latimes--2020-08-09--Thousands of online listings are violating L.A.'s new short-term rental law

Tenant activists celebrated when Los Angeles ushered in new rules to clamp down on renting homes for short stays , saying the city needed to stop landlords who were running apartment buildings like hotels .
But more than a year after that law went into effect , many rental hosts appear to be ignoring it .
Thousands of illegal rentals are still being advertised online , according to city officials and a Times analysis of listings on the popular platform Airbnb — and only a fraction have been penalized with fines .
The new law limits Angelenos to hosting short-term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” not in a second home or an investment property — a rule meant to ease the housing crisis .
It also requires hosts to register with the city , which checks that they meet that and other requirements .
Advertising an unregistered listing could be a way to try to dodge those rules .
The Times analysis found that as of early June , nearly 5,000 Airbnb listings for short-term rentals in Los Angeles lacked city registration numbers .
The city , in turn , has estimated that on Airbnb , more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — a number equal to roughly 42 % of active listings on all platforms in Los Angeles .
So far , city officials have been able to identify roughly 2,600 properties in L.A. on several platforms , including Airbnb , that have failed to comply with the ordinance because they didn ’ t include a valid registration .
To combat the problem , L.A. has sent out two rounds of warning letters and issued more than 650 citations to rental hosts , imposing one-time fines of $ 500 each .
City officials say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after getting the warning letters , and that there has been a 62 % decrease in rental listings since L.A. started its enforcement efforts last November .
“ These reductions are largely the result of staff spending an enormous amount of time helping hosts register , cleaning up data , and taking down illegal listings , ” planning department spokesman Yeghig Keshishian said .
“ At the end of the day , our goal has always been to resolve these problems and achieve compliance.
” But the city has not imposed ongoing fines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ listings , one of the enforcement tools included in the new ordinance .
Keshishian said that when enforcement began in November , they didn ’ t want to issue “ weeks ’ worth of fines when the end goal was always to protect our housing stock , not to exact fees.
” Nor has it penalized online platforms that host such listings , as the L.A. law allows .
Keshishian said they had focused on hosts because it was easier to prove violations .
To enforce the rules against platforms , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show that they “ knew or ignored the fact that their hosts were not in compliance.
” Los Angeles entered into an agreement last year with Airbnb that required the platform to remove “ categorically ineligible ” listings identified by the city , including those in apartments covered by rent stabilization rules .
But Airbnb did not have to remove any others until it rolled out a new system to facilitate sharing data with the city and removing illegal listings .
“ People have been calling our office , complaining that the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immunity , ” said Nancy Hanna , a partner with the law firm Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai , which has sued Airbnb on behalf of tenants .
In May , the Hadsell firm sent a letter complaining that enforcement was “ woefully inadequate ” and questioning city claims of success , pointing to a huge jump in the number of out-of-compliance rentals in Los Angeles between December and February , based on reports from a city contractor .
Keshishian said the increase was the result of thousands of rentals of previously “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be unpermitted .
Airbnb , which reported spending more than $ 280,000 on lobbying and related expenditures in L.A. in the first half of this year , says it has not been fighting the enforcement process .
“ Our desire is to make sure that the rules are working , ” said Airbnb spokesman Christopher Nulty , adding that the planned system “ puts enforcement tools in the hands of the city.
” “ There ’ s never been any intention on our side to drag our feet , ” Nulty said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a system that works.
” And as of today , he added , the system is “ ready to go.
” In June , Airbnb announced it was launching that system to help with enforcement .
Then the city abruptly put it on hold : Planning officials said Mayor Eric Garcetti ’ s office told them to hold off until the department had prepared a report on its financial effects .
Clamping down on illegal rentals could affect revenues from lodging taxes as L.A. faces a budget crunch .
Planning officials argued in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guests would simply book legitimate rentals or hotels , resulting in little effect on tax revenue .
The mayor ’ s office did not provide comment on the issue .
The decision to hold off on the new system aggravates some residents .
“ The city is dragging their feet to force Airbnb to adhere to the agreement they made , ” said Judith Goldman , one of the co-founders of Keep Neighborhoods First , which pushed for the new rules amid concerns about “ commercialized ” rentals .
In February , Goldman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the planning department that more than 10,000 possible violations of the ordinance had been identified — but no citations had been issued .
Fines started to be handed down in late February , but tenants who have complained about illegal rentals remain dissatisfied .
“ If you ’ re going to fine someone a one-time $ 500 , they could cover that cost in two or three nights , ” said Brian Averill , a Venice tenant whose building , the Ellison , has been embroiled in a legal battle over nightly rentals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ People are just going to see that as the cost of doing business and gladly pay it.
” Nulty , the Airbnb spokesman , countered that for the majority of hosts on their platform , “ five hundred dollars is a lot of money ... and certainly sends a very clear message that the city of L.A. will not tolerate people hosting illegally.
” Some argue that the new rules have had a marked effect .
Chani Krich , co-founder of Homeshare Alliance Los Angeles , said that most of the hosts her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because the city banned short-term rentals in rent stabilized apartments .
Other owners who were renting an extra unit in a duplex or triplex were also thwarted .
“ There was a mass exodus in November , ” Krich said .
“ They basically just shut it down.
” Others say they have seen little change under the new law .
Another Venice renter , Yvonne Sjostrand , said she was frustrated that her landlord had not been cited for a revolving door of rentals at her rent-stabilized building .
Strangers come and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trash and bring in lots of guests , she complained .
Other tenants have left in frustration with that and other issues at the building , Sjostrand said .
“ We ’ ve been reporting it for years .
Nobody does anything , ” she said .
Planning officials said they had received calls about that building and had referred the issue to another department for possible enforcement .
Another apartment building on the edge of Venice was cited for illegal rentals in April , but that fine had yet to be paid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and two residents there said the problems with night-to-night visitors had only worsened .
A representative at that building , called the Westerly on Lincoln , did not respond to requests for comment on the citation .
Keshishian said that more than 9,000 listings had spurred warning letters from the city , but roughly 2,600 appeared to still be out of compliance after getting those initial warnings and are undergoing further investigation for possible citations .
At the end of July , Hollywood led the city for properties identified as being in violation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 147 ) and downtown ( 144 ) .
Although more than 600 properties have been cited with fines so far , the majority had not paid those fines as of late July , according to data provided by the City Attorney ’ s Office .
Nearly 250 appeals have been lodged over the citations .
In addition to thousands of unregistered listings , The Times ’ analysis found that more than 400 hosts listed two or more entire L.A. homes or apartments as short-term rentals on Airbnb in June .
Doing so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rule that limits each host to renting out their own primary residence .
L.A. planning officials cautioned , however , that hosts often use third-party managers to list their homes on Airbnb , so the phenomenon doesn ’ t necessarily show that building owners are breaking the rules .
The Times ’ analysis is based on information collected by Inside Airbnb , a tech start-up that collects data from Airbnb listings .
The data is a snapshot of L.A. listings that appeared on the site on June 10 .
An Airbnb company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site are “ active , ” and noted that information on Inside Airbnb doesn ’ t take into account that multiple listings could be advertising the same property .

