latimes--2020-07-10--California sues Trump administration over policy restricting international students at state college

California sues Trump administration over policy restricting international students at state colleges

California sued the Trump administration Thursday to challenge new visa rules that bar international students from staying in the U.S. if they take all of their classes online , arguing it could worsen the spread of COVID-19 to require attendance in person .
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Northern California is supported by leaders from the California State University and California Community Colleges systems and alleges that the new federal policy unfairly harms students and that campuses would suffer financially from the lost revenue .
“ It is a callous and inflexible policy that unfairly disrupts our more-than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ degree , unnecessarily placing them in an extremely difficult position , ” Cal State Chancellor Timothy White said in a statement .
The Cal State system plans to offer primarily online classes this fall because of the resurgence of COVID-19 in California .
The policy guidance issued Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is also seen as harmful to California Community Colleges , at which some 21,000 international students are enrolled , according to Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley .
“ We will not sacrifice the benefit of the diversity of experiences and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleges , nor will we sacrifice the safety of any student , faculty or staff member at our 115 colleges , ” Oakley said .
The lawsuit seeking an injunction to block the change in policy says the federal government failed to follow procedures for notice and comment for rule making , and it alleges the change will harm university budgets and endanger the health of college students and faculty if the schools are forced to hold in-person classes during the pandemic .
“ In addition to being cruel , Defendants ’ attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learning in the middle of a pandemic is absurd and the essence of arbitrary and capricious conduct in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act , ” the lawsuit says .
The University of California is separately planning to go to court to seek a temporary restraining order to bar enforcement of the new federal policy on grounds it violates the rights of the university and its students .
More than 27,000 UC undergraduates last year were nonresident international students who could be affected .
At the same time , USC has joined an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that challenges the federal rules , USC President Carol Folt said on social media , adding that the university is “ actively considering all other legal options.
” The new federal rules for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program bar nonimmigrant students who take a full course load online from remaining in the U.S. and block the return of those who left the country during the coronavirus outbreak .
International students who wish to stay in the U.S. would have to enroll at a university @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of online and in-person courses .
In a statement , ICE said that international students had been granted a temporary exemption allowing them to attend online courses because of COVID-19 .
“ This policy permitted nonimmigrant students to take more online courses than normally permitted by federal regulation to maintain their nonimmigrant status during the COVID-19 emergency , ” the agency said .
However , California Atty .
Gen. Xavier Becerra said he is going to court to preserve the ability of international students to study in the U.S. “ Shame on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ education opportunities for students who earned the chance to go to college , but now their health and well-being as well , ” Becerra said .
The lawsuit is the 86th filed by Becerra against the Trump administration , with others challenging federal policies including those on the environment and healthcare .

An Accounting 101 classroom is full at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. Community colleges and the Cal State system are supporting the state’s lawsuit against the Trump administration over a new policy restricting international students attending online college classes.
California sued the Trump administration Thursday to challenge new visa rules that bar international students from staying in the U.S. if they take all of their classes online, arguing it could worsen the spread of COVID-19 to require attendance in person.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Northern California is supported by leaders from the California State University and California Community Colleges systems and alleges that the new federal policy unfairly harms students and that campuses would suffer financially from the lost revenue.
“It is a callous and inflexible policy that unfairly disrupts our more-than 10,300 international students’ progress to a degree, unnecessarily placing them in an extremely difficult position,” Cal State Chancellor Timothy White said in a statement.
The Cal State system plans to offer primarily online classes this fall because of the resurgence of COVID-19 in California.
The policy guidance issued Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is also seen as harmful to California Community Colleges, at which some 21,000 international students are enrolled, according to Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley.
“We will not sacrifice the benefit of the diversity of experiences and perspectives that international students bring to our colleges, nor will we sacrifice the safety of any student, faculty or staff member at our 115 colleges,” Oakley said.
The lawsuit seeking an injunction to block the change in policy says the federal government failed to follow procedures for notice and comment for rule making, and it alleges the change will harm university budgets and endanger the health of college students and faculty if the schools are forced to hold in-person classes during the pandemic.
“In addition to being cruel, Defendants’ attempt at a policy change to force in-person learning in the middle of a pandemic is absurd and the essence of arbitrary and capricious conduct in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act,” the lawsuit says.
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The University of California is separately planning to go to court to seek a temporary restraining order to bar enforcement of the new federal policy on grounds it violates the rights of the university and its students.
More than 27,000 UC undergraduates last year were nonresident international students who could be affected.
At the same time, USC has joined an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit filed by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that challenges the federal rules, USC President Carol Folt said on social media, adding that the university is “actively considering all other legal options.”
The new federal rules for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program bar nonimmigrant students who take a full course load online from remaining in the U.S. and block the return of those who left the country during the coronavirus outbreak.
International students who wish to stay in the U.S. would have to enroll at a university providing in-person classes or a hybrid program of online and in-person courses.
In a statement, ICE said that international students had been granted a temporary exemption allowing them to attend online courses because of COVID-19.
“This policy permitted nonimmigrant students to take more online courses than normally permitted by federal regulation to maintain their nonimmigrant status during the COVID-19 emergency,” the agency said.
However, California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said he is going to court to preserve the ability of international students to study in the U.S.
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“Shame on the Trump administration for risking not only the education opportunities for students who earned the chance to go to college, but now their health and well-being as well,” Becerra said.
The lawsuit is the 86th filed by Becerra against the Trump administration, with others challenging federal policies including those on the environment and healthcare.


latimes--2020-07-10--Scorching temperatures expected for Southern California this weekend

A large upper-level high-pressure system building over the Four Corners region will bring heat to Southern California this weekend , the National Weather Service said .
Daytime temperatures are expected to be well above normal on Saturday and Sunday , and overnight lows will remain warm .
The weather service issued heat advisories for L.A. County valleys and mountains from Saturday morning through Sunday evening , with temperatures ranging from the 90s to 104 .
Heat advisories are also in effect for inland Orange County , the Inland Empire , inland San Diego County and the Santa Ana Mountains , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected .
An excessive heat watch is in effect for the Antelope Valley , including Lancaster and Palmdale , on Sunday , with temperatures from 105 to 110 possible .
Excessive heat warnings are in effect for interior areas such as the Apple and Lucerne valleys , where temperatures could reach 110 .
The Coachella Valley and San Diego County deserts could see temperatures up to 119 .
Cooler temperatures will begin to return to many parts of the region early next week as the high pressure weakens , and coastal low clouds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around midweek .

High pressure centered over the Four Corners will bring heat to the Southland this weekend.
A large upper-level high-pressure system building over the Four Corners region will bring heat to Southern California this weekend, the National Weather Service said.
Daytime temperatures are expected to be well above normal on Saturday and Sunday, and overnight lows will remain warm.
The weather service issued heat advisories for L.A. County valleys and mountains from Saturday morning through Sunday evening, with temperatures ranging from the 90s to 104.
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Heat advisories are also in effect for inland Orange County, the Inland Empire, inland San Diego County and the Santa Ana Mountains, with temperatures of 94 to 104 degrees expected.
An excessive heat watch is in effect for the Antelope Valley, including Lancaster and Palmdale, on Sunday, with temperatures from 105 to 110 possible.
Excessive heat warnings are in effect for interior areas such as the Apple and Lucerne valleys, where temperatures could reach 110. The Coachella Valley and San Diego County deserts could see temperatures up to 119.
Cooler temperatures will begin to return to many parts of the region early next week as the high pressure weakens, and coastal low clouds and fog are expected to be back around midweek.


latimes--2020-07-09--L.A. teachers union says schools should not reopen next month, citing coronavirus spike

