latimes--2020-05-29--Will small-business owners go to jail for breaking coronavirus rules? We'll find out

As the coronavirus pandemic swept through Southern California in late March , police officers visited Janet Tavakoli ’ s Sherman Oaks beauty supply emporium .
She agreed to comply with city rules and shut it down .
By early May , Los Angeles was allowing retailers to offer curbside service , but Tavakoli , 69 , figured she had already lost more than $ 15,000 in sales .
She tried offering goods outside the front door for a few days , but it brought in just half her usual traffic .
She was fed up .
“ I cried and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I needed money .
I was depressed.
” After installing plexiglass over the cash register and outfitting her 12 employees with masks and gloves , Tavakoli opened back up , attracting more than 250 shoppers in just three days .
“ Our customers , when they found out we were open , they were so happy , ” she said .
But that violated L.A. ’ s curbside-only rule for nonessential businesses — an order lifted only this week and only under certain conditions .
The police returned , and on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced criminal charges against the Beauty Collection , Tavakoli ’ s store .
In Alameda County , Elon Musk may have gotten away with reopening his Tesla factory before it was allowed , but Los Angeles is prosecuting more than 70 businesses so far for allegedly flouting COVID-19 rules .
Those businesses include pet groomers , hair and nail salons , a car wash , a printer , a shoe shop , a textile store , a restaurant , a boxing gym , an electronics outlet , a motorcycle dealership and at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : up to $ 1,000 in fines and six months in jail .
And more prosecutions are in the pipeline .
Despite looser rules in many other counties , in L.A. County gyms , bars , movie theaters , barbers and beauty salons must remain closed .
Restaurants are restricted to takeout and delivery service .
Retailers must comply with strict protocols governing in-store shopping , including face coverings , physical distancing and limits on the number of customers .
The county accounts for nearly half of the state ’ s approximately 104,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its approximately 4,000 reported deaths .
The extent of businesses ’ noncompliance , whether deliberate or inadvertent , whether due to catastrophic financial losses or coronavirus fatigue , was evident as county inspectors ramped up this month .
On the weekend of May 12 , they visited 410 businesses and found 162 in violation of safety rules , including allowing customers into stores , not requiring face coverings or failing to ensure physical distancing .
The following weekend , inspectors visited 1,648 businesses and found most of them — 1,039 — out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 1,021 were in violation of some aspect of the rules .
“ Businesses should not open until they can adhere to all the protocols , and they must post a completed checklist in a public place before they open , ” said county public health director Barbara Ferrer .
Almost all comply after the visits , according to a health department spokesman .
Some small-business owners facing criminal charges are crying foul .
They were confused by evolving rules and received no warnings , they say .
Some contend they shut down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but were still charged .
“ I wasn ’ t defying orders , ” said Steven Spunt , who owns Beach Cities Car Wash in Venice .
“ I tried to do everything right .
It ’ s mind boggling that they filed charges.
” When shutdown orders took effect , Spunt said he immediately called the city ’ s 211 hotline to see if his car wash qualified as an essential business because it sanitized taxis and rental cars .
A supervisor called back and told him the business did qualify , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it on a text that said I could continue , ” Spunt recalled .
A week or so later , police showed up .
As Spunt tells it , he and the officers got on the phone with a city prosecutor who was unsure .
Two days later the prosecutor called to say Beach Cities did not qualify .
Spunt said he shut down immediately , only learning weeks later that he was criminally charged .
Feuer declined to comment on specific cases but said his office routinely contacts each business with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they comply right after that .
Josh Rubenstein , a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department , said officers with LAPD ’ s “ business ambassador ” program have visited some 2,000 city locations since March 23 .
He declined to comment on any of the roughly 100 referred to the city attorney .
“ All businesses were afforded warnings before formal enforcement , ” he added , including an initial warning letter from Mayor Eric Garcetti .
“ Officers allowed the business to close if there was a misunderstanding or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Safer at Home policy.
” “ I have tremendous empathy for local businesses , ” Feuer said .
“ They have bills to pay and employees who count on them .
But if a business is flouting the rules , it is unfair to the thousands who are complying .
It undermines our public health and safety.
” Previously announced prosecutions will go forward “ because at the time they were out of compliance , ” he said .
“ While they were violating the rule , how many people were congregating in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those people might have been infecting somebody else needlessly ?
” Once courts reopen in August , Feuer added , “ each case will be tried on its merits.
” Many businesses closed or complied after charges were filed .
“ We ’ re not letting anyone in the door , ” said a salesman at the Arabian Nights & Vape Shop on Figueroa Street .
A staffer at Merri ’ s Grooming Palace in Woodland Hills said last week it was still open to pets “ by appointment ” — a violation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s office .
And Top Rocker , a Harley-Davidson dealership in Canoga Park , was charged before the county reclassified dealerships as essential on May 8 , according to a Feuer spokesman .
Ricky Funez , owner of the Ten Goose Boxing Gym in Van Nuys , said he closed when the city ’ s March order took effect .
Weeks later , he said , police officers visited the gym when he was inside with his nephew and one of his trainers .
“ They assumed we were open to the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Funez said .
“ But I check in on my business every day to see nobody has broken in or tagged me.
” The next day another trainer was at the gym , chatting with a longtime client who had popped in unexpectedly “ to see what was happening , ” when police stopped by again .
“ We were not open , ” Funez said on a recent day as his ring stood empty , surrounded by red .
white and blue punching bags .
“ We were not training @ @ @ @ @ @ @ astonished to get a notice of criminal charges in the mail .
“ It ’ s been overwhelming , what with everything else , ” he said , adding that he has lost $ 16,000 in monthly revenue since the gym , and an adjacent barber shop he owns , have shut down .
Funez said he never received Garcetti ’ s letter or any warning from prosecutors or police .
Nor , by his own account , did Amir Amirkhanian , owner of the Ultimate Smoke Shop in Van Nuys , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bars and a wide selection of water pipes .
Amirkhanian said police visited his shop April 13 .
“ I seriously didn ’ t know we were supposed to be closed , ” he said .
“ I don ’ t watch TV.
” He did close , he said , but interpreted a notice the police gave him as mandating just a week ’ s closure .
Three days after reopening on April 20 , he said , he received a letter with the criminal charge .
Another thing that confuses Amirkhanian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stores wide open ?
” he asks .
“ Why are they essential businesses and mine is not ?
” Although smoke shops amount to half of the businesses charged so far , Feuer said they have not been deliberately targeted .
“ There have been a lot of complaints about smoke shops , ” he said .
“ I don ’ t know why that particular sector of the business community appears to be flouting the rules.
” Ahmed Roushdy , general manager of Hamptons 818 , a popular Sherman Oaks restaurant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a misunderstanding .
Hamptons 818 , he said , had switched to takeout and delivery in March when dine-in service was outlawed .
“ But sometimes when our regular customers were waiting to pick up their food , I offered them a drink on the house , just to be hospitable , ” he said .
In early April , two police officers showed up and took photographs of two women drinking champagne while waiting for takeout .
“ They gave me a lecture , ” Roushdy said .
“ I took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t argue , and we haven ’ t done that since.
” But while police said they would be back to check compliance , Roushdy said , they never did return .
On April 30 , a letter arrived outlining criminal charges .
“ It ’ s unbelievable , ” he said .
“ I don ’ t know that what we did is a criminal act.
” Stuart Waldman , president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Assn.
, an influential San Fernando Valley group , said he has received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But the business owners charged “ aren ’ t criminals , ” he said .
“ These are people just trying to survive , and many might not fully understand the rules .
It ’ s more important to explain the rules to them than to charge them.
” Tavakoli at the Sherman Oaks Beauty Connection said she is confused by the Safer-at-Home orders .
“ I sell tons of sanitizer , and masks too , ” she said .
“ So why wasn ’ t I essential ?
” Moreover , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain open selling all the products she does — makeup , shampoo , nail polish — to customers roaming the aisles .
Pharmacies could be restricted to medical sales , she suggested .
Beyond her gripes about what she sees as competition , Tavakoli has a more urgent concern : “ They ’ ve put me down as a criminal , ” she said .
“ Are they going to take me to jail ?
”

