latimes--2020-09-10--Food box deliveries to needy California seniors cut off because of USDA cheese rule

Tens of thousands of low-income California seniors stopped receiving home deliveries of free food just as COVID-19 cases and deaths in the state were peaking , thanks to a century-old federal policy to include surplus cheese in government aid packages .
As the coronavirus began to spread in March and Gov .
Gavin Newsom called on millions of seniors to self-isolate , these needy Californians initially were able to have a box of dried food delivered to their homes each month at no cost because federal regulators granted a state request to temporarily waive certain rules governing the Commodity Supplemental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food banks to remove cheese — the only perishable item in the boxes — and then use private companies or volunteers to deliver the monthly aid to clients ’ homes , rather than require vulnerable seniors to pick them up during the pandemic .
Several aid groups relied on Amazon.com and others who agreed to deliver the boxes for free .
But in July , the federal waiver ended and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials refused to extend it , meaning cheese must again be included and , more problematically , refrigerated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % drop in the number of seniors receiving their monthly food aid through the program .
State data show 40,000 fewer California seniors received food in July than in June , with the majority living in Los Angeles County , Orange County and the Bay Area .
“ Now we don ’ t have food [ boxes ] for two months , ” said Danh Luu , 56 , of Santa Ana , who lives with and cares for his mother Nghiep T. Nguyen , 81 .
Luu has polio and can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so he ’ s unable to pick up his mother ’ s package .
In the past , he was able to rely on friends or volunteers to pick it up at the food bank and bring it to their home .
“ Before the pandemic , it was easy to ask someone to help us .
But now they ’ re afraid of disease , ” Luu said .
For three months , they benefited from the USDA waiver , which allowed their box to be delivered directly to their home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to supplement most meals , with the canned meat being his mother ’ s favorite .
In July , the deliveries ended .
“ We miss it , ” said Luu .
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank blamed the discontinuation of home deliveries for a 45 % decline in the number of its senior clients who received food between June and July , when participants were told they would have to resume coming in person to get the packages .
“ A lot didn ’ t come , our sense is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” food bank director Michael Flood said .
“ It ’ s putting the seniors in this difficult dilemma.
” The drop held steady in August , he said .
At the same time , overall demand spiked at food banks across the country as several states , including California , scrambled to cope with a wave of COVID-19 infections .
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program , sometimes called the senior box program , serves more than 600,000 people nationally over the age of 60 with incomes of less than 130 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s $ 16,588 for a senior living alone or $ 22,412 for a couple .
Each month , more than 120,000 California seniors in the program receive a box of shelf-stable food , which includes a variety of canned meats , fruits and vegetables , rice , beans , powdered milk and peanut butter .
But under federal rules , the boxes must also contain 2 pounds of cheese , the lone item needing refrigeration .
For decades , what ’ s often derided as “ government cheese ” has played a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Seeking to stabilize the dairy industry in the 1940s , the government began buying surplus dairy products and distributing the glut through school lunches and other aid programs .
It reached a peak in the 1980s and ’ 90s , but remains a major component of food assistance today .
USDA officials defended the decision to end the cheese waiver in July , noting it was always intended to be temporary .
The waiver was granted to give the state time to find a way to deliver the cheese , USDA spokeswoman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheese is a critical part of the food package , ” she said .
But Rep. Adam B. Schiff ( D-Burbank ) said any nutritional value of cheese is “ not a benefit if people can ’ t get the food at all.
” Schiff and Reps. Gil Cisneros ( D-Yorba Linda ) and Jimmy Panetta ( D-Carmel Valley Village ) joined other members of California ’ s congressional delegation in signing a letter Friday urging Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to grant California ’ s request for continued flexibility so deliveries can resume @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food for our seniors and the means of getting the food to their homes .
Please continue your efforts to ensure that our seniors do not have to risk their health to overcome their hunger , ” the letter states .
In addition to leaving out the perishable cheese , lawmakers want to temporarily waive the USDA rule that recipients personally accept the package and show identification .
That would allow delivery companies to leave the box on a porch or stoop if no one answers the door .
Both are department regulations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seems like a ridiculous requirement when we ’ re trying to help seniors — help them get through this pandemic , ” Cisneros said .
The USDA rejected the state ’ s request to extend the waiver Thursday , stating that “ allowing states to consistently issue food packages without a key component , such as cheese , is not appropriate for a long-term distribution model , ” according to an email the state sent food banks participating in the program .
In addition , USDA officials complained that food banks in California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state to use third-party companies to deliver food — “ substantially exceeded ” their authorized limit of food boxes distributed under the program during the three-month period .
They said that suggested third-party companies had delivered to the wrong addresses .
Schiff said he suspects federal regulators are bowing to pressure from the dairy industry .
But Matt Herrick , senior vice president of the International Dairy Foods Assn.
, which represents U.S. dairy processors , said he was unaware of the problem until alerted by The Times .
He suggested the industry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic .
“ This is a challenging time for many , and dairy producers and processors want to do everything we can to help ensure food security for those in need .
And that may require additional creativity and the appropriate flexibility by the government agencies that oversee these programs to ensure food is reaching people in need without creating impediments , ” Herrick said .
Paul Ash , executive director of the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank , said the requested changes would be temporary .
The food bank saw a 44 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seniors between June and July , he said .
“ I don ’ t think that there ’ s any desire to see cheese go away .
We ’ re always happy to take more cheese when the USDA has it , ” Ash said .
“ We don ’ t want to be in the delivery business for the long run , trust me .
Our perfect world is not delivery through Amazon or through volunteers .
We ’ d like to get back to where we were .
We don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Amazon is not going to continue to do this for free .
It ’ s just too costly.
” Since mid-March , Amazon has delivered more than 8 million meals from food banks in more than 25 cities nationwide without contact between the driver and customer , according to Seema Ramchandani , who works on the company ’ s disaster relief team .
But only California food banks asked it to deliver food to seniors through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program .
It ’ s “ untenable ” to ask Amazon and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many hoops , such as refrigerating boxes and checking recipients ’ identification , said Gregory Scott , president of the Community Action Partnership of Orange County , which he said has seen a 34 % drop in seniors receiving the boxes since the waiver ended .
“ USDA has to understand the impact this is having , ” he added .

