. colleges and universities, including USC. According to the university’s Department of Public Safety, during the 2018 fall semester 17 students were defrauded in government-impersonation scams over the phone or via email. The average loss was $3,500; the largest amount was $75,000.
Officials acknowledge they can’t know exactly how many people are ensnared in these schemes. “Many times, I think the students don’t report them to us,” Carlisle said. “Sometimes they’re embarrassed. Sometimes they upset their family, so there could be at least a few cases that are never reported to us.”
If a student wants help, the process may seem labyrinthine.
When my parents got in touch with police in Guangzhou, they were told that I had to ask Los Angeles law enforcement for help. A friend who lives in Hong Kong tried to get some assistance from police there and got the same response: Ask the LAPD. But the detective who handled my case said if the money had been transferred to a bank in Hong Kong and the criminals were not in the U.S., the investigation was beyond their jurisdiction.
In early January, when I was home for winter break, I visited the HSBC bank branch in central Hong Kong where I’d sent all my money. A customer service officer at HSBC said officials could not — and would not — tell me anything about a person who withdrew money from an account unless the Hong Kong police required it.
::
Every August, before the start of the fall semester, USC holds an orientation for new students, which includes information about campus life, classes — and warnings about scams. But I’d been in school since June, overwhelmed with work, and was unable to attend.
Before the fall semester, USC holds an orientation for new students, which includes information about campus life, classes and warnings about scams. But newcomer Xinlu Liang was not able to attend. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
When I interviewed university officials about what happened to me, they all emphasized USC’s commitment to creating awareness about scams.
Eddie North-Hager, USC’s executive director of media relations and research communications, said in an email that the university “is deeply committed to student security and well-being,” adding: “We were sorry to hear about [this] case, which highlights the importance of our communications with international students, one of many groups targeted by scammers.
“Each semester, we send several emails with scam notices and prevention tips as well as publish updates online about scams at https://dps.usc.edu/be-aware-of-scams/ and https://ois.usc.edu/living-in-la/safety/.”
Carreño-Diaz says the DPS holds a monthly meeting with representatives from different international student associations, including the Chinese Students and Scholars Assn., or CSSA. Scams are sometimes a topic of discussion.
I never attended any of those monthly meetings, but in November, when I attended a “Boba night” co-hosted by the CSSA and the DPS to alert Chinese students about safety issues, the conversation about scams seemed a little lighthearted and didn’t take long; many of the students chuckled and looked at one another in disbelief.
::
In the days after I realized I had been duped, I fell into a deep abyss. My family had to come up with another $43,000 to get me through school. I felt so guilty that I refused to spend $2 to dry my clothes, hanging my laundry out to dry instead. I stayed in bed for hours, binge-watching Korean TV shows.
Eventually, I started to joke about my nightmare with American friends. I thought I’d weathered the crisis, but I hadn’t, and I sought counseling.
When Sarah Schreiber, a counselor at USC Engemann Student Health Center, pushed me to look back at the fraud, I had to fight back tears.
Schreiber told me that emotional support for the victims is important after they report the case to the police. “It’s not your fault,” she said to me. “Don’t blame yourself.”
I talked to my parents, and my mother reminded me of a dream I’d shared with her after the scam.
“You said you dreamed of the fake police banging at your door and trying to take you away,” she said. “You’re scared to death but can’t wake up. No one is by your side. You’re all alone in an empty room, haunted by their voices and the everlasting bang, bang, bang….”
The scars will be slow to heal.


latimes--2020-08-13--Left behind: How online learning is hurting students from low-income families