Janet Tavakoli shut her Sherman Oaks store, the Beauty Collection, after a warning from police but reopened without city permission in early May.
As the coronavirus pandemic swept through Southern California in late March, police officers visited Janet Tavakoli’s Sherman Oaks beauty supply emporium. She agreed to comply with city rules and shut it down.
By early May, Los Angeles was allowing retailers to offer curbside service, but Tavakoli, 69, figured she had already lost more than $15,000 in sales. She tried offering goods outside the front door for a few days, but it brought in just half her usual traffic. She was fed up.
For the record: A previous version of this article said 162 businesses were found to be in violation of safety rules on the weekend of May 12. It was the weekend of May 9.
“I cried and cried and cried,” she said. “I needed money. I was depressed.”
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After installing plexiglass over the cash register and outfitting her 12 employees with masks and gloves, Tavakoli opened back up, attracting more than 250 shoppers in just three days.
“Our customers, when they found out we were open, they were so happy,” she said.
But that violated L.A.’s curbside-only rule for nonessential businesses — an order lifted only this week and only under certain conditions.
The police returned, and on May 12 City Atty. Michael Feuer announced criminal charges against the Beauty Collection, Tavakoli’s store.
In Alameda County, Elon Musk may have gotten away with reopening his Tesla factory before it was allowed, but Los Angeles is prosecuting more than 70 businesses so far for allegedly flouting COVID-19 rules. They include pet groomers, hair and nail salons, a car wash, a printer, a shoe shop, a textile store, a restaurant, a boxing gym, an electronics outlet, a motorcycle dealership and at least 30 smoke shops.
Penalties if convicted: up to $1,000 in fines and six months in jail.
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And more prosecutions are in the pipeline.
L.A. County has been slower to lift restrictions than some other California counties, given that it accounts for nearly half of the state’s approximately 107,000 known COVID-19 cases and more than half its approximately 4,000 reported deaths.
But over the past week, it has loosened the rules for retailers, restaurants, barbers and beauty salons, allowing them to welcome customers inside if they comply with strict protocols. Face coverings, physical distancing, barriers, and restrictions on the number of customers are among the requirements. Gyms and movie theaters must remain closed. .
The extent of businesses’ noncompliance, whether deliberate or inadvertent, whether due to catastrophic financial losses or coronavirus fatigue, was evident as county inspectors ramped up this month.
Ricky Funez, owner of the Ten Goose Boxing Gym in Van Nuys, said he was falsely charged with a criminal misdemeanor. His gym has been closed since March, following city orders, he said. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
On the weekend of May 9, they visited 410 businesses and found 162 in violation of safety rules, including allowing customers into stores, not requiring face coverings or failing to ensure physical distancing.
The following weekend, inspectors visited 1,648 businesses and found most of them — 1,039 — out of compliance. And last weekend, 675 of 1,021 were in violation of some aspect of the rules.
“Businesses should not open until they can adhere to all the protocols, and they must post a completed checklist in a public place before they open,” said county public health director Barbara Ferrer.
Almost all comply after the visits, according to a health department spokesman.
Some small-business owners facing criminal charges are crying foul. They were confused by evolving rules and received no warnings, they say. Some contend they shut down after a first visit from police officers but were still charged.
“I wasn’t defying orders,” said Steven Spunt, who owns Beach Cities Car Wash in Venice. “I tried to do everything right. It’s mind boggling that they filed charges.”
When shutdown orders took effect, Spunt said he immediately called the city’s 211 hotline to see if his car wash qualified as an essential business because it sanitized taxis and rental cars. A supervisor called back and told him the business did qualify, he said.
“I even got it on a text that said I could continue,” Spunt recalled.
A week or so later, police showed up. As Spunt tells it, he and the officers got on the phone with a city prosecutor who was unsure. Two days later the prosecutor called to say Beach Cities did not qualify.
Spunt said he shut down immediately, only learning weeks later that he was criminally charged.
Feuer declined to comment on specific cases but said his office routinely contacts each business with a warning and doesn’t charge them if they comply right after that.
“I have tremendous empathy for local businesses,” Feuer said. “They have bills to pay and employees who count on them. But if a business is flouting the rules, it is unfair to the thousands who are complying. It undermines our public health and safety.”
Previously announced prosecutions will go forward “because at the time they were out of compliance,” he said. “While they were violating the rule, how many people were congregating in their business? And how many of those people might have been infecting somebody else needlessly?”
Once courts reopen in August, Feuer added, “each case will be tried on its merits.”
Joshua Rubenstein, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department, said officers with LAPD’s “business ambassador” program have visited some 2,000 city locations since March 23. He declined to comment on any of the roughly 100 referred to the city attorney.
“All businesses were afforded warnings before formal enforcement,” he added, including an initial warning letter from Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Officers allowed the business to close if there was a misunderstanding or if the business was unaware of the safer-at-home policy.”
Many businesses closed or complied after charges were filed. “We’re not letting anyone in the door,” said a salesman at the Arabian Nights & Vape Shop on Figueroa Street.
A staffer at Merri’s Grooming Palace in Woodland Hills said last week it was still open to pets “by appointment” — a violation, according to the city attorney’s office.
And Top Rocker, a Harley-Davidson dealership in Canoga Park, was charged before the county reclassified dealerships as essential on May 8, according to a Feuer spokesman.
Ricky Funez, owner of the Ten Goose Boxing Gym in Van Nuys, said he closed when the city’s March order took effect. Weeks later, he said, police officers visited the gym when he was inside with his nephew and one of his trainers.
“They assumed we were open to the public because we were going in and out,” Funez said. “But I check in on my business every day to see nobody has broken in or tagged me.”
Ten Goose Boxing Gym in Van Nuys has been closed to the public since March. Its owner said LAPD officers wrongly assumed it was still open. (Rob Funez)
The next day another trainer was at the gym, chatting with a longtime client who had popped in unexpectedly “to see what was happening,” when police stopped by again.
“We were not open,” Funez said on a recent day as his ring stood empty, surrounded by red, white and blue punching bags. “We were not training anybody.”
Last month, he was astonished to get a notice of criminal charges in the mail. “It’s been overwhelming, what with everything else,” he said, adding that he has lost $16,000 in monthly revenue since the gym, and an adjacent barber shop he owns, have shut down.
Funez said he never received Garcetti’s letter or any warning from prosecutors or police.
Nor, by his own account, did Amir Amirkhanian, owner of the Ultimate Smoke Shop in Van Nuys, which offers lemon mint and pina colada vape bars and a wide selection of water pipes.
Amirkhanian said police visited his shop April 13. “I seriously didn’t know we were supposed to be closed,” he said. “I don’t watch TV.”
He did close, he said, but interpreted a notice the police gave him as mandating just a week’s closure. Three days after reopening on April 20, he said, he received a letter with the criminal charge.
Another thing that confuses Amirkhanian: “Why are all the alcohol stores wide open?” he asks. “Why are they essential businesses and mine is not?”
Although smoke shops amount to half of the businesses charged so far, Feuer said they have not been deliberately targeted. “There have been a lot of complaints about smoke shops,” he said. “I don’t know why that particular sector of the business community appears to be flouting the rules.”
Ahmed Roushdy, general manager of Hamptons 818, a popular Sherman Oaks restaurant, also describes his encounter with police as a misunderstanding.
Hamptons 818, he said, had switched to takeout and delivery in March when dine-in service was outlawed. “But sometimes when our regular customers were waiting to pick up their food, I offered them a drink on the house, just to be hospitable,” he said.
In early April, two police officers showed up and took photographs of two women drinking champagne while waiting for takeout.
“They gave me a lecture,” Roushdy said. “I took it as a verbal warning. I didn’t argue, and we haven’t done that since.”
But while police said they would be back to check compliance, Roushdy said, they never did return. On April 30, a letter arrived outlining criminal charges.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “I don’t know that what we did is a criminal act.”
Janet Tavakoli opened her Sherman Oaks Beauty Collection emporium for in-store shopping in early May, violating Los Angeles’ Safer-at-Home order. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Assn., an influential San Fernando Valley group, said he has received no complaints about enforcement of safer-at-home rules.
But the business owners charged “aren’t criminals,” he said. “These are people just trying to survive, and many might not fully understand the rules. It’s more important to explain the rules to them than to charge them.”
Tavakoli at the Sherman Oaks Beauty Connection said she is confused by the safer-at-home orders. “I sell tons of sanitizer, and masks too,” she said. “So why wasn’t I essential?”
Moreover, the Rite-Aid next door was allowed to remain open selling all the products she does — makeup, shampoo, nail polish — to customers roaming the aisles. Pharmacies could have been restricted to medical sales, she suggested.
Beyond her gripes about what she sees as competition, Tavakoli has a more urgent concern: “They’ve put me down as a criminal,” she said. “Are they going to take me to jail?”


latimes--2020-05-29--Bald eagles return to nest in Orange County neighborhood

For the last three years , two bald eagles have landed in a north Orange County neighborhood where they have built a nest and tended to eggs in an old , dead tree perched near a gully .
As the world has grappled with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic , the eagles ’ recent arrival has been a source of optimism and joy for the neighborhood .
“ It ’ s just beautiful to see nature thriving in the era of COVID .
Life goes on , ” area resident Mary Cramer said .
Cramer , 65 , recently held a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for neighbors who wanted to take a closer look at the eagles that are perched in a tree about 25 feet from her property .
Everyone brought their own lawn chairs , fanned out and sat in the driveway to observe .
It ’ s not been uncommon for small groups of neighbors to gather for socially distant cocktail hours and potlucks over the last several weeks , Cramer said .
When a group watched the eagles fly over the neighborhood , Cramer suggested the next get-together take place at her home , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has lived at her house with her husband for the last 22 years and said that the eagles are the most majestic creatures she ’ s spotted in the area .
An entrepreneur who typically works from home , even before California issued its stay-at-home orders , the view from her workspace gives her a clear shot of the eagles that allows her to observe their whereabouts each day .
Carol Hemminger , another resident of the area , has spotted hummingbirds , egrets , herons and hawks — but these are the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the neighborhood in the three decades she ’ s lived there .
Hemminger , 68 , is a retired chemist with Aerospace Corp. She spends much of her time outside — especially now , when so many social gathering spots are under lockdown .
“ It ’ s certainly a stress reliever to be outdoors , ” she said .
“ You can remember that not everything has been turned on its head.
” She ventured to see the eagles for the first time in March .
From her binoculars , she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nest .
“ They were already big enough that you could see them popping up along the nest , ” she said .
The young birds hopped up on the limbs of the tree and craned their necks .
On Monday , Hemminger visited the nest area again but didn ’ t see the young birds — a sign that they ’ ve likely taken flight .
Bald eagles typically live between 15 and 20 years .
Their first flights can typically start at nine or 10 weeks of age , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The adult female ’ s wings are visibly tagged , identifying her as a resident of the Channel Islands .
Like whales who swim the waters and return to familiar areas , Cramer believes the birds are attracted to the area ’ s wilderness , which is home to coyotes , possums , a riverbed of fish and plenty of varmint to catch .
The decline in traffic and the increase in more people being at home for longer periods of time doesn ’ t seem to have affected the birds ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the area , Cramer said .