Tens of thousands of low-income California seniors stopped receiving home deliveries of free food just as COVID-19 cases and deaths in the state were peaking, thanks to a century-old federal policy to include surplus cheese in government aid packages.
As the coronavirus began to spread in March and Gov. Gavin Newsom called on millions of seniors to self-isolate, these needy Californians initially were able to have a box of dried food delivered to their homes each month at no cost because federal regulators granted a state request to temporarily waive certain rules governing the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.
The three-month exemption allowed food banks to remove cheese — the only perishable item in the boxes — and then use private companies or volunteers to deliver the monthly aid to clients’ homes, rather than require vulnerable seniors to pick them up during the pandemic. Several aid groups relied on Amazon.com and others who agreed to deliver the boxes for free.
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But in July, the federal waiver ended and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials refused to extend it, meaning cheese must again be included and, more problematically, refrigerated in transit.
California saw an immediate 30% drop in the number of seniors receiving their monthly food aid through the program. State data show 40,000 fewer California seniors received food in July than in June, with the majority living in Los Angeles County, Orange County and the Bay Area.
“Now we don’t have food [boxes] for two months,” said Danh Luu, 56, of Santa Ana, who lives with and cares for his mother, Nghiep T. Nguyen, 81.
Luu has polio and can’t lift more than a few pounds, so he’s unable to pick up his mother’s package. In the past, he was able to rely on friends or volunteers to pick it up at the food bank and bring it to their home.
“Before the pandemic, it was easy to ask someone to help us. But now they’re afraid of disease,” Luu said.
For three months, they benefited from the USDA waiver, which allowed their box to be delivered directly to their home. He said they used the food to supplement most meals, with the canned meat being his mother’s favorite.
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In July, the deliveries ended. “We miss it,” said Luu.
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank blamed the discontinuation of home deliveries for a 45% decline in the number of its senior clients who received food between June and July, when participants were told they would have to resume in-person collection of the packages.
“A lot didn’t come, our sense is, because they are worried about coming outside,” food bank President Michael Flood said. “It’s putting the seniors in this difficult dilemma.”
The drop held steady in August, he said.
At the same time, overall demand spiked at food banks across the country as several states, including California, scrambled to cope with a wave of COVID-19 infections.
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program, sometimes called the senior box program, serves more than 600,000 people nationally older than 60 with incomes of less than 130% of the federal poverty level. That’s $16,588 for a senior living alone or $22,412 for a couple.
Each month, more than 120,000 California seniors in the program receive a box of shelf-stable food, which includes a variety of canned meats, fruits and vegetables, rice, beans, powdered milk and peanut butter.
But under federal rules, the boxes must also contain 2 pounds of cheese, the lone item needing refrigeration.
For decades, what’s often derided as “government cheese” has played a role in most federal food aid programs. Seeking to stabilize the dairy industry in the 1940s, the government began buying surplus dairy products and distributing the glut through school lunches and other aid programs. It reached a peak in the 1980s and ’90s, but remains a major component of food assistance today.
USDA officials defended the decision to end the cheese waiver in July, noting it was always intended to be temporary.
The waiver was granted to give the state time to find a way to deliver the cheese, USDA spokeswoman Mary Kay Gominger said.
“The cheese is a critical part of the food package,” she said.
But Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) said any nutritional value of cheese is “not a benefit if people can’t get the food at all.”
Schiff and Reps. Gil Cisneros (D-Yorba Linda) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley Village) joined other members of California’s congressional delegation in signing a letter Sept. 4 urging Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to grant California’s request for continued flexibility so deliveries can resume.
“We have the availability of food for our seniors and the means of getting the food to their homes. Please continue your efforts to ensure that our seniors do not have to risk their health to overcome their hunger,” the letter states.
In addition to leaving out the perishable cheese, lawmakers want to temporarily waive the USDA rule that recipients personally accept the package and show identification. That would allow delivery companies to leave the box on a porch or stoop if no one answers the door. Both are department regulations, not legal requirements.
“It seems like a ridiculous requirement when we’re trying to help seniors — help them get through this pandemic,” Cisneros said.
The USDA rejected the state’s request to extend the waiver Sept. 10, stating that “allowing states to consistently issue food packages without a key component, such as cheese, is not appropriate for a long-term distribution model,” according to an email the state sent food banks participating in the program.
In addition, USDA officials complained that food banks in California — which they said was the only state to use third-party companies to deliver food — “substantially exceeded” their authorized limit of food boxes distributed under the program during the three-month period. They said that suggested third-party companies had delivered to the wrong addresses.
Schiff said he suspects federal regulators are bowing to pressure from the dairy industry.
But Matt Herrick, a senior vice president at the International Dairy Foods Assn., which represents U.S. dairy processors, said he was unaware of the problem until alerted by The Times. He suggested the industry would be open to continued flexibility during the pandemic.
“This is a challenging time for many, and dairy producers and processors want to do everything we can to help ensure food security for those in need. And that may require additional creativity and the appropriate flexibility by the government agencies that oversee these programs to ensure food is reaching people in need without creating impediments,” Herrick said.
Paul Ash, executive director of the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, said the requested changes would be temporary. The food bank saw a 44% drop in food boxes getting to seniors between June and July, he said.
“I don’t think that there’s any desire to see cheese go away,” Ash said. “We’re always happy to take more cheese when the USDA has it.
“We don’t want to be in the delivery business for the long run, trust me. Our perfect world is not delivery through Amazon or through volunteers,” he said.
“We’d like to get back to where we were,” Ash said. “We don’t want to do this forever, and Amazon is not going to continue to do this for free. It’s just too costly.”
Since mid-March, Amazon has delivered more than 8 million meals from food banks in more than 25 cities nationwide without contact between the driver and client, according to Seema Ramchandani, who works on the company’s disaster relief team. But only California food banks asked it to deliver food to seniors through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.
It’s “untenable” to ask Amazon and other delivery companies to jump through so many hoops, such as refrigerating boxes and checking recipients’ identification, said Gregory Scott, president of the Community Action Partnership of Orange County, which he said has seen a 34% drop in seniors receiving the boxes since the waiver ended.
“USDA has to understand the impact this is having,” he added.


latimes--2020-09-10--State issues largest COVID-19 safety fine to Overhill Farms in Vernon

California ’ s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has issued its largest fine for coronavirus health violations to a frozen food manufacturer in Vernon , as well as the company ’ s temporary employment agency for failing to take adequate steps to protect hundreds of workers from the virus .
Cal/OSHA announced proposed penalties of $ 222,075 for Overhill Farms and $ 214,080 for Jobsource North America , which the companies can appeal .
In a statement Wednesday , the agency said that both companies had failed to install barriers , ensure that workers practiced physical distancing and train @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The move followed the first fines announced for coronavirus safety violations last week .
Cal/OSHA cited 11 employers in industries that included food processing , retail , agriculture , meatpacking and healthcare , and proposed penalties ranging from $ 2,025 to $ 51,190 .
“ It is critical that employers evaluate the workplace and take proactive measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in the workplace , ” Chief Doug Parker said in a statement .
“ If a COVID-19 illness occurs , employers must investigate the case to determine if additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the serious illnesses and deaths to Cal/OSHA.
” Overhill Farms said Thursday that it would contest the agency ’ s “ erroneous ” allegations , adding that Cal/OSHA has falsely claimed that the company failed to install Plexiglas dividers .
“ The health and safety of our employees is our first priority , ” the company said in a statement .
“ Overhill Farms has not only taken steps in line with the constantly evolving federal , state and local guidance , we have gone above and beyond those recommendations as we developed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jobsource said they also planned to dispute the citations .
“ We take the health and safety of all of our team members very seriously and we believe that we have not done anything that would endanger anyone in our community , ” the company said in a statement .
Cal/OSHA opened inspections into Overhill Farms and Jobsource in late April in response to complaints about coronavirus safety hazards .
After visits to two facilities in Vernon , inspectors found inadequate social distancing between workers , including when they clocked in and out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on the conveyor line and during packing operations .
Officials also charged the companies with not investigating more than 20 cases of the coronavirus among employees as well as the death of one Overhill Farms worker who had contracted COVID-19 .
Kathy Finn , the secretary-treasurer for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 , which represents several hundred workers at Overhill Farms , said she hoped the citation would send a message to other workplaces .
“ We ’ re really happy that the state finally took some action for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
“ It ’ s been six months , and they ’ ve been working under horrendous conditions.
” In addition to the penalties related to coronavirus safety measures , Cal/OSHA issued citations this week to both employers related to accidents in which two workers had their hands caught in machinery in February .
Those included $ 103,780 in proposed fines to Overhill Farms and $ 29,700 to Jobsource .

Overhill Farms workers take part in an Aug. 31 memorial ceremony in front of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles to honor those who have died of COVID-19.
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has issued its largest fine for coronavirus health violations to a frozen food manufacturer in Vernon, as well as the company’s temporary employment agency for failing to take adequate steps to protect hundreds of workers from the virus.
Cal/OSHA announced proposed penalties of $222,075 for Overhill Farms and $214,080 for Jobsource North America, which the companies can appeal. In a statement Wednesday, the agency said that both companies had failed to install barriers, ensure that workers practiced physical distancing and train employees on the dangers of the virus.
The move followed the first fines announced for coronavirus safety violations last week. Cal/OSHA cited 11 employers in industries that included food processing, retail, agriculture, meatpacking and healthcare, and proposed penalties ranging from $2,025 to $51,190.
“It is critical that employers evaluate the workplace and take proactive measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in the workplace,” Chief Doug Parker said in a statement. “If a COVID-19 illness occurs, employers must investigate the case to determine if additional protective measures should be taken and report the serious illnesses and deaths to Cal/OSHA.”
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Overhill Farms said Thursday that it would contest the agency’s “erroneous” allegations, adding that Cal/OSHA has falsely claimed that the company failed to install Plexiglas dividers.
“The health and safety of our employees is our first priority,” the company said in a statement. “Overhill Farms has not only taken steps in line with the constantly evolving federal, state and local guidance, we have gone above and beyond those recommendations as we developed our employee safety procedures.”
Officials with Jobsource said they also planned to dispute the citations.
“We take the health and safety of all of our team members very seriously and we believe that we have not done anything that would endanger anyone in our community,” the company said in a statement.
Cal/OSHA opened inspections into Overhill Farms and Jobsource in late April in response to complaints about coronavirus safety hazards. After visits to two facilities in Vernon, inspectors found inadequate social distancing between workers, including when they clocked in and out of their shifts, in the breakroom, on the conveyor line and during packing operations.
Officials also charged the companies with not investigating more than 20 cases of the coronavirus among employees as well as the death of one Overhill Farms worker who had contracted COVID-19.
Kathy Finn, the secretary-treasurer for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770, which represents several hundred workers at Overhill Farms, said she hoped the citation would send a message to other workplaces.
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“We’re really happy that the state finally took some action for the egregious violations that Overhill committed,” she said. “It’s been six months, and they’ve been working under horrendous conditions.”
In addition to the penalties related to coronavirus safety measures, Cal/OSHA issued citations this week to both employers related to accidents in which two workers had their hands caught in machinery in February. Those included $103,780 in proposed fines to Overhill Farms and $29,700 to Jobsource.