Maria Viego and Cooper Glynn were thriving at their elementary schools .
Maria , 10 , adored the special certificates she earned volunteering to read to second-graders .
Cooper , 9 , loved being with his friends and how his teacher incorporated the video game Minecraft into lessons .
But when their campuses shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic , their experiences diverged dramatically .
Maria is a student in the Coachella Valley Unified School District , where 90 % of the children are from low-income families .
She didn ’ t have a computer , so she and her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her online class , but the connection kept dropping , and they gave up after a week .
She did worksheets until June , when she at last received a computer , but struggled to understand the work .
Now , as school starts again online , she has told her mother she ’ s frustrated and worried .
“ She says she feels like she ’ s going to stay behind , ” said her mother , Felicia Gonzalez , who has been battling COVID-19 .
Cooper , who attends school in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where just 12 % of students are from low-income families , had a district-issued computer and good internet access at home .
His school shut down on a Friday , and by the following Wednesday it was up and running virtually .
There were agendas and assignments online and Google hangouts with teachers , said his mother , Megan Glynn .
While Cooper would prefer to be back on campus , Glynn believes that he and his siblings will be fine academically even with school continuing online .
“ I feel fully confident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
The contrasting realities of these two students reflect the educational inequities that children have experienced since schools closed — and that many will continue to face in the fall as distance learning resumes for 97 % of the state ’ s public school students .
A Los Angeles Times survey of 45 Southern California school districts found profound differences in distance learning among children attending school districts in high-poverty communities , like Maria ’ s in Coachella Valley , and those in more affluent ones , like Cooper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serves Calabasas and nearby areas .
These inequities threaten to exacerbate wide and persistent disparities in public education that shortchange students of color and those from low-income families , resulting in potentially lasting harm to a generation of children .
“ The longer this goes on , the longer the pendulum swings to where this could be a generation that ’ s really left behind , ” said Beth Tarasawa , who studies educational equity issues at the not-for-profit educational research group NWEA .
The Times survey found that districts serving communities with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority of Latino students — had to confront a wide digital divide when campuses closed in mid-March and struggled for weeks , some more than a month , just to begin online learning .
They scrambled to buy computers and hot spots , even as the onslaught of demand led to long delays .
California ’ s students still need more than a million computers and hot spots , state officials say .
Meanwhile , many districts serving more affluent communities launched their online classes almost immediately , in part because their students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ districts tracked student participation , but among those that did , districts serving communities with the lowest incomes also reported lower student participation than districts in higher-income areas .
The Times surveyed 45 public school districts across Southern California , with a combined enrollment of more than 1.45 million students , and interviewed the leaders in all but a few .
The survey included districts that serve both ends of the region ’ s economic divide : districts serving students from low-income families and those serving children from more affluent communities .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s largest districts — such as Los Angeles , San Diego , Long Beach and San Bernardino .
On average among the large districts , about 70 % of students are low-income , and more than two-thirds are Latino .
The survey defined low-income and more affluent districts by the percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals .
Respondents included 21 districts with the smallest percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch , on average less than 15 % .
Those districts tend to have comparatively large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It also included 16 districts with the largest percentages of students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch , on average about 90 % .
The vast majority of students in these districts are Latino and many also had sizable Black student enrollment .
The findings add to evidence of the coronavirus crisis ’ starkly inequitable toll on low-income Black and Latino communities .
In late April on a 90-degree day , more than a month after schools closed , 10th-grader Andrew Diaz walked a mile to Lynwood High School in Lynwood to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shutdown , he earned As , Bs and Cs .
But with schools closed , Andrew said he was struggling to feel motivated and understand his work .
His mother , a single parent and healthcare worker who has cared for coronavirus patients , was working double shifts , keeping her away from home and close supervision of Andrew ’ s studies .
For more than a month , Andrew accessed classes on his cellphone , but was too depressed and unmotivated to do so often .
By the end of April , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in one complete assignment .
“ I feel like when I move on to 11th grade , I ’ m gon na be behind , and everybody ’ s gon na , like , be smarter than me , and I ’ m afraid , ” he said .
The Times survey shows that low-income-serving districts , like Lynwood Unified , were at a deep digital deficit when compared to districts serving more affluent areas .
On average , about half the students in low-income-serving districts had computers available for school work when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an average of nearly two-thirds of students had them .
But among the most affluent-serving districts , an average 87 % of students had computers when campuses closed , and virtually every student — 98 % — had them about three weeks later .
The difference wasn ’ t just that students in more affluent-serving districts had computers at home , but that several of these districts were able to give their students computers to take home on the day schools closed or in the week after , allowing each child to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low-income-serving districts moved swiftly to buy and distribute computers and hot spots .
But the process took time and in some cases was not complete before the end of the school year .
According to the survey , three weeks after campuses closed , nearly 30 % of students in districts serving communities with the lowest incomes lacked devices .
Six weeks later , about 12 % lacked them .
At El Segundo Unified , where about half of students are white and 15 % qualify for free or reduced-price lunches , Supt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than enough computers for every student who needed one when campuses closed .
Only about 25 families needed help connecting to the internet , translating to as smooth a transition as possible , she said .
Similarly , at Oak Park Unified , a district of 4,500 students in Ventura County where 7 % of students come from low-income families and more than half are white , every child already had a district-issued device , which helped schools quickly pivot to a virtual setting , said Supt .
Tony Knight .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a global pandemic of epic proportions , ” Knight said , “ we ’ re in good shape.
” But many districts in low-income communities struggled to bridge the digital divide , including some that had already been working to close the gap .
One factor was the stampede of districts buying computers .
In Lynwood , officials had ordered computers for nearly every one of its 13,000 students in November .
But the computers failed to arrive on schedule , leaving students like Andrew without one for about six weeks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We kept hearing from our vendors : ‘ They should be there next week , next week , ’ ” said Supt .
Gudiel Crosthwaite .
And computers accounted for only half the equation .
Lynwood had no resources to provide internet access .
The county ’ s education office promised 100 internet hot spots , which would have helped , but the county could not find them for sale .
So the school system worked with the city to provide WiFi access at a few city-owned locations as a stopgap .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ come from low-income families , 94 % are Latino and 5 % are Black .
Officials at San Bernardino Unified , one of the largest in the state , with nearly 90 % low-income students , also worked to distribute computers and hot spots long before the shut-down , helping thousands of students stay connected when campuses closed , said interim Supt .
Harold Vollkommer .
But even in late May , thousands more still needed hot spots , which were back-ordered , he said .
L.A. schools Supt .
Austin Beutner said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all but commandeered the local supply chain by spending $ 100 million , mostly from school construction bonds , to purchase hot spots and about 200,000 computers needed for 482,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade .
As a result , he said , local vendors cleared out warehouses and even grabbed display models from stores .
This scramble may have contributed to problems other districts experienced in purchasing technology .
Even so , about a quarter of L.A. Unified students still needed computers for schoolwork in late April and some district families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a month .
Entering into the fall , Beutner said , no L.A. Unified student should be shut out from distance learning .
The district , he said , has enough technology in stock for all students .
At Coachella Valley Unified , where almost all students are Latino , half of nearly 18,000 students had a computer at home when schools closed .
“ They went home with nothing .
Not one device was sent home , and no connectivity , ” said Carissa Carrera , president of the Coachella Valley Teachers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ computers in classrooms but could not send them home because of software issues .
Widespread distribution did not start until the end of April .
In a desperate and resourceful move to help , the district deployed buses with WiFi routers to provide internet access during the school day .
But they reached only a fraction of students .
Coachella Valley was one of the last districts in The Times ’ survey to start online learning , beginning on May 1 , five weeks before the end of the school year .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online learning as quickly as those in more affluent areas .
The median start date in districts with more affluent families was March 18 .
For districts with the highest numbers of low-income families and for the largest districts it was April 6 .
The herculean effort to distribute technology and start online classes is only part of the battle .
Once students are connected , teachers must get them to participate and learn .
Luis Chaidez , a social studies teacher at Augustus Hawkins High School in South L.A. , had 120 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had more than 15 attend online classes .
“ That ’ s the most .
After that it dropped below 10 , ” he said .
“ In the last three weeks of school , I just stopped doing Zoom .
Because no one was doing the work.
” “ People are worried about dying , and in addition to that people are being laid off , and now students in my community , where I serve , are worried about eating or rent , ” he said .
He is agonizing about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m afraid that it ’ s going to be another cycle that gets repeated , where students are just going to do the bare minimum of passing their classes and getting a diploma because they don ’ t have the luxury of leaning on a parent at home that is college-educated , who can help them , ” he said .
California ’ s rules requiring schools to track student attendance and assess learning essentially lapsed during the spring , when the state waived them .
Few districts monitored students ’ time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all changed their grading policies to protect students from falling grades .
This makes it difficult to say exactly how many students were engaging with online learning .
Of the 45 districts surveyed , only about 20 % provided figures tracking student attendance and online engagement .
Among the districts that did report engagement to The Times , those serving more prosperous areas were more likely to report significantly higher participation .
For example , in Las Virgenes Unified , officials said 94 % of middle school students logged in at least three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the Hermosa Beach City School District , where a small percentage of students are low income and about two-thirds are white , district officials said that about 95 % of students were logging in three times or more per week .
“ Honestly , ” said Supt .
Patricia Escalante , who recently retired , “ I was shocked and stunned at how fantastic it went.
” In the higher poverty districts of Lynwood and Palm Springs Unified , the percentages of middle school students logging in three times or more per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , respectively , several weeks after schools closed , according to district estimates .
And in Palmdale , a lower-income , majority Latino district that serves students in grades K-8 , officials did not say how many students were logging in three times or more per week , but said by early April , about 60 % of middle school students logged in to their online platforms per day .
Los Angeles Unified , meanwhile , reported that 78 % of middle school students logged in three times or more per week several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of disparate student engagement is not black and white .
With so many districts not tracking or choosing not to report engagement , it ’ s possible many districts with higher-income families also lagged in student engagement .
And the lower-income-serving district of South Whittier also reported higher levels of engagement .
In early April , district officials said , about 88 % of middle school students logged in three times or more per week .
Teachers in the district took attendance every day and input the information into a Google spreadsheet accessible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ track down absent students .
If they were unable to find them , they passed names to the Sheriff ’ s Department to conduct welfare checks , officials said .
Other evidence also points to disparities in learning for students of color and those from low-income families during school closures .
A preliminary report based on surveys hundreds of districts across the country by American Institutes for Research found that students in high-poverty districts were expected to spend less time per day on instructional activities , more likely to use paper packets and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than students in low-poverty districts .
And a report last month by Los Angeles Unified analysts showed deep disparities along lines of race , ethnicity and family income .
While nearly every category of students included large numbers who did not regularly participate in distance learning , students from low-income families and Black and Latino students participated at rates between 10 and 20 percentage points lower than peers from higher-income families and white and Asian students .
Like Chaidez , many educators said their students are in crisis .
In Palmdale , among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents are essential workers who were forced to leave the schooling-at-home project to grandparents , who were typically non-English speakers without experience on computers .
And Supt .
Crosthwaite of Lynwood said parents in his community were overwhelmed with worries far greater than school .
“ They ’ re worried about how they ’ re going to put food on the table .
How are they going to pay for rent ?
” Crosthwaite said .
“ So on top of everything else ... they are trying to transition to becoming a teacher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has received national recognition for enrolling students of color into advanced coursework , said he realized the depth of the problem when he agreed to be a guest speaker for two combined sections of a high school economics class .
Only about half the students showed up .
As the new school year begins , districts face a different but no less challenging landscape , with many parents increasingly fearful about the long-term consequences of prolonged closures on their children , and many educators feeling urgent pressure to help students who have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the hands of students , more than 700,000 K-12 students in California are still without them , and more than 300,000 are in need of internet hot spots .
Some families are losing internet access because of expiring discounts — even as their need for broadband intensifies with children online for more hours a day .
State officials have enacted new rules requiring teachers to take attendance , provide consistent online classes and document student learning to strengthen distance learning .
But districts must implement these new accountability systems while also planning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and without clarity about the duration of the health crisis .
Meanwhile , families with resources are finding ways to get their children back on track , forming multi-family learning pods and hiring tutors , while financially struggling families are desperate for child care and more learning assistance for their children .
And the hardships faced by many low-income families have only worsened in the last five months , with Latino and Black working-class communities uniquely devastated by the coronavirus .
“ What COVID-19 has done , it has pulled back the covers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our society , '' said UCLA education professor Tyrone Howard at a recent panel on school reopening .
“ While they ’ re not new ...
I think in this really difficult moment , it has made the realities around inequities , even more front and center in all of our everyday lives.
” Earlier this month , Andrew Diaz made his way back to Lynwood High , this time to pick up textbooks for his junior year .
After he got his computer from the school in April , he continued struggling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he said .
In the past , he has done well when he had good relationships with his teachers .
But distance learning was different .
He loves math but struggled to understand it without a teacher he could work with in person .
And he couldn ’ t follow the Spanish work his teacher posted , which wasn ’ t like the Spanish he hears at home .
Eventually , he began working six days a week with his uncle , selling vegetables at a swap meet to help his mother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his classes — because the district , like most others , decided that no student would receive failing grades .
But he knows he ’ s fallen behind .
There were times he told his friends that he had no interest in online school .
But he ’ d also like to go to college , like his aunt , who was the first in his family to earn a degree .
And he ’ s planning to take the SAT this year .
So as school starts again , he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m putting my all in it .
I ’ m going to stop helping my uncle .
And then I ’ m gon na just try to do homework , ” he said .
“ I just ...
I need to get more confident for myself.
” Times staff writers Nina Agrawal and Sonali Kohli contributed to this story .

