latimes--2020-08-19--How key bottlenecks scrambled coronavirus testing in Sacramento

In some ways , the nation ’ s coronavirus testing system is like a game of Jenga : When one piece falters , the entire tower collapses .
Take Sacramento County , home to 1.5 million people .
Coronavirus cases started surging there in late June , and on July 15 , 360 residents were diagnosed with COVID-19 — a single-day record .
Around that time , people flocked to testing sites run by state , county and local health systems and other testing providers like CVS .
But securing a test became next to impossible for many people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ California ’ s ability to test roughly 100,000 people per day , Sacramento ’ s time slots filled quickly , five testing sites run by the county temporarily shuttered , and some healthcare providers limited testing to patients who were visibly sick .
For those lucky enough to get tested , results took days — sometimes weeks — to return , rendering them essentially useless .
“ Results should come in 24 to 48 hours , ideally , from when people are exhibiting symptoms , ” said Dr. Olivia Kasirye , the county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It impacts our ability to take action and do contact investigations.
” So what happened ?
Sacramento , like other counties across the state and nation , has been plagued by key choke points in its testing system since the pandemic began .
During the summer surge , these bottlenecks dramatically reduced testing capacity and slowed results .
“ It ’ s pretty stunning that we are still having these bottlenecks , ” said David Lazer , a professor at Northeastern University and co-author of a recent report on turnaround times for test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understandable when New York was struggling in March , but why is California struggling now ?
” he said .
“ It ’ s a local manifestation of national shortages.
” In Sacramento , the first choke point emerged as people flocked to testing sites , placing a heavy burden on commercial labs that processed tests , such as Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp .
With COVID hot spots flaring , the labs faced mounting backlogs , sometimes delaying results by more than a week .
During Quest ’ s second-quarter earnings call in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explained why the company was struggling to keep up with demand despite its rapidly increased testing capacity .
Beyond catering to regions with high numbers of COVID-19 cases , Rusckowski said Quest was also responding to the testing needs of patients scheduled for surgery , high-risk residents at places like nursing homes and prisons , employers testing their workers , and universities requiring tests for returning students .
The company said it performed 3.5 million diagnostic tests in July , up from 1.5 million in May .
Smaller regional operations have popped up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , Folsom , Calif.-based StemExpress focused primarily on collecting and distributing blood and bone marrow for research and treatments .
In early April , the company started processing COVID-19 tests .
Now , StemExpress performs tests for Sacramento and other counties , healthcare systems , private businesses and even the Sacramento Kings basketball team .
To keep up , StemExpress purchased certified COVID-19 testing machines and secured yearlong pre-purchasing contracts for the necessary supplies and chemicals .
The company has hired more than 30 people and deploys workers round-the-clock to guarantee results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s a fraction of what Quest churns through daily .
“ It was a huge front-end financial investment — millions of dollars , ” said Hether Ide , a company vice president .
StemExpress now has the capacity to process 10,000 tests per day , though it generally averages that in a week , Ide said .
A surge in demand was only the first problem .
That led to a second major bottleneck : a shortage of supplies needed to process the tests .
In early July , Sacramento @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sites because its testing partner , UC Davis Health , could not secure enough chemical reagents to run its test-processing machine , made by Swiss manufacturer Roche .
Indeed , manufacturers of lab processing supplies have struggled for months to keep up with the global demand .
For instance , Thomas Schinecker , chief executive of Roche , said the company had increased production of popular COVID-19 testing machines and materials to about four times its normal level .
To get the testing sites back up and running , Sacramento turned to StemExpress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Davis Health now has adequate supplies and is running about 2,500 tests per week , including some for the county , a spokesperson for the health system said .
Sacramento County said it had reduced its turnaround time to 72 hours for results and had recently added community testing sites .
Earlier in the pandemic , a different type of shortage plagued testing sites in Sacramento : the swabs used to collect specimens from people ’ s nasal cavities .
In March , Maine-based Puritan Medical Products and Italy ’ s Copan Diagnostics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ specialized nasal swabs , struggled to keep up with the accelerating demand .
In response , U.S. manufacturers expanded their efforts , and the federal government gave Puritan $ 75.5 million to make more swabs .
California ’ s testing task force , in concert with the Federal Emergency Management Agency , said in an early-summer report that it had secured about 14 million swabs .
Still , the report said that wasn ’ t enough to last through 2020 .
The upcoming flu season could add additional strain on the availability of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of laboratory services at Premier Inc. , a group purchasing organization that works with 4,000 U.S. hospitals and health systems .
Since the flu and COVID-19 share similar symptoms , more people will likely seek testing — and flu tests use the same type of swabs , she noted .
Plus , it ’ s never clear when manufacturing delays , supply shortages or a spike in testing volume could jam the system again .
“ We really expected a decrease in COVID this summer .
Obviously it hasn ’ t happened , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a vaccine , there ’ s going to be continued testing demand .
Even then , I don ’ t know if anyone knows when this will be done.
” Hannah Norman writes for , a nonprofit news service covering health issues .
It is an editorially independent program of the and is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente .

Stephenson Arturo Avilio waits for cars to arrive for a coronavirus test at the COVID-19 testing site at The Forum parking lot in Inglewood.
In some ways, the nation’s coronavirus testing system is like a game of Jenga: When one piece falters, the entire tower collapses.
Take Sacramento County, home to 1.5 million people. Coronavirus cases started surging there in late June, and on July 15, 360 residents were diagnosed with COVID-19 — a single-day record.
Around that time, people flocked to testing sites run by state, county and local health systems and other testing providers like CVS.
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But securing a test became next to impossible for many people. Even as Gov. Gavin Newsom touted California’s ability to test roughly 100,000 people per day, Sacramento’s time slots filled quickly, five testing sites run by the county temporarily shuttered, and some healthcare providers limited testing to patients who were visibly sick.
For those lucky enough to get tested, results took days — sometimes weeks — to return, rendering them essentially useless.
“Results should come in 24 to 48 hours, ideally, from when people are exhibiting symptoms,” said Dr. Olivia Kasirye, the county’s public health officer. “It impacts our ability to take action and do contact investigations.”
So what happened? Sacramento, like other counties across the state and nation, has been plagued by key choke points in its testing system since the pandemic began. During the summer surge, these bottlenecks dramatically reduced testing capacity and slowed results.
“It’s pretty stunning that we are still having these bottlenecks,” said David Lazer, a professor at Northeastern University and co-author of a recent report on turnaround times for test results across the U.S.
“It was understandable when New York was struggling in March, but why is California struggling now?” he said. “It’s a local manifestation of national shortages.”
California The inside story of how California failed mass coronavirus testing California failed to establish an effective coronavirus testing system early on, leaving it far behind — even now — in the fight against COVID-19.
In Sacramento, the first choke point emerged as people flocked to testing sites, placing a heavy burden on commercial labs that processed tests, such as Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp.
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With COVID hot spots flaring, the labs faced mounting backlogs, sometimes delaying results by more than a week.
During Quest’s second-quarter earnings call in late July, Chief Executive Steve Rusckowski explained why the company was struggling to keep up with demand despite its rapidly increased testing capacity.
Beyond catering to regions with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, Rusckowski said Quest was also responding to the testing needs of patients scheduled for surgery, high-risk residents at places like nursing homes and prisons, employers testing their workers, and universities requiring tests for returning students. The company said it performed 3.5 million diagnostic tests in July, up from 1.5 million in May.
Smaller regional operations have popped up to ease the demand. Before the pandemic, Folsom, Calif.-based StemExpress focused primarily on collecting and distributing blood and bone marrow for research and treatments. In early April, the company started processing COVID-19 tests. Now, StemExpress performs tests for Sacramento and other counties, healthcare systems, private businesses and even the Sacramento Kings basketball team.
To keep up, StemExpress purchased certified COVID-19 testing machines and secured yearlong pre-purchasing contracts for the necessary supplies and chemicals. The company has hired more than 30 people and deploys workers round-the-clock to guarantee results in 48 to 72 hours. Still, it’s a fraction of what Quest churns through daily.
“It was a huge front-end financial investment — millions of dollars,” said Hether Ide, a company vice president. StemExpress now has the capacity to process 10,000 tests per day, though it generally averages that in a week, Ide said.
A surge in demand was only the first problem. That led to a second major bottleneck: a shortage of supplies needed to process the tests.
In early July, Sacramento temporarily closed five of its county-funded testing sites because its testing partner, UC Davis Health, could not secure enough chemical reagents to run its test-processing machine, made by Swiss manufacturer Roche.
Indeed, manufacturers of lab processing supplies have struggled for months to keep up with the global demand. For instance, Thomas Schinecker, chief executive of Roche, said the company had increased production of popular COVID-19 testing machines and materials to about four times its normal level.
Science & Medicine Thousands of families perform DIY tests for coronavirus science Thousands of U.S. families are swabbing their noses twice a week in a DIY experiment to help solve some of the mysteries about the coronavirus.
To get the testing sites back up and running, Sacramento turned to StemExpress to pick up the slack. UC Davis Health now has adequate supplies and is running about 2,500 tests per week, including some for the county, a spokesperson for the health system said.
Sacramento County said it had reduced its turnaround time to 72 hours for results and had recently added community testing sites.
Earlier in the pandemic, a different type of shortage plagued testing sites in Sacramento: the swabs used to collect specimens from people’s nasal cavities.
In March, Maine-based Puritan Medical Products and Italy’s Copan Diagnostics, the two leading manufacturers of these specialized nasal swabs, struggled to keep up with the accelerating demand.
In response, U.S. manufacturers expanded their efforts, and the federal government gave Puritan $75.5 million to make more swabs. California’s testing task force, in concert with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said in an early-summer report that it had secured about 14 million swabs. Still, the report said that wasn’t enough to last through 2020.
The upcoming flu season could add additional strain on the availability of swabs, said Marlene Sautter, director of laboratory services at Premier Inc., a group purchasing organization that works with 4,000 U.S. hospitals and health systems. Since the flu and COVID-19 share similar symptoms, more people will likely seek testing — and flu tests use the same type of swabs, she noted.
Plus, it’s never clear when manufacturing delays, supply shortages or a spike in testing volume could jam the system again.
“We really expected a decrease in COVID this summer. Obviously it hasn’t happened,” Sautter said. “Until there’s a vaccine, there’s going to be continued testing demand. Even then, I don’t know if anyone knows when this will be done.”