latimes--2020-09-10--A sizzling summer: Hottest August on record in California

In the midst of the state ’ s , California has garnered another dubious distinction : the hottest August on record in California , according to a from UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain .
A midway through the month — during which parts of Los Angeles County soared well above 100 degrees — helped push since a deadly seven-day stretch in July 2006 .
In Death Valley , a blistering 130 degrees on Aug. 16 was thought to be the in nearly a century .
The overall record for the hottest month in California was July 2018 , although the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the highest spikes back then , Swain said .
“ And the spikes we had just this past weekend in September were even higher than the spikes in August , ” he said .
California wasn ’ t the only state to reach new heights in August : Nevada , Arizona , Utah , Colorado and New Mexico also saw their own hottest Augusts on record , Swain ’ s report said .
“ You weren ’ t alone — not that that makes you feel any better , ” Russell Vose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Atmospheric Administration , said of the findings across the western U.S. Vose said the records go back as far as 1895 .
“ The warmth that you ’ re seeing here is consistent with what you ’ d expect to see in a climate that ’ s trending that direction in general , all over the world , ” he said .
The outlook for September is similarly harsh , said Lauren Gaches , spokesperson for NOAA ’ s National Center for Environmental Prediction , who confirmed there is “ at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temperatures in California coming in .
The month already saw a scorching start with a Labor Day weekend heat wave that in Los Angeles .
On Sept. 6 , Woodland Hills soared to 121 degrees — the hottest official temperature on record in L.A. County , according to the National Weather Service .
Amid the intense heat , are burning across the West .
What ’ s more , the have all occurred in the past six years , according to NOAA .
Concerns about “ climate chaos ” are only likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years roll on , you ’ ll be more inclined to see more of this in the future , ” Vose said .
“ That ’ s probably what you would expect .
”

At Woodley Park in Van Nuys, Blanca Celaya of Winnetka and her family enjoy the shade. She holds her 3-month-old son, Jason Celaya. Beyond are her daughter Celia Barinese and husband, Jaime Paiz. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
The scene at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro on Aug. 14, where a cooling breeze kept the shore comfortable. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
The Telles family of the San Fernando Valley enjoys the water of the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
At the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley, Mike Garcia of Norco and his children Jose, 7, and Monica, 10, employ multiple stay-cool techniques. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Jacob Debreceni, 16, with friends Ismael Fuentes, left, and Kevin Lemus, cools off with the help of a backyard waterslide in Mira Loma, Calif. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
An employee of a hot dog stand works inside the eatery along the boardwalk in Santa Monica. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Liz Saul reads a novel on her iPad in the comfort of an air mattress in Venice. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Don and Sally Joaquin watch for lightning strikes on Aug. 16 in unincorporated Contra Costa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A chimney stands amid the rubble of a home destroyed in the River fire. (Noah Berger / Associated Press )
Firefighters prepare to defend a home as flames from the River fire approach in Salinas on Aug. 17. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Aug. 16. Numerous lightning strikes sparked brush fires throughout the region. (Noah Berger / Associated Press )
A funnel appears in a thick plume of smoke from the Loyalton fire in Lassen County, Calif., on Aug. 15. (Katelynn & Jordan Hewlett via Associated Press)
Matthew Giron, 8, frolics with friends and family near a drainage pipe along the San Gabriel River. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Watts residents pick out clothing during the Children Mending Hearts weekly food and clothing giveaway at the Watts Empowerment Center. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Jon Galapago takes a break from the heat in a hammock during a day of fishing at Lake Evans in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Benjamin Cole II shows son Barreth Cole, 5, a routine while joining members of Barry’s Bootcamp as they conduct a workout session at the Watts Empowerment Center. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
L.A. Rams rookie outside linebacker Terrell Lewis towels away sweat as temperatures soar at the Rams training facility in Thousand Oaks. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
After a day at the beach, Sebastian Grand, 11, left, Leo Grand, 13, and Constantin Condraschi, 12, of Orange County have pizza at a Slice of New York Pizza in Seal Beach. (Josie Norris / Los Angeles Times)
The Holser Fire burns through the night just east of Lake Piru, where actress Naya Rivera died in mid-July. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In the midst of the state’s most destructive wildfire season , California has garnered another dubious distinction: the hottest August on record in California, according to a report from UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain.
A ferocious heat wave midway through the month — during which parts of Los Angeles County soared well above 100 degrees — helped push limits not seen since a deadly seven-day stretch in July 2006. In Death Valley, a blistering 130 degrees on Aug. 16 was thought to be the highest temperature on Earth in nearly a century.
The overall record for the hottest month in California was July 2018, although the highest spikes in August 2020 were higher than the highest spikes back then, Swain said.
“And the spikes we had just this past weekend in September were even higher than the spikes in August,” he said.
California wasn’t the only state to reach new heights in August: Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico also saw their own hottest Augusts on record, Swain’s report said.
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Probably not a surprise to anyone who just lived through it, but August 2020 was the warmest August on record in California--as well as Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico! In California, the long-term late summer warming trend is quite clear. #NVwx #AZwx #CAwx #COwx pic.twitter.com/fuxBBONJ9W — Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) September 10, 2020
“You weren’t alone — not that that makes you feel any better,” Russell Vose, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said of the findings across the western U.S. Vose said the records go back as far as 1895.
“The warmth that you’re seeing here is consistent with what you’d expect to see in a climate that’s trending that direction in general, all over the world,” he said.
The outlook for September is similarly harsh, said Lauren Gaches, spokesperson for NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Prediction, who confirmed there is “at least a 50% chance” of September temperatures in California coming in higher than normal .
The month already saw a scorching start with a Labor Day weekend heat wave that shattered records in Los Angeles. On Sept. 6, Woodland Hills soared to 121 degrees — the hottest official temperature on record in L.A. County, according to the National Weather Service . Amid the intense heat, dozens of wildfires are burning across the West.
What’s more, the six warmest years on record have all occurred in the past six years, according to NOAA. Concerns about “climate chaos” are only likely to climb as well.
“As the years roll on, you’ll be more inclined to see more of this in the future,” Vose said. “That’s probably what you would expect.”


latimes--2020-09-10--10 fotos que te darán un panorama completo del SoFi Stadium de Inglewood

¿Cómo es un estadio de $ 5 mil millones ?
Los fans de los Rams y los Chargers van a @ @ @ @ @ .
Stan Kroenke , propietario de los Rams y desarrollador del proyecto , participó en @ @ @ @ @ Stadium en Inglewood esta semana con el propietario de los Chargers , Dean Spanos , @ @ @ @ @ , James Butts .
Entre los invitados había un número limitado de miembros de los @ @ @ @ @ Rams tendrán el honor de estrenar el campo con el primer partido este domingo contra @ @ @ @ @ Los Chargers entrarán al campo del SoFi Stadium para celebrar su primer partido del 20 @ @ @ @ @ de Kansas City .
El estadio más grande de la NFL Listo para el día @ @ @ @ @ video de 120 yardas de largo Un sitio de deportes y entretenimiento de 300 acres @ @ @ @ @ los aficionados

