latimes--2020-11-11--Trump falsely claims fraud in L.A. elections. The truth is there were few problems

Voters may have differed on their ballot choices in last week ’ s election , but they seemed to be in agreement on one thing : Drop boxes are a great idea .
The boxes sprinkled around Los Angeles County were a “ phenomenal ” success , according to the county ’ s top election official .
The president Wednesday a long-debunked video showing election workers collecting votes from a drop box on Nov. 4 , the day after polls closed , suggesting that the process is evidence of fraud .
In fact , the boxes had been closed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the polls closed , and it took time for election workers to collect them in the following days .
Under state law , mail votes cast by election day will be collected and counted until Nov. 20 .
The spurious suggestion of fraud is the latest in the president ’ s strategy to question the results of the election , in which former Vice President Joe Biden was declared the winner Saturday .
Fact checkers have since debunked concerns about the drop boxes , more than 400 of which were spread from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk and the county ’ s top elections official , has previously sought on Twitter to dispute the video .
He told the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the mail drop boxes “ turned out to be a phenomenal element of this election.
” More than 1.3 million residents in Los Angeles County cast their ballots using the drop boxes , officials have said .
His office issued another denial in response .
“ Yes , they are ballots ; valid , legally cast ballots collected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accordance with the California Elections Code , ” the tweet read .
At issue is a video that has circulated on the internet for days in which a woman confronts county election workers collecting ballots from a drop box in Reseda .
It suggests that the votes were somehow cast after the election , in which Biden overwhelmingly won California .
The election workers , one of whom flashes a government employee badge in response to the woman ’ s concern , seem befuddled by the inquiry and continu stacking the mailed ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flagged the post , providing a link for users , saying “ Learn how voting by mail is safe and secure.
” Trump ’ s tweet drew a figurative eye roll from election officials — and little heartburn about whether Trump ’ s baseless fraud claims might sway the election .
“ It ’ s going to be really nice to have a President who isn ’ t an internet troll trafficking already debunked conspiracy theories , ” Sam Mahood , a spokesman for Secretary of State Alex Padilla , tweeted from his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t the only part of the county ’ s election infrastructure that earned praise .
Overall , the $ 300-million system received high marks for performing without any serious problems , a sharp turnaround from the March primary , when the newly unveiled infrastructure created long lines and significant delays at the polls .
Speaking to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday , Logan pronounced the new system a “ success ” and earned praise from the same panel that in March about the problems during the primary .
Logan told the supervisors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fix problems since conducting a review of the technology breakdowns in the primary .
He said voter behavior also helped , with many voters opting to vote by mail or vote early at the polls , which relieved the strain on new electronic poll books that caused major delays in March .
“ Our long-term investment and hard work in L.A. County was worth it , ” he said .
“ The execution of this election was successful.
” Voters in L.A. County heeded warnings about in-person voting complications and delays that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cast the majority of their ballots by mail — a first for Los Angeles County .
While ballots are still trickling in and the , about 3.4 million voters in Los Angeles County — — cast vote-by-mail ballots either through the Postal Service of drop boxes .
That ’ s more than double the rate of the 2016 presidential election .
Perhaps just as important , more than half of the 850,000 voters who did cast their ballots at voting centers did so early .
The final turnout figure stood at about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with at least 142,000 ballots left to count .
Supervisor Janice Hahn , who was a vocal critic in March and urged Logan to review issues that sparked long lines and anger from voters , said she agreed with his assessment .
She said voters had a “ good experience ” this time .
“ I ’ m hopeful that March was just a hiccup and that our elections going forward will be as smooth as this one , ” she said .
The pandemic was a major factor in changing voter behavior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail ballots to all the state ’ s registered voters , not just those who requested them .
And ballots received by Nov. 20 can still be counted so long as they were postmarked by election day .
Officials are also allowing voters extra time to fix any deficiencies in their mail ballots , such as mismatched or missing signatures .
In addition , voters were allowed to register on election day , leading to hundreds of thousands of conditional votes statewide .
The extra time to count the votes has clouded the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congressional elections in California , including two in Southern California .
Still , the vast majority of votes — precisely how many is unknown — have most likely already been cast , experts say .
“ I would be very surprised if many more ballots come in at this point , ” said Mindy Romero , who directs the at USC whose team has .
“ We ’ ve got a lot of ballots still out there .
I think , though , that the picture will become clearer in the next couple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 39th Congressional District in Orange County , Young Kim , the Republican , over the incumbent , Rep. Gil Cisneros , a Democrat .
And Democratic Assemblywoman Christie Smith in the race for the 25th Congressional District , in northern Los Angeles County , over the incumbent , U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia , a Republican .
Election experts said the county ’ s voting system in Los Angeles appears to have met its high expectations , even while changing long-held routines and habits developed around election night .
“ The big thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know how a new electoral system is going to play until you test in practice , ” said Kevin Wallsten , professor of political science at Cal State Long Beach .
“ It seems like L.A. County , in particular , performed pretty well .
”

More than 1 million voters in Los Angeles County used vote-by-mail drop locations to cast their ballots.
Voters may have differed on their ballot choices in last week’s election, but they seemed to be in agreement on one thing: Drop boxes are a great idea.
The boxes sprinkled around Los Angeles County were a “phenomenal” success, according to the county’s top election official.
President Trump thinks they’re evidence of fraud.
Spoiler alert. They’re not.
The president Wednesday tweeted a long-debunked video showing election workers collecting votes from a drop box on Nov. 4, the day after polls closed, suggesting that the process is evidence of fraud.
In fact, the boxes had been closed and locked the night of the election, when the polls closed, and it took time for election workers to collect them in the following days. Under state law, mail votes cast by election day will be collected and counted until Nov. 20.
The spurious suggestion of fraud is the latest in the president’s strategy to question the results of the election, in which former Vice President Joe Biden was declared the winner Saturday.
Fact checkers have since debunked concerns about the drop boxes, more than 400 of which were spread from Lancaster to Long Beach.
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All Drop Boxes were closed and locked at 8PM on Election Night and ballots were collected the following day. These are valid ballots that will be processed and counted during the post-election canvass -- like all outstanding vote by mail ballots. — Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (@LACountyRRCC) November 5, 2020
Dean Logan, the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk and the county’s top elections official, has previously sought on Twitter to dispute the video. He told the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the mail drop boxes “turned out to be a phenomenal element of this election.”
More than 1.3 million residents in Los Angeles County cast their ballots using the drop boxes, officials have said.
His office issued another denial in response.
“Yes, they are ballots; valid, legally cast ballots collected and processed by authorized election officials in accordance with the California Elections Code,” the tweet read.
At issue is a video that has circulated on the internet for days in which a woman confronts county election workers collecting ballots from a drop box in Reseda. It suggests that the votes were somehow cast after the election, in which Biden overwhelmingly won California.
The election workers, one of whom flashes a government employee badge in response to the woman’s concern, seem befuddled by the inquiry and continu stacking the mailed ballots into bags secured by zippers.
Twitter flagged the post, providing a link for users, saying “Learn how voting by mail is safe and secure.”
Trump’s tweet drew a figurative eye roll from election officials — and little heartburn about whether Trump’s baseless fraud claims might sway the election.
“It’s going to be really nice to have a President who isn’t an internet troll trafficking already debunked conspiracy theories,” Sam Mahood, a spokesman for Secretary of State Alex Padilla, tweeted from his personal account.
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It’s going to be really nice to have a President who isn’t an internet troll trafficking already debunked conspiracy theories. https://t.co/mPudub9QF2 — Sam Mahood (@Sam_Mahood) November 11, 2020
Drop boxes weren’t the only part of the county’s election infrastructure that earned praise. Overall, the $300-million system received high marks for performing without any serious problems, a sharp turnaround from the March primary, when the newly unveiled infrastructure created long lines and significant delays at the polls.
Speaking to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Logan pronounced the new system a “success” and earned praise from the same panel that grilled him in March about the problems during the primary.
Logan told the supervisors that his office had worked diligently to fix problems since conducting a review of the technology breakdowns in the primary. He said voter behavior also helped, with many voters opting to vote by mail or vote early at the polls, which relieved the strain on new electronic poll books that caused major delays in March.
“Our long-term investment and hard work in L.A. County was worth it,” he said. “The execution of this election was successful.”
Voters in L.A. County heeded warnings about in-person voting complications and delays that they experienced in March, and they decided to cast the majority of their ballots by mail — a first for Los Angeles County.
While ballots are still trickling in and the tallying continues , about 3.4 million voters in Los Angeles County — roughly 80% — cast vote-by-mail ballots either through the Postal Service or drop boxes. That’s more than double the rate of the 2016 presidential election.
Perhaps just as important, more than half of the 850,000 voters who did cast their ballots at voting centers did so early. The final turnout figure stood at about 72% as of Tuesday evening, with at least 142,000 ballots left to count.
Supervisor Janice Hahn, who was a vocal critic in March and urged Logan to review issues that sparked long lines and anger from voters, said she agreed with his assessment. She said voters had a “good experience” this time.
“I’m hopeful that March was just a hiccup and that our elections going forward will be as smooth as this one,” she said.
The pandemic was a major factor in changing voter behavior this year.
It prompted officials to mail ballots to all the state’s registered voters, not just those who requested them. And ballots received by Nov. 20 can still be counted so long as they were postmarked by election day. Officials are also allowing voters extra time to fix any deficiencies in their mail ballots, such as mismatched or missing signatures.
In addition, voters were allowed to register on election day, leading to hundreds of thousands of conditional votes statewide.
The extra time to count the votes has clouded the results in three closely watched and undecided congressional elections in California, including two in Southern California. Still, the vast majority of votes — precisely how many is unknown — have most likely already been cast, experts say.
“I would be very surprised if many more ballots come in at this point,” said Mindy Romero, who directs the Center for Inclusive Democracy at USC whose team has studied the L.A. County vote closely . “We’ve got a lot of ballots still out there. I think, though, that the picture will become clearer in the next couple of days.”
Election experts said the county’s voting system in Los Angeles appears to have met its high expectations, even while changing long-held routines and habits developed around election night.
“The big thing is, you don’t really know how a new electoral system is going to play until you test in practice,” said Kevin Wallsten, professor of political science at Cal State Long Beach. “It seems like L.A. County, in particular, performed pretty well.”


