latimes--2020-03-28--Coronavirus patients in California's ICU beds double overnight

The number of coronavirus patients in California ’ s intensive care unit beds doubled overnight , rising from 200 on Friday to 410 on Saturday , Gov .
Gavin Newsom said .
The number of hospitalized patients testing positive for the coronavirus that causes the respiratory disease known as COVID-19 rose by 38.6 % — from 746 on Friday to 1,034 on Saturday , Newsom said .
“ We ’ re blessed that we ’ re just at 410 , devastating for the individuals there and their family members and loved ones , ” Newsom said at a press conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by comparison and contrast to other parts of this country , that number seems relatively modest.
” California has reported more than 115 deaths and more than 5,500 cases of coronavirus around the state as of Saturday .
Los Angeles County has seen 32 deaths and more than 1,818 cases ; Santa Clara County , the second hardest-hit county in the state , has reported 25 deaths and 591 cases .
A Los Angeles Times data analysis found that California has 7,200 intensive-care beds across more than 365 hospitals .
In total , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Times data analysis shows roughly one intensive-care bed for every 5,500 people in California .
About half of California ’ s total intensive-care beds — 3,700 — are in the five-county area around Los Angeles , according to data from 2018 , the most recent available .
In the nine-county Bay Area , there are roughly 1,400 ICU beds for a population of 7.6 million people .
Intensive-care beds allow for a higher level of treatment than regular beds , a level of care serious COVID-19 patients require .
Those unable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tube inserted into the throat and to be hooked up to a ventilator , which physically pushes oxygen into the lungs .
State officials are working on adding more hospital and intensive care unit beds to handle the surge in coronavirus patients .
There is concern that without action , the state could be short tens of thousands of hospital beds needed on the epidemic ’ s worst day .
Newsom on Saturday said the federal government sent Los Angeles County 170 ventilators that arrived “ not working , ” and now a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
California and other states have been stocking up on ventilators in anticipation of a shortage at hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic .
The first-term Democrat said he learned about the problem with the federal government ’ s ventilators when he visited Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday .
“ Rather than lamenting about it , rather than complaining about it , rather than pointing fingers , rather than generating headlines in order to generate more stress and anxiety , we got a car and a truck , ” Newsom said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ here to this facility at 8 a.m. this morning , and they are quite literally working on those ventilators right now.
” Mechanical ventilators are essential to treating patients critically ill with COVID-19 .
The virus officially called SARS-CoV-2 can infect the lungs and cause people to be unable to breathe properly ; it can also cause inflammation in the lungs .
Fluid can leak into lung tissues and can drown some of the lung ’ s tiny air sacs , preventing them from delivering oxygen to the blood .
Those who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from respiratory failure , sepsis and multiple organ failure .
The governor said the ventilators came from the national stockpile , a supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services .
He spoke about the ventilators at a press conference at a Bloom Energy refurbishing site in Sunnyvale on Saturday with San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo .
Bloom ’ s core business is in repairing and refurbishing fuel-cell power generators sold to large companies and nonprofits .
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic , Newsom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 500 older ventilators owned by the state .
The governor said the company will also fix and return the 170 ventilators the federal government sent to Los Angeles by Monday .
“ That ’ s the spirit of California , ” Newsom said .
“ That ’ s the spirit of this moment.
” In total , the state has procured and identified 4,252 ventilators toward a goal of securing 10,000 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic , Newsom said .
Newsom said the Trump administration has not yet fulfilled the state ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 170 ventilators to L.A. County .
Luna reported from Sacramento , Lin from Millbrae , Calif. , Greene from Thousand Oaks .

Taryn Luna, Rong-Gong Lin II, Sean Greene

Gov. Gavin Newsom in front of the Navy hospital ship Mercy, which arrived at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday.
The number of coronavirus patients in California’s intensive care unit beds doubled overnight, rising from 200 on Friday to 410 on Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
The number of hospitalized patients testing positive for the coronavirus that causes the respiratory disease known as COVID-19 rose by 38.6% — from 746 on Friday to 1,034 on Saturday, Newsom said.
“We’re blessed that we’re just at 410, devastating for the individuals there and their family members and loved ones,” Newsom said at a press conference in Sunnyvale on Saturday. “But by comparison and contrast to other parts of this country, that number seems relatively modest.”
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California has reported more than 115 deaths and more than 5,500 cases of coronavirus around the state as of Saturday. Los Angeles County has seen 32 deaths and more than 1,818 cases; Santa Clara County, the second hardest-hit county in the state, has reported 25 deaths and 591 cases.
Tracking the coronavirus in California The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.
A Los Angeles Times data analysis found that California has 7,200 intensive-care beds across more than 365 hospitals. In total, the state has more than 70,000 beds. The Times data analysis shows roughly one intensive-care bed for every 5,500 people in California.
About half of California’s total intensive-care beds — 3,700 — are in the five-county area around Los Angeles, according to data from 2018, the most recent available. In the nine-county Bay Area, there are roughly 1,400 ICU beds for a population of 7.6 million people.
Intensive-care beds allow for a higher level of treatment than regular beds, a level of care serious COVID-19 patients require. Those unable to breathe properly may need a breathing tube inserted into the throat and to be hooked up to a ventilator, which physically pushes oxygen into the lungs.
State officials are working on adding more hospital and intensive care unit beds to handle the surge in coronavirus patients. There is concern that without action, the state could be short tens of thousands of hospital beds needed on the epidemic’s worst day.
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Newsom on Saturday said the federal government sent Los Angeles County 170 ventilators that arrived “not working,” and now a Silicon Valley company is fixing the equipment.
California and other states have been stocking up on ventilators in anticipation of a shortage at hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first-term Democrat said he learned about the problem with the federal government’s ventilators when he visited Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday.
“Rather than lamenting about it, rather than complaining about it, rather than pointing fingers, rather than generating headlines in order to generate more stress and anxiety, we got a car and a truck,” Newsom said.
“And we had those 170 brought here to this facility at 8 a.m. this morning, and they are quite literally working on those ventilators right now.”
Mechanical ventilators are essential to treating patients critically ill with COVID-19. The virus officially called SARS-CoV-2 can infect the lungs and cause people to be unable to breathe properly; it can also cause inflammation in the lungs. Fluid can leak into lung tissues and can drown some of the lung’s tiny air sacs, preventing them from delivering oxygen to the blood.
Those who are critically ill from the coronavirus can suffer from respiratory failure, sepsis and multiple organ failure.
The governor said the ventilators came from the national stockpile, a supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services. He spoke about the ventilators at a press conference at a Bloom Energy refurbishing site in Sunnyvale on Saturday with San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.
Bloom’s core business is in repairing and refurbishing fuel-cell power generators sold to large companies and nonprofits. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Newsom said the company is refurbishing more than 500 older ventilators owned by the state.
The governor said the company will also fix and return the 170 ventilators the federal government sent to Los Angeles by Monday.
“That’s the spirit of California,” Newsom said. “That’s the spirit of this moment.”
In total, the state has procured and identified 4,252 ventilators toward a goal of securing 10,000 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Newsom said.
Newsom said the Trump administration has not yet fulfilled the state’s request for ventilators and separately sent the 170 ventilators to L.A. County.
Luna reported from Sacramento, Lin from Millbrae, Calif., Greene from Thousand Oaks.


latimes--2020-03-28--Gov. Newsom commutes sentence of Swedish rapper in 2008 road rage killing

A Swedish hip-hop artist convicted of murdering a Hollywood jazz pianist in a brutal burst of road rage will be released from prison after Gov .
Gavin Newsom commuted his sentence Friday .
At San Quentin State Prison , David Jassy mentored young inmates using what he knew best : rap music .
He required that their songs contain no profanity and express meaningful emotions .
Jassy ’ s Youthful Offender Program Mixtape project drew the attention of reality show star Kim Kardashian West , who has embraced prison reform as a pet cause .
“ Thank you @ gavinnewsom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
I visited him at San Quentin & saw the music program he ran for youth inside and I know he is going to continue to give back once he is home !
” West wrote on Twitter .
Jessica Jackson , cofounder of the prison reform group # cut50 , said she and West were among those who lobbied for Jassy ’ s release after 11 years behind bars .
“ So many of them had never had somebody who believed in them , had never been part of something like this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men in Jassy ’ s Mixtape project .
“ They were shocked that they had made something of value.
” Jassy , 45 , was one of 21 inmates whose sentences were commuted by Newsom on Friday .
Newsom also pardoned five felons who have already served their time .
A news release from the governor ’ s office said the clemency applications were being processed before the COVID-19 pandemic but that public health impacts were considered as well as each inmate ’ s health status and post-release plans .
“ He is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among his fellow inmates and continues to support and encourage those around him whether through his music or personal conduct , ” Jassy ’ s commutation certificate said , quoting from a sponsor of the program .
In November 2008 , Jassy was in Los Angeles to work on a record and write songs when he edged his rented SUV into a crosswalk and almost hit a pedestrian .
John Osnes , 55 , who played piano at Hollywood bars and knew 400 jazz standards by heart , brought his hands down on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He did not own a car and was a fierce advocate for the rights of pedestrians .
Jassy punched Osnes and kicked him in the face .
“ It was like a punter kicking a football , ” one witness said .
Jassy then got back into the SUV and drove over Osnes ’ body , according to court testimony .
In February 2010 , a Los Angeles County jury convicted Jassy of second-degree murder , and he was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison .
Some jurors said kicking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but they were not sure if Jassy intentionally ran over Osnes .
“ The death of Mr. Osnes was a tragedy he always repented , ” Alec Rose , Jassy ’ s lawyer at the trial , said Saturday .
“ I hope those who knew him and loved Mr. Osnes are at peace at this point.
” Osnes ’ family and friends could not be reached for comment .
On a 2018 episode of Ear Hustle , a podcast about prison life , Jassy said that when he got out , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his son , who was 11 at the time of the killing .
“ It bothers me a lot because I have a lot of guilt for getting into this situation , and to have him growing up without me , ” Jassy said .