Leaders of the Los Angeles teachers union on Friday will call for campuses to remain closed and for distance learning to continue when the school year begins on Aug. 18 , The Times has learned .
Union leaders have concluded it is not safe to bring children back on campus as COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County surge to new highs .
The union will also release a report suggesting parameters for reopening will be difficult to meet any time in the near future , although they are in line with what some health experts are recommending .
L.A. school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on reopening , but when it happens , the district would offer two options : a learning-from-home program and a hybrid plan that would combine learning at home with part-time attendance on campus in small socially distanced classes .
Earlier in the week , L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer told school district leaders that they must prepare for the possibility that students would need to continue learning remotely 100 % of the time at the start of the school year .
In effect , the teachers union , United Teachers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one step further , and make the decision now — giving families and employees time to prepare .
The union ’ s position has been influential on matters pertaining to the pandemic .
In March , union leaders demanded that campuses be closed and L.A. schools Supt .
Austin Beutner announced that move the next day .
The union is negotiating with district officials over working conditions for the fall .
In a statement , union President Cecily Myart-Cruz acknowledged the shortcomings of distance learning , but said health considerations had to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to physically open schools and be back with our students , but lives hang in the balance , ” Myart-Cruz said .
“ Safety has to be the priority .
We need to get this right for our communities.
” In criticizing the politicization of the health considerations , Myart-Cruz singled out President Trump , who this week called for campuses to reopen and threatened to withhold funding from those that did not .
The president and his advisors insisted that children would be better off in traditional classes and a regular school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work , helping families and also providing a necessary boost to the economy .
In making that argument , Trump challenged the safety advice provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as too expensive and impractical , tweeting : “ I will be meeting with them !
!
!
” However , the CDC said Thursday it would not revise its guidelines .
Given the surge of the virus in L.A. County , Myart-Cruz called Trump ’ s threats over funding “ alarming.
” “ We have to take a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that puts the lives of our members , our students , and all of our families at risk , ” she said .
In a Facebook thread this week , union members , who include teachers , counselors , nurses and librarians , expressed their concerns .
“ You think I ’ m safe at 71 going into a classroom of students ... or any of my colleagues ?
” wrote Sandy Dorfman , who teaches at Castlebay Lane Elementary in Porter Ranch .
“ The air conditioning system will recirculate the sick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought of that ?
Does anyone think kids are keeping masks on properly ?
Do you think we can hear elementary kids through masks ?
All day long kids leaving class to go to the bathroom ... touching door knobs — insanity !
” During the pandemic , Marcela Chagoya , a UTLA member and special education teacher at Robert Louis Stevenson College and Career Prep in Boyle Heights , taught her classes remotely while also overseeing her 10-year-old son ’ s progress at home .
In addition , she helps care for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oxygen 24 hours a day , and her 50-year-old brother , who is autistic and nonverbal .
Although she is committed to teaching , she said she can not risk returning to the classroom .
“ It ’ s not possible to … get them to wear a mask , to get them to not run up and hug each other or hug adults , ” she said of students .
“ Safely reopening is impossible for that specific student population.
” She teaches sixth-graders who have learning disabilities and read at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic hit , she bought a new laptop with personal funds and spent hours walking students through how to manage their internet browser and Zoom , a video conferencing app that allows her to interact with students live or to post recorded lessons .
“ It was not easy , ” Chagoya said .
She expects more technological obstacles to come .
But she said she doesn ’ t feel comfortable going back in person .
She wants the district to wait a month or more to see whether the curve is flattening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I love my kids , and I miss them dearly , ” she said , “ but there is no way I ’ ll be able to teach them if I get sick .
There ’ s no way I ’ ll be able to teach them if they get sick .
Or if I get my mom sick .
”

Families gather wearing masks at San Fernando Senior High School in April. The teachers union has called for a delay in reopening Los Angeles public schools and going to all-remote learning.
Leaders of the Los Angeles teachers union on Friday called for campuses to remain closed and for distance learning to continue when the school year begins Aug. 18. Union leaders have concluded it is not safe to bring children back on campus as COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County surge to new highs.
The union also released a report suggesting parameters for reopening will be difficult to meet any time in the near future, although they are in line with what some health experts are recommending. In an informal poll released Friday night, 83% of union members who responded agreed that Los Angeles Unified campuses should not physically reopen next month.
The union represents around 32,000 district employees, including teachers, counselors, nurses and librarians. Of those, some 18,000 had responded to the poll as of Friday night.
L.A. school officials have yet to make a decision on reopening, but when it happens, the district would offer two options: a learning-from-home program and a hybrid plan that would combine learning at home with part-time attendance on campus in small, socially distanced classes.
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Earlier in the week, L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer told school district leaders that they must prepare for the possibility that students would need to continue learning remotely 100% of the time at the start of the school year.
In effect, the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, is calling to go one step further, and make the decision now — giving families and employees time to prepare. The union’s position has been influential on matters pertaining to the pandemic. In March, union leaders demanded that campuses be closed and L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner announced that move the next day.
L.A. Unified Supt. Austin Beutner will address school reopening plans in his weekly pre-recorded video address Monday, district spokeswoman Shannon Haber said.
The union is negotiating with district officials over working conditions for the fall.
In a statement, union President Cecily Myart-Cruz acknowledged the shortcomings of distance learning, but said health considerations had to take top priority.
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“We all want to physically open schools and be back with our students, but lives hang in the balance,” Myart-Cruz said. “Safety has to be the priority. We need to get this right for our communities.”
L.A. Unified families, who are majority low-income and majority Latino, are especially vulnerable to the potentially dire impacts of COVID-19, Myart-Cruz said.
In criticizing the politicization of the health considerations, Myart-Cruz singled out President Trump, who this week called for campuses to reopen and threatened to withhold funding from those that did not. The president and his advisors insisted that children would be better off in traditional classes and a regular school schedule would allow parents to return to work, helping families and also providing a necessary boost to the economy.
In making that argument, Trump challenged the safety advice provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as too expensive and impractical, tweeting: “I will be meeting with them!!!” However, the CDC said Thursday it would not revise its guidelines.
Given the surge of the virus in L.A. County, Myart-Cruz called Trump’s threats over funding “alarming.”
“We have to take a stand against this dangerous, antiscience agenda that puts the lives of our members, our students, and all of our families at risk,” she said.
On Friday, the American Assn. of Pediatrics released a joint statement with the two largest national teachers unions and a national school administrators union committing “to doing everything we can so that all students have the opportunity to safely resume in-person learning” because of the benefits of campuses, including “social and emotional skills ... healthy meals and exercise, mental health support and other services that cannot be easily replicated online.”
But the groups urged caution and said leaders should follow local public health officials’ advice when deciding when to reopen schools, noting that doing so may not be possible in areas with high rates of community spread.
The district does not have enough resources to fund the safe opening of schools, which would require testing and contact tracing, physical distancing, hygiene and protection for high-risk staff and students, said UTLA Secretary Arlene Inouye, who leads the bargaining team.
The L.A. County Office of Education could not quantify how much it would cost per student for required health and safety measures once campuses reopen, spokeswoman Margo Minecki said. The 80 districts in the county are developing reopening plans, but many are “waiting for the final protocols from County Public Health before finalizing and announcing plans to their communities,” she said.
The state is providing some gear to schools, and while contact tracing and testing in schools would be public health agencies’ responsibility, school district leaders can decide to adopt stricter health and safety protocols than the county’s public health agency mandates, she said.
In an interview before UTLA announced its position, L.A. Unified board President Richard Vladovic said he’s “not counting on” schools opening even on a hybrid basis in the fall.
“You need to test everyone at least once a week, you have to. And if you don’t, we’re going to have a major problem,” Vladovic said. But students who are falling behind may need face-to-face learning in small groups to make up for lost instructional time, he said.
“I would like to see every building open seven days a week, with some type of services for those parents that feel the emergency and those children that need that additional help, because I’m so concerned about some youngsters falling way behind,” Vladovic said. “We have to provide extra and above for those that need it most.”
In a Facebook thread this week, union members expressed their concerns.
“You think I’m safe at 71 going into a classroom of students... or any of my colleagues?” wrote Sandy Dorfman, who teaches at Castlebay Lane Elementary in Porter Ranch. “The air conditioning system will recirculate the sick air throughout the school! Has anyone thought of that? Does anyone think kids are keeping masks on properly? Do you think we can hear elementary kids through masks? All day long kids leaving class to go to the bathroom... touching door knobs — insanity!”
During the pandemic, Marcela Chagoya, a UTLA member and special education teacher at Robert Louis Stevenson College and Career Prep in Boyle Heights, taught her classes remotely while also overseeing her 10-year-old son’s progress at home. In addition, she helps care for her 84-year-old mother, who is on oxygen 24 hours a day, and her 50-year-old brother, who is autistic and nonverbal.
Although she is committed to teaching, she said she cannot risk returning to the classroom.
“It’s not possible to … get them to wear a mask, to get them to not run up and hug each other or hug adults,” she said of students. “Safely reopening is impossible for that specific student population.”
She teaches sixth-graders who have learning disabilities and read at a third-grade level or below. When the pandemic hit, she bought a new laptop with personal funds and spent hours walking students through how to manage their internet browser and Zoom, a video conferencing app that allows her to interact with students live or to post recorded lessons.
“It was not easy,” Chagoya said.
She expects more technological obstacles to come. But she said she doesn’t feel comfortable going back in person. She wants the district to wait a month or more to see whether the curve is flattening and cases are going down.
“I love my kids, and I miss them dearly,” she said, “but there is no way I’ll be able to teach them if I get sick. There’s no way I’ll be able to teach them if they get sick. Or if I get my mom sick.”


latimes--2020-07-09--Search for Naya Rivera becomes a recovery effort after actress presumed drowned

