latimes--2020-07-14--California bars police from using LAPD records in gang database. Critics want it axed

As a scandal over false and inaccurate gang identifications by Los Angeles police officers widens , California ’ s top cop on Tuesday stopped law enforcement agencies around the state from using department records included in a controversial statewide database .
On Tuesday , California Atty .
Gen. Xavier Becerra announced he had “ revoked access to CalGang records generated by the Los Angeles Police Department ( LAPD ) , ” and suggested the state Legislature should consider more reforms to the troubled system — which Becerra was charged with overseeing beginning in 2018 .
The ban affects about a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ database , which contains names and personal information of about 80,000 people , mostly Black and brown men , whom law enforcement suspects of being involved in or associated with gangs .
But police reform advocates said Becerra ’ s action did not go far enough toward fixing what they contend is an unfair roster , plagued by past problems , and open to wider abuses .
“ It is probable that most departments using CalGang have the exact same problems that LAPD does , ” said Sean Garcia-Leys , a lawyer who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have protested their inclusion in CalGang .
“ The database should be shut down.
” A spokesman for the attorney general could not immediately say what further legislative actions Becerra would recommend , or when his own reforms to the system might be finalized .
“ I ’ ve said it before and I ’ ll say it again : CalGang is only as good as the data that is put into it , ” said Becerra in a statement .
“ It should now be obvious to everyone : CalGang must change.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ intensified in the wake of George Floyd ’ s killing in Minneapolis , criminal justice advocates have pushed Becerra to put a state moratorium on use of the system , citing the attorney general ’ s slowness to create new regulations meant to curtail abuses .
Nearly three years ago , the Legislature gave the Department of Justice authority to revamp the database .
DOJ regulations were expected in January , but they are still pending .
In 2016 , a state audit found that CalGang was riddled with questionable entries and errors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young as 1 , and that people were added based on subjective criteria such as the neighborhood where police encountered them or the color of clothes they were wearing .
Critics said those loose rules were open to abuse , but the accuracy of CalGang has been hard to determine because its contents are off-limits to civilians .
Becerra ’ s announcement comes months after allegations first arose that LAPD officers were submitting false information about alleged gang affiliations of people they pulled over , and days after Dist .
Atty .
Jackie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed criminal charges against three LAPD officers for allegedly doing so knowingly .
On Tuesday , LAPD Chief Michel Moore presented an audit of the police department ’ s use of the gang database to the city ’ s civilian Police Commission , which found widespread inconsistencies in how officers were using the database and gathering information on subjects .
The review found LAPD ’ s entries into CalGang to be “ inconsistent , unreliable and unpredictable , and as such will , at the very least , be perceived of as unfair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ haphazard ” use of the database in general , as the audit described it , was in addition to the more serious and willful misuses alleged by Lacey ’ s office — the scope of which are still not fully known .
In addition to the three officers who have been charged , another 21 remain under investigation , according to police .
The charged officers , Braxton Shaw , Michael Coblentz and Nicolas Martinez , face a 59-count indictment that includes conspiracy to obstruct justice and multiple counts of filing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence .
They are members of the elite Metro LAPD unit , which has repeatedly come under scrutiny for its tactics .
Moore on Tuesday told the commission that the department would halt use of the database altogether .
The audit report he shared suggested the department would access it only to remove individuals or assist in investigations of officers who allegedly misused it .
Critics of the system said problems like those uncovered by the LAPD scandal mean residents are harassed and unfairly criminalized , hurt their ability to find housing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have with law enforcement in the state .
False allegations in the database can also harm an individual ’ s immigration status , reform advocates say .
Garcia-Leys said he has represented multiple clients who contend they were unfairly added to CalGang by law enforcement agencies around the state .
Law enforcement has argued that their expertise in identifying gang members should be trusted , and the database is a valuable tool for investigating organized criminal networks that can operate between jurisdictions .
Tuesday , Moore acknowledged that gang violence remained a problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for new ways to address it .
“ In the instances of gang violence in our neighborhoods , it still has a tremendous impact on communities , particularly communities of color , and our ability to investigate those crimes and identify those responsible is important , ” Moore said .
But for agencies outside the LAPD , the system will continue to function under its old rules , despite the freeze on LAPD records .
“ It ’ s obviously abundantly clear now that this has been abused , ” said Sammy Nunez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who served on the committee charged with helping to draft new CalGang regulations .
“ We can no longer continue to cast such a broad net.
” Los Angeles Times reporters Leila Miller and Ben Poston contributed to this report .

Anita Chabria, Kevin Rector, Cindy Chang

Brian Allen showed up in the CalGang database even though he was not a gang member. In 2017, he was driving with a friend when police pulled him over for expired tags.
As a scandal over false and inaccurate gang identifications by Los Angeles police officers widens, California’s top cop on Tuesday stopped law enforcement agencies around the state from using department records included in a controversial statewide database.
On Tuesday, California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra announced he had “revoked access to CalGang records generated by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD),” and suggested the state Legislature should consider more reforms to the troubled system — which Becerra was charged with overseeing beginning in 2018.
The ban affects about a quarter of the records in the secretive database, which contains names and personal information of about 80,000 people, mostly Black and brown men, whom law enforcement suspects of being involved in or associated with gangs.
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But police reform advocates said Becerra’s action did not go far enough toward fixing what they contend is an unfair roster, plagued by past problems, and open to wider abuses.
“It is probable that most departments using CalGang have the exact same problems that LAPD does,” said Sean Garcia-Leys, a lawyer who has represented clients throughout the state who have protested their inclusion in CalGang. “The database should be shut down.”
A spokesman for the attorney general did not respond on the record about what further legislative actions Becerra would recommend, or why his agency was retaining the LAPD records.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: CalGang is only as good as the data that is put into it,” said Becerra in a statement. “It should now be obvious to everyone: CalGang must change.”
As calls for police reforms have intensified in the wake of George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis, criminal justice advocates have pushed Becerra to put a state moratorium on use of the system, citing the attorney general’s slowness to create new regulations meant to curtail abuses.
Nearly three years ago, the Legislature gave the Department of Justice authority to revamp the database. DOJ regulations were expected in January, but they are still pending. The attorney general asked for a six-month extension, and delays from the coronavirus have pushed the rules even further out.
In 2016, a state audit found that CalGang was riddled with questionable entries and errors such as the inclusion of children as young as 1, and that people were added based on subjective criteria such as the neighborhood where police encountered them or the color of clothes they were wearing. Critics said those loose rules were open to abuse, but the accuracy of CalGang has been hard to determine because its contents are off-limits to civilians.
Advertisement
Becerra’s announcement comes months after allegations first arose that LAPD officers were submitting false information about alleged gang affiliations of people they pulled over, and days after Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey announced prosecutors in her office had filed criminal charges against three LAPD officers for allegedly doing so knowingly.
On Tuesday, LAPD Chief Michel Moore presented an audit of the police department’s use of the gang database to the city’s civilian Police Commission, which found widespread inconsistencies in how officers were using the database and gathering information on subjects.
The review found LAPD’s entries into CalGang to be “inconsistent, unreliable and unpredictable, and as such will, at the very least, be perceived of as unfair and untrustworthy.”
The department’s “haphazard” use of the database in general, as the audit described it, was in addition to the more serious and willful misuses alleged by Lacey’s office — the scope of which are still not fully known. In addition to the three officers who have been charged, another 21 remain under investigation, according to police.
The charged officers, Braxton Shaw, Michael Coblentz and Nicolas Martinez, face a 59-count indictment that includes conspiracy to obstruct justice and multiple counts of filing a false police report and preparing false documentary evidence.
They are members of the elite Metro LAPD unit, which has repeatedly come under scrutiny for its tactics.
Moore on Tuesday told the commission that the department would halt use of the database altogether. The audit report he shared suggested the department would access it only to remove individuals or assist in investigations of officers who allegedly misused it.
Critics of the system said problems like those uncovered by the LAPD scandal mean residents are harassed and unfairly criminalized, hurt their ability to find housing and employment and taint any future interactions they have with law enforcement in the state.
False allegations in the database can also harm an individual’s immigration status, reform advocates say.
Garcia-Leys said he has represented multiple clients who contend they were unfairly added to CalGang by law enforcement agencies around the state.
Law enforcement has argued that their expertise in identifying gang members should be trusted, and the database is a valuable tool for investigating organized criminal networks that can operate between jurisdictions. Tuesday, Moore acknowledged that gang violence remained a problem, but said the department would look for new ways to address it.
“In the instances of gang violence in our neighborhoods, it still has a tremendous impact on communities, particularly communities of color, and our ability to investigate those crimes and identify those responsible is important,” Moore said.
But for agencies outside the LAPD, the system will continue to function under its old rules, despite the freeze on LAPD records.
“It’s obviously abundantly clear now that this has been abused,” said Sammy Nunez, a criminal justice advocate in Stockton who served on the committee charged with helping to draft new CalGang regulations. “We can no longer continue to cast such a broad net.”
Los Angeles Times reporters Leila Miller and Ben Poston contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-07-14--Burglary suspect found hiding in Simi Valley in his underwear, police say

A 35-year-old man was arrested this week wearing nothing but his underwear after a Simi Valley resident called police to @ @ @ @ @ trying to break into his home .
Officers responded to the home in the 1600 @ @ @ @ @ Sunday after the resident reported that he was watching his security camera and saw a @ @ @ @ @ window .
When officers arrived , they found clothing that had been left outside .
@ @ @ @ @ found a man , later identified as Matthew Rey Scott , hiding in the neighborhood @ @ @ @ @ ran from officers before he was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted burglary , @ @ @ @ @ violation , police said .
Police did not specify the circumstances surrounding the alleged community @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday , Scott remained in Ventura County Jail in lieu of $ 135,000 bail .
@ @ @ @ @ whether Scott has an attorney .