¿Cómo es un estadio de $5 mil millones?
Los fans de los Rams y los Chargers van a tener que esperar para saberlo.
Stan Kroenke, propietario de los Rams y desarrollador del proyecto, participó en la inauguración oficial del SoFi Stadium en Inglewood esta semana con el propietario de los Chargers, Dean Spanos, y el alcalde de Inglewood, James Butts. Entre los invitados había un número limitado de miembros de los medios de comunicación.
Los Rams tendrán el honor de estrenar el campo con el primer partido este domingo contra los Cowboys de Dallas. Los Chargers entrarán al campo del SoFi Stadium para celebrar su primer partido del 20 de septiembre contra los Chiefs de Kansas City.
El estadio más grande de la NFL
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El estadio SoFi es un estadio interior-exterior con capacidad para 70.000 personas, ampliable a 100.000. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
El hombre detrás del plan
El dueño de los Rams, Stan Kroenke, a la izquierda, mira el nuevo estadio con Kevin Demoff, COO y vicepresidente ejecutivo de operaciones de futbol americano con los Rams, y el socio de Kroenke, Alan B. Bornstein, después de la ceremonia de corte de listón. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Listo para el día del juego
Una vista del estadio SoFi desde las gradas. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Oportunidad de Fotografía
El dueño de los Rams Stan Kroenke con su hijo, Josh Kroenke, izquierda, durante la apertura oficial del estadio SoFi. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
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Un tablero de video de 120 yardas de largo
Rams jugó un partido de preparación el 22 de agosto en el SoFi Stadium, donde un tablero de video de 120 yardas cuelga sobre el campo. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Práctica, práctica, práctica
El mariscal de campo de los Rams, Jared Goff, busca un pase durante el partido en el SoFi Stadium el 22 de agosto. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Un sitio de deportes y entretenimiento de 300 acres
Una vista del SoFi Stadium en Inglewood. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Listo, pero esperando a los aficionados
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El SoFi Stadium está en Hollywood Park, un sitio de deportes y entretenimiento de casi 300 acres en Inglewood desarrollado por Stan Kroenke. Los fans no pueden entrar al estadio todavía debido a la pandemia de COVID-19. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Foto de despedida
Estadio SoFi en Inglewood. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)


latimes--2020-09-10--Column: If California wants to know how to cope with the apocalypse, ask Butte County

When Laura Cootsona woke up on Wednesday morning and learned that the North Complex fire was ravaging Butte County , she immediately thought about the .
Outside , the sky was as dark as night and ash was raining from the sky — the same way it was two years ago when thousands of people were forced to flee the flames engulfing their mountain homes .
Entire towns , including Paradise , were destroyed and 85 people died , making it the deadliest fire in California ’ s history .
“ The PTSD from the smoke smell is real , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Chico , as the North Complex blaze swelled to more than 250,000 acres and barreled toward Oroville .
“ It ’ s horrible.
” The North Complex , which includes the Bear fire , is now the 10th-largest wildfire in state history , according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
By Wednesday evening , word had spread that the town of Berry Creek was gone .
Three people had been reported dead and several more were missing .
All told , wildfires have burned more than 3.1 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most on record .
Given that the apocalypse is clearly upon us , orange skies and all , one would expect that such devastation would break a community ’ s spirit .
Instead , there ’ s a sort of resigned resilience in rural Butte County , which like Sonoma , Napa and Lake counties has been pounded by disaster after disaster in recent years .
And there ’ s also a decent amount of indignant anger , much of it directed at state and federal agencies for not doing more controlled burns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s frustrating to me at 67 years of age to see it go from when it was managed and the fires were much smaller to what they are today , ” said Butte County Supervisor Bill Connelly .
When conflagrations do inevitably explode in the mountainous terrain , like the Wall and Ponderosa fires did in 2017 , there ’ s a well-worn routine to reacting to it all .
“ Unfortunately , we ’ re well versed in evacuating , ” Oroville Mayor Chuck Reynolds said Wednesday .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area now , and everyone seems to have their things in order to know what they would take and what they have ready to take .
There doesn ’ t seem to be near the amount of panic.
” Many in Butte County trace this back to one Sunday afternoon in early 2017 when , fearing that a spillway on the Oroville Dam was in danger of collapse , Sheriff-Coroner Kory Honea ordered the immediate mass evacuation of nearly 190,000 residents in communities downstream along the Feather River .
For hours , panicked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to escape .
This was before the Camp fire devastated the town of Paradise and before , which burned 151 square miles from Westlake Village to Malibu — an area roughly a third the size of the city of Los Angeles .
It also was before the Tubbs fire , which burned swaths of Napa , Sonoma and Lake counties , devastating Santa Rosa .
“ We joke that it was our training wheels for a fire , ” Cootsona said .
I distinctly remember that Sunday afternoon in 2017 .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 70 miles away in Sacramento , when a woman at the next table suddenly jumped to her feet and started screaming into her cellphone .
She was frantic , almost crying , telling whoever was on the other end of the line that she had just gotten an alert about the evacuation , was on a day trip and needed to warn her kids about the evacuation and somehow get her horses to safety .
It ’ s the kind of panic that has become more common in recent years as wildfires have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on extremely short notice .
Butte County is going through it yet again this week with the North Complex .
And now , of course , there ’ s COVID-19 to consider .
Cootsona , who is executive director of the Jesus Center homeless services agency in Chico , is among those trying to figure out how to manage the fires in the middle of a pandemic .
The biggest challenge ?
What to do with the many people fleeing down the mountain .
Or the many people who lost their homes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are still living in RVs and tents .
To reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus , Butte County isn ’ t using congregant shelters for evacuees .
That has left hotels and motels as the next best choice .
And indeed , as of Wednesday , some 90 families have been placed in rooms around Butte County .
But another 140 families are waiting .
One big reason for that is because homeless people are already occupying many of the rooms under Project Roomkey , a months-old state initiative aimed at slowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most vulnerable people off the streets and into hotels and motels .
Then there are the complications for emergency personnel , from firefighters on down to the agencies like the Jesus Center that provide other services .
Cootsona offered up one anecdote about an employee who lives in Paradise .
“ Her house survived the fire , ” Cootsona told me .
“ The fire came through her neighborhood twice and she had to move out for five months because of the smoke damage , but she moved back.
” Then , COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her children had been taking classes from home .
Then , this week , Pacific Gas & Electric started shutting off the power to avoid igniting a fire during red flag conditions .
With no electricity and no internet service , the employee had to drive down the mountain to access a WiFi hotspot so her children could finish the school day .
Then , the North Complex fire started to move in .
Now she ’ s back at her grandmother ’ s house , trying to coordinate how to distribute 600 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Of course , the only indispensable person in the building had to evacuate , ” Cootsona said .
But that ’ s just life in Butte County .
Meanwhile , the North Complex fire continues to burn — one of about 7,700 wildfires that have charred the state this year .
I can ’ t help but wonder if it ’ s a glimpse into how all Californians will one day have to live with an increasingly apocalyptic future fueled by climate change .
“ I ’ ve been in office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ ve had six fires in six years , none of which has been as big as the Camp fire — until this one .
”