Tenant activists celebrated when Los Angeles ushered in new rules to clamp down on renting homes for short stays, saying the city needed to stop landlords who were running apartment buildings like hotels.
But more than a year after that law went into effect, many rental hosts appear to be ignoring it. Thousands of illegal rentals are still being advertised online, according to city officials and a Times analysis of listings on the popular platform Airbnb — and only a fraction have been penalized with fines.
The new law limits Angelenos to hosting short-term rentals in their “primary residence,” not in a second home or an investment property — a rule meant to ease the housing crisis. It also requires hosts to register with the city, which checks that they meet that and other requirements. Advertising an unregistered listing could be a way to try to dodge those rules.
Advertisement
The Times analysis found that as of early June, nearly 5,000 Airbnb listings for short-term rentals in Los Angeles lacked city registration numbers. The city, in turn, has estimated that on Airbnb, more than 6,000 listings are out of compliance — a number equal to roughly 42% of active listings on all platforms in Los Angeles.
So far, city officials have been able to identify roughly 2,600 properties in L.A. on several platforms, including Airbnb, that have failed to comply with the ordinance because they didn’t include a valid registration.
To combat the problem, L.A. has sent out two rounds of warning letters and issued more than 650 citations to rental hosts, imposing one-time fines of $500 each. City officials say that most scofflaws have fallen in line after getting the warning letters, and that there has been a 62% decrease in rental listings since L.A. started its enforcement efforts last November.
“These reductions are largely the result of staff spending an enormous amount of time helping hosts register, cleaning up data, and taking down illegal listings,” planning department spokesman Yeghig Keshishian said. “At the end of the day, our goal has always been to resolve these problems and achieve compliance.”
But the city has not imposed ongoing fines of $500 per day for illegal listings, one of the enforcement tools included in the new ordinance. Keshishian said that when enforcement began in November, they didn’t want to issue “weeks’ worth of fines when the end goal was always to protect our housing stock, not to exact fees.”
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Nor has it penalized online platforms that host such listings, as the L.A. law allows. Keshishian said they had focused on hosts because it was easier to prove violations. To enforce the rules against platforms, he said, the city needs additional evidence to show that they “knew or ignored the fact that their hosts were not in compliance.”
Los Angeles entered into an agreement last year with Airbnb that required the platform to remove “categorically ineligible” listings identified by the city, including those in apartments covered by rent stabilization rules. But Airbnb did not have to remove any others until it rolled out a new system to facilitate sharing data with the city and removing illegal listings.
“People have been calling our office, complaining that the city has been telling residents that Airbnb has immunity,” said Nancy Hanna, a partner with the law firm Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai, which has sued Airbnb on behalf of tenants.
In May, the Hadsell firm sent a letter complaining that enforcement was “woefully inadequate” and questioning city claims of success, pointing to a huge jump in the number of out-of-compliance rentals in Los Angeles between December and February, based on reports from a city contractor.
Keshishian said the increase was the result of thousands of rentals of previously “unknown” compliance being checked and determined to be unpermitted.
Airbnb, which reported spending more than $280,000 on lobbying and related expenditures in L.A. in the first half of this year, says it has not been fighting the enforcement process.
“Our desire is to make sure that the rules are working,” said Airbnb spokesman Christopher Nulty, adding that the planned system “puts enforcement tools in the hands of the city.”
“There’s never been any intention on our side to drag our feet,” Nulty said. “Our focus has been developing a system that works.” And as of today, he added, the system is “ready to go.”
In June, Airbnb announced it was launching that system to help with enforcement. Then the city abruptly put it on hold: Planning officials said Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office told them to hold off until the department had prepared a report on its financial effects.
Clamping down on illegal rentals could affect revenues from lodging taxes as L.A. faces a budget crunch. Planning officials argued in a report, however, that most guests would simply book legitimate rentals or hotels, resulting in little effect on tax revenue. The mayor’s office did not provide comment on the issue.
The decision to hold off on the new system aggravates some residents. “The city is dragging their feet to force Airbnb to adhere to the agreement they made,” said Judith Goldman, one of the co-founders of Keep Neighborhoods First, which pushed for the new rules amid concerns about “commercialized” rentals.
Venice residents, advocates and affordable housing supporters rally in 2015 calling for regulation of short-term rentals. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
In February, Goldman said she was aghast to hear from the planning department that more than 10,000 possible violations of the ordinance had been identified — but no citations had been issued. Fines started to be handed down in late February, but tenants who have complained about illegal rentals remain dissatisfied.
“If you’re going to fine someone a one-time $500, they could cover that cost in two or three nights,” said Brian Averill, a Venice tenant whose building, the Ellison, has been embroiled in a legal battle over nightly rentals. “That seems incredibly ineffective. People are just going to see that as the cost of doing business and gladly pay it.”
Nulty, the Airbnb spokesman, countered that for the majority of hosts on their platform, “five hundred dollars is a lot of money ... and certainly sends a very clear message that the city of L.A. will not tolerate people hosting illegally.”
Some argue that the new rules have had a marked effect.
Chani Krich, co-founder of Homeshare Alliance Los Angeles, said that most of the hosts her group represents have been forced to stop because the city banned short-term rentals in rent stabilized apartments. Other owners who were renting an extra unit in a duplex or triplex were also thwarted.
“There was a mass exodus in November,” Krich said. “They basically just shut it down.”
Others say they have seen little change under the new law.
Another Venice renter, Yvonne Sjostrand, said she was frustrated that her landlord had not been cited for a revolving door of rentals at her rent-stabilized building. Strangers come and go, block the driveway, leave trash and bring in lots of guests, she complained. Other tenants have left in frustration with that and other issues at the building, Sjostrand said.
“We’ve been reporting it for years. Nobody does anything,” she said. Planning officials said they had received calls about that building and had referred the issue to another department for possible enforcement.
Another apartment building on the edge of Venice was cited for illegal rentals in April, but that fine had yet to be paid as of the end of July, and two residents there said the problems with night-to-night visitors had only worsened. A representative at that building, called the Westerly on Lincoln, did not respond to requests for comment on the citation.
Keshishian said that more than 9,000 listings had spurred warning letters from the city, but roughly 2,600 appeared to still be out of compliance after getting those initial warnings and are undergoing further investigation for possible citations. At the end of July, Hollywood led the city for properties identified as being in violation (167), followed by Venice (147) and downtown (144).
Although more than 600 properties have been cited with fines so far, the majority had not paid those fines as of late July, according to data provided by the City Attorney’s Office. Nearly 250 appeals have been lodged over the citations.
In addition to thousands of unregistered listings, The Times’ analysis found that more than 400 hosts listed two or more entire L.A. homes or apartments as short-term rentals on Airbnb in June. Doing so raises questions about whether they are violating the rule that limits each host to renting out their own primary residence.
L.A. planning officials cautioned, however, that hosts often use third-party managers to list their homes on Airbnb, so the phenomenon doesn’t necessarily show that building owners are breaking the rules.
The Times’ analysis is based on information collected by Inside Airbnb, a tech start-up that collects data from Airbnb listings. The data is a snapshot of L.A. listings that appeared on the site on June 10.
An Airbnb company spokesperson said not all listings on the site are “active,” and noted that information on Inside Airbnb doesn’t take into account that multiple listings could be advertising the same property.


latimes--2020-08-09--California is releasing some murderers due to COVID-19. Some say it should free more