Matthew Rey Scott, 35, was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary, evading and a community release violation in Simi Valley on Sunday.
A 35-year-old man was arrested this week wearing nothing but his underwear after a Simi Valley resident called police to report that the man was trying to break into his home.
Officers responded to the home in the 1600 block of Hi Drive early Sunday after the resident reported that he was watching his security camera and saw a man trying to enter his window. When officers arrived, they found clothing that had been left outside.
Authorities searched the area and found a man, later identified as Matthew Rey Scott, hiding in the neighborhood in his underwear. Scott ran from officers before he was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted burglary, evading and a community release violation, police said.
Police did not specify the circumstances surrounding the alleged community release violation. As of Tuesday, Scott remained in Ventura County Jail in lieu of $135,000 bail. It was not immediately clear whether Scott has an attorney.


latimes--2020-07-14--Leak at pumping station threatens water supply for thousands in Redlands

Thousands of Redlands residents are being urged to cut their water consumption and fill tubs and other containers for emergency use as crews work to repair a major leak in the city ’ s system , officials said Tuesday .
The leak , which was reported Monday and occurred in a 16-inch transmission line at a pumping station near Ford Park , could spill as much as 5 million gallons of water a day — creating potential pressure problems for approximately 23,000 residents , according to the city .
“ Water reservoirs remain low due to loss of water storage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote in a statement Tuesday morning .
“ Customers are asked to conserve water to ease pressure on the system while repairs are made.
” City officials said repairs could take several days to complete and advised residents Monday night “ to store water in containers and fill tubs for emergency water supplies until further notice.
” Water quality has not been affected yet , but officials said boil notices could be issued if pressure drops too far .
A detailed map of the affected area is available here .
Residents also can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 798-7687 for more information .

About 23,000 Redlands residents are being asked to conserve water as crews work to fix a major leak in a transmission line.
Thousands of Redlands residents are being urged to cut their water consumption and fill tubs and other containers for emergency use as crews work to repair a major leak in the city’s system, officials said Tuesday.
The leak, which was reported Monday and occurred in a 16-inch transmission line at a pumping station near Ford Park, could spill as much as 5 million gallons of water a day — creating potential pressure problems for approximately 23,000 residents, according to the city.
“Water reservoirs remain low due to loss of water storage during the main break,” officials wrote in a statement Tuesday morning. “Customers are asked to conserve water to ease pressure on the system while repairs are made.”
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City officials said repairs could take several days to complete and advised residents Monday night “to store water in containers and fill tubs for emergency water supplies until further notice.”
Water quality has not been affected yet, but officials said boil notices could be issued if pressure drops too far.
A detailed map of the affected area is available here. Residents also can visit cityofredlands.org or call (909) 798-7687 for more information.


latimes--2020-07-14--Man charged with hate crime after driving car into group of Black people

A 42-year-old Redondo Beach man has been charged with a hate crime after prosecutors say he drove his car into a group of Black people outside a Torrance hotel while shouting racial epithets .
Dennis Wyman faces two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in serious injury to another person , with the special allegation that the alleged crimes were hate crimes , according to the Los Angeles County district attorney ’ s office .
The charges stem from a June 29 incident when , authorities say , Wyman began yelling racial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the parking lot of the Staybridge Suites at 19901 Prairie Ave .
According to the Torrance Police Department , Wyman got in his vehicle and drove toward the group .
The father of one of the people in the group arrived soon after , and Wyman continued his verbal barrage , later striking the man with his car before fleeing the scene , prosecutors said .
The victim , 50 , suffered injuries to his lower extremities and was taken to a hospital for treatment , authorities said .
Police later identified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week .
He remains in custody and is due in court for arraignment Tuesday .
If convicted as charged , Wyman faces up to 12 years in state prison .

A 42-year-old Redondo Beach man has been charged with a hate crime after prosecutors say he drove his car into a group of Black people outside a Torrance hotel while shouting racial epithets.
Dennis Wyman faces two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in serious injury to another person, with the special allegation that the alleged crimes were hate crimes, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
The charges stem from a June 29 incident when, authorities say, Wyman began yelling racial insults at a group of Black people in the parking lot of the Staybridge Suites at 19901 Prairie Ave.
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According to the Torrance Police Department, Wyman got in his vehicle and drove toward the group.
The father of one of the people in the group arrived soon after, and Wyman continued his verbal barrage, later striking the man with his car before fleeing the scene, prosecutors said.
The victim, 50, suffered injuries to his lower extremities and was taken to a hospital for treatment, authorities said.
Police later identified Wyman as the driver and arrested him last week. He remains in custody and is due in court for arraignment Tuesday.
If convicted as charged, Wyman faces up to 12 years in state prison.


latimes--2020-07-14--Community fridges show up in L.A. neighborhoods to feed those in need

In Mid-City , a refrigerator stands on the sidewalk outside Little Amsterdam coffee shop .
This is no ordinary sidewalk fridge — dank and empty , waiting to be picked up by sanitation services — but a community fridge : cold , clean and well-stocked with food .
Behind its frosty glass door is a wheel of Cacique queso fresco , a carton of eggs , squash , kale , Lunchables and half a gallon of milk .
On its side , there ’ s a mural of a young man eating an apple , the words “ Eat to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hair .
The fridge , hosted by 40-year-old Little Amsterdam owner Joshua Mock , is part of a growing mutual aid network called Los Angeles Community Fridges that assists in setting up community-run , free-food fridges across the city , and offers resources and tips for people to do so themselves .
These refrigerators are hosted and sustained by businesses , organizations and individuals , and supported through the network of more than 60 organizers across Los Angeles .
Inspired by similar efforts in New York City , including by the activist collective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the idea is to empower communities , feed people and eliminate food waste .
“ Food scarcity is a myth , and our communities deserve to be fed , ” said Julia Lebow , a 25-year-old organizer with L.A. Community Fridges .
Unlike more traditional forms of food aid , there are no forms to fill out , and no limit on how much food people can take or how often they can take it ; the fridges are anonymous ; their light is on 24/7 ; and they ’ re not being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an important distinction for many people who are food insecure , said Marina Vergara , a 31-year-old organizer with L.A. Community Fridges and head of operations at Reach for the Top , an organization that offers transitional housing for the chronically unhoused , along with food distribution services .
Reach for the Top was the first to host an L.A. community fridge at its housing unit in Mid-City .
It was set up on July 6 , with a second one ( which has now been moved to South L.A. ) put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of people don ’ t seek out aid because of their [ immigration ] status , ” she said .
“ There ’ s no doubt in my mind.
” Vergara said there was another reason why people might feel more comfortable taking food from the refrigerators instead of more traditional sources of aid : “ There ’ s so much pride that people have , and seeking assistance strips that away.
” Organizers have been growing the network for weeks now .
But since the effort materialized on Instagram on July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Highland Park , South L.A. , Long Beach , Exposition Park , Arlington Heights and in Mid-City .
Most of them are brightly painted and hard to miss , with “ Free food ” or “ Take what you need , leave what you don ’ t ” in English and Spanish .
The organizers insist it ’ s not charity — something they say can be perceived as belittling for those on the receiving end — but mutual aid .
“ Mutual aid emphasizes this is from the community , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the network .
“ We aren ’ t gifting anything .
We ’ re just putting resources where they need to go , because those resources are available .
The issue is just getting them efficiently distributed.
” The fridges are found mostly for free on Craigslist , and their transportation is handled by people within the network who have trucks .
The food has come from supermarkets , food pantries , meal services , people ’ s homes and gardens , and sometimes restaurants .
It ’ s an effort that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exacerbating poverty and food insecurity , causing large numbers of residents in L.A. County to lose their jobs and the number of families seeking food aid to shoot up exponentially .
The recent protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody also engendered a spirit of helping people .
“ This is a really special moment because of coronavirus and because of this moment of upheaval and revolution , ” said organizer Lebow .
“ I think a lot of people are really looking for a way to be involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ryan Hoyle is the 28-year-old co-owner and founder of Play Nice LBC , a retail shop that doubles as a gallery and community space .
When he saw the L.A. Community Fridges Instagram pop up on his feed in early July , he offered his storefront as a power source .
Play Nice is a haven for young Black and brown people in an area that ’ s becoming increasingly gentrified .
“ This is an area that could really use that help , ” Hoyle said .
After making contact with Hoyle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off a fridge in Long Beach on Thursday evening .
By Friday afternoon , Hoyle and his team had cleaned , painted and stocked the refrigerator with food .
By Saturday , so many contributions had come in that the fridge was overflowing .
Meanwhile , on Saturday in Exposition Park , South L.A. artist Fawlene Copeland , 25 , was tapped to paint one of the newest community fridges to join the network , dropped off by organizers earlier that day in front of Revolutionario North African Tacos .
Also over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Pair O Dice Giftshop was settling into its new home on a stretch of Figueroa Street .
Behind its door , painted in warm , inviting earth tones , were packets of Abuelita hot chocolate , cartons of whole milk and almond milk and seasonal stone fruit .
Someone had set up a mini-pantry on the side of it that was stacked with dried goods .
Even before the pandemic hit , the L.A. Food Bank was clocking the number of food-insecure people in the city at 2 million .
Vergara believes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serve such populations is broken .
“ There are a lot of issues , ” she said .
“ Whether that be having to go to a food bank , or a weekly distribution event , because there are a lot of people who don ’ t have reliable transportation .
That ’ s a huge obstacle for a lot of the people that I know , who are mostly undocumented.
” Not to mention people who are experiencing homelessness or who have mental or physical disabilities .
Vergara said that that putting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serve an even broader population of people , including those who might be overlooked by traditional forms of aid .
Back in Mid-City on a quiet residential street , the two fridges that started it all , painted in Day-Glo orange and lime green , pique the curiosity of passersby .
The orange one depicts on its door a fist raised in protest holding a stalk of celery .
The words “ Comida Gratis ” are bannered across the freezer .
Free food .
( The lime green fridge is now in South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , showed up lugging a box of produce after doing her weekly shopping at Wellington Square Farmers Market .
Farmers donated the vegetables after she told them about her new neighborhood fridge .
They offered to start doing so every Sunday .
“ I know the need , ” she said , “ I just want to make sure communities ’ histories and cultures and livelihoods are not erased.
” For her , and the other people involved in the project , food is one way of ensuring that .