A male bald eagle perches on a branch not far from the nest containing two chicks. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A female bald eagle flies back to her perch above the nest containing two chicks. Residents of the Orange County neighborhood where the birds have made their home say this is the third year two adult bald eagles have returned to raise chicks. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
One of two juvenile bald eagles surveys the land from its perch on a tree in a north Orange County backyard. Experts say their first flights can typically start at 9 or 10 weeks of age. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Juvenile bald eagles feed in the nest as parent bald eagles keep watch high in a tree in north Orange County. The tag on the female, at right, identifies her as a Channel Island resident. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
One of two juvenile bald eagles ventures from its nest to a nearby branch in a tree in north Orange County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Juvenile bald eagles perch on branches at left and right as one of the parent bald eagles lands on a branch from their nest high in a tree in north Orange County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A female bald eagle takes flight from a tree not far from her nest in north Orange County containing two juvenile eagles. The blue tag on the bird’s wing indicates she’s part of an Institute for Wildlife Studies project to rebuild the bald eagle population on the Channel Islands. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
For the last three years, two bald eagles have landed in a north Orange County neighborhood where they have built a nest and tended to eggs in an old, dead tree perched near a gully.
As the world has grappled with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the eagles’ recent arrival has been a source of optimism and joy for the neighborhood.
“It’s just beautiful to see nature thriving in the era of COVID. Life goes on,” area resident Mary Cramer said.
Cramer, 65, recently held a socially distant viewing party in her backyard for neighbors who wanted to take a closer look at the eagles that are perched in a tree about 25 feet from her property. Everyone brought their own lawn chairs, fanned out and sat in the driveway to observe.
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It’s not been uncommon for small groups of neighbors to gather for socially distant cocktail hours and potlucks over the last several weeks, Cramer said. When a group watched the eagles fly over the neighborhood, Cramer suggested the next get-together take place at her home, where the birds are stationed.
A juvenile bald eagle perches on a branch in north Orange County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Cramer has lived at her house with her husband for the last 22 years and said that the eagles are the most majestic creatures she’s spotted in the area. An entrepreneur who typically works from home, even before California issued its stay-at-home orders, the view from her workspace gives her a clear shot of the eagles that allows her to observe their whereabouts each day.
Carol Hemminger, another resident of the area, has spotted hummingbirds, egrets, herons and hawks — but these are the only eagles she’s seen in the neighborhood in the three decades she’s lived there.
Hemminger, 68, is a retired chemist with Aerospace Corp. She spends much of her time outside — especially now, when so many social gathering spots are under lockdown.
“It’s certainly a stress reliever to be outdoors,” she said. “You can remember that not everything has been turned on its head.”
She ventured to see the eagles for the first time in March. From her binoculars, she said she could also see two chicks in the nest.
“They were already big enough that you could see them popping up along the nest,” she said. The young birds hopped up on the limbs of the tree and craned their necks. On Monday, Hemminger visited the nest area again but didn’t see the young birds — a sign that they’ve likely taken flight.
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Bald eagles typically live between 15 and 20 years. Their first flights can typically start at nine or 10 weeks of age, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The adult female’s wings are visibly tagged, identifying her as a resident of the Channel Islands. Like whales who swim the waters and return to familiar areas, Cramer believes the birds are attracted to the area’s wilderness, which is home to coyotes, possums, a riverbed of fish and plenty of varmint to catch.
The decline in traffic and the increase in more people being at home for longer periods of time doesn’t seem to have affected the birds’ behavior, or any other creatures in the area, Cramer said.
“The animals can’t tell any difference.”


latimes--2020-05-29--L.A. County can reopen restaurants, barbershops, salons, Newsom says