Paloma Esquivel, Howard Blume, Ben Poston, Julia Barajas

Maria Viego and Cooper Glynn were thriving at their elementary schools. Maria, 10, adored the special certificates she earned volunteering to read to second-graders. Cooper, 9, loved being with his friends and how his teacher incorporated the video game Minecraft into lessons.
But when their campuses shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic, their experiences diverged dramatically.
Maria is a student in the Coachella Valley Unified School District, where 90% of the children are from low-income families. She didn’t have a computer, so she and her mother tried using a cellphone to access her online class, but the connection kept dropping, and they gave up after a week. She did worksheets until June, when she at last received a computer, but struggled to understand the work. Now, as school starts again online, she has told her mother she’s frustrated and worried.
“She says she feels like she’s going to stay behind,” said her mother, Felicia Gonzalez, who has been battling COVID-19.
Cooper, who attends school in the Las Virgenes Unified School District, where just 12% of students are from low-income families, had a district-issued computer and good internet access at home. His school shut down on a Friday, and by the following Wednesday it was up and running virtually. There were agendas and assignments online and Google hangouts with teachers, said his mother, Megan Glynn. While Cooper would prefer to be back on campus, Glynn believes that he and his siblings will be fine academically even with school continuing online.
“I feel fully confident in the education they’ll receive,” she said.
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The contrasting realities of these two students reflect the educational inequities that children have experienced since schools closed — and that many will continue to face in the fall as distance learning resumes for 97% of the state’s public school students.
A Los Angeles Times survey of 45 Southern California school districts found profound differences in distance learning among children attending school districts in high-poverty communities, like Maria’s in Coachella Valley, and those in more affluent ones, like Cooper’s in Las Virgenes, which serves Calabasas and nearby areas.
These inequities threaten to exacerbate wide and persistent disparities in public education that shortchange students of color and those from low-income families, resulting in potentially lasting harm to a generation of children.
“The longer this goes on, the longer the pendulum swings to where this could be a generation that’s really left behind,” said Beth Tarasawa, who studies educational equity issues at the not-for-profit educational research group NWEA.
The Times survey found that districts serving communities with the lowest incomes — all with a majority of Latino students — had to confront a wide digital divide when campuses closed in mid-March and struggled for weeks, some more than a month, just to begin online learning. They scrambled to buy computers and hot spots, even as the onslaught of demand led to long delays.
California’s students still need more than a million computers and hot spots, state officials say.
Meanwhile, many districts serving more affluent communities launched their online classes almost immediately, in part because their students had computers and internet access.
Few districts tracked student participation, but among those that did, districts serving communities with the lowest incomes also reported lower student participation than districts in higher-income areas.
The Times surveyed 45 public school districts across Southern California, with a combined enrollment of more than 1.45 million students, and interviewed the leaders in all but a few. The survey included districts that serve both ends of the region’s economic divide: districts serving students from low-income families and those serving children from more affluent communities.
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It also included some of the region’s largest districts — such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Long Beach and San Bernardino. On average among the large districts, about 70% of students are low-income, and more than two-thirds are Latino.
The survey defined low-income and more affluent districts by the percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals. Respondents included 21 districts with the smallest percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch, on average less than 15%.
Those districts tend to have comparatively large populations of white and Asian students. It also included 16 districts with the largest percentages of students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch, on average about 90%. The vast majority of students in these districts are Latino and many also had sizable Black student enrollment.
The findings add to evidence of the coronavirus crisis’ starkly inequitable toll on low-income Black and Latino communities.
A STRUGGLE JUST TO START
Andrew Diaz barely turned in any work after Lynwood High closed in March. But he’s got his textbooks for the fall, along with better internet at home and a computer issued by the district.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
In late April on a 90-degree day, more than a month after schools closed, 10th-grader Andrew Diaz walked a mile to Lynwood High School in Lynwood to pick up a computer.
Before the shutdown, he earned As, Bs and Cs. But with schools closed, Andrew said he was struggling to feel motivated and understand his work. His mother, a single parent and healthcare worker who has cared for coronavirus patients, was working double shifts, keeping her away from home and close supervision of Andrew’s studies. For more than a month, Andrew accessed classes on his cellphone, but was too depressed and unmotivated to do so often. By the end of April, he said, he had probably turned in one complete assignment.
“I feel like when I move on to 11th grade, I’m gonna be behind, and everybody’s gonna, like, be smarter than me, and I’m afraid,” he said.
The Times survey shows that low-income-serving districts, like Lynwood Unified, were at a deep digital deficit when compared to districts serving more affluent areas. On average, about half the students in low-income-serving districts had computers available for school work when campuses closed. Among the largest districts, an average of nearly two-thirds of students had them.
But among the most affluent-serving districts, an average 87% of students had computers when campuses closed, and virtually every student — 98% — had them about three weeks later.
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The difference wasn’t just that students in more affluent-serving districts had computers at home, but that several of these districts were able to give their students computers to take home on the day schools closed or in the week after, allowing each child to quickly transition to distance learning.
Many low-income-serving districts moved swiftly to buy and distribute computers and hot spots. But the process took time and in some cases was not complete before the end of the school year.
According to the survey, three weeks after campuses closed, nearly 30% of students in districts serving communities with the lowest incomes lacked devices. Six weeks later, about 12% lacked them.
At El Segundo Unified, where about half of students are white and 15% qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, Supt. Melissa Moore said the district had more than enough computers for every student who needed one when campuses closed. Only about 25 families needed help connecting to the internet, translating to as smooth a transition as possible, she said.
At Oak Park Unified in Ventura County, all students already had district-issued devices, making the transition to online learning easier, said Supt. Tony Knight. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Similarly, at Oak Park Unified, a district of 4,500 students in Ventura County where 7% of students come from low-income families and more than half are white, every child already had a district-issued device, which helped schools quickly pivot to a virtual setting, said Supt. Tony Knight.
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“Given we’re in the middle of a global pandemic of epic proportions,” Knight said, “we’re in good shape.”
But many districts in low-income communities struggled to bridge the digital divide, including some that had already been working to close the gap. One factor was the stampede of districts buying computers.
In Lynwood, officials had ordered computers for nearly every one of its 13,000 students by November. But the computers failed to arrive on schedule, leaving students like Andrew without one for about six weeks, when the district began widespread distribution.
“We kept hearing from our vendors: ‘They should be there next week, next week,’” said Supt. Gudiel Crosthwaite.
And computers accounted for only half the equation. Lynwood had no resources to provide internet access. The county’s education office promised 100 internet hot spots, which would have helped, but the county could not find them for sale. So the school system worked with the city to provide WiFi access at a few city-owned locations as a stopgap.
In Lynwood, 9 in 10 students come from low-income families, 94% are Latino and 5% are Black.
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Officials at San Bernardino Unified, one of the largest in the state, with nearly 90% low-income students, also worked to distribute computers and hot spots long before the shut-down, helping thousands of students stay connected when campuses closed, said interim Supt. Harold Vollkommer.
But even in late May, thousands more still needed hot spots, which were back-ordered, he said.
LAUSD spent $100 million on computers and WiFi hot spots, sending suppliers scrambling and potentially making supplies scarce. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner said the nation’s second-largest school system all but commandeered the local supply chain by spending $100 million, mostly from school construction bonds, to purchase hot spots and about 200,000 computers needed for 482,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
As a result, he said, local vendors cleared out warehouses and even grabbed display models from stores.
This scramble may have contributed to problems other districts experienced in purchasing technology. Even so, about a quarter of L.A. Unified students still needed computers for schoolwork in late April and some district families struggled without hot spots for well over a month.