Joshua Mock, at right with son Nolan, owns Little Amsterdam coffee shop in Mid-City. The shop hosts a community fridge.
In Mid-City, a refrigerator stands on the sidewalk outside Little Amsterdam coffee shop. This is no ordinary sidewalk fridge — dank and empty, waiting to be picked up by sanitation services — but a community fridge: cold, clean and well-stocked with food.
Behind its frosty glass door is a wheel of Cacique queso fresco, a carton of eggs, squash, kale, Lunchables and half a gallon of milk. On its side, there’s a mural of a young man eating an apple, the words “Eat to Live” etched into his curly cropped hair.
The fridge, hosted by 40-year-old Little Amsterdam owner Joshua Mock, is part of a growing mutual aid network called Los Angeles Community Fridges that assists in setting up community-run, free-food fridges across the city, and offers resources and tips for people to do so themselves. These refrigerators are hosted and sustained by businesses, organizations and individuals, and supported through the network of more than 60 organizers across Los Angeles.
Reach for the Top manager Paloma Vergara, 29, loads up a Mid-City refrigerator with items donated by Emilia Shaffer-Del Valle. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Inspired by similar efforts in New York City, including by the activist collective A New World in Our Hearts, the idea is to empower communities, feed people and eliminate food waste.
“Food scarcity is a myth, and our communities deserve to be fed,” said Julia Lebow, a 25-year-old organizer with L.A. Community Fridges.
Unlike more traditional forms of food aid, there are no forms to fill out, and no limit on how much food people can take or how often they can take it; the fridges are anonymous; their light is on 24/7; and they’re not being policed or regulated by anyone.
This is an important distinction for many people who are food insecure, said Marina Vergara, a 31-year-old organizer with L.A. Community Fridges and head of operations at Reach for the Top, an organization that offers transitional housing for the chronically unhoused, along with food distribution services. Reach for the Top was the first to host an L.A. community fridge at its housing unit in Mid-City. It was set up on July 6, with a second one (which has now been moved to South L.A.) put in on July 7.
They’re perpetually full.
“A lot of people don’t seek out aid because of their [immigration] status,” she said. “There’s no doubt in my mind.”
Vergara said there was another reason why people might feel more comfortable taking food from the refrigerators instead of more traditional sources of aid: “There’s so much pride that people have, and seeking assistance strips that away.”
Advertisement
Artist Mary A. Harris, who painted a mural on the refrigerator at Little Amsterdam, is seen through its glass door. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Organizers have been growing the network for weeks now. But since the effort materialized on Instagram on July 3, community fridges have sprouted in Highland Park, South L.A., Long Beach, Exposition Park, Arlington Heights and in Mid-City.
Most of them are brightly painted and hard to miss, with “Free food” or “Take what you need, leave what you don’t” in English and Spanish.
The organizers insist it’s not charity — something they say can be perceived as belittling for those on the receiving end — but mutual aid.
“Mutual aid emphasizes this is from the community,” said Ian Cohen, another 25-year-old organizer with the network. “We aren’t gifting anything. We’re just putting resources where they need to go, because those resources are available. The issue is just getting them efficiently distributed.”
Emilia Shaffer-Del Valle, 26, writes a message on one of the Mid-City fridges, hosted by Reach for the Top, after a donation of produce. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
The fridges are found mostly for free on Craigslist, and their transportation is handled by people within the network who have trucks. The food has come from supermarkets, food pantries, meal services, people’s homes and gardens, and sometimes restaurants.
It’s an effort that’s timely, with the coronavirus pandemic exacerbating poverty and food insecurity, causing large numbers of residents in L.A. County to lose their jobs and the number of families seeking food aid to shoot up exponentially. The recent protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody also engendered a spirit of helping people.
“This is a really special moment because of coronavirus and because of this moment of upheaval and revolution,” said organizer Lebow. “I think a lot of people are really looking for a way to be involved and better their communities in particular.”
Ryan Hoyle is the 28-year-old co-owner and founder of Play Nice LBC, a retail shop that doubles as a gallery and community space. When he saw the L.A. Community Fridges Instagram pop up on his feed in early July, he offered his storefront as a power source.
Senay Kenfe, left, Ron Jenkins and Ryan Hoyle donate the electricity for a refrigerator that provides free food at Play Nice LBC on 4th Street in Long Beach. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Play Nice is a haven for young Black and brown people in an area that’s becoming increasingly gentrified.
“This is an area that could really use that help,” Hoyle said.
After making contact with Hoyle, the L.A. Community Fridges network dropped off a fridge in Long Beach on Thursday evening. By Friday afternoon, Hoyle and his team had cleaned, painted and stocked the refrigerator with food. By Saturday, so many contributions had come in that the fridge was overflowing.
Meanwhile, on Saturday in Exposition Park, South L.A. artist Fawlene Copeland, 26, was tapped to paint one of the newest community fridges to join the network, dropped off by organizers earlier that day in front of Revolutionario North African Tacos.
Artist Fawlene Copeland paints a donated refrigerator outside Revolutionario North African Tacos on Jefferson Boulevard. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Also over the weekend, a Highland Park fridge hosted by Pair O Dice Giftshop was settling into its new home on a stretch of Figueroa Street. Behind its door, painted in warm, inviting earth tones, were packets of Abuelita hot chocolate, cartons of whole milk and almond milk and seasonal stone fruit. Someone had set up a mini-pantry on the side of it that was stacked with dried goods.
Even before the pandemic hit, the L.A. Food Bank was clocking the number of food-insecure people in the city at 2 million. Vergara believes that the current model in place to serve such populations is broken.
“There are a lot of issues,” she said. “Whether that be having to go to a food bank, or a weekly distribution event, because there are a lot of people who don’t have reliable transportation. That’s a huge obstacle for a lot of the people that I know, who are mostly undocumented.”
Not to mention people who are experiencing homelessness or who have mental or physical disabilities. Vergara said that that putting the fridges directly into the community can serve an even broader population of people, including those who might be overlooked by traditional forms of aid.
Back in Mid-City on a quiet residential street, the two fridges that started it all, painted in Day-Glo orange and lime green, pique the curiosity of passersby. The orange one depicts on its door a fist raised in protest holding a stalk of celery. The words “Comida Gratis” are bannered across the freezer. Free food. (The lime green fridge is now in South L.A.)
Emilia Shaffer-Del Valle, 26, showed up lugging a box of produce after doing her weekly shopping at Wellington Square Farmers Market. Farmers donated the vegetables after she told them about her new neighborhood fridge. They offered to start doing so every Sunday.
“I know the need,” she said, “I just want to make sure communities’ histories and cultures and livelihoods are not erased.”
For her, and the other people involved in the project, food is one way of ensuring that.


latimes--2020-07-14--Views on race relations in state alter dramatically as more white people see reality of discriminati

Views on race relations in state alter dramatically as more white people see reality of discrimination, survey shows