Los Angeles County on Friday received permission from the state to reopen restaurants for in-person dining , and resume services at barbershops and hair salons , marking a new phase in the region ’ s efforts to restart the devastated retail economy .
The move comes even though the county remains the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in California , with more than 2,200 deaths .
More than half of all COVID-19 fatalities in the state have been in L.A. County , which has been slower to reopen than areas less hard-hit by the outbreak .
The total number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 50,000 — representing almost half of all California cases .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom and other health officials said the county , despite continuing to see coronavirus deaths , is ready for this next phase , pointing to reduced hospitalizations , infection rates and increased testing capacity .
But it ’ s still a potential risk , and officials warned it could result in new outbreaks if social distancing and other safety rules are not enforced .
Some health officials , notably Silicon Valley ’ s public health officer , have expressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the risk of more outbreaks is still too high .
With the L.A. County shift , restaurants , barbershops and hair salons will be able to reopen as early as this weekend , provided they can meet the county ’ s guidelines and safety protocols , officials said .
“ This is a fine line that we ’ re walking in the county of Los Angeles , ” County Supervisor Janice Hahn said Friday .
“ We are threading the needle between keeping the public safe and allowing our economy to reopen.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ working with the county ’ s Economic Resiliency Task Force , which includes experts from a variety of sectors , including the restaurant industry , to develop a detailed safety plan for in-restaurant dining .
The plan includes diagrams showing how to separate tables six feet apart and proposes putting physical barriers between tables where such distancing isn ’ t possible , Hahn said .
As those plans suggest , things won ’ t immediately return to business as usual for the newly reopened establishments .
County public health officials are expected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 60 % capacity limit for restaurants .
“ Many of them will have to find creative ways to do that by utilizing their parking lots and the streets in front of their restaurants , ” Hahn said .
Some communities , including San Pedro and Long Beach , are preparing to close streets to traffic and expedite permit variances so restaurants can put more tables and chairs outside .
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is eyeing similar measures , Hahn said .
Both restaurants and salons are expected to be required to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers , so public health officials can quickly follow up with patrons in the event of an outbreak .
Environmental health inspectors will be out inspecting and providing guidance to newly reopened establishments , but the businesses are not required to undergo an inspection before they resume services , Barbara Ferrer , the county health director , said Friday .
“ As we enter the weekend and we are out of our homes and visiting many of the reopened establishments because we ’ re all really hungering for some return to normalcy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new normal that you ’ re going to see reflected in the businesses reflects the fact that COVID-19 is still very active in our communities and there ’ s a great deal at stake in the reopening , ” she said .
She said that it continues to be crucial for people to practice physical distancing , wear a cloth face covering and stay home if they ’ re feeling sick .
“ We do again want to note that the actions we take now are essential to making sure that people don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t overwhelm our hospitals and we save people ’ s lives , ” she said .
“ It ’ s never been more important for businesses , individuals and institutions to use the tools that we have available to take care of each other and to continue to slow the spread of COVID-19.
” Earlier this week , the county reopened shopping malls , many retail businesses and churches with strict social distancing rules .
But reopening restaurants and personal care businesses is considered a bigger step forward because both are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County joins the vast majority of other counties in California to reopen restaurants and hair salons with social distancing rules .
Restaurateurs and other business owners had mixed reaction to the news Friday .
“ I don ’ t think we ’ re going to scramble to open , ” said Jon Yao , chef-owner of Kato in West L.A. “ I think our timeline is going to be more in line with how we combat the disease instead of what the city says is OK. ” Some establishments expressed concern with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think it ’ s all a disaster , ” said Josiah Citrin , chef-owner of Charcoal , Dear John ’ s , Citrin and Melisse .
“ It all went too fast ; nothing ’ s been smartly done.
” Citrin said he plans to reopen Charcoal , his steakhouse in Marina del Rey , on Thursday .
But things will look remarkably different : Instead of as many as 110 diners spread across booths , a communal table and the bar , he ’ s limiting capacity to 40 diners at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tables .
He has removed the bottles of steak sauce , chimichurri and barbecue sauce that used to remain on tables all day .
No walk-ins will be allowed .
Instead of 56 employees , he ’ ll have about 35 .
The rush to reopen Charcoal , he said , is because the money he received from the federal PPP loan “ is almost out.
” “ I followed the rules , and I have almost no money , ” he said .
“ I have a couple weeks left.
” He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than shopping at a crowded grocery store and believes diners will return after being cooped up for so long .
“ If cases start spiking and it gets really bad , then maybe people won ’ t go out , ” he said .
“ But for now , what else can you do ?
You can ’ t go to a movie , you can ’ t go to a concert , you can ’ t go to a sporting game , so restaurants will be in pretty high demand.
” Still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a time , he ’ s bracing for a significant revenue hit .
“ It ’ s going to really hurt my bottom line .
From now until this is over , it ’ s not about making money , it ’ s about surviving .
It ’ s about finding ways to see another day.
” Johnny Ciccone , 42 , owns Headbetter , a hair salon in Sherman Oaks that had eight chairs , four worked by employees and four worked by stylists who rented their space .
It has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We ’ ve just been decimated by this , ” he said .
Even with the plans for reopening , Ciccone fears that as many as half of the city ’ s hair salons are still destined to fail .
“ The only reason I ’ m still able to hang out at my salon is because there has been a moratorium on evictions .
I did receive PPP funding but that was six weeks in and I haven ’ t been able to pay anyone or bring them back to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of salons , it ’ s going to depend on the landlords .
Are they willing to make deals ?
Maybe my landlord will make a deal with me , maybe not.
” Ciccone was told to close March 15 .
Prepandemic , Headbetter would see 25 to 30 customers a day .
Ciccone estimates he will be able to serve about half that number under the new guidelines .
Even as he talked about the reopening , workers were removing four of his eight chairs , in order to comply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added that it wasn ’ t as if he could just reopen and conduct business as usual — he must provide everyone with hand sanitizer , screen people for fevers before they enter and require both employees and clients to wear masks .
“ One of the biggest changes is that there are not going to be any walk-in services , ” he said .
“ Customers are going to have to wait outside until we are ready for them.
” He said he ’ s purchased thousands of masks and gloves and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as new point-of-sale card readers .
Even signage will require another outlay of money , Ciccone said .
“ The city has released sample signs , requiring social distancing , hand washing and other requirements , how we are going to be operating safely , ” he said .
“ We have to have all that posted , so I ’ ll be dealing with that this weekend .
“ For a small business like mine , we have spent a few thousand dollars getting ready for the reopening , changing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spite of all this , Ciccone said , “ I don ’ t think we are going to pass this on to our clients , especially if they have faced unemployment .
They are going to have wait longer to get appointments .
These are people I have a close relationship with .
They have been going through the same tough times I ’ ve gone through.
” Anre Anduha , 35 , who owns Brotherhood Barbershop in Sherman Oaks , said he ’ s also taken on a lot of debt .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ debt now when I consider rent , my $ 400 to $ 500 DWP bills , cable bills and that ’ s not even counting the lost income , ” he said .
“ When I open back up , I ’ m only going to be using four chairs.
” Before COVID-19 struck , Brotherhood Barbershop was always busy with appointments and walk-ins , averaging between 75 to 100 customers a day .
It ’ s been closed since March 19 .
Anduha also faces additional expenses , such as capes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in , instead of many switching capes two or three times in a day.
” Also , by contrast , hair salons do not typically rely on walk-ins for a significant slice of their business .
That ’ s not the case with barbershops , which do rely on them .
Anduha said that half of his business were people who just walked in , hoping to quickly find an empty chair and willing to sit around inside the shop to wait , which will not be allowed now .
“ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Anduha , who was already thinking about workarounds , depending on the peace of mind of the particular barber , especially if dealing with strangers .
“ Barbers may want to take a client ’ s temperature , ask whether they have been traveling .
For the majority of those , we ’ d probably just write down their information , ask them to wait outside in case a chair opens up .
You can ’ t just say ‘ come on in , sit in a chair ’ like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being in debt , he was just as reluctant as Ciccone to raise prices as substantially as circumstances might warrant , noting that his customers have also suffered from issues such as lost work and income .
“ Do I think I will survive ?
I really don ’ t have another option .
I ’ ll have to .
But we were already at a decent price level at $ 40 a cut , ” Anduha said .
“ We might go to $ 45 , but I ’ m not going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” L.A. County submitted its variance application on Wednesday to the state , which decides whether counties can reopen at an accelerated rate if they meet certain COVID-19 benchmarks .
“ I think the only reason that we felt comfortable asking the governor for a variance was because we have flattened the curve and we have not ever seen that spike and that surge in cases we were predicting a couple months ago , ” Hahn said Friday .
She noted that the county ’ s hospitals and intensive care units never reached @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become overwhelmed .
Still , she said , officials will monitor metrics to quickly identify and respond to any potential spike in cases .
“ We know that with every part of the economy that we look to reopen , we ’ re talking about millions of people who now might be venturing outside to do something new and different , ” she said .
“ So of course we ’ re going to keep a watchful eye on this and pay very close attention to the cases.
” Newsom , who established @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has cautioned residents that although businesses across the state are starting to reopen , the threat of the coronavirus is not over .
In its application to the state , L.A. County officials make the case that the county has met the criteria created by the California Department of Public Health to reopen .
For example , Los Angeles County had to prove that the prevalence of COVID-19 cases is low enough that , if the stay-at-home order is eased and cases undoubtedly increase , the county will have the capacity to respond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its total number of hospitalized patients , a seven-day average of daily percent change of -1 % , according to the variance application .
L.A. County also had to prove that the prevalence of the coronavirus spreading in the community was low enough to reopen .
The state ’ s criteria is : fewer than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days , or less than 8 % testing positive in the past seven days .
L.A. County was able to meet the latter , with 6.5 % people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the variance application .
Meanwhile , the county saw almost 100 cases ( 98.7 ) per 100,000 people in the past 14 days , four times higher than the state ’ s criteria .
One of the more concerning portions of the county ’ s application related to showing that nursing homes are prepared should the COVID-19 pandemic intensify .
As of Tuesday , only 33 % of the 381 nursing homes in L.A. County had enough personal protective equipment to last more than 14 days , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % , have enough N95 masks to last two weeks , and only one-third have adequate gowns .
Dr. Christina Ghaly , director of health services for L.A. County , said last week that at the start of the coronavirus outbreak , every one person who contracted the virus infected more than three others .
After the stay-at-home order was issued , that rate of transmission dropped to 1 — every person who contracted the virus infected only one other .
But , Ghaly warned , that number could rise again if the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practices do not continue .
For the past four days , the number of hospitalizations in L.A. County has remained relatively unchanged from 1,440 to 1,477 people in hospital care , and between 28 % and 27 % in intensive care .
The county has also reported for the past four days that 8 % of those who have been tested for the virus have been positive .
In the application to the state , the county included a draft of its community mitigation plan , which outlines how the pandemic could play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles County .
According to that mitigation plan , completed May 15 , health officials anticipate additional waves of cases at varying levels of severity will occur over the next 18 to 24 months throughout the U.S. , including Los Angeles County , and will continue until enough people — at least 60 % to 70 % of the population — are immune to the virus .
“ Extraordinary and historically unprecedented efforts have resulted in disease transmission slowing in Los Angeles County , ” the plan reads .
“ However , its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Sara Cody , health officer for Santa Clara County and a key architect of the nation ’ s first coronavirus shelter-in-place order , this week criticized California ’ s of lifting stay-at-home restrictions .
Cody expressed concerns that California risks a if it reopens too many sectors of society too quickly .
Reopening so fast , she said , means there isn ’ t enough time to implement new procedures to make reopened activities safe .
Since early May , “ the state has shifted away from the stay-at-home model and has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Cody said .
“ The pace at which the state has made these modifications is concerning to me.
” “ Without having social distancing , we are going to definitely see some increased spikes and transmission occurring .
That ’ s definitely going to happen , ” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley , epidemiologist and infectious-disease expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health .