Terebea Williams was 22 when she shot her boyfriend , drove 750 miles with him bleeding in the trunk of his own car and then dragged him into a Northern California motel , tied him to a chair and left him to die .
Convicted of murder , carjacking and kidnapping , Williams went on to earn a college degree during her 19 years in prison , where she also mentored younger inmates and was lauded by administrators for her “ exceptional conduct ” while incarcerated .
The contrasting portraits of Williams as stone-cold killer and rehabilitated model prisoner highlight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thousands of California inmates to curb the spread of COVID-19 , which has killed at least 52 of those incarcerated and sickened more than 8,700 others .
This spring , the state expedited the release of 3,500 inmates because of the coronavirus , and in July it freed 2,345 others early .
Thousands more are eligible for release , including at least 6,500 deemed to be at high risk because of medical conditions that make them especially vulnerable to COVID-19 .
Although Gov .
Gavin Newsom and corrections officials have focused on freeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out people who , like Williams , have committed violent crimes but have serious medical conditions .
Williams , 44 , walked out of a women ’ s prison in Chowchilla , Calif. , on July 29 , lopping decades off her 84-years-to-life sentence for killing Kevin “ John ” Ruska Jr. , who died of infection from a gunshot wound to the gut .
Some prisoners ’ rights advocates say Williams exemplifies the type of inmate who should be released — one who has already served a lengthy sentence , poses a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulnerable to the coronavirus .
Some are also pushing to expand the criteria for early releases to include similar types of inmates now serving life without parole for murder .
But in Williams ’ case and others , officials have drawn the ire of prosecutors , victims ’ rights advocates and family members amid questions about which and how many inmates are being released — and whether it is being done with enough transparency to protect the public .
“ The governor of California , Terebea ’ s public defender and the politicians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this cold , calculated , lying , unremorseful murderer out of jail 65 years early , without giving the victim , Johnny , a voice , ” said Ruska ’ s cousin , Karri Phillips .
Whether violent felons should be paroled has long been debated , but the matter has become more urgent because of the coronavirus and the troubled and chaotic way some nonviolent offenders have been set free .
The process for determining who gets out and why is unclear , and some victims ’ families say they have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their lawyers also say they have been kept in the dark about the selection process .
Brian Pomerantz , a defense attorney who represents a San Quentin inmate at high risk medically and within months of parole eligibility , petitioned a federal court on July 10 for an early release .
But a month later , Pomerantz said , he still had heard nothing from the court or corrections officials on the fate of Anthony Waldrip , who has served 20 years of a 25-years-to-life sentence for being a felon in possession of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , did not own the gun and was moving it from a play area where an 8-year-old boy was showing it to his sister when police spotted him with the weapon , Pomerantz said , calling it a victimless crime .
“ To the best of my knowledge , no one has even considered him for early release , ” he said .
“ If the state is not releasing the least dangerous , the soonest eligible , the most medically vulnerable , or those without victims , what criteria are being utilized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers are fluid and subject to parole regulations and the decisions of officials at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation .
Some inmates are being freed on parole through regular channels , while others must meet such criteria as being within six or 12 months of the end of their sentences , depending on the prison .
Despite recent releases , many prisons remain at or over capacity , making it difficult to stop coronavirus from spreading .
More releases are needed , said medical experts , to control the crisis and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need hospitalizations in surrounding communities where healthcare systems are already stressed .
In a statement , corrections officials said that the 6,500 inmates identified as medically high-risk for COVID-19 are only “ eligible for consideration ” for release and will be evaluated “ based upon public safety and public health considerations.
” “ We take these decisions very seriously and continue to work with our law enforcement , public health , and community-based partners to address their concerns and work through this public health emergency together , ” it said .
Advocates for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being considered are older and unlikely to commit new violent crimes .
They say that only people who have shown they are rehabilitated , often after decades behind bars , are eligible — and the releases ultimately are in line with reforms that have rolled back overly harsh sentences handed out decades ago in a tough-on-crime , three-strikes era .
“ The safest person to be let back into our communities is a lifer , a lifer who has worked on himself , who has been to [ Alcoholics Anonymous ] for 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classes , who has unpacked childhood trauma , ” said Karen McDaniel , founder of Place4Grace , which provides rides home to those recently released and advocates for prison reform .
“ I any day would rather have a van full of lifers than a van full of guys who have just done a year , ” she said .
Newsom , like Gov .
Jerry Brown before him , has committed to reforming the criminal justice system with an eye toward lowering incarceration rates and prioritizing rehabilitation .
But the specter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after release is every politician ’ s nightmare .
Many recall the case of Willie Horton , a Massachusetts prisoner who committed a rape while out on an inmate furlough program , a much-publicized crime that helped doom then-Gov .
Michael Dukakis ’ presidential hopes in 1988 .
“ We still have an issue of should we only release violent or nonviolent offenders , and that is a political issue we shouldn ’ t be talking about when it comes to human lives , ” said Michael Mendoza , who was sentenced to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a gang murder .
Mendoza , now executive director of the advocacy group # cut50 , served 17 years before overhauls targeting youthful offenders made him eligible for parole in 2014 .
He and others say studies have shown that those who have served long sentences already , whether their crimes were violent or not , are the least likely to reoffend — at a rate less than 5 % , and for some demographics as low as 1 % .
And when they do reoffend , it often is for nonviolent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theft .
Some advocates contend that the pool of vulnerable inmates prioritized for early release should be expanded to include those with mental illness .
Psychiatric services have been sharply cut back in many prisons dealing with outbreaks , they say , and suicides are a continuing problem .
Michael Bien , a lawyer involved in a long-running federal lawsuit over prison medical care , said many inmates with mental health needs face a mix of physical and psychological danger that should be taken into account .
“ It ’ s like people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a fire , ” Bien said .
“ We have to get them out of there.
” Condemned inmates are not eligible for COVID-19 emergency release , while those serving life sentences without possibility of parole can be freed only if the governor grants clemency .
California has more than 5,000 people who are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole , including about 200 women — the largest such population in the country , according to advocates .
Others are also seeking clemency during the pandemic .
At 71 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institution for Women since 1979 , when she was convicted of first-degree murder and second-degree murder in two separate cases that occurred five years apart , both involving men who were shot in the head , according to media reports .
Rasul ’ s advocates said her crimes stemmed from being in an abusive relationship .
Rasul said she dreams about simple things like scrambling her own eggs or crossing the street .
She is seeking clemency for medical reasons , including requiring a walker for mobility .
“ I have tried my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 41 years by obtaining three associates degrees , completing countless self-help groups and have obtained great insight into my life as well as my crime , ” she said in an email .
“ The opportunity to regain my freedom would mean that I would not be doomed to die in prison , but instead spend the last years of my life breathing the sweet air of freedom , ” she added .
“ I would have a chance to regain my dignity.
” While Rasul awaits word on her clemency bid , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s decision to release Williams and another inmate convicted of unrelated violent crimes , with little advance notice and almost no explanation .
At her trial in 2001 , Williams told jurors that her boyfriend had threatened and stalked her , and that she killed him in self-defense .
A psychotherapist testifying on her behalf said she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from multiple past rapes and abuse beginning when she was 11 , but the court ruled the evidence of past trauma was not relevant and did not allow the jury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records .
The jury took little time to find her guilty .
“ Everyone assumed she would never see freedom again , ” Yolo County Assistant Chief Deputy Dist .
Atty .
Melinda Aiello told The Times , a week after Williams walked out of prison .
“ While Corrections told us they were releasing her just a few days before , there is no transparency , and we have no other explanation for her release , ” Aiello said .
“ There is no reason for failing to listen to the family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Corrections officials said Williams was released for medical reasons , but would not provide details about her condition .
Yolo County Public Defender Tracie Olson confirmed Williams has a serious medical condition , and said her office has been working since 2018 to have Williams set free .
Olson said Williams was “ the exact type of person that should be released early ” and that she believes Williams would have been freed under reforms for youthful offenders or a commutation presented to Newsom if the medical release had not happened .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ would want anyone to do , ” said Olson .
In late July , the state also freed Santiago Cruz , 65 , who was serving a 125-year sentence on his conviction for criminal threats in 1997 under California ’ s three-strikes law .
Cruz repeatedly harassed his ex-wife , stalked her boyfriend and tossed a Molotov cocktail at their home as they slept , Aiello said .
He also phoned the 18-year-old daughter of the new boyfriend and “ threatened to rape her while her father watched , kill her and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Olson said Cruz is disabled and would have been eligible for parole in 2021 .
Aiello said Yolo prosecutors had to scramble to find Cruz ’ s victims and warn them about his release .
As in Williams ’ case , Aiello said , the state provided no explanation .
Cruz ’ s ex-wife said she feels she “ is now the one in prison , ” according to a statement provided to the Yolo County District Attorney .
“ A dangerous person is being released into society again , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Aiello said .