latimes--2020-08-23--Dry lightning: Northern California's fire scourge

Federal officials described them as the “ fires of hell , ” a “ holocaust ” that blackened 775,000 acres of timber and chaparral and produced miles-high clouds resembling a nuclear bomb blast .
It was the Siege of ’ 87 , when two weeks of dry lightning strikes in late August and early September sparked thousands of wildfires in Northern California and Oregon , drawing an army of 19,000 firefighters .
In 1999 , hundreds of lightning-caused fires in the Big Sur region and the state ’ s north merged into two of the nation ’ s top blazes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in June of 2008 , more than 5,000 lightning strikes ignited some 1,000 fires across Northern California , the Sierra Nevada and the Central Coast .
This month ’ s explosion of lightning-sparked fires in the Bay Area will undoubtedly go down in the record books as the Siege of 2020 .
In the span of a week , some of them have merged together to form the second- and third- largest wildfires in modern state history .
But big fires ignited by storms that streak the skies with thousands of lightning bolts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s most destructive wildfires are often caused by people or equipment during high winds , many of the state ’ s largest recorded blazes have started with lightning strikes in the north or the Central Coast .
As of Saturday morning , the LNU Lightning Complex fire in the Napa-Sonoma County region had scorched more than 300,000 acres , making it the state ’ s second-largest after 2018 ’ s human-caused Mendocino Complex fire .
At roughly 292,000 acres , the SCU Complex fire in the East Bay region is the third-largest .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ some 12,000 — and the number of ignitions — 585 so far — makes it impossible for firefighting crews to contain many of the starts before they blend together , forming monsters that can burn for weeks or even months before dying out .
There is likely more to come , given the forecasts of thunderstorms , dry lightning and wind gusts for the Bay Area on Sunday and Monday .
Though the scale of the last week ’ s dry lightning strikes seems extraordinary , Cindy Palmer , a meteorologist in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Service , said it wasn ’ t that unusual .
“ I think people have short memories , ” she said .
Two colliding weather systems — tropical moisture from the south and a high-pressure ridge from the east — are producing thunderstorms that spit out lightning but little rain .
Last weekend , Palmer said , lightning struck in one spot 10 miles from the nearest rainfall .
The moisture in the storm systems is in the higher atmosphere , and much of it evaporates before it reaches Earth ’ s surface @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these storms aren ’ t raining , ” Palmer said .
“ It ’ s that they ’ re not producing enough rain to stop a fire from starting.
” That is especially true after an exceptionally dry winter in Northern California , and a heat wave that has parched wildland vegetation .
Lightning strikes are relatively rare in coastal Southern California .
But they do occur in the mountains and deserts during the summer monsoon season .
A recent lightning strike sparked the Dome fire , which incinerated stands of Joshua trees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jon Keeley , a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey , and research ecologist Alexandra Syphard analyzed California wildfire ignitions , they found that lightning was the cause of the majority of blazes in Northern California forests but accounted for less than a quarter of the starts in Southern California ’ s four national forests .
The Southland ’ s worst wildfires are driven by Santa Ana winds — and are almost always caused by people , downed power lines or equipment sparks .

Federal officials described them as the “fires of hell,” a “holocaust” that blackened 775,000 acres of timber and chaparral and produced miles-high clouds resembling a nuclear bomb blast.
It was the Siege of ’87, when two weeks of dry lightning strikes in late August and early September sparked thousands of wildfires in Northern California and Oregon, drawing an army of 19,000 firefighters.
In 1999, hundreds of lightning-caused fires in the Big Sur region and the state’s north merged into two of the nation’s top blazes that year.
During a 33-hour period in June of 2008, more than 5,000 lightning strikes ignited some 1,000 fires across Northern California, the Sierra Nevada and the Central Coast.
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This month’s explosion of lightning-sparked fires in the Bay Area will undoubtedly go down in the record books as the Siege of 2020. In the span of a week, some of them have merged together to form the second- and third- largest wildfires in modern state history.
But big fires ignited by storms that streak the skies with thousands of lightning bolts are nothing new.
Though California’s most destructive wildfires are often caused by people or equipment during high winds, many of the state’s largest recorded blazes have started with lightning strikes in the north or the Central Coast.
Firefighters protect a home in the Berryessa Estates neighborhood of unincorporated Napa County, Calif., as the LNU Lightning Complex fires burn. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
As of Saturday morning, the LNU Lightning Complex fire in the Napa-Sonoma County region had scorched more than 300,000 acres, making it the state’s second-largest after 2018’s human-caused Mendocino Complex fire.
At roughly 292,000 acres, the SCU Complex fire in the East Bay region is the third-largest.
The enormous volume of lightning strikes — some 12,000 — and the number of ignitions — 585 so far — makes it impossible for firefighting crews to contain many of the starts before they blend together, forming monsters that can burn for weeks or even months before dying out.
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There is likely more to come, given the forecasts of thunderstorms, dry lightning and wind gusts for the Bay Area on Sunday and Monday.
Though the scale of the last week’s dry lightning strikes seems extraordinary, Cindy Palmer, a meteorologist in the Bay Area office of the National Weather Service, said it wasn’t that unusual.
“I think people have short memories,” she said.
Two colliding weather systems — tropical moisture from the south and a high-pressure ridge from the east — are producing thunderstorms that spit out lightning but little rain. Last weekend, Palmer said, lightning struck in one spot 10 miles from the nearest rainfall.
The moisture in the storm systems is in the higher atmosphere, and much of it evaporates before it reaches Earth’s surface.
“It’s not that these storms aren’t raining,” Palmer said. “It’s that they’re not producing enough rain to stop a fire from starting.”
That is especially true after an exceptionally dry winter in Northern California, and a heat wave that has parched wildland vegetation.
Lightning strikes are relatively rare in coastal Southern California. But they do occur in the mountains and deserts during the summer monsoon season.
A recent lightning strike sparked the Dome fire, which incinerated stands of Joshua trees in the Mojave National Preserve.
When Jon Keeley, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and research ecologist Alexandra Syphard analyzed California wildfire ignitions, they found that lightning was the cause of the majority of blazes in Northern California forests but accounted for less than a quarter of the starts in Southern California’s four national forests.
The Southland’s worst wildfires are driven by Santa Ana winds — and are almost always caused by people, downed power lines or equipment sparks.


latimes--2020-08-22--Megan Thee Stallion had a gunshot wound needing surgery after she says Tory Lanez shot her