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Entering into the fall, Beutner said, no L.A. Unified student should be shut out from distance learning. The district, he said, has enough technology in stock for all students.
At Coachella Valley Unified, where almost all students are Latino, half of nearly 18,000 students had a computer at home when schools closed.
“They went home with nothing. Not one device was sent home, and no connectivity,” said Carissa Carrera, president of the Coachella Valley Teachers Assn.
The district had some older-model computers in classrooms but could not send them home because of software issues. Widespread distribution did not start until the end of April. In a desperate and resourceful move to help, the district deployed buses with WiFi routers to provide internet access during the school day. But they reached only a fraction of students.
Coachella Valley was one of the last districts in The Times’ survey to start online learning, beginning on May 1, five weeks before the end of the school year. But many lower-income-serving districts were unable to start online learning as quickly as those in more affluent areas. The median start date in districts with more affluent families was March 18. For districts with the highest numbers of low-income families and for the largest districts it was April 6.
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ENGAGEMENT AND LEARNING
Luis Chaidez, a social studies teacher at Augustus Hawkins High School in South Los Angeles, had 120 students when schools closed. But he never had more than 15 attend an online class. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
The herculean effort to distribute technology and start online classes is only part of the battle. Once students are connected, teachers must get them to participate and learn.
Luis Chaidez, a social studies teacher at Augustus Hawkins High School in South L.A., had 120 students when schools closed. He never had more than 15 attend online classes.
“That’s the most. After that it dropped below 10,” he said. “In the last three weeks of school, I just stopped doing Zoom. Because no one was doing the work.”
He doesn’t blame them.
“People are worried about dying, and in addition to that people are being laid off, and now students in my community, where I serve, are worried about eating or rent,” he said.
He is agonizing about the ongoing campus closures.
“I’m afraid that it’s going to be another cycle that gets repeated, where students are just going to do the bare minimum of passing their classes and getting a diploma because they don’t have the luxury of leaning on a parent at home that is college-educated, who can help them,” he said.
Advertisement
California’s rules requiring schools to track student attendance and assess learning essentially lapsed during the spring, when the state waived them. Few districts monitored students’ time online or took roll, and almost all changed their grading policies to protect students from falling grades.
This makes it difficult to say exactly how many students were engaging with online learning. Of the 45 districts surveyed, only about 20% provided figures tracking student attendance and online engagement.
Among the districts that did report engagement to The Times, those serving more prosperous areas were more likely to report significantly higher participation.
For example, in Las Virgenes Unified, officials said 94% of middle school students logged in at least three times a week in early April.
In the Hermosa Beach City School District, where a small percentage of students are low income and about two-thirds are white, district officials said that about 95% of students were logging in three times or more per week.
“Honestly,” said Supt. Patricia Escalante, who recently retired, “I was shocked and stunned at how fantastic it went.”
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In the higher poverty districts of Lynwood and Palm Springs Unified, the percentages of middle school students logging in three times or more per week were 23% and 50%, respectively, several weeks after schools closed, according to district estimates. And in Palmdale, a lower-income, majority Latino district that serves students in grades K-8, officials did not say how many students were logging in three times or more per week, but said by early April, about 60% of middle school students logged in to their online platforms per day.
Los Angeles Unified, meanwhile, reported that 78% of middle school students logged in three times or more per week several weeks after schools closed.
The picture of disparate student engagement is not black and white. With so many districts not tracking or choosing not to report engagement, it’s possible many districts with higher-income families also lagged in student engagement.
And the lower-income-serving district of South Whittier also reported higher levels of engagement. In early April, district officials said, about 88% of middle school students logged in three times or more per week. Teachers in the district took attendance every day and input the information into a Google spreadsheet accessible to school staff, who worked to track down absent students. If they were unable to find them, they passed names to the Sheriff’s Department to conduct welfare checks, officials said.
Other evidence also points to disparities in learning for students of color and those from low-income families during school closures. A preliminary report based on surveys of hundreds of districts across the country by American Institutes for Research found that students in high-poverty districts were expected to spend less time per day on instructional activities, more likely to use paper packets and more likely to focus on reviewing content than students in low-poverty districts.
And a report last month by Los Angeles Unified analysts showed deep disparities along lines of race, ethnicity and family income. While nearly every category of students included large numbers who did not regularly participate in distance learning, students from low-income families and Black and Latino students participated at rates between 10 and 20 percentage points lower than peers from higher-income families and white and Asian students.
Like Chaidez, many educators said their students are in crisis.
In Palmdale, among other districts, officials noted that many parents are essential workers who were forced to leave the schooling-at-home project to grandparents, who were typically non-English speakers without experience on computers. And Supt. Crosthwaite of Lynwood said parents in his community were overwhelmed with worries far greater than school.
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“They’re worried about how they’re going to put food on the table. How are they going to pay for rent?” Crosthwaite said. “So on top of everything else ... they are trying to transition to becoming a teacher at home.”
Crosthwaite, whose district has received national recognition for enrolling students of color into advanced coursework, said he realized the depth of the problem when he agreed to be a guest speaker for two combined sections of a high school economics class. Only about half the students showed up.
THE FUTURE
It’s unclear when in-person classes will resume. Above, a gate at Los Angeles High School remains locked. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
As the new school year begins, districts face a different but no less challenging landscape, with many parents increasingly fearful about the long-term consequences of prolonged closures on their children, and many educators feeling urgent pressure to help students who have been left behind.
Although more computers are in the hands of students, more than 700,000 K-12 students in California are still without them, and more than 300,000 are in need of internet hot spots. Some families are losing internet access because of expiring discounts — even as their need for broadband intensifies with children online for more hours a day.
Advertisement
State officials have enacted new rules requiring teachers to take attendance, provide consistent online classes and document student learning to strengthen distance learning.
But districts must implement these new accountability systems while also planning for an eventual safe return to campus and without clarity about the duration of the health crisis.
Meanwhile, families with resources are finding ways to get their children back on track, forming multi-family learning pods and hiring tutors, while financially struggling families are desperate for child care and more learning assistance for their children.
And the hardships faced by many low-income families have only worsened in the last five months, with Latino and Black working-class communities uniquely devastated by the coronavirus.
“What COVID-19 has done, it has pulled back the covers on the gross inequities that exist in our society,”said UCLA education professor Tyrone Howard at a recent panel on school reopening. “While they’re not new ... I think in this really difficult moment, it has made the realities around inequities, even more front and center in all of our everyday lives.”
Earlier this month, Andrew Diaz made his way back to Lynwood High, this time to pick up textbooks for his junior year.
Advertisement
After he got his computer from the school in April, he continued struggling to stay on track with his classwork, he said. In the past, he has done well when he had good relationships with his teachers. But distance learning was different. He loves math but struggled to understand it without a teacher he could work with in person. And he couldn’t follow the Spanish work his teacher posted, which wasn’t like the Spanish he hears at home.
Eventually, he began working six days a week with his uncle, selling vegetables at a swap meet to help his mother pay bills.
He passed all of his classes — because the district, like most others, decided that no student would receive failing grades. But he knows he’s fallen behind. There were times he told his friends that he had no interest in online school. But he’d also like to go to college, like his aunt, who was the first in his family to earn a degree. And he’s planning to take the SAT this year. So as school starts again, he’s determined to turn things around.
“I’m putting my all in it. I’m going to stop helping my uncle. And then I’m gonna just try to do homework,” he said. “I just... I need to get more confident for myself.”
Times staff writers Nina Agrawal and Sonali Kohli contributed to this story.