Swedish hip-hop artist David Jassy listens as letters from victim John Osnes’ sisters were read in court. “I expect you play that evening over and over in your head,” one wrote.
A Swedish hip-hop artist convicted of murdering a Hollywood jazz pianist in a brutal burst of road rage will be released from prison after Gov. Gavin Newsom commuted his sentence Friday.
At San Quentin State Prison, David Jassy mentored young inmates using what he knew best: rap music. He required that their songs contain no profanity and express meaningful emotions.
Jassy’s Youthful Offender Program Mixtape project drew the attention of reality show star Kim Kardashian West, who has embraced prison reform as a pet cause.
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“Thank you @gavinnewsom for granting David Jassy a commutation today! I visited him at San Quentin & saw the music program he ran for youth inside and I know he is going to continue to give back once he is home!” West wrote on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/KimKardashian/status/1243764775936385024
Jessica Jackson, cofounder of the prison reform group #cut50, said she and West were among those who lobbied for Jassy’s release after 11 years behind bars.
“So many of them had never had somebody who believed in them, had never been part of something like this,” Jackson said of the young men in Jassy’s Mixtape project. “They were shocked that they had made something of value.”
Jassy, 45, was one of 21 inmates whose sentences were commuted by Newsom on Friday. Newsom also pardoned five felons who have already served their time.
A news release from the governor’s office said the clemency applications were being processed before the COVID-19 pandemic but that public health impacts were considered as well as each inmate’s health status and post-release plans.
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“He is a valued member of the music program among his fellow inmates and continues to support and encourage those around him whether through his music or personal conduct,” Jassy’s commutation certificate said, quoting from a sponsor of the program.
In November 2008, Jassy was in Los Angeles to work on a record and write songs when he edged his rented SUV into a crosswalk and almost hit a pedestrian.
John Osnes, 55, who played piano at Hollywood bars and knew 400 jazz standards by heart, brought his hands down on the hood of the SUV and shouted. He did not own a car and was a fierce advocate for the rights of pedestrians.
Jassy punched Osnes and kicked him in the face. “It was like a punter kicking a football,” one witness said.
Jassy then got back into the SUV and drove over Osnes’ body, according to court testimony.
In February 2010, a Los Angeles County jury convicted Jassy of second-degree murder, and he was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
Some jurors said kicking Osnes crossed the line to murder, but they were not sure if Jassy intentionally ran over Osnes.
“The death of Mr. Osnes was a tragedy he always repented,” Alec Rose, Jassy’s lawyer at the trial, said Saturday. “I hope those who knew him and loved Mr. Osnes are at peace at this point.”
Osnes’ family and friends could not be reached for comment.
On a 2018 episode of Ear Hustle, a podcast about prison life, Jassy said that when he got out, he would immediately fly to Sweden to see his son, who was 11 at the time of the killing.
“It bothers me a lot because I have a lot of guilt for getting into this situation, and to have him growing up without me,” Jassy said.


latimes--2020-03-28--Orange County coronavirus cases jump past 400 with 4 deaths

Orange County on Saturday said total coronavirus cases jumped to 403 , including four deaths .
The rise came as the county is doing more testing .
As of Saturday , the county had performed more than 4,800 tests .
Officials on Friday began released city-by-city coronavirus cases , with Anaheim , Irvine and Newport Beach having among the highest totals .
But officials cautioned about how to view that list .
“ COVID-19 now has reached community transmission status , which means people may have contracted the illness elsewhere in the county .
This may not necessarily be in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the county said in a statement .
“ These data should not be interpreted as an indication of activity in any specific location .
Under a community transmission status , the true prevalence of this disease may not be known , as most cases are likely not diagnosed or reported.
” David Souleles , director of public health services for the Orange County Health Care Agency , added at a news conference Friday : “ We know that there is risk countywide .
We don ’ t need people to assume that either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or a low number that they are either at a greater risk or a lesser risk .
”

Dallas and Janet Weaver wear protective masks March 18 as they return from a walk on the Huntington Beach pier.
Orange County on Saturday said total coronavirus cases jumped to 403, including four deaths.
The rise came as the county is doing more testing. As of Saturday, the county had performed more than 4,800 tests.
Officials on Friday began released city-by-city coronavirus cases, with Anaheim, Irvine and Newport Beach having among the highest totals.
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But officials cautioned about how to view that list.
“COVID-19 now has reached community transmission status, which means people may have contracted the illness elsewhere in the county. This may not necessarily be in the city where they live,” the county said in a statement. “These data should not be interpreted as an indication of activity in any specific location. Under a community transmission status, the true prevalence of this disease may not be known, as most cases are likely not diagnosed or reported.”
David Souleles, director of public health services for the Orange County Health Care Agency, added at a news conference Friday: “We know that there is risk countywide. We don’t need people to assume that either if their city has a high number or a low number that they are either at a greater risk or a lesser risk.”
Davis writes for Times Community News.


latimes--2020-03-29--LAPD preparing scenarios in which many officers are out sick from coronavirus

While the number of infected Los Angeles police officers remains relatively small compared with their counterparts in New York City , LAPD Chief Michel Moore said he is prepared for the coronavirus to potentially sicken more of the force .
So far , 24 officers and civilians have tested positive and have been self-quarantined at home .
The department has been taking measures to limit the spread and avoid numbers like the New York Police Department , where more than 230 officers tested positive and about 10 % of the department is calling in sick .
In addition , six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus .
“ All of these individuals are self-isolating at home and recovering , ” the city said in a statement Moore said his leadership team has been setting up a plan for scenarios in which up to 30 % and perhaps even half the department calls in sick .
These are worst-case scenarios , and officials do not think it will get that bad .
Officers in some locations this week began switching to 12-hour shifts to bolster the number of patrol cops and provide security at eight homeless shelters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ detectives to patrol functions .
Moore said in the last few weeks the department has entirely mobilized , vacation days have been canceled , unnecessary assignments and operations put aside and everyone assigned to concentrate on the essential public safety functions .
According to sources , four of those testing positives are command staff members of the rank of captain and above and six come from the Central Division where an officer came back from vacation and returned to work with flu-like symptoms only to test positive .
Crime in Los Angeles fell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strict new rules on residents and businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
Violent offenses in the city dropped 14 % and property crime declined 12 % through March 25 compared with the same period last year , according to figures from the Los Angeles Police Department .
The department had reported single-digit reductions before this month .