When Laura Cootsona woke up on Wednesday morning and learned that the North Complex fire was ravaging Butte County, she immediately thought about the horrors of the Camp fire .
Outside, the sky was dark as night and ash was raining down — the same way it was two years ago when thousands of people were forced to flee the flames engulfing their mountain homes. Entire towns, including Paradise, were destroyed and 85 people died, making it the deadliest fire in California’s history.
“The PTSD from the smoke smell is real,” Cootsona told me from her office in Chico, as the North Complex blaze swelled to more than 250,000 acres and barreled toward Oroville. “It’s horrible.”
A boat motors by as the Bidwell Bar Bridge is surrounded by fire in Lake Oroville during the Bear fire. (Josh Edelson/AFP )
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The North Complex, which includes the Bear fire, is now the 10th-largest wildfire in state history, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. By Wednesday evening, word had spread that the town of Berry Creek was gone. Three people had been reported dead and several more were missing. By Thursday evening, the death toll had increased to 10.
All told, wildfires have burned more than 3.1 million acres across California this year — the most on record.
Given that the apocalypse is clearly upon us, orange skies and all, one would expect that such devastation would break a community’s spirit. Instead, there’s a sort of resigned resilience in rural Butte County, which like Sonoma, Napa and Lake counties has been pounded by disaster after disaster in recent years.
And there’s also a decent amount of indignant anger, much of it directed at state and federal agencies for not doing more controlled burns to prevent or slow wildfires. “It’s frustrating to me at 67 years of age to see it go from when it was managed and the fires were much smaller to what they are today,” said Butte County Supervisor Bill Connelly.
When conflagrations do inevitably explode in the mountainous terrain, like the Wall and Ponderosa fires did in 2017, there’s a well-worn routine to reacting to it all.
“Unfortunately, we’re well versed in evacuating,” Oroville Mayor Chuck Reynolds said Wednesday. “We have a lot of experience in that area now, and everyone seems to have their things in order to know what they would take and what they have ready to take. There doesn’t seem to be near the amount of panic.”
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A Butte county firefighter douses flames at the Bear fire in Oroville. (Josh Edelson/AFP)
Many in Butte County trace this back to one Sunday afternoon in early 2017 when, fearing that a spillway on the Oroville Dam was in danger of collapse, Sheriff-Coroner Kory Honea ordered the immediate mass evacuation of nearly 190,000 residents in communities downstream along the Feather River.
For hours, panicked and frustrated drivers sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic trying to escape.
This was before the Camp fire devastated the town of Paradise and before the Woolsey fire , which burned 151 square miles from Westlake Village to Malibu — an area roughly a third the size of the city of Los Angeles. It also was before the Tubbs fire, which burned swaths of Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties, devastating Santa Rosa.
“We joke that it was our training wheels for a fire,” Cootsona said.
I distinctly remember that Sunday afternoon in 2017. I was sitting on a patio, some 70 miles away in Sacramento, when a woman at the next table suddenly jumped to her feet and started screaming into her cellphone.
She was frantic, almost crying, telling whoever was on the other end of the line that she had just gotten an alert about the evacuation, was on a day trip and needed to warn her kids about the evacuation and somehow get her horses to safety.
It’s the kind of panic that has become more common in recent years as wildfires have become megafires, leading to mass evacuations on extremely short notice. Butte County is going through it yet again this week with the North Complex.
And now, of course, there’s COVID-19 to consider. Cootsona, who is executive director of the Jesus Center homeless services agency in Chico, is among those trying to figure out how to manage the fires in the middle of a pandemic.
A plume rises from the Bear Fire as it approaches Oroville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press )
The biggest challenge? What to do with the many people fleeing down the mountain. Or the many people who lost their homes in the Camp fire two years ago and are still living in RVs and tents.
To reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus, Butte County isn’t using congregate shelters for evacuees. That has left hotels and motels as the next best choice. And indeed, as of Wednesday, some 90 families have been placed in rooms around Butte County.
But another 140 families are waiting. One big reason for that is because homeless people are already occupying many of the rooms under Project Roomkey, a months-old state initiative aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 by getting the most vulnerable people off the streets and into hotels and motels.
Then there are the complications for emergency personnel, from firefighters on down to the agencies like the Jesus Center that provide other services.
Cootsona offered up one anecdote about an employee who lives in Paradise. “Her house survived the fire,” Cootsona told me. “The fire came through her neighborhood twice and she had to move out for five months because of the smoke damage, but she moved back.”
Then, COVID-19 hit. Because of the pandemic, her children had been taking classes from home. Then, this week, Pacific Gas & Electric started shutting off the power to avoid igniting a fire during red flag conditions. With no electricity and no internet service, the employee had to drive down the mountain to access a WiFi hotspot so her children could finish the school day.
Then, the North Complex fire started to move in. Now she’s back at her grandmother’s house, trying to coordinate how to distribute 600 meals per day to people in need.
“Of course, the only indispensable person in the building had to evacuate,” Cootsona said.
But that’s just life in Butte County.
Meanwhile, the North Complex fire continues to burn — one of about 7,700 wildfires that have charred the state this year. I can’t help but wonder if it’s a glimpse into how all Californians will one day have to live with an increasingly apocalyptic future fueled by climate change.
“I’ve been in office 16 years,” Connelly said. “I’ve had six fires in six years, none of which has been as big as the Camp fire — until this one.”


latimes--2020-09-10--Los Angeles suffers worst smog in almost 30 years

Lung-damaging ozone pollution in Los Angeles reached its highest levels in a generation and set records in other parts of Southern California during the blistering Labor Day weekend heat wave , air quality readings show .
Ozone pollution spiked to 185 parts per billion in downtown Los Angeles at midday Sunday , according to South Coast Air Quality Management District monitoring data .
It was the highest hourly reading in Southern California since 2003 and the highest in downtown L.A. in 26 years .
The eight-hour average ozone level in downtown L.A. was 118 ppb , “ very unhealthy ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above the federal standard of 70 ppb .
The last time ozone readings were that high in downtown L.A. , by either measure , was in 1994 , at a time when emissions were much higher and smog dramatically worse .
In Orange County , the eight-hour average ozone reading in Mission Viejo was 123 ppb , the highest on record since monitoring began at that location in 2000 .
Compton ’ s eight-hour reading was 115 ppb , its highest since monitoring began there in 2008 .
Sunday ’ s readings at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ located on North Main Street in Chinatown , were so far above normal that they triggered a quality control check designed to prevent the release of erroneous data , air quality officials said .
The downtown L.A. readings did not initially appear online and were provided by the South Coast air district in response to questions from The Times about the missing data .
The figures were not reported immediately because the quality control check requires additional , manual validation if pollution readings exceed historic highs , South Coast AQMD spokeswoman Nahal Mogharabi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they “ can show erroneously high levels and the quality control check prevents the automated release of high data that could be incorrect.
” But it was no glitch .
“ The value for noon on Sunday has been reviewed and is preliminarily valid at 185 ppb , ” Mogharabi said .
Air quality officials said the high pollution readings were a result of intense heat combined with stagnant weather conditions and winds that were too weak to sweep away much pollution .
Temperatures in Los Angeles County exceeded 120 degrees Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thanks to a high-pressure system that also trapped dirty air close to the ground and allowed smog levels to build up .
Unusually bad pollution is only the latest extreme to hit California in recent weeks .
California recorded its hottest August on record , said UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain , who tweeted Thursday that the distinction is “ probably not a surprise to anyone who just lived through it.
” Temperatures spiked during the muggy , long-lasting heat wave that hung over the region in mid-August , and they were followed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spell that made for a sweltering Labor Day weekend .
In the big picture , climate change is an underlying cause of the increase in smog , according to air quality experts .
Scientific studies have found that rising temperatures are making smog harder to control by speeding up the photochemical reactions that generate ozone gas .
And wildfires , which are growing more intense and destructive with the warming climate , only spew more smog-forming pollutants into the air .
“ The combination of a major wildfire and extreme heat can really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Yifang Zhu , a professor of environmental health sciences at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health .
“ Both are important , and they came together at a very unfortunate time , and that helps explain why we were seeing such extreme levels of ozone last weekend.
” “ If we don ’ t do more than we are now to combat climate change , it ’ s going to happen again and again , ” Zhu added .
Southern California has long suffered the nation ’ s worst levels of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inflames the lungs and triggers asthma attacks and other health problems , is not emitted directly but forms when pollution from cars , trucks , factories and other sources bakes in the heat and sunlight .
So it ’ s no coincidence that the highest ozone readings usually happen when the weather is hottest .
In recent years , ozone has been worst in the Inland Empire .
But this past weekend ’ s heat wave was marked by abnormally high smog levels even in coastal communities that typically enjoy cleaner air .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Air Quality Index across much of the basin on Sunday , including the Westside , southeast L.A. County , northern Orange County and the San Gabriel Valley .
The spike in ozone comes just months after many rejoiced over the perceived air-cleaning effects of the coronavirus lockdown .
Dramatic reductions in traffic emissions certainly contributed to lower smog levels — including a 21-day stretch of good air days that was the L.A. area ’ s longest in decades — but air quality experts believe much of the apparent improvement was , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By April 1 , the region had logged its first bad air day since stay-at-home-orders took effect , and it racked up a string of additional violations as temperatures climbed into the 90s later that month .
By the first week of May , a heat wave had pushed ozone levels into the “ very unhealthy ” range again .
Cesunica Ivey , an assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at UC Riverside , said her research into air quality impacts during the COVID-19 shutdown found that in March and April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in areas of Southern California with typically cleaner air , such as Pasadena , while dropping slightly in smoggier areas such as the Inland Empire .
“ We ’ re still investigating the extent to which this overall reduction in commuter activity , along with these extreme heat events , are combining to give us these 1994 levels of ozone , ” Ivey said .
Mogharabi said the air district also is investigating whether a COVID-related shift in the balance between the two main smog-forming pollutants — combustion gases called nitrogen oxides and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compounds — has contributed to the abnormally high ozone readings .
The awful air quality marks the latest setback in the fight against Southern California smog , which has faltered in recent years despite a long-term decrease in emissions .
Officials with the South Coast air district , which regulates air pollution across a region of 17 million people spanning Los Angeles , Orange , Riverside and San Bernardino counties , have blamed hotter weather and stronger , more persistent pollution-trapping inversion layers .
They are also studying to what extent climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The changing climate , weather extremes and wildfire seasons do play a role , but it is very hard to definitively attribute a few years of extreme weather to longer-term climate change trends , ” Mogharabi said .
“ However , if these uncontrollable events such as this past weekend , or the ozone event we experienced in the spring , become more frequent or more extreme , it would then negatively impact ozone levels and our ability to meet federal attainment standards.
” The unhealthy smog readings occurred during a period @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspended air-quality rules on power plants , cargo ships in port and other major pollution sources to ease strain on the power grid during the two recent heat waves .
Southern California air quality regulators said they don ’ t know whether higher-than-usual emissions played a role but are gathering information .