latimes--2020-08-13--Lake fire: Evacuation zones, road closures, shelters

The Lake fire has burned more than 10,000 acres in northern Los Angeles County .
As of Wednesday night , @ @ @ @ @ threatening homes in remote locations near Lake Hughes and is 0 % contained .
— @ @ @ @ @ North of Pine Canyon Road and Lake Hughes Road — West of Lake Hughes Road @ @ @ @ @ East of Ridge Route Road — Three Points Road from Highway 138 to Pine Canyon @

A plume of smoke from the Lake fire in Lake Hughes is seen from a pedestrian bridge in Canyon Country in the Santa Clarita Valley on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
The Lake fire has burned more than 10,000 acres in northern Los Angeles County.
As of Wednesday night, Aug. 12, it is threatening homes in remote locations near Lake Hughes and is 0% contained.
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Evacuation zone
— South of Highway 138
— North of Pine Canyon Road and Lake Hughes Road
— West of Lake Hughes Road and Fire Station 78
— East of Ridge Route Road
— Lake Hughes Road west of Pine Canyon and north of Dry Gulch Road
Road Closures
— Three Points Road from Highway 138 to Pine Canyon Road
— Ridge Route Road from Highway 138 to Pine Canyon Road
— Lake Hughes Road from Ridge Route Road to Pine Canyon Road
— San Francisquito Canyon Road from Slater Lane to Spunky Canyon
Shelter
Highland High School
39055 25th Street West
Palmdale
Castaic Sports Complex
31230 Castaic Road
Castaic
Animal boarding
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Lancaster Animal Care Center & Palmdale Animal Care Center (SMALL ONLY)
Castaic Animal Care Center (LARGE & SMALL animals)
Antelope Valley Fairgrounds (LARGE animals ONLY)
Castaic Animal Care Center (31044 Charlie Canyon Rd)
Lancaster Animal Care Center (5210 W. Avenue I)
Palmdale Animal Care Center (38550 Sierra Highway)
AV Fairgrounds - Large Animals Only (2551 W. Avenue H in Lancaster)
Times staff writer Luke Money contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-08-12--L.A. County offering money to renters affected by COVID-19 pandemic