Actress Naya Rivera is presumed to have drowned as authorities continue to look for her body in the waters of Lake Piru after she went missing Wednesday afternoon .
The 33-year-old was reported missing after her 4-year-old son was found in a rental boat by himself .
While authorities focused Wednesday ’ s search efforts along the shoreline , hopeful she had made it out of the lake , Thursday became a recovery effort in the dark , murky waters of Lake Piru .
Officials said the search of the lake could take up to a week .
“ Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out to the Rivera family , ” said Ventura County Sheriff ’ s Sgt .
Kevin Donoghue at a Thursday news conference .
“ This is a terrible tragedy ... .
We ’ re going to do everything we can to find her.
” Ventura County Sheriff ’ s Department officials released video footage Thursday afternoon showing Rivera and her son boarding the rental boat alone , as well as a recording of the 911 call made by marine personnel reporting the “ Glee ” actress missing .
Rivera parked near Condor Point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows , walking around to the passenger side to lift her son out of the car .
Wearing shorts and a baseball cap , she opened her trunk , swung a bag over her shoulder and walked toward the boat ramp .
Rivera looked over her shoulder , watching her little boy as he trailed steps behind her , his own bag in tow .
The mother and son were guided by staff to their rental boat , and at about 1 p.m. they departed onto the lake .
The boat soon became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ horizon .
Hours later , the staff noticed she didn ’ t return her boat on time and went out to search for her .
At 4:47 p.m. , a woman told 911 dispatchers , “ We have a missing person .
We found a little girl in one of the boats by herself and her mom is nowhere to be found.
” Sheriff ’ s officials later learned that Rivera and her son were swimming together in the lake .
The boy was able to get back on the boat , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found sleeping on the boat by himself , wearing his life vest .
After speaking with the boy , deputies determined he was the last to see his mother , but couldn ’ t determine whether he saw her go underwater .
“ He ’ s in good health , ” Capt .
Eric Bushow said of Rivera ’ s son Wednesday evening.
“ The family is going through a very traumatic time right now.
” Search teams raced to scour the lake Thursday before nightfall , when winds and lack of light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort includes 100 personnel , including 25 divers , two helicopters and six pontoon boats , said Ventura County Deputy Chris Dyer .
At a Thursday afternoon briefing , Dyer said Lake Piru isn ’ t more dangerous than other lakes , but can be deep in some areas and has tall underwater vegetation that could entangle swimmers .
“ If the body is tangled in something beneath the water it may never come back up , ” Donoghue said .
The “ underwater trees ” combined with cold weather and poor visibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s really no strong undercurrents like you would have in the ocean , but sometimes the water can be very cold and the hypothermic elements of being in cold water could effect something , ” Donoghue said .
Lake Piru will remain closed while authorities search for Rivera .
The search has so far been focused on the north side of the lake , where the boy was found , Dyer said .
After a long day of beaming onto search personnel , the sun began to lose strength around 5 p.m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for a few more hours , said Ventura County Senior Sheriff ’ s Deputy Miguel Gonzalez .
“ As soon as darkness hits , we ’ re going to have to halt the physical search , ” he said .
Overnight , recovery teams were planning to reassess their resources and where Friday ’ s search will be focused .
“ Right now , it ’ s been 24 hours , so we ’ re not thinking she made it to shore , ” Gonzalez said .
“ We ’ re concentrating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s cement shores Thursday evening .
Dyer said the lake ’ s conditions typically get worse as the wind picks up .
The gusts don ’ t affect divers underwater , he said , but they could make recovery operations more difficult for dive team boats .
“ You can tell the water ’ s getting choppier , ” Dyer said , describing the lake as unpredictable .
“ She could be anywhere.
” Lake Piru is a popular recreation area in the Los Padres National Forest near Fillmore .
There have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A Times article in 2000 chronicled a string of drownings at the reservoir , saying most victims were inexperienced swimmers who were not wearing life jackets and overestimated their own abilities or swam in prohibited areas .
At the time , officials said the drowning numbers were no higher than at other lakes in the region .
Ventura County sheriff ’ s officials said no one has drowned in the lake in the past year .
Rivera is best known for her role as Santana in Fox ’ s “ Glee.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her performance as a gay cheerleader in the high school musical drama .
“ I didn ’ t think it was going to go this far , ” Rivera said in 2011 of her role as a lesbian character on TV .
“ But I ’ m glad that it did , because there have been a lot of fans who have expressed that they ’ ve been going through similar situations in their lives .
I ’ ve heard from girls that are in high school , they ’ re 16 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ‘ I came out to my mom , ’ or ‘ I came out to my friends , and thank you for helping me do that.
’ ” She had been acting since she was 4 years old , appearing in “ The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , ” “ Family Matters ” and “ The Bernie Mac Show.
” She married her ex-husband , actor Ryan Dorsey , in 2014 and they had their son a year later .
Earlier in the week , Rivera had posted a photo with her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two of us .
”

Jake Sheridan, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Luke Money

Actress Naya Rivera is presumed to have drowned as authorities continue to look for her body in the waters of Lake Piru after she went missing Wednesday afternoon.
The 33-year-old was reported missing after her 4-year-old son was found in a rental boat by himself. While authorities focused Wednesday’s search efforts along the shoreline, hopeful she had made it out of the lake, Thursday became a recovery effort in the dark, murky waters of Lake Piru. Officials said the search of the lake could take up to a week.
“Our hearts and our prayers and thoughts go out to the Rivera family,” said Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Donoghue at a Thursday news conference. “This is a terrible tragedy.... We’re going to do everything we can to find her.”
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Ventura County Sheriff’s Department officials released video footage Thursday afternoon showing Rivera and her son boarding the rental boat alone, as well as a recording of the 911 call made by marine personnel reporting the “Glee” actress missing.
Rivera parked near Condor Point and exited the vehicle, the video shows, walking around to the passenger side to lift her son out of the car. Wearing shorts and a baseball cap, she opened her trunk, swung a bag over her shoulder and walked toward the boat ramp. Rivera looked over her shoulder, watching her little boy as he trailed steps behind her, his own bag in tow.
The mother and son were guided by staff to their rental boat, and at about 1 p.m. they departed onto the lake. The boat soon became a spot on the lake’s horizon.
Hours later, the staff noticed she didn’t return her boat on time and went out to search for her. At 4:47 p.m., a woman told 911 dispatchers, “We have a missing person. We found a little girl in one of the boats by herself and her mom is nowhere to be found.”
Sheriff’s officials later learned that Rivera and her son were swimming together in the lake. The boy was able to get back on the boat, but his mother did not. He was found sleeping on the boat by himself, wearing his life vest. After speaking with the boy, deputies determined he was the last to see his mother, but couldn’t determine whether he saw her go underwater.
“He’s in good health,” Capt. Eric Bushow said of Rivera’s son Wednesday evening.“The family is going through a very traumatic time right now.”
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Search teams raced to scour the lake Thursday before nightfall, when winds and lack of light would complicate their undertaking. The search effort includes 100 personnel, including 25 divers, two helicopters and six pontoon boats, said Ventura County Deputy Chris Dyer.
At a Thursday afternoon briefing, Dyer said Lake Piru isn’t more dangerous than other lakes, but can be deep in some areas and has tall underwater vegetation that could entangle swimmers.
“If the body is tangled in something beneath the water it may never come back up,” Donoghue said. The “underwater trees” combined with cold weather and poor visibility could lead to danger.
“There’s really no strong undercurrents like you would have in the ocean, but sometimes the water can be very cold and the hypothermic elements of being in cold water could effect something,” Donoghue said.
Lake Piru will remain closed while authorities search for Rivera. The search has so far been focused on the north side of the lake, where the boy was found, Dyer said.
After a long day of beaming onto search personnel, the sun began to lose strength around 5 p.m. The search would continue, however, for a few more hours, said Ventura County Senior Sheriff’s Deputy Miguel Gonzalez.
“As soon as darkness hits, we’re going to have to halt the physical search,” he said.
Overnight, recovery teams were planning to reassess their resources and where Friday’s search will be focused.
“Right now, it’s been 24 hours, so we’re not thinking she made it to shore,” Gonzalez said. “We’re concentrating underwater.”
Waves lapped the marina’s cement shores Thursday evening. Dyer said the lake’s conditions typically get worse as the wind picks up. The gusts don’t affect divers underwater, he said, but they could make recovery operations more difficult for dive team boats.
“You can tell the water’s getting choppier,” Dyer said, describing the lake as unpredictable. “She could be anywhere.”
Searchers on Thursday look for “Glee” actress Naya Rivera, who is believed to have drowned in Lake Piru. (KTLA-TV Channel 5)
Lake Piru is a popular recreation area in the Los Padres National Forest near Fillmore. There have been drownings at the lake in the past.
A Times article in 2000 chronicled a string of drownings at the reservoir, saying most victims were inexperienced swimmers who were not wearing life jackets and overestimated their own abilities or swam in prohibited areas.
At the time, officials said the drowning numbers were no higher than at other lakes in the region. Ventura County sheriff’s officials said no one has drowned in the lake in the past year.
Rivera is best known for her role as Santana in Fox’s “Glee.” The Santa Clarita native gained praise for her performance as a gay cheerleader in the high school musical drama.
“I didn’t think it was going to go this far,” Rivera said in 2011 of her role as a lesbian character on TV. “But I’m glad that it did, because there have been a lot of fans who have expressed that they’ve been going through similar situations in their lives. I’ve heard from girls that are in high school, they’re 16, 17, and they’re like, ‘I came out to my mom,’ or ‘I came out to my friends, and thank you for helping me do that.’”
She had been acting since she was 4 years old, appearing in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Family Matters” and “The Bernie Mac Show.” She married her ex-husband, actor Ryan Dorsey, in 2014 and they had their son a year later.
Earlier in the week, Rivera had posted a photo with her son with the caption: “Just the two of us.”


latimes--2020-07-10--Coronavirus rages in Orange County, but don't tell that to Disney fans