Richard Winton, Anita Chabria, Kim Christensen

Activists call for prisoner release at a news conference by Gov. Gavin Newsom in San Quentin, Calif. It’s been unclear which California prison inmates are being chosen for release and how, prompting ire among some victims’ families.
Terebea Williams was 22 when she shot her boyfriend, drove 750 miles with him bleeding in the trunk of his own car and then dragged him into a Northern California motel, tied him to a chair and left him to die.
Convicted of murder, carjacking and kidnapping, Williams went on to earn a college degree during her 19 years in prison, where she also mentored younger inmates and was lauded by administrators for her “exceptional conduct” while incarcerated.
The contrasting portraits of Williams as stone-cold killer and rehabilitated model prisoner highlight the difficulties in a plan to release thousands of California inmates to curb the spread of COVID-19, which has killed at least 52 of those incarcerated and sickened more than 8,700 others.
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This spring, the state expedited the release of 3,500 inmates because of the coronavirus, and in July it freed 2,345 others early. Thousands more are eligible for release, including at least 6,500 deemed to be at high risk because of medical conditions that make them especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
Although Gov. Gavin Newsom and corrections officials have focused on freeing nonviolent offenders, they also are letting out people who, like Williams, have committed violent crimes but have serious medical conditions.
Williams, 44, walked out of a women’s prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on July 29, lopping decades off her 84-years-to-life sentence for killing Kevin “John” Ruska Jr., who died of infection from a gunshot wound to the gut.
Some prisoners’ rights advocates say Williams exemplifies the type of inmate who should be released — one who has already served a lengthy sentence, poses a low risk of reoffending and is particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. Some are also pushing to expand the criteria for early releases to include similar types of inmates now serving life without parole for murder.
Terebea Williams, 44, was given an emergency COVID-19 release from prison on July 29. She was serving an 84-years-to-life sentence for murder.
(California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
But in Williams’ case and others, officials have drawn the ire of prosecutors, victims’ rights advocates and family members amid questions about which and how many inmates are being released — and whether it is being done with enough transparency to protect the public.
“The governor of California, Terebea’s public defender and the politicians of California have used COVID to allow this cold, calculated, lying, unremorseful murderer out of jail 65 years early, without giving the victim, Johnny, a voice,” said Ruska’s cousin, Karri Phillips.
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Opinion Editorial: Every prison cell is now a coronavirus death row The COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin was predictable because of the prison’s layout and the simple truth that viruses will spread in packed spaces.
Whether violent felons should be paroled has long been debated, but the matter has become more urgent because of the coronavirus and the troubled and chaotic way some nonviolent offenders have been set free. The process for determining who gets out and why is unclear, and some victims’ families say they have been blindsided by decisions.
Some inmates and their lawyers also say they have been kept in the dark about the selection process.
Brian Pomerantz, a defense attorney who represents a San Quentin inmate at high risk medically and within months of parole eligibility, petitioned a federal court on July 10 for an early release. But a month later, Pomerantz said, he still had heard nothing from the court or corrections officials on the fate of Anthony Waldrip, who has served 20 years of a 25-years-to-life sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Waldrip, now 54, did not own the gun and was moving it from a play area where an 8-year-old boy was showing it to his sister when police spotted him with the weapon, Pomerantz said, calling it a victimless crime.
“To the best of my knowledge, no one has even considered him for early release,” he said. “If the state is not releasing the least dangerous, the soonest eligible, the most medically vulnerable, or those without victims, what criteria are being utilized?”
The state’s release numbers are fluid and subject to parole regulations and the decisions of officials at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Some inmates are being freed on parole through regular channels, while others must meet such criteria as being within six or 12 months of the end of their sentences, depending on the prison.
Despite recent releases, many prisons remain at or over capacity, making it difficult to stop coronavirus from spreading. More releases are needed, said medical experts, to control the crisis and alleviate the risk that ill inmates will need hospitalizations in surrounding communities where healthcare systems are already stressed.
In a statement, corrections officials said that the 6,500 inmates identified as medically high-risk for COVID-19 were only “eligible for consideration” for release and would be evaluated “based upon public safety and public health considerations.”
“We take these decisions very seriously and continue to work with our law enforcement, public health, and community-based partners to address their concerns and work through this public health emergency together,” it said.
Advocates for compassionate releases argue that most of those being considered are older and unlikely to commit new violent crimes. They say that only people who have shown they are rehabilitated, often after decades behind bars, are eligible — and the releases ultimately are in line with reforms that have rolled back overly harsh sentences handed out decades ago in a tough-on-crime, three-strikes era.
“The safest person to be let back into our communities is a lifer, a lifer who has worked on himself, who has been to [Alcoholics Anonymous] for 20 years, who has done victim impact classes, who has unpacked childhood trauma,” said Karen McDaniel, founder of Place4Grace, which provides rides home to those recently released and advocates for prison reform.
“I any day would rather have a van full of lifers than a van full of guys who have just done a year,” she said.
Newsom, like Gov. Jerry Brown before him, has committed to reforming the criminal justice system with an eye toward lowering incarceration rates and prioritizing rehabilitation.
But the specter of a violent offender committing another heinous crime after release is every politician’s nightmare. Many recall the case of Willie Horton, a Massachusetts prisoner who committed a rape while out on an inmate furlough program, a much-publicized crime that helped doom then-Gov. Michael Dukakis’ presidential hopes in 1988.
“We still have an issue of should we only release violent or nonviolent offenders, and that is a political issue we shouldn’t be talking about when it comes to human lives,” said Michael Mendoza, who was sentenced to adult prison at age 15 for participating in a gang murder.
Mendoza, now executive director of the advocacy group #cut50, served 17 years before overhauls targeting youthful offenders made him eligible for parole in 2014.
He and others say studies have shown that those who have served long sentences already, whether their crimes were violent or not, are the least likely to reoffend — at a rate less than 5%, and for some demographics as low as 1%. And when they do reoffend, it often is for nonviolent crimes, such as drug possession or theft.
Some advocates contend that the pool of vulnerable inmates prioritized for early release should be expanded to include those with mental illness. Psychiatric services have been sharply cut back in many prisons dealing with outbreaks, they say, and suicides are a continuing problem.
Michael Bien, a lawyer involved in a long-running federal lawsuit over prison medical care, says many inmates with mental health needs face a mix of physical and psychological danger that should be taken into account.
“It’s like people locked in a closet in the middle of a fire,” Bien said. “We have to get them out of there.”
Condemned inmates are not eligible for COVID-19 emergency release, while those serving life sentences without possibility of parole can be freed only if the governor grants clemency. California has more than 5,000 people who are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole, including about 200 women — the largest such population in the country, according to advocates.
Others are also seeking clemency during the pandemic.
At 71, Ameenah Rasul has been in the California Institution for Women since 1979, when she was convicted of first-degree murder and second-degree murder in two separate cases that occurred five years apart, both involving men who were shot in the head, according to media reports. Rasul’s advocates said her crimes stemmed from being in an abusive relationship.
Rasul said she dreamed about simple things like scrambling her own eggs or crossing the street. She is seeking clemency for medical reasons, including requiring a walker for mobility.
“I have tried my best to better myself during the past 41 years by obtaining three associates degrees, completing countless self-help groups and have obtained great insight into my life as well as my crime,” she said in an email.
“The opportunity to regain my freedom would mean that I would not be doomed to die in prison, but instead spend the last years of my life breathing the sweet air of freedom,” she added. “I would have a chance to regain my dignity.”
While Rasul awaits word on her clemency bid, prosecutors in Yolo County denounced the state’s decision to release Williams and another inmate convicted of unrelated violent crimes, with little advance notice and almost no explanation.
At her trial in 2001, Williams told jurors that her boyfriend had threatened and stalked her, and that she killed him in self-defense.
A psychotherapist testifying on her behalf said she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from multiple past rapes and abuse beginning when she was 11, but the court ruled the evidence of past trauma was not relevant and did not allow the jury to hear it, according to court records.
The jury took little time to find her guilty.
“Everyone assumed she would never see freedom again,” Yolo County Assistant Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Melinda Aiello told The Times a week after Williams walked out of prison.
“While Corrections told us they were releasing her just a few days before, there is no transparency, and we have no other explanation for her release,” Aiello said. “There is no reason for failing to listen to the family of a victim who suffered truly horrifically.”
Corrections officials said Williams was released for medical reasons but would not provide details about her condition. Yolo County Public Defender Tracie Olson confirmed Williams had a serious medical condition and said her office had been working since 2018 to have Williams set free.
Olson said Williams was “the exact type of person that should be released early” and that she believed Williams would have been freed under reforms for youthful offenders or a commutation presented to Newsom if the medical release had not happened.
“She did all the work you would want anyone to do,” said Olson.
In late July, the state also freed Santiago Cruz, 65, who was serving a 125-year sentence on his conviction for criminal threats in 1997 under California’s three-strikes law.
Santiago Cruz, 65, was released in late July. He had been serving a 125-year-to-life sentence on his conviction for criminal threats under California’s three-strikes law.
(California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
Cruz repeatedly harassed his ex-wife, stalked her boyfriend and tossed a Molotov cocktail at their home as they slept, Aiello said. He also phoned the 18-year-old daughter of the new boyfriend and “threatened to rape her while her father watched, kill her and then kill her father,” Aiello said.
Olson said Cruz was disabled and would have been eligible for parole in 2021.
Aiello said Yolo prosecutors had to scramble to find Cruz’s victims and warn them about his release. As in Williams’ case, Aiello said, the state provided no explanation.
Cruz’s ex-wife says she feels she “is now the one in prison,” according to a statement provided to the Yolo County District Attorney.
“A dangerous person is being released into society again,” Aiello said, “and it’s not fair to her.”


latimes--2020-08-09--As COVID-19 cases surge, patients are dying at a lower rate. Here's why

When the number of people being sent to the hospital with COVID-19 began to creep up in Los Angeles County early this summer , officials warned that a major increase in deaths was inevitable .
A record-breaking number of cases could result in a record-breaking number of deaths , they predicted .
But nearly two months later , that has not materialized .
The coronavirus continues to kill hundreds of people every week in L.A. County , but the death toll has remained lower than expected .
The trend is due in part to younger people falling sick , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s spread in high-risk settings , such as nursing homes .
But doctors say there ’ s another factor pushing up survival rates : better treatments .
“ It was so grim in the beginning , ” said Dr. Armand Dorian , an ER physician and chief medical officer for Verdugo Hills Hospital at USC .
“ Now we actually have regimens of treatments that do help .
...
Since the beginning , say , February to now , we ’ ve learned a lot.
” The trends are not limited to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of people diagnosed with COVID-19 between March and May died of the disease .
Among those diagnosed between June 1 and Aug. 3 , that figure dropped to 1.2 % , according to a Times analysis of state data .
Expanded testing , changing patient demographics and better patient care all played a role in that drop , experts say .
The statistic is what epidemiologists call the case-fatality rate : the number of deaths divided by the number of cases .
This measures how deadly the disease is once people catch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While the pandemic remains bleak , the lowered case-fatality rate is a glimmer of progress , experts say .
The case-fatality rate exists alongside another statistic : the mortality rate — deaths divided by the total population — which reflects the spread of the disease within the population .
In an interview with Axios released last week , President Trump discounted the nation ’ s mortality rate , which is worse than most other countries ’ , while lauding its case-fatality rate , which is better than most countries ’ .
But an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vast spread of the deadly virus , experts say .
California ’ s mortality rate is rising as the state ’ s death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 10,000 on Thursday .
If many people keep falling ill , then many people will die , even with improvements in survival rates .
Dr. Tim Brewer , an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist at UCLA , said that even the medical improvements could be negated if the number of patients continues to grow .
An overwhelmed healthcare system could hamper physicians ’ ability to provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We ’ ve acquired a tremendous amount of information in the last seven months that has been helpful .
We just need everybody to recognize that the virus has not gone away , ” Brewer said .
When COVID-19 patients first began showing up in hospitals in the spring , doctors didn ’ t know which medicines or treatments would be effective .
Little was understood about how the virus was transmitted or the best way to protect staff .
USC ’ s Dorian described healthcare workers dealing with that unprecedented crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has changed rapidly as doctors around the world study and treat the coronavirus .
Research findings in one country may within days become clinical guidelines in another .
“ The collaboration between physicians all over the world over how to best treat COVID-19 has been quite extraordinary , ” said Dr. Bilal Naseer , a critical care doctor in Sacramento with CommonSpirit Health , a large nonprofit hospital system .
“ I think the confidence level of physicians and healthcare teams is very high now — how to early-identify patients with COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really much better understood.
” Early in the outbreak , panicked healthcare workers administered multiple drugs to patients to try to save them , unsure which may help .
But that strategy made it hard to tell what was and wasn ’ t working , so physicians couldn ’ t gain knowledge they could use to help the next patients .
“ Physicians around the world and in L.A. were basically throwing anything we could at these patients , ” Brewer said .
“ We needed to get our panic level down a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and studies.
” One of those studies , conducted by British scientists , led to a surprising finding .
For other deadly coronaviruses , such as SARS and MERS , steroid medications had been shown to worsen symptoms .
But the UK researchers found that dexamethasone , a common and low-cost steroid , reduced mortality for patients on ventilators by a third , and by a fifth for those requiring oxygen , according to the study published in June .
Doctors had already begun administering remdesivir , an antiviral medication developed by Gilead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shorten the time it takes for patients to recover from the infection .
Both medicines are now regularly prescribed by physicians treating COVID-19 patients , they say .
“ We ’ re miles away from having real cures like vaccinations and more specific meds , ” Dorian said .
“ But we have something .
It feels good to say , ‘ Why don ’ t we give remdesivir ?
’ ” San Diego State University epidemiologist Eyal Oren pointed out that many people who get sick may not die , but will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned that looking at small improvements in survival rates may elide the reality that thousands continue to die from COVID-19 , particularly people of color .
“ Why do we have this many cases and this many deaths ?
” he said .
“ What ’ s the big picture ?
” But for some , the improved survival rates are a sliver of hope .
Before the latest wave of patients in L.A. County , the most people ever hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county at one time was just over 1,950 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broken in July , when more than 2,200 people were hospitalized with the infection .
Yet , average deaths never exceeded what they had reached in the spring .
The county ’ s case-fatality rate from COVID-19 has dropped from 4 % in May to 2 % now , according to county data .
“ To me , that probably means we ’ re doing better care , ” said Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser with the L.A. County Department of Public Health .
Gunzenhauser said that the decline is probably also due to changes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have fallen in nursing homes , whose residents are particularly vulnerable to the virus , while cases have increased among young people , who are healthier and more likely to survive , he said .
When patients do end up in the hospital , doctors have new protocols to improve their odds of survival .
Early in the pandemic , doctors rushed to put patients on ventilators when they were struggling to breathe .
But now it has become clear that it may not be necessary to intubate these patients , which can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually decrease their chance of survival .
Now , physicians lie patients on their stomachs to allow more oxygen into their lungs and give them oxygen through tubes inserted into their nose .
Patients are put on ventilators as a last resort , doctors say .
“ We were on a hair trigger to put people on vents at the beginning of the epidemic , ” said Bradley Pollock , the chair of the department of public health sciences at UC Davis .
“ If someone looked like they were declining , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a vent — that was a mistake , in retrospect.
” Doctors have also learned that COVID-19 tends to thicken patients ’ blood and form blood clots , which can cause strokes and heart attacks .
In some U.S. hospitals , clots were once reported to be the cause of 40 % of COVID deaths .
Now doctors know to administer anti-coagulants to prevent these deaths .
The knowledge gained over the last several months has improved care simply by making staff more confident , Dorian said .
Patients benefit when healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take their time with them and listen to their needs , he said .
“ That ’ s what turns people around .
It ’ s not just medicine , really , ” he said .