Los Angeles County renters who ’ ve suffered financial setbacks because of the COVID-19 pandemic can soon apply for thousands of dollars in assistance to help them get on top of their payments .
The application period for the income-based L.A. County COVID-19 Rent Relief program opens Monday and will remain open until Aug. 31 .
Up to $ 10,000 will be given to households that meet the program ’ s income guidelines .
The emergency rent relief is financed through $ 100 million in federal CARES Act money .
Its goal is to help about 9,000 households .
Half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to residents who live in specific ZIP Codes the county identified where residents are at higher risk of eviction .
More information on those ZIP Codes is available online at rentrelief.lacda.org .
The other half of the money will be available by lottery to residents who meet the program ’ s criteria for income and other factors .
The emergency rental assistance is open to L.A. County residents — who do not live in the city of L.A. — who have experienced a loss of income because their workplace closed or reduced hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school is closed and they ’ ve had to spend more money on childcare ; a household member is ill with COVID-19 and their family has had to pay medical costs ; or , more broadly , a loss of income because of the government-ordered emergency measures put into place after March 13 , according to the Los Angeles County Development Authority .
Household with a total gross household income at or below the following amounts may qualify : one person , $ 39,450 ; two people , $ 45,050 ; three people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 56,300 ; five people , $ 60,850 .
Your total gross household income is the money that all working adults 18 and older in your household make , before taxes .
To apply , a tenant must complete an online application at 211la.org/lacounty/rentrelief .
If a tenant doesn ’ t have a computer , they can call 211 for help applying .
The program is open to all renters regardless of immigration status , and no one will be asked about their immigration status , as it is not considered in determining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eligible for the county program because the city also received an allocation of CARES Act money and offered its own emergency rent assistance .
Renters who receive Section 8 or Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers are also not eligible to apply .
The program is also not open to commercial properties .
Only one application per rental unit should be submitted .
If a group of roommates share a home but have one lease , they should submit only one application .
If each roommate has a separate lease agreement with their landlord @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they are otherwise eligible .
A renter doesn ’ t have to be behind in rent to qualify but does need to have experienced a reduction in income related to COVID-19 and meet the household income eligibility requirements .

Rodolfo Cortes, 30, of El Monte and other tenant rights activists assembled in March at El Monte City Hall to demand that the City Council pass an eviction moratorium during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Los Angeles County renters who’ve suffered financial setbacks because of the COVID-19 pandemic can soon apply for thousands of dollars in assistance to help them get on top of their payments.
The application period for the income-based L.A. County COVID-19 Rent Relief program opens Monday and will remain open until Aug. 31. Up to $10,000 will be given to households that meet the program’s income guidelines.
The emergency rent relief is financed through $100 million in federal CARES Act money. Its goal is to help about 9,000 households.
Half of the available money will be directed to residents who live in specific ZIP Codes the county identified where residents are at higher risk of eviction. More information on those ZIP Codes is available online at rentrelief.lacda.org. The other half of the money will be available by lottery to residents who meet the program’s criteria for income and other factors.
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The emergency rental assistance is open to L.A. County residents — who do not live in the city of L.A. — who have experienced a loss of income because their workplace closed or reduced hours; their child’s daycare or school is closed and they’ve had to spend more money on childcare; a household member is ill with COVID-19 and their family has had to pay medical costs; or, more broadly, a loss of income because of the government-ordered emergency measures put into place after March 13, according to the Los Angeles County Development Authority.
Households with a total gross household income at or below the following amounts may qualify: one person, $39,450; two people, $45,050; three people, $50,700; four people, $56,300; five people, $60,850. Your total gross household income is the money that all working adults 18 and older in your household make, before taxes.
To apply, a tenant must complete an online application at 211la.org/lacounty/rentrelief. If a tenant doesn’t have a computer, they can call 211 for help applying.
The program is open to all renters regardless of immigration status, and no one will be asked about their immigration status, as it is not considered in determining eligibility.
L.A. city residents are not eligible for the county program because the city also received an allocation of CARES Act money and offered its own emergency rent assistance.
Renters who receive Section 8 or Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers are also not eligible to apply. The program is also not open to commercial properties.
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Only one application per rental unit should be submitted.
If a group of roommates share a home but have one lease, they should submit only one application. If each roommate has a separate lease agreement with their landlord, each can apply for the program if they are otherwise eligible.
A renter doesn’t have to be behind in rent to qualify but does need to have experienced a reduction in income related to COVID-19 and meet the household income eligibility requirements.


latimes--2020-08-12--10,000-acre brush fire burns near Lake Hughes; mandatory evacuations ordered

The Los Angeles County Fire Department was alerted to the fire near North Lake Hughes Road and Pine Canyon Road about 3:30 p.m. , according to Marvin Lim , a spokesman with the department .
Within the next few hours it exploded to thousands of acres .
The fire was at 0 % containment as of 9 p.m. Several residential structures , including ranches , were threatened .
Officials said there were no reports of homes being destroyed or damaged .
As of about 11:30 pm , evacuation orders had been issued for residents south of Highway 138 and north @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Road .
They also included the areas west of Lake Hughes Road and LA County Fire Station 78 , and east of Ridge Route Road .
An evacuation point was opened at Highland High School in west Palmdale where residents could stay in their cars and at the Castaic Sports Complex .
Animals may be brought to the Castaic Animal Care Center , the Lancaster Animal Care Center and the Palmdale Animal Care Center .
Large animals only will be accepted at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds .
Road closures included 3 Points Road @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Ridge Route Road from Highway 138 to Pine Canyon Road .
They also encompassed Lake Hughes Road from Ridge Route Road to Pine Canyon Road and San Francisquito Canyon Road from Slater Lane to Spunky Canyon .
More than 500 firefighters , as well as several helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft , have been deployed to the scene with assistance provided by the L.A. County Fire Department , the Angeles National Forest , and numerous fire departments in the area .
“ This is a major fire , we ’ ll be here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Richardson , the chief deputy of emergency operations for the L.A. County Fire Department .
“ It ’ s very resource-tasking and we ’ ll also be out here for multiple days to come.
” The smoke plume from the fire could be seen as far away as Venice .
The combination of thick vegetation that hasn ’ t burned in several decades and hot and dry windy conditions are fueling the fire , according to Seneca Smith , a public information officer with the Angeles National Forest .
She said she expects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenging weather conditions over the coming days .
The National Weather Service has issued excessive heat warnings that will take effect throughout Southern California on Friday and remain in place through Monday evening .
The cause of the fire is unknown .