latimes--2020-11-11--Biden's education transition team gets California leader: Linda Darling-Hammond

Linda Darling-Hammond , a leading figure in California education policy , is heading the education transition team for President-elect Joe Biden , where she is expected to emphasize support for teachers and traditional public schools .
Darling-Hammond , president of the state Board of Education , has long been associated with research and advocacy in support of top-tier teacher preparation , continued professional development and efforts to retain teachers in the profession .
Going into 2020 , she helped set priorities for Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s increased funding for education , which were sharply curtailed amid the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Palo Alto-based Learning Policy Institute and helped redesign the Stanford Teacher Education Program .
The Biden camp declined to make Darling-Hammond available for an interview , but “ when it comes to teachers , [ Biden ] is going to boost teacher pay and invest in professional development and help educators pay off their own student loans , ” said Stef Feldman , the Biden campaign ’ s national policy director , One closely watched area of interest in the Biden administration will be the future growth of charter schools , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools .
Most are nonunion .
While not vocally opposed to charter schools , Darling-Hammond is generally considered to be an ally of teacher unions .
At the federal level , there ’ s been a continuum of bipartisan support for the rapid growth of charter schools over the terms of the last three presidents , going back 20 years .
Also , the education departments of George W. Bush and Barack Obama exerted federal influence to promote standardized test-based accountability .
During the Trump administration , Congress returned more latitude over education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team is heavily seeded with former Obama administration staff , which is a concern for Diane Ravitch , an education historian who admires Darling-Hammond but opposes charters and “ over testing.
” Darling-Hammond , 68 , also headed the education transition team for the incoming Obama administration in 2008 .
Four members of the 20-person , all-volunteer education transition team are from the two national teachers unions .
Any Biden education team would be expected to depart from Trump administration efforts to expand publicly funded vouchers , which parents can use to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocacy group American Federation for Children , formerly headed by DeVos , forecast difficult times for vouchers and charters .
“ Sadly , we don ’ t believe there are any members of this team who support allowing families , especially lower income and special need families , to choose the best educational environment for their children , ” said John Schilling , president of the Washington , D.C.-based organization .
The California Charter Schools Assn.
, in contrast , expressed optimism that support for charters would continue .
The reactions from many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from hopeful to thrilled .
Elisha Smith Arrillaga , executive director of the Education Trust-West , a research and advocacy organization , talked of the need to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by helping campuses reopen safely and respond to learning loss .
“ We ’ re really at … an inflection point , ” she said .
“ We have the possibility to reimagine and recreate something , an education system that does a lot of the things that we know work , ” such as small-group instruction and curricula where students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Or we can do more of the same .
I ’ m really hopeful that this transition team will do the former.
” Eloy Ortiz Oakley , chancellor of the California Community Colleges , enumerated reasons for hope beyond Darling-Hammond : namely Biden himself , who attended a public university ; running mate Kamala Harris , who graduated from a historically black college , and Jill Biden , a longtime faculty member at a community college .
“ This is really a great thing for higher education , in particular for students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of color , ” he said .
In higher education , the Trump administration pulled back from Obama-era directives that gave accusers more rights in pressing sexual harassment claims at colleges .
DeVos called these policies an overreach that denied reasonable rights to the accused .
“ Biden will absolutely reverse those rollbacks in policy in order to make sure that we are creating safe spaces , safe opportunities for our students in our schools , ” said Feldman in an interview with the Education Writers Assn .
The Trump administration also tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In contrast , the Biden administration intends to return to an Obama-era focus on abusive practices by for-profit colleges , pledging to cancel “ the debt held by individuals who are deceived by the worst for-profit colleges or career profiteers , ” Feldman said .
During the Obama administration , Darling-Hammond was among those who helped make California a national outlier for its unwillingness to enact high-stakes teacher and school evaluation systems based on student test scores .
California also pushed back against Bush and Obama-era policies that publicized “ failing ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down or handed over to outside operators .
The California approach placed a greater emphasis on providing more funding and other help to low-performing schools — rather than threatening them with closure or conversions into charters .
“ You can ’ t get accountability just by measuring and punishing , ” Darling-Hammond said in January , in praise of Gov .
Newsom ’ s budget priorities .
“ You have to get accountability and productivity by investing in people ’ s capacity to do the job.
” Bill Lucia , of the Sacramento-based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s accountability policies ultimately protected the status quo and failed to close achievement gaps that harm black and Latino students from low-income families .
Darling-Hammond told the news site EdSource that she would not be a candidate for U.S. Secretary of Education .
Feldman said Biden would nominate “ a former public school educator , ” without specifying whether this individual would have experience in K-12 or higher education .

Howard Blume, Nina Agrawal, Paloma Esquivel

Linda Darling-Hammond, a leading figure in California education policy, is heading the education transition team for President-elect Joe Biden, where she is expected to emphasize support for teachers and traditional public schools.
Darling-Hammond, president of the state Board of Education, has long been associated with research and advocacy in support of top-tier teacher preparation, continued professional development and efforts to retain teachers in the profession.
Going into 2020, she helped Gov. Gavin Newsom set new spending priorities for education, which then were sharply curtailed amid the coronavirus emergency. She is the founding president of the Palo Alto-based Learning Policy Institute and helped redesign the Stanford Teacher Education Program.
The Biden camp declined to make Darling-Hammond available for an interview, but “when it comes to teachers, [Biden] is going to boost teacher pay and invest in professional development and help educators pay off their own student loans,” said Stef Feldman, the Biden campaign’s national policy director.
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One closely watched area in the Biden administration will be the growth of charter schools, which are privately operated, government-funded public schools. Most are nonunion. While not vocally opposed to charters, Darling-Hammond is generally considered to be an ally of teachers unions.
At the federal level, there’s been bipartisan support for rapid charter growth over the terms of the last three presidents, going back 20 years. And both Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama exerted federal influence to promote standardized test-based accountability. In a swing of the policy pendulum, Congress returned more latitude over education to the states during the Trump administration.
The transition team is heavily seeded with former Obama administration staff, which is a concern for Diane Ravitch, an education historian who opposes charters and “over testing,” but admires Darling-Hammond, who also headed the education transition team for the incoming Obama administration in 2008.
Four members of the 20-person, all-volunteer education transition team are from the two national teachers unions.
Any Biden education team would be expected to depart from the efforts of Trump’s Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, to expand publicly funded vouchers, which parents can use to help pay for private school tuition.
The advocacy group American Federation for Children, formerly headed by DeVos, forecast difficult times for vouchers and charters.
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“Sadly, we don’t believe there are any members of this team who support allowing families, especially lower income and special need families, to choose the best educational environment for their children,” said John Schilling, president of the Washington, D.C.-based organization.
The California Charter Schools Assn., in contrast, expressed optimism that support for charters would continue.
The reactions from many in the more traditional education establishment ranged from hopeful to thrilled.
Elisha Smith Arrillaga, executive director of Oakland-based Education Trust-West, a research and advocacy organization, talked of the need to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by helping campuses reopen safely and address learning loss.
“We’re really at … an inflection point,” she said. “We have the possibility to reimagine and re-create something, an education system that does a lot of the things that we know work,” such as small-group instruction and curricula where students see themselves reflected, she said. “Or we can do more of the same. I’m really hopeful that this transition team will do the former.”
Eloy Ortiz Oakley, chancellor of the California Community Colleges, enumerated reasons for hope beyond Darling-Hammond: namely Biden himself, who attended a public university; Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who graduated from a historically Black college, and soon-to-be First Lady Jill Biden, a longtime faculty member at a community college.
“This is really a great thing for higher education, in particular for students from low-income backgrounds or from communities of color,” he said.
In higher education, the Trump administration pulled back from Obama-era directives that gave accusers more rights in pressing sexual harassment claims at colleges. DeVos called these policies an overreach that denied reasonable rights to the accused.
The DeVos rules require colleges to allow cross-examination during mandatory live hearings and permit them to raise the standard for proof of an accusation. They also more narrowly define “sexual harassment” as conduct so severe, pervasive and “objectively offensive” that it effectively denies a person equal access to an educational program or school activity.
Officials across the country are “very worried that the regulations are having a chilling effect on the willingness of victims to come forward and access the process,” said Brett Sokolow, president of the Assn. of Title IX Administrators. Title IX is the federal law that protects students from discrimination based on sex.
Feldman, in an interview with the Education Writers Assn., said that “Biden will absolutely reverse those rollbacks in policy in order to make sure that we are creating safe spaces, safe opportunities for our students.”
The Trump administration also tried to revive the private student loan industry. In contrast, the Biden administration intends to return to a focus on abusive practices by for-profit colleges, pledging to cancel “the debt held by individuals who are deceived by the worst for-profit colleges or career profiteers,” Feldman said.
During the Obama administration, Darling-Hammond was among those who helped make California a national outlier for its unwillingness to enact high-stakes teacher and school evaluation systems based on student test scores.
California also pushed back against Bush- and Obama-era policies that identified “failing” schools and subjected them to being shut down or handed over to outside operators. The California approach placed a greater emphasis on providing more funding and other help to low-performing schools — rather than threatening them with closure or conversions into charters.
“You can’t get accountability just by measuring and punishing,” Darling-Hammond said in January, in praise of Gov. Newsom’s budget priorities. “You have to get accountability and productivity by investing in people’s capacity to do the job.”
Bill Lucia, of the Sacramento-based advocacy group EdVoice, said California’s accountability policies ultimately protected the status quo and failed to close achievement gaps that harm Black and Latino students from low-income families.
Darling-Hammond told the news site EdSource that she would not be a candidate for U.S. Secretary of Education.
Feldman said Biden would nominate “a former public school educator,” without specifying whether this individual would have experience in K-12 or higher education.