For nearly 65 years , Disneyland was a place where millions came for a joyful reprieve from the outside world .
Then the coronavirus hit , and Fantasyland became impossible .
Walt Disney Co. shut down its two theme parks and three hotels in Anaheim on March 13 , furloughing tens of thousands of workers and vowing not to reopen until a safe plan to move forward was ready .
The theme parks are still closed , but Disney ’ s retail center , Downtown Disney , reopened this week to huge crowds and immediately became a flashpoint for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too quickly even as it sees record numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and rising death tolls .
Orange County has been hit particularly hard , with hospitalizations increasing nearly 100 % in three weeks .
At the same time , the county remains a hotbed of the coronavirus resistance .
Cities sued to keep beaches open .
Politicians openly scoffed at the suggestions of health officials that residents wear masks in public places .
Residents hectored the county ’ s chief health officer into resigning ; videos of customers who berated store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mask went , well , viral .
On Friday afternoon , hundreds of people wandered around Downtown Disney , a strip of restaurants and shops that ends at the gates to Disneyland and its sister park , Disney California Adventure .
It had reopened the day before to such demand that security had to close the adjacent Simba parking lot to keep people away .
“ We just wanted to get out and start living again , ” said Kimberly Poff , an annual pass holder who proudly held up her newest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long-sleeve shirt that sparkled in the sunlight .
She was equipped with hand sanitizer and disinfectants .
“ For those of us who love Disney , it ’ s sad to see the parks closed , ” said Missy Pebley , who was there to celebrate her 48th birthday .
“ We ’ ve been waiting since the day it closed.
” At first glance — and ignoring the fact that everyone was wearing masks , per Disney ’ s requirement — the scene was like any other day at “ the happiest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Disney characters — Donald Duck , Stitch , Iron Man .
Workers were chipper and dressed dapper .
The wait to enter the World of Disney store ranged from 15 minutes to an hour .
But these attempts at normality only heightened how off everything felt .
All driveways into hotels were blocked off , with a five-layer barricade in front of the road that led to the theme parks .
Guests had to pass through four checkpoints — a temperature-reading station , a K-9 dog , a security guard and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enter .
Workers stood around to see if any scofflaw took off a mask or got too close to a stranger .
And loud instrumental versions of Disney standards like “ Turkey in the Straw ” and “ You ’ ve Got a Friend in Me ” served as a dissonant soundtrack .
Art Yero of Fontana came to pick up his family ’ s favorite cookies after they had sold out the day before .
His 4-year-old son , Peter , wanted to take pictures outside the park ’ s gates .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Disney California Adventure .
“ There ’ s very much a nostalgia thing to it , ” he said .
“ As far as health safety , I was not worried… .
I was more worried about , ‘ Am I going to be able to get in ?
’ ” “ I think as long as everyone stays away and respects each other ’ s social distancing , it should be good and continue to be good , ” said Ashley Rodriguez , a Disneyland worker who wore Mickey Mouse ears along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a yellow skirt and black shirt decorated with the cartoon character to match .
The Monterey Park resident and her husband , Nicholas , spent their first date , wedding and honeymoon at the park .
Nicholas said he felt safer in Downtown Disney than other public spaces .
“ Here they ’ re scrubbing down things , ” he said .
“ I ’ m not too sure the worker in JCPenney is really watching what ’ s going on.
” “ I think right now the world could use a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , manager of the Salt & Straw ice cream shop in Downtown Disney .
The store quadrupled expected sales during Thursday ’ s reopening .
Inside , tape on the floor marked safe distances .
Plexiglass separated workers from customers over the ice cream display .
“ It ’ s a little different , but it ’ s a new reality we ’ re all starting to become accustomed , ” the 31-year-old Santa Ana resident said , as the theme song to the Main Street Electrical Parade clanged outside .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can still smile with your eyes.
” Just a couple of hours later , Orange County health officials announced the county had experienced its second-highest daily coronavirus case total , and its fifth straight day topping 1,000 cases .
Among cities in Orange County , Anaheim has the second-highest case total .
The Disneyland Resort ’ s continued closure over the last four months was a psychic wound for its fans , but it also hurts Orange County .
It ’ s the largest private employer in the county , with over 30,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A 2019 Cal State Fullerton study found that the resort brought about $ 8.5 billion into the Southern California economy the year before .
Anaheim , long reliant on Disney for its tax base , faces a $ 75-million budget deficit .
Storefronts outside the resort on Harbor Boulevard , usually bustling with tourists , are empty or boarded up .
Disney carries such weight here that Gov .
Gavin Newsom originally exempted Disneyland from his order prohibiting large gatherings , sparking an outcry that ended after Disney announced it would voluntarily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced it would reopen in time for the park ’ s July 17 anniversary even as coronavirus cases in California began to rise again .
But with the coronavirus surging , that ’ s now on hold .
The opening of Downtown Disney this week upset Ada Briceño , chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County and secretary of Unite Here Local 11 , which represents the resort ’ s hotel workers .
“ It ’ s very disappointing to see that they opened when Orange County is seeing super-high numbers of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who had to quarantine herself in March after her son contracted the disease .
“ Disney must think of protecting workers , their families , and our communities before profits in the middle of a pandemic.
” But she was a lone voice amid the rush to congratulate the move .
In a tweet , Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu hailed Disney ’ s plans to slowly resume business as a “ major milestone in the recovery of Anaheim , California and our nation.
” “ It ’ s a unique time for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a lot of concerns , but the way they ’ ve done it has been an example , ” he said .
“ Of course that has to be done in a safe way , and we know we won ’ t go back to where we were a year ago.
” “ It was very emotional , ” Disney spokeswoman Liz Jaeger said of the reopening .
“ Guests were thanking us as they came in .
We ’ ve been waiting for this day for a long time.
” For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was just a passing thing — a joke , even .
“ I know it ’ s stupid for us to be out during a pandemic , you know , we ’ re here today to catch it , ” cracked John Cirelli , 38 , who was browsing with his husband , Jarrod , for a place to eat .
Nearby , Jordan Parker waited in line with his family at the Lego store with his two daughters who were in need of some entertainment .
He was “ a little concerned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it had died down .
But even Andrea DeAvila , a Whittier resident who came “ every day ” to Disneyland before the pandemic , felt that despite everyone ’ s best effort , things just weren ’ t normal .
“ Downtown Disney is a subtle version of Disney , ” said the 17-year-old , sporting mouse ears .
“ It starts to fade off as you walk through.
” Her friend , Maya Lee of La Habra , agreed .
She said that her “ only personality trait is coming to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friends were like , ‘ What are you doing during quarantine ?
’ ” without trips to the theme park , said the 16-year-old .
Maya wore a bucket hat lined with Mickey Mouse ’ s silhouette .
She wouldn ’ t normally spend so much time in Downtown Disney , but now she had no other choice .