A truck sits along Pine Canyon Road near Lake Hughes early Thursday after the Lake fire burned thousands of acres. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A helicopter makes a water drop along a ridge near Lake Hughes after the Lake fire burned thousands of acres. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A home burns along Pine Canyon Road near Lake Hughes early Thursday after the Lake fire burned thousands of acres. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
The smoldering remains of a home on Pine Canyon Road that was destroyed by the Lake fire. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
A scorched statue stands in front of a home on Pine Canyon Road destroyed by fire along Pine Canyon in the Lake Hughes area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles County Firefighter Brandon Smith runs hose through a burned out home to complete mop-up in the Lake Fire. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
A firefighter battles the smoke and flames from the Ranch Fire in the hills in Azusa. (Apu Gomes / AFP )
People watch smoke and flames rising from the Ranch Fire in the San Gabriel mountains above Azusa. (Apu Gomes / AFP )
A Cal Fire helicopter makes a water crop on the Skyline fire behind homes on Clearing Lane in Corona. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
The Ranch fire burns in the hills above a cluster of homes along the San Gabriel River near Azusa on Thursday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
A man walks by a row of homes as the Ranch Fire burns in the hills of Azusa Thursday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
The Ranch fire burns in the hills above a cluster of homes along the San Gabriel River. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
A house sits alone as the Lake Fire creeps its way up the hill towards Palmdale Friday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
LAKE HUGHES, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 15, 2020-Firefighters from the Santa Barbara County strike team tput out hot spots from the Lake Fire along Pine Canyon Road in Lake Hughes Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
A firefighting helicopter makes an approach to drop water on the Ranch 2 fire in the hills above a cluster of homes along the San Gabriel River near Azusa. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
A fast-moving, 10,000-acre brush fire near Lake Hughes triggered evacuations in northern Los Angeles County late Wednesday.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department was alerted to the fire near North Lake Hughes Road and Pine Canyon Road about 3:30 p.m., according to Marvin Lim, a spokesman with the department. Within the next few hours it exploded to thousands of acres.
The fire was at 0% containment as of 9 p.m. Several residential structures, including ranches, were threatened. Officials said there were no reports of homes being destroyed or damaged.
As of about 11:30 pm, evacuation orders had been issued for residents south of Highway 138 and north of Pine Canyon Road and Lake Hughes Road. They also included the areas west of Lake Hughes Road and LA County Fire Station 78, and east of Ridge Route Road.
An evacuation point was opened at Highland High School in west Palmdale where residents could stay in their cars and at the Castaic Sports Complex. Animals may be brought to the Castaic Animal Care Center, the Lancaster Animal Care Center and the Palmdale Animal Care Center. Large animals only will be accepted at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds.
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Road closures included 3 Points Road from Highway 138 to Pine Canyon Road and Ridge Route Road from Highway 138 to Pine Canyon Road. They also encompassed Lake Hughes Road from Ridge Route Road to Pine Canyon Road and San Francisquito Canyon Road from Slater Lane to Spunky Canyon.
More than 500 firefighters, as well as several helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, have been deployed to the scene with assistance provided by the L.A. County Fire Department, the Angeles National Forest, and numerous fire departments in the area.
“This is a major fire, we’ll be here through the night,” said David Richardson, the chief deputy of emergency operations for the L.A. County Fire Department. “It’s very resource-tasking and we’ll also be out here for multiple days to come.”
The smoke plume from the fire could be seen as far away as Venice.
The combination of thick vegetation that hasn’t burned in several decades and hot and dry windy conditions are fueling the fire, according to Seneca Smith, a public information officer with the Angeles National Forest. She said she expects continued growth overnight.
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Officials will face challenging weather conditions over the coming days. The National Weather Service has issued excessive heat warnings that will take effect throughout Southern California on Friday and remain in place through Monday evening.
The cause of the fire is unknown.


latimes--2020-08-13--A $400 unemployment extension is unlikely to arrive soon, if at all. What you need to know

With Congress and the White House at an impasse , President Trump recently ordered that people receiving unemployment benefits get an extra $ 400 a week .
The extra funds would be a relief for the more than 15 million jobless Americans who saw a weekly $ 600 benefit expire at the end of July .
But the extra money amid the continuing coronavirus crisis is far from a done deal .
For one thing , California Gov .
Gavin Gavin Newsom this week pushed back on the part of the plan that required states to contribute $ 100 of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would face “ massive ” budget cuts as a result .
So what type of unemployment benefits could Californians see — and , crucially , when ?
That extra $ 400 would almost certainly be $ 300 for Californians and residents of other states that say they don ’ t have enough money to contribute $ 100 .
On Tuesday , the Trump administration modified its plan to exempt cash-strapped states from contributing if they already provide at least $ 100 in state unemployment benefits .
Most states already meet that requirement , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kudlow .
That means many people could get $ 300 , half of what they had been receiving through July under the federal CARES Act .
When would the money arrive ?
The answer to this is unclear .
A central question underpinning Trump ’ s order is this : Is it legal ?
From the moment the executive order arrived , it triggered questions of constitutionality , because the power to collect taxes , spend money and write laws rests with Congress .
If the order is challenged in court , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If the legality question were resolved , the order would make payments retroactive to Aug. 1 .
But it would take weeks or longer for those who qualify for the benefits to see them .
States would need to set up new systems to administer the benefits , according to employment experts .
In California , the Employment Development Department , which handles unemployment benefits , has struggled to process and pay out claims due to reported staff shortages and outdated technology .
So where ’ s Congress in all this ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ been unable to reach a bipartisan deal on a new stimulus plan .
And significant differences remain .
Democrats , who control the House , want a $ 3-trillion package , although they offered to reduce their proposal by about $ 1 trillion .
Republicans , who control the Senate , want to keep the stimulus around $ 1 trillion .

With negotiations for further coronavirus relief stalled in Congress, it’s unclear whether or when President Trump’s order for an extra $400 of unemployment benefits could reach jobless Americans.
With Congress and the White House at an impasse, President Trump recently ordered that people receiving unemployment benefits get an extra $400 a week. The extra funds would be a relief for the more than 15 million jobless Americans who saw a weekly $600 benefit expire at the end of July. But the extra money amid the continuing coronavirus crisis is far from a done deal.
For one thing, California Gov. Gavin Gavin Newsom this week pushed back on the part of the plan that required states to contribute $100 of the benefit, arguing that the state would face “massive” budget cuts as a result.
So what type of unemployment benefits could Californians see — and, crucially, when?
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How much?
That extra $400 would almost certainly be $300 for Californians and residents of other states that say they don’t have enough money to contribute $100.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration modified its plan to exempt cash-strapped states from contributing if they already provide at least $100 in state unemployment benefits. Most states already meet that requirement, according to White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow.
That means many people could get $300, half of what they had been receiving through July under the federal CARES Act.
When would the money arrive?
The answer to this is unclear. A central question underpinning Trump’s order is this: Is it legal?
From the moment the executive order arrived, it triggered questions of constitutionality, because the power to collect taxes, spend money and write laws rests with Congress. If the order is challenged in court, it could delay or scuttle the whole idea.
If the legality question were resolved, the order would make payments retroactive to Aug. 1. But it would take weeks or longer for those who qualify for the benefits to see them. States would need to set up new systems to administer the benefits, according to employment experts.
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In California, the Employment Development Department, which handles unemployment benefits, has struggled to process and pay out claims due to reported staff shortages and outdated technology.
So where’s Congress in all this?
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have so far been unable to reach a bipartisan deal on a new stimulus plan. And significant differences remain.
Democrats, who control the House, want a $3-trillion package, although they offered to reduce their proposal by about $1 trillion. Republicans, who control the Senate, want to keep the stimulus around $1 trillion.