Lt. Jay Hom helps assemble kits consisting of an N95 mask, work gloves and nitrile gloves for field officers to protect themselves from exposure to the coronavirus.
While the number of infected Los Angeles police officers remains relatively small compared with their counterparts in New York City, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said he is prepared for the coronavirus to potentially sicken more of the force.
So far, 24 officers and civilians have tested positive and have been self-quarantined at home. The department has been taking measures to limit the spread and avoid numbers like the New York Police Department, where more than 230 officers tested positive and about 10% of the department is calling in sick.
In addition, six Los Angeles firefighters have tested positive for the coronavirus.
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“All of these individuals are self-isolating at home and recovering,” the city said in a statement
Moore said his leadership team has been setting up a plan for scenarios in which up to 30% and perhaps even half the department calls in sick. These are worst-case scenarios, and officials do not think it will get that bad.
Officers in some locations this week began switching to 12-hour shifts to bolster the number of patrol cops and provide security at eight homeless shelters.
The department has already transferred hundreds of detectives to patrol functions. Moore said in the last few weeks the department has entirely mobilized, vacation days have been canceled, unnecessary assignments and operations put aside and everyone assigned to concentrate on the essential public safety functions.
According to sources, four of those testing positives are command staff members of the rank of captain and above and six come from the Central Division where an officer came back from vacation and returned to work with flu-like symptoms only to test positive.
Crime in Los Angeles fell sharply in March as the city imposed strict new rules on residents and businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Violent offenses in the city dropped 14% and property crime declined 12% through March 25 compared with the same period last year, according to figures from the Los Angeles Police Department. The department had reported single-digit reductions before this month.


latimes--2020-03-28--He thought he had coronavirus and had nowhere to go. He spent five days alone in his car

Reggie Dominguez sat in his car dazed , listening to the radio .
He had been in the parking lot of the Kaiser Permanente in Baldwin Park Medical Center for three days and alone in his car for two days before that , suffering through diarrhea , cold sweats and chills , interrupted by coughing fits that shook his entire body .
A doctor and an emergency room had turned him away .
Both told the 63-year-old that his symptoms weren ’ t severe enough to merit a test for the novel coronavirus and to call 911 if things got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ native whose high cheekbones , piercing eyes and thin mustache give him a striking resemblance to Clark Gable , had driven his 2009 Mercedes Benz SUV from his mother ’ s home in El Paso to Southern California to visit his two sons .
After arriving , he developed flu-like symptoms and , understanding the risk , refused one son ’ s offer to stay at his house until he could get tested .
So Dominguez was essentially homeless .
“ I didn ’ t want to propagate this thing , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles , his health continued to decline and the former Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee was down to his last $ 40 .
It was Tuesday , and he ’ d been sick for five days .
On the radio , KPCC-FM ( 89.3 ) was playing Larry Mantle ’ s public affairs show .
The guests included an official from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and two homeless providers , including Rev .
Andy Bales of Union Rescue Mission .
Mantle asked for Angelenos living in their cars or on the street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one man who lived in his van in Orange and had no place to take a shower or find food to eat .
Then , “ Reggie in Baldwin Park ” came on , his words punctuated by a brief coughing fit .
“ I don ’ t want to expose anyone to the virus , so I have been isolating myself in the car , ” Dominguez told KPCC .
One of Mantle ’ s guests told him about some online resources .
But after the show , Bales got Dominguez ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called and told him to come to the Union Rescue Mission as soon as possible .
Dominguez barely had enough gas to get there .
“ Things were looking pretty grim with my symptoms and financially , ” he said .
Somehow , Dominguez managed to get to skid row , where Bales and a nurse on staff donned masks and gloves , and helped him into the mission ’ s gym , which has been serving as a quarantine room .
Bales worried that Dominguez wouldn ’ t make it through Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s phone was charged just in case he had to call 911 .
“ When he stood up , he was out of breath , ” Bales said .
“ The clinic said he was sicker than anyone who had complained of the common flu or other viruses that are going around.
” Bales has had several other homeless clients in quarantine , too .
He thinks most have the flu , but he can ’ t be sure .
Their tests are still out .
On Friday , he brought yet another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the gym .
Throughout all of this , he has been waiting with a sense of foreboding , knowing what will eventually come — a test result showing that a homeless person is positive for the coronavirus .
If that happens , public health officials say the virus and the COVID-19 disease it causes will rip through the already high-risk population with a devastating and likely deadly speed , putting even more pressure on overwhelmed hospitals .
Nurses and shelter providers describe how the close knit community on skid row — the largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States — has few tests , medical supplies or clinics .
And because skid row is crowded with street encampments and packed shelters , there ’ s also the issue of people not having enough room to socially distance themselves from others to slow the spread of the virus .
Dominguez was able to get tested and was sent to Dockweiler Beach , where he ’ s staying in one of the 112 trailers that are being used to quarantine people who test positive or have symptoms of COVID-19 .
As of Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the trailers , according to county officials , though the number fluctuates as new cases arrive .
Many of the patients are homeless , said Shannon Fernando , a nurse there and chief innovations officer at the Los Angeles Christian Health Center .
Steven Frasher , a spokesman for the L.A. County Emergency Operations Center , said officials weren ’ t tracking patients ’ housing status , but added that the trailers at Dockweiler were “ open to anyone in the county who doesn ’ t have the ability or resources to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that would include persons experiencing homelessness.
” Dominguez said he is weak but feeling better after each nap and each meal .
Still Fernando , who has helped with his treatment , said he won ’ t know if he actually has the virus until at least early next week .
A backlog at the testing lab has made it challenging to get answers for people who suspect they have the coronavirus , she said .
So far , Fernando ’ s skid row clinic , Joshua House , has sent four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is testing other people outside their clinic on the street .
Anyone can walk up .
But Joshua House only has 250 tests to give and so Fernando is hoping that more are on the way .
Through Friday , the clinic had tested 28 people , she said .
As more symptomatic homeless people emerge , though , Fernando said she is worried whether there will be enough trailers and other spaces to isolate patients .
“ The issue is , that we are so far behind in L.A. County in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ I think , for us , our biggest concerns as a clinic , and even for our partners on the ground , is , what do we do with these most vulnerable people when they start having symptoms and we need to isolate them ?
Like what are the viable options for us ?
” Bales concurred , saying that , in addition to the lack of resources , one of the biggest challenges is the long wait for test results .
Jaime Alvarez , who is homeless , just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles Mission .
For the past several months , he has been there as part of a rehabilitation program .
Alvarez didn ’ t imagine he ’ d find himself homeless after moving to the United States from Mexico in 2000 .
For a while , the 42-year-old did well , working as a carpenter and sharing an apartment in East Los Angeles with strangers .
But soon , the depression set in .
He missed his family .
He started using drugs .
He stopped going to work , lost his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month , he began to feel ill with flu-like symptoms .
He asked if he could visit the mission ’ s clinic .
“ My throat hurt .
It hurt to swallow .
I spent several days feeling like that , ” Alvarez said .
“ They told me that probably I had the coronavirus.
” Despite not having some of the telltale symptoms , such as shortness of breath , and not having any underlying health conditions , such as asthma , he was tested by Fernando ’ s colleagues for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Herb Smith , the mission ’ s president and chief executive .
Doctors told Alvarez to stay in isolation for 14 days , and he was placed in the mission ’ s Spanish Chapel — a large multi-purpose room that has a TV and a bathroom .
Three other sick people have been living there too , and nurses and case managers speak to them all by phone .
One person they put into quarantine refused to stay .
That worried Smith .
His staff tried to find everyone whom that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warning them about their potential exposure to the coronavirus .
Smith said his staff are adjusting to the new reality .
They continue to help people off the street , knowing that the close proximity inside the shelter could allow the virus to quickly spread .
“ With everyone coming through the door , ” Smith said , “ it ’ s difficult to get the hand washing and temperature taking consistent.
” Alvarez spent days in the Spanish Chapel and Smith became frustrated that he hadn ’ t heard back about his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than a week , they learned that the results were negative .
Alvarez says he feels fine , though out of quarantine , remains enrolled in the mission ’ s rehabilitation program .
As for the others still in the Spanish Chapel , Alvarez says he doesn ’ t know whether they have the coronavirus .
“ There are a lot of people that are like this , coughing and coughing , ” he said .

