latimes--2020-12-14--Column: Legislators return with new bills to help Californians hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic

Like little flowers emerging from a charred landscape , some promising pandemic relief bills are sprouting in a California Legislature devastated by COVID-19 .
They ’ ve scarcely been noticed in the fixation over President Trump ’ s immoral , undemocratic attempt to overturn the voters ’ election of Joe Biden — and Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s French Laundry dining and unemployment benefit debacles .
Newsom , however , made a smart move last week in an attempt to right his foundering governorship .
He recruited the politically savvy Dee Dee Myers to be a senior advisor and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s supposed to help expand California business .
The California native is best known for being the first female White House press secretary — for President Clinton — but since then has worked in corporate communications , including as a vice president for Warner Bros. Newsom , Myers and legislative leaders should take a serious look at some of the pandemic-related bills that were introduced when the Legislature convened its new session last week .
But the measures face a harsh terrain that has been damaged by efforts to control the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 outbreak in March , the Legislature has been upended by restrictions .
The Capitol is barred to outsiders — policy experts , lobbyists and the public .
Many committee hearings are relegated to awkward Zoom meetings .
Mask-wearing lawmakers are confined to distancing .
They can ’ t buttonhole one another on the chamber floors to discuss bills and negotiate .
An indispensable tool of good legislating is face-to-face dickering .
That hasn ’ t been happening .
One result was that the Legislature adjourned for the year in August amid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially among the leaders .
“ The process is screwed up , ” Assemblyman Adam Gray ( D-Merced ) says .
“ It ’ s difficult to navigate through this .
It ’ s hard to organize the committees .
They ’ re not as transparent and public as they should be.
” Gray introduced a bill , AB 62 , that would allow small businesses and those deemed essential — such as healthcare facilities , emergency services and food processing — to take a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on virus-protection expenses required by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things as employee testing , masks , ventilation systems and plexiglass barriers .
The credit would be taken on state tax returns .
Spend $ 20,000 protecting employees and customers , and your taxes would be reduced by that amount .
The cost to the state treasury in lost tax revenue ?
Lots .
“ Hundreds of millions to billions of dollars , ” says Gray spokesman Adam Capper .
“ Whatever it costs , that ’ s how much [ state ] regulations cost California businesses.
” “ Instead of putting our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gray says , “ state regulators continue to push the costs associated with COVID-19 onto employers , many of whom are already struggling to keep their doors open… .
“ I can already hear those who created and supported these regulations saying the state can not afford to spend the billions of dollars it will likely cost .
Well , now you know how small-business owners feel.
” Newsom estimated last week that the state would garner a $ 15.5-billion tax windfall in the next fiscal year .
Recently , the nonpartisan Legislative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher surplus — $ 26 billion .
State Sen. Andreas Borgeas ( R-Fresno ) introduced a bill , SB 74 , that would require the state to spend 10 % of its surplus — whatever the size — on grants to small businesses .
Newsom recently set aside $ 500 million for small-business grants .
The governor also allowed most businesses to delay , for three months , handing over to government the sales taxes they collect .
“ California deserves more aggressive investment in business relief efforts to revitalize our economy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ probably doesn ’ t stand a prayer given he ’ s a lowly Republican in a Legislature that Democrats control with supermajorities in each house .
But it ’ s still a good idea .
Maybe a Democrat can steal it .
The GOP senator , a law professor , has also been pressing Newsom for data that justify restaurant shutdowns , especially outdoor dining .
“ What surprised me is they don ’ t have that information , ” Borgeas says .
“ Restaurants being locked down deserve to understand whether it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make their case , and they ’ re not being heard.
” Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel ( D-Encino ) introduced a bill , AB 61 , that would allow local governments to permit restaurants to expand outdoor dining — once it ’ s legal again .
Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Phil Ting ( D-San Francisco ) introduced a bill , AB 10 , that would require public schools to reopen once infection rates drop .
Local districts would have less control over when they resume classroom teaching .
The state would have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ting says .
Under his proposal , there could be hybrid teaching — a mix of in-person and distanced .
“ Right now , many schools that are open are flouting guidelines , ” he says .
“ It ’ s not clear whether they ’ re requiring students to wear masks and if desks are distanced.