latimes--2020-11-11--Southern California holiday lights displays change, adapt to coronavirus restrictions

An El Segundo holiday lights extravaganza will be scaled back this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic , city officials announced .
Since 1949 , residents on East Acacia Avenue have concocted elaborate holiday displays that draw large crowds from all over Southern California .
The street is closed to traffic , and visitors wander through the neighborhood on foot .
This year , citing a Los Angeles County order prohibiting large gatherings , the city will not issue a permit to block the street for what is known as Candy Cane Lane .
“ For many years Candy Cane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community , but considering the unprecedented circumstances , canceling the high-profile event to limit exposure during a pandemic is the right thing to do , ” a city press release said .
The street will remain open to vehicle and pedestrian traffic , and one resident told Fox 11-TV that he still plans to proceed with his display this year .
Torrance is taking a different approach with the Seaside Ranchos neighborhood , where attention-getting holiday lights are also traditional among residents .
Every December , visitors stroll through the area admiring the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stands .
The city website notes that large gatherings are prohibited and urges visitors to social distance and wear masks .
But the annual lights display , sometimes known as the Sleepy Hollow Christmas Extravaganza , is a private event staged by homeowners that is not under the city ’ s control , the website said .
This year , the city will position trash bins and “ no stopping ” signs throughout the neighborhood as usual , in anticipation of a large number of visitors .
The decades-long tradition of decorating Pasadena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the holidays is expected to continue this year , too .
The Holiday Light Up neighborhood and parkway festival of lights is set for Dec. 12 , according to the neighborhood association website .
Beverly Hills will gussy up its tony downtown for the holidays — complete with a holiday fashion show on Rodeo Drive of mannequins dressed in “ festive , floral gowns while placed atop a glittering red carpet , ” according to Garin Hussenjian , the city ’ s community outreach manager .
Some marquee holiday events around Southern California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Enchanted Forest of Light , the Moonlight Forest Magical Lantern Art Festival and Zoolights , the evening holiday tour of the L.A .
Zoo .
The Rose Parade is taking the year off , and Riverside ’ s is on hiatus , too .
Other holiday events have adapted .
On the Palos Verdes Peninsula , a drive-through lights experience on Dec. 5 will replace a crowd-crushing holiday parade .
The Dana Point Harbor boat parade is still set to ride in December .
Of course , if all else fails @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , gifts and lights as you want — from home .

A 2016 photo from Riverside’s Festival of Lights, which is on hiatus this year due to the pandemic.
An El Segundo holiday lights extravaganza will be scaled back this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, city officials announced.
Since 1949, residents on East Acacia Avenue have concocted elaborate holiday displays that draw large crowds from all over Southern California. The street is closed to traffic, and visitors wander through the neighborhood on foot.
For the record: An earlier version of this article said Riverside’s Festival of Lights was on hiatus. The festival will be scaled back but will still include holiday lights and decorations.
This year, citing a Los Angeles County order prohibiting large gatherings, the city will not issue a permit to block the street for what is known as Candy Cane Lane.
“For many years Candy Cane Lane has brought great joy to the community, but considering the unprecedented circumstances, canceling the high-profile event to limit exposure during a pandemic is the right thing to do,” a city press release said.
The street will remain open to vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and one resident told Fox 11-TV that he still plans to proceed with his display this year.
Torrance is taking a different approach with the Seaside Ranchos neighborhood, where attention-getting holiday lights are also traditional among residents. Every December, visitors stroll through the area admiring the displays and sipping hot chocolate from sidewalk stands.
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The city website notes that large gatherings are prohibited and urges visitors to social distance and wear masks. But the annual lights display, sometimes known as the Sleepy Hollow Christmas Extravaganza, is a private event staged by homeowners that is not under the city’s control, the website said.
This year, the city will position trash bins and “no stopping” signs throughout the neighborhood as usual, in anticipation of a large number of visitors.
The decades-long tradition of decorating Pasadena’s Upper Hastings Ranch neighborhood for the holidays is expected to continue this year, too. The Holiday Light Up neighborhood and parkway festival of lights is set for Dec. 12, according to the neighborhood association website.
Beverly Hills will gussy up its tony downtown for the holidays — complete with a holiday fashion show on Rodeo Drive of mannequins dressed in “festive, floral gowns while placed atop a glittering red carpet,” according to Garin Hussenjian, the city’s community outreach manager.
Some marquee holiday events around Southern California were canceled long ago, including Descanso’s Enchanted Forest of Light, the L.A. Arboretum’s Moonlight Forest Magical Lantern Art Festival and Zoolights, the evening holiday tour of the L.A. Zoo. The Rose Parade is taking the year off, and Riverside’s Festival of Lights is on hiatus, too.
Other holiday events have adapted. On the Palos Verdes Peninsula, a drive-through lights experience on Dec. 5 will replace a crowd-crushing holiday parade. The Dana Point Harbor boat parade is still set to ride in December.
Of course, if all else fails, you can have as much cocoa, gifts and lights as you want — from home.


latimes--2020-11-11--Democrats poised to expand their control of the California Legislature

There is optimism — and some finger-crossing — among Democrats in the California Senate as they wait for final tallies in four races that could flip from the Republican Party but remain too close to call .
If won , the victories would further pad the supermajority status Democrats hold in both the Senate and Assembly .
If Democrats prevail in three of those Senate races , the party will have 32 of the 40 seats in the upper house .
That would be the most Democrats in the state Senate since 1883 , said Alex Vassar , communications manager @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have never held more than 32 seats , Vassar said .
“ Who knew California could be more blue ?
” said Robin Swanson , a veteran Democratic communications consultant .
Democrats in both houses entered the election with a supermajority , a two-thirds voting threshold that enables them to pass most legislation without Republican help .
But with more blue comes more challenges , Swanson added .
Adding Democrats means more competition for coveted committees .
It also means there will be a wider range in the types of Democrats elected , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ All Democrats are not the same , ” Swanson said .
“ It ’ s not a voting bloc monolith .
The party has to figure out how to be an even bigger tent .
Don ’ t get me wrong ; that ’ s a high-quality problem to have.
” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins ( D-San Diego ) said her caucus knew early on which candidate and race to prioritize during the election : former state Sen. Josh Newman ( D-Fullerton ) in Senate District 29 , which encompasses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Bernardino counties .
Newman was unseated in his freshman term in a 2018 recall campaign led by Republicans that upended Democrats ’ supermajority .
“ That seat was a priority , ” Atkins said .
“ We feel that seat was taken from us unfairly.
” Newman won the seat in 2016 by narrowly defeating Diamond Bar Republican Ling Ling Chang .
After Democrats including Newman voted in favor of a gas tax in 2018 , Republicans targeted what was viewed as the most vulnerable seat in a successful ouster that saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year ’ s rematch has Newman leading Chang in election returns .
“ His recall was viewed as an unwarranted act of partisan hackery , and Senate Democrats really wanted to right that wrong , ” said Jason Kinney , a former spokesman for Senate Democrats .
In Orange County , Irvine law professor Dave Min , a Democrat , is leading incumbent Republican state Sen. John Moorlach in Senate District 37 .
Although Min has declared victory , the race has not yet been called by the Associated Press .
The district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2015 , but voter registrations have since leaned toward Democrats , with a large bloc of voters registered as having no party preference .
Orange County is on track for a historic 85 % voter turnout in the election .
Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove ( R-Bakersfield ) , who has posted tweets backing President Trump ’ s unfounded claims of election fraud , said close races had yet to be decided and urged voters to be patient .
The latest count released Tuesday by the California secretary of state ’ s office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being counted by counties .
“ Californians need to remember with millions of ballots left to count , we are still days and weeks away from finding out the final results , ” Grove said in a statement .
Republicans are leading Democrats in two other close races .
In Senate District 21 , located in parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties , incumbent state Sen. Scott Wilk ( R-Santa Clarita ) was holding a slight lead over Democrat Kipp Mueller .
And in nearby Senate District 23 , Yucaipa Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abigail Medina .
Sen. Mike Morrell ( R-Rancho Cucamonga ) currently holds the seat but is being forced out by term limits .
Atkins said Senate Democrats were also focused on ensuring their caucus did not lose the Central Valley seat in Senate District 5 , where Sen. Cathleen Galgiani ( D–Stockton ) has also termed out .
Assemblywoman Susan Eggman ( D-Stockton ) has a sizable lead there over former Modesto Mayor Jim Ridenour , a Republican .
“ Those seats in the Central Valley are difficult , ” Atkins said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the races .
The national environment gave us an opportunity with Trump to have a better shot than we ordinarily would have.
” In the Assembly , Democrats lost one seat previously held by Christy Smith of Santa Clarita , who is running to represent the 25th Congressional District .
Two Republicans finished in the top two spots during the primary , ensuring Democrats could not regain the district .
Suzette Martinez Valladares defeated Lucie Lapointe Volotzky in that race .
Entering the election , Democrats held 61 of the 80 seats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also closely watching Assembly District 74 , where incumbent Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris ( D-Laguna Beach ) narrowly leads Newport Beach Republican Diane Dixon .
Assemblyman Chad Mayes ( I-Rancho Mirage ) , who dropped his Republican Party affiliation last year , is heading for a victory over Republican San Jacinto Mayor Andrew Kotyuk .
If Mayes wins , he will be the first person elected to the Legislature without a party affiliation since Sen. Quentin Kopp was reelected in 1994 .
In San Jose , 25-year-old Alex Lee , a Democrat , will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office in more than 80 years .
Lee defeated Republican Bob Brunton for Assembly District 25 , which encompasses San Jose , Santa Clara and Fremont .
The seat was previously held by Democrat , who left to run for Santa Clara County supervisor .
“ I ’ m feeling ecstatic , ” Lee said .
“ We won in a landslide victory , and I ’ m incredibly proud of that .
”