Benjamin Oreskes, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

The view from a trailer at Dockweiler Beach RV Park, where Reggie Dominguez is quarantining while he recuperates as he awaits the results of a test for the coronavirus.
Reggie Dominguez sat in his car dazed, listening to the radio.
He had been in the parking lot of the Kaiser Permanente in Baldwin Park Medical Center for three days and alone in his car for two days before that, suffering through diarrhea, cold sweats and chills, interrupted by coughing fits that shook his entire body. A doctor and an emergency room had turned him away. Both told the 63-year-old that his symptoms weren’t severe enough to merit a test for the novel coronavirus and to call 911 if things got worse.
Dominguez, a Los Angeles native whose high cheekbones, piercing eyes and thin mustache give him a striking resemblance to Clark Gable, had driven his 2009 Mercedes Benz SUV from his mother’s home in El Paso to Southern California to visit his two sons. After arriving, he developed flu-like symptoms and, understanding the risk, refused one son’s offer to stay at his house until he could get tested. So Dominguez was essentially homeless.
“I didn’t want to propagate this thing,” he told The Times.
Once in Los Angeles, his health continued to decline and the former Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee was down to his last $40. It was Tuesday, and he’d been sick for five days.
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On the radio, KPCC-FM (89.3) was playing Larry Mantle’s public affairs show. The guests included an official from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and two homeless providers, including Rev. Andy Bales of Union Rescue Mission. Mantle asked for Angelenos living in their cars or on the street to call in. They heard from one man who lived in his van in Orange and had no place to take a shower or find food to eat.
Then, “Reggie in Baldwin Park” came on, his words punctuated by a brief coughing fit.
“I don’t want to expose anyone to the virus, so I have been isolating myself in the car,” Dominguez told KPCC.
One of Mantle’s guests told him about some online resources. But after the show, Bales got Dominguez’s phone number from the switchboard, called and told him to come to the Union Rescue Mission as soon as possible. Dominguez barely had enough gas to get there.
“Things were looking pretty grim with my symptoms and financially,” he said.
Somehow, Dominguez managed to get to skid row, where Bales and a nurse on staff donned masks and gloves, and helped him into the mission’s gym, which has been serving as a quarantine room. Bales worried that Dominguez wouldn’t make it through Tuesday night and so made sure Dominguez’s phone was charged just in case he had to call 911.
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“When he stood up, he was out of breath,” Bales said. “The clinic said he was sicker than anyone who had complained of the common flu or other viruses that are going around.”
Bales has had several other homeless clients in quarantine, too. He thinks most have the flu, but he can’t be sure. Their tests are still out. On Friday, he brought yet another man who was listening to KPCC to the gym.
Throughout all of this, he has been waiting with a sense of foreboding, knowing what will eventually come — a test result showing that a homeless person is positive for the coronavirus.
Los Angeles, CA., March 15, 2020 - Los Angeles County is usingDockweiler Beach RV Park and multiple other locations throughout the region to temporarily house individuals who may have been ordered to isolate or quarantine by the Department of Public Health due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on Sunday, March 15, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) (Jason Armond/Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
If that happens, public health officials say the virus and the COVID-19 disease it causes will rip through the already high-risk population with a devastating and likely deadly speed, putting even more pressure on overwhelmed hospitals.
Nurses and shelter providers describe how the close knit community on skid row — the largest concentration of homeless people in the United States — has few tests, medical supplies or clinics. And because skid row is crowded with street encampments and packed shelters, there’s also the issue of people not having enough room to socially distance themselves from others to slow the spread of the virus.
Dominguez was able to get tested and was sent to Dockweiler Beach, where he’s staying in one of the 112 trailers that are being used to quarantine people who test positive or have symptoms of COVID-19. As of Friday morning, there were 21 patients living in the trailers, according to county officials, though the number fluctuates as new cases arrive.
Many of the patients are homeless, said Shannon Fernando, a nurse there and chief innovations officer at the Los Angeles Christian Health Center.
Steven Frasher, a spokesman for the L.A. County Emergency Operations Center, said officials weren’t tracking patients’ housing status, but added that the trailers at Dockweiler were “open to anyone in the county who doesn’t have the ability or resources to shelter and isolate where thy are, and that would include persons experiencing homelessness.”
Dominguez said he is weak but feeling better after each nap and each meal. Still Fernando, who has helped with his treatment, said he won’t know if he actually has the virus until at least early next week. A backlog at the testing lab has made it challenging to get answers for people who suspect they have the coronavirus, she said.
Reggie Dominguez in a trailer at Dockweiler Beach RV Park, where he’s quarantining while possibly sick with COVID-19. (Reggie Dominguez)
So far, Fernando’s skid row clinic, Joshua House, has sent four people to trailers at Dockweiler Beach and is testing other people outside their clinic on the street. Anyone can walk up. But Joshua House only has 250 tests to give and so Fernando is hoping that more are on the way. Through Friday, the clinic had tested 28 people, she said.
As more symptomatic homeless people emerge, though, Fernando said she is worried whether there will be enough trailers and other spaces to isolate patients.
“The issue is, that we are so far behind in L.A. County in our testing capacity and capabilities,” she said. “I think, for us, our biggest concerns as a clinic, and even for our partners on the ground, is, what do we do with these most vulnerable people when they start having symptoms and we need to isolate them? Like what are the viable options for us?”
Bales concurred, saying that, in addition to the lack of resources, one of the biggest challenges is the long wait for test results.
Jaime Alvarez, who is homeless, just lived through it and lives at the Los Angeles Mission. For the past several months, he has been there as part of a rehabilitation program.
Alvarez didn’t imagine he’d find himself homeless after moving to the United States from Mexico in 2000. For a while, the 42-year-old did well, working as a carpenter and sharing an apartment in East Los Angeles with strangers. But soon, the depression set in. He missed his family. He started using drugs. He stopped going to work, lost his apartment and his car.
Earlier this month, he began to feel ill with flu-like symptoms. He asked if he could visit the mission’s clinic.
“My throat hurt. It hurt to swallow. I spent several days feeling like that,” Alvarez said. “They told me that probably I had the coronavirus.”
Despite not having some of the telltale symptoms, such as shortness of breath, and not having any underlying health conditions, such as asthma, he was tested by Fernando’s colleagues for the coronavirus. That was March 17, according to Herb Smith, the mission’s president and chief executive.
Doctors told Alvarez to stay in isolation for 14 days, and he was placed in the mission’s Spanish Chapel — a large multi-purpose room that has a TV and a bathroom. Three other sick people have been living there too, and nurses and case managers speak to them all by phone.
One person they put into quarantine refused to stay. That worried Smith. His staff tried to find everyone whom that person had contacted, in hopes of warning them about their potential exposure to the coronavirus.
Smith said his staff are adjusting to the new reality. They continue to help people off the street, knowing that the close proximity inside the shelter could allow the virus to quickly spread.
“With everyone coming through the door,” Smith said, “it’s difficult to get the hand washing and temperature taking consistent.”
Alvarez spent days in the Spanish Chapel and Smith became frustrated that he hadn’t heard back about his test results. But finally, after more than a week, they learned that the results were negative.
Alvarez says he feels fine, though out of quarantine, remains enrolled in the mission’s rehabilitation program. As for the others still in the Spanish Chapel, Alvarez says he doesn’t know whether they have the coronavirus.
“There are a lot of people that are like this, coughing and coughing,” he said.


latimes--2020-03-28--Governor gives chief justice broad powers, including suspending laws, during coronavirus crisis

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye , who was given unprecedented powers by Gov .
Gavin Newsom , voted with other judicial leaders Saturday to recommend that courts use remote hearings to get people out of overcrowded jails .
During an emergency meeting of the Judicial Council , Cantil-Sakauye said the lack of court hearings and the closure of state prisons to new inmates has left California ’ s jails overcrowded in potentially unsafe conditions .
She said she has received “ no assurance ” that jails in California are practicing social distancing , that inmates can be transported to courthouses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practice it .
“ This is about making sure the courts are not vectors , ” she said .
Criminal defense lawyers trying to get clients out of jail have complained they have no way to file documents because court clerks have locked their doors .
Under normal circumstances , a defendant must appear for arraignments and preliminary hearings .
The recommendation unanimously adopted Saturday calls on courts to use telephonic , audio or video conferencing whenever possible , including for criminal and juvenile proceedings .
That includes arraignments and preliminary examinations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the policymaking body of the court system , underscored the difficulty of using technology for remote meetings during the coronavirus crisis .
The council ’ s conference call system initially collapsed because too many people , including the members , the public and the media , tried to get through at once .
After about 45 minutes , another system was put in place and the meeting proceeded .
Newsom ’ s order , issued Friday , gives Cantil-Sakauye extraordinary powers , including the right to suspend laws .
The law is filled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights of criminal defendants .
There are public access requirements and rules about how legal matters should be conducted .
The governor said on Saturday the executive order was designed to give the judicial branch the flexibility that its leaders had asked for .
“ This will allow them the ability , in real time , to meet the needs of the criminal and civil justice system , ” he said during a COVID-19 news conference in San Jose .
Cantil-Sakauye said she assured Newsom that the new powers would be assumed “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stressed they were temporary and needed to ensure “ the justice system will be available to those most in need.
” “ The keyword here for all of us is temporary , ” said Cantil-Sakauye , who was appointed by former Gov .
Arnold Schwarzenegger .
The Judicial Council on Saturday also approved the extension of legal deadlines .
Certain inmates normally have the right to be released if a hearing isn ’ t held within 10 days .
That will be extended to 30 days .
Defendants charged with a felony normally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 48 hours .
The new deadline is seven court days .
With courts largely shut down , 1st Amendment groups have expressed concern that the public will be denied access to documents and proceedings conducted by telephone .
On Friday evening , Cantil-Sakauye issued her own order on how the state ’ s highest court will hold oral arguments next month .
The order permits only 15 members of the media into its San Francisco courtroom .
Journalists will be admitted on a first-come basis and will have to sit six feet apart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but can watch proceedings online at the Judicial Branch website .
To meet social-distancing requirements , no more than five of the court ’ s seven justices will be seated on the bench .
The other two will participate remotely .
Lawyers will make their arguments through video or telephone conference .