latimes--2020-08-13--Orange County awaits remaining backlogged coronavirus test results from state

The state is expected to fully restore backlogged COVID-19 test results to counties by the end of the week .
The data from July 31 to Aug. 4 were lost after a technical issue affected the state ’ s electronic system that gathers the information .
In Orange County , Supervisor Michelle Steel said Thursday that while the local outlook is promising , the fact that the technical issue occurred at all is a concern .
“ For months now [ the Board of Supervisors ] has asked questions and raised concerns about the data , ” Steel said about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on how the data , which is used to make policy decisions , was recorded .
“ Our cities rely on this data to best determine how to respond to the change in case count and COVID-19-related deaths.
” The county reported 24 coronavirus-related deaths and 348 more cases Thursday , bringing the total to 42,171 .
The case count included some backlogged numbers , but county officials did not say how many .
It is unclear to what extent the backlogged information will affect individual counties .
Hospitalizations in Orange County , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to decline and county officials believe that the seven-day average for new infections has dropped below the state ’ s safety threshold of 8 % .
If true , that could factor into the state ’ s decision to remove the county from the watch list .
“ I ’ m cautiously optimistic , ” said Dr. Clayton Chau , director of the Orange County Health Care Agency .
The county ’ s two most populous cities — Santa Ana and Anaheim — exceed that infection rate .
Chau said that the cities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % , respectively .
But he said that a myopic view of an individual community does not provide the full picture .
“ Obviously Santa Ana and Anaheim are higher compared to other cities .
That ’ s because they ’ re compacted , ” Chau said , adding that many people work in those areas and live elsewhere , or visa versa , leading to a higher rate of transmission than other , more suburban areas may encounter .
As residents continue to face unknowns about the virus , officials are encouraging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the county ’ s services .
According to Mind of O.C .
CEO Marshall Moncrief , calls to the county ’ s hotline have been up 50 % over the past several months .
Roughly 20 % of those calls have been related to COVID-19 .
“ We want you to reach out .
We want you to seek support , ” he said .

The state is expected to fully restore backlogged COVID-19 test results to counties by the end of the week. The data from July 31 to Aug. 4 were lost after a technical issue affected the state’s electronic system that gathers the information.
In Orange County, Supervisor Michelle Steel said Thursday that while the local outlook is promising, the fact that the technical issue occurred at all is a concern.
“For months now [the Board of Supervisors] has asked questions and raised concerns about the data,” Steel said about Orange County’s request for information on how the data, which is used to make policy decisions, was recorded.
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“Our cities rely on this data to best determine how to respond to the change in case count and COVID-19-related deaths.”
The county reported 24 coronavirus-related deaths and 348 more cases Thursday, bringing the total to 42,171. The case count included some backlogged numbers, but county officials did not say how many. It is unclear to what extent the backlogged information will affect individual counties.
Hospitalizations in Orange County, and throughout the state, have continued to decline and county officials believe that the seven-day average for new infections has dropped below the state’s safety threshold of 8%. If true, that could factor into the state’s decision to remove the county from the watch list.
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” said Dr. Clayton Chau, director of the Orange County Health Care Agency.
The county’s two most populous cities — Santa Ana and Anaheim — exceed that infection rate. Chau said that the cities’ rates are 19.7% and 19.1%, respectively. But he said that a myopic view of an individual community does not provide the full picture.
“Obviously Santa Ana and Anaheim are higher compared to other cities. That’s because they’re compacted,” Chau said, adding that many people work in those areas and live elsewhere, or visa versa, leading to a higher rate of transmission than other, more suburban areas may encounter.
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As residents continue to face unknowns about the virus, officials are encouraging them to seek mental health help through the county’s services. According to Mind of O.C. CEO Marshall Moncrief, calls to the county’s hotline have been up 50% over the past several months. Roughly 20% of those calls have been related to COVID-19.
“We want you to reach out. We want you to seek support,” he said.


latimes--2020-08-13--Ranch fire triggers evacuations for residents of Azusa's Mountain Cove community

The Los Angeles County Fire Department was alerted to the brush fire at 2:45 p.m. , spokeswoman Leslie Lua said @ @ @ @ @ San Gabriel Canyon Road and North Ranch Road .
By about 6 p.m. , the @ @ @ @ @ , according to the Fire Department .
Officials said the fire is moving into a @ @ @ @ @ homes .
No damage has been reported to structures .
Residents in the community of @ @ @ @ @ and west of Turning Leaf Way and Boulder Ridge Court , as well as south @ @ @ @ @ under mandatory evacuation orders , the Azusa Police Department wrote on Twitter .
Voluntary evacuation @ @ @ @ @ residents north of Highwood Court .
Evacuated residents can seek help at Azusa Pacific University @ @ @ @ @ .
The northbound lanes of Highway 39 at Sierra Madre Avenue and the southbound lanes @ @ @ @ @ Fork Road are closed , according to the California Department of Transportation .
As of @ @ @ @ @ had no containment .

A helicopter makes a water drop as smoke from the Ranch fire obscures the sky near Azusa. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A man walks by a row of homes as the Ranch fire burns in the hills of Azusa on Thursday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
The Ranch fire burns in the hills above a cluster of homes along the San Gabriel River near Azusa on Thursday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A firefighting helicopter makes an approach to drop water on the Ranch fire in the hills above a cluster of homes along the San Gabriel River near Azusa. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
People watch the Ranch fire burn in the hills above a cluster of homes along the San Gabriel River near Azusa. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A man walks by a row of homes as the Ranch fire burns in the hills of Azusa on Thursday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
The Ranch fire burns in the hills above a cluster of homes along the San Gabriel River. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Officials issued mandatory evacuation orders Thursday as the Ranch fire threatened Azusa’s Mountain Cove community.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department was alerted to the brush fire at 2:45 p.m., spokeswoman Leslie Lua said. Firefighters responded to North San Gabriel Canyon Road and North Ranch Road.
By about 8:30 pm, the fire had burned 3,000 acres with zero containment, according to the Azusa Police Department.
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Officials said that the fire is burning in the hillsides by the Mountain Cove community and that there is no imminent threat to structures.
But residents of Mountain Cove who live north and west of Turning Leaf Way and Boulder Ridge Court, as well as south of Highwood Court, were placed under mandatory evacuation orders in the midafternoon.
Voluntary evacuation warnings were also issued for residents north of Highwood Court. Evacuated residents can seek help at Azusa Pacific University, the Police Department said. The Fairplex in Pomona is accepting horses in need of boarding. Owners will need to bring food, water and bedding for horses.
The northbound lanes of Highway 39 at Sierra Madre Avenue and the southbound lanes of the highway at East Fork Road are closed, according to the California Department of Transportation.