Alex Wigglesworth, Ronald D. White, Andrea Chang, Jaclyn Cosgrove

Grace Curran, restaurant manager of Republique, wipes tabletops with disinfectant in March. L.A. County has received permission from the state to resume in-person dining.
Los Angeles County on Friday received permission from the state to reopen restaurants for in-person dining, and resume services at barbershops and hair salons, marking a new phase in the region’s efforts to restart the devastated retail economy.
The move comes even though the county remains the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in California, with more than 2,200 deaths. More than half of all COVID-19 fatalities in the state have been in L.A. County, which has been slower to reopen than areas less hard-hit by the outbreak. The total number of confirmed infections in L.A. County is more than 50,000.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and other health officials said the county, despite continuing to see coronavirus deaths, is ready for this next phase, pointing to reduced hospitalizations, infection rates and increased testing capacity.
But it’s still a potential risk, and officials warned it could result in new outbreaks if social distancing and other safety rules are not enforced. Some health officials, notably Silicon Valley’s public health officer, have expressed concerns that California is reopening too quickly and the risk of more outbreaks is still too high.
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With the L.A. County shift, restaurants, barbershops and hair salons will be able to reopen as early as this weekend, provided they can meet the county’s guidelines and safety protocols, officials said.
“This is a fine line that we’re walking in the county of Los Angeles,” County Supervisor Janice Hahn said Friday. “We are threading the needle between keeping the public safe and allowing our economy to reopen.”
She said that officials have been working with the county’s Economic Resiliency Task Force, which includes experts from a variety of sectors, including the restaurant industry, to develop a detailed safety plan for in-restaurant dining. The plan includes diagrams showing how to separate tables six feet apart and proposes putting physical barriers between tables where such distancing isn’t possible, Hahn said.
As those plans suggest, things won’t immediately return to business as usual for the newly reopened establishments.
County public health officials are expected to announce restrictions on operations, including a 60% capacity limit for restaurants.
“Many of them will have to find creative ways to do that by utilizing their parking lots and the streets in front of their restaurants,” Hahn said.
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Effective immediately, restaurants, barbershops and hair salons are permitted to reopen within the city of Los Angeles as long as they follow official guidelines, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced at a news conference Friday.
Barbers and hair stylists can only take one client at a time, and both the stylist and client must wear face masks. Nail salons and spas will remain closed for the time being, the mayor said.
Because it will be a struggle for restaurants to maintain distancing guidelines and remain profitable, the city has launched a program called “L.A. Al Fresco” that relaxes the rules for outdoor dining so customers can eat at tables set up on sidewalks and private parking lots, the mayor said. He added that businesses will be immediately approved if they apply.
“Businesses are not mandated to open,” Garcetti said. “So if you’re a business owner, take your time to get it right.”
Office businesses can also reopen, but only if teleworking from home is not possible, the mayor said.
Other county communities, including San Pedro and Long Beach, are similarly preparing to close streets to traffic and expedite permit variances so restaurants can put more tables and chairs outside.
Both restaurants and salons are expected to be required to keep detailed records of customers, including contact numbers, so public health officials can quickly follow up with patrons in the event of an outbreak.
Environmental health inspectors will be out inspecting and providing guidance to newly reopened establishments, but the businesses are not required to undergo an inspection before they resume services, Barbara Ferrer, the county health director, said Friday.
“As we enter the weekend and we are out of our homes and visiting many of the reopened establishments because we’re all really hungering for some return to normalcy, I want to just note that the new normal that you’re going to see reflected in the businesses reflects the fact that COVID-19 is still very active in our communities and there’s a great deal at stake in the reopening,” she said.
She said that it continues to be crucial for people to practice physical distancing, wear a cloth face covering and stay home if they’re feeling sick.
“We do again want to note that the actions we take now are essential to making sure that people don’t become seriously ill, we don’t overwhelm our hospitals and we save people’s lives,” she said.
“It’s never been more important for businesses, individuals and institutions to use the tools that we have available to take care of each other and to continue to slow the spread of COVID-19.”
Earlier this week, the county reopened shopping malls, many retail businesses and churches with strict social distancing rules. But reopening restaurants and personal care businesses is considered a bigger step forward because both are considered higher-risk than typical stores.
L.A. County joins the vast majority of other counties in California to reopen restaurants and hair salons with social distancing rules.
Restaurateurs and other business owners had mixed reaction to the news Friday.
“I don’t think we’re going to scramble to open,” said Jon Yao, chef-owner of Kato in West L.A. “I think our timeline is going to be more in line with how we combat the disease instead of what the city says is OK.”
Some establishments expressed concern with the pace of the reopening.
“Personally I think it’s all a disaster,” said Josiah Citrin, chef-owner of restaurants including Charcoal, Dear John’s and Melisse. “It all went too fast; nothing’s been smartly done.”
Citrin said he plans to reopen Charcoal, his steakhouse in Venice, on Thursday. But things will look remarkably different: Instead of as many as 110 diners spread across booths, a communal table and the bar, he’s limiting capacity to 40 diners at a time, all at their own tables.
He has removed the bottles of steak sauce, chimichurri and barbecue sauce that used to remain on tables all day. No walk-ins will be allowed. Instead of 56 employees, he’ll have about 35.
The rush to reopen Charcoal, he said, is because the money he received from the federal PPP loan “is almost out.”
“I followed the rules, and I have almost no money,” he said. “I have a couple weeks left.”
He figures going to a restaurant is safer than shopping at a crowded grocery store and believes diners will return after being cooped up for so long.
“If cases start spiking and it gets really bad, then maybe people won’t go out,” he said. “But for now, what else can you do? You can’t go to a movie, you can’t go to a concert, you can’t go to a sporting game, so restaurants will be in pretty high demand.”
Still, with only 40 diners max at a time, he’s bracing for a significant revenue hit.
“It’s going to really hurt my bottom line. From now until this is over, it’s not about making money, it’s about surviving. It’s about finding ways to see another day.”
Johnny Ciccone, 42, owns Headbetter, a hair salon in Sherman Oaks that had eight chairs, four worked by employees and four worked by stylists who rented their space. It has been closed for the past 2½ months.
“We’ve just been decimated by this,” he said.
Even with the plans for reopening, Ciccone fears that as many as half of the city’s hair salons are still destined to fail. “The only reason I’m still able to hang out at my salon is because there has been a moratorium on evictions. I did receive PPP funding but that was six weeks in and I haven’t been able to pay anyone or bring them back to work,” he said. “For a lot of salons, it’s going to depend on the landlords. Are they willing to make deals? Maybe my landlord will make a deal with me, maybe not.”
Ciccone was told to close March 15. Prepandemic, Headbetter would see 25 to 30 customers a day. Ciccone estimates he will be able to serve about half that number under the new guidelines. Even as he talked about the reopening, workers were removing four of his eight chairs, in order to comply with the new spacing requirements. Ciccone added that it wasn’t as if he could just reopen and conduct business as usual — he must provide everyone with hand sanitizer, screen people for fevers before they enter and require both employees and clients to wear masks.
“One of the biggest changes is that there are not going to be any walk-in services,” he said. “Customers are going to have to wait outside until we are ready for them.”
He said he’s purchased thousands of masks and gloves and gallons of disinfectant and rubbing alcohol, as well as new point-of-sale card readers.
Even signage will require another outlay of money, Ciccone said. “The city has released sample signs, requiring social distancing, hand washing and other requirements, how we are going to be operating safely,” he said. “We have to have all that posted, so I’ll be dealing with that this weekend.
“For a small business like mine, we have spent a few thousand dollars getting ready for the reopening, changing chair layouts, other things.”
In spite of all this, Ciccone said, “I don’t think we are going to pass this on to our clients, especially if they have faced unemployment. They are going to have wait longer to get appointments. These are people I have a close relationship with. They have been going through the same tough times I’ve gone through.”
Anre Anduha, 35, who owns Brotherhood Barbershop in Sherman Oaks, said he’s also taken on a lot of debt.
“I’m $15,000 in debt now when I consider rent, my $400 to $500 DWP bills, cable bills and that’s not even counting the lost income,” he said. “When I open back up, I’m only going to be using four chairs.”
Before COVID-19 struck, Brotherhood Barbershop was always busy with appointments and walk-ins, averaging between 75 to 100 customers a day. It’s been closed since March 19.
Anduha also faces additional expenses, such as capes, “for every single client that comes in, instead of many switching capes two or three times in a day.”
Also, by contrast, hair salons do not typically rely on walk-ins for a significant slice of their business. That’s not the case with barbershops, which do rely on them. Anduha said that half of his business were people who just walked in, hoping to quickly find an empty chair and willing to sit around inside the shop to wait, which will not be allowed now.
“It’s supposed to be appointment only now,” said Anduha, who was already thinking about workarounds, depending on the peace of mind of the particular barber, especially if dealing with strangers. “Barbers may want to take a client’s temperature, ask whether they have been traveling. For the majority of those, we’d probably just write down their information, ask them to wait outside in case a chair opens up. You can’t just say ‘come on in, sit in a chair’ like we used to.”
In spite of being in debt, he was just as reluctant as Ciccone to raise prices as substantially as circumstances might warrant, noting that his customers have also suffered from issues such as lost work and income.
“Do I think I will survive? I really don’t have another option. I’ll have to. But we were already at a decent price level at $40 a cut,” Anduha said. “We might go to $45, but I’m not going to raise prices a lot right away.”
L.A. County submitted its variance application on Wednesday to the state, which decides whether counties can reopen at an accelerated rate if they meet certain COVID-19 benchmarks.
“I think the only reason that we felt comfortable asking the governor for a variance was because we have flattened the curve and we have not ever seen that spike and that surge in cases we were predicting a couple months ago,” Hahn said Friday. She noted that the county’s hospitals and intensive care units never reached capacity and the healthcare system did not become overwhelmed.
Still, she said, officials will monitor metrics to quickly identify and respond to any potential spike in cases.
“We know that with every part of the economy that we look to reopen, we’re talking about millions of people who now might be venturing outside to do something new and different,” she said. “So of course we’re going to keep a watchful eye on this and pay very close attention to the cases.”
Newsom, who established the variance process earlier this month, has cautioned residents that although businesses across the state are starting to reopen, the threat of the coronavirus is not over.
In its application to the state, L.A. County officials make the case that the county has met the criteria created by the California Department of Public Health to reopen.
For example, Los Angeles County had to prove that the prevalence of COVID-19 cases is low enough that, if the stay-at-home order is eased and cases undoubtedly increase, the county will have the capacity to respond.
The county reported a decline in its total number of hospitalized patients, a seven-day average of daily percent change of -1%, according to the variance application.
L.A. County also had to prove that the prevalence of the coronavirus spreading in the community was low enough to reopen. The state’s criteria is: fewer than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days, or less than 8% testing positive in the past seven days.
L.A. County was able to meet the latter, with 6.5% people testing positive in the past seven days, according to the variance application. Meanwhile, the county saw almost 100 cases (98.7) per 100,000 people in the past 14 days, four times higher than the state’s criteria.
One of the more concerning portions of the county’s application related to showing that nursing homes are prepared should the COVID-19 pandemic intensify.
As of Tuesday, only 33% of the 381 nursing homes in L.A. County had enough personal protective equipment to last more than 14 days, according to the application. Less than half, 47%, have enough N95 masks to last two weeks, and only one-third have adequate gowns.
Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of health services for L.A. County, said last week that at the start of the coronavirus outbreak, every one person who contracted the virus infected more than three others. After the stay-at-home order was issued, that rate of transmission dropped to 1 — every person who contracted the virus infected only one other.
But, Ghaly warned, that number could rise again if the use of face coverings and social distancing practices do not continue.
For the past four days, the number of hospitalizations in L.A. County has remained relatively unchanged from 1,440 to 1,477 people in hospital care, and between 28% and 27% in intensive care. The county has also reported for the past four days that 8% of those who have been tested for the virus have been positive.
In the application to the state, the county included a draft of its community mitigation plan, which outlines how the pandemic could play out in the coming months in Los Angeles County.
According to that mitigation plan, completed May 15, health officials anticipate additional waves of cases at varying levels of severity will occur over the next 18 to 24 months throughout the U.S., including Los Angeles County, and will continue until enough people — at least 60% to 70% of the population — are immune to the virus.
“Extraordinary and historically unprecedented efforts have resulted in disease transmission slowing in Los Angeles County,” the plan reads. “However, its future course is still highly unpredictable.”
Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County and a key architect of the nation’s first coronavirus shelter-in-place order, this week criticized California’s increasingly fast pace of lifting stay-at-home restrictions.
Cody expressed concerns that California risks a surge in cases if it reopens too many sectors of society too quickly. Reopening so fast, she said, means there isn’t enough time to implement new procedures to make reopened activities safe.
Since early May, “the state has shifted away from the stay-at-home model and has made significant modifications with increasing frequency,” Cody said. “The pace at which the state has made these modifications is concerning to me.”
Health experts have made the same point.
“Without having social distancing, we are going to definitely see some increased spikes and transmission occurring. That’s definitely going to happen,” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, epidemiologist and infectious-disease expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
Times staff writer Colleen Shalby contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-05-29--Sonoma County retreated on reopening. Now the sheriff will stop enforcing coronavirus orders