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an order this week giving California’s chief justice broad powers during the coronavirus crisis.
California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, who was given unprecedented powers by Gov. Gavin Newsom, voted with other judicial leaders Saturday to recommend that courts use remote hearings to get people out of overcrowded jails.
During an emergency meeting of the Judicial Council, Cantil-Sakauye said the lack of court hearings and the closure of state prisons to new inmates has left California’s jails overcrowded in potentially unsafe conditions.
She said she has received “no assurance” that jails in California are practicing social distancing, that inmates can be transported to courthouses with social distancing or that courtrooms can practice it.
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“This is about making sure the courts are not vectors,” she said.
Criminal defense lawyers trying to get clients out of jail have complained they have no way to file documents because court clerks have locked their doors.
Under normal circumstances, a defendant must appear for arraignments and preliminary hearings. The recommendation unanimously adopted Saturday calls on courts to use telephonic, audio or video conferencing whenever possible, including for criminal and juvenile proceedings. That includes arraignments and preliminary examinations.
The meeting of the Judicial Council, the policymaking body of the court system, underscored the difficulty of using technology for remote meetings during the coronavirus crisis.
The council’s conference call system initially collapsed because too many people, including the members, the public and the media, tried to get through at once. After about 45 minutes, another system was put in place and the meeting proceeded.
Newsom’s order, issued Friday, gives Cantil-Sakauye extraordinary powers, including the right to suspend laws.
The law is filled with deadlines, many to protect the rights of criminal defendants. There are public access requirements and rules about how legal matters should be conducted.
The governor said on Saturday the executive order was designed to give the judicial branch the flexibility that its leaders had asked for.
“This will allow them the ability, in real time, to meet the needs of the criminal and civil justice system,” he said during a COVID-19 news conference in San Jose.
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Cantil-Sakauye said she assured Newsom that the new powers would be assumed “with utmost care and judiciousness.”
She stressed they were temporary and needed to ensure “the justice system will be available to those most in need.”
“The keyword here for all of us is temporary,” said Cantil-Sakauye, who was appointed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Judicial Council on Saturday also approved the extension of legal deadlines.
Certain inmates normally have the right to be released if a hearing isn’t held within 10 days. That will be extended to 30 days. Defendants charged with a felony normally must be taken before a judge in 48 hours. The new deadline is seven court days.
With courts largely shut down, 1st Amendment groups have expressed concern that the public will be denied access to documents and proceedings conducted by telephone.
On Friday evening, Cantil-Sakauye issued her own order on how the state’s highest court will hold oral arguments next month.
The order permits only 15 members of the media into its San Francisco courtroom. Journalists will be admitted on a first-come basis and will have to sit six feet apart.
The public will not be admitted but can watch proceedings online at the Judicial Branch website.
To meet social-distancing requirements, no more than five of the court’s seven justices will be seated on the bench. The other two will participate remotely.
Lawyers will make their arguments through video or telephone conference.
Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-28--L.A. County announces 6 new coronavirus deaths as hospitals fill up in California

Los Angeles County public health officials on Saturday announced six new deaths from the coronavirus and 344 additional cases , bringing the county ’ s total to 32 deaths and 1,817 cases .
About a third of the cases — 601 — were confirmed in the past 48 hours , officials said .
As of Saturday , 398 people , or about 22 % of positive cases , had at some point been hospitalized .
Barbara Ferrer , director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health , said the increase in cases means that it ’ s more crucial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-isolate if one is feeling sick with even mild illness .
“ If we all commit ourselves to stay home , stay away from others when sick and stay six feet apart when out , we will save lives , ” Ferrer said in a statement .
As coronavirus deaths in California topped 100 , leaving officials struggling to slow the spread through ever-increasing restrictions on movements , Gov .
Gavin Newsom said Saturday the federal government had sent Los Angeles County 170 ventilators that arrived “ not working , ” and now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equipment .
California and other states have been stocking up on ventilators in anticipation of a shortage at hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic .
Newsom said hospitals statewide already are seeing a surge in patients , with the number of people in intensive care units doubling overnight , from 200 people Friday to 410 Saturday .
Hospitalizations overall rose 38.6 % , from 746 Friday to 1,034 Saturday , he said .
“ That is a significant , sizable increase , and if trends continue along those lines , then we will start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to people on the East Coast , ” he said at a press conference with San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo on Saturday at a Bloom Energy refurbishing site in Sunnyvale .
The first-term Democrat said he learned about a problem with the federal government ’ s ventilators when he visited Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday .
“ Rather than lamenting about it , rather than complaining about it , rather than pointing fingers , rather than generating headlines in order to generate more stress and anxiety , we got a car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ And we had those 170 brought here to this facility at 8 a.m. this morning , and they are quite literally working on those ventilators right now.
” The governor said the ventilators came from the national stockpile , a supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services .
Bloom ’ s core business is repairing and refurbishing fuel-cell power generators sold to large companies and nonprofits .
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic , Newsom said , the company is refurbishing more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state .
The governor said the company will also fix and return the 170 ventilators the federal government sent to Los Angeles by Monday .
“ That ’ s the spirit of California , ” Newsom said .
“ That ’ s the spirit of this moment.
” In total , the state has procured and identified 4,252 ventilators toward a goal of securing 10,000 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic , Newsom said .
Public health officials have said they expect to see a surge in cases across the state in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration has not yet fulfilled the state ’ s request for ventilators and separately sent the 170 ventilators to L.A. County .
As the number of cases continued to rise across California , enforcement of orders to keep beaches , parks and hiking trails clear appeared to tighten this weekend after images of people flocking to popular outdoor spots drew the ire of government officials .
A Ventura County sheriff ’ s department cruiser could be seen guarding the entrance to a popular trail in the Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ descended last Saturday .
In Venice , a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter could be seen circling above a skate park , making an announcement that persons who did not leave the area would be “ arrested for trespassing.
” Despite park and trail closures in Santa Monica , Amy Weber managed to spend her Saturday morning outdoors at a farmer ’ s market .
Weber said organizers did a good job maintaining enough distance between people inside the market .
Waiting in line outside , people smiled and chatted .
“ There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that makes you feel a little bit fresher , cleaner , ” Weber said .
Afterward , Weber walked to Palisades Park , where she spent the late morning taking in views of the ocean .
She got to the bottom of the California Incline footpath to the beach and saw a wire chain with a sign saying it was temporarily closed .
Down below , she saw people biking and walking on the beach path .
By 1 p.m. , police vehicles making their way south were slowing near her .
Officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would like to remind you that Palisades Park is closed .
Please practice social distancing as you ’ re exiting the park.
” Weber was glad for the enforcement , saying she hopes that shutting things down will mean the country recovers from coronavirus quicker .
“ If we keep doing this in tiny little bits and nobody ’ s adhering to it , I ’ m just afraid it ’ s going to continue , ” she said .
For now , Weber said she ’ s content with looking at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air and feeling the ocean breeze .
Residents of other West L.A. neighborhoods were less tranquil Saturday , as power outages continued to cause headaches in parts of Beverlywood , Cheviot Hills , Century City , Pico-Robertson and Westwood .
Stella Gardiner , a legal assistant who lives in Pico-Robertson , said she had been dealing with sporadic power outages since Thursday and was growing concerned about how the loss of electricity might affect older residents in her area .
“ There are people with health problems , ” she said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they need.
” A total of 20 people died of the virus in California on Friday alone , with deaths reported by Contra Costa , Kern , Los Angeles , Marin , Orange , Sacramento , San Diego , San Francisco , San Joaquin , San Mateo , Santa Clara and Ventura counties .
The person who died in Kern County , the county ’ s first in the coronavirus pandemic , was identified by friends as Susie Garcia , 48 , of Delano , according to local media outlets .
They believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visit to San Jose , according to the media reports .
On Saturday , San Francisco reported an additional death , bringing its total to four deaths and 308 cases .
So did Orange County , which reached four deaths and 403 cases .
There are now nearly 5,000 cases of coronavirus infection in the state , and officials believe that number will skyrocket with aggressive new testing .
Also among the recent victims was a 25-year-old pharmacy technician from San Diego who was found dead Wednesday in a hotel residence in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Riverside County ’ s public information officer .
The man had no underlying health conditions that may have contributed to his death .
He has not been identified .
“ This is a deeply saddening reminder that COVID-19 kills the young and healthy too , ” Dr. Cameron Kaiser , Riverside County ’ s public health officer , said .
In Los Angeles County , health officials reported five more fatalities due to COVID-19 , bringing the county ’ s death toll to 26 , the highest of any county in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday were older than 60 , and four were men , officials said .
Almost 11,000 people had been tested for the coronavirus in L.A. County as of Friday .
The number of confirmed cases rose to 1,482 , a 20 % increase from the previous day .
On Saturday , Long Beach , which has its own public health department , announced that it had recorded 88 cases of the virus , including one Long Beach police officer and four Long Beach firefighters .
Nine other Long Beach firefighters have tested positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s total because they are not Long Beach residents , officials said .
In San Bernardino County , 12 people at a Yucaipa nursing facility tested positive for the virus Saturday after a resident of the facility died of COVID-19 earlier in the week , county health officials said .
At least one of the people who tested positive worked at the facility , which officials did not immediately name .
The 89-year-old woman had underlying health conditions and died Thursday , officials said .
In addition , a resident of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the illness , officials said .
County public health staffers are working with both facilities to expedite testing of all residents and employees , they said .
“ This is the first instance we have had in our county of a concentrated COVID-19 outbreak , ” said Erin Gustafson , acting county health officer , in a statement .
“ The county will do everything within its ability and authority to minimize the tragedy this pandemic has the potential to create in our communities.
” The L.A. County Department of Public Health is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one or more confirmed cases of the virus among residents and staff , including three extended care homes that have reported three or more cases , officials said Friday .
Those reporting three or more cases are the Kensington Redondo Beach assisted living facility , Belmont Village senior living in Hollywood and Alameda Care Center , a skilled nursing facility in Burbank , said Ferrer .
Staff , residents and their families have been notified of the outbreaks , and officials have identified no deficiencies at any of the facilities , she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a nursing home in the Fairfax district , has reported three cases — a man admitted to the facility last week , followed by a second resident and an employee , according to family members of residents and representatives of the facility .
Officials continue to warn that Los Angeles could soon resemble New York City , the center of the nation ’ s coronavirus epidemic , which has reported more than 26,000 cases and more than 450 deaths .
The state of New York has more than 52,000 cases , more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California .
“ In less than a week ... we ’ ve more than tripled the number of people here in L.A. County who are positive for COVID-19 , ” Ferrer said .
She warned that if the spread of the virus was not slowed , the region ’ s healthcare system would be overwhelmed .
Epidemiologists say they expect L.A. County ’ s case numbers to continue to grow , but that social distancing may help stave off a repeat of New York ’ s rapid spread .
The measures went into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could have a significant impact , experts say .
In the latest effort to encourage people to remain at home , L.A. County on Friday closed all of its beaches , along with piers , beach bike paths , public trails and trailheads .
The city of Los Angeles followed suit Friday night , announcing the closure of park facilities , trailheads and trails .
Officials say it ’ s too soon to tell whether the attempts to curb the virus ’ spread are working .
Dr. Jacob Quinton , an internal medicine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ L.A. and other cities that have not been hit yet as badly as New York are preparing for what the next weeks may hold .
“ Many of us are sort of taking a deep breath before the plunge , and getting ready to meet the challenges that come , ” he said .
“ Those that are already inundated with COVID cases are in the thick of a fight that feels very much like the defining medical challenge of our lives.
” Newsom said this week that hospital beds for coronavirus patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beds his administration had forecast last week .
The state ’ s 416 hospitals are doubling so-called surge plans to 40 % of their capacity , which includes providing 30,000 new beds across the system , Newsom said .
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said only 1,500 beds in Los Angeles and about 900 ventilators in the county are available now .
The city is sorting through credentials for the more than 2,700 medical workers who have volunteered to help , he said .
The Navy hospital ship Mercy arrived at the Port of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vessel will become Los Angeles ’ largest hospital and will house patients who do not have COVID-19 to free up space in hospitals for an expected surge of coronavirus patients .
Patients could begin transferring to the ship this weekend , officials said .
The virus also has changed the way the state ’ s legal system is operating .
Newsom issued an order Friday giving California ’ s chief justice broad powers , including the right to suspend laws during the health crisis .
State law is filled with deadlines , many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , public access requirements and rules about how legal matters should to be conducted .
Newsom ’ s order gives Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye , appointed by Gov .
Arnold Schwarzenegger , authority to suspend these legal requirements during the pandemic .
Courts in Los Angeles , Orange , San Diego and Alameda counties have already severely restricted their calendars due to the fear of an outbreak in cramped courtrooms or a spread to local jails .
Earlier this week , Cantil-Sakauye issued an order suspending all trials statewide for 60 days .