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, being congratulated by Sen. Scott Wiener in 2017, says her caucus is focused on several races that could flip from the GOP.
Buoyed by another blue wave, Democrats are awaiting election results in two races that, if won, could mean historic gains in the state Senate and further pad their supermajority in the California Legislature.
Democrats learned Thursday that they picked up two seats in the Senate that had been held by Republicans. If they prevail in one additional race, the party will have 32 of the 40 seats in the upper house.
That would be the most Democrats in the state Senate since 1883, said Alex Vassar, communications manager at the California State Library. Democrats have never held more than 32 seats, Vassar said.
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“Who knew California could be more blue?” said Robin Swanson, a veteran Democratic communications consultant.
Democrats in both houses entered the election with a supermajority and will retain that two-thirds voting threshold, which allows them to pass most legislation without Republican help. But with more blue comes more challenges, Swanson added.
Adding Democrats means more competition for coveted committees. It also means there will be a wider range in the types of Democrats elected, from fiscally moderate to ultra-liberal.
“All Democrats are not the same,” Swanson said. “It’s not a voting bloc monolith. The party has to figure out how to be an even bigger tent. Don’t get me wrong; that’s a high-quality problem to have.”
Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) said her caucus knew which candidate and race to prioritize during the election: former state Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) in Senate District 29, which encompasses parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. Newman was unseated in his freshman term in a 2018 recall campaign led by Republicans that upended Democrats’ supermajority.
“That seat was a priority,” Atkins said. “We feel that seat was taken from us unfairly.”
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Newman won the seat in 2016 by narrowly defeating Diamond Bar Republican Ling Ling Chang. After Democrats, including Newman, voted in favor of a gas tax in 2018, Republicans targeted what was viewed as the most vulnerable seat in a successful ouster that saw Chang replace him.
On Thursday, Newman was projected the winner by the Associated Press in his rematch against Chang.
“His recall was viewed as an unwarranted act of partisan hackery, and Senate Democrats really wanted to right that wrong,” said Jason Kinney, a former spokesman for Senate Democrats.
In Orange County, Irvine law professor Dave Min, a Democrat, defeated incumbent Republican state Sen. John Moorlach in Senate District 37.
The district was solidly Republican when Moorlach won in 2015, but voter registrations have since leaned toward Democrats, with a large bloc of voters registered as having no party preference. Orange County is on track for a historic 86% voter turnout in the election.
Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), who has posted tweets backing President Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud, said close races had yet to be decided and urged voters to be patient. The latest count released Thursday by the California Secretary of State’s office showed roughly 1 million ballots were still being counted.
“We are still days and weeks away from finding out the final results,” Grove said in a statement.
Republicans are leading Democrats in two other close races.
In Senate District 21, located in parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, incumbent state Sen. Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) was holding a slight lead over Democrat Kipp Mueller. And in nearby Senate District 23, Yucaipa Republican Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh leads San Bernardino Democrat Abigail Medina. Sen. Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga) holds the seat but is being forced out by term limits.
Atkins said Senate Democrats were also focused on ensuring their caucus did not lose the Central Valley seat in Senate District 5, where Sen. Cathleen Galgiani (D–Stockton) has also termed out. In that race, Assemblywoman Susan Eggman (D-Stockton) defeated former Modesto Mayor Jim Ridenour, a Republican.
“Those seats in the Central Valley are difficult,” Atkins said. “We started early and looked at all the races. The national environment gave us an opportunity with Trump to have a better shot than we ordinarily would have.”
In the Assembly, Democrats lost one seat previously held by Christy Smith of Santa Clarita, who is running to represent the 25th congressional district. Two Republicans finished in the top two spots during the primary, ensuring Democrats could not regain the district. Suzette Martinez Valladares defeated Lucie Lapointe Volotzky in that race.
Entering the election, Democrats held 61 of the 80 seats in the lower house. They are also closely watching Assembly District 74, where incumbent Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) narrowly leads Newport Beach Republican Diane Dixon.
Assemblyman Chad Mayes (I-Rancho Mirage), who dropped his Republican Party affiliation last year, defeated Republican San Jacinto Mayor Andrew Kotyuk. Mayes becomes the first person elected to the Legislature without a party affiliation since Sen. Quentin Kopp was reelected in 1994.
In San Jose, 25-year-old Alex Lee, a Democrat, will be the youngest state legislator to assume office in more than 80 years. Lee defeated Republican Bob Brunton for Assembly District 25, which encompasses San Jose, Santa Clara and Fremont. The seat was previously held by Democrat Kansen Chu , who left to run for Santa Clara County supervisor.
“I’m feeling ecstatic,” Lee said. “We won in a landslide victory, and I’m incredibly proud of that.”


latimes--2020-11-11--3.4 earthquake registered near Prunedale, Calif.

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake was reported Wednesday at 12:26 p.m. two miles from Prunedale , Calif. , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
The earthquake occurred five miles from Hollister , six miles from Salinas , 11 miles from Gilroy and 13 miles from Watsonville , Calif .
In the last 10 days , there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby .
An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada , according to a recent three-year data sample .
The earthquake occurred at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel this earthquake ?
Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS .
Even if you didn ’ t feel this small earthquake , you never know when the Big One is going to strike .
Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit .
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS .
A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published .
If you ’ re interested in learning more about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frequently asked questions .

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake was reported Nov. 11 at 12:26 p.m. two miles from Prunedale, Calif.
A magnitude 3.4 earthquake was reported Wednesday at 12:26 p.m. two miles from Prunedale, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake occurred five miles from Hollister, six miles from Salinas, 11 miles from Gilroy and 13 miles from Watsonville, Calif.
In the last 10 days, there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
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An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 4.1 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Even if you didn’t feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.


latimes--2020-11-11--New coronavirus surge pushes California to the brink of 1 million cases