The Los Angeles skyline is shrouded in smoke from the Bobcat fire as seen from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Haze from the Bobcat fire looms over Azusa as it burns in Angeles National Forest. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Despite the unhealthful air quality, Fabian Ortez of Riverside enjoys an afternoon of fishing off the pier in Seal Beach. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
An upbeat message on the South Coast Cinemas marquee in Laguna Beach is dimmed by the smoky air. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
A man walks his dog past the historic lifeguard tower in Laguna Beach as the sun is obscured by smoke from wildfires. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
The sky is gray over the Santa Monica Pier as a family plays in the breakwater. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
A crow on a cypress tree in Garden Grove is silhouetted by a sun obscured by ash from Southland wildfires. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Visitors check their photos at Griffith Observatory with a smoky view of the Hollywood sign behind them. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
An aerial view of Dodger Stadium and the downtown Los Angeles skyline at sunset is obscured by smoke, ash and smog on Sept. 14. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Elijah Simpson practices shooting hoops against a backdrop of smokey skies from the Bobcat Fire at Angel’s Gate Park in the San Pedro on September 16, 2020. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Brooks Hubbard with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers takes photos from the historic North Broadway Bridge over the Los Angeles River Tuesday morning as smoke and ash from the Bobcat fire cloak the area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Lung-damaging ozone pollution in Los Angeles reached its highest levels in a generation and set records in other parts of Southern California during the blistering Labor Day weekend heat wave, air quality readings show.
Ozone pollution spiked to 185 parts per billion in downtown Los Angeles at midday Sunday, according to South Coast Air Quality Management District monitoring data. It was the highest hourly reading in Southern California since 2003 and the highest in downtown L.A. in 26 years.
The eight-hour average ozone level in downtown L.A. was 118 ppb, “very unhealthy” on the Air Quality Index and far above the federal standard of 70 ppb. The last time ozone readings were that high in downtown L.A., by either measure, was in 1994, at a time when emissions were much higher and smog dramatically worse.
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In Orange County, the eight-hour average ozone reading in Mission Viejo was 123 ppb, the highest on record since monitoring began at that location in 2000. Compton’s eight-hour reading was 115 ppb, its highest since monitoring began there in 2008.
Sunday’s readings at the downtown L.A. air monitoring station, located on North Main Street in Chinatown, were so far above normal that they triggered a quality control check designed to prevent the release of erroneous data, air quality officials said.
The downtown L.A. readings did not initially appear online and were provided by the South Coast air district in response to questions from The Times about the missing data.
The figures were not reported immediately because the quality control check requires additional, manual validation if pollution readings exceed historic highs, South Coast AQMD spokeswoman Nahal Mogharabi said. If instruments are having problems, they “can show erroneously high levels and the quality control check prevents the automated release of high data that could be incorrect.”
But it was no glitch.
“The value for noon on Sunday has been reviewed and is preliminarily valid at 185 ppb,” Mogharabi said.
Advertisement
Air quality officials said the high pollution readings were a result of intense heat combined with stagnant weather conditions and winds that were too weak to sweep away much pollution. Temperatures in Los Angeles County exceeded 120 degrees Sunday for the first time on record, thanks to a high-pressure system that also trapped dirty air close to the ground and allowed smog levels to build up.
Unusually bad pollution is only the latest extreme to hit California in recent weeks. California recorded its hottest August on record, said UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain, who tweeted Thursday that the distinction is “probably not a surprise to anyone who just lived through it.” Temperatures spiked during the muggy, long-lasting heat wave that hung over the region in mid-August, and they were followed soon after by a second record-setting heat spell that made for a sweltering Labor Day weekend.
In the big picture, climate change is an underlying cause of the increase in smog, according to air quality experts. Scientific studies have found that rising temperatures are making smog harder to control by speeding up the photochemical reactions that generate ozone gas. And wildfires, which are growing more intense and destructive with the warming climate, only spew more smog-forming pollutants into the air.
“The combination of a major wildfire and extreme heat can really send ozone levels through the roof,” said Yifang Zhu, a professor of environmental health sciences at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. “Both are important, and they came together at a very unfortunate time, and that helps explain why we were seeing such extreme levels of ozone last weekend.”
“If we don’t do more than we are now to combat climate change, it’s going to happen again and again,” Zhu added.
Southern California has long suffered the nation’s worst levels of ozone. The corrosive gas, which inflames the lungs and triggers asthma attacks and other health problems, is not emitted directly but forms when pollution from cars, trucks, factories and other sources bakes in the heat and sunlight. So it’s no coincidence that the highest ozone readings usually happen when the weather is hottest.
In recent years, ozone has been worst in the Inland Empire. But this past weekend’s heat wave was marked by abnormally high smog levels even in coastal communities that typically enjoy cleaner air. Ozone reached “very unhealthy” on the Air Quality Index across much of the basin on Sunday, including the Westside, southeast L.A. County, northern Orange County and the San Gabriel Valley.
The spike in ozone comes just months after many rejoiced over the perceived air-cleaning effects of the coronavirus lockdown. Dramatic reductions in traffic emissions certainly contributed to lower smog levels — including a 21-day stretch of good air days that was the L.A. area’s longest in decades — but air quality experts believe much of the apparent improvement was, in fact, due to stormy spring weather.
By April 1, the region had logged its first bad air day since stay-at-home-orders took effect, and it racked up a string of additional violations as temperatures climbed into the 90s later that month. By the first week of May, a heat wave had pushed ozone levels into the “very unhealthy” range again.
Cesunica Ivey, an assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at UC Riverside, said her research into air quality impacts during the COVID-19 shutdown found that in March and April, levels of ozone actually increased slightly in areas of Southern California with typically cleaner air, such as Pasadena, while dropping slightly in smoggier areas such as the Inland Empire.
“We’re still investigating the extent to which this overall reduction in commuter activity, along with these extreme heat events, are combining to give us these 1994 levels of ozone,” Ivey said.
Mogharabi said the air district also is investigating whether a COVID-related shift in the balance between the two main smog-forming pollutants — combustion gases called nitrogen oxides and chemical vapors and solvents called volatile organic compounds — has contributed to the abnormally high ozone readings.
The awful air quality marks the latest setback in the fight against Southern California smog, which has faltered in recent years despite a long-term decrease in emissions.
Officials with the South Coast air district, which regulates air pollution across a region of 17 million people spanning Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, have blamed hotter weather and stronger, more persistent pollution-trapping inversion layers. They are also studying to what extent climate change is driving recent increases in ozone.
“The changing climate, weather extremes and wildfire seasons do play a role, but it is very hard to definitively attribute a few years of extreme weather to longer-term climate change trends,” Mogharabi said. “However, if these uncontrollable events such as this past weekend, or the ozone event we experienced in the spring, become more frequent or more extreme, it would then negatively impact ozone levels and our ability to meet federal attainment standards.”
The unhealthy smog readings occurred during a period in which Gov. Gavin Newsom temporarily suspended air-quality rules on power plants, cargo ships in port and other major pollution sources to ease strain on the power grid during the two recent heat waves. Southern California air quality regulators said they don’t know whether higher-than-usual emissions played a role but are gathering information.


latimes--2020-09-10--Massive August fire now largest in California history, at 471,000 acres and counting

The massive August Complex fire is now officially the largest blaze in California history , burning more than 471,000 acres , another grim milestone in what is already the state ’ s most destructive fire year on record .
The fire burning north of Sacramento has now surpassed the 2018 Mendocino Complex fire , which burned more than 459,000 acres back in 2018 .
The August Complex is burning in a remote area in and around Tehama County and has destroyed 26 structures .
One fatality has been reported .
That makes it the largest fire by size but far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Camp fire in 2018 , which burned 18,000 structures and killed 85 people in and around Paradise .
The August Complex started as more than 30 separate fires in the Mendocino National Forest and was caused by lightning .
It is burning in Glenn , Mendocino , Lake , Tehama and Trinity counties .
Two other fires in the month of August have also made their way into the record books .
The SCU Complex fire east of the Bay Area is now No .
3 at 396,000 acres , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 with 363,000 acres burned .
The milestone comes as firefighters are battling blazes across the state .
The Bear fire , which quickly grew to more than 250,000 acres , swept through mountain hamlets and killed at least three people in Butte County .
Three bodies were found in the wake of the fire , part of the massive North Complex blazes that raced through northern Sierra Nevada foothills before dawn Wednesday .
The multiple blazes caught crews and residents off guard as flames leaped southwest toward towns in Butte County , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was largely destroyed by the Camp fire .
Across the state , 28 major wildfires have prompted more than 64,000 people to evacuate , said Daniel Berlant , a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
In Northern California , some 20,000 residents in Plumas , Butte and Yuba counties were forced to flee the North Complex fires , which exploded in size to 254,000 acres overnight .
Fire officials on that incident and the Creek fire to the south struggled to get an exact footprint of the flames @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intense smoke , now blanketing almost the entire state , close to the ground .
The gray shroud made it unsafe for pilots to drop retardant and water or surveil where the fires had been and where they were going .
“ One of the things we ’ ve seen statewide is , with all the smoke , we can ’ t get a good assessment , ” said Chris Vestal , a spokesman for the Creek fire response in the Sierra National Forest .