Alex Wigglesworth, Taryn Luna, Andrea Castillo, James Queally

Isabella Leader, 15, counts how many flags have been left for World War II veteran Lt. Col. Sam Sachs who was celebrating his 105th birthday at the Mom & Dad’s House, an assisted living facility, in Lakewood. Lt. Col. Sachs appealed to the public for birthday cards after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of a big celebration and wound up receiving thousands, including a letter and photo from President Trump. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Denise Young looks on as her daughter, Allison, 9, a fourth-grader at EARThS (Environmental Academy of Research Technology and Earth Sciences) Magnet School in Newbury Park, receives a Chromebook. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
With all Los Angeles schools closed until further notice, LAUSD buses sit idle in Gardena. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Medical assistant Zoila Villalta works with Rosie Boston, 32, of Glendale, who is donating blood for her first time at L.A. Care Health Plan downtown. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Artist Corie Mattie paints a mural on the side of a pop-up store as a man takes a picture in West Hollywood. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Hayley, CEO and founder of Love My Neighbor Foundation, right, dances with Crystal Armster, 51, while she and her colleagues continue to feed the homeless on skid row amid the pandemic. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Juan Diaz Jr., a lifelong Dodgers fan, prays that the season will start by May in front of Dodger Stadium on what would have been opening day. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
The JW Marriott at L.A. Live is sharing a message of hope with red lights in 34 windows, creating a 19-story display on the hotel’s north side. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Venice residents Emily Berry and Gavin Kelley take a break at Venice Beach. Berry, a cocktail waitress at Enterprise Fish Co., lost her job due to the coronavirus outbreak. Kelley, a manager at a performing arts school with a focus on music, said that he still has a job and that classes at the school will resume online this coming Monday. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters drive by the Getty House, the home of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, in Hancock Park. Tenant advocates are demanding a total moratorium on evictions during the coronavirus crisis. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A lending library had some additional useful items, including a roll of toilet paper and cans of beans and corn, in a Hermosa Beach neighborhood. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Shauna Jin, of Los Angeles, with her dog, Bodhi, practices social distancing with John Kiss, of Los Angeles, at the entrance of Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Kristen Edgerle, of Victorville, collects information from a blood donor before drawing blood at The Richard Nixon Presidential Library blood drive during the coronavirus pandemic in Yorba Linda. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Healthcare workers gather outside UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center to call for further action from the federal government in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Iron City Tavern in San Pedro tries an incentive to lure takeout customers. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Raquel Lezama and daughter Monica Ramos collect meals for their family at Manual Arts High School. Lezama was laid off from her $17.76-an-hour job at a Beverly Hills hotel. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
A runner jogs past the Pottery Barn in Pasadena. Some businesses in the area have boarded up their stores. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Grace Carter, 15, of Riverside, practices a dance routine at home after dance classes and school were canceled. She has to use the Zoom app on her iPhone to practice with her dance group. “It’s hard,” she said. “My bedroom is a smaller space. I miss all my friends at the studio.” (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Juliann Hartman, center, and her husband, Butch, wave signs they created to cheer up people on Calabasas Road in Calabasas during the pandemic. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Cassidy Roosen, with Beach Cities Health District, holds up a sign that says, “We’re All in This Together,” while waiting to direct cars at a drive-through, appointment-only coronavirus testing location at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
A person who wishes to remain anonymous strikes from her car to support McDonald’s employees who are demanding the company cover healthcare costs of any worker or immediate family member who gets sick from COVID-19 in Los Angeles. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
A woman shows a notice from her doctor that allows her to obtain a test for coronavirus at a new drive-up testing site in a parking lot at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Nurses pose for a fun photo during a break in drive-through public testing for the coronavirus at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Hippie Kitchen in Los Angeles hands out food, water and toiletries to homeless people and residents of skid row. Additionally, masks were offered to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
A specimen is turned in at the new mobile testing site for people with symptoms of the coronavirus at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Patients are removed from Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center after 39 tested positive for the coronavirus and nursing staff was not showing up to work. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Women wear masks as they stroll along Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Wearing masks while outdoors is mandatory in the city of Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
The Wilshire Grand Center display blue lights and a heart to show support for healthcare workers and first responders. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
People are silhouetted in a window of an apartment building in Hollywood, where a stay-at-home order remains in effect to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
As a late season storm continues to make its way across the Southland, a young basketball player dribbles along an alley through an Elysian Park neighborhood in Los Angeles. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
After being indoors for several days because of rainy weather and coronavirus stay-at-home orders, Olivia Jacobs, 4, and her mom, Cia Jacobs, enjoy a warm and sunny afternoon making chalk drawings on the sidewalk in front of their home in West Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Alex Herron and nurse Mercy Pineda at a blood drive sponsored by USC athletics and the American Red Cross at USC’s Galen Center. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
A jogger runs on a closed trail past dozens of pieces of caution tape, torn off by hikers and mountain bikers at El Escorpion Canyon Park in West Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Stuart Reyes and his sister, Stephanie, sell masks for $5 each on the 3000 block of West Century Boulevard in Inglewood. Stuart Reyes said he is selling masks to support his mother. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Billy Budd, 55, of Hollywood, walks along Hollywood Boulevard with a protective face covering. Budd is a scenic artist for movies and television who is currently out of work due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
UC Irvine Medical Center health care workers return their gratitude as about 25 Orange County first responder vehicles participate in a drive-by parade of gratitude as they battle COVID-19 at the hospital. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Life around Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Soto Street has slowed down as California officials extended stay-at-home orders into May and residents entered Easter weekend with unprecedented limits on their movements. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
A face mask seller in colorful dress appears to be part of a mural behind a bus stop on Soto Street in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Daniel Rogerson wears a vintage military gas mask while riding a bike along the beach path in Santa Monica, which is closed to enforce social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Businesses are shuttered and pedestrians are few and far between on Hollywood Boulevard. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The Tyrannosaurus rex overlooking the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue wears a protective mask while practicing social distancing. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Jonte Florence, a freestyle dancer, does a handstand on a mostly empty Hollywood Walk of Fame. Florence said he normally performs for hundreds of tourists along the busy street. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A pedestrian wearing a protective mask passes a mural on a store on Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Cedar Mountain Post Acute Rehabilitation staff member Navi Cavaltera waters a flower pot put up by the community to show their support for the nursing staff of the facility in Yucaipa. Eighteen of 20 coronavirus-related deaths in Yucaipa were residents of the skilled nursing facility. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
A group of protesters cheer on cars during a vehicle caravan protest to call on state and local officials to reopen the economy in downtown Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Counter-protesters attend a protest to call on state and local officials to reopen the economy in downtown Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Neighbors practice social distancing while enjoying the nice weather near The Strand in Hermosa Beach. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