Californians ’ perceptions of race relations in the state have shifted dramatically since the spring , with views statewide having grown significantly gloomier than they were five months ago , according to a new statewide poll .
The survey , which compares its results to a similar poll conducted in February , offers a before-and-after look at how Californians ’ attitudes have shifted in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak , George Floyd ’ s death and the nationwide demonstrations that ensued .
Some 54 % of respondents said that relations between people of different races and ethnicities in California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uptick of 13 points since February .
The number of California adults who believe those relations were excellent or good dropped from 57 % to 44 % , the poll found .
The shift , the poll indicated , occurred across racial and ethnic groups in relatively equal numbers .
White Californians are now much more likely than they were earlier this year to say that Black people , Latinos and Asians are “ frequently ” discriminated against .
The uptick comes as data have shown that the virus disproportionately affects Black and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an explosion in anti-Asian hate incidents , said Paul Ong , director of UCLA ’ s Center for Neighborhood Knowledge , who was not involved in the poll .
“ The impacts are unevenly distributed — whether we ’ re talking about health , whether we ’ re talking employment or stability or negative racial encounters , ” Ong said .
“ Under COVID-19 , those things have become much more visible and a lot deeper.
” The poll also found that respondents do not attribute the rising tensions to the recent protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the contrary , most Californians , 55 % , believe that protests over the deaths of Floyd , Ahmaud Arbery , Breonna Taylor and others have brought people in the state together , rather than splitting them further apart .
A plurality of respondents described the protests as “ justified ” and “ impactful , ” at 31 % , but also as “ violent ” and “ dangerous ” — 30 % and 28 % , respectively .
“ The categories aren ’ t and don ’ t have to be mutually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior vice president at Strategies 360 , the polling and research firm that conducted the survey .
According to the survey , 67 % of Black respondents say that they face frequent discrimination in California .
And although the poll shows that whites have become more likely to acknowledge discrimination against people of color , it registered a small countertrend in the increased portion of whites who asserted that white people face discrimination , and the number of whites who said that their racial identity is “ extremely important ” to them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially among Republicans and Trump supporters .
Respondents took part online in the California Community Poll from June 26 through July 6 .
The survey was commissioned by the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment , Hispanas Organized for Political Equality and the Los Angeles Urban League in consultation with The Times .
Strategies 360 polled 1,184 adult citizens .
The margin of sampling error is 3 percentage points .
In addition to taking the pulse on race in the aftermath of nationwide protests , the poll also exposed the manner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything else that ’ s going on right now , ” Lieberman added .
The poll also found that a majority of Californians believe police treat Black people unfairly and perceive systemic racism in law enforcement — a question that was not part of the February survey .
Respondents were more divided on how police treat Latinos ( 46 % believe Latinos are treated fairly , while 48 % believe they are treated unfairly ) and believe that police treat Asians and whites mostly fairly .
And while nearly all of those surveyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on which reforms they support .
Some 6 % would abolish police departments and shift their funding and responsibilities to other agencies , while 12 % would leave departments as they are and ensure they have the equipment and funding they need to do their jobs properly .
Another 45 % support additional accountability and training , and 32 % would go further to shift significant parts of police funding and responsibilities to other agencies while maintaining their role in handling violent crime .
“ We ’ re facing a lot of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new , but because of environment , ” said Helen Torres , executive director of HOPE .
“ There ’ s huge racial inequalities in our communities and our society , and that creates frustration across the board.
” The data show substantial racial gaps on police reform , with Black respondents most likely to favor shifting funding and responsibilities away from police and whites least likely to endorse such major reforms .
Just over 45 % of Black respondents say they would shift funds away from police , while 34 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that way .
Police reform “ is at the heart of a lot of the discussions that are going on , ” said Michael Lawson , president of the Los Angeles Urban League .
“ It is at the core of what Black Lives Matter is demanding , and is an essential part of moving forward , ” Lawson said .
“ There have been discussions going back to the Rodney King situation .
This is a continuation of that.
” The recent spate of police killings of unarmed Black Americans and subsequent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in perceptions on discrimination , Lawson added .
“ The visibility of people standing in the streets and saying , ‘ Enough is enough ’ is a big change , ” he said .
“ There is something different .
The needle has moved.
” Compared with February , white respondents are 18 points more likely to believe Black Americans are discriminated against frequently ( from 22 % saying as much in February to 40 % ) , 10 points more likely to believe Latinos are discriminated against frequently ( from 22 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ points more likely to believe Asians are discriminated against frequently ( from 7 % to 20 % ) .
There is a “ continuing hierarchy ” in which respondents perceive Black Americans to be the most affected by discrimination , followed by Latinos and Asian Americans , Ong noted .
Charlie Woo , the board chair of CAUSE , said it was important for Californians to understand that Asian Americans are also discriminated against .
“ People need to be aware of the challenges we face , ” Woo said .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asian Americans don ’ t just fit in as model minorities , but also are discriminated against and face challenges ... that ’ s big progress .
”

Several hundred Black Lives Matter protesters take a knee and hold their fists in the air during a moment of silence to honor George Floyd during a peaceful protest march from Manhattan Beach to the Hermosa Beach Pier Plaza on June 2.
Californians’ perceptions of race relations in the state have shifted dramatically since the spring, with views statewide having grown significantly gloomier than they were five months ago, according to a new statewide poll.
The survey, which compares its results to a similar poll conducted in February, offers a before-and-after look at how Californians’ attitudes have shifted in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak, George Floyd’s death and the nationwide demonstrations that ensued.
Some 54% of respondents said that relations between people of different races and ethnicities in California were just fair or poor, an uptick of 13 points since February. The number of California adults who believe those relations were excellent or good dropped from 57% to 44%, the poll found. The shift, the poll indicated, occurred across racial and ethnic groups in relatively equal numbers.
White Californians are now much more likely than they were earlier this year to say that Black people, Latinos and Asians are “frequently” discriminated against. The uptick comes as data have shown that the virus disproportionately affects Black and Latino communities, and has led to an explosion in anti-Asian hate incidents, said Paul Ong, director of UCLA’s Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, who was not involved in the poll.
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“The impacts are unevenly distributed — whether we’re talking about health, whether we’re talking employment or stability or negative racial encounters,” Ong said. “Under COVID-19, those things have become much more visible and a lot deeper.”
The poll also found that respondents do not attribute the rising tensions to the recent protests over race and social justice.
On the contrary, most Californians, 55%, believe that protests over the deaths of Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and others have brought people in the state together, rather than splitting them further apart. A plurality of respondents described the protests as “justified” and “impactful,” at 31%, but also as “violent” and “dangerous” — 30% and 28%, respectively.
“The categories aren’t and don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” said Drew Lieberman, senior vice president at Strategies 360, the polling and research firm that conducted the survey.
According to the survey, 67% of Black respondents say that they face frequent discrimination in California. And although the poll shows that whites have become more likely to acknowledge discrimination against people of color, it registered a small countertrend in the increased portion of whites who asserted that white people face discrimination, and the number of whites who said that their racial identity is “extremely important” to them. Both those numbers have gone up, especially among Republicans and Trump supporters.
Respondents took part online in the California Community Poll from June 26 through July 6. The survey was commissioned by the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality and the Los Angeles Urban League in consultation with The Times. Strategies 360 polled 1,184 adult citizens. The margin of sampling error is 3 percentage points.
In addition to taking the pulse on race in the aftermath of nationwide protests, the poll also exposed the manner in which the COVID-19 pandemic “colors everything else that’s going on right now,” Lieberman added.
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The poll also found that a majority of Californians believe police treat Black people unfairly and perceive systemic racism in law enforcement — a question that was not part of the February survey. Respondents were more divided on how police treat Latinos (46% believe Latinos are treated fairly, while 48% believe they are treated unfairly) and believe that police treat Asians and whites mostly fairly.
And while nearly all of those surveyed support police reform, Californians are divided on which reforms they support. Some 6% would abolish police departments and shift their funding and responsibilities to other agencies, while 12% would leave departments as they are and ensure they have the equipment and funding they need to do their jobs properly.
Another 45% support additional accountability and training, and 32% would go further to shift significant parts of police funding and responsibilities to other agencies while maintaining their role in handling violent crime.
“We’re facing a lot of these conversations, not because they’re new, but because of environment,” said Helen Torres, executive director of HOPE. “There’s huge racial inequalities in our communities and our society, and that creates frustration across the board.”
The data show substantial racial gaps on police reform, with Black respondents most likely to favor shifting funding and responsibilities away from police and whites least likely to endorse such major reforms.
Just over 45% of Black respondents say they would shift funds away from police, while 34% of Latinos and 28% of whites feel that way.
Police reform “is at the heart of a lot of the discussions that are going on,” said Michael Lawson, president of the Los Angeles Urban League.
“It is at the core of what Black Lives Matter is demanding, and is an essential part of moving forward,” Lawson said. “There have been discussions going back to the Rodney King situation. This is a continuation of that.”
The recent spate of police killings of unarmed Black Americans and subsequent protests has also led to a change in perceptions on discrimination, Lawson added.
“The visibility of people standing in the streets and saying, ‘Enough is enough’ is a big change,” he said. “There is something different. The needle has moved.”
Compared with February, white respondents are 18 points more likely to believe Black Americans are discriminated against frequently (from 22% saying as much in February to 40%), 10 points more likely to believe Latinos are discriminated against frequently (from 22% to 32%), and 13 points more likely to believe Asians are discriminated against frequently (from 7% to 20%).
There is a “continuing hierarchy” in which respondents perceive Black Americans to be the most affected by discrimination, followed by Latinos and Asian Americans, Ong noted.
Charlie Woo, the board chair of CAUSE, said it was important for Californians to understand that Asian Americans are also discriminated against.
“People need to be aware of the challenges we face,” Woo said. “The fact that Californians [now] recognize Asian Americans don’t just fit in as model minorities, but also are discriminated against and face challenges ... that’s big progress.”


latimes--2020-07-13--Orange County education leaders want schools to reopen without masks or social distancing