When the number of people being sent to the hospital with COVID-19 began to creep up in Los Angeles County early this summer, officials warned that a major increase in deaths was inevitable. A record-breaking number of cases could result in a record-breaking number of deaths, they predicted.
But nearly two months later, that has not materialized. The coronavirus continues to kill hundreds of people every week in L.A. County, but the death toll has remained lower than expected.
The trend is due in part to younger people falling sick, as well as better control over the disease’s spread in high-risk settings, such as nursing homes. But doctors say there’s another factor pushing up survival rates: better treatments.
Advertisement
“It was so grim in the beginning,” said Dr. Armand Dorian, an ER physician and chief medical officer for Verdugo Hills Hospital at USC. “Now we actually have regimens of treatments that do help. ... Since the beginning, say, February to now, we’ve learned a lot.”
The trends are not limited to L.A. County. In California, 3.6% of people diagnosed with COVID-19 between March and May died of the disease. Among those diagnosed between June 1 and Aug. 3, that figure dropped to 1.2%, according to a Times analysis of state data. Expanded testing, changing patient demographics and better patient care all played a role in that drop, experts say.
The statistic is what epidemiologists call the case-fatality rate: the number of deaths divided by the number of cases. This measures how deadly the disease is once people catch it — the chance of surviving. While the pandemic remains bleak, the lowered case-fatality rate is a glimmer of progress, experts say.
The case-fatality rate exists alongside another statistic: the mortality rate — deaths divided by the total population — which reflects the spread of the disease within the population.
In an interview with Axios released last week, President Trump discounted the nation’s mortality rate, which is worse than most other countries’, while lauding its case-fatality rate, which is better than most countries’.
But an improved case-fatality rate cannot offset the vast spread of the deadly virus, experts say. California’s mortality rate is rising as the state’s death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 10,000 on Thursday. If many people keep falling ill, then many people will die, even with improvements in survival rates.
Advertisement
Dr. Tim Brewer, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist at UCLA, said that even the medical improvements could be negated if the number of patients continues to grow. An overwhelmed healthcare system could hamper physicians’ ability to provide lifesaving care, he said.
“We’ve acquired a tremendous amount of information in the last seven months that has been helpful. We just need everybody to recognize that the virus has not gone away,” Brewer said.
When COVID-19 patients first began showing up in hospitals in the spring, doctors didn’t know which medicines or treatments would be effective. Little was understood about how the virus was transmitted or the best way to protect staff. USC’s Dorian described healthcare workers dealing with that unprecedented crisis as “deer in headlights.”
But that has changed rapidly as doctors around the world study and treat the coronavirus. Research findings in one country may within days become clinical guidelines in another.
“The collaboration between physicians all over the world over how to best treat COVID-19 has been quite extraordinary,” said Dr. Bilal Naseer, a critical care doctor in Sacramento with CommonSpirit Health, a large nonprofit hospital system. “I think the confidence level of physicians and healthcare teams is very high now — how to early-identify patients with COVID-19 and how to prevent severe disease is really much better understood.”
Early in the outbreak, panicked healthcare workers administered multiple drugs to patients to try to save them, unsure which may help. But that strategy made it hard to tell what was and wasn’t working, so physicians couldn’t gain knowledge they could use to help the next patients.
“Physicians around the world and in L.A. were basically throwing anything we could at these patients,” Brewer said. “We needed to get our panic level down a little bit and do research and trials and studies.”
One of those studies, conducted by British scientists, led to a surprising finding. For other deadly coronaviruses, such as SARS and MERS, steroid medications had been shown to worsen symptoms.
But the UK researchers found that dexamethasone, a common and low-cost steroid, reduced mortality for patients on ventilators by a third, and by a fifth for those requiring oxygen, according to the study published in June.
Doctors had already begun administering remdesivir, an antiviral medication developed by Gilead Sciences, that had been shown to shorten the time it takes for patients to recover from the infection. Both medicines are now regularly prescribed by physicians treating COVID-19 patients, they say.
“We’re miles away from having real cures like vaccinations and more specific meds,” Dorian said. “But we have something. It feels good to say, ‘Why don’t we give remdesivir?’”
San Diego State University epidemiologist Eyal Oren pointed out that many people who get sick may not die, but will still endure long-term health consequences. He warned that looking at small improvements in survival rates may belie the reality that thousands continue to die from COVID-19, particularly people of color.
“Why do we have this many cases and this many deaths?” he said. “What’s the big picture?”
But for some, the improved survival rates are a sliver of hope.
Before the latest wave of patients in L.A. County, the most people ever hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county at one time was just over 1,950 in late April. That record was broken in July, when more than 2,200 people were hospitalized with the infection.
Yet, average deaths never exceeded what they had reached in the spring. The county’s case-fatality rate from COVID-19 has dropped from 4% in May to 2% now, according to county data.
“To me, that probably means we’re doing better care,” said Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser with the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
Gunzenhauser said that the decline is probably also due to changes in who is falling ill. Infections have fallen in nursing homes, whose residents are particularly vulnerable to the virus, while cases have increased among young people, who are healthier and more likely to survive, he said.
Dexamethasone is a cheap, widely available steroid that reduced deaths among severely ill, hospitalized COVID-19 patients. (Associated Press)
When patients do end up in the hospital, doctors have new protocols to improve their odds of survival. Early in the pandemic, doctors rushed to put patients on ventilators when they were struggling to breathe.
But now it has become clear that it may not be necessary to intubate these patients, which can open them up to other complications that actually decrease their chance of survival.
Now, physicians lay patients on their stomachs to allow more oxygen into their lungs and give them oxygen through tubes inserted into their nose. Patients are put on ventilators as a last resort, doctors say.
“We were on a hair trigger to put people on vents at the beginning of the epidemic,” said Bradley Pollock, the chair of the department of public health sciences at UC Davis. “If someone looked like they were declining, we’re going to immediately put them on a vent — that was a mistake, in retrospect.”
Doctors have also learned that COVID-19 tends to thicken patients’ blood and form blood clots, which can cause strokes and heart attacks. In some U.S. hospitals, clots were once reported to be the cause of 40% of COVID deaths. Now doctors know to administer anti-coagulants to prevent these deaths.
The knowledge gained over the last several months has improved care simply by making staff more confident, Dorian said. Patients benefit when healthcare workers aren’t stressed and can take their time with them and listen to their needs, he said.
“That’s what turns people around. It’s not just medicine, really,” he said.


latimes--2020-08-08--Drought continues to expand as the monsoon in the Southwest has been largely a no-show