Flames consume dry brush around Santa Barbara firefighters as they set a backfire along Oro Quincy Highway in the aftermath of the Bear fire in Oroville. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
A man stands on a dock at the Shaver Lake Marina as the Creek fire approaches on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
A vehicle streaks along California 168 as the Creek fire creeps closer to Shaver Lake, Calif., on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
A member of the Laguna Hotshots Crew is silhouetted against a background of flames. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Members of the Laguna Hotshots Crew walk down Huntington Lake Road to battle the Creek fire on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
The Laguna Hotshots Crew out of the Cleveland National Forest battles the Creek fire as it approaches the Southern California Edison Big Creek Hydroelectric Plant on Sept. 6 in Big Creek, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
A vehicle streaks by as Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeffery Shipman stands along California 168, with the Creek fire in the background on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
A plume rises from the Bear fire as it burns along Lake Oroville in Butte County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Frank Martinez, left, and Rick Wolfe with their nine dogs in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
A firefighter battles the Creek fire as it threatens homes in Madera County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A crew from Trinity River Conservation Camp, a prison facility, does mop-up work on Stringtown Road on Friday, the day after a flare-up in the area. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Melted goggles lie on the ground next to the burned-out truck on Stringtown Road. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Propane gas burns Friday at the ruins of a home on Zink Road in the Berry Creek area of Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Thick smoke shrouds iconic Half Dome towering over Yosemite Valley in a view from Sentinel Bridge over the Merced River on Sept. 13. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Thick smoke from multiple forest fires shrouds iconic El Capitan, right, and the walls of Yosemite Valley. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The massive August Complex fire is now officially the largest blaze in California history, burning more than 471,000 acres, another grim milestone in what is already the state’s most destructive fire year on record.
The fire burning north of Sacramento has now surpassed the 2018 Mendocino Complex fire, which burned more than 459,000 acres back in 2018.
The August Complex is burning in a remote area in and around Tehama County and has destroyed 26 structures. One fatality has been reported. That makes it the largest fire by size but far less destructive than other recent fires including the Camp fire in 2018, which burned 18,000 structures and killed 85 people in and around Paradise.
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The August Complex started as more than 30 separate fires in the Mendocino National Forest and was caused by lightning. It is burning in Glenn, Mendocino, Lake, Tehama and Trinity counties.
Two other fires in the month of August have also made their way into the record books. The SCU Complex fire east of the Bay Area is now No. 3 at 396,000 acres, and the North Bay LNU fire is No. 4 with 363,000 acres burned.
The milestone comes as firefighters are battling blazes across the state.
Where's all this wildfire smoke coming from?
Right now or within the last few weeks, we've had the #1 (August Complex) #3 (SCU), #4 (LNU), #9 (Elkhorn), #10 (North Complex), #18 (Creek) largest California wildfires burning in our vicinity & other fires such as the Dolan (94k). pic.twitter.com/mVFViUZ40D — NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) September 10, 2020
The Bear fire, which quickly grew to more than 250,000 acres, swept through mountain hamlets and killed at least three people in Butte County.
Three bodies were found in the wake of the fire, part of the massive North Complex blazes that raced through northern Sierra Nevada foothills before dawn Wednesday. The multiple blazes caught crews and residents off guard as flames leaped southwest toward towns in Butte County, including the community of Paradise, which was largely destroyed by the Camp fire.
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Across the state, 28 major wildfires have prompted more than 64,000 people to evacuate, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
In Northern California, some 20,000 residents in Plumas, Butte and Yuba counties were forced to flee the North Complex fires, which exploded in size to 254,000 acres overnight.
Fire officials on that incident and the Creek fire to the south struggled to get an exact footprint of the flames because a high-pressure weather system kept the intense smoke, now blanketing almost the entire state, close to the ground.
The gray shroud made it unsafe for pilots to drop retardant and water or surveil where the fires had been and where they were going.
“One of the things we’ve seen statewide is, with all the smoke, we can’t get a good assessment,” said Chris Vestal, a spokesman for the Creek fire response in the Sierra National Forest.


latimes--2020-09-10--The Times is teaming up with other California newsrooms to track COVID-19

To better report on the spread of COVID-19 , The Times is partnering with news outlets across California in a combined data-gathering effort .
Since March , The Times has conducted an independent survey of the latest data compiled by the state ’ s 61 local health agencies .
That survey , run continually throughout the day , has supplied the underlying data for , as well as covering the crisis .
The survey ’ s tallies of cases and deaths can arrive days ahead of numbers published by the California Department of Public Health .
The system has won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not dispute its method .
That data collection work will be split between reporters in The Times ’ Data and Graphics Department and members of a similar team at the , who have been conducting .
The group will be joined by data journalists at , , , and .
They will use the pooled data as the basis for their independent work , and plan to partner in further efforts to gather , organize and release data tracking COVID-19 in California .
Also joining is Big Local News , a project @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which will help Stanford students and journalists at smaller outlets access the data .
The Times database is on Github , a popular website for hosting data and computer code .
The files are updated daily at .
Those data are also being put to use by groups outside journalism .
They have been integrated into medical surveillance tools by experts at and , and used for research into racial disparities by .
The data are free for personal , non-commercial use , though some restrictions apply .
For instance , reselling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of use are spelled out on .

To better report on the spread of COVID-19, The Times is partnering with news outlets across California in a combined data-gathering effort.
Since March, The Times has conducted an independent survey of the latest data compiled by the state’s 61 local health agencies. That survey, run continually throughout the day, has supplied the underlying data for this site’s coronavirus tracker , as well as dozens of stories covering the crisis.
The survey’s tallies of cases and deaths can arrive days ahead of numbers published by the California Department of Public Health. The system has won praise from public health officials, who do not dispute its method.
That data collection work will be split between reporters in The Times’ Data and Graphics Department and members of a similar team at the San Francisco Chronicle , who have been conducting a separate, parallel survey .
The group will be joined by data journalists at the San Diego Union-Tribune , KQED , KPCC , CapRadio and CalMatters . They will use the pooled data as the basis for their independent work, and plan to partner in further efforts to gather, organize and release data tracking COVID-19 in California. Also joining is Big Local News, a project of the Stanford Journalism and Democracy Initiative, which will help Stanford students and journalists at smaller outlets access the data.
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The Times database is already available on Github, a popular website for hosting data and computer code. The files are updated daily at github.com/datadesk/california-coronavirus-data .
Those data are also being put to use by groups outside journalism. They have been integrated into medical surveillance tools by experts at UCLA and UC San Francisco , and used for research into racial disparities by the Advancement Project .
The data are free for personal, non-commercial use, though some restrictions apply. For instance, reselling the raw data is prohibited. Terms of use are spelled out on Github .


latimes--2020-09-10--Dirty air from wildfires continues to foul parts of the smog-weary Bay Area