Gustavo Arellano, Jake Sheridan, Stephanie Lai

Scores of visitors walk through Downtown Disney in Anaheim for its reopening Thursday. By 5:00 p.m. security guards had closed the nearby parking lot, saying the shopping and dining complex had reached its capacity.
For nearly 65 years, Disneyland was a place where millions came for a joyful reprieve from the outside world.
Then the coronavirus hit, and Fantasyland became impossible. Walt Disney Co. shut down its two theme parks and three hotels in Anaheim on March 13, furloughing tens of thousands of workers and vowing not to reopen until a safe plan to move forward was ready.
The Anaheim theme parks are still closed, but Disney’s retail center, Downtown Disney, reopened this week to huge crowds and immediately became a flashpoint for the larger debate about whether California is reopening too quickly even as it sees record numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and rising death tolls. Orange County has been hit particularly hard, with hospitalizations increasing nearly 100% in three weeks.
At the same time, the county remains a hotbed of the coronavirus resistance. Cities sued to keep beaches open. Politicians openly scoffed at the suggestions of health officials that residents wear masks in public places. Residents hectored the county’s chief health officer into resigning; videos of customers who berated store employees for not allowing them in without a mask went, well, viral.
On Friday afternoon, hundreds of people wandered around Downtown Disney, a strip of restaurants and shops that ends at the gates to Disneyland and its sister park, Disney California Adventure. It had reopened the day before to such demand that security had to close the adjacent Simba parking lot to keep people away.
“We just wanted to get out and start living again,” said Kimberly Poff, an annual pass holder who proudly held up her newest purchase: a navy blue 65th anniversary long-sleeve shirt that sparkled in the sunlight. She was equipped with hand sanitizer and disinfectants.
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“For those of us who love Disney, it’s sad to see the parks closed,” said Missy Pebley, who was there to celebrate her 48th birthday. “We’ve been waiting since the day it closed.”
At first glance — and ignoring the fact that everyone was wearing masks, per Disney’s requirement — the scene was like any other day at “the happiest place on Earth.”
Families wore T-shirts with Disney characters — Donald Duck, Stitch, Iron Man. Workers were chipper and dressed dapper. The wait to enter the World of Disney store ranged from 15 minutes to an hour.
But these attempts at normality only heightened how off everything felt.
All driveways into hotels were blocked off, with a five-layer barricade in front of the road that led to the theme parks. Guests had to pass through four checkpoints — a temperature-reading station, a K-9 dog, a security guard and a metal detector — before being allowed to enter. Workers stood around to see if any scofflaw took off a mask or got too close to a stranger.
And loud instrumental versions of Disney standards like “Turkey in the Straw” and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” served as a dissonant soundtrack.
Art Yero of Fontana came to pick up his family’s favorite cookies after they had sold out the day before. His 4-year-old son, Peter, wanted to take pictures outside the park’s gates. Years ago, Yero sold popcorn in Disney California Adventure.
“There’s very much a nostalgia thing to it,” he said. “As far as health safety, I was not worried…. I was more worried about, ‘Am I going to be able to get in?’”
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“I think as long as everyone stays away and respects each other’s social distancing, it should be good and continue to be good,” said Ashley Rodriguez, a Disneyland worker who wore Mickey Mouse ears along with a red Minnie Mouse mask, and a yellow skirt and black shirt decorated with the cartoon character to match. The Monterey Park resident and her husband, Nicholas, spent their first date, wedding and honeymoon at the park.
Nicholas said he felt safer in Downtown Disney than other public spaces.
“Here they’re scrubbing down things,” he said. “I’m not too sure the worker in JCPenney is really watching what’s going on.”
“I think right now the world could use a little happiness,” said Hayley Petzoldt, manager of the Salt & Straw ice cream shop in Downtown Disney. The store quadrupled expected sales during Thursday’s reopening. Inside, tape on the floor marked safe distances. Plexiglass separated workers from customers over the ice cream display.
“It’s a little different, but it’s a new reality we’re all starting to become accustomed,” the 31-year-old Santa Ana resident said, as the theme song to the Main Street Electrical Parade clanged outside. “We’re making it work. You can still smile with your eyes.”
Just a couple of hours later, Orange County health officials announced the county had experienced its second-highest daily coronavirus case total, and its fifth straight day topping 1,000 cases. Among cities in Orange County, Anaheim has the second-highest case total.
The Disneyland Resort’s continued closure over the last four months was a psychic wound for its fans, but it also hurts Orange County.
Entertainment & Arts Coronavirus fallout: Why closing Disneyland is such a blow to American optimism The Happiest Place on Earth shut its gates Friday night due to the coronavirus crisis. A full non-weather-related closure of Disneyland has happened just three times in the park’s 65-year history. But this time is different.
It’s the largest private employer in the county, with over 30,000 workers, most of them now furloughed. A 2019 Cal State Fullerton study found that the resort brought about $8.5 billion into the Southern California economy the year before.
Anaheim, long reliant on Disney for its tax base, faces a $75-million budget deficit. Storefronts outside the resort on Harbor Boulevard, usually bustling with tourists, are empty or boarded up.
Gov. Gavin Newsom originally exempted Disneyland from his order prohibiting large gatherings, sparking some outcry on social media. Disney announced it would voluntarily shut down later that same day.
In mid-June, Disneyland announced it would reopen in time for the park’s July 17 anniversary even as coronavirus cases in California began to rise again. But with the coronavirus surging, that’s now on hold.
The opening of Downtown Disney this week upset Ada Briceño, chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County and secretary of Unite Here Local 11, which represents the resort’s hotel workers.
“It’s very disappointing to see that they opened when Orange County is seeing super-high numbers of people with COVID,” said Briceño, who had to quarantine herself in March after her son contracted the disease. “Disney must think of protecting workers, their families, and our communities before profits in the middle of a pandemic.”
But she was a lone voice amid the rush to congratulate the move.
In a tweet, Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu hailed Disney’s plans to slowly resume business as a “major milestone in the recovery of Anaheim, California and our nation.”
The city’s chief communications officer, Mike Lyster, also expressed support.
“It’s a unique time for anybody reopening, and naturally it comes with a lot of concerns, but the way they’ve done it has been an example,” he said. “Of course that has to be done in a safe way, and we know we won’t go back to where we were a year ago.”
“It was very emotional,” Disney spokeswoman Liz Jaeger said of the reopening. “Guests were thanking us as they came in. We’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”
For those who showed up, the coronavirus was just a passing thing — a joke, even.
“I know it’s stupid for us to be out during a pandemic, you know, we’re here today to catch it,” cracked John Cirelli, 38, who was browsing with his husband, Jarrod, for a place to eat.
Nearby, Jordan Parker waited in line with his family at the Lego store with his two daughters who were in need of some entertainment. He was “a little concerned” about the coronavirus but felt that it had died down.
But even Andrea DeAvila, a Whittier resident who came “every day” to Disneyland before the pandemic, felt that despite everyone’s best effort, things just weren’t normal.
“Downtown Disney is a subtle version of Disney,” said the 17-year-old, sporting mouse ears. “It starts to fade off as you walk through.”
Her friend, Maya Lee of La Habra, agreed. She said that her “only personality trait is coming to Disney.” “A lot of my friends were like, ‘What are you doing during quarantine?’” without trips to the theme park, said the 16-year-old.
Maya wore a bucket hat lined with Mickey Mouse’s silhouette. She wouldn’t normally spend so much time in Downtown Disney, but now she had no other choice.
“It feels different.“


latimes--2020-07-10--California is confronting its ugly, racist past. But how do we best do it?

Julie Tumamait-Stenslie scoffs when she hears defenders of the Father Junipero Serra statue in Ventura say it honors the city ’ s founder .
She is tribal chair of the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians ( Chumash ) , whose ancestors lived for generations on the Channel Islands off the Santa Barbara-Ventura coast .
“ There were cities on this land for thousands and thousands of years with social , political and religious customs , ” Tumamait-Stenslie says .
“ Today you drive on our pathways , our trading networks .
We ’ ve been in Ventura for thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 18th century Franciscan friar , who founded the California mission system during Spanish rule , protected and cared for Indigenous people , she replies : “ He did that because we were the free work force , the slave labor for the missions .
Of course he was going to protect us .
What else would he do ?
Go out and actually pay somebody to do the work ?
He had free slave labor.
” Native Americans who tried to escape the missions were tracked down and often beaten .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invaders .
“ Ninety percent of our people were gone by the end of the mission period , ” the tribal chair says .
“ They died.
” Historians basically agree with her depiction of mission life for Indians .
The late Kevin Starr , a state librarian and professor who produced several volumes on California history , wrote in his book “ California ” that the mission system was “ a violent intrusion into the culture and human rights of Indigenous people… .
“ They were being forced from their homelands , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against their will — and treated as children… .
As children , they could be beaten when they proved recalcitrant or ran away from the mission , as they frequently did , and were recaptured… .
“ Many … died of shock at their displacement or of Spanish diseases .
The sexual exploitation of Native American females by Spanish soldiers and other men in the colony was especially devastating as a matter of both personal violation and venereal disease.
” But there ’ s much more to blame for the genocide of California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christopher Columbus , who began the decimation of Native Americans in 1492 .
In 1851 , California ’ s first elected governor , Peter Burnett , declared in his State of the State address : “ That a war of extermination will continue to be waged between the two races until the Indian race becomes extinct must be expected.
” In the 1850s , the state Legislature appropriated $ 1.29 million to wage militia war against Native Americans .
Some of that money was used to pay bounties for body parts — 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 for a whole head .
California ’ s indigenous population exceeded 200,000 in 1800 but plummeted to about 15,000 by 1900 .
“ It ’ s called genocide , ” Gov .
Gavin Newsom said last year at a ceremony with tribal leaders as he formally apologized for the state .
“ No other way to describe it , and that ’ s the way it needs to be described in the history books.
” California Indians always had a legitimate grievance against Serra , but their voices stayed relatively muted until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2015 .
Then the vandalism and toppling of statues began .
When the killing of George Floyd , a Black man , by a white Minneapolis policeman set off nationwide “ Black Lives Matter ” protests against racism , it rekindled anger over the mistreatment of Native Americans .
Indigenous activists tore down a Serra statue in Father Serra Park in downtown Los Angeles .
Protesters in San Francisco toppled a Serra statue in Golden Gate Park .
Last weekend , demonstrators overturned a Serra statue in Sacramento ’ s Capitol Park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect the community ’ s Sierra statue from being spray-painted or ripped down , a coalition announced its intention to remove the monument from its prominent hillside location in front of City Hall overlooking downtown .
Tumamait-Stenslie , who lives in Ojai , says the statue symbolizes “ the taking away of our livelihoods , our religion , our land — the genocide that changed us forever.
” “ People say burn down the statue , ” she continues , “ but that ’ s not what we want .
We don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want it removed from a public place.
” She , Ventura Mayor Matt LaVere and Father Tom Elewaut of the nearby Mission San Buenaventura , would like it to be transferred to the mission that Serra founded .
“ The tribe , church and city have had positive discussions and we ’ ve asked the rest of the community to speak up and voice their opinion , ” LaVere says .
“ You ’ ve got to include the community in decisions like this.
” Hear that , governor and legislative leaders .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a more inclusive way .
Prodded by Newsom , state Senate leader Toni Atkins ( D-San Diego ) , Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon ( D-Lakewood ) and Assembly Rules Committee Chairman Ken Cooley ( D-Rancho Cordova ) issued a brief statement announcing that a 137-year-old statue of Columbus and Spanish Queen Isabella would be removed from its centerpiece position in the Capitol rotunda .
No public discussion by legislators , let alone the public .
“ Christopher Columbus is a deeply polarizing historical figure given the deadly impact his arrival in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statement read .
“ The continued presence of this statue in California ’ s Capitol … is completely out of place today .
It will be removed.
” “ If the statue is a problem , why can ’ t we have a conversation about it ?
” asks Senate GOP Caucus Chairman Brian Jones of Santee .
“ There should be a process for deciding these things.
” There is .
Ventura is using it .
A public discussion of removing such memorials might also allow for education about an ugly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fully understand .
“ My family was brought to the San Fernando mission in 1799 , ” Tataviam/Chumash elder Alan Salazar told my colleague Carolina A. Miranda when he and others pulled down a Serra statue on Olvera Street .
“ So when I talk about Native people who lost their culture , their language and their lives — and were worked like slaves at the missions — I ’ m talking about my great-great-great-great-grandparents.
” Many of us are wrestling with this whole issue .
For all the terror and misery Serra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important figures in human history .
One thing is clear : Society is now reappraising their legacies with clearer eyes , and we don ’ t like what we see .
Here is one way of honoring California history : Their places of honor should be taken by important California Indians .
My nomination : Ishi of the Yahi tribe , believed to be the last or one of the last surviving Native Americans to emerge from the California wild .
The Times has reported the Yahi “ were virtually annihilated in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fiercest and most uncompromising resistance met by Indians on the West Coast.
” In 1911 , Ishi came out from hiding , assuming he too would be killed by the white man .
The University of California Anthropology Museum took him in , studying the Stone Age survivor , working him as a janitor and using him as a museum attraction as he chipped arrowheads and shaped bows .
More recent reports document his mistreatment at Berkeley .
He died in 1916 of tuberculosis .
Ishi should be sculpted and honored in @ @ @ @ @