California is on the cusp of surpassing 1 million confirmed coronavirus infections — a milestone demonstrating both the toll the pandemic has taken so far and the dangers it continues to pose .
As of Wednesday , amid a continuing surge , California had reported just over 993,000 total coronavirus cases , according to the Los Angeles Times ’ tracker .
The state has averaged 6,377 new cases per day over the last week , Times ’ data show , including 8,307 on Tuesday .
That rate , far higher than a month ago , puts California on pace to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Only one other state , Texas , has reached that threshold .
Although California ’ s coronavirus case counts have stormed back into worrying territory as of late , officials say they are particularly concerned about what may come next .
Hospitalizations and deaths are lagging indicators of coronavirus spread and can reflect exposure to the virus that occurred weeks earlier .
Those who have been infected during the latest spike “ won ’ t become patients in hospitals for another two to three weeks , ” according to California Health and Human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so , the number of patients has already started to climb .
Starting in late July , California recorded 12 consecutive weeks of declining hospitalizations related to coronavirus infections .
But that began to change last month .
There were 3,224 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in California as of Tuesday — an increase of roughly 38 % from two weeks ago , according to the latest state data .
The number of infected patients in intensive care , 889 , is up 34 % from two weeks ago .
Conducting more tests can push @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also seen an uptick in the proportion of tests that are confirming coronavirus infection .
That metric , called the positivity rate , has been 3.8 % over the last 14 days and 4.3 % in the last seven .
“ We hadn ’ t seen test positivities above 4 since the end of August , early September , ” Ghaly said this week .
The statewide trends are also playing out locally in Los Angeles County .
Health officials there reported 2,152 new coronavirus cases Wednesday — the sixth time in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily total has exceeded 2,000 .
COVID-19 hospitalizations have also steadily risen in the county , from 825 last Thursday to 903 as of the latest tally .
With the nation celebrating Veterans Day on Wednesday , county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer noted in a statement that “ more than 4,200 veterans have passed away from COVID-19 nationwide .
County residents can “ honor , celebrate and protect our veterans by doing our part to stop the spread of COVID-19 , ” she said .
The climbing case counts and hospitalization numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trending in the wrong direction heading into what officials have said could be a particularly dangerous period .
As temperatures fall and the holiday season approaches , experts have warned residents not to put themselves in high-risk situations where the coronavirus can more easily spread .
Of particular concern are lengthy indoor activities where people don ’ t wear masks or observe physical distancing .
Participating in gatherings with those you don ’ t live with — even family members or trusted friends — can heighten the risk for coronavirus transmission , officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re close to us personally doesn ’ t mean that they have a lower risk of either passing COVID onto you or having COVID come from you to them , ” Ghaly said .
“ So we want to be very careful not just with those we don ’ t know from outside of our household , but even those that we know quite well.
” The stakes , officials say , are too high for residents to ignore — particularly if California is to avoid the skyrocketing infection rates besieging many other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a whole hit a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations Tuesday and surpassed 1-million new confirmed coronavirus cases in just the first 10 days of November .
For the first time , Los Angeles residents received an emergency text alert from the city Tuesday evening warning that cases were increasing .
Mayor Eric Garcetti also said that testing centers across L.A. would have extended hours .
Several will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. , with Dodger Stadium open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m .
The text alert and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bright flashing light to all of us to control our behavior , ” he added .
Ghaly said it was understandable that “ many people feel exhausted ; they feel isolated and they ’ re impatient.
” Although this week ’ s news about a promising new vaccine could be helpful down the road , “ we know right now we must do more , ” he said .
“ The virus is not over just because we ’ re tired of it.
” As case counts continue to shoot upward , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had moved back to more restrictive tiers in California ’ s coronavirus reopening system .
Among them were San Diego , Sacramento and Stanislaus counties , all of which moved into the purple tier , the strictest category .
Many businesses , such as restaurants , gyms and movie theaters , will now have to move their operations outdoors — an unwelcome and potentially untenable limitation for sectors that have already been walloped by coronavirus-related restrictions .
“ Some restaurants are at a do-or-die situation , while some can survive with outdoor seating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ben Clevenger , who is also president of the San Diego chapter of the California Restaurant Assn.
, told the San Diego Union-Tribune .
“ I know of a few businesses who don ’ t have a choice and are going to have to stay open indoors .
If they don ’ t , they ’ ll lose their business anyway , so they might as well go down fighting.
” More counties are at risk of regressing , too .
“ We anticipate , if things stay the way they are , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , over half of California counties will have moved into a more restrictive tier , ” Ghaly said .
Times staff writers Alejandra Reyes-Velarde , Rong-Gong Lin II and Iris Lee contributed to this report .
The Associated Press also contributed .

Because of a surge in coronavirus cases, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has expand testing hours at Dodger Stadium, where a long line formed Wednesday evening.
California is on the cusp of surpassing 1 million confirmed coronavirus infections — a milestone demonstrating both the toll the pandemic has taken so far and the dangers it continues to pose.
As of Wednesday, amid a continuing surge, California had reported just over 993,000 total coronavirus cases, according to the Los Angeles Times’ tracker.
The state has averaged 6,377 new cases per day over the last week, Times’ data show, including 8,307 on Tuesday. That rate, far higher than a month ago, puts California on pace to surpass the 1-million mark by Thursday.
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Only one other state, Texas, has reached that threshold.
Although California’s coronavirus case counts have stormed back into worrying territory as of late, officials say they are particularly concerned about what may come next.
Hospitalizations and deaths are lagging indicators of coronavirus spread and can reflect exposure to the virus that occurred weeks earlier.
Those who have been infected during the latest spike “won’t become patients in hospitals for another two to three weeks,” according to California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly.
Even so, the number of patients has already started to climb. Starting in late July, California recorded 12 consecutive weeks of declining hospitalizations related to coronavirus infections. But that began to change last month.
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There were 3,224 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in California as of Tuesday — an increase of roughly 38% from two weeks ago, according to the latest state data. The number of infected patients in intensive care, 889, is up 34% from two weeks ago.
Conducting more tests can push case numbers higher, but California has also seen an uptick in the proportion of tests that are confirming coronavirus infection. That metric, called the positivity rate, has been 3.8% over the last 14 days and 4.3% in the last seven.
“We hadn’t seen test positivities above 4 since the end of August, early September,” Ghaly said this week.
The statewide trends are also playing out locally in Los Angeles County. Health officials there reported 2,152 new coronavirus cases Wednesday — the sixth time in the last week that the county’s daily total has exceeded 2,000.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have also steadily risen in the county, from 825 last Thursday to 903 as of the latest tally.
With the nation celebrating Veterans Day on Wednesday, county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer noted in a statement that “more than 4,200 veterans have passed away from COVID-19 nationwide.
County residents can “honor, celebrate and protect our veterans by doing our part to stop the spread of COVID-19,” she said.
Tracking the coronavirus in L.A. County The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, including cases, deaths, closures and restrictions.
The climbing case counts and hospitalization numbers have sparked new concerns that California is trending in the wrong direction heading into what officials have said could be a particularly dangerous period.
As temperatures fall and the holiday season approaches, experts have warned residents not to put themselves in high-risk situations where the coronavirus can more easily spread.
Of particular concern are lengthy indoor activities where people don’t wear masks or observe physical distancing.
Participating in gatherings with those you don’t live with — even family members or trusted friends — can heighten the risk for coronavirus transmission, officials warn.
“Just because they’re close to us personally doesn’t mean that they have a lower risk of either passing COVID onto you or having COVID come from you to them,” Ghaly said. “So we want to be very careful not just with those we don’t know from outside of our household, but even those that we know quite well.”
The stakes, officials say, are too high for residents to ignore — particularly if California is to avoid the skyrocketing infection rates besieging many other parts of the country.
The U.S. as a whole hit a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations Tuesday and surpassed 1-million new confirmed coronavirus cases in just the first 10 days of November.
For the first time, Los Angeles residents received an emergency text alert from the city Tuesday evening warning that cases were increasing.
Mayor Eric Garcetti also said that testing centers across L.A. would have extended hours. Several will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Dodger Stadium open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The text alert and the increasing number of cases “should be a bright flashing light to all of us to control our behavior,” he added.
Ghaly said it was understandable that “many people feel exhausted; they feel isolated and they’re impatient.”
Although this week’s news about a promising new vaccine could be helpful down the road, “we know right now we must do more,” he said. “The virus is not over just because we’re tired of it.”
As case counts continue to shoot upward, officials on Tuesday announced that 11 counties had moved back to more restrictive tiers in California’s coronavirus reopening system.
Among them were San Diego, Sacramento and Stanislaus counties, all of which moved into the purple tier, the strictest category.
Many businesses, such as restaurants, gyms and movie theaters, will now have to move their operations outdoors — an unwelcome and potentially untenable limitation for sectors that have already been walloped by coronavirus-related restrictions.
“Some restaurants are at a do-or-die situation, while some can survive with outdoor seating and to-go orders,” restaurant owner Ben Clevenger, who is also president of the San Diego chapter of the California Restaurant Assn., told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I know of a few businesses who don’t have a choice and are going to have to stay open indoors. If they don’t, they’ll lose their business anyway, so they might as well go down fighting.”
More counties are at risk of regressing, too.
“We anticipate, if things stay the way they are, that between this week and next week, over half of California counties will have moved into a more restrictive tier,” Ghaly said.
Times staff writers Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Rong-Gong Lin II and Iris Lee contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed.


latimes--2020-11-11--O.C. investigators release new sketch of unidentified teenager whose remains were found in 1996

More than 20 years ago , the remains of a teenager were found in rugged terrain in Trabuco Canyon .
Now , with the help of modern technology , Orange County investigators have released a sketch of the young man and new details about his origins in hopes that someone might recognize him .
The sketch , created with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children , incorporates skull scans and the latest reconstruction techniques in a detailed image of a young man with swept-back hair and dark eyes .
The teenager was originally thought to be white .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he was of “ Hispanic or Native American origin ” and from a remote or rural area of Latin America , since he had few genetic matches .
“ Sometimes , seeing a picture can spark a memory , and that could lead to information , ” said Orange County supervising deputy coroner Kelly Keyes .
“ We ’ re looking to match that face to a name so we can bring closure to his family.
” The young man ’ s remains were found on Dec. 13 , 1996 , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as two years , according to investigators .
At the time , investigators determined that the remains were of a male between 15 and 19 years old and about 5 feet 2 to 5 feet 8 with a medium build , said Orange County Sheriff ’ s Department spokeswoman Carrie Braun .
His teeth , which were in poor condition , were submitted to a U.S. Department of Justice database , but he was never identified .
It is unclear how he died , and the case has not been classified as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there have been occasional leads , yet he has not gotten his name back , ” Keyes said .
She noted that coroner ’ s investigators continue to review nearly 100 cases in which a body has not been identified , dating back to the 1950s .
Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact the Orange County Coroner Division at ( 714 ) 647-7000 and mention the case number , 96-07901-MU .