Orange County education leaders voted 4 to 1 Monday evening to approve recommendations for reopening schools in the fall that do not include the mandatory use of masks for students or increased social distancing in classrooms amid a surge in coronavirus cases .
The Board of Education did , however , leave reopening plans up to individual school districts .
Among the recommendations are daily temperature checks , frequent handwashing and use of hand sanitizer , in addition to the nightly disinfection of classrooms , offices and transportation vehicles .
The recommendations , contained in a white paper , widely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The document states that remote learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic has been an “ utter failure ” and suggests allowing parents to send their children to another district or charter school to receive instruction if their home district does not reopen .
“ Among the many compelling expert arguments for reopening our schools , a number of us were also struck by something different , something we might call advice for adults , ” the paper states .
“ Among our greatest responsibilities as adults is our responsibility to model courage and persistence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is what many families are feeling with the mixed messages and confusion surrounding reopening of schools in the COVID-19 era.
” The discussion comes as the state ’ s two largest school districts , Los Angeles and San Diego , have announced that campuses will not reopen next month amid the ongoing coronavirus surge and students will continue with online learning .
Orange County has emerged as a hotbed of opposition to mandatory mask rules in public places , and its health director recently resigned after facing intense public criticism and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say masks are critical in slowing the spread of the virus .
The Orange County guidance was compiled from an 11-member panel appointed by the Board of Education last month that includes Orange County Health Care Agency Director Dr. Clayton Chau , County Supervisor Don Wagner , a psychiatrist , an urban studies professor , a public policy professor , a former superintendent and physicians .
“ Our constituents expect leadership from us , and so we wanted to present information to you , ” Board Vice President Mari Barke said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at and to follow according to what ’ s best for your family — take it for what it is and do what you ’ re most comfortable with.
” Board member Beckie Gomez cast the lone dissenting vote , saying the white paper failed to cite several references .
“ There are some flaws in this report , ” she said .
“ If you say something , you should be able to back it up.
” Last month , the Orange County Department of Education published its own list of guidelines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ options .
The document , which stresses the importance of social distancing and face coverings , is based on guidance from the state Department of Public Health , said Orange County Supt .
Al Mijares .
“ The board majority ’ s recommendations are not binding .
Locally elected school boards and superintendents will approve and implement plans specific to their districts based on the needs of their schools and communities , ” Mijares said in a statement .
“ OCDE is working to support districts in that effort , and we remain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the guidance of the California Department of Public Health and the Orange County Health Care Agency.
” Still , the panel ’ s recommendations have stirred controversy among parents and teachers in Orange County .
As of Monday morning , more than 26,000 people had signed an online petition decrying the recommendations and calling on elected officials to adhere to the state ’ s guidance for reopening schools .
“ These recommendations are not just for the safety of our teachers , staff , and students but for every single person they come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reads .
The panel ’ s recommendations touch on several topics that have been widely debated among Orange County residents in the past several months , including social distancing and the use of face coverings to slow the spread of the virus .
The document states that since children represent the “ lowest risk cohort for COVID-19 ... social distancing of children and reduced census classrooms is not necessary and therefore not recommended.
” Ryan Schachter , a special-education specialist at Corona del Mar Middle School and Corona del Mar High School in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the Board of Education ’ s recommendations .
He also said he didn ’ t plan to watch Monday night ’ s special meeting on Zoom .
“ I really don ’ t know what to think about all this , ” said Schachter , who has been teaching for 18 years , 17 of those with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District .
“ As a special educator , I know that without a doubt , our population is impacted the most by distance learning .
As an educator , I want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I can directly impact their education .
I can talk to them , work with them and relate with them .
We just can ’ t do that with the same intensity and effectiveness online , ” he said .
“ However , as a parent , and husband to a wife with an autoimmune disorder , I am not sure that being in the classroom without proper safety measures is best for my family or the community in which we live and serve .
I am really conflicted on what needs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like the idea that politics is trying to govern the pandemic as well ; that is frightful to me.
” Experts have said that while infection rates among children have been lower than in adults , young people can easily transmit the virus to other relatives , including their parents and grandparents , who may be at a higher risk of severe complications .
“ The evidence is showing children so far have been less likely to be infected , although that comes from a background of our children not being in school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor of microbiology at the Keck School of Medicine at USC .
“ It would be difficult to say that this means children are somehow more resistant to the virus.
” The document also states that requiring children to wear masks was not recommended given that it “ is not only difficult — if not impossible to implement — but [ is ] not based on science ” and “ may even be very harmful.
” Cannon said she was astonished the panelists would claim that the use of masks was not necessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more strongly ” with the recommendation .
Face coverings , frequent hand washing and physical distancing have been widely cited among medical experts as among the public ’ s key weapons to combat the virus .
While persuading children to wear masks — and keep them on — can be challenging , it ’ s important for adults to model the behavior appropriately to make it more comfortable for students , Cannon said .
“ There is growing evidence all in favor of the effectiveness of wearing masks , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ me this is not a set of recommendations grounded in science or best practices.
” “ I ’ m appalled that the leadership who is responsible for the safety of our children and their families would stoop to using such language , ” she added .
“ It ’ s based on nothing.
” Cardine writes for Times Community News .
TCN staff writer David Carrillo Peñaloza contributed to this report .

Graduate Dylan Davis is congratulated by coach John Shanahan as he exits the Laguna Beach High drive-through graduation at Guyer Field.
Orange County education leaders voted 4 to 1 Monday evening to approve recommendations for reopening schools in the fall that do not include the mandatory use of masks for students or increased social distancing in classrooms amid a surge in coronavirus cases.
The Board of Education did, however, leave reopening plans up to individual school districts.
Among the recommendations are daily temperature checks, frequent handwashing and use of hand sanitizer, in addition to the nightly disinfection of classrooms, offices and transportation vehicles.
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The recommendations, contained in a white paper, widely support schools reopening in the fall. The document states that remote learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic has been an “utter failure” and suggests allowing parents to send their children to another district or charter school to receive instruction if their home district does not reopen.
“Among the many compelling expert arguments for reopening our schools, a number of us were also struck by something different, something we might call advice for adults,” the paper states. “Among our greatest responsibilities as adults is our responsibility to model courage and persistence in the face of uncertainty and fear, which is what many families are feeling with the mixed messages and confusion surrounding reopening of schools in the COVID-19 era.”
The discussion comes as the state’s two largest school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego, have announced that campuses will not reopen next month amid the ongoing coronavirus surge and students will continue with online learning.
Orange County has emerged as a hotbed of opposition to mandatory mask rules in public places, and its health director recently resigned after facing intense public criticism and a death threat. Health experts widely say masks are critical in slowing the spread of the virus.
The Orange County guidance was compiled from an 11-member panel appointed by the Board of Education last month that includes Orange County Health Care Agency Director Dr. Clayton Chau, County Supervisor Don Wagner, a psychiatrist, an urban studies professor, a public policy professor, a former superintendent and physicians.
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“Our constituents expect leadership from us, and so we wanted to present information to you,” Board Vice President Mari Barke said. “These are simply guidelines to be looked at and to follow according to what’s best for your family — take it for what it is and do what you’re most comfortable with.”
Board member Beckie Gomez cast the lone dissenting vote, saying the white paper failed to cite several references.
“There are some flaws in this report,” she said. “If you say something, you should be able to back it up.”
Last month, the Orange County Department of Education published its own list of guidelines for resuming classroom instruction with online learning options. The document, which stresses the importance of social distancing and face coverings, is based on guidance from the state Department of Public Health, said Orange County Supt. Al Mijares.
“The board majority’s recommendations are not binding. Locally elected school boards and superintendents will approve and implement plans specific to their districts based on the needs of their schools and communities,” Mijares said in a statement. “OCDE is working to support districts in that effort, and we remain 100% committed to following and sharing the guidance of the California Department of Public Health and the Orange County Health Care Agency.”
Still, the panel’s recommendations have stirred controversy among parents and teachers in Orange County. As of Monday morning, more than 26,000 people had signed an online petition decrying the recommendations and calling on elected officials to adhere to the state’s guidance for reopening schools.
“These recommendations are not just for the safety of our teachers, staff, and students but for every single person they come in contact with,” the petition reads.
The panel’s recommendations touch on several topics that have been widely debated among Orange County residents in the past several months, including social distancing and the use of face coverings to slow the spread of the virus.
The document states that since children represent the “lowest risk cohort for COVID-19 ... social distancing of children and reduced census classrooms is not necessary and therefore not recommended.”
Ryan Schachter, a special-education specialist at Corona del Mar Middle School and Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, said he is divided on the Board of Education’s recommendations. He also said he didn’t plan to watch Monday night’s special meeting on Zoom.
“I really don’t know what to think about all this,” said Schachter, who has been teaching for 18 years, 17 of those with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.
“As a special educator, I know that without a doubt, our population is impacted the most by distance learning. As an educator, I want my students in the classroom, where I can directly impact their education. I can talk to them, work with them and relate with them. We just can’t do that with the same intensity and effectiveness online,” he said.
“However, as a parent, and husband to a wife with an autoimmune disorder, I am not sure that being in the classroom without proper safety measures is best for my family or the community in which we live and serve. I am really conflicted on what needs to be done. I don’t like the idea that politics is trying to govern the pandemic as well; that is frightful to me.”
Experts have said that while infection rates among children have been lower than in adults, young people can easily transmit the virus to other relatives, including their parents and grandparents, who may be at a higher risk of severe complications.
“The evidence is showing children so far have been less likely to be infected, although that comes from a background of our children not being in school,” said Paula Cannon, a professor of microbiology at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. “It would be difficult to say that this means children are somehow more resistant to the virus.”
The document also states that requiring children to wear masks was not recommended given that it “is not only difficult — if not impossible to implement — but [is] not based on science” and “may even be very harmful.”
Cannon said she was astonished the panelists would claim that the use of masks was not necessary and that she “could not disagree more strongly” with the recommendation.
Face coverings, frequent hand washing and physical distancing have been widely cited among medical experts as among the public’s key weapons to combat the virus. While persuading children to wear masks — and keep them on — can be challenging, it’s important for adults to model the behavior appropriately to make it more comfortable for students, Cannon said.
“There is growing evidence all in favor of the effectiveness of wearing masks,” she said. “The addition of that statement tells me this is not a set of recommendations grounded in science or best practices.”
“I’m appalled that the leadership who is responsible for the safety of our children and their families would stoop to using such language,” she added. “It’s based on nothing.”
Cardine writes for Times Community News. TCN staff writer David Carrillo Peñaloza contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-07-15--Coronavirus testing for half a million L.A. students each week? Easier said than done