Sonoma County ’ s top law enforcement official announced this week that his agency will no longer enforce the county ’ s public health order , saying the mandate has placed inconsistent restrictions on businesses and public activities without explanation .
Sheriff Mark Essick wrote Thursday in a post on Facebook that effective Monday , he ’ s directing all Sheriff ’ s Office staff to stop enforcing the local health order , which he contends has “ placed significant restrictions on our freedoms ” amid the coronavirus pandemic .
“ Reports of violations , when brought to our attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State guidelines on a case-by-case basis , ” he wrote .
“ Where appropriate , the Sheriff ’ s Office will use public interactions as an opportunity to educate people on how to mitigate the risk and spread of the COVID-19 infection.
” He has also directed the Sheriff ’ s Office detention division to refuse to book individuals into the county jail whose sole offense is violating the county ’ s health order .
The county ’ s initial and subsequent health orders since the onset of the pandemic have been far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite the county ’ s relatively low infection rate compared with other regions in California , Essick wrote .
The county — which had reported 531 coronavirus cases and four deaths as of Thursday — has dramatically increased its testing capacity in recent weeks .
That data has shown the infection rate is “ under control and decreasing , ” Essick wrote .
“ Based on what we have learned , now is the time to move to a risk-based system and move beyond blanket orders that are crushing our community , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health officer , Dr. Sundari Mase , presented a different picture this week when she announced that officials would hold off on allowing the reopening of some businesses because of a recent rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations .
Sonoma County has reported 203 new cases of the virus in the last 14 days , doubling its case rate in that time from 20 per 100,000 residents to 41 per 100,000 .
Officials are particularly concerned about the increase in instances of the virus being transmitted between people who have recently returned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve also seen , over the weekend , a few more hospitalizations that make us worried that we might be seeing more COVID in our vulnerable populations , ” she said .
While Sonoma County was given the green light by the state to reopen in-store retail , hair salons and under the state ’ s latest guidance , public health officials say the region will not amend its shelter-in-place order to include those services for now .
County Supervisor Shirlee Zane said she was disappointed by Essick ’ s decision to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected officials or Mase .
She said the data the sheriff presented is outdated and attempts to minimize the public health threat the county is experiencing .
“ This is not the time to be breaking rank , so to speak , ” she said .
“ It ’ s a time for all of the elected officials to stand together to get through this.
” Law enforcement in Santa Rosa , the largest city in Sonoma County , will continue to enforce the county health order , Police Chief Ray Navarro said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Santa Rosa Police Department will continue to support the health officer , who is the subject matter expert , leading a safe , strategic and data driven process for reopening , ” Navarro wrote .
“ We eagerly look forward to additional allowances in the upcoming weeks , when it is determined safe to do so , but throughout those amendments , our agency will continue to respond to health order violations.
” Conflicts between county health orders and local enforcement have popped up in other regions of California amid the health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued a health order mandating that residents wear cloth face coverings while in public , the county sheriff said publicly that he had no intention of enforcing the requirement .
“ We are not the mask police — nor do I intend to be the mask police , ” Sheriff Don Barnes told the county Board of Supervisors this week .
“ I think what we have seen repeatedly throughout the community is Orange County residents acting responsibly .
”

Sonoma County’s top law enforcement official announced this week that his agency will no longer enforce the county’s public health order, saying the mandate has placed inconsistent restrictions on businesses and public activities without explanation.
Sheriff Mark Essick wrote Thursday in a post on Facebook that effective Monday, he’s directing all Sheriff’s Office staff to stop enforcing the local health order, which he contends has “placed significant restrictions on our freedoms” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Reports of violations, when brought to our attention, will be evaluated against the California State guidelines on a case-by-case basis,” he wrote. “Where appropriate, the Sheriff’s Office will use public interactions as an opportunity to educate people on how to mitigate the risk and spread of the COVID-19 infection.”
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He has also directed the Sheriff’s Office detention division to refuse to book individuals into the county jail whose sole offense is violating the county’s health order.
The county’s initial and subsequent health orders since the onset of the pandemic have been far more restrictive than the state order, despite the county’s relatively low infection rate compared with other regions in California, Essick wrote.
The county — which had reported 531 coronavirus cases and four deaths as of Thursday — has dramatically increased its testing capacity in recent weeks. That data has shown the infection rate is “under control and decreasing,” Essick wrote.
“Based on what we have learned, now is the time to move to a risk-based system and move beyond blanket orders that are crushing our community,” he wrote.
Sonoma County’s health officer, Dr. Sundari Mase, presented a different picture this week when she announced that officials would hold off on allowing the reopening of some businesses because of a recent rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
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Sonoma County has reported 203 new cases of the virus in the last 14 days, doubling its case rate in that time from 20 per 100,000 residents to 41 per 100,000. Officials are particularly concerned about the increase in instances of the virus being transmitted between people who have recently returned to work, Mase said.
“We’ve also seen, over the weekend, a few more hospitalizations that make us worried that we might be seeing more COVID in our vulnerable populations,” she said.
While Sonoma County was given the green light by the state to reopen in-store retail, hair salons and places of worship under the state’s latest guidance, public health officials say the region will not amend its shelter-in-place order to include those services for now.
County Supervisor Shirlee Zane said she was disappointed by Essick’s decision to abruptly halt enforcement without first talking with elected officials or Mase. She said the data the sheriff presented is outdated and attempts to minimize the public health threat the county is experiencing.
“This is not the time to be breaking rank, so to speak,” she said. “It’s a time for all of the elected officials to stand together to get through this.”
Law enforcement in Santa Rosa, the largest city in Sonoma County, will continue to enforce the county health order, Police Chief Ray Navarro said in a Facebook post Thursday.
“The Santa Rosa Police Department will continue to support the health officer, who is the subject matter expert, leading a safe, strategic and data driven process for reopening,” Navarro wrote. “We eagerly look forward to additional allowances in the upcoming weeks, when it is determined safe to do so, but throughout those amendments, our agency will continue to respond to health order violations.”
Conflicts between county health orders and local enforcement have popped up in other regions of California amid the health crisis.
After Orange County health officials issued a health order mandating that residents wear cloth face coverings while in public, the county sheriff said publicly that he had no intention of enforcing the requirement.
“We are not the mask police — nor do I intend to be the mask police,” Sheriff Don Barnes told the county Board of Supervisors this week. “I think what we have seen repeatedly throughout the community is Orange County residents acting responsibly.”


latimes--2020-05-29--Offer of masks for California drew a cast of characters, from a lobbyist to an ex-con