Megan Thee Stallion underwent surgery for a gunshot wound , and shrapnel was removed from her left heel in the hours after she says she was shot in the Hollywood Hills last month after a night of partying , records show .
More details of the incident emerged Friday , a day after Stallion for the first time , through her Instagram Live account , said her fellow hip-hop artist pulled the trigger that left her wounded on July 12 .
Medical records now in possession of authorities show that the rapper , who was born Megan Pete , underwent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ object from her heel hours after the shooting .
She had a 4 cm by 4 cm wound , the records show .
The “ WAP ” and “ Savage ” rapper was treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center .
She reported she “ felt pain in both feet.
” With the Los Angeles County District Attorney ’ s Office considering whether to file felony assault with firearm charges against Lanez , Stallion said it was time for him to admit to shooting her .
“ Yes ... Tory shot me .
You shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your people going to these blogs lying , ” the 25-year-old rapper said in an Instagram Live video .
“ Stop lying .
Why lie ?
I don ’ t understand.
” She acknowledged that when police first responded to a report of a shooting and found the two recording artists outside an SUV , she did not tell responding officers she had been shot because she was afraid of the legal repercussions and afraid for her safety .
“ I didn ’ t tell the police nothing because I didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trouble , ” she said in the video , explaining that she feared being shot by the police when they heard of a gun in the vehicle .
She also said she wanted to spare Lanez the trouble and did not explain how she was injured .
Initially , she told officials she thought it was a glass cut , not realizing the nature of the wound .
She was barefoot at the time of the incident after a night of partying .
Lanez was arrested on suspicion of possession of a concealed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was stopped by the LAPD .
Video from the scene showed Lanez and Stallion limping barefoot .
Lanez , whose legal name is Daystar Peterson , was released on bail .
L.A. County prosecutors on July 24 received a felony assault with a firearm investigation from the LAPD but sent it back for further investigation .
The 28-year-old rapper has not made any statements about the incident .
But Stallion , in her comments , said she believed his publicist and people had been lying about the incident to deflect blame .
Stallion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his security guard were in an SUV after a party at a home owned by Kylie Jenner in the early hours of July 12 , when the female rapper from Houston said an argument erupted and she decided she had enough and got out to walk away .
She said she was minutes from the house she was staying in .
She then alleged that as she walked away , her fellow artist fired at her from the back seat .
“ You shot me .
I didn ’ t get cut by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why they are saying that.
” On that night in July , L.A. police officers swarmed the 1800 block of Nichols Canyon about 4:30 a.m after receiving a report of gunfire .
According to the LAPD , “ witnesses to the incident provided a description of a suspect ( s ) and their vehicle.
” Officers stopped a vehicle matching the description , detained multiple people and eventually arrested Lanez , according to a statement .
In a video of the aftermath , both Lanez and Stallion can be seen in handcuffs as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Without naming the female rapper , the LAPD said one person was taken to the hospital “ with a foot injury.
” Stallion in the aftermath repeatedly said she expected to fully recover , but said in subsequent posts that the shooting and subsequent surgery was “ super scary ” and “ the worst experience of my life , ” and she felt blessed that the gunfire hit where it did .
On Wednesday , Stallion posted — and then deleted — an image on Instagram that she said showed the result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I lie about getting shot , ” Stallion said in a blunt post in response to comments questioning whether she was really hurt .
She said she “ underwent surgery to remove the bullets.
” She had , until Thursday , avoided naming Lanez as her assailant even in interviews .
But then she accused him of lying to cover up the episode and accused him of getting allies on social media to drag her down .

Megan Thee Stallion underwent surgery for a gunshot wound, and shrapnel was removed from her left heel in the hours after she says she was shot in the Hollywood Hills last month after a night of partying, records show.
More details of the incident emerged Friday, a day after Stallion for the first time, through her Instagram Live account, said her fellow hip-hop artist pulled the trigger that left her wounded on July 12.
Medical records now in possession of authorities show that the rapper, who was born Megan Pete, underwent a surgical procedure to remove a foreign object from her heel hours after the shooting. She had a 4 cm by 4 cm wound, the records show.
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The “WAP” and “Savage” rapper was treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She reported she “felt pain in both feet.”
With the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office considering whether to file felony assault with firearm charges against Lanez, Stallion said it was time for him to admit to shooting her.
“Yes ... Tory shot me. You shot me and you got your publicist and your people going to these blogs lying,” the 25-year-old rapper said in an Instagram Live video. “Stop lying. Why lie? I don’t understand.”
She acknowledged that when police first responded to a report of a shooting and found the two recording artists outside an SUV, she did not tell responding officers she had been shot because she was afraid of the legal repercussions and afraid for her safety.
“I didn’t tell the police nothing because I didn’t want us to get in no more trouble,” she said in the video, explaining that she feared being shot by the police when they heard of a gun in the vehicle. She also said she wanted to spare Lanez the trouble and did not explain how she was injured. Initially, she told officials she thought it was a glass cut, not realizing the nature of the wound. She was barefoot at the time of the incident after a night of partying.
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Lanez was arrested on suspicion of possession of a concealed weapon after the vehicle he was in was stopped by the LAPD. Video from the scene showed Lanez and Stallion limping barefoot. Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was released on bail.
L.A. County prosecutors on July 24 received a felony assault with a firearm investigation from the LAPD but sent it back for further investigation.
The 28-year-old rapper has not made any statements about the incident. But Stallion, in her comments, said she believed his publicist and people had been lying about the incident to deflect blame.
Stallion, her friend, Lanez, and his security guard were in an SUV after a party at a home owned by Kylie Jenner in the early hours of July 12, when the female rapper from Houston said an argument erupted and she decided she had enough and got out to walk away. She said she was minutes from the house she was staying in. She then alleged that as she walked away, her fellow artist fired at her from the back seat. “You shot me. I didn’t get cut by no glass. But I tell you why they are saying that.”
On that night in July, L.A. police officers swarmed the 1800 block of Nichols Canyon about 4:30 a.m after receiving a report of gunfire. According to the LAPD, “witnesses to the incident provided a description of a suspect(s) and their vehicle.” Officers stopped a vehicle matching the description, detained multiple people and eventually arrested Lanez, according to a statement.
In a video of the aftermath, both Lanez and Stallion can be seen in handcuffs as officers try to determine what happened.
Without naming the female rapper, the LAPD said one person was taken to the hospital “with a foot injury.”
Stallion in the aftermath repeatedly said she expected to fully recover, but said in subsequent posts that the shooting and subsequent surgery was “super scary” and “the worst experience of my life,” and she felt blessed that the gunfire hit where it did.
On Wednesday, Stallion posted — and then deleted — an image on Instagram that she said showed the result of her being shot. “Why would I lie about getting shot,” Stallion said in a blunt post in response to comments questioning whether she was really hurt. She said she “underwent surgery to remove the bullets.”
She had, until Thursday, avoided naming Lanez as her assailant even in interviews. But then she accused him of lying to cover up the episode and accused him of getting allies on social media to drag her down.


latimes--2020-08-23--As firefighter battles California blaze, his wallet is stolen, bank account drained, authorities say

Authorities in the Northern California fire zone are warning about criminals taking advantage of the crisis , including one case in which officials said a firefighter was victimized .
Authorities on Saturday morning arrested five people on suspicion of looting , grand theft , burglary and conspiracy after they were stopped driving away from the Fall Creek Drive area , the Santa Cruz County Sheriff ’ s Office said .
The suspects allegedly took advantage of the CZU Lightning Complex fire , which has forced about 77,000 people from their homes in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties .
Someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a firefighting commander while he was out battling the blaze , stole his wallet and drained his bank account , Mark Brunton , Cal Fire operations chief , said at a briefing Sunday .
“ It ’ s saddening , it ’ s sickening , ” Brunton said , “ and we are doing everything we can to try to help the community and unfortunately these [ things ] happen.
” Meanwhile , officials were asking people to stay out of evacuation zones to avoid hazards including downed trees and wires , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Tourists are also being warned away .
The Santa Cruz County Emergency Operations Center said it was requesting that visitors refrain from traveling there through Sept. 1 to keep overnight accommodations available for evacuees .

Firefighters respond to a structure fire along Riverdale Blvd. during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday.
Authorities in the Northern California fire zone are warning about criminals taking advantage of the crisis, including one case in which officials said a firefighter was victimized.
Authorities on Saturday morning arrested five people on suspicion of looting, grand theft, burglary and conspiracy after they were stopped driving away from the Fall Creek Drive area, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said.
The suspects allegedly took advantage of the CZU Lightning Complex fire, which has forced about 77,000 people from their homes in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties.
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Someone also broke into the department vehicle of a firefighting commander while he was out battling the blaze, stole his wallet and drained his bank account, Mark Brunton, Cal Fire operations chief, said at a briefing Sunday.
“It’s saddening, it’s sickening,” Brunton said, “and we are doing everything we can to try to help the community and unfortunately these [things] happen.”
Meanwhile, officials were asking people to stay out of evacuation zones to avoid hazards including downed trees and wires, and to keep roads open for emergency vehicles.
Tourists are also being warned away. The Santa Cruz County Emergency Operations Center said it was requesting that visitors refrain from traveling there through Sept. 1 to keep overnight accommodations available for evacuees.


latimes--2020-08-23--Massive California wildfires expected to get worse as lightning, wind storms move in