A new sketch of an unidentified teenager found in Trabuco Canyon on Dec. 13, 1996.
More than 20 years ago, the remains of a teenager were found in rugged terrain in Trabuco Canyon.
Now, with the help of modern technology, Orange County investigators have released a sketch of the young man and new details about his origins in hopes that someone might recognize him.
The sketch, created with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, incorporates skull scans and the latest reconstruction techniques in a detailed image of a young man with swept-back hair and dark eyes.
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The teenager was originally thought to be white. But the DNA Doe Project recently concluded that he was of “Hispanic or Native American origin” and from a remote or rural area of Latin America, since he had few genetic matches.
“Sometimes, seeing a picture can spark a memory, and that could lead to information,” said Orange County supervising deputy coroner Kelly Keyes. “We’re looking to match that face to a name so we can bring closure to his family.”
The young man’s remains were found on Dec. 13, 1996, and may have been there for as long as two years, according to investigators.
At the time, investigators determined that the remains were of a male between 15 and 19 years old and about 5 feet 2 to 5 feet 8 with a medium build, said Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Carrie Braun.
His teeth, which were in poor condition, were submitted to a U.S. Department of Justice database, but he was never identified. It is unclear how he died, and the case has not been classified as a homicide.
“Over the years, there have been occasional leads, yet he has not gotten his name back,” Keyes said.
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She noted that coroner’s investigators continue to review nearly 100 cases in which a body has not been identified, dating back to the 1950s.
Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact the Orange County Coroner Division at (714) 647-7000 and mention the case number, 96-07901-MU.


latimes--2020-11-11--San Francisco, long hailed for beating COVID-19, now faces a spike in cases

It ’ s America ’ s second-densest city .
Near the nation ’ s first recorded COVID-19 death .
And home to a busy international airport .
San Francisco has for most of the pandemic managed to keep infection rates and total cases low , in part by following conservative practices , which have slowed its reopening compared with that of other California cities .
But this week , the city faces a dire test of its strategy .
Cases have significantly spiked in the last week at a pace worse than that of any previous surge , which has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city proactively announced the shutdown of indoor restaurant dining , effective Saturday morning .
Capacity at gyms and theaters will be reduced , and city ’ s high schools will have to wait to reopen for in-person learning as well , officials said , as they try to get the numbers going down again .
San Francisco ’ s numbers remain much lower than those in other parts of California .
San Francisco County ranked 45th among the state ’ s 58 counties in per-capita cases over the past two weeks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Francisco has reported 17 deaths per 100,000 residents , far smaller than Los Angeles County , with 71 deaths per 100,000 residents .
But the sudden spike in cases could change things dramatically .
Since late October , new daily infections have risen by 150 % in San Francisco ( the city and county are one and the same ) .
If this pace is not slowed , San Francisco is on track to see its daily number of new coronavirus infections multiply by a factor of 10 — from 32 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases daily by the end of the year .
“ This suggests much broader virus transmission and has the potential to be explosive , ” San Francisco ’ s public health director , Dr. Grant Colfax , said Tuesday .
“ If we do not pause and we do not reverse , it is entirely plausible that we will face a situation where our healthcare system could become overwhelmed.
” The sudden rise places San Francisco in the same boat as many others in California — dealing with spread through social gatherings as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ persists .
The city ’ s response to coronavirus has been far from perfect .
It has faced outbreaks among homeless residents .
And there has been criticism that it hasn ’ t done enough to make tests available to Latino residents , as documented by the news website Mission Local .
Still , experts have said San Francisco ’ s overall record is one to watch for potential lessons .
The question is whether this approach will continue to prove successful if California experiences another COVID-19 wave and people let down their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways , the new spike was predictable .
It ’ s now clear that whenever disease rates get lower , “ people take a few more risks , ” said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo , chair of UC San Francisco ’ s department of epidemiology and biostatistics .
“ We have to be even more cautious when we ’ re about to engage in activities that can really increase viral transmission , ” Bibbins-Domingo said .
“ And that failing to do that , unfortunately , can quickly get out of control.
” Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and parts of the Bay Area up to now have fared relatively well in curbing COVID-19 , and that has sparked some in the medical community to say the region should be an example for other areas .
Here are some things that have worked well : In Southern California , some communities vociferously oppose mandatory masks .
Some elected officials have publicly pressured the state to allow counties to permit businesses to reopen faster .
But in the Bay Area , mask wearing in public has been the social norm for months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backed the county health officials who devised the nation ’ s first regional stay-at-home order .
“ A greater proportion of the population is wearing masks .
And a greater proportion of the population is abiding by the recommendations , ” said Dr. George Rutherford , epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco .
“ That ’ s the most likely explanation.
” “ When you go outside , people are wearing masks .
When you are in an Uber car , they have their windows open , ” Bibbins-Domingo said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those things.
” San Francisco and its neighboring counties have been extraordinarily cautious in its reopening timeline , allowing businesses to resume on a slower timeline than allowed by the state .
“ We want to be able to stay ahead of the virus .
By the time you have lots of cases and try to catch up , the healthcare systems are often overwhelmed .
And that ’ s where you see more devastation from this virus , ” Colfax said in an interview just before Halloween .
In the summertime , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in reopening businesses than Southern California .
In L.A. County , bars opened up on June 19 and were ordered shut June 28 as cases quickly rose .
San Francisco never reopened bars that didn ’ t serve meals .
That may have played a role in why the Southern California summer surge was far worse than that of Northern California , before Gov .
Gavin Newsom issued another set of orders closing indoor operations of businesses again in late June and early July .
Nearby Santa Clara County , home to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative reopening approach .
The county is in the second-least restrictive tier according to the state ’ s reopening rules , so it is allowed to reopen Levi ’ s Stadium to spectators for up to 20 % capacity .
But the county decided to keep the venue , where the San Francisco 49ers play , closed to fans for the foreseeable future .
Los Angeles County , meanwhile , which is in the most restrictive tier in the state ’ s reopening rubric , has no option for allowing spectators to return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Bay Area may also have helped in managing the pandemic .
The Bay Area has 7.7 million people but is governed by health officials from nine counties and the city of Berkeley , while most of Los Angeles County ’ s 10 million residents are overseen by one public department ( Long Beach and Pasadena have their own public health departments ) .
As a result , San Francisco ’ s public health department only needs to worry about managing the public health of fewer than 900,000 residents .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rutherford said .
“ You can kind of divide the problem up a little bit.
” So when reopenings happen in Los Angeles County , that means a single agency is managing the reopening of 40,000 restaurants and 15,000 hair and nail salons , said Barbara Ferrer , director of public health in Los Angeles County .
“ The magnitude of the work that needs to happen with all of our reopenings is far different than what it is in any other county , ” she said .
“ It requires both a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of the different sectors that are reopening .
Because little mistakes get amplified very quickly because they can happen in so many different places.
” Longstanding California law that gives sweeping powers to local governments has also helped .
In some states , governors have battled with local leaders over who gets the final say over a health order to , say , mandate the wearing of masks .
Sometimes , governors have ordered local officials to back off of strict pandemic orders .
In California , the law gives local health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protect their community , Dr. Sara Cody , the Santa Clara County health officer , said recently .
That helped to enable her and her counterparts in Bay Area counties to implement the nation ’ s first regional stay-at-home pandemic order , a version of which was adopted statewide days later by the governor .
“ I do think that that early action enabled us to suppress the amount of community transmission early on , ” Cody told a meeting of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group .
San Francisco has expanded testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who need isolation or quarantine if they ’ ve been infected or exposed to someone who has tested positive and can ’ t do so at home , Colfax said in the interview .
Colfax also credited San Francisco ’ s mobile testing and an array of disease investigators who trace the contacts of the newly infected among communities of color .
Latinos are still testing positive at greater rates than San Francisco residents as a whole , but there has been progress : In July , 13 % of Latino residents being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first couple of weeks of October , it was down to 3 % , Colfax said .
“ It ’ s still higher than the general population , but it ’ s certainly moving in the right direction , ” Colfax said .
Officials said that by the late summer , as the pandemic ’ s impact on Latino residents became clear , testing resources were focused on areas with the highest infection rates .
There ’ s increased focus in underserved communities , and officials have partnered with Black , Latino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents who may be mistrustful of government , have limited English-speaking ability or who might be in the country illegally .
“ It ’ s about low-barrier testing .
And it ’ s also about combining that low-barrier testing with the prevention and education efforts around masking , ” Colfax said .
“ And it ’ s about working with agencies that provide social and support services.
” Times staff writers Susanne Rust and Maura Dolan contributed to this report .