Medical staff, wearing protective gear, work inside a COVID-19 isolation area inside the emergency department at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, where patients with the virus are being treated. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters stand along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on April 26. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Tom Sean Foley pauses on a walk with his kids, Cathelen Claire, “C.C.,” 3, and Timothy Joseph, 4, to take a photo in front of the “Love Wall,” mural by artist Curtis Kulig, outside of Smashbox Studios in Culver City. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Norm and Tracy Kahn enjoy eating dinner outside on a small cafe table sitting in blue chairs on their side yard during the coronavirus pandemic on April 27 in Riverside. “During this pandemic, eating outside offers us an opportunity to change surrounding and appreciate the calmness of being outdoors among trees, scents from nature and the sounds of birds,” she said. Also adding, “Mixing up where we eat puts variety into our days and takes away the sameness of feeling trapped at home.” (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Carson residents Kaeli Burks, 3, left, and her cousin Bailey Watson, 5, look out the window of their car after their mothers helped them with self-testing at a new drive-up testing site for COVID-19 in Carson. Free COVID-19 testing is available to all city residents thanks to a partnership between the city and US Health Fairs. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Healthcare workers celebrate as Claudia Martinez is discharged from the ICU after she recovered from COVID-19 at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Chula Vista. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Shuttered storefront businesses in the garment district of Los Angeles. California’s unemployment rate has skyrocketed since the statewide coronavirus shutdown took effect. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Senior Mason Wise, left, helps his sister, Mackenzie, a sophomore, clean out her PE locker at El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills. School officials were allowing no more than five students at a time on campus to take home their belongings. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Aerial view of over 100 vehicles lined up at the West Valley COVID-19 testing center at Warner Center in Woodland Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Tenants and their supporters from across Los Angeles gather at city hall to call on L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, the L.A. City Council and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to cancel rent and mortgage payments during the COVID-19 crisis. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Gregory Kuhl, 69, heads home after a shopping trip in Hollywood on April 28. Big cracks in the street, cars parked in driveways blocking sidewalks and uneven pavement levels make navigating his route difficult. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Mostly masked commuters keep their distance from one another on a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles on April 29. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
Grocery store workers, joined by United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 770 representatives and community members, hold a rally in support of strict social distancing on May 1 at a Ralphs store in Hollywood where 19 employees have tested positive for COVID-19. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Tango instructor Yelizaveta Nersesova leads a Zoom tango event from her Los Angeles home April 27 that brought together hundreds of dancers from around the world. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Beaches including Harbor Cove Beach were open but beachgoers were not supposed to be sitting on the sand. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The majority of golfers are wearing masks while hitting balls on the driving range at Van Buren Executive Golf Course in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Cody Purcell of Redondo Beach rides a wave, glowing from the bioluminescence, in Hermosa Beach, CA, after midnight Friday morning, May 8. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Dominique Barrett, center, known as “King Vader” to his 2.4 million TikTok followers, prepares to shoot a video on April 30 in Glendora. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Socially distanced bikers and walkers, against a backdrop of the Queen Mary, make their way along pedestrian and beach bike path on the first day that Long Beach reopened the path on Monday May 11, 2020. The city of Long Beach eased a few of its public health restrictions, allowing under certain guidelines the reopening of pedestrian and beach bike paths, tennis centers and courts. Beach bathrooms are also reopening, but the parking lots and beaches still remain closed. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles County public health officials on Saturday announced six new deaths from the coronavirus and 344 additional cases, bringing the county’s total to 32 deaths and 1,817 cases.
About a third of the cases — 601 — were confirmed in the past 48 hours, officials said. As of Saturday, 398 people, or about 22% of positive cases, had at some point been hospitalized.
Barbara Ferrer, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health, said the increase in cases means that it’s more crucial than ever to practice social distancing and self-isolate if one is feeling sick with even mild illness.
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“If we all commit ourselves to stay home, stay away from others when sick and stay six feet apart when out, we will save lives,” Ferrer said in a statement.
As coronavirus deaths in California topped 100, leaving officials struggling to slow the spread through ever-increasing restrictions on movements, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Saturday the federal government had sent Los Angeles County 170 ventilators that arrived “not working,” and now a San Jose company is fixing the equipment.
California and other states have been stocking up on ventilators in anticipation of a shortage at hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Newsom said hospitals statewide already are seeing a surge in patients, with the number of people in intensive care units doubling overnight, from 200 people Friday to 410 Saturday. Hospitalizations overall rose 38.6%, from 746 Friday to 1,034 Saturday, he said.
“That is a significant, sizable increase, and if trends continue along those lines, then we will start to manifest conditions that are very familiar to people on the East Coast,” he said at a press conference with San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo on Saturday at a Bloom Energy refurbishing site in Sunnyvale.
The first-term Democrat said he learned about a problem with the federal government’s ventilators when he visited Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday.
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1 / 21 An unidentified worker with Absolute Intl. Security, lets people know that the Strand in Hermosa Beach is closed. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 21 A drone’s view of Hermosa Beach as the Strand walking path and all beaches of Los Angeles county are closed in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 21 A man works out in Santa Monica even as all beaches and beach paths of Los Angeles county are closed. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 21 A drone’s view of surfers off Venice during the first morning of closures of all beaches of Los Angeles county. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 21 Mark Gregorio finds plenty of social distancing at a sunny spot on Ratner Beach in the midst of coronavirus-related closures in Pacific Palisades, Calif. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 6 / 21 More than 100 recreational vehicles are parked in a lot at Dockweiler State Beach in Los Angeles, and are being used to house people who have tested positive or have symptions of the coronavirus. Many of the camp’s patients are homeless. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 7 / 21 Dozens of people were out on the center median along San Vicente Blvd. in the midst of coronavirus-related closures in Santa Monica. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 8 / 21 Shauna Jin, of Los Angeles, with dog Bodhi, practices social distancing with John Kiss, of Los Angeles, at the front entrance of Runyun Canyon Park Saturday. They were turned away beause the park was closed. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 21 Westchester resident Eddie Fonseca walks dogs on the center median along San Vicente Blvd. in the midst of coronavirus-related closures in Santa Monica. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 10 / 21 A woman wearing a face mask walks along the bike path in Santa Monica. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 11 / 21 Surfers head to the water in Venice Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 12 / 21 A couple find plenty of social distancing for a walk in the surf at Ratner Beach in Pacific Palisades Saturday. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 13 / 21 A young man heads to the water in Venice Beach, despite all beaches and beach paths of Los Angeles county are closed. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 14 / 21 An unidentified worker with Absolute Intl. Security, walks The Strand, while providing security for the Hermosa Beach Police Department in closing off The Strand. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 15 / 21 Marcos Ayala with Absolute Intl. Security, provides security for the Hermosa Beach Police Department in closing off The Strand. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 16 / 21 A runner crosses Pier Plaza early Saturday morning, as The Strand and beach of Hermosa Beach, CA, are closed. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 17 / 21 Hikers walk on a paved road in Griffith Park near the Hollywood sign. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 18 / 21 Mong Noiboonsok, left, and Rena Chastan, after a morning run have lunch on a sunny Saturday at Crystal Springs Picnic area in Griffith Park (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 19 / 21 Ola, left, and Vlad Ponomarenko play at Crystal Springs Picnic area in Griffith Park Saturday. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 20 / 21 Shops are closed along the Venice Beach boardwalk. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 21 / 21 Los Angeles resident Fanny Vences, 31, takes a selfie in Griffith Park overlooking the Hollywood sign. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
“Rather than lamenting about it, rather than complaining about it, rather than pointing fingers, rather than generating headlines in order to generate more stress and anxiety, we got a car and a truck,” Newsom said. “And we had those 170 brought here to this facility at 8 a.m. this morning, and they are quite literally working on those ventilators right now.”