The second- and third-largest fires in California history are expected to grow in the next few days as a new thunderstorm system moves over the state , producing dry lightning and gusty winds .
The National Weather Service issued red-flag warnings across large swaths of Northern and Central California that went into effect before sunrise Sunday .
The storms could spark more blazes and cause existing ones to spread rapidly , and that is unwelcome news for firefighters , who are already stretched thin .
Crews on Sunday from the Santa Cruz Mountains to wine country and beyond , using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get a jump on the conflagrations , many of them ignited by lightning strikes .
On Saturday , Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced that the White House had approved California ’ s request for a presidential major disaster declaration to bolster the state ’ s emergency response to wildfires burning in Northern California .
About 1.3 million acres have burned in California in just a month , according to a Times analysis — an astonishing toll so early in the fire season .
In all of 2019 , about 259,000 acres in California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Interagency Fire Center , although that was following a relatively wet winter .
Across California , “ over 14,000 firefighters are on the front lines of more than two dozen major fires and lightning complexes , ” or groups of fires , said Jeremey Rahn , Cal Fire public information officer , at a Sunday news conference .
The blazes include the LNU Lightning Complex fire , which at more than 340,000 acres is the second-largest fire in California history .
The SCU Lightning Complex fire , currently covering more than 339,000 acres @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have both of those going on at the same time ... gives us the magnitude of what has happened here in this state , ” Sean Kavanaugh , incident commander on the LNU fire , said Sunday .
“ Over all jurisdictions , 1 .
3 million acres have been burned in recent time.
” The LNU fire in Napa , Sonoma , Lake , Solana , Yolo and Colusa counties had destroyed 845 homes and other buildings and was 17 % contained as of Sunday morning .
Firefighters were working to strengthen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said area residents should be ready to evacuate .
“ With the weather predicted , the red flag warning issued , I can ’ t stress the importance of being prepared to leave , ” Chief Shana Jones said .
The SCU Lightning Complex fire began as a collection of about 20 blazes in areas of Contra Costa , Alameda , Santa Clara , Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties and by Sunday had merged into two conflagrations .
The flames , which were 5 % contained Sunday morning , were burning primarily through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remote areas that hadn ’ t burned in years .
Firefighters were bracing for gusty winds and the possibility of dry lightning starting at about 3 p.m. , said Barbara Rebiskie , public information officer on the SCU fire .
“ There ’ s a lot of dead fuel up there , ” Rebiskie said .
“ And the erratic winds , the 7 % humidities and the lightning — it ’ s not a good combination.
” An estimated 20,265 homes and commercial buildings were threatened , with a new evacuation order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Alameda County .
In the hours that followed , a public information center set up to deal with queries from the public was flooded with so many phone calls that it crashed , Rebiskie said .
By late Sunday morning , operators were still receiving about 1,000 calls an hour , she said .
She urged people to keep calling back if they got a busy signal , and to visit the incident ’ s webpage to see a full list of evacuations .
Firefighting resources have been pouring into the region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s simply not enough .
The size and scope of the fires are unprecedented , Daniel Swain , a climate scientist at UCLA , wrote in a blog post .
“ As I ’ ve stated publicly , I ’ m essentially at a loss for words to describe the scope of the lightning-sparked fire outbreak that has rapidly evolved in northern California — even in the context of the extraordinary fires of recent years , ” he wrote .
“ It ’ s truly astonishing.
” In some places , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for state help and left to beg equipment and manpower from volunteers and local agencies .
“ Many of these firefighters have been on the lines for 72 hours , and everybody is running on fumes , ” said Assemblyman Jim Wood ( D-Healdsburg ) , whose district includes wine country areas currently under siege .
“ Our first responders are working to the ragged edge of everything they have.
” With blazes overwhelming the crews available , fire experts say state officials are now being forced to prioritize which fires will get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and crews will be used .
Though officials often try to build defensible lines to contain blazes , fire experts said the focus was now on saving lives and structures .
That means the current blazes could burn for weeks .
“ At the statewide level , we do get into this mode where we start wondering where the biggest loss is going to be , what ’ s the highest priority , and that is where the resources are going to go , ” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson , a fire specialist with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday afternoon were monitoring an area of moisture with the potential to generate thunderstorms that was just off Central California and moving toward the Monterey area , said Carolina Walbrun , meterologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey .
The front was expected to continue to move north , affecting a stretch of the state from Monterey to the Bay Area , she said .
“ The fear that we have as these thunderstorms develop is that it can create strong downdrafts and result in further fire spread , ” Walbrun said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of generating additional fires with dry lightning from these thunderstorms .
There ’ s very little moisture associated with it.
” The first round of thunderstorms were expected to hit hardest Sunday night into Monday , with a second event forecast Monday night into Tuesday , she said .
In addition to bringing gusty winds , the system was also causing winds to shift to more of a southwesterly direction , which could mean that firefighters have to change focus from protecting communities to the south of fire lines to those to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue that is going to hamper this whole thing is going to be the lack of resources that are available for firefighting because there are so many fires active right now , all resources are depleted , ” Walbrun said .
“ So any additional starts are just going to stress the system even more.
” Already , more than 2,000 homes and commercial buildings have been destroyed by fire in California since late July .
They include nearly 1,000 that were decimated since Aug. 15 , which marked the start of what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” of about 12,000 strikes that started an estimated 585 fires in California .
In San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties , the CZU Lightning Complex fire was threatening multiple communities and had forced 77,000 people from their homes .
The blaze began as a collection of about 22 fires that largely merged into one , challenging firefighters as they tried to keep the flames away from the towns dotting the rural , mountainous area .
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said it had deployed five engine strike teams , consisting of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help with the effort .
The fire had consumed 71,000 acres and was 8 % contained as of Sunday morning .
Firefighters were taking advantage of fairly calm winds to attack the fire on the ground as much as possible as they scrambled to make progress ahead of the inclement weather , said Daniel Potter , a Cal Fire public information officer .
“ We ’ re going to get as much accomplished as we can before the front hits us , ” he said .
“ And then adapt and overcome any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area due to the lightning coming through.
” Crews were working to establish containment lines and fire breaks around the city of Santa Cruz and the campus of UC Santa Cruz in a bid to keep the blaze from damaging the community if it made a run in that direction .
“ It ’ s pretty much impossible to stop when a good wind is pushing the fire front faster than we can move , ” Potter said .
Officials were asking people to stay out of evacuation zones to avoid hazards including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to keep roads open for emergency vehicles .
They also warned about criminals taking advantage of the crisis .
Authorities on Saturday morning arrested five people on suspicion of looting , grand theft , burglary and conspiracy after they were stopped driving away from the Fall Creek Drive area , the Santa Cruz County Sheriff ’ s Office said .
Someone also broke into the department vehicle of a firefighting commander while he was out battling the blaze , stole his wallet and drained his bank account , Mark Brunton , Cal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ briefing Sunday .
“ It ’ s saddening , it ’ s sickening , '' Brunton said , “ and we are doing everything we can to try to help the community and unfortunately these [ things ] happen.
” Meanwhile , local officials also continued to beg tourists to stay away .
The Santa Cruz County Emergency Operations Center said it was requesting that visitors refrain from traveling there through Sept. 1 to keep overnight accommodations available for evacuees .
More than 45,000 Santa Cruz County residents have been displaced by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operating 12 shelters , capacity is limited because of COVID-19 , officials said .
Many local hotels , motels and vacation rentals are also booked .
“ DO NOT visit us now , ” the county said in a tweet .
“ Air quality is poor , ash is everywhere , and we ’ re dealing with an unparalleled catastrophe .
This is no time for a day at the beach .
”