Hot and dry conditions pushed portions of Arizona , southern Nevada and Southern California either into drought or further into drought , data from the U.S. Drought monitor show .
The portion of California deemed abnormally dry grew by almost 7 % , mainly in eastern San Bernardino County .
Large portions of Arizona and parts of southern Nevada slipped from abnormally dry into moderate drought , and severe drought expanded in southern Arizona .
Northern California remained about the same , which is to say either in moderate or severe drought , with an area of extreme drought mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oregon border .
The North American Monsoon , which provides about half of the annual rainfall in parts of the Southwest , has been a “ nonsoon ” this year .
“ We thought last year ’ s monsoon season was rough , ” said Rob Howlett of the National Weather Service office in Tucson , “ but this year ’ s is worse.
” This is consequential for people living in Southern California because the Four Corners region of the Southwest is part of the Colorado River watershed , and the Colorado @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Los Angeles and Southern California .
July and early August are the peak of the monsoon season .
Normal rainfall for July in Tucson is 2.25 inches .
In 2019 , Tucson got 1.07 inches in July , but this year it got only 0.46 inches .
Last year ’ s monsoon season total was about an inch less than normal .
So far , this year is even drier .
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ’ s outlook for August is bleak .
It favors below-average precipitation in Arizona and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summer , a strong ridge of high pressure over the northern Pacific has been forcing the jet stream farther inland over the Intermountain West , Howlett explained .
“ This has a cascading effect , because it then forces our monsoon ridge farther south.
” Under normal summer conditions , a high-pressure system develops over the Mexican Plateau and shifts northward into the U.S. southern Rockies or southern Plains by early July .
Mid- and upper-level moisture is transported into Arizona and the Southwest from the Gulf of California and the Gulf of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said Howlett , the high has been centered directly over Arizona , producing excessive heat .
July was the hottest month on record for Tucson , he said .
July in Tucson was also the 10th driest on record , according to the National Weather Service , with the second-latest start of the monsoon season .
The location of the high-pressure ridge suppressed thunderstorm development .
“ We really depend on that ridge being farther north so we can tap into the southeast and east winds , ” Howlett said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and July fed dry westerly flow across Southern California and into the Southwest , keeping tropical moisture to the south and east .
NOAA ’ s three-month outlook in the Southwest calls for equal chances of above- or below-normal precipitation .
That could mean an active September and October , which usually is linked to tropical moisture sources , Howlett points out .
“ We ’ ll see how that shakes out.
” “ The wild card as we move into late August and September is the latest prediction of an extremely active @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bill Patzert .
The updated forecast released by Colorado State University on Aug. 5 calls for 24 named storms — twice the average — of which 12 will become hurricanes .
Five are expected to be major hurricanes .
“ Historically , 48 % of these hurricanes will make landfall along the Gulf Coast .
If any of these hurricanes come ashore in south Texas or northern Mexico , they could potentially give the Southwest monsoon season a late soaking , ” said Patzert .

Hot and dry conditions pushed portions of Arizona, southern Nevada and Southern California either into drought or further into drought, data from the U.S. Drought monitor show.
The portion of California deemed abnormally dry grew by almost 7%, mainly in eastern San Bernardino County. Large portions of Arizona and parts of southern Nevada slipped from abnormally dry into moderate drought, and severe drought expanded in southern Arizona.
Northern California remained about the same, which is to say either in moderate or severe drought, with an area of extreme drought mostly confined to Siskiyou County up on the Oregon border.
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The North American Monsoon, which provides about half of the annual rainfall in parts of the Southwest, has been a “nonsoon” this year.
“We thought last year’s monsoon season was rough,” said Rob Howlett of the National Weather Service office in Tucson, “but this year’s is worse.”
This is consequential for people living in Southern California because the Four Corners region of the Southwest is part of the Colorado River watershed, and the Colorado River is a major source of water for Los Angeles and Southern California.
July and early August are the peak of the monsoon season. Normal rainfall for July in Tucson is 2.25 inches. In 2019, Tucson got 1.07 inches in July, but this year it got only 0.46 inches. Last year’s monsoon season total was about an inch less than normal. So far, this year is even drier.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s outlook for August is bleak. It favors below-average precipitation in Arizona and the Four Corners region.
During the summer, a strong ridge of high pressure over the northern Pacific has been forcing the jet stream farther inland over the Intermountain West, Howlett explained. “This has a cascading effect, because it then forces our monsoon ridge farther south.”
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The 2020 monsoon in the Southwest has been hampered by the weather pattern in June and July. (Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times)
Under normal summer conditions, a high-pressure system develops over the Mexican Plateau and shifts northward into the U.S. southern Rockies or southern Plains by early July. Mid- and upper-level moisture is transported into Arizona and the Southwest from the Gulf of California and the Gulf of Mexico.
But many times this summer, said Howlett, the high has been centered directly over Arizona, producing excessive heat. July was the hottest month on record for Tucson, he said.
July in Tucson was also the 10th driest on record, according to the National Weather Service, with the second-latest start of the monsoon season.
The location of the high-pressure ridge suppressed thunderstorm development. “We really depend on that ridge being farther north so we can tap into the southeast and east winds,” Howlett said.
The jet stream’s position in June and July fed dry westerly flow across Southern California and into the Southwest, keeping tropical moisture to the south and east.
NOAA’s three-month outlook in the Southwest calls for equal chances of above- or below-normal precipitation. That could mean an active September and October, which usually is linked to tropical moisture sources, Howlett points out. “We’ll see how that shakes out.”
“The wild card as we move into late August and September is the latest prediction of an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season,” said climatologist Bill Patzert.
The updated forecast released by Colorado State University on Aug. 5 calls for 24 named storms — twice the average — of which 12 will become hurricanes. Five are expected to be major hurricanes.
“Historically, 48% of these hurricanes will make landfall along the Gulf Coast. If any of these hurricanes come ashore in south Texas or northern Mexico, they could potentially give the Southwest monsoon season a late soaking,” said Patzert.


latimes--2020-08-09--New COVID-19 testing site set to open near pedestrian crossing in San Ysidro along U.S.-Mexico borde

New COVID-19 testing site set to open near pedestrian crossing in San Ysidro along U.S.-Mexico border

Later this week , a COVID-19 testing site will open up just outside a pedestrian crossing in San Ysidro , where tens of thousands of people enter the United States from Mexico every day .
The PedEast testing location is thought to be the closest to the U.S.-Mexico border in any state , and is the result , the county says , of a data-driven , community-led strategy that aims to slow the spread of COVID-19 in South Bay communities .
Officials have long known that the pandemic has disproportionately affected the South County region , where cases continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increases include long-standing disparities in access to health care , a large population of essential workers and a lack of affordable housing .
Proximity to the border also plays a role , county officials said .
As in San Diego County , COVID-19 cases are increasing south of the border .
Tijuana , a city of about 1.8 million , has logged nearly 4,200 COVID-19 cases .
The state of Baja California , which has an estimated population of about 3.3 million , has reported around 14,200 cases and more than 2,760 deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case rate , with nearly 32,000 cases among about 3.3 million residents , but also tests at a much higher rate than its sister state to the south .
The two regions are inextricably linked by daily travel that flows across the border , in both directions , every day .
“ We are two nations .
We ’ re two cities .
But this is really a binational culture we have , ” said Supervisor Greg Cox , whose district includes the South County region .
Despite U.S. restrictions on nonessential travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the border at PedEast every day , federal officials said .
Many of these individuals — including American citizens who live in Tijuana and Mexican citizens with work visas — are essential workers in healthcare , at public agencies and in restaurants .
It can be difficult for these employees to find time to get tested , county officials said , even though many are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 .
Although Customs and Border Protection officials watch for symptoms of the virus , referring travelers who appear sick to health authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perform testing of its own .
The PedEast testing site is designed with these essential workers in mind .
The location will run Monday through Friday and will accept its first walk-ups in the early morning , when employees are more likely to cross .
No appointment is necessary and about 200 tests will be available .
The site is also near the San Ysidro Transit Center , making it accessible to nearby residents as well .
It will cost about $ 309,000 a month to operate .
County officials stressed that although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Border Protection officials are not involved in the testing .
And people looking to get a test will not be asked about their immigration status or the composition of their household .
“ We ’ ve said many times that diseases do not know borders , ” said Barbara Jiménez , director of central and south regions for the county ’ s Health and Human Services Agency .
“ Having grown up along the border and having been a cross-border employee myself , I understand the fluidity of that region .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community , but also our partnership with Baja California.
” Increasing testing across the South Bay has long been part of the county ’ s strategy to better contain COVID-19 .
The faster health officials can identify people who are sick , the faster they can help isolate them so they don ’ t continue spreading the disease to other community members .
That ’ s why nearly a third of the county ’ s testing sites can be found in South County , where COVID-19 case numbers are highest .
Health providers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the tests in the county between July 22 and Aug. 5 .
These sites also see high utilization rates , meaning most of the tests that are available are used .
Winkle and Solis write for the San Diego Union-Tribune .