The governor said the ventilators came from the national stockpile, a supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Bloom’s core business is repairing and refurbishing fuel-cell power generators sold to large companies and nonprofits. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Newsom said, the company is refurbishing more than 500 older ventilators owned by the state. The governor said the company will also fix and return the 170 ventilators the federal government sent to Los Angeles by Monday.
“That’s the spirit of California,” Newsom said. “That’s the spirit of this moment.”
In total, the state has procured and identified 4,252 ventilators toward a goal of securing 10,000 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Newsom said. Public health officials have said they expect to see a surge in cases across the state in the coming weeks.
Newsom said the Trump administration has not yet fulfilled the state’s request for ventilators and separately sent the 170 ventilators to L.A. County.
As the number of cases continued to rise across California, enforcement of orders to keep beaches, parks and hiking trails clear appeared to tighten this weekend after images of people flocking to popular outdoor spots drew the ire of government officials.
A Ventura County sheriff’s department cruiser could be seen guarding the entrance to a popular trail in the Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, upon which hundreds of hikers and families descended last Saturday. In Venice, a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter could be seen circling above a skate park, making an announcement that persons who did not leave the area would be “arrested for trespassing.”
Despite park and trail closures in Santa Monica, Amy Weber managed to spend her Saturday morning outdoors at a farmer’s market. Weber said organizers did a good job maintaining enough distance between people inside the market. Waiting in line outside, people smiled and chatted.
“There’s just something about being outside that makes you feel a little bit fresher, cleaner,” Weber said.
Afterward, Weber walked to Palisades Park, where she spent the late morning taking in views of the ocean. She got to the bottom of the California Incline footpath to the beach and saw a wire chain with a sign saying it was temporarily closed. Down below, she saw people biking and walking on the beach path.
By 1 p.m., police vehicles making their way south were slowing near her. Officers announced over an intercom: “We would like to remind you that Palisades Park is closed. Please practice social distancing as you’re exiting the park.”
Weber was glad for the enforcement, saying she hopes that shutting things down will mean the country recovers from coronavirus quicker.
“If we keep doing this in tiny little bits and nobody’s adhering to it, I’m just afraid it’s going to continue,” she said.
For now, Weber said she’s content with looking at the beach from afar, smelling the salty air and feeling the ocean breeze.
Residents of other West L.A. neighborhoods were less tranquil Saturday, as power outages continued to cause headaches in parts of Beverlywood, Cheviot Hills, Century City, Pico-Robertson and Westwood. Stella Gardiner, a legal assistant who lives in Pico-Robertson, said she had been dealing with sporadic power outages since Thursday and was growing concerned about how the loss of electricity might affect older residents in her area.
“There are people with health problems,” she said. “God knows they may have medical equipment they need.”
A total of 20 people died of the virus in California on Friday alone, with deaths reported by Contra Costa, Kern, Los Angeles, Marin, Orange, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Ventura counties.
The person who died in Kern County, the county’s first in the coronavirus pandemic, was identified by friends as Susie Garcia, 48, of Delano, according to local media outlets. They believe she contracted the virus during a recent visit to San Jose, according to the media reports.
On Saturday, San Francisco reported an additional death, bringing its total to four deaths and 308 cases. So did Orange County, which reached four deaths and 403 cases.
There are now nearly 5,000 cases of coronavirus infection in the state, and officials believe that number will skyrocket with aggressive new testing.
Also among the recent victims was a 25-year-old pharmacy technician from San Diego who was found dead Wednesday in a hotel residence in the Coachella Valley, said Brooke Federico, Riverside County’s public information officer. The man had no underlying health conditions that may have contributed to his death. He has not been identified.
“This is a deeply saddening reminder that COVID-19 kills the young and healthy too,” Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County’s public health officer, said.
In Los Angeles County, health officials reported five more fatalities due to COVID-19, bringing the county’s death toll to 26, the highest of any county in the state. All five of the victims reported Friday were older than 60, and four were men, officials said.
Almost 11,000 people had been tested for the coronavirus in L.A. County as of Friday. The number of confirmed cases rose to 1,482, a 20% increase from the previous day.
On Saturday, Long Beach, which has its own public health department, announced that it had recorded 88 cases of the virus, including one Long Beach police officer and four Long Beach firefighters. Nine other Long Beach firefighters have tested positive but are not included in the city’s total because they are not Long Beach residents, officials said.
In San Bernardino County, 12 people at a Yucaipa nursing facility tested positive for the virus Saturday after a resident of the facility died of COVID-19 earlier in the week, county health officials said. At least one of the people who tested positive worked at the facility, which officials did not immediately name.
The 89-year-old woman had underlying health conditions and died Thursday, officials said.
In addition, a resident of a second Yucaipa nursing facility has symptoms of the illness, officials said. County public health staffers are working with both facilities to expedite testing of all residents and employees, they said.
“This is the first instance we have had in our county of a concentrated COVID-19 outbreak,” said Erin Gustafson, acting county health officer, in a statement. “The county will do everything within its ability and authority to minimize the tragedy this pandemic has the potential to create in our communities.”
The L.A. County Department of Public Health is monitoring 14 institutional facilities that have reported one or more confirmed cases of the virus among residents and staff, including three extended care homes that have reported three or more cases, officials said Friday.
Those reporting three or more cases are the Kensington Redondo Beach assisted living facility, Belmont Village senior living in Hollywood and Alameda Care Center, a skilled nursing facility in Burbank, said Ferrer. Staff, residents and their families have been notified of the outbreaks, and officials have identified no deficiencies at any of the facilities, she said.
In addition, Silverado Beverly Place, a nursing home in the Fairfax district, has reported three cases — a man admitted to the facility last week, followed by a second resident and an employee, according to family members of residents and representatives of the facility.
Officials continue to warn that Los Angeles could soon resemble New York City, the center of the nation’s coronavirus epidemic, which has reported more than 26,000 cases and more than 450 deaths. The state of New York has more than 52,000 cases, more than nine times as many as in California.
“In less than a week ... we’ve more than tripled the number of people here in L.A. County who are positive for COVID-19,” Ferrer said.
She warned that if the spread of the virus was not slowed, the region’s healthcare system would be overwhelmed.
Epidemiologists say they expect L.A. County’s case numbers to continue to grow, but that social distancing may help stave off a repeat of New York’s rapid spread. The measures went into effect in California early enough that they could have a significant impact, experts say.
In the latest effort to encourage people to remain at home, L.A. County on Friday closed all of its beaches, along with piers, beach bike paths, public trails and trailheads. The city of Los Angeles followed suit Friday night, announcing the closure of park facilities, trailheads and trails.
Officials say it’s too soon to tell whether the attempts to curb the virus’ spread are working.
Dr. Jacob Quinton, an internal medicine physician at UCLA, said doctors in L.A. and other cities that have not been hit yet as badly as New York are preparing for what the next weeks may hold.
“Many of us are sort of taking a deep breath before the plunge, and getting ready to meet the challenges that come,” he said. “Those that are already inundated with COVID cases are in the thick of a fight that feels very much like the defining medical challenge of our lives.”
Newsom said this week that California would need 50,000 hospital beds for coronavirus patients, a significant increase from the 20,000 beds his administration had forecast last week. The state’s 416 hospitals are doubling so-called surge plans to 40% of their capacity, which includes providing 30,000 new beds across the system, Newsom said.
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said only 1,500 beds in Los Angeles and about 900 ventilators in the county are available now. The city is sorting through credentials for the more than 2,700 medical workers who have volunteered to help, he said.
The Navy hospital ship Mercy arrived at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday. The 1,000-bed vessel will become Los Angeles’ largest hospital and will house patients who do not have COVID-19 to free up space in hospitals for an expected surge of coronavirus patients. Patients could begin transferring to the ship this weekend, officials said.
The virus also has changed the way the state’s legal system is operating.
Newsom issued an order Friday giving California’s chief justice broad powers, including the right to suspend laws during the health crisis.
State law is filled with deadlines, many to protect the rights of criminal defendants, public access requirements and rules about how legal matters should to be conducted.
Newsom’s order gives Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, authority to suspend these legal requirements during the pandemic. Courts in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Alameda counties have already severely restricted their calendars due to the fear of an outbreak in cramped courtrooms or a spread to local jails.
Earlier this week, Cantil-Sakauye issued an order suspending all trials statewide for 60 days.
Times Staff Writer James Queally contributed to this report.