Alex Wigglesworth, Rong-Gong Lin II, Joe Mozingo, Joseph Serna

Firefighter Ian Johnson watches as an air tanker drops retardant to keep the River fire from reaching a home in Salinas. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A home in the Sky Ranch community burns in the Carmel fire near Carmel Valley. (Nic Coury / Associated Press)
A plume rises over a vineyard in unincorporated Napa County as the Hennessey fire burns. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Members of the Grizzly Firefighters fight the Carmel fire near Carmel Valley. (Nic Coury / Associated Press)
Mobile homes burn at Spanish Flat Mobile Villa as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Flames consume a cabin at the Nichelini Family Winery in unincorporated Napa County as the Hennessey fire burns in Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Horses stand in an enclosure as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through the Spanish Flat community in unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Seen in a long-exposure photograph, embers burn along a hillside above Lake Berryessa as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Matt Nichols sprays water while trying to save his home as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through Vacaville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Seen in a long-exposure photograph, embers burn along a hillside as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Bill Nichols, 84, works to save his home as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through Vacaville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
An air tanker drops retardant as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through the Spanish Flat community in unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires jump Interstate 80 in Vacaville on Wednesday. The highway was closed in both directions shortly afterward. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
The charred carcass of a cow rests beside a road in Vacaville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A firefighter walks through an area burned by the Hennessey fire along Solar Hills drive in Vacaville. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Flames from the the CZU August Lightning Complex fire approach a structure along Pine Flat Road in Felton. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
The remains of a house burned by the CZU August Lightning Complex fire in Felton. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters from Eugene, Ore., walk beside an area burning along Pine Flat Road during the CZU August Lightning Complex fire in Felton. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
A plume of smoke billows over Healdsburg as the LNU Lightning Complex fire continues to burn. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Scorched homes and vehicles fill Spanish Flat Mobile Villa struck by the LNU Lightning Complex fire in unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Charles Chavira, left, and Thomas Henney watch a plume of smoke spread over Healdsburg as the LNU Lightning Complex fire continues to burn. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A crew cuts down foliage and trees near some structures in preparation in Boulder Creek. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Ben Lomond firefighters work on a blaze at The Sequoia Retreat Center during the CZU August Lightning Complex Fires on Friday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters keeps watch as the fire line creeps up on Highway 9 during the CZU Lightning complex fire. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters respond to a structure fire along Riverdale Blvd. during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Smoke hangs low in the air at Big Basin Redwoods State Park as some redwoods are still on fire on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
The Big Basin Redwoods State Park Headquarters & Visitor Center which was built in 1936 was one of the structures lost to the blaze that tore through the state park. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Hand crews work on a hillside above the Boulder Creek Community Church as the fire line creeps up on Highway 9 during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
A house is engulfed with flame during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters watches as the fire line creeps up on Highway 9 during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Burned vehicles and rubble from homes are left after the CZU Lightning Complex Fire tore through Sunday in Boulder Creek, Calif. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
Firefighters protect a home in the Berryessa Estates neighborhood of unincorporated Napa County, Calif., as the LNU Lightning Complex fires burn on Friday. The blaze forced thousands to flee and destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Firefighters from Barstow tackle hotspots along Highway 9 during the CZU Lightning Complex fire Sunday in Boulder Creek, Calif. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
The second- and third-largest fires in California history are expected to grow in the next few days as a new thunderstorm system moves over the state, producing dry lightning and gusty winds.
The National Weather Service issued red-flag warnings across large swaths of Northern and Central California that went into effect before sunrise Sunday.
For the record: A previous version of this story said the number of structures destroyed by fires in California since late July was over 2,000. The figure is 1,171, including at least 1,134 since Aug. 15.
The storms could spark more blazes and cause existing ones to spread rapidly, and that is unwelcome news for firefighters, who are already stretched thin.
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Crews on Sunday were battling dangerous fires from the Santa Cruz Mountains to wine country and beyond, using a small break in the weather to get a jump on the conflagrations, many of them ignited by lightning strikes.
On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the White House had approved California’s request for a presidential major disaster declaration to bolster the state’s emergency response to wildfires burning in Northern California.
More than 1.3 million acres have burned in California in just a month, according to a Times analysis — an astonishing toll so early in the fire season.
In all of 2019, about 259,000 acres in California burned, according to the Idaho-based National Interagency Fire Center, although that was following a relatively wet winter.
Across California, “over 14,000 firefighters are on the front lines of more than two dozen major fires and lightning complexes,” or groups of fires, said Jeremey Rahn, Cal Fire public information officer, at a Sunday news conference.
The blazes include the LNU Lightning Complex fire, which at nearly 348,000 acres is the second-largest fire in California history. The SCU Lightning Complex fire, currently covering more than 343,000 acres, is the third-largest.
“To have both of those going on at the same time ... gives us the magnitude of what has happened here in this state,” Sean Kavanaugh, incident commander on the LNU fire, said Sunday. “Over all jurisdictions, 1.3 million acres have been burned in recent time.”
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The Times analysis found that more than 1,100 structures statewide have been destroyed. More than 80,000 buildings statewide remain threatened.
The LNU fire in Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Solana, Yolo and Colusa counties had killed four people, destroyed 871 homes and other buildings and was 21% contained as of Sunday night. Firefighters were working to strengthen containment lines ahead of the storms but said area residents should be ready to evacuate.
“With the weather predicted, the red flag warning issued, I can’t stress the importance of being prepared to leave,” Chief Shana Jones said.
The SCU Lightning Complex fire began as a collection of about 20 blazes in areas of Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties and by Sunday had merged into two conflagrations.
The flames, which were 10% contained Sunday night, were burning primarily through dry grass and brush in steep, remote areas that hadn’t burned in years. Firefighters were bracing for gusty winds and the possibility of dry lightning starting at about 3 p.m., said Barbara Rebiskie, public information officer on the SCU fire.
“There’s a lot of dead fuel up there,” Rebiskie said. “And the erratic winds, the 7% humidities and the lightning — it’s not a good combination.”
An estimated 20,265 homes and commercial buildings were threatened and five had been destroyed, with a new evacuation order issued at 3 a.m. Sunday for parts of Alameda County. In the hours that followed, a public information center set up to deal with queries from the public was flooded with so many phone calls that it crashed, Rebiskie said. By late Sunday morning, operators were still receiving about 1,000 calls an hour, she said.
She urged people to keep calling back if they got a busy signal, and to visit the incident’s webpage to see a full list of evacuations.
California Firefighters ‘running on fumes,’ begging for equipment, manpower amid firestorms Santa Cruz fire agencies say they are not getting enough help from the state, which admits it is struggling with too many fires and not enough resources.
Firefighting resources have been pouring into the region in recent days. But firefighters say it’s simply not enough.
The size and scope of the fires are unprecedented, Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, wrote in a blog post.
“As I’ve stated publicly, I’m essentially at a loss for words to describe the scope of the lightning-sparked fire outbreak that has rapidly evolved in northern California — even in the context of the extraordinary fires of recent years,” he wrote. “It’s truly astonishing.”
In some places, officials said they were being turned down for state help and left to beg equipment and manpower from volunteers and local agencies.
“Many of these firefighters have been on the lines for 72 hours, and everybody is running on fumes,” said Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), whose district includes wine country areas currently under siege. “Our first responders are working to the ragged edge of everything they have.”
With blazes overwhelming the crews available, fire experts say state officials are now being forced to prioritize which fires will get resources, and to change how equipment and crews will be used. Though officials often try to build defensible lines to contain blazes, fire experts said the focus was now on saving lives and structures. That means the current blazes could burn for weeks.
“At the statewide level, we do get into this mode where we start wondering where the biggest loss is going to be, what’s the highest priority, and that is where the resources are going to go,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, a fire specialist with the UC Cooperative Extension.
Forecasters on Sunday afternoon were monitoring an area of moisture with the potential to generate thunderstorms that was just off Central California and moving toward the Monterey area, said Carolina Walbrun, meterologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey.
The front was expected to continue to move north, affecting a stretch of the state from Monterey to the Bay Area, she said.
“The fear that we have as these thunderstorms develop is that it can create strong downdrafts and result in further fire spread,” Walbrun said. “We also have the potential of generating additional fires with dry lightning from these thunderstorms. There’s very little moisture associated with it.”
The first round of thunderstorms were expected to hit hardest Sunday night into Monday, with a second event forecast Monday night into Tuesday, she said.
In addition to bringing gusty winds, the system was also causing winds to shift to more of a southwesterly direction, which could mean that firefighters have to change focus from protecting communities to the south of fire lines to those to the north, she said.
“The issue that is going to hamper this whole thing is going to be the lack of resources that are available for firefighting because there are so many fires active right now, all resources are depleted,” Walbrun said. “So any additional starts are just going to stress the system even more.”
Already, at least 1,171 homes and commercial buildings have been destroyed by fire in California since late July. They include at least 1,134that were decimated since Aug. 15, which marked the start of what officials were calling a “lightning siege” of about 12,000 strikes that started an estimated 585 fires in California.
In San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, the CZU Lightning Complex fire was threatening multiple communities and had forced 77,000 people from their homes. The blaze began as a collection of about 22 fires that largely merged into one, challenging firefighters as they tried to keep the flames away from the towns dotting the rural, mountainous area.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said it had deployed five engine strike teams, consisting of 23 engines and 101 firefighters, to help with the effort.
The fire had consumed 74,000 acres and was 8% contained as of Sunday night. It threatened 24,323 structures and had destroyed 175, the vast majority in Santa Cruz County. One person was killed in the fire.
Firefighters were taking advantage of fairly calm winds to attack the fire on the ground as much as possible as they scrambled to make progress ahead of the inclement weather, said Daniel Potter, a Cal Fire public information officer.
“We’re going to get as much accomplished as we can before the front hits us,” he said. “And then adapt and overcome any new fires that may start in the area due to the lightning coming through.”
Crews were working to establish containment lines and fire breaks around the city of Santa Cruz and the campus of UC Santa Cruz in a bid to keep the blaze from damaging the community if it made a run in that direction.
“It’s pretty much impossible to stop when a good wind is pushing the fire front faster than we can move,” Potter said.
Officials were asking people to stay out of evacuation zones to avoid hazards including fire and downed trees and wires, and to keep roads open for emergency vehicles.
They also warned about criminals taking advantage of the crisis. Authorities on Saturday morning arrested five people on suspicion of looting, grand theft, burglary and conspiracy after they were stopped driving away from the Fall Creek Drive area, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said.
Someone also broke into the department vehicle of a firefighting commander while he was out battling the blaze, stole his wallet and drained his bank account, Mark Brunton, Cal Fire operations chief, said at a briefing Sunday.
“It’s saddening, it’s sickening,” Brunton said, “and we are doing everything we can to try to help the community and unfortunately these [things] happen.”
Meanwhile, local officials also continued to beg tourists to stay away.
The Santa Cruz County Emergency Operations Center said it was requesting that visitors refrain from traveling there through Sept. 1 to keep overnight accommodations available for evacuees.
Visitors, we will welcome you back to Santa Cruz County soon. But please, DO NOT visit us now. Air quality is poor, ash is everywhere, and we’re dealing with an unparalleled catastrophe. This is no time for a day at the beach. Thank you. — Santa Cruz County (@sccounty) August 22, 2020
More than 45,000 Santa Cruz County residents have been displaced by the fires, and though the county is operating 12 shelters, capacity is limited because of COVID-19, officials said. Many local hotels, motels and vacation rentals are also booked.
“DO NOT visit us now,” the county said in a tweet. “Air quality is poor, ash is everywhere, and we’re dealing with an unparalleled catastrophe. This is no time for a day at the beach.”


latimes--2020-08-23--UCLA area again flooded by water line break, Sunset Boulevard shut down in Westwood

UCLA staff stacked sandbags to protect Pauley Pavilion early Sunday after an underground 30-inch water line broke in Westwood , causing water to gush so powerfully it took down two trees and shuttered Sunset Boulevard between Veteran and Hilgard avenues , authorities said .
The floodwaters in the 10600 block of West Sunset Boulevard were reported at 1:35 a.m. No one needed to be rescued , according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey , who said firefighters arrived on scene before the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power .
LADWP crews completed the shutdown of the 30-inch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flood did not affect student housing , but could affect other campus facilities in the immediate area , he said .
According to Humphrey , a residential property to the north of Sunset did take on water .
“ Though no injuries or missing persons have been reported , LAFD will perform a comprehensive search of flooded subterranean sections of UCLA Lot 4 Parking Structure as the floodwaters subside , ” he said .
Firefighters will also assist Los Angeles ’ Street Services in removing toppled trees from Sunset Boulevard , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hilgard avenues , as was Stone Canyon Road from Sunset Boulevard to Bellagio Road , Humphrey said .
Video posted to the website Citizen.com showed water moving rapidly along the shoulder of a Westwood roadway .
The break occurred not far from a July 2014 rupture that spewed an estimated 20 million gallons of water across the UCLA campus and flooded numerous buildings , including Pauley Pavilion , the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center , J.D .
Morgan Center and the John Wooden Center .
LADWP officials reported that Sunday ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same trunk line that ruptured in 2014 .
“ We have many large diameter pipes running thru this area of [ the ] city , ” the utility said in a tweet .