Pedestrians wear masks as they walk along Haight Street in San Francisco in October.
It’s America’s second-densest city. Near the nation’s first recorded COVID-19 death. And home to a busy international airport.
San Francisco has for most of the pandemic managed to keep infection rates and total cases low, in part by following conservative practices, which have slowed its reopening compared with that of other California cities.
But this week, the city faces a dire test of its strategy. Cases have significantly spiked in the last week at a pace worse than that of any previous surge, which has alarmed city officials.
On Tuesday, the city proactively announced the shutdown of indoor restaurant dining, effective Saturday morning. Capacity at gyms and theaters will be reduced, and the city’s high schools will have to wait to reopen for in-person learning as well, officials said, as they try to get the numbers going down again.
San Francisco’s numbers remain much lower than those in other parts of California. San Francisco County ranked 45th among the state’s 58 counties in per-capita cases over the past two weeks. For the duration of the pandemic, San Francisco has reported 17 deaths per 100,000 residents, far fewer than Los Angeles County, with 71 deaths per 100,000 residents.
But the sudden spike in cases could change things dramatically.
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Since late October, new daily infections have risen by 150% in San Francisco (the city and county are one and the same). If this pace is not slowed, San Francisco is on track to see its daily number of new coronavirus infections multiply by a factor of 10 — from 32 cases a day in late October to 300 cases daily by the end of the year.
“This suggests much broader virus transmission and has the potential to be explosive,” San Francisco’s public health director, Dr. Grant Colfax, said Tuesday. “If we do not pause, and we do not reverse, it is entirely plausible that we will face a situation where our healthcare system could become overwhelmed.”
The sudden rise places San Francisco in the same boat as many others in California — dealing with spread through social gatherings as fatigue and resentment of the nine-month pandemic persists.
The city’s response to the coronavirus has been far from perfect. It has faced outbreaks among homeless residents. And there has been criticism that it hasn’t done enough to make tests available to Latino residents, as documented by the news website Mission Local.
Still, experts have said San Francisco’s overall record is one to watch for potential lessons. The question is whether this approach will continue to prove successful if California experiences another COVID-19 wave, and people let down their guard during the holidays.
In some ways, the new surge was predictable.
It’s now clear that whenever disease rates get lower, “people take a few more risks,” said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of UC San Francisco’s department of epidemiology and biostatistics.
“We have to be even more cautious when we’re about to engage in activities that can really increase viral transmission,” Bibbins-Domingo said. “And that failing to do that, unfortunately, can quickly get out of control.”
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Even with the surge, San Francisco and parts of the Bay Area have fared relatively well in curbing COVID-19 so far, and that has sparked some in the medical community to say the region should be an example for other areas.
Here are some things that have worked well:
Support for masks
In Southern California, some communities vociferously oppose mandatory masks. Some elected officials have publicly pressured the state to allow counties to permit businesses to reopen faster.
But in the Bay Area, mask wearing in public has been the social norm for months, and key political leaders have largely backed the county health officials who devised the nation’s first regional stay-at-home order.
“A greater proportion of the population is wearing masks. And a greater proportion of the population is abiding by the recommendations,” said Dr. George Rutherford, epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco. “That’s the most likely explanation.”
“When you go outside, people are wearing masks. When you are in an Uber car, they have their windows open,” Bibbins-Domingo said. “People are paying attention to those things.”
A slower reopening
San Francisco and its neighboring counties have been extraordinarily cautious in their reopening timelines, allowing businesses to resume on a slower timeline than allowed by the state.
“We want to be able to stay ahead of the virus. By the time you have lots of cases and try to catch up, the healthcare systems are often overwhelmed. And that’s where you see more devastation from this virus,” Colfax said in an interview just before Halloween.
In the summertime, Bay Area counties generally moved more slowly in reopening businesses than Southern California.
In L.A. County, bars opened up on June 19 and were ordered shut June 28 as cases quickly rose. San Francisco never reopened bars that didn’t serve meals.
That may have played a role in why the Southern California summer surge was far worse than that of Northern California, before Gov. Gavin Newsom issued another set of orders closing indoor operations of businesses again in late June and early July.
Nearby Santa Clara County, home to Silicon Valley, has also taken a conservative reopening approach. The county is in the second-least restrictive tier according to the state’s reopening rules, so it is allowed to reopen Levi’s Stadium to spectators for up to 20% capacity.
But the county decided to keep the venue, where the San Francisco 49ers play, closed to fans for the foreseeable future.
Los Angeles County, meanwhile, which is in the most restrictive tier in the state’s reopening rubric, has no option for allowing spectators to return to sports stadiums.
Smaller counties for the Bay Area
The smaller counties of the Bay Area may also have helped in managing the pandemic. The Bay Area has 7.7 million people but is governed by health officials from nine counties and the city of Berkeley, while most of Los Angeles County’s 10 million residents are overseen by one public department (Long Beach and Pasadena have their own public health departments).
As a result, San Francisco’s public health department only needs to worry about managing the public health of fewer than 900,000 residents.
“The Southern California counties are huge,” Rutherford said. “You can kind of divide the problem up a little bit.”
So when reopenings happen in Los Angeles County, that means a single agency is managing the reopening of 40,000 restaurants and 15,000 hair and nail salons, said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health in Los Angeles County.
“The magnitude of the work that needs to happen with all of our reopenings is far different than what it is in any other county,” she said. “It requires both a lot more work on the part of all of the different sectors that are reopening. Because little mistakes get amplified very quickly because they can happen in so many different places.”
Sweeping power for local health officers
Longstanding California law that gives sweeping powers to local governments has also helped.
In some states, governors have battled with local leaders over who gets the final say over a health order to, say, mandate the wearing of masks. Sometimes, governors have ordered local officials to back off of strict pandemic orders.
In California, the law gives local health officers wide-ranging powers to make decisions to protect their community, Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County health officer, said recently. That helped to enable her and her counterparts in Bay Area counties to implement the nation’s first regional stay-at-home pandemic order, a version of which was adopted statewide days later by the governor.
“I do think that that early action enabled us to suppress the amount of community transmission early on,” Cody told a meeting of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.
Expanding testing to underserved areas
San Francisco has expanded testing widely and made hotels available for people who need isolation or quarantine if they’ve been infected or exposed to someone who has tested positive and can’t do so at home, Colfax said in the interview.
Colfax also credited San Francisco’s mobile testing and an array of disease investigators who trace the contacts of the newly infected among communities of color. Latinos are still testing positive at greater rates than San Francisco residents as a whole, but there has been progress: In July, 13% of Latino residents being tested had positive test results; in the first couple of weeks of October, it was down to 3%, Colfax said.
“It’s still higher than the general population, but it’s certainly moving in the right direction,” Colfax said.
Officials said that by the late summer, as the pandemic’s impact on Latino residents became clear, testing resources were focused on areas with the highest infection rates. There’s increased focus in underserved communities, and officials have partnered with Black, Latino and Samoan organizations to reach out to residents who may be mistrustful of government, have limited English-speaking ability or who might be in the country illegally.
“It’s about low-barrier testing. And it’s also about combining that low-barrier testing with the prevention and education efforts around masking,” Colfax said. “And it’s about working with agencies that provide social and support services.”
Times staff writers Susanne Rust and Maura Dolan contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-11-11--Column: All hail the new 'queenmaker' of Black politics in California