Later this week, a COVID-19 testing site will open up just outside a pedestrian crossing in San Ysidro, where tens of thousands of people enter the United States from Mexico every day.
The PedEast testing location is thought to be the closest to the U.S.-Mexico border in any state, and is the result, the county says, of a data-driven, community-led strategy that aims to slow the spread of COVID-19 in South Bay communities.
Officials have long known that the pandemic has disproportionately affected the South County region, where cases continue to climb. Factors that contribute to these increases include long-standing disparities in access to health care, a large population of essential workers and a lack of affordable housing.
Proximity to the border also plays a role, county officials said.
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As in San Diego County, COVID-19 cases are increasing south of the border. Tijuana, a city of about 1.8 million, has logged nearly 4,200 COVID-19 cases. The state of Baja California, which has an estimated population of about 3.3 million, has reported around 14,200 cases and more than 2,760 deaths.
San Diego County has a higher case rate, with nearly 32,000 cases among about 3.3 million residents, but also tests at a much higher rate than its sister state to the south.
The two regions are inextricably linked by daily travel that flows across the border, in both directions, every day.
“We are two nations. We’re two cities. But this is really a binational culture we have,” said Supervisor Greg Cox, whose district includes the South County region.
Despite U.S. restrictions on nonessential travel, between 18,000 and 22,000 people cross the border at PedEast every day, federal officials said. Many of these individuals — including American citizens who live in Tijuana and Mexican citizens with work visas — are essential workers in healthcare, at public agencies and in restaurants.
It can be difficult for these employees to find time to get tested, county officials said, even though many are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. Although Customs and Border Protection officials watch for symptoms of the virus, referring travelers who appear sick to health authorities, the federal agency doesn’t perform testing of its own.
The PedEast testing site is designed with these essential workers in mind. The location will run Monday through Friday and will accept its first walk-ups in the early morning, when employees are more likely to cross. No appointment is necessary and about 200 tests will be available. The site is also near the San Ysidro Transit Center, making it accessible to nearby residents as well.
It will cost about $309,000 a month to operate.
County officials stressed that although PedEast sits on federal property, Customs and Border Protection officials are not involved in the testing. And people looking to get a test will not be asked about their immigration status or the composition of their household.
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“We’ve said many times that diseases do not know borders,” said Barbara Jiménez, director of central and south regions for the county’s Health and Human Services Agency. “Having grown up along the border and having been a cross-border employee myself, I understand the fluidity of that region. This testing effort recognizes the needs of our community, but also our partnership with Baja California.”
Increasing testing across the South Bay has long been part of the county’s strategy to better contain COVID-19. The faster health officials can identify people who are sick, the faster they can help isolate them so they don’t continue spreading the disease to other community members.
That’s why nearly a third of the county’s testing sites can be found in South County, where COVID-19 case numbers are highest. Health providers at these locations performed more than half of the tests in the county between July 22 and Aug. 5. These sites also see high utilization rates, meaning most of the tests that are available are used.
Winkle and Solis write for the San Diego Union-Tribune.


latimes--2020-08-09--San Quentin State Prison guard dies from coronavirus

A guard at San Quentin State Prison died Sunday morning of complications from COVID-19 .
Sgt .
Gilbert Polanco , an Army veteran , was admitted to a San Jose hospital in early July and was on life support , ABC7 News reported .
Polanco had worked at San Quentin since 1988 .
There have been 261 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among staff members at San Quentin , but Palanco is the first correctional officer there to die from the illness , according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation .
Twenty-four inmates at the facility have been killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been linked to the transfer of inmates to San Quentin from a state prison in Chino .
Polanco becomes the ninth employee of the California prison system to die of COVID-19 .
Ron Broomfield , acting warden at San Quentin , said in a statement Sunday that Polanco was a beloved friend and colleague .
“ Sgt .
Gilbert Polanco demonstrated unwavering commitment and bravery as a peace officer working the front line every day during this devastating pandemic .
His memory is carried on in the hearts of all the men and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus at San Quentin , ” Broomfield said .
“ We mourn together with his family and pray for their peace and comfort in the midst of their immeasurable loss.
” A GoFundMe campaign created for Polanco and his family has raised more than $ 66,000 .

San Quentin, opened in 1852 on the shore of San Francisco Bay, is the state’s oldest prison.
A guard at San Quentin State Prison died Sunday morning of complications from COVID-19.
Sgt. Gilbert Polanco, an Army veteran, was admitted to a San Jose hospital in early July and was on life support, ABC7 News reported. Polanco had worked at San Quentin since 1988.
There have been 261 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among staff members at San Quentin, but Polanco is the first correctional officer there to die from the illness, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
At least 24 inmates at the facility have been killed by the coronavirus. The outbreak has been linked to the transfer of inmates to San Quentin from a state prison in Chino. San Quentin inmate Pedro Arias, 58, who had been on death row since 1990 for first-degree murder, died Sunday at a local hospital from what appeared to be COVID-19 complications, officials said.
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Polanco becomes the ninth employee of the California prison system to die of COVID-19.
Ron Broomfield, acting warden at San Quentin, said in a statement Sunday that Polanco was a beloved friend and colleague.
“Sgt. Gilbert Polanco demonstrated unwavering commitment and bravery as a peace officer working the front line every day during this devastating pandemic. His memory is carried on in the hearts of all the men and women who continue to battle this deadly virus at San Quentin,” Broomfield said. “We mourn together with his family and pray for their peace and comfort in the midst of their immeasurable loss.”
A GoFundMe campaign created for Polanco’s family has raised more than $66,000.


latimes--2020-08-09--L.A. County reports more than 1,700 new coronavirus cases, many among younger people

Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday reported 1,789 new cases of the coronavirus and 10 related deaths but said the numbers still did not include a pending backlog of lab reports that could cause a spike in new cases .
Young residents continue to account for an outsize share of the new cases , officials said .
Of the infections recorded Sunday , 35 % were among residents 30 to 49 , and 69 % were among residents under 50 , the Department of Public Health said in a news release .
Hospitalizations continued to trend downward , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients as of Saturday , compared with 2,017 patients two weeks before .
“ As we begin to see the curve flattening again , I want to urge everyone to remain cautious and attentive to the reality of COVID-19 ; it is not going away any time soon , ” Barbara Ferrer , the county health director , said in a statement .
“ If we return to life as we knew it before the pandemic hit , we will see cases , hospitalizations and deaths increase once again.
” She urged people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and refrain from gathering with others from outside their household .
Los Angeles County now has recorded 208,528 cases of the coronavirus and 4,977 deaths .
Orange County added 565 cases of the virus and six deaths on Sunday , bringing its total to 39,641 cases and 726 deaths .
Hospitalizations continued to decline there too , with 487 confirmed coronavirus patients in county hospitals as of Saturday , compared with 687 two Saturdays before .
Statewide , there are now 559,540 cases of the coronavirus , and 10,374 people have died .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a confirmed case as of Saturday , a decline of 18 % from two weeks before , according to the L.A. Times coronavirus tracker .
Officials have cautioned that the number of cases , including those reported by individual counties , could be artificially low due to glitches in the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange electronic database that resulted in hundreds of thousands of lab reports not being uploaded to the database .
They are working to fix the system and said that could cause a spike in new cases as the backlog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not clear whether the lost tests are scattered throughout the state or confined to a small number of counties .
Hospitalization and death statistics are not affected by the reporting errors , officials said .

Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday reported 1,789 new cases of the coronavirus and 10 related deaths but said the numbers still did not include a pending backlog of lab reports that could cause a spike in new cases.
Young residents continue to account for an outsize share of the new cases, officials said. Of the infections recorded Sunday, 35% were among residents 30 to 49, and 69% were among residents under 50, the Department of Public Health said in a news release.
Hospitalizations continued to trend downward, with a total of 1,514 confirmed coronavirus patients as of Saturday, compared with 2,017 patients two weeks before.
“As we begin to see the curve flattening again, I want to urge everyone to remain cautious and attentive to the reality of COVID-19; it is not going away any time soon,” Barbara Ferrer, the county health director, said in a statement. “If we return to life as we knew it before the pandemic hit, we will see cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase once again.”
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She urged people to stay home as much as possible and refrain from gathering with others from outside their household.
Los Angeles County now has recorded 208,528 cases of the coronavirus and 4,977 deaths.
Orange County added 565 cases of the virus and six deaths on Sunday, bringing its total to 39,641 cases and 726 deaths. Hospitalizations continued to decline there too, with 487 confirmed coronavirus patients in county hospitals as of Saturday, compared with 687 two Saturdays before.
Statewide, there are now 559,540 cases of the coronavirus, and 10,374 people have died. There were 5,636 hospital patients statewide with a confirmed case as of Saturday, a decline of 18% from two weeks before, according to the L.A. Times coronavirus tracker.
Officials have cautioned that the number of cases, including those reported by individual counties, could be artificially low due to glitches in the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange electronic database that resulted in hundreds of thousands of lab reports not being uploaded to the database. They are working to fix the system and said that could cause a spike in new cases as the backlog of lab reports is cleared. It’s not clear whether the lost tests are scattered throughout the state or confined to a small number of counties.
Hospitalization and death statistics are not affected by the reporting errors, officials said.


latimes--2020-08-09--Newbury Park church holds indoor services in defiance of judge's order