Activists take down a statue of Father Junipero Serra at Father Serra Park in Los Angeles on June 20.
Julie Tumamait-Stenslie scoffs when she hears defenders of the Father Junipero Serra statue in Ventura say it honors the city’s founder.
She is tribal chair of the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians (Chumash), whose ancestors lived for generations on the Channel Islands off the Santa Barbara-Ventura coast.
“There were cities on this land for thousands and thousands of years with social, political and religious customs,” Tumamait-Stenslie says. “Today you drive on our pathways, our trading networks. We’ve been in Ventura for thousands of years.”
Advertisement
And when Serra defenders say the 18th century Franciscan friar, who founded the California mission system during Spanish rule, protected and cared for Indigenous people, she replies:
“He did that because we were the free work force, the slave labor for the missions. Of course he was going to protect us. What else would he do? Go out and actually pay somebody to do the work? He had free slave labor.”
Native Americans who tried to escape the missions were tracked down and often beaten. Many died of disease spread by the European invaders.
“Ninety percent of our people were gone by the end of the mission period,” the tribal chair says. “They died.”
Historians basically agree with her depiction of mission life for Indians.
The late Kevin Starr, a state librarian and professor who produced several volumes on California history, wrote in his book “California” that the mission system was “a violent intrusion into the culture and human rights of Indigenous people….”
Advertisement
“They were being forced from their homelands, brought into the mission system — frequently against their will — and treated as children…. As children, they could be beaten when they proved recalcitrant or ran away from the mission, as they frequently did, and were recaptured….
“Many … died of shock at their displacement or of Spanish diseases. The sexual exploitation of Native American females by Spanish soldiers and other men in the colony was especially devastating as a matter of both personal violation and venereal disease.”
But there’s much more to blame for the genocide of California Indians than Serra, Spanish soldiers or Christopher Columbus, who began the decimation of Native Americans in 1492.
In 1851, California’s first elected governor, Peter Burnett, declared in his State of the State address: “That a war of extermination will continue to be waged between the two races until the Indian race becomes extinct must be expected.”
In the 1850s, the state Legislature appropriated $1.29 million to wage militia war against Native Americans. Some of that money was used to pay bounties for body parts — 25 cents per scalp, up to $5 for a whole head.
California’s indigenous population exceeded 200,000 in 1800 but plummeted to about 15,000 by 1900.
“It’s called genocide,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said last year at a ceremony with tribal leaders as he formally apologized for the state. “No other way to describe it, and that’s the way it needs to be described in the history books.”
California Indians always had a legitimate grievance against Serra, but their voices stayed relatively muted until Pope Francis elevated the friar to sainthood in 2015. Then the vandalism and toppling of statues began.
When the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis policeman set off nationwide “Black Lives Matter” protests against racism, it rekindled anger over the mistreatment of Native Americans.
Indigenous activists tore down a Serra statue in Father Serra Park in downtown Los Angeles. Protesters in San Francisco toppled a Serra statue in Golden Gate Park. Last weekend, demonstrators overturned a Serra statue in Sacramento’s Capitol Park.
And in Ventura, trying to protect the community’s Sierra statue from being spray-painted or ripped down, a coalition announced its intention to remove the monument from its prominent hillside location in front of City Hall overlooking downtown.
Tumamait-Stenslie, who lives in Ojai, says the statue symbolizes “the taking away of our livelihoods, our religion, our land — the genocide that changed us forever.”
“People say burn down the statue,” she continues, “but that’s not what we want. We don’t want it vandalized. We just want it removed from a public place.”
She, Ventura Mayor Matt LaVere and Father Tom Elewaut of the nearby Mission San Buenaventura, would like it to be transferred to the mission that Serra founded.
“The tribe, church and city have had positive discussions and we’ve asked the rest of the community to speak up and voice their opinion,” LaVere says. “You’ve got to include the community in decisions like this.”
Hear that, governor and legislative leaders. Unlike you, Ventura is doing it in a more inclusive way.
Prodded by Newsom, state Senate leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) and Assembly Rules Committee Chairman Ken Cooley (D-Rancho Cordova) issued a brief statement announcing that a 137-year-old statue of Columbus and Spanish Queen Isabella would be removed from its centerpiece position in the Capitol rotunda.
No public discussion by legislators, let alone the public.
“Christopher Columbus is a deeply polarizing historical figure given the deadly impact his arrival in this hemisphere had on indigenous populations,” the statement read. “The continued presence of this statue in California’s Capitol … is completely out of place today. It will be removed.”
Several Senate Republicans protested.
“If the statue is a problem, why can’t we have a conversation about it?” asks Senate GOP Caucus Chairman Brian Jones of Santee. “There should be a process for deciding these things.”
There is. Ventura is using it. A public discussion of removing such memorials might also allow for education about an ugly history that many still don’t fully understand.
“My family was brought to the San Fernando mission in 1799,” Tataviam/Chumash elder Alan Salazar told my colleague Carolina A. Miranda when he and others pulled down a Serra statue on Olvera Street. “So when I talk about Native people who lost their culture, their language and their lives — and were worked like slaves at the missions — I’m talking about my great-great-great-great-grandparents.”
Many of us are wrestling with this whole issue. For all the terror and misery Serra and Columbus brought, they are undeniably important figures in human history. One thing is clear: Society is now reappraising their legacies with clearer eyes, and we don’t like what we see.
Ishi, the last known member of the Yahi tribe
(UC Berkeley)
Here is one way of honoring California history: Their places of honor should be taken by important California Indians. My nomination: Ishi of the Yahi tribe, believed to be the last or one of the last surviving Native Americans to emerge from the California wild.
The Times has reported the Yahi “were virtually annihilated in a series of massacres described by anthropologists as the fiercest and most uncompromising resistance met by Indians on the West Coast.” In 1911, Ishi came out from hiding, assuming he too would be killed by the white man.
The University of California Anthropology Museum took him in, studying the Stone Age survivor, working him as a janitor and using him as a museum attraction as he chipped arrowheads and shaped bows. More recent reports document his mistreatment at Berkeley. He died in 1916 of tuberculosis.
Ishi should be sculpted and honored in California’s Capitol.


latimes--2020-07-10--Latinos now twice as likely as whites to get coronavirus in L.A. County

Latino residents of Los Angeles County are contracting the coronavirus at a much faster pace than other racial and ethnic groups , and are twice as likely to have contracted the virus than white residents .
“ Latinx people are more than twice as likely as people who are white to be infected with the virus .
And they also have had a steeper increase in their number of cases , ” Barbara Ferrer , director of public health for Los Angeles County , said Thursday .
Black residents of L.A. County are also more likely to have been infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ferrer said .
For every 100,000 Latino residents in L.A. County , more than 700 have been infected with the coronavirus ; and for every 100,000 Black residents , nearly 400 have been infected , according to an age-adjusted analysis by county officials .
By contrast , for every 100,000 white residents , more than 300 have been infected with the virus ; and for every 100,000 Asian American residents , about 250 have been infected .
People living in areas with higher levels of poverty in L.A. County are also more likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with high levels of poverty continue to see almost three times more cases than communities with little to no poverty , ” Ferrer said .
Of every 100,000 residents living in areas with higher levels of poverty in L.A. County , more than 1,800 have been infected .
But for every 100,000 residents living in the wealthiest parts of L.A. County , more than 600 have been infected .
In terms of coronavirus-related deaths , Latino and Black residents of L.A. County are roughly twice as likely to die from the virus than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s age-adjusted analysis .
For every 100,000 Latino residents , 45 have died ; and for every 100,000 Black residents , 41 have died .
For every 100,000 Asian residents , 27 have died .
And for every 100,000 white residents , 21 have died .
The overall mortality rate in L.A. County is 33 deaths for every 100,000 residents .
Ferrer said the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on Black and Latino residents is rooted in “ the impact of racism and discrimination on access to the resources and opportunities that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes living in more crowded housing that makes it difficult to stay physically separated from infected people ; higher risk of chronic conditions like heart diseases , respiratory disease and diabetes ; and less access to healthcare .
“ These like so many of the data points that I report to you are disheartening and distressing , and they actually emphasize the need for us to continue to do more so that we can address these inequities , ” Ferrer said .