Workers with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Public Works Street Services look over the site where an underground water line break occurred, causing flooding and downing two trees near UCLA.
UCLA staff stacked sandbags to protect Pauley Pavilion early Sunday after an underground 30-inch water line broke in Westwood, causing water to gush so powerfully it took down two trees and shuttered Sunset Boulevard between Veteran and Hilgard avenues, authorities said.
The floodwaters in the 10600 block of West Sunset Boulevard were reported at 1:35 a.m.
No one needed to be rescued, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey, who said firefighters arrived on scene before the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
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LADWP crews completed the shutdown of the 30-inch water main about 7:45 a.m.
The flood did not affect student housing, but could affect other campus facilities in the immediate area, he said.
According to Humphrey, a residential property to the north of Sunset did take on water.
A Public Works Street Services worker takes a drink of water while helping to remove two trees that fell across Sunset Boulevard, a result of an underground water line break that caused flooding near UCLA. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
“Though no injuries or missing persons have been reported, LAFD will perform a comprehensive search of flooded subterranean sections of UCLA Lot 4 Parking Structure as the floodwaters subside,” he said.
Firefighters will also assist Los Angeles’ Street Services in removing toppled trees from Sunset Boulevard, he said.
Sunset remained closed between Veteran and Hilgard avenues, as was Stone Canyon Road from Sunset Boulevard to Bellagio Road, Humphrey said.
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Video posted to the website Citizen.com showed water moving rapidly along the shoulder of a Westwood roadway.
The break occurred not far from a July 2014 rupture that spewed an estimated 20 million gallons of water across the UCLA campus and flooded numerous buildings, including Pauley Pavilion, the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center, J.D. Morgan Center and the John Wooden Center.
In 2014, Jerry Markham, director of design and project management for facilities management at UCLA, wades into a flooded walkway after a water main break on Sunset Boulevard near the UCLA campus. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
LADWP officials reported that Sunday’s water main break was not the same trunk line that ruptured in 2014. “We have many large diameter pipes running thru this area of [the] city,” the utility said in a tweet.


latimes--2020-08-23--Two killed, sheriff's deputy wounded in shootout near Sacramento

A gunman shot and killed a woman inside her home before critically wounding a sheriff ’ s deputy outside in a wild shootout at a Northern California mobile home park , authorities said .
The shooter , described only as a 29-year-old man , was killed by Sacramento County deputies in the exchange of gunfire Saturday evening in Rancho Cordova , the Sacramento Bee reported .
The wounded deputy , who was not identified , was struck twice and was in critical condition before surgery late Saturday , said Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones .
There were no immediate updates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ routine call for service were met with gunfire and returned fire , ” Jones said at a news conference , according to the Bee .
Authorities received a call around 7 p.m. from a woman at Centennial Estates , who said her grandson was in her home pointing a gun at her .
She had a restraining order against him , officials said .
Arriving deputies confronted the gunman , who ran and then began shooting .
Deputies chased him , leading to a shootout in which the deputy was wounded before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Deputies then discovered the body of the woman inside her home .
Investigators believe the man shot her in the head .
The relationship between the shooter and the woman was under investigation , the newspaper said .
Saunia Roberts , who lives in the mobile home park , told the Bee that she saw the officer wounded in the leg .
Moments later , she heard a series of gunshots — “ more rounds than you can count , ” Roberts said .

A gunman shot and killed a woman inside her home before critically wounding a sheriff’s deputy outside in a wild shootout at a Northern California mobile home park, authorities said.
The shooter, described only as a 29-year-old man, was killed by Sacramento County deputies in the exchange of gunfire Saturday evening in Rancho Cordova, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The wounded deputy, who was not identified, was struck twice and was in critical condition before surgery late Saturday, said Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones. There were no immediate updates Sunday.
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“Officers responding to a routine call for service were met with gunfire and returned fire,” Jones said at a news conference, according to the Bee.
Authorities received a call around 7 p.m. from a woman at Centennial Estates, who said her grandson was in her home pointing a gun at her. She had a restraining order against him, officials said.
Arriving deputies confronted the gunman, who ran and then began shooting. Deputies chased him, leading to a shootout in which the deputy was wounded before the suspect was taken down, officials said.
Deputies then discovered the body of the woman inside her home. Investigators believe the man shot her in the head.
The relationship between the shooter and the woman was under investigation, the newspaper said.
Saunia Roberts, who lives in the mobile home park, told the Bee that she saw the officer wounded in the leg.
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Moments later, she heard a series of gunshots — “more rounds than you can count,” Roberts said.


latimes--2020-08-23--National Guard and U.S. military helping to fight California fires

The National Guard and U.S. military have sent assistance to the site of massive fires in Northern California that have burned hundreds of homes and spurred the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents .
The help comes amid a staffing shortage on the fire lines that has caused officials to make wrenching decisions about what areas to save and which ones to let burn .
The Guard is providing helicopter support along with a dozen 20-person crews to fires throughout the state , and the military has sent several C-130 aircraft specially equipped to act as air tankers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the LNU Lightning Complex fire in Northern California .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced Saturday that the White House had approved California ’ s request for a presidential major disaster declaration to bolster the state ’ s emergency response to wildfires burning in Northern California .
The second- and third-largest fires in California history are expected to grow in the next few days as a new thunderstorm system moves over the state , producing dry lightning and gusty winds .
The National Weather Service issued red-flag warnings across large swaths of Northern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 a.m. Sunday .
With more need than can be met by the crews available , fire experts said state officials were having to prioritize which fires would get resources and change how those resources were being used .
Though officials often deploy crews and equipment to surround fires with defensible lines so that they can be contained , fire experts said the focus was now on saving lives and structures , and they predicted that the current blazes would burn for weeks .
“ At the statewide level , we do get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where the biggest loss is going to be , what ’ s the highest priority , and that is where the resources are going to go , ” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson , a fire expert with the UC Cooperative Extension .

Alex Wigglesworth, Susanne Rust, Ruben Vives, Rong-Gong Lin II

The National Guard and U.S. military have sent assistance to the site of massive fires in Northern California that have burned hundreds of homes and spurred the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.
The help comes amid a staffing shortage on the fire lines that has caused officials to make wrenching decisions about what areas to save and which ones to let burn.
The Guard is providing helicopter support along with a dozen 20-person crews to fires throughout the state, and the military has sent several C-130 aircraft specially equipped to act as air tankers, said Jeremy Rahn, public information officer for the LNU Lightning Complex fire in Northern California.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Saturday that the White House had approved California’s request for a presidential major disaster declaration to bolster the state’s emergency response to wildfires burning in Northern California.
The second- and third-largest fires in California history are expected to grow in the next few days as a new thunderstorm system moves over the state, producing dry lightning and gusty winds.
The National Weather Service issued red-flag warnings across large swaths of Northern and Central California that went effect at 5 a.m. Sunday.
With more need than can be met by the crews available, fire experts said state officials were having to prioritize which fires would get resources and change how those resources were being used. Though officials often deploy crews and equipment to surround fires with defensible lines so that they can be contained, fire experts said the focus was now on saving lives and structures, and they predicted that the current blazes would burn for weeks.
“At the statewide level, we do get into this mode where we start wondering where the biggest loss is going to be, what’s the highest priority, and that is where the resources are going to go,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, a fire expert with the UC Cooperative Extension.


latimes--2020-08-23--What director Phillip Rodriguez says now about the killing of Ruben Salazar