Minor scuffles erupted Sunday morning between rival demonstrators outside Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park , which welcomed congregants in defiance of a judge ’ s order forbidding indoor services as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus .
Some protesters carried signs : “ This church endangers all ” and “ Jesus preached outside — why can ’ t you ?
” On the opposing side , signs called for religious freedom and denounced Gov .
Gavin Newsom as a communist .
While services were underway inside , 100 to 150 people were gathered in the church parking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Capt .
Eric Buschow of the Ventura County Sheriff ’ s Office .
By late morning , the pro-church demonstrators appeared to far outnumber those who had come to protest the services .
Buschow said no arrests had been made at that point .
“ We have deputies on scene right now , just addressing issues with minor scuffles , ” Buschow said .
Video footage showed pushing and screaming but no serious injuries .
The church has held indoor services since late May , and county healthy authorities have complained that parishioners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing as they pack inside .
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted 3 to 2 to enforce health orders with court actions , and last week a judge issued a restraining order against the church , saying the gatherings were a menace to public health .
The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for Aug. 31 .
In the meantime , Pastor Rob McCoy — who resigned in April as a member of the Thousand Oaks City Council after the governor deemed churches nonessential — has said he will defy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county ’ s crackdown is “ an ideological issue , ” not a health issue .
“ Really , all we ’ re doing is having church , ” McCoy said Saturday on the church ’ s YouTube channel .
“ Folks are coming out of the woodwork to support us.
” McCoy warned parishioners that authorities might cite them for violating a Ventura County judge ’ s order , however .
Some parishioners have said they would happily frame such citations , but he told them not to take it lightly .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ record and have consequences , such as endangering their ability to hold a concealed-carry weapons permit .
Still , he said , “ considering that our founders pledged their lives , their fortunes and their sacred honor , a citation — it ’ s serious , but it ’ s not the end of the world.
” “ They shutter our businesses , ” he added , “ destroy our families , they remove our children from schools , traumatize them emotionally and now they release convicts into our county .
And now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ church .
We haven ’ t had one case of COVID in our church .
We ’ ve been open since May 31.
” The Sheriff ’ s Office said Sunday it had not been citing people .
“ We ’ re aware of the situation and the court order , ” Buschow said .
“ We have not issued any citations today , nor do we plan to at this point.
” Churches across California have been whipsawed by state closure and reopening orders , as church events have been tied to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and faith has coalesced in the suburbs of Southern California .
The controversy over rising cases of infection and deaths related to the coronavirus has not stopped some residents from packing in-person services .
In May , Riverside County was quick to rescind stay-at-home orders and was among the largest proponents for reopening services .
When Newsom in July called for the suspension of indoor in-person services for the second time , some churches ignored the order , while others moved their services outdoors to sites such as parking lots .

Rival demonstrators gather Sunday in the parking lot of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park after Pastor Rob McCoy defied a judge’s order and held indoor services.
Minor scuffles erupted Sunday morning between rival demonstrators outside Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park, which welcomed congregants in defiance of a judge’s order forbidding indoor services as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus.
Some protesters carried signs: “This church endangers all” and “Jesus preached outside — why can’t you?” On the opposing side, signs called for religious freedom and denounced Gov. Gavin Newsom as a communist.
While services were underway inside, 100 to 150 people were gathered in the church parking lot and the surrounding area, said Capt. Eric Buschow of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. By late morning, the pro-church demonstrators appeared to far outnumber those who had come to protest the services. Buschow said no arrests had been made at that point.
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“We have deputies on scene right now, just addressing issues with minor scuffles,” Buschow said. Video footage showed pushing and screaming but no serious injuries.
The church has held indoor services since late May, and county healthy authorities have complained that parishioners have not been using masks or practicing social distancing as they pack inside.
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted 3 to 2 to enforce health orders with court actions, and last week a judge issued a restraining order against the church, saying the gatherings were a menace to public health. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for Aug. 31.
In the meantime, Pastor Rob McCoy — who resigned in April as a member of the Thousand Oaks City Council after the governor deemed churches nonessential — has said he will defy the court order, declaring that the county’s crackdown is “an ideological issue,” not a health issue.
“Really, all we’re doing is having church,” McCoy said Saturday on the church’s YouTube channel. “Folks are coming out of the woodwork to support us.”
McCoy warned parishioners that authorities might cite them for violating a Ventura County judge’s order, however. Some parishioners have said they would happily frame such citations, but he told them not to take it lightly. He said citations could stay on their record and have consequences, such as endangering their ability to hold a concealed-carry weapons permit.
Still, he said, “considering that our founders pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor, a citation — it’s serious, but it’s not the end of the world.”
“They shutter our businesses,” he added, “destroy our families, they remove our children from schools, traumatize them emotionally and now they release convicts into our county. And now they’re coming to prosecute a church. We haven’t had one case of COVID in our church. We’ve been open since May 31.”
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The Sheriff’s Office said Sunday it had not been citing people.
“We’re aware of the situation and the court order,” Buschow said. “We have not issued any citations today, nor do we plan to at this point.”
Churches across California have been whipsawed by state closure and reopening orders, as church events have been tied to coronavirus outbreaks.
The tension between safety and faith has coalesced in the suburbs of Southern California. The controversy over rising cases of infection and deaths related to the coronavirus has not stopped some residents from packing in-person services.
In May, Riverside County was quick to rescind stay-at-home orders and was among the largest proponents for reopening services.
When Newsom in July called for the suspension of indoor in-person services for the second time, some churches ignored the order, while others moved their services outdoors to sites such as parking lots.
Times staff writer Stephanie Lai contributed to this story.


latimes--2020-08-09--Firefighters report progress against 32,000-acre Apple fire in Riverside County

A massive vegetation fire continues to burn more than a week after it broke out in Riverside County but firefighters are getting a handle on the blaze as their focus shifts from protecting homes to stopping the fire ’ s growth , officials said .
The Apple fire had burned 32,412 acres , destroyed four homes and was 40 % contained as of Sunday morning .
Officials estimated it would take nine more days to fully contain the fire , which continued to burn northeast into the steep and remote terrain of the San Gorgonio Wilderness .
Fire officials on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forest to fight the fire from the ground and planned to send in a second team Sunday .
Along the southern flank of the blaze , firefighters were scouring the perimeter in the Millard Canyon area , looking for hot spots and dousing smoldering embers .
All mandatory evacuation orders had been lifted , but evacuation warnings were still in effect for Forest Falls , Pioneertown , Rimrock and Morongo Valley in San Bernardino County and the Whitewater area in Riverside County .
The San Gorgonio Wilderness was closed , as were U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Falls area and the Pacific Crest Trail between the Cottonwood Trailhead and Pipes Canyon Road .
Still , fire officials said they did not expect the perimeter of the fire to grow much Sunday after they saw no forward progression the day before .
The fire started July 31 in the 9000 block of Oak Glen Road .
It was ignited by a diesel-fueled vehicle that spewed burning carbon from its exhaust system , authorities said .
On Thursday and Friday , firefighters set controlled fires along the eastern edge of the fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flames ’ spread .
On Sunday , they credited those efforts with helping suppress the fire ’ s forward movement , saying that allowed them to shift their focus from protecting communities to preventing the fire from growing .
More than 2,700 personnel were fighting the blaze , but officials said that number could decrease as they started to scale down the effort , especially along the southern and western edges of the fire , where the threat to developed communities had been reduced .

Scorched terrain surrounds a home off Bluff Street as the Apple fire smolders in the background on Tuesday in Banning, Calif.
A massive vegetation fire continues to burn more than a week after it broke out in Riverside County but firefighters are getting a handle on the blaze as their focus shifts from protecting homes to keeping the flames from spreading, officials said.
The Apple fire had burned 32,412 acres, destroyed four homes and was 40% contained as of Sunday morning. Officials estimated it would take nine more days to fully contain the fire, which continued to burn northeast into the steep and remote terrain of the San Gorgonio Wilderness.
Fire officials on Saturday dispatched a 10-person team into the forest to fight the fire from the ground and planned to send in a second team Sunday.
Along the southern flank of the blaze, firefighters were scouring the perimeter in the Millard Canyon area, looking for hot spots and dousing smoldering embers.
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All mandatory evacuation orders had been lifted, but evacuation warnings were still in effect for Forest Falls, Pioneertown, Rimrock and Morongo Valley in San Bernardino County and the Whitewater area in Riverside County.
The San Gorgonio Wilderness was closed, as were U.S. Forest Service recreation areas in the Forest Falls area and the Pacific Crest Trail between the Cottonwood Trailhead and Pipes Canyon Road.
Still, fire officials said they did not expect the perimeter of the fire to grow much Sunday after they saw no forward progression the day before.
The fire started July 31 in the 9000 block of Oak Glen Road. It was ignited by a diesel-fueled vehicle that spewed burning carbon from its exhaust system, authorities said.
On Thursday and Friday, firefighters set controlled fires along the eastern edge of the fire to burn away vegetation and limit the flames’ spread. On Sunday, they credited those efforts with helping suppress the fire’s forward movement, saying that allowed them to shift their focus from protecting communities to preventing the fire from growing.
More than 2,700 personnel were fighting the blaze, but officials said that number could decrease as they started to scale down the effort, especially along the southern and western edges of the fire, where the threat to developed communities had been reduced.