Bay Area residents woke to another day of perpetual twilight , with the sun obscured by thick smoke from a historic conflagration of fires throughout California .
But , unlike Wednesday , when a marine layer and high winds in the mid-to-upper reaches of the atmosphere kept the smoke from settling in lower elevations , those winds weakened Thursday morning — and the air quality at ground level deteriorated .
Data from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District showed the worst pollution was in San Francisco and Oakland , and also in some Sonoma County towns , particularly Sebastopol @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , San Francisco was tied with Dubai for having the world ’ s worst air quality among major cities Thursday morning — with an air quality index at 10 a.m. of 167 , a level considered unhealthy for everybody .
In rural areas west of Yosemite National Park , AQI levels topped 400 on Thursday morning .
On a dirt path snaking along the San Francisquito creek in Palo Alto , there were notably few joggers and dog-walkers .
Across the creek , in Menlo Park , Lon LaMance , a 78-year-old resident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times a day , said the air quality was noticeably worse than the day before , “ but that ’ s not saying much.
” “ In all my years I have never seen the atmosphere like it was yesterday , ” he said .
It was “ as if we were on Mars.
” The National Weather Service ’ s Drew Peterson said it was difficult to forecast how long the air quality in the Bay Area would remain compromised .
Even predicting the weather was hard enough , he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
And until they are contained , the usual patterns of wind , temperature and weather don ’ t hold .
“ Temperatures across the region were 20 to 25 — in some cases 30 — degrees cooler , yesterday , than our forecasts had anticipated , ” he said .
Weather models are based on assumptions of incoming energy from the sun .
When there is this much smoke in the atmosphere , blocking that sunlight , those models don ’ t work , he said .
Asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could take a break for a few days , he seemed surprised , and said “ no , ” noting he and his colleagues are watching all of this unfold and trying to help people understand the situation .
“ As you can imagine , we ’ re on the phone a lot — trying to help explain what is happening , ” he said .
He said the air at lower elevations had taken on a smoggier element Thursday , as a result of the wind changes — explaining that the word @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fog .
“ Although in Los Angeles smog usually refers more to the mixing of ozone pollution and fog , what we have here today is a combination of true smoke and the marine layer , or fog , ” he said .
“ I know the orange skies , yesterday , were scary to see , ” said Erin DeMerritt , Bay Area Air Quality Management District spokeswoman .
“ But the conditions kept that bad air aloft.
” The situation is actually scarier today , she said , because that smoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now considered unhealthy throughout much of the region .
She said the reason the skies are gray today , and not orange , is because of the mixing of water vapor with the smoke .
“ We expect the conditions to remain through at least tomorrow , ” she said .
“ But it ’ s all dependent on fire containment.
” Pollution in the Bay Area is partly from local fires that blew up and then were knocked back in the Santa Cruz Mountains and the North Bay .
But it also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from fires as far away as Washington state , according to satellite imagery .
For Elinor Gates , an astronomer at the University of California ’ s Lick Observatory , on Mt .
Hamilton , the air felt as smoky Thursday morning as it did Wednesday , “ but not nearly so orange/yellow as yesterday , ” she said in an email .
“ Still can ’ t see the sun , but more like a completely overcast day than the eerie colors of yesterday .
”

Bay Area residents woke to another day of perpetual twilight, with the sun obscured by thick smoke from a historic conflagration of fires throughout California.
But, unlike Wednesday, when a marine layer and high winds in the mid-to-upper reaches of the atmosphere kept the smoke from settling in lower elevations, those winds weakened Thursday morning — and the air quality at ground level deteriorated.
Data from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District showed the worst pollution was in San Francisco and Oakland, and also in some Sonoma County towns, particularly Sebastopol.
According to the Swiss company IQAir, San Francisco was tied with Dubai for having the world’s worst air quality among major cities Thursday morning — with an air quality index at 10 a.m. of 167, a level considered unhealthy for everybody. In rural areas west of Yosemite National Park, AQI levels topped 400 on Thursday morning.
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On a dirt path snaking along the San Francisquito creek in Palo Alto, there were notably few joggers and dog-walkers.
Across the creek, in Menlo Park, Lon LaMance, a 78-year-old resident who walks the neighborhood six or seven times a day, said the air quality was noticeably worse than the day before, “but that’s not saying much.”
“In all my years I have never seen the atmosphere like it was yesterday,” he said. It was “as if we were on Mars.”
California Death toll rises as California wildfires continue destructive path Six of the 20 largest wildfires the state has ever seen started in the last few weeks, Cal Fire says.
The National Weather Service’s Drew Peterson said it was difficult to forecast how long the air quality in the Bay Area would remain compromised. Even predicting the weather was hard enough, he said.
“The wildfires are driving the weather,” he said. And until they are contained, the usual patterns of wind, temperature and weather don’t hold.
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“Temperatures across the region were 20 to 25 — in some cases 30 — degrees cooler, yesterday, than our forecasts had anticipated,” he said.
Weather models are based on assumptions of incoming energy from the sun. When there is this much smoke in the atmosphere, blocking that sunlight, those models don’t work, he said.
Asked if that meant he and his colleagues could take a break for a few days, he seemed surprised, and said “no,” noting he and his colleagues are watching all of this unfold and trying to help people understand the situation.
“As you can imagine, we’re on the phone a lot — trying to help explain what is happening,” he said.
He said the air at lower elevations had taken on a smoggier element Thursday, as a result of the wind changes — explaining that the word smog is a contraction of smoke and fog.
“Although in Los Angeles smog usually refers more to the mixing of ozone pollution and fog, what we have here today is a combination of true smoke and the marine layer, or fog,” he said.
“I know the orange skies, yesterday, were scary to see,” said Erin DeMerritt, Bay Area Air Quality Management District spokeswoman. “But the conditions kept that bad air aloft.”
The situation is actually scarier today, she said, because that smoke has settled, and the air is now considered unhealthy throughout much of the region. She said the reason the skies are gray today, and not orange, is because of the mixing of water vapor with the smoke.
“We expect the conditions to remain through at least tomorrow,” she said. “But it’s all dependent on fire containment.”
Pollution in the Bay Area is partly from local fires that blew up and then were knocked back in the Santa Cruz Mountains and the North Bay. But it also includes particulate pollution blown south on Wednesday from fires as far away as Washington state, according to satellite imagery.
For Elinor Gates, an astronomer at the University of California’s Lick Observatory, on Mt. Hamilton, the air felt as smoky Thursday morning as it did Wednesday, “but not nearly so orange/yellow as yesterday,” she said in an email. “Still can’t see the sun, but more like a completely overcast day than the eerie colors of yesterday.”


latimes--2020-09-10--Walk-up COVID-19 testing kiosk launches at Union Station

A mobile testing kiosk is opening Thursday at Union Station as Los Angeles County continues to expand its COVID-19 testing capacity .
The pilot program , launched by Curative Inc. and Metropolitan Transportation Authority , is a walk-up stand meant to accommodate those who don ’ t have access to a car .
Roughly 500 tests will be available each day , L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday .
“ We ’ re looking forward to seeing people traveling safely through Union Station — to home , to work , to their families , to where they need to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be offered 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through Sunday , with testing continuing on Wednesdays through Sundays for the rest of the month .
The process is a self-administered swab test with a 24-hour turnaround time for results .
Appointments are not necessary but are encouraged .
There are roughly 23,000 COVID-19 tests available daily at city- and county-run sites , Garcetti said .
More than 236,450 infections have been recorded in the county .
While the transmission rate has declined in recent weeks , officials have warned that activity related to Labor Day weekend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said that she is “ cautiously hopeful ” that cases will not spike again , as was the case after Memorial Day and the Fourth of July weekend .
But she reminded residents to take proactive steps in the event they become exposed to the virus .
“ If you are potentially exposed to COVID-19 over the holiday weekend , I ’ m encouraging you to get tested , ” she said Wednesday .
Ferrer advised people to get tested if they were in a crowd , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into contact with a person who was sick or tested positive for the virus .
The county ’ s expansion of testing and contact tracing also includes the launch of the SafePass mobile app to alert residents who have come in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus .

A mobile testing kiosk is opening Thursday at Union Station as Los Angeles County continues to expand its COVID-19 testing capacity.
The pilot program, launched by Curative Inc. and Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is a walk-up stand meant to accommodate those who don’t have access to a car. Roughly 500 tests will be available each day, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday.
“We’re looking forward to seeing people traveling safely through Union Station — to home, to work, to their families, to where they need to go,” Garcetti said.
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Testing will be offered 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through Sunday, with testing continuing on Wednesdays through Sundays for the rest of the month. The process is a self-administered swab test with a 24-hour turnaround time for results. Appointments are not necessary but are encouraged.
There are roughly 23,000 COVID-19 tests available daily at city- and county-run sites, Garcetti said.
More than 236,450 infections have been recorded in the county. While the transmission rate has declined in recent weeks, officials have warned that activity related to Labor Day weekend could result in another surge.
L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said that she is “cautiously hopeful” that cases will not spike again, as was the case after Memorial Day and the Fourth of July weekend. But she reminded residents to take proactive steps in the event they become exposed to the virus.
“If you are potentially exposed to COVID-19 over the holiday weekend, I’m encouraging you to get tested,” she said Wednesday.
Ferrer advised people to get tested if they were in a crowd, especially without face coverings, or came into contact with a person who was sick or tested positive for the virus.
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The county’s expansion of testing and contact tracing also includes the launch of the SafePass mobile app to alert residents who have come in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.