In “ Ruben Salazar : Man in the Middle , ” director Phillip Rodriguez painstakingly explores the life and death of the reporter whose public and private lives — as well as his tragic death — have inspired artists , writers , musicians , playwrights and subsequent generations of journalists .
Rodriguez uses extensive archival footage in the 2014 PBS documentary , along with narrated snippets of Salazar ’ s rare personal writings , to reconstruct the career of a bright young reporter from Ciudad Juarez and El Paso who got his start as an investigative journalist at the El @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Los Angeles after arriving to work at The Times in 1959 .
Salazar did foreign tours in Vietnam and in the Dominican Republic and served as bureau chief in Mexico City before being called back to cover a brewing political phenomenon , the Chicano movement , on the streets of the Eastside .
Cutting the figure of standard newspaper journeymen of the era , with neckties and pomaded hair , Salazar found himself at social events where the white ruling class of Southern California mingled with the ethnic Mexicans who have always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Rodriguez argues in the film , in what remains a stubbornly Anglo-centric narrative embedded in the state ’ s official history .
There are incredible insights throughout “ Man in the Middle , ” including from Salazar ’ s children .
The film also offers a window into the prevailing mind-sets at the L.A. Times around the 1960s and ’ 70s — that of a conservative newspaper with little regard for Mexican and Indigenous Angelenos .
“ Nobody had created the term ‘ diversity , ’ it didn ’ t exist , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times reporter from the era , in the film .
“ You had to work within the system that was there , and Ruben could do that.
” Rodriguez is also known for his 2017 film “ The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo , ” about the life of a more rambunctious movement-era chronicler , Oscar “ Zeta ” Acosta , who was also a lawyer and helped document the Chicano Movement from a distinctly “ excess '' -addled perspective .
Historical figures — including the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gonzo for his Rolling Stone stories — are depicted by actors who speak as though sitting for an interview .
Rodriguez himself grew up like many of the figures in the Chicano movement , middle-class and destined for college , a profile that is generational in Southern California yet largely absent from prevailing narratives that center white “ natives ” or immigrants .
I asked him about this topic recently and about how we should understand the legacy of Ruben Salazar as the 50th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium approaches .
How did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Oh , it was simply part of the Mexican American lore .
I probably learned about it from a Chicano studies course taught by Alex Saragoza at UC Berkeley .
Why didn ’ t you hear about it in high school ?
Or while growing up in L.A. ?
Because I was raised in a white-flight suburb , so that really wasn ’ t the groove .
And my parents were a little bit older .
They were the Greatest Generation ; they really weren ’ t Chicano-generation people .
So it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Not that they were entirely unsympathetic , but it wasn ’ t their cause .
How does your personal background inform this film ?
It seems that your inquiry into Salazar ’ s life is partly rooted in a search for self .
Why did you make ‘ Man in the Middle ’ ?
My work is ... just trying to put myself together , trying to complete an idea of where I come from , what my moms and pops and aunts and uncles endured , and what the context of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ How would a figure like Ruben Salazar help you understand that ?
Well , simply , Ruben was a middle-class Mexican American who was educated , like my parents , and who was pretty much thoroughly assimilated , who lived in a suburb , on a quiet street , in Santa Ana .
I thought that that particular story , the Mexican American experience , has been under-told .
I wanted to excavate what that experience was .
Now , of course , his story intersects with the next generation ’ s phenomenon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And that makes it even more interesting .
How do you see Salazar ’ s trajectory as a journalist ?
Did his final columns for the newspaper make him more of an advocate ?
He was definitely explaining for the readers the phenomenon they were witnessing .
You ’ ve got to remember , at the time there was the L.A. Free Press , La Raza magazine .
He wasn ’ t writing for either of those .
He was still writing for pretty staid media outlets .
The L.A. Times reader base @ @ @ @ @ @ @ KMEX audience was older , Spanish-dominant and rather conservative .
So in the most mainstream environments , certainly he was explaining the phenomenon to people who were outside of it , by and large .
I found it interesting that activist Rosalio Muñoz says he was wearing a button that day .
It may well be true that he was wearing a button .
And it certainly may be true that he was sympathetic , or growing in sympathy .
Two things frame that possibility .
First , that he was assigned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Dominican Republic before that .
It ’ s very possible that maybe those things radicalized him a bit .
And maybe being witness to U.S. imperialism in Third World countries may have done that .
Finally in Mexico City , he sees authoritarianism turn on its people .
That may have had an effect on his thinking and about his own assimilation project , and his own respectability politics project .
But there ’ s no evidence of that , except for the articles .
He did not have an active @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , during his later years .
I found his Mexico City stint so fascinating , being a former correspondent there myself .
What do you think happened with Salazar and his coverage of the Tlatelolco massacre ?
In my film , his old buddy makes the claim that Ruben “ missed the story.
” I ’ m not entirely sure if that ’ s fair .
… He covered it , but I ’ m not sure how deeply he was able to penetrate the government sources or the phenomenon itself .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ] letter to Ruben , calling him back home , there ’ s no suggestion that Ruben failed in his assignment in Mexico City .
It ’ s simply that he was deemed to be valued .
They had to figure out East L.A. and what was going on in town , and they brought him back .
As far as Mexico goes , we all know , as Mexican Americans , certainly at that period , how we might ’ ve been viewed by Mexican elite .
We ’ ve all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m not entirely sure what that dynamic was , to have been living in Mexico .
A foreign correspondent for a major publication , such as The Times , was a position of considerable privilege .
And I can imagine that maybe in his imperfect Spanish and his pocho status , with a gabacha wife , that maybe some members of the PRI [ Institutional Revolutionary Party ] of the Mexican government , may have been slightly bemused or hostile or unhelpful .
You also reveal in the film the fascinating status @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his Anglo wife and living this kind of like bifurcated life .
What do you think that reflects ?
It was certainly a complicated negotiation , or a renegotiation of a guy who had made a deal with whiteness and had benefited from that deal with whiteness .
And now in the midst of a renegotiation of whiteness , vis-à-vis the two groups , he has to reassess .
I ’ m sure it was complicated for Ruben .
As for his death , are we really to believe that this was fully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Or do you think there is any room for still pursuing maybe a deeper layer of truth or intent in the death of Ruben Salazar ?
There ’ s always a possibility of that .
But I looked thoroughly through the files , the photos , the L.A. Sheriff ’ s Department audio from that day .
I listened very carefully through every moment of it .
And I found nothing to lead me to believe [ he was targeted by the deputy ] ...
I spoke with the Mexican American owner of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And he says to me , it ’ d be impossible on such a bright day with such a crude instrument that you had never used before to accurately shoot into a dark space , without a sight or something more sophisticated , and get that lucky .
It ’ s not possible .
I ’ m comfortable with the conclusion but also quite open to any other more sensational interpretation .
Now toward that end , when we sued the sheriff ’ s department and forced them to release their files @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USC , where we donated them .
And they sit there .
Anyone who has gumption or the intention to find something different , I would suggest they do .
History will always be rewritten , and God bless , that ’ s terrific .
I wish I could have found it , but I didn ’ t , because I don ’ t think it ’ s there .
One of the interesting aspects of the legacy is what ’ s going on today at the L.A. Times with the formation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News Guild at what was once a virulently anti-union newspaper .
How would you frame Salazar ’ s legacy now ?
When Ruben Salazar was doing his thing , Mexican Americans comprised roughly 13 % of the population of this place .
Now that [ Latinos ] are nearly 50 % , or thereabouts , it seems to me that the fact that we ’ re still having conversations about inclusion and diversity and representation in newsrooms , from a place like the L.A. Times , is an indictment of something and someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a contemporary of Hunter S. Thompson and the subject of “ The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo , ” was writing about the same thing as Salazar — this Eastside movement .
How are their stories similar or divergent ?
They had some kind of reporter-activist-journalist relationship , which Acosta writes about .
He calls him Zanzibar , and there is a story of a [ TV ] interview Salazar did with Acosta .
But KMEX erased all their tapes , so there ’ s no record of it .
Immediately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really reared his hind legs , insisting that there be a proper investigation .
He was part of the blue ribbon commission [ formed to investigate the Salazar death ] .
He was very verbal and he was very physical .
He went to the scene of the crime , spoke to many people in the community , insisting that they testify to him and then be allowed to testify at the inquest .
But , yes , one was playing it straight and one wasn ’ t .
One was middle-of-the-road and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the counterculture .
Acosta died , or is presumed to have died , in 1974 , in Mexico .
His remains were never found .
Both of them didn ’ t go out pretty : mysterious circumstances , you can certainly say that .
And Acosta ’ s death was likely violent as well .
Easy to chalk it up as the death of a loon , of an extreme personality , but with Salazar , that argument is impossible to make because he was as sober as a judge .
How should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that L.A. is , for example , significantly more Central American now , and Asian , and of course Black — and that conversations and political currents have sort of turned away from the ethno-nationalism and the machismo of that era ?
Well , first of all , I object to the conflation of the use of “ machismo ” with ethno-nationalism .
I mean , my father used to say macho was the only word that gringos know that ’ s in Spanish .
So as for the answer ...
I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they certainly have a place , an important place in the cultural and political history of this city .
And I don ’ t think that the arrival of new Latin American exiles from other places in any way contradicts or takes anything away from that .
I was hoping that we can fuse these experiences — and that the young girl from Guatemala , a child , can somehow make Gloria Molina ’ s examples her own as she moves into a position of influence in her own life .
So I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think Mesoamericans are pretty much the same people , divided by imaginary boundaries .
That ’ s my take .