Signs alert people that masks are required in the California Botanic Garden in Claremont.
Latino residents of Los Angeles County are contracting the coronavirus at a much faster pace than other racial and ethnic groups, and are twice as likely to have contracted the virus than white residents.
“Latinx people are more than twice as likely as people who are white to be infected with the virus. And they also have had a steeper increase in their number of cases,” Barbara Ferrer, director of public health for Los Angeles County, said Thursday.
Black residents of L.A. County are also more likely to have been infected with the coronavirus than white residents, Ferrer said.
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For every 100,000 Latino residents in L.A. County, more than 700 have been infected with the coronavirus; and for every 100,000 Black residents, nearly 400 have been infected, according to an age-adjusted analysis by county officials.
By contrast, for every 100,000 white residents, more than 300 have been infected with the virus; and for every 100,000 Asian American residents, about 250 have been infected.
Latino and Black residents of L.A. County have contracted the coronavirus at a higher rate than white residents. (Los Angeles County Department of Public Health )
People living in areas with higher levels of poverty in L.A. County are also more likely to contract the virus.
“Communities with high levels of poverty continue to see almost three times more cases than communities with little to no poverty,” Ferrer said.
Of every 100,000 residents living in areas with higher levels of poverty in L.A. County, more than 1,800 have been infected. But for every 100,000 residents living in the wealthiest parts of L.A. County, more than 600 have been infected.
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People living in areas of L.A. County with higher levels of poverty are more likely to have been infected with the coronavirus than people living in the wealthiest parts of the county. (Los Angeles County Department of Public Health)
In terms of coronavirus-related deaths, Latino and Black residents of L.A. County are roughly twice as likely to die from the virus than white residents, according to the county’s age-adjusted analysis.
For every 100,000 Latino residents, 45 have died; and for every 100,000 Black residents, 41 have died.
For every 100,000 Asian residents, 27 have died. And for every 100,000 white residents, 21 have died.
The overall mortality rate in L.A. County is 33 deaths for every 100,000 residents.
Black and Latino residents of L.A. County are about twice as likely to die from the corona (Los Angeles County Department of Public Health)
Ferrer said the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on Black and Latino residents is rooted in “the impact of racism and discrimination on access to the resources and opportunities that are needed to good health.”
This includes living in more crowded housing that makes it difficult to stay physically separated from infected people; higher risk of chronic conditions like heart diseases, respiratory disease and diabetes; and less access to healthcare.
“These like so many of the data points that I report to you are disheartening and distressing, and they actually emphasize the need for us to continue to do more so that we can address these inequities,” Ferrer said.


latimes--2020-07-10--USC to remove John Wayne exhibit after student protests over racist comments the actor made decades

USC to remove John Wayne exhibit after student protests over racist comments the actor made decades ago

USC ’ s School of Cinematic Arts will remove an exhibit dedicated to John Wayne after students called for its removal last year because of racist comments the late actor made in a 1971 Playboy magazine interview , the school announced Friday .
Citing a push to promote “ anti-racist cultural values , ” Evan Hughes , the assistant dean of diversity and inclusion , announced the change in a letter to the school ’ s community .
“ Conversations about systemic racism in our cultural institutions along with the recent global , civil uprising by the Black Lives Matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our school can play as a change maker in promoting antiracist cultural values and experiences , ” Hughes said in the statement .
“ Therefore , it has been decided that the Wayne Exhibit will be removed.
” In December , the school said it would not remove the exhibit and instead create a space exploring the American West , according the Daily Trojan .
A few months before , students protested the Wayne exhibit , stating that by keeping it , the school was “ endorsing white supremacy.
” Wayne attended USC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played football .
The protests were prompted after comments Wayne made in the Playboy interview resurfaced .
The popular actor made bigoted statements against Black people , Native Americans and the LGBTQ community .
“ I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility , ” he said in the interview .
“ I don ’ t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.
” He later said that although he didn ’ t condone slavery , “ I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five or 10 generations ago these people were slaves.
” He also felt no remorse about the subjugation of Native Americans .
“ I don ’ t feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them , ” he said .
“ There were great numbers of people who needed new land , and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.
” On June 26 , Orange County ’ s Democratic Party passed an emergency resolution calling for the re-naming of John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The airport was named after him in 1979 .
The decision at USC comes just a month after the university removed the name of its fifth president , Rufus Von KleinSmid , a eugenics leader , from one of its prominent buildings on campus .
President Carol Folt said Von KleinSmid ’ s beliefs were “ at direct odds with USC ’ s multicultural community and our mission of diversity and inclusion .
”

The USC School of Cinematic Arts will remove an exhibit dedicated to John Wayne, the school announced Friday.
USC’s School of Cinematic Arts will remove an exhibit dedicated to John Wayne after students called for its removal last year because of racist comments the late actor made in a 1971 Playboy magazine interview, the school announced Friday.
Citing a push to promote “anti-racist cultural values,” Evan Hughes, the assistant dean of diversity and inclusion, announced the change in a letter to the school’s community.
“Conversations about systemic racism in our cultural institutions along with the recent global, civil uprising by the Black Lives Matter Movement require that we consider the role our school can play as a change maker in promoting antiracist cultural values and experiences,” Hughes said in the statement. “Therefore, it has been decided that the Wayne Exhibit will be removed.”
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In December, the school said it would not remove the exhibit and instead create a space exploring the American West, according the Daily Trojan. A few months before, students protested the Wayne exhibit, stating that by keeping it, the school was “endorsing white supremacy.” Wayne attended USC in the late 1920s, where he played football.
The protests were prompted after comments Wayne made in the Playboy interview resurfaced. The popular actor made bigoted statements against Black people, Native Americans and the LGBTQ community.
“I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility,” he said in the interview. “I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.”
He later said that although he didn’t condone slavery, “I don’t feel guilty about the fact that five or 10 generations ago these people were slaves.”
He also felt no remorse about the subjugation of Native Americans.
“I don’t feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them,” he said. “There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.”
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On June 26, Orange County’s Democratic Party passed an emergency resolution calling for the re-naming of John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana and condemning Wayne’s statements. The airport was named after him in 1979.
The decision at USC comes just a month after the university removed the name of its fifth president, Rufus Von KleinSmid, a eugenics leader, from one of its prominent buildings on campus. President Carol Folt said Von KleinSmid’s beliefs were “at direct odds with USC’s multicultural community and our mission of diversity and inclusion.”


latimes--2020-07-10--California to release 8,000 prisoners in hopes of easing coronavirus crisis