The pitch for millions of medical-grade masks came as California was scrambling to buy protective equipment to combat the coronavirus .
Over a hectic few days , the offer pulled in a motley cast of characters who had no experience selling masks .
An ex-convict turned investor in Arizona .
A well-connected businessman in California .
A powerful lobbyist in Sacramento .
And eventually , the brother-in-law of Gov .
Gavin Newsom , who brought the potential mask deal directly to the governor ’ s office .
In the end , the promise of desperately needed masks for the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over whether there were really masks to sell in the first place .
Interviews with some of the deal ’ s participants and documents reviewed by The Times provide a unique window into how the coronavirus upended the masks trade , a once-mundane enterprise instantly transformed into a Wild West marketplace dominated by middlemen selling to middlemen in a chain of murky transactions that sometimes extended out of sight .
As state officials sorted through offers to weed the legitimate from the fraudulent , well-meaning entrepreneurs and profiteers alike also attempted to distinguish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a company that helps hospitals vet vendors said his firm reviewed more than 300 offers for personal protective equipment and concluded only four were “ potentially viable.
” Middlemen exploited any business connections they could to find masks — and any political connections to seal a deal .
A spokesman for Geoff Callan , Newsom ’ s brother-in-law , said that Callan had “ no financial interest whatsoever ” in the deal and that he reached out to Newsom ’ s assistant , not the governor himself , to pass along information about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times , Callan said the extent of his involvement was notifying the state about the offer .
“ As a layperson , it looked to me like something that could potentially help save lives , so I passed it along to state government employees who could vet the information , ” he said .
For people looking to make money , success in selling coronavirus equipment to the state could mean a government contract worth millions of dollars .
But for others , as one of the middlemen put it , the frenzy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
” In the offer to sell masks to California , the chain of middlemen extended at least as far back as Joshua Denne .
The Paradise Valley , Ariz.-based businessman said he jumped into the marketplace for coronavirus supplies in March after a friend in the importing business told him about having access to virus testing kits from China .
But amid a whirlwind of calls , Denne said , he heard about a possible supply of masks .
Denne had no experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cannabis start-up companies , a poke restaurant and a members-only private jet charter service and had sold skin-care products sourced from the Dead Sea , according to his website and court records .
When he wasn ’ t selling products , Denne was marketing himself .
Denne , the author of a motivational guide for aspiring entrepreneurs , portrays his life story on his website as a tale of redemption that includes a stint being homeless and two years in state prison .
Back then , he was living in Orange County , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came after he pleaded guilty to felony drug and gun charges in 1998 .
“ When I finally went to prison , that kind of woke me up in a big way , ” he said in a video interview posted on his website .
In 2011 he was convicted of insurance fraud when he was accused of falsely reporting he had been burglarized and claiming $ 140,000 in losses to his insurance company .
He was sentenced to 120 days in jail , Orange County court records show .
Denne , 42 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was real , but that he got greedy and lied to the insurance company about a Rolex watch being stolen .
He said he made “ a really stupid decision ” but has paid his debts to society and is now focused on his investment in a company that makes a fire retardant extinguisher and spray .
In late March , Denne was looking to sell the most sought-after supplies in the country .
After a flurry of phone calls , Denne said , his search brought him to Evan Spencer , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and medical supplies company in Orange County .
Denne then introduced Spencer to Janoah King , an old associate from Denne ’ s days in network marketing , a controversial sales strategy that often relies on recruiting other sellers who will buy the product and continue the chain by recruiting other sellers , who will do the same .
King is a consultant and network marketer , having also sold face creams .
King in turn brought the offer to the attention of Ilan Frank , a Sacramento businessman who is president of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a chain of eyelash extension studios .
Frank , who came to the U.S. in the late 1980s after attending college and military service in Israel , told The Times he and King knew each other through “ mutual business circles.
” King declined to be interviewed , but his attorney provided a statement saying that King was involved in the deal “ early on ” but that “ the bigger players ran off without him.
” Frank said he contacted Paul Bauer , a high-powered lobbyist and then a partner at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Affairs in Sacramento .
Bauer represented plastic bag makers in opposing the 2014 bill that banned the items .
He ’ s credited with helping secure hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds for the state ’ s high-speed rail project and once lobbied on behalf of U2 guitarist the Edge in the musician ’ s decades-long fight to build mansions on a scenic bluff above Malibu .
Frank said he tapped Bauer for help in selling the masks because “ he had connections , I don ’ t. ” He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ town I ’ ve done consulting with.
” Bauer declined to be interviewed but said in a brief statement that he never got involved in the offer .
“ Ilan Frank sought a business deal with me .
I did not want to work with him and did not pursue it , ” Bauer said .
Bauer ’ s name nevertheless appeared on a March 23 sales commission contract that was drawn up on Thato International letterhead , according to an unsigned copy reviewed by The Times .
It is unclear whether the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called for King , Frank and Bauer to find resellers and “ government clients ” for as many as 50 million N95 masks manufactured by 3M .
The three brokers would share a commission of 25 cents per mask , an arrangement that could have yielded them millions of dollars .
The masks , Model 1860s , would be sold at $ 6.75 a piece , according to the contract .
3M ’ s suggested list price is $ 1.27 a mask .
At the time , California was paying more than 300 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ navigated a marketplace and price gouging in search of millions of masks .
While the state dealt with the worldwide mask shortage , there was no shortage of offers .
Some sellers turned to lobbyists and the well-connected to help move their offers through the state ’ s vetting process .
Frank said he got in touch with an old family friend : Callan , an actor and filmmaker who is married to Newsom ’ s sister , Hilary .
In his statement to The Times , Callan said he decided to contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ information about the availability of protective masks ... .
I made the introduction and that was basically the extent of my involvement.
” Callan shared the information with the governor ’ s assistant and the offer was then forwarded to the Governor ’ s Office of Emergency Services , which has vetted most of the state ’ s largest purchases during the pandemic .
Newsom ’ s office referred questions to Brian Ferguson , spokesman for the emergency office , who said the information Callan passed along was that Frank ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help secure masks .
“ One of our folks reached out to ” Frank ’ s company , Ferguson said .
“ The state has not purchased from this person .
We reached out to request more information and didn ’ t get a call back.
” Frank told The Times he walked away after he heard reporters were asking questions about the deal .
“ It looks like there was something fishy , ” Frank said .
He said he didn ’ t know much about the pricing of masks , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offered was fair .
He said he had no “ malicious intent.
” “ The attempt to connect people , nothing wrong with that .
To do good , and like Geoff said to help , there ’ s nothing wrong with that , ” he said .
Bauer resigned from Mercury after The Times reported this month that he was listed in state procurement records as the contact for an Alabama-based company , Bear Mountain Development Co. , that had an $ 800-million mask contract with California that collapsed .
He has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even though Denne wasn ’ t included on the unsigned Thato commission contract , the Arizona businessman said he expected to receive a commission on any sale of masks by the group .
Denne said the original source of the masks was always a mystery even to him .
“ You never knew who or where the origination of it was , or whether it was 18 brokers in between , ” Denne said of the masks trade .
“ In five weeks , I never saw one transaction take place .
Not @ @ @