In “Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle,” director Phillip Rodriguez painstakingly explores the life and death of the reporter whose public and private lives — as well as his tragic death — have inspired artists, writers, musicians, playwrights and subsequent generations of journalists.
Rodriguez uses extensive archival footage in the 2014 PBS documentary, along with narrated snippets of Salazar’s rare personal writings, to reconstruct the career of a bright young reporter from Ciudad Juarez and El Paso who got his start as an investigative journalist at the El Paso Herald-Post and quickly made a mark on Los Angeles after arriving to work at The Times in 1959. Salazar did foreign tours in Vietnam and in the Dominican Republic and served as bureau chief in Mexico City before being called back to cover a brewing political phenomenon, the Chicano movement, on the streets of the Eastside.
Cutting the figure of standard newspaper journeymen of the era, with neckties and pomaded hair, Salazar found himself at social events where the white ruling class of Southern California mingled with the ethnic Mexicans who have always been there — the less-than-equal background characters, Rodriguez argues in the film, in what remains a stubbornly Anglo-centric narrative embedded in the state’s official history.
There are incredible insights throughout “Man in the Middle,” including from Salazar’s children. The film also offers a window into the prevailing mind-sets at the L.A. Times around the 1960s and ’70s — that of a conservative newspaper with little regard for Mexican and Indigenous Angelenos. “Nobody had created the term ‘diversity,’ it didn’t exist,” says William Drummond, another trailblazing Times reporter from the era, in the film. “You had to work within the system that was there, and Ruben could do that.”
Rodriguez is also known for his 2017 film “The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo,” about the life of a more rambunctious movement-era chronicler, Oscar “Zeta” Acosta, who was also a lawyer and helped document the Chicano Movement from a distinctly “excess”-addled perspective. Historical figures — including the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who transformed Acosta into Dr. Gonzo for his Rolling Stone stories — are depicted by actors who speak as though sitting for an interview.
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Rodriguez himself grew up like many of the figures in the Chicano movement, middle-class and destined for college, a profile that is generational in Southern California yet largely absent from prevailing narratives that center white “natives” or immigrants. I asked him about this topic recently and about how we should understand the legacy of Ruben Salazar as the 50th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium approaches.
How did you first hear about the Chicano Moratorium?
Oh, it was simply part of the Mexican American lore. I probably learned about it from a Chicano studies course taught by Alex Saragoza at UC Berkeley.
Why didn’t you hear about it in high school? Or while growing up in L.A.?
Because I was raised in a white-flight suburb, so that really wasn’t the groove. And my parents were a little bit older. They were the Greatest Generation; they really weren’t Chicano-generation people. So it really wasn’t their jam. Not that they were entirely unsympathetic, but it wasn’t their cause.
How does your personal background inform this film? It seems that your inquiry into Salazar’s life is partly rooted in a search for self. Why did you make ‘Man in the Middle’?
My work is ... just trying to put myself together, trying to complete an idea of where I come from, what my moms and pops and aunts and uncles endured, and what the context of their lives was. Simple as that.
How would a figure like Ruben Salazar help you understand that?
Well, simply, Ruben was a middle-class Mexican American who was educated, like my parents, and who was pretty much thoroughly assimilated, who lived in a suburb, on a quiet street, in Santa Ana. I thought that that particular story, the Mexican American experience, has been under-told. I wanted to excavate what that experience was. Now, of course, his story intersects with the next generation’s phenomenon and expression, the Chicano thing. And that makes it even more interesting.
How do you see Salazar’s trajectory as a journalist? Did his final columns for the newspaper make him more of an advocate?
He was definitely explaining for the readers the phenomenon they were witnessing. You’ve got to remember, at the time there was the L.A. Free Press, La Raza magazine. He wasn’t writing for either of those. He was still writing for pretty staid media outlets. The L.A. Times reader base was white and suburban. And the KMEX audience was older, Spanish-dominant and rather conservative. So in the most mainstream environments, certainly he was explaining the phenomenon to people who were outside of it, by and large.
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I found it interesting that activist Rosalio Muñoz says he was wearing a button that day.
It may well be true that he was wearing a button. And it certainly may be true that he was sympathetic, or growing in sympathy. Two things frame that possibility. First, that he was assigned to Vietnam and had witnessed the U.S. intervention in the Dominican Republic before that. It’s very possible that maybe those things radicalized him a bit. And maybe being witness to U.S. imperialism in Third World countries may have done that.
Finally in Mexico City, he sees authoritarianism turn on its people. That may have had an effect on his thinking and about his own assimilation project, and his own respectability politics project. But there’s no evidence of that, except for the articles. He did not have an active private journal that he kept during this time, during his later years.
I found his Mexico City stint so fascinating, being a former correspondent there myself. What do you think happened with Salazar and his coverage of the Tlatelolco massacre?
In my film, his old buddy makes the claim that Ruben “missed the story.” I’m not entirely sure if that’s fair. … He covered it, but I’m not sure how deeply he was able to penetrate the government sources or the phenomenon itself. And certainly, in [The Times’] letter to Ruben, calling him back home, there’s no suggestion that Ruben failed in his assignment in Mexico City. It’s simply that he was deemed to be valued. They had to figure out East L.A. and what was going on in town, and they brought him back.
As far as Mexico goes, we all know, as Mexican Americans, certainly at that period, how we might’ve been viewed by Mexican elite. We’ve all had our encounters.
Oh yeah.
Right. I’m not entirely sure what that dynamic was, to have been living in Mexico. A foreign correspondent for a major publication, such as The Times, was a position of considerable privilege. And I can imagine that maybe in his imperfect Spanish and his pocho status, with a gabacha wife, that maybe some members of the PRI [Institutional Revolutionary Party] of the Mexican government, may have been slightly bemused or hostile or unhelpful.
You also reveal in the film the fascinating status of his home life; you mention his Anglo wife and living this kind of like bifurcated life. What do you think that reflects?
It was certainly a complicated negotiation, or a renegotiation of a guy who had made a deal with whiteness and had benefited from that deal with whiteness. And now in the midst of a renegotiation of whiteness, vis-à-vis the two groups, he has to reassess. I’m sure it was complicated for Ruben.
As for his death, are we really to believe that this was fully just a freak, tragic coincidence? Or do you think there is any room for still pursuing maybe a deeper layer of truth or intent in the death of Ruben Salazar?
There’s always a possibility of that. But I looked thoroughly through the files, the photos, the L.A. Sheriff’s Department audio from that day. I listened very carefully through every moment of it. And I found nothing to lead me to believe [he was targeted by the deputy] ... I spoke with the Mexican American owner of the Silver Dollar, a gun aficionado. And he says to me, it’d be impossible on such a bright day with such a crude instrument that you had never used before to accurately shoot into a dark space, without a sight or something more sophisticated, and get that lucky. It’s not possible.
I’m comfortable with the conclusion but also quite open to any other more sensational interpretation. Now toward that end, when we sued the sheriff’s department and forced them to release their files, I made those files available to USC, where we donated them. And they sit there. Anyone who has gumption or the intention to find something different, I would suggest they do. History will always be rewritten, and God bless, that’s terrific. I wish I could have found it, but I didn’t, because I don’t think it’s there.
One of the interesting aspects of the legacy is what’s going on today at the L.A. Times with the formation of a Latino Caucus within the L.A. Times News Guild at what was once a virulently anti-union newspaper. How would you frame Salazar’s legacy now?
When Ruben Salazar was doing his thing, Mexican Americans comprised roughly 13% of the population of this place. Now that [Latinos] are nearly 50%, or thereabouts, it seems to me that the fact that we’re still having conversations about inclusion and diversity and representation in newsrooms, from a place like the L.A. Times, is an indictment of something and someone.
Oscar “Zeta” Acosta, a contemporary of Hunter S. Thompson and the subject of “The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo,” was writing about the same thing as Salazar — this Eastside movement. How are their stories similar or divergent?
They had some kind of reporter-activist-journalist relationship, which Acosta writes about. He calls him Zanzibar, and there is a story of a [TV] interview Salazar did with Acosta. But KMEX erased all their tapes, so there’s no record of it. Immediately after Salazar’s death, Acosta really reared his hind legs, insisting that there be a proper investigation.
He was part of the blue ribbon commission [formed to investigate the Salazar death]. He was very verbal and he was very physical. He went to the scene of the crime, spoke to many people in the community, insisting that they testify to him and then be allowed to testify at the inquest. But, yes, one was playing it straight and one wasn’t. One was middle-of-the-road and middle-class, and one was intoxicated with the counterculture.
Acosta died, or is presumed to have died, in 1974, in Mexico. His remains were never found.
Both of them didn’t go out pretty: mysterious circumstances, you can certainly say that. And Acosta’s death was likely violent as well. Easy to chalk it up as the death of a loon, of an extreme personality, but with Salazar, that argument is impossible to make because he was as sober as a judge.
How should that generation be historicized today, given that L.A. is, for example, significantly more Central American now, and Asian, and of course Black — and that conversations and political currents have sort of turned away from the ethno-nationalism and the machismo of that era?
Well, first of all, I object to the conflation of the use of “machismo” with ethno-nationalism. I mean, my father used to say macho was the only word that gringos know that’s in Spanish.
So as for the answer ... I don’t know. I mean, they certainly have a place, an important place in the cultural and political history of this city. And I don’t think that the arrival of new Latin American exiles from other places in any way contradicts or takes anything away from that. I was hoping that we can fuse these experiences — and that the young girl from Guatemala, a child, can somehow make Gloria Molina’s examples her own as she moves into a position of influence in her own life. So I don’t see a contradiction. I think Mesoamericans are pretty much the same people, divided by imaginary boundaries. That’s my take.
An advertising image for the documentary “Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle” by Phillip Rodriguez. (PBS)