That ’ s the approach Supt .
Austin Beutner called for this week when he said it might be unsafe to reopen Los Angeles Unified School District campuses until coronavirus testing is available to all K-12 students and employees on a regular , even weekly , basis .
That would mean enough tests for nearly half a million students and 75,000 staff members , in some 760 campuses from San Pedro to Chatsworth .
Such an undertaking would be unprecedented in scale , dwarfing the current testing levels in the county and straining a testing infrastructure that is already failing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As recently as last week , county public health officials recommended narrowed testing criteria because of limited supplies and infrastructure .
The approach is stirring some criticism , including from President Trump , who said it was a “ terrible decision ” to keep schools closed .
Some experts , including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , don ’ t recommend widespread testing at schools ; others raise questions about the feasibility of creating such a program on short notice .
“ I don ’ t think it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Garrido-Ortega , an epidemiology lecturer at Cal State Long Beach .
“ At this point , we need to reduce risk , ” she said .
“ Testing doesn ’ t necessarily reduce risk.
” Others have endorsed Beutner ’ s decision to keep campuses closed for now , given the current spike in coronavirus cases .
Some Harvard experts argue in a report that , due to false negatives and the rate of spread , every member of a population would have to be tested every three to four days to allow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in line with Beutner ’ s proposal .
With the clamor growing from the Trump administration , and some parents , for children to return to the classroom , Beutner made clear that assuring the safety of students and staff in the nation ’ s second-largest school district would have to come first .
The decision reflects the concerns of many experts .
Classrooms are perfect venues for widespread infection : Dozens of students are packed into a confined space , pulling their itchy face masks down to touch their noses and mouths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than adults , and many teachers are in older age groups , with preexisting conditions .
When Israel reopened its schools , outbreaks followed .
In Arizona , three teachers who shared a classroom for virtual summer school all contracted the novel coronavirus .
One of them died , reports said .
“ Testing the few will protect the many , ” said Beutner in his remarks on Monday .
“ The right way to reopen schools is to make sure there is a robust system of testing and contact tracing to mitigate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community.
” The success seen by South Korea , Denmark , Germany and Vietnam in fighting the virus , he said , was due to robust contact tracing operations that could be applied to L.A. County schools .
“ In one of our high schools , for example , the almost 2,900 students and staff have frequent contact with another 100,000 people , ” he said .
But the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explicitly “ does not recommend ” comprehensive school-based testing , the agency noted in bold letters on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence that it would reduce transmission , plus concerns about resources , parental consent and student privacy .
To conduct weekly screenings , the school district would need to procure personal protective equipment , hire and train people to conduct the tests and adopt a secure system for record-keeping .
The school district has about 485,000 students ranging from kindergartners to high school seniors , plus more than 75,000 full- and part-time employees .
Weekly screenings would mean at least 80,000-110,000 tests per day , depending on whether some can be conducted during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply launching a new testing location to serve 2,500 members of the public can take about two weeks , said Ann Lee , chief executive of Community Organized Relief Effort , which oversees testing at several locations across L.A. , including Dodger Stadium .
Barbara Ferrer , director of the county ’ s public health department , said Germany was the only country she knew of that had instituted student testing for coronavirus .
She had reservations about following Germany ’ s lead .
“ A , this is a very large county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a limit to what testing will tell us , ” she said , since it reflects a person ’ s infection status only at the moment of testing , and results can take several days .
“ As we learn more and have better testing capacity , it ’ s worth sort of revisiting what the role is of testing in the schools .
But right now , I would urge us to really focus a lot on the infection control and the distancing protocols that we ’ ve put in place.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blueprint is a physical one : supply .
In order to test all staff and students each week , the school district would need to obtain more than half a million swabs , tubes and units of reagents .
And any personal protective equipment obtained for health workers taking samples , or lab workers analyzing them , would presumably subtract from what is available to hospital staff on the front lines of the outbreak , critics said .
Already , Los Angeles County has experienced dwindling supplies for its public testing locations due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month , officials encouraged all residents to get tested .
But last week , officials suggested that priority be given to people who experience symptoms , have been in contact with someone who was exposed or work in a high-risk environment .
“ The mismatch of demand has become more apparent , ” L.A. County Health Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly said last week , when the new recommendations were announced .
“ We have to watch the supply chain.
” It would cost about $ 300 per student over the course of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekly , along with family members of those who test positive , according to Beutner .
But scientists say such calculations are misleading .
“ This is not about money .
It ’ s about physics , ” said Michael Osterholm , director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota .
“ We are going to have a collision course with destiny.
” Testing capacity in L.A. County has greatly expanded since early in the pandemic .
In the first week of April , about 30,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , hospitals , skilled nursing facilities and government-testing sites in the county .
Two thirds of those tests were administered by city or county testing sites .
In the last week of June , 191,046 people were tested across L.A. County , 87,345 of them at government-run sites .
There are nearly 100 testing sites throughout the county that are run by the city , county or their partners .
But L.A. County ’ s testing challenges abound , even without a school-based testing infrastructure .
The county was one of the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet residents have recently reported problems scheduling appointments .
Many say there are no available slots despite checking multiple times .
People experiencing symptoms still wait hours for testing , at drive-through lines that stretch for miles .
They ’ ve reported waiting more than 10 days for results .
While the county has struggled with widespread contact tracing — identifying and getting in touch with people who may have come into contact with infected persons — Beutner said school systems are “ much better placed ” than other social infrastructures to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Families trust schools with their personal information , he said , and schools likely keep the most accurate , real-time data of any group .
There ’ s one thing experts can all agree on : If mishandled , reopening schools would affect exponentially more people than the students who attend .
“ A 10-year-old student might have a 30-year-old teacher , a 50-year-old bus driver or live with a 70-year-old grandmother , ” Beutner said Monday .
“ There ’ s a public health imperative to keep schools from becoming a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Howard Blume contributed to this report .