Early in the coronavirus outbreak, the offer of millions of medical masks pulled in a motley cast of characters who had no experience selling masks and made its way to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office via his brother-in-law. In the end, the offer evaporated.
The pitch for millions of medical-grade masks came as California was scrambling to buy protective equipment to combat the coronavirus.
Over a hectic few days, the offer pulled in a motley cast of characters who had no experience selling masks.
An ex-convict turned investor in Arizona. A well-connected businessman in California. A powerful lobbyist in Sacramento. And eventually, the brother-in-law of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who brought the potential mask deal directly to the governor’s office.
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In the end, the promise of desperately needed masks for the state evaporated in confusion, leaving behind questions over whether there were really masks to sell in the first place.
Interviews with some of the deal’s participants and documents reviewed by The Times provide a unique window into how the coronavirus upended the masks trade, a once-mundane enterprise instantly transformed into a Wild West marketplace dominated by middlemen selling to middlemen in a chain of murky transactions that sometimes extended out of sight.
As state officials sorted through offers to weed the legitimate from the fraudulent, well-meaning entrepreneurs and profiteers alike also attempted to distinguish reality from illusion. One expert with a company that helps hospitals vet vendors said his firm reviewed more than 300 offers for personal protective equipment and concluded only four were “potentially viable.”
Middlemen exploited any business connections they could to find masks — and any political connections to seal a deal.
A spokesman for Geoff Callan, Newsom’s brother-in-law, said that Callan had “no financial interest whatsoever” in the deal and that he reached out to Newsom’s assistant, not the governor himself, to pass along information about it. In a statement to The Times, Callan said the extent of his involvement was notifying the state about the offer.
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“As a layperson, it looked to me like something that could potentially help save lives, so I passed it along to state government employees who could vet the information,” he said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, then San Francisco mayor, with co-directors Mike Shaw and Geoff Callan, who is Newsom’s brother-in-law, at a screening of their film “Pursuit of Equality” in 2005. (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)
For people looking to make money, success in selling coronavirus equipment to the state could mean a government contract worth millions of dollars. But for others, as one of the middlemen put it, the frenzy felt as though they were “chasing a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”
In the offer to sell masks to California, the chain of middlemen extended at least as far back as Joshua Denne.
The Paradise Valley, Ariz.-based businessman said he jumped into the marketplace for coronavirus supplies in March after a friend in the importing business told him about having access to virus testing kits from China. But amid a whirlwind of calls, Denne said, he heard about a possible supply of masks.
Denne had no experience selling masks, but had invested in cannabis start-up companies, a poke restaurant and a members-only private jet charter service and had sold skin-care products sourced from the Dead Sea, according to his website and court records.
When he wasn’t selling products, Denne was marketing himself.
Denne, the author of a motivational guide for aspiring entrepreneurs, portrays his life story on his website as a tale of redemption that includes a stint being homeless and two years in state prison. Back then, he was living in Orange County, and court records show the prison term came after he pleaded guilty to felony drug and gun charges in 1998.
“When I finally went to prison, that kind of woke me up in a big way,” he said in a video interview posted on his website.
In 2011 he was convicted of insurance fraud when he was accused of falsely reporting he had been burglarized and claiming $140,000 in losses to his insurance company. He was sentenced to 120 days in jail, Orange County court records show.
Denne, 42, told The Times that the burglary was real, but that he got greedy and lied to the insurance company about a Rolex watch being stolen. He said he made “a really stupid decision” but has paid his debts to society and is now focused on his investment in a company that makes a fire retardant extinguisher and spray.
In late March, Denne was looking to sell the most sought-after supplies in the country. After a flurry of phone calls, Denne said, his search brought him to Evan Spencer, the owner of Thato International, a pharmaceutical and medical supplies company in Orange County.
Denne then introduced Spencer to Janoah King, an old associate from Denne’s days in network marketing, a controversial sales strategy that often relies on recruiting other sellers who will buy the product and continue the chain by recruiting other sellers, who will do the same. King is a consultant and network marketer, having also sold face creams.
King in turn brought the offer to the attention of Ilan Frank, a Sacramento businessman who is president of a security company and regional developer for a chain of eyelash extension studios. Frank, who came to the U.S. in the late 1980s after attending college and military service in Israel, told The Times he and King knew each other through “mutual business circles.”
King declined to be interviewed, but his attorney provided a statement saying that King was involved in the deal “early on” but that “the bigger players ran off without him.”
Frank said he contacted Paul Bauer, a high-powered lobbyist and then a partner at the government relations and lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs in Sacramento.
Bauer represented plastic bag makers in opposing the 2014 bill that banned the items. He’s credited with helping secure hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds for the state’s high-speed rail project and once lobbied on behalf of U2 guitarist the Edge in the musician’s decades-long fight to build mansions on a scenic bluff above Malibu.
Frank said he tapped Bauer for help in selling the masks because “he had connections, I don’t.” He said Bauer “is a local person in town I’ve done consulting with.”
Bauer declined to be interviewed but said in a brief statement that he never got involved in the offer.
“Ilan Frank sought a business deal with me. I did not want to work with him and did not pursue it,” Bauer said.
Bauer’s name nevertheless appeared on a March 23 sales commission contract that was drawn up on Thato International letterhead, according to an unsigned copy reviewed by The Times. It is unclear whether the document was ever signed.
The contract called for King, Frank and Bauer to find resellers and “government clients” for as many as 50 million N95 masks manufactured by 3M. The three brokers would share a commission of 25 cents per mask, an arrangement that could have yielded them millions of dollars.
The masks, Model 1860s, would be sold at $6.75 apiece, according to the contract. 3M’s suggested list price is $1.27 a mask.
At the time, California was paying more than 300% above list prices as state officials navigated a marketplace rife with fraud and price gouging in search of millions of masks. While the state dealt with the worldwide mask shortage, there was no shortage of offers. Some sellers turned to lobbyists and the well-connected to help move their offers through the state’s vetting process.
Frank said he got in touch with an old family friend: Callan, an actor and filmmaker who is married to Newsom’s sister, Hilary.
In his statement to The Times, Callan said he decided to contact state officials after his friend sent him “information about the availability of protective masks.... I made the introduction and that was basically the extent of my involvement.”
Callan shared the information with the governor’s assistant and the offer was then forwarded to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, which has vetted most of the state’s largest purchases during the pandemic.
Newsom’s office referred questions to Brian Ferguson, spokesman for the emergency office, who said the information Callan passed along was that Frank’s company, Crime Alert Security, could help secure masks.
“One of our folks reached out to” Frank’s company, Ferguson said. “The state has not purchased from this person. We reached out to request more information and didn’t get a call back.”
Frank told The Times he walked away after he heard reporters were asking questions about the deal.
“It looks like there was something fishy,” Frank said.
He said he didn’t know much about the pricing of masks, or whether the cost of the masks being offered was fair. He said he had no “malicious intent.”
“The attempt to connect people, nothing wrong with that. To do good, and like Geoff said to help, there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said.
Spencer declined to comment.
Bauer resigned from Mercury after The Times reported this month that he was listed in state procurement records as the contact for an Alabama-based company, Bear Mountain Development Co., that had an $800-million mask contract with California that collapsed. He has since started his own lobbying firm.
Even though Denne wasn’t included on the unsigned Thato commission contract, the Arizona businessman said he expected to receive a commission on any sale of masks by the group.
Denne said the original source of the masks was always a mystery even to him.
“You never knew who or where the origination of it was, or whether it was 18 brokers in between,” Denne said of the masks trade. “In five weeks, I never saw one transaction take place. Not one.”


latimes--2020-05-29--Border Patrol arrests convicted murderer smuggled into U.S. in Imperial County

A convicted murderer who was smuggled into the U.S. by two young adults was arrested this week along with another Mexican national by Border Patrol officers in Imperial County , authorities said Friday .
The 39-year-old man and his 25-year-old female companion were arrested about 9:15 a.m. Wednesday when the vehicle they were traveling in was stopped by a Border Patrol agent near Frink Road and Coachella Canal after attempting to avoid an immigration checkpoint , U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said in a statement .
Their identities were not disclosed .
The driver of the vehicle and a front-seat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. citizens , officials said .
The agent on the scene quickly determined that the pair had smuggled the two Mexican nationals into the country .
Records revealed that the older man had been convicted of murder on May 23 , 2003 in Santa Ana in Orange County .
He was sentenced to eight years in prison and was ordered removed from the U.S. in 2009 .
The man was arrested and is being held in federal custody for further criminal prosecution , officials said .
His female companion was deported back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passenger were booked on charges of human smuggling .

A convicted murderer who was smuggled into the U.S. by two young adults was arrested this week along with another Mexican national by Border Patrol officers in Imperial County, authorities said Friday.
The 39-year-old man and his 25-year-old female companion were arrested about 9:15 a.m. Wednesday when the vehicle they were traveling in was stopped by a Border Patrol agent near Frink Road and Coachella Canal after attempting to avoid an immigration checkpoint, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said in a statement. Their identities were not disclosed.
The driver of the vehicle and a front-seat passenger were identified only as two 18-year-old U.S. citizens, officials said. The agent on the scene quickly determined that the pair had smuggled the two Mexican nationals into the country.
Records revealed that the older man had been convicted of murder on May 23, 2003 in Santa Ana in Orange County. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and was ordered removed from the U.S. in 2009.
The man was arrested and is being held in federal custody for further criminal prosecution, officials said. His female companion was deported back to Mexico.
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The vehicle driver and front-seat passenger were booked on charges of human smuggling.
Sturgill writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.


latimes--2020-05-29--Fontana protest over George Floyd's death ends in 9 arrests, police say

Nine people were arrested Thursday night at a Fontana protest against the killing of George Floyd , a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck earlier this week .
The protest , which started in the 8400 block of Sierra Avenue about 6 p.m. , initially involved about 50 demonstrators but grew to include about 100 , police said in a news release .
Protesters blocked traffic and threw rocks at the windows of businesses and passing vehicles , according to investigators .
Some windows at the Fontana City Hall building were damaged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protest an unlawful assembly and ordered the demonstrators to disperse about 9 p.m .
Some of the protesters refused and threw rocks at officers , prompting them to ask other agencies for aid , police said .
It took officers more than an hour to break up the crowd , and nine people were arrested on suspicion of various offenses , police said .
There wasn ’ t immediately word on what charges they might face .
The protest was one of several that have erupted across cities nationwide in the wake of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles , a crowd gathered Thursday outside LAPD headquarters on 1st Street to demonstrate for the second night in a row .
In Minneapolis , protesters lobbed bottles , trampled a perimeter fence , broke windows and overran a police station .
Crowds continued to ransack the station , burn cars and fire guns in the air early Friday .
Floyd ’ s deadly encounter with police began Monday night after he was accused of trying to use a counterfeit $ 20 bill at a grocery store .
Cellphone video of his arrest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ driving his knee into the 46-year-old ’ s neck as Floyd pleads that he can ’ t breathe .
After several minutes , Floyd appears to lose consciousness , and a bystander can be heard yelling that Floyd ’ s nose is bleeding .
Even as paramedics arrive to check Floyd ’ s pulse , Chauvin ’ s knee remains positioned on the man ’ s neck .
The killing has been condemned by leaders of some of the largest police departments in the U.S. Times staff writers Molly Hennessy-Fiske and James Queally @ @ @ @ @

Nine people were arrested Thursday night at a Fontana protest against the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck earlier this week.
The protest, which started in the 8400 block of Sierra Avenue about 6 p.m., initially involved about 50 demonstrators but grew to include about 100, police said in a news release.
Protesters blocked traffic and threw rocks at the windows of businesses and passing vehicles, according to investigators. Some windows at the Fontana City Hall building were damaged, police said.
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Police declared the protest an unlawful assembly and ordered the demonstrators to disperse about 9 p.m. Some of the protesters refused and threw rocks at officers, prompting them to ask other agencies for aid, police said.
It took officers more than an hour to break up the crowd, and nine people were arrested on suspicion of various offenses, police said. There wasn’t immediately word on what charges they might face.
The protest was one of several that have erupted across cities nationwide in the wake of Floyd’s death.
In Los Angeles, a crowd gathered Thursday outside LAPD headquarters on 1st Street to demonstrate for the second night in a row.
In Minneapolis, protesters lobbed bottles, trampled a perimeter fence, broke windows and overran a police station. Crowds continued to ransack the station, burn cars and fire guns in the air early Friday.
Floyd’s deadly encounter with police began Monday night after he was accused of trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a grocery store.
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Cellphone video of his arrest outside the business shows Officer Derek Chauvin driving his knee into the 46-year-old’s neck as Floyd pleads that he can’t breathe. After several minutes, Floyd appears to lose consciousness, and a bystander can be heard yelling that Floyd’s nose is bleeding. Even as paramedics arrive to check Floyd’s pulse, Chauvin’s knee remains positioned on the man’s neck.
The killing has been condemned by leaders of some of the largest police departments in the U.S.
Times staff writers Molly Hennessy-Fiske and James Queally contributed to this report.