With Kamala Harris only weeks away from being sworn in as the next vice president of the United States , Holly Mitchell is well aware that some Black Angelenos have put her at the top of their wish lists as a possible successor .
Fortunately for voters in Los Angeles County , who overwhelmingly elected Mitchell to the Board of Supervisors last week , she is “ 100 % focused and committed to the job she got hired to do ” and is “ looking and thinking of nothing else.
” But it ’ s understandable why her name is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
Gavin Newsom would take Mitchell , 56 , from being the only Black woman serving in the California state Senate to being the only Black woman serving in this U.S. Senate — and only the third to do so in the nation ’ s history , following Harris and Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois .
It ’ s a reminder that , for all of the praise that has been heaped on Black women lately for being the backbone of the Democratic Party , there are still only a precious few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now imagine if that were different .
When we spoke a few days ago , Mitchell called it an “ incredible responsibility ” to be a Black elected official at this tumultuous moment in history .
Voters , she said , have given her an “ amazing opportunity ” to reverse decades of systemic racism , including some of the many anti-Black policies that have come to a head this year .
“ There is more and more value and understanding in terms of the role we play strategically in electoral politics , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policymaking across the board , ” she said .
“ And I ’ m unapologetic about that .
I think that my life experience is a true reflection of the constituents I serve and I think there ’ s power in that.
” On election day , Mitchell rolled up to CJ ’ s Cafe on Pico Boulevard wearing a “ Stand With Black Women ” T-shirt .
The next evening , the single mother who grew up in Leimert Park found out that voters had done just that .
With more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beat longtime Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson for the 2nd District seat on the soon-to-be all female Board of Supervisors .
While it ’ s not a seat in the U.S. Senate , Mitchell , from her perch as one of the “ five queens , ” will govern roughly 2 million people — about three times the number of people who live in some congressional districts .
She also will be one of the state ’ s most powerful Black politicians in terms of what she can do for Black people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long been seen as the heart of Black power in Southern California .
“ She will be the queenmaker , ” said political consultant Dermot Givens .
People tend to forget — as I did before I was reminded by Manuel Pastor , a professor and director of the Equity Research Institute at USC — that L.A. County has more Black residents than Detroit .
Although they were once concentrated in South L.A. , housing costs , gentrification and other factors have changed that , forcing a displacement that is escalating .
Today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and almost all of South L.A. is in the 2nd Supervisorial District , which runs from Culver City to Compton .
“ So if you ’ re a Black political figure , ” Pastor said , “ you have to run a very different kind of campaign and alliance building to be able to move forward.
” Mitchell did that .
And so , when she talks about implementing her agenda as supervisor , she does so through the lens of Black and brown unity .
“ The reality is , Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living next door to each other who are experiencing the same challenges around housing affordability , around food insecurity , around trying to find access to appropriate health and mental health services , and jobs , ” she said .
“ And so it ’ s a geographic area where people really suffer from many of the same kinds of societal challenges that they look to government to help them navigate.
” The pressure will be on .
Mitchell , who came to politics after running the family advocacy agency Crystal Stairs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than Wesson did .
It ’ s not all that surprising , given her history of backing criminal justice reform while she was a chair of the powerful state Senate budget committee .
She ’ s also known for the CROWN Act , which prohibits discrimination against Black and brown people in workplaces and schools for wearing natural hairstyles .
Several states have passed their own versions of it .
Mitchell said she expects to be held accountable to an equally progressive agenda for Black and brown people once she officially takes office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the effects of COVID-19 , which has hit residents of South L.A. the hardest .
It also includes being ready for what could be a wave of tenant evictions early next year , when some protections implemented during the earlier days of the pandemic are set to expire .
Mitchell said she also plans to have some difficult conversations about how to reverse the rise in homelessness and shortage of affordable housing , given the legacy of redlining and threat of gentrification .
During the last legislative session , Mitchell got tangled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Francisco debate over Senate Bill 50 , which would ’ ve made it easier to build apartment complexes near transit stops and in neighborhoods of single-family homes .
South L.A. hated the idea .
“ We have to keep pushing to figure out how we build a kind of L.A. that we ’ re all comfortable in , ” Mitchell pushed back .
“ People can ’ t just approach me to say , you know , what are you going to do about homelessness , when we ’ re not willing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ build , where and for whom.
” Criminal justice reform is also on her to-do list .
This summer has been filled with protests by Black Lives Matter , particularly in Compton after a string of controversial shootings by L.A. County Sheriff ’ s Department deputies .
On Tuesday , the Board of Supervisors upped the ante .
Citing Sheriff Alex Villanueva ’ s refusal to abide by calls for transparency and accountability , it ordered county staff to examine ways to impeach or strip him of duties , including a possible bid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sheriffs appointed , rather than elected , positions .
“ Part of my attraction to this job was recognizing the role L.A. County plays — good , bad or indifferent — in the criminal justice system , ” Mitchell said .
“ If we can look at reforms and get it right in L.A. , it recognizes not only the impact it has on my home state , [ but ] the model for the country .
So I absolutely intend to continue to do this work.
” If this election has brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s that Black women should be recognized for more than rescuing the country from a would-be strongman with nuclear codes .

Incoming L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, second from left, shares a meal with friends and campaign staff on election day at CJ’s Cafe in Los Angeles. Mitchell, currently a state senator, beat L.A. City Councilman Herb Wesson for the 2nd Supervisorial District seat.
With Kamala Harris only weeks away from being sworn in as the next vice president of the United States, Holly Mitchell is well aware that some Black Angelenos have put her at the top of their wish lists as a possible successor.
Fortunately for voters in Los Angeles County, who overwhelmingly elected Mitchell to the Board of Supervisors last week, she is “100% focused and committed to the job she got hired to do” and is “looking and thinking of nothing else.” But it’s understandable why her name is being bandied about.
An appointment by Gov. Gavin Newsom would take Mitchell, 56, from being the only Black woman serving in the California state Senate to being the only Black woman serving in this U.S. Senate — and only the third to do so in the nation’s history, following Harris and Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois.
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It’s a reminder that, for all of the praise that has been heaped on Black women lately for being the backbone of the Democratic Party, there are still only a precious few at the highest levels of government.
Now imagine if that were different.
When we spoke a few days ago, Mitchell called it an “incredible responsibility” to be a Black elected official at this tumultuous moment in history. Voters, she said, have given her an “amazing opportunity” to reverse decades of systemic racism, including some of the many anti-Black policies that have come to a head this year.
“There is more and more value and understanding in terms of the role we play strategically in electoral politics, and in the leadership we play in policymaking across the board,” she said. “And I’m unapologetic about that. I think that my life experience is a true reflection of the constituents I serve and I think there’s power in that.”
On election day, Mitchell rolled up to CJ’s Cafe on Pico Boulevard wearing a “Stand With Black Women” T-shirt. The next evening, the single mother who grew up in Leimert Park found out that voters had done just that.
With more than 60% of the vote, she beat longtime Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson for the 2nd District seat on the soon-to-be all female Board of Supervisors.
While it’s not a seat in the U.S. Senate, Mitchell, from her perch as one of the “five queens,” will govern roughly 2 million people — about three times the number of people who live in some congressional districts. She also will be one of the state’s most powerful Black politicians in terms of what she can do for Black people specifically, given that her district has long been seen as the heart of Black power in Southern California.
“She will be the queenmaker,” said political consultant Dermot Givens.
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California L.A. County makes history with all female Board of Supervisors For the first time since the board’s inception more than 150 years ago, the powerful L.A. County Board of Supervisors will be all women, each of whom comes with significant backgrounds in politics and government.
People tend to forget — as I did before I was reminded by Manuel Pastor, a professor and director of the Equity Research Institute at USC — that L.A. County has more Black residents than Detroit.
Although they were once concentrated in South L.A., housing costs, gentrification and other factors have changed that, forcing a displacement that is escalating. Today, South L.A. is roughly two-thirds Latino — and almost all of South L.A. is in the 2nd Supervisorial District, which runs from Culver City to Compton.
“So if you’re a Black political figure,” Pastor said, “you have to run a very different kind of campaign and alliance building to be able to move forward.”
Mitchell did that. And so, when she talks about implementing her agenda as supervisor, she does so through the lens of Black and brown unity.
“The reality is, Black people and brown people [are] living next door to each other who are experiencing the same challenges around housing affordability, around food insecurity, around trying to find access to appropriate health and mental health services, and jobs,” she said. “And so it’s a geographic area where people really suffer from many of the same kinds of societal challenges that they look to government to help them navigate.”
The pressure will be on.
Mitchell, who came to politics after running the family advocacy agency Crystal Stairs, got more support from the progressive left than Wesson did. It’s not all that surprising, given her history of backing criminal justice reform while she was a chair of the powerful state Senate budget committee. She’s also known for the CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination against Black and brown people in workplaces and schools for wearing natural hairstyles. Several states have passed their own versions of it.
Mitchell said she expects to be held accountable to an equally progressive agenda for Black and brown people once she officially takes office in L.A. County.
That includes dealing with the effects of COVID-19, which has hit residents of South L.A. the hardest. It also includes being ready for what could be a wave of tenant evictions early next year, when some protections implemented during the earlier days of the pandemic are set to expire.
Mitchell said she also plans to have some difficult conversations about how to reverse the rise in homelessness and shortage of affordable housing, given the legacy of redlining and threat of gentrification. During the last legislative session, Mitchell got tangled up in the Los Angeles versus San Francisco debate over Senate Bill 50, which would’ve made it easier to build apartment complexes near transit stops and in neighborhoods of single-family homes. South L.A. hated the idea.
“We have to keep pushing to figure out how we build a kind of L.A. that we’re all comfortable in,” Mitchell pushed back. “People can’t just approach me to say, you know, what are you going to do about homelessness, when we’re not willing to have an honest conversation about what we build, where and for whom.”
State Sen. Holly Mitchell waits as election results come in showing her ahead against Herb Wesson in the L.A. County Board of Supervisors race at her campaign headquarters on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Criminal justice reform is also on her to-do list. This summer has been filled with protests by Black Lives Matter, particularly in Compton after a string of controversial shootings by L.A. County Sheriff’s Department deputies.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors upped the ante. Citing Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s refusal to abide by calls for transparency and accountability, it ordered county staff to examine ways to impeach or strip him of duties, including a possible bid to amend the California Constitution to make sheriffs appointed, rather than elected, positions.
“Part of my attraction to this job was recognizing the role L.A. County plays — good, bad or indifferent — in the criminal justice system,” Mitchell said. “If we can look at reforms and get it right in L.A., it recognizes not only the impact it has on my home state, [but] the model for the country. So I absolutely intend to continue to do this work.”
If this election has brought anything into the collective public consciousness, it’s that Black women should be recognized for more than rescuing the country from a would-be strongman with nuclear codes.