L.A. Unified has about 485,000 students ranging from kindergartners to high school seniors. Weekly screenings would mean at least 80,000 to 110,000 tests per day,
Testing before schooling.
That’s the approach Supt. Austin Beutner called for this week when he said it might be unsafe to reopen Los Angeles Unified School District campuses until coronavirus testing is available to all K-12 students and employees on a regular, even weekly, basis.
That would mean enough tests for nearly half a million students and 75,000 staff members, in some 760 campuses from San Pedro to Chatsworth.
Such an undertaking would be unprecedented in scale, dwarfing the current testing levels in the county and straining a testing infrastructure that is already failing to keep up with surging demand. As recently as last week, county public health officials recommended narrowed testing criteria because of limited supplies and infrastructure.
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1 / 18 Sharon Chavez, 26, use the oral swab on her 7-year-old daughter Melany Garcia to test for Coronavirus the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 18 Thomas Aleman Jr. 9, and sister Hailey Aleman, 7, use the oral swab for their first coronavirus test in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 18 Tuntipumiamorin Thawat, 60, gets instruction from lead tester Daniela Burza as he uses the oral swab for Coronavirus testing in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 18 Michael Lewis Childress Sr. waits for coronavirus testing in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 18 Carlos Miranda deposits his test for Coronavirus in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 6 / 18 Gerardo Garibay, 75, uses the oral swab to test for coronavirus in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 7 / 18 Cynthia Leonard helps her son Messi McDaniel, 6, with an oral swab test outside the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 8 / 18 A worker registers a driver who is celebrating a birthday with a test for coronavirus infection at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area testing site. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 18 Cars wait in line at the free COVID-19 testing site at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 10 / 18 A worker checks the coronavirus test registration of a driver at the Hansen Dam site. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 11 / 18 Motorists line up for COVID-19 testing at Dodger Stadium. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 12 / 18 Mari Cruz takes a COVID-19 test from Tiffany Im at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 13 / 18 Hundreds of motorists wait for COVID-19 tests in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 14 / 18 Maritza Perez, a registered nurse, puts on her personal protective equipment before administering COVID tests to some 50 to 65 patients at AltaMed Health Services in Anaheim. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 15 / 18 Wilma Thomas, a registered nurse, left, and Viviana Robles, a licensed practical nurse, stand near a mister on a hot day of coronavirus testing at AltaMed Health Services in Anaheim. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 16 / 18 Gregory Williams helps daughter Althea, 7, with an oral swab COVID-19 test at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South L.A. His wife, Zulema Cuevas, holds their 2-year-old. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 17 / 18 Walk-ins wait at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science testing site. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 18 / 18 Dalton Caputo delivers his family’s test samples at the Charles R. Drew site. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
The approach is stirring some criticism, including from President Trump, who said it was a “terrible decision” to keep schools closed.
Some experts, including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, don’t recommend widespread testing at schools; others raise questions about the feasibility of creating such a program on short notice.
“I don’t think it’s really practical,” said Claire Garrido-Ortega, an epidemiology lecturer at Cal State Long Beach. “At this point, we need to reduce risk,” she said. “Testing doesn’t necessarily reduce risk.”
Others have endorsed Beutner’s decision to keep campuses closed for now, given the current spike in coronavirus cases. Some Harvard experts argue in a report that, due to false negatives and the rate of spread, every member of a population would have to be tested every three to four days to allow for reopening — an approach very much in line with Beutner’s proposal.
With the clamor growing from the Trump administration, and some parents, for children to return to the classroom, Beutner made clear that assuring the safety of students and staff in the nation’s second-largest school district would have to come first.
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The decision reflects the concerns of many experts. Classrooms are perfect venues for widespread infection: Dozens of students are packed into a confined space, pulling their itchy face masks down to touch their noses and mouths. Children typically have more close contacts than adults, and many teachers are in older age groups, with preexisting conditions. When Israel reopened its schools, outbreaks followed.
In Arizona, three teachers who shared a classroom for virtual summer school all contracted the novel coronavirus. One of them died, reports said.
“Testing the few will protect the many,” said Beutner in his remarks on Monday. “The right way to reopen schools is to make sure there is a robust system of testing and contact tracing to mitigate the risk for all in the school community.”
The success seen by South Korea, Denmark, Germany and Vietnam in fighting the virus, he said, was due to robust contact tracing operations that could be applied to L.A. County schools. “In one of our high schools, for example, the almost 2,900 students and staff have frequent contact with another 100,000 people,” he said.
But the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explicitly “does not recommend” comprehensive school-based testing, the agency noted in bold letters on its website, citing a lack of evidence that it would reduce transmission, plus concerns about resources, parental consent and student privacy.
To conduct weekly screenings, the school district would need to procure personal protective equipment, hire and train people to conduct the tests and adopt a secure system for record-keeping. The school district has about 485,000 students ranging from kindergartners to high school seniors, plus more than 75,000 full- and part-time employees. Weekly screenings would mean at least 80,000-110,000 tests per day, depending on whether some can be conducted during the weekend.
In L.A. County, simply launching a new testing location to serve 2,500 members of the public can take about two weeks, said Ann Lee, chief executive of Community Organized Relief Effort, which oversees testing at several locations across L.A., including Dodger Stadium.
Barbara Ferrer, director of the county’s public health department, said Germany was the only country she knew of that had instituted student testing for coronavirus. She had reservations about following Germany’s lead.
“A, this is a very large county, and B, there’s a limit to what testing will tell us,” she said, since it reflects a person’s infection status only at the moment of testing, and results can take several days. “As we learn more and have better testing capacity, it’s worth sort of revisiting what the role is of testing in the schools. But right now, I would urge us to really focus a lot on the infection control and the distancing protocols that we’ve put in place.”
Another key challenge to the school testing blueprint is a physical one: supply. In order to test all staff and students each week, the school district would need to obtain more than half a million swabs, tubes and units of reagents.
And any personal protective equipment obtained for health workers taking samples, or lab workers analyzing them, would presumably subtract from what is available to hospital staff on the front lines of the outbreak, critics said.
Already, Los Angeles County has experienced dwindling supplies for its public testing locations due to increased demand. Until earlier this month, officials encouraged all residents to get tested. But last week, officials suggested that priority be given to people who experience symptoms, have been in contact with someone who was exposed or work in a high-risk environment.
“The mismatch of demand has become more apparent,” L.A. County Health Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly said last week, when the new recommendations were announced. “We have to watch the supply chain.”
It would cost about $300 per student over the course of a year to test students and staff weekly, along with family members of those who test positive, according to Beutner.
But scientists say such calculations are misleading. “This is not about money. It’s about physics,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. “We are going to have a collision course with destiny.”
Testing capacity in L.A. County has greatly expanded since early in the pandemic. In the first week of April, about 30,000 people were tested for COVID-19 across clinics, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and government-testing sites in the county. Two thirds of those tests were administered by city or county testing sites.
In the last week of June, 191,046 people were tested across L.A. County, 87,345 of them at government-run sites. There are nearly 100 testing sites throughout the county that are run by the city, county or their partners.
But L.A. County’s testing challenges abound, even without a school-based testing infrastructure. The county was one of the first to offer testing to asymptomatic people, yet residents have recently reported problems scheduling appointments. Many say there are no available slots despite checking multiple times. People experiencing symptoms still wait hours for testing, at drive-through lines that stretch for miles. They’ve reported waiting more than 10 days for results.
While the county has struggled with widespread contact tracing — identifying and getting in touch with people who may have come into contact with infected persons — Beutner said school systems are “much better placed” than other social infrastructures to do so, citing the preexisting relationships there. Families trust schools with their personal information, he said, and schools likely keep the most accurate, real-time data of any group.
There’s one thing experts can all agree on: If mishandled, reopening schools would affect exponentially more people than the students who attend.
“A 10-year-old student might have a 30-year-old teacher, a 50-year-old bus driver or live with a 70-year-old grandmother,” Beutner said Monday. “There’s a public health imperative to keep schools from becoming a petri dish.”
Staff writers Colleen Shalby and Howard Blume contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-07-15--California fails to protect Latino workers as coronavirus ravages communities of color

Luis Chavarria and his brother are truck drivers based out of facilities in Compton and the Inland Empire .
When his brother got COVID-19 , Chavarria kept working — there were bills to pay and food to buy .
The conditions for staying safe amid the pandemic are not ideal , Chavarria said , explaining that co-workers were not given protective equipment , and many did not wear masks because it made communicating with dispatchers difficult .
No one wanted to talk about his brother ’ s hospitalization .
“ We do the best we can to protect ourselves , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It feels like a dark shadow , ” the 42-year-old said .
“ These companies need to keep their eyes out .
These companies have so many resources and it feels like they ’ ve left us in the cold here during the pandemic.
” As California sees a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations , a group that has been especially hard hit are Latinos , who make up nearly 39 % of the state ’ s population but 55 % of its COVID-19 cases .
According to recent L.A. County Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are more than twice as likely as white residents to contract the virus .
In San Francisco , of thousands tested in the Mission district in a study , 95 % of people who tested positive were Latinos .
A Los Angeles Times analysis of statewide data found that for every 100,000 Latino residents , 767 have tested positive .
The Black community has also been hit particularly hard : for every 100,000 Black residents , 396 have tested positive .
By comparison , 261 of every 100,000 white residents have confirmed infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for California to do more to protect essential workers .
Employers need to make workplaces safer , and testing and access to healthcare and other services should be ramped up for Latino and other non-white communities that are seeing major outbreaks , officials say .
In Los Angeles County , outbreaks are dramatically up at workplaces and offices , a category that includes warehouses , manufacturing plants , mail services , distribution services , waste management and retail .
It ’ s hard to know how good or bad employers are doing in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before L.A. County again shut down indoor dining rooms and bars , inspectors found that 49 % of bars and 33 % of restaurants were not adhering to physical distancing protocols indoors , while 54 % of bars and 44 % of restaurants were not enforcing mask and face shield requirements .
“ We ... have a large epidemic really reflected up and down the West Coast , and also in Mexico , of essential workers from high-density neighborhoods — predominantly Latinx , ” UC San Francisco epidemiologist and infectious-diseases expert Dr. George @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forum last week .
“ And I fear that ’ s approaching endemicity.
” Experts say the biggest outbreaks have been in Southern California and the Central Valley .
In those regions , the economies are particularly reliant on Latino workers , and a number of Latino residents tend to live in densely packed communities where COVID-19 can easily spread through extended families .
“ This is a pattern that we ’ ve seen from the beginning ” of the pandemic , Rutherford said .
“ It really remains kind of the crux @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can spread easily when workers contract the virus and bring it home to their families .
Some of the biggest outbreaks have been in some of Los Angeles ’ most densely populated , immigrant neighborhoods including Pico-Union , Westlake and South Los Angeles , a Times analysis found .
Truck driver Rafael Saavedra , 41 , also has kept working during the pandemic , although his paycheck has dropped 30 % .
The owner-operator of G..X. Saavedra Trucking leaves from his home in Alhambra for work at 5:30 a.m. , heading to either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Saavedra handles shipping containers from overseas .
After loading his truck , he drives 400 miles across California before returning home .
But instead of immediately going to greet his wife and children as he used to , he changes out of his work clothes and showers to disinfect himself .
“ My worst fear is infecting my daughters , ” Saavedra said .
“ I ’ m given two masks every three to four weeks .
They don ’ t care about the drivers , and we ’ re the ones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and their advocates say companies could be doing much more to keep them safe .
On Friday , Los Angeles County health officials reported the deaths of four employees who worked at Los Angeles Apparel , a downtown garment manufacturer that has been making masks .
The company now has more than 300 confirmed coronavirus cases among its employees .
County officials said Los Angeles Apparel failed to cooperate with a county investigation of a reported outbreak , and the facility was shut down on June 27 .
At one point , officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with what appeared to be new employees , violating a county order .
The company has denied any wrongdoing .
But Barbara Ferrer , director of public health for L.A. County , said in a statement that there is a vital lesson in the case for all employers .
“ Business owners and operators have a corporate , moral and social responsibility to their employees and their families to provide a safe work environment that adheres to all of the health officer directives.
” Outbreaks at workplaces across California have climbed in recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a Central Valley Safeway distribution center died from COVID-19 complications and 51 others were infected .
A month later , nine industrial facilities in the city of Vernon saw COVID-19 outbreaks .
Of the nine facilities , five were meatpacking plants .
The largest outbreak involved more than 200 positive cases of COVID-19 from the Smithfield Foods-owned Farmer John plant , the producer of the beloved Dodger Dog , between March and May , according to the Department of Public Health .
Most of the workers in Vernon commuted from other working-class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orange County Labor Federation Executive Director Gloria Alvarado said county officials ’ failure to enforce safety mandates has jeopardized essential workers ’ safety .
She also blamed companies for failing to provide adequate access to personal protective equipment and not reporting COVID-19 cases to employees .
Based on conversations she has had with essential workers , Alvarado said , management at some retail and grocery stores across the county have not enforced mask rules for visitors .
“ In the beginning , people were saying , ‘ Thank you for risking your life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you don ’ t care about them , ” Alvarado said .
“ It ’ s hurtful because those heroes who are out there working — those front-line workers are your neighbors.
” Los Angeles City Councilman-elect Kevin de León said he felt L.A. County had failed to allocate resources to communities of color where COVID-19 has spread .
“ In terms of county government , there was no aggressive [ coronavirus lab test ] examinations or antibody testing , no aggressive contact tracing , ” de León said .
“ The communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who got the least .
We know that this is a problem , and we ’ ve known about it for some time .
The problem is , what ’ s being done about it ?
” While the county has received federal CARES Act funding , de León said , most of it has not been spent on the hot spot communities .
“ You can also use that money to prevent evictions , to buy equipment concentrated for these communities , ” he said .
“ Today , we have modern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the richest cities in the welfare state.
” In a statement , L.A. County officials said they have deployed more resources to communities of color , and as a result , the region ’ s poorest communities now actually have a higher rate of testing than others .
They said they expect to announce on Wednesday a plan to expand testing sites significantly in areas of need and engage in outreach to “ address the health equity issues that COVID-19 has made so tragically clear.
” They added : “ The underlying reasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by worse outcomes of COVID is also related to longstanding structural and systemic issues , including racism and historical disinvestments , that L.A. County is working to address and mitigate amidst this pandemic.
” Lai reported from Temecula , Calif. , and Lin from San Francisco .