As many as 8,000 California prisoners could be released ahead of schedule in an unprecedented attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19 inside state prisons , with more than half of the releases expected by the end of the month .
The announcement on Friday by top advisors to Gov .
Gavin Newsom offered stark evidence of the dire health conditions at several California prisons .
The total number of prisoners at facilities for men and women has already been reduced by thousands since Newsom declared a statewide emergency in response to the coronavirus .
More than 2,300 prisoners have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials said .
Significant increases have been reported at the California Institution for Men in Chino and at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County .
At least 31 prisoners have died from COVID-19 related illnesses .
The decision to expedite the release of prisoners comes on the heels of a growing chorus of complaints by state lawmakers , prisoner advocates and a federal judge that the state hasn ’ t done enough to stem the rising tide of infection .
On Monday , the top medical officer for the state prison system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of inmate transfers that are believed to have led to a much larger coronavirus problem in prisons than existed this spring .
Newsom told reporters on Monday that prisoners from Chino should not have been transferred , the responsibility for which rested with the prison healthcare agency overseen by federal judges since 2005 .
Officials at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said as many as 8,000 prisoners could be eligible for early release by the end of August .
“ These actions are taken to provide for the health and safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” corrections Secretary Ralph Diaz said in a written statement .
“ We aim to implement these decompression measures in a way that aligns both public health and public safety.
” Initial prisoner releases would come from those with 180 days or less left to serve on their sentence .
No one serving time for a crime defined in state law as violent or involving domestic violence would be set free , officials said .
Those required to register as sex offenders or who are assessed as being a high risk for violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The second group of prisoners who could be released would have no more than one year left to serve .
The releases are aimed at reducing the populations at eight state prisons identified as higher risk for coronavirus transmissions .
The same eligibility rules as the first group of released prisoners would apply in these releases .
In all cases , prison officials said , priority will be given to those who are 30 or older .
Prisoners under the age of 30 will be considered on a case-by-case basis .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to address the spread of the virus in correctional facilities .
In March , attorneys for the governor told federal judges that the state intended to expedite the release of as many as 3,500 prisoners who were within 60 days of their previously scheduled release date .
In all , prison officials say their efforts at “ decompression ” of California ’ s prison system during the pandemic have resulted in a prison population that has shrunk by approximately 10,000 .
Newsom on Thursday said nearly 2,400 people in California ’ s 35 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including 1,314 at San Quentin .
“ This is serious stuff and requires a seriousness of purpose .
People are just saying just release thousands and thousands of people , ” Newsom said .
“ Each and every one of these cases are sobering , challenging , and there ’ s a deep responsibility that comes with this job , but a sense of deep urgency as well to decompress the system in a judicious and thoughtful way.
” Sharon Dolovich , director of the Prison Law & Policy Program at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials were warned that the COVID-19 pandemic would be devastating within the confines of California prisons .
The prison system has more than 17,000 inmates considered medically high risk and , when combined with the inability to socially distance in cell blocks , an outbreak was unavoidable .
“ As soon as COVID comes into a facility , it can spread rapidly , ” Dolovich said .
“ What we are seeing in San Quentin was completely predictable and predicted by advocates at the start of the outbreak.
” U.S. District Judge Jon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week that the virus “ would inevitably invade every institution ” in California and that outbreaks threaten not just prisoners , but the communities surrounding state prisons .
Since the onset of the pandemic in late winter , Tigar wrote , “ the disease has spread out of control at more than one institution , and the risks to elderly and medically vulnerable inmates are markedly more clear.
” Newsom ’ s decision to release more prisoners was not universally applauded .
Vern Pierson , the district attorney in Northern California ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerning ” for public safety , and said the criteria the prison system will use to decide which inmates to release remains unclear .
The Newsom administration also has not made clear whether crime victims and prosecutors will be given notice when an inmate is released or if they will be able to file objections , said Pierson , who serves as president of the California District Attorneys Assn .
“ We don ’ t know what the actual impact of this is going to be .
We do know that it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant increases in crime , ” Pierson said .
Pierson said that because of changes made to California ’ s criminal justice system in recent years — including the release of many offenders whose crimes weren ’ t considered violent — those still in state prisons tend to be the most serious offenders .
“ It ’ s inescapable that it ’ s the most dangerous people that are the people that are left in prison , ” he said .
A new study conducted by researchers at UCLA and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Journal of the American Medical Assn.
, found that U.S. prison inmates tested positive for COVID-19 at a rate 5.5 times higher than that of the general public .
“ Nobody has suggested we open the door and let everybody out .
I ’ ve never heard anybody say that , ” Dolovich said .
“ The argument is we have to reduce a sufficient number of people so that the population density is low enough to allow social distancing for the people who remain.
” While California is far from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 cases in its prisons , the threat of additional legal action recalled an era in which state facilities were overcrowded and federal judges intervened to order sweeping and expensive changes to medical care .
Those judges also forced Newsom ’ s predecessors to take steps that would sharply shrink the state ’ s total prison population , a mandate upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011 .
The action taken Friday could lead to as many as an additional 2,100 prisoners being released by September .
State officials also offered new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make up for prisoner programs suspended due to the pandemic .
They said more reviews will be conducted for older and chronically ill prisoners and that efforts will be made to expedite the cases of those cleared for release by the state Board of Parole Hearings .

A cellblock at San Quentin State Prison. As many as 8,000 prisoners from state facilities could be released by the end of August to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
As many as 8,000 California prisoners could be released ahead of schedule in an unprecedented attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19 inside state prisons, with more than half of the releases expected by the end of the month.
The announcement on Friday by top advisors to Gov. Gavin Newsom offered stark evidence of the dire health conditions at several California prisons. The total number of prisoners at facilities for men and women has already been reduced by thousands since Newsom declared a statewide emergency in response to the coronavirus.
More than 2,300 prisoners have tested positive for the coronavirus, state officials said. Significant increases have been reported at the California Institution for Men in Chino and at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County. At least 31 prisoners have died from COVID-19 related illnesses.
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The decision to expedite the release of prisoners comes on the heels of a growing chorus of complaints by state lawmakers, prisoner advocates and a federal judge that the state hasn’t done enough to stem the rising tide of infection.
On Monday, the top medical officer for the state prison system was removed from his position following criticism of inmate transfers that are believed to have led to a much larger coronavirus problem in prisons than existed this spring. Newsom told reporters on Monday that prisoners from Chino should not have been transferred, the responsibility for which rested with the prison healthcare agency overseen by federal judges since 2005.
Officials at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said as many as 8,000 prisoners could be eligible for early release by the end of August.
“These actions are taken to provide for the health and safety of the incarcerated population and staff,” corrections Secretary Ralph Diaz said in a written statement. “We aim to implement these decompression measures in a way that aligns both public health and public safety.”
Initial prisoner releases would come from those with 180 days or less left to serve on their sentence. No one serving time for a crime defined in state law as violent or involving domestic violence would be set free, officials said. Those required to register as sex offenders or who are assessed as being a high risk for violence would also be ineligible for early release.
The second group of prisoners who could be released would have no more than one year left to serve. The releases are aimed at reducing the populations at eight state prisons identified as higher risk for coronavirus transmissions. The same eligibility rules as the first group of released prisoners would apply in these releases.
In all cases, prison officials said, priority will be given to those who are 30 or older. Prisoners under the age of 30 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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This is not the first effort by Newsom to address the spread of the virus in correctional facilities. In March, attorneys for the governor told federal judges that the state intended to expedite the release of as many as 3,500 prisoners who were within 60 days of their previously scheduled release date. In all, prison officials say their efforts at “decompression” of California’s prison system during the pandemic have resulted in a prison population that has shrunk by approximately 10,000.
Newsom on Thursday said nearly 2,400 people in California’s 35 prisons have tested positive for the coronavirus, including 1,314 at San Quentin.
“This is serious stuff and requires a seriousness of purpose. People are just saying just release thousands and thousands of people,” Newsom said. “Each and every one of these cases are sobering, challenging, and there’s a deep responsibility that comes with this job, but a sense of deep urgency as well to decompress the system in a judicious and thoughtful way.”
Sharon Dolovich, director of the Prison Law & Policy Program at the UCLA School of Law, said state officials were warned that the COVID-19 pandemic would be devastating within the confines of California prisons. The prison system has more than 17,000 inmates considered medically high risk and, when combined with the inability to socially distance in cell blocks, an outbreak was unavoidable.
“As soon as COVID comes into a facility, it can spread rapidly,” Dolovich said. “What we are seeing in San Quentin was completely predictable and predicted by advocates at the start of the outbreak.”
U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar told attorneys for Newsom earlier this week that the virus “would inevitably invade every institution” in California and that outbreaks threaten not just prisoners, but the communities surrounding state prisons. Since the onset of the pandemic in late winter, Tigar wrote, “the disease has spread out of control at more than one institution, and the risks to elderly and medically vulnerable inmates are markedly more clear.”
Newsom’s decision to release more prisoners was not universally applauded.
Vern Pierson, the district attorney in Northern California’s El Dorado County, called it “concerning” for public safety, and said the criteria the prison system will use to decide which inmates to release remains unclear. The Newsom administration also has not made clear whether crime victims and prosecutors will be given notice when an inmate is released or if they will be able to file objections, said Pierson, who serves as president of the California District Attorneys Assn.
“We don’t know what the actual impact of this is going to be. We do know that it’s a high likelihood there will be significant increases in crime,” Pierson said.
Pierson said that because of changes made to California’s criminal justice system in recent years — including the release of many offenders whose crimes weren’t considered violent — those still in state prisons tend to be the most serious offenders.
“It’s inescapable that it’s the most dangerous people that are the people that are left in prison,” he said.
A new study conducted by researchers at UCLA and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., found that U.S. prison inmates tested positive for COVID-19 at a rate 5.5 times higher than that of the general public.
“Nobody has suggested we open the door and let everybody out. I’ve never heard anybody say that,” Dolovich said. “The argument is we have to reduce a sufficient number of people so that the population density is low enough to allow social distancing for the people who remain.”
While California is far from the only state struggling with a surge in COVID-19 cases in its prisons, the threat of additional legal action recalled an era in which state facilities were overcrowded and federal judges intervened to order sweeping and expensive changes to medical care. Those judges also forced Newsom’s predecessors to take steps that would sharply shrink the state’s total prison population, a mandate upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011.
The action taken Friday could lead to as many as an additional 2,100 prisoners being released by September. State officials also offered new credits toward time served, largely to make up for prisoner programs suspended due to the pandemic. They said more reviews will be conducted for older and chronically ill prisoners and that efforts will be made to expedite the cases of those cleared for release by the state Board of Parole Hearings.