Rafael Saavedra and his daughter Gianna, 5, in Alhambra on Tuesday. A framed picture of his oldest daughter Gizzelle, 16, hangs beside them.
Luis Chavarria and his brother are truck drivers based out of facilities in Compton and the Inland Empire. When his brother got COVID-19, Chavarria kept working — there were bills to pay and food to buy.
The conditions for staying safe amid the pandemic are not ideal, Chavarria said, explaining that co-workers were not given protective equipment, and many did not wear masks because it made communicating with dispatchers difficult. No one wanted to talk about his brother’s hospitalization.
“We do the best we can to protect ourselves, but there is a big fear. It feels like a dark shadow,” the 42-year-old said. “These companies need to keep their eyes out. These companies have so many resources and it feels like they’ve left us in the cold here during the pandemic.”
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As California sees a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, a group that has been especially hard hit are Latinos, who make up nearly 39% of the state’s population but 55% of its COVID-19 cases. According to recent L.A. County Department of Public Health reports, Latino residents are more than twice as likely as white residents to contract the virus. In San Francisco, of thousands tested in the Mission district in a study, 95% of people who tested positive were Latinos.
A Los Angeles Times analysis of statewide data found that for every 100,000 Latino residents, 767 have tested positive. The Black community has also been hit particularly hard: for every 100,000 Black residents, 396 have tested positive. By comparison, 261 of every 100,000 white residents have confirmed infections.
That has led to growing calls for California to do more to protect essential workers. Employers need to make workplaces safer, and testing and access to healthcare and other services should be ramped up for Latino and other non-white communities that are seeing major outbreaks, officials say.
In Los Angeles County, outbreaks are dramatically up at workplaces and offices, a category that includes warehouses, manufacturing plants, mail services, distribution services, waste management and retail.
It’s hard to know how good or bad employers are doing in following coronavirus workplace safety rules. But before L.A. County again shut down indoor dining rooms and bars, inspectors found that 49% of bars and 33% of restaurants were not adhering to physical distancing protocols indoors, while 54% of bars and 44% of restaurants were not enforcing mask and face shield requirements.
“We ... have a large epidemic really reflected up and down the West Coast, and also in Mexico, of essential workers from high-density neighborhoods — predominantly Latinx,” UC San Francisco epidemiologist and infectious-diseases expert Dr. George Rutherford said in a campus town hall forum last week. “And I fear that’s approaching endemicity.”
Experts say the biggest outbreaks have been in Southern California and the Central Valley. In those regions, the economies are particularly reliant on Latino workers, and a number of Latino residents tend to live in densely packed communities where COVID-19 can easily spread through extended families.
“This is a pattern that we’ve seen from the beginning” of the pandemic, Rutherford said. “It really remains kind of the crux of the problem in California.”
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COVID-19 can spread easily when workers contract the virus and bring it home to their families. Some of the biggest outbreaks have been in some of Los Angeles’ most densely populated, immigrant neighborhoods including Pico-Union, Westlake and South Los Angeles, a Times analysis found.
Truck driver Rafael Saavedra, 41, also has kept working during the pandemic, although his paycheck has dropped 30%.
The owner-operator of G..X. Saavedra Trucking leaves from his home in Alhambra for work at 5:30 a.m., heading to either the Long Beach or San Pedro port.
Saavedra handles shipping containers from overseas. After loading his truck, he drives 400 miles across California before returning home. But instead of immediately going to greet his wife and children as he used to, he changes out of his work clothes and showers to disinfect himself.
“My worst fear is infecting my daughters,” Saavedra said. “I’m given two masks every three to four weeks. They don’t care about the drivers, and we’re the ones doing all the dirty work.”
Workers and their advocates say companies could be doing much more to keep them safe.
On Friday, Los Angeles County health officials reported the deaths of four employees who worked at Los Angeles Apparel, a downtown garment manufacturer that has been making masks.
The company now has more than 300 confirmed coronavirus cases among its employees.
County officials said Los Angeles Apparel failed to cooperate with a county investigation of a reported outbreak, and the facility was shut down on June 27. At one point, officials alleged that the company tried to reopen with what appeared to be new employees, violating a county order. The company has denied any wrongdoing.
But Barbara Ferrer, director of public health for L.A. County, said in a statement that there is a vital lesson in the case for all employers. “Business owners and operators have a corporate, moral and social responsibility to their employees and their families to provide a safe work environment that adheres to all of the health officer directives.”
Outbreaks at workplaces across California have climbed in recent months.
In April, one worker at a Central Valley Safeway distribution center died from COVID-19 complications and 51 others were infected. A month later, nine industrial facilities in the city of Vernon saw COVID-19 outbreaks.
Of the nine facilities, five were meatpacking plants. The largest outbreak involved more than 200 positive cases of COVID-19 from the Smithfield Foods-owned Farmer John plant, the producer of the beloved Dodger Dog, between March and May, according to the Department of Public Health.
Most of the workers in Vernon commuted from other working-class, heavily-Latino cities across Southern California.
Orange County Labor Federation Executive Director Gloria Alvarado said county officials’ failure to enforce safety mandates has jeopardized essential workers’ safety. She also blamed companies for failing to provide adequate access to personal protective equipment and not reporting COVID-19 cases to employees.
Based on conversations she has had with essential workers, Alvarado said, management at some retail and grocery stores across the county have not enforced mask rules for visitors.
“In the beginning, people were saying, ‘Thank you for risking your life,’ and then all the sudden you don’t care about them,” Alvarado said. “It’s hurtful because those heroes who are out there working — those front-line workers are your neighbors.”
Los Angeles City Councilman-elect Kevin de León said he felt L.A. County had failed to allocate resources to communities of color where COVID-19 has spread.
“In terms of county government, there was no aggressive [coronavirus lab test] examinations or antibody testing, no aggressive contact tracing,” de León said. “The communities that needed the most were the communities who got the least. We know that this is a problem, and we’ve known about it for some time. The problem is, what’s being done about it?”
While the county has received federal CARES Act funding, de León said, most of it has not been spent on the hot spot communities.
“You can also use that money to prevent evictions, to buy equipment concentrated for these communities,” he said. “Today, we have modern day soup kitchen lines in one of the richest cities in the wealthiest state.”
In a statement, L.A. County officials said they have deployed more resources to communities of color, and as a result, the region’s poorest communities now actually have a higher rate of testing than others. They said they expect to announce on Wednesday a plan to expand testing sites significantly in areas of need and engage in outreach to “address the health equity issues that COVID-19 has made so tragically clear.”
They added: “The underlying reasons why communities of color are disproportionately impacted by worse outcomes of COVID is also related to longstanding structural and systemic issues, including racism and historical disinvestments, that L.A. County is working to address and mitigate amidst this pandemic.”
Lai reported from Temecula, Calif., and Lin from San Francisco.