” But the vast majority of public schools are closed .
“ It ’ s harder to teach online , ” Ting notes .
“ Harder to keep kids ’ attention .
There are fewer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t even showing up for class… .
“ I ’ m worried about the learning loss — also the social isolation .
Kids want to be around other kids .
They want to see the teacher .
We have to do better.
” Gray says politicians — and everyone — should come together as they did in World War II , set aside partisanship and unite behind combating the virus and saving small businesses .
“ Stop the finger-pointing and blame — the debating masks vs. not masks , ” Gray says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get through this tough time .
“ That ’ s my wish for Christmas.
” That may be asking too much from Santa .

Since the COVID-19 outbreak in March, the California Legislature has been upended by restrictions. The Capitol is barred to outsiders — policy experts, lobbyists and the public.
Like little flowers emerging from a charred landscape, some promising pandemic relief bills are sprouting in a California Legislature devastated by COVID-19.
They’ve scarcely been noticed in the fixation over President Trump’s immoral, undemocratic attempt to overturn the voters’ election of Joe Biden — and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s French Laundry dining and unemployment benefit debacles.
Newsom, however, made a smart move last week in an attempt to right his foundering governorship. He recruited the politically savvy Dee Dee Myers to be a senior advisor and head his agency — GO-Biz — that’s supposed to help expand California business.
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The California native is best known for being the first female White House press secretary — for President Clinton — but since then has worked in corporate communications, including as a vice president for Warner Bros.
Newsom, Myers and legislative leaders should take a serious look at some of the pandemic-related bills that were introduced when the Legislature convened its new session last week.
But the measures face a harsh terrain that has been damaged by efforts to control the virus’ spread in the Capitol.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak in March, the Legislature has been upended by restrictions. The Capitol is barred to outsiders — policy experts, lobbyists and the public. Many committee hearings are relegated to awkward Zoom meetings. Mask-wearing lawmakers are confined to distancing. They can’t buttonhole one another on the chamber floors to discuss bills and negotiate.
An indispensable tool of good legislating is face-to-face dickering. That hasn’t been happening. One result was that the Legislature adjourned for the year in August amid excessive feuding between the two houses, especially among the leaders.
Advertisement
“The process is screwed up,” Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced) says. “It’s difficult to navigate through this. It’s hard to organize the committees. They’re not as transparent and public as they should be.”
Gray introduced a bill, AB 62, that would allow small businesses and those deemed essential — such as healthcare facilities, emergency services and food processing — to take a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on virus-protection expenses required by the state. Covered would be such things as employee testing, masks, ventilation systems and plexiglass barriers.
The credit would be taken on state tax returns. Spend $20,000 protecting employees and customers, and your taxes would be reduced by that amount.
The cost to the state treasury in lost tax revenue? Lots.
“Hundreds of millions to billions of dollars,” says Gray spokesman Adam Capper. “Whatever it costs, that’s how much [state] regulations cost California businesses.”
“Instead of putting our money where our mouth is,” Gray says, “state regulators continue to push the costs associated with COVID-19 onto employers, many of whom are already struggling to keep their doors open….
“I can already hear those who created and supported these regulations saying the state cannot afford to spend the billions of dollars it will likely cost. Well, now you know how small-business owners feel.”
Newsom estimated last week that the state would garner a $15.5-billion tax windfall in the next fiscal year. Recently, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office projected an even higher surplus — $26 billion.
State Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno) introduced a bill, SB 74, that would require the state to spend 10% of its surplus — whatever the size — on grants to small businesses.
Newsom recently set aside $500 million for small-business grants. The governor also allowed most businesses to delay, for three months, handing over to government the sales taxes they collect.
Borgeas contends that isn’t enough.
“California deserves more aggressive investment in business relief efforts to revitalize our economy,” he says.
Borgeas’ bill probably doesn’t stand a prayer given he’s a lowly Republican in a Legislature that Democrats control with supermajorities in each house. But it’s still a good idea. Maybe a Democrat can steal it.
The GOP senator, a law professor, has also been pressing Newsom for data that justify restaurant shutdowns, especially outdoor dining.
“What surprised me is they don’t have that information,” Borgeas says. “Restaurants being locked down deserve to understand whether it’s science-driven. Restaurants are trying to make their case, and they’re not being heard.”
Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) introduced a bill, AB 61, that would allow local governments to permit restaurants to expand outdoor dining — once it’s legal again.
Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) introduced a bill, AB 10, that would require public schools to reopen once infection rates drop. Local districts would have less control over when they resume classroom teaching.
The state would have to provide more clarity to its safety guidelines, Ting says. Under his proposal, there could be hybrid teaching — a mix of in-person and distanced.
“Right now, many schools that are open are flouting guidelines,” he says. “It’s not clear whether they’re requiring students to wear masks and if desks are distanced.”
But the vast majority of public schools are closed.
“It’s harder to teach online,” Ting notes. “Harder to keep kids’ attention. There are fewer hours of instruction. Many kids aren’t even showing up for class….
“I’m worried about the learning loss — also the social isolation. Kids want to be around other kids. They want to see the teacher. We have to do better.”
Gray says politicians — and everyone — should come together as they did in World War II, set aside partisanship and unite behind combating the virus and saving small businesses.
“Stop the finger-pointing and blame — the debating masks vs. not masks,” Gray says. “Focus on everybody helping everybody get through this tough time.
“That’s my wish for Christmas.”
That may be asking too much from Santa.


latimes--2020-12-15--With vaccine, California enters new phase in the coronavirus pandemic

With cameras clicking and Gov .
Gavin Newsom standing beside her wearing a surgical mask , intensive care nurse Helen Cordova rolled up the sleeve of her blue scrubs Monday afternoon and became one of the first Californians to get a coronavirus vaccine .
“ Protect me , ” she said with a laugh , just before nurse Marilyn Lansangan jabbed her right deltoid .
Cheers broke out from the small , masked crowd of doctors , nurses and elected officials before the syringe was even out of Cordova ’ s arm .
The inoculation in a conference room at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a hopeful new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic , which has sickened more than 1.6 million Californians and killed more than 21,000 .
Cordova and four other healthcare workers were the first people in Los Angeles County outside a clinical trial to get the shots made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech , marking the start of what will be a long campaign to vaccinate California .
But while the vaccine offers promise , it comes as the U.S. is facing the darkest moment of the coronavirus crisis .
On Monday , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California , like much of the nation , is in the throes of of the disease .
Record numbers of people are being infected and hospitalized with COVID-19 , and space in intensive care units across the state has shrunk to dangerous lows .
The situation is especially dire in the San Joaquin Valley , where the availability of intensive care beds this week is zero .
After watching the first vaccinations in Los Angeles , Newsom said he was “ enthusiastic that there is light at the end of the tunnel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the tunnel.
” “ We are in the midst of the worst moment of this pandemic , ” he said .
“ So today is hopeful , and it ’ s reason to be optimistic , but let ’ s be mindful of where we really are.
” Even for the Kaiser medical staffers who got their shots with the world watching , there was no reprieve .
They went right back to work .
“ It ’ s way busier now than it was initially , ” said Kim Taylor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s emergency department who got her vaccine after Cordova .
When Taylor arrived at the hospital Monday morning , four patients were waiting for a bed in the ICU .
Sometimes , she said , they have to wait for days .
After her vaccination , Taylor stood before a bank of television cameras and pleaded with a weary public to continue wearing masks , to stay home for Christmas and to get vaccinated when they can .
“ We frontline workers have been working around the clock over the past nine months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do and love to take care of our patients , ” she said .
“ We ’ ve been doing this while trying to take care of our own families and keep them safe ... .
We can ’ t win this fight alone .
We need your help to keep our numbers down.
” Dr. Brian Thompson , a 61-year-old emergency room physician who was next in line for the vaccine , was born at the Kaiser hospital , where he has worked since 1988 .
“ We ’ ve gotten through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this , ” said Thompson , who has tended to COVID-19 patients since March , when the initial outbreak forced the state into a lockdown .
Two other Kaiser employees also received doses Monday : Angela Balam , a worker in environmental services , and Raul Aguilar , a respiratory therapy technician .
Along with Los Angeles , three other California cities received vaccines on Monday : San Diego , San Francisco and Eureka .
Twenty-four additional sites were expected to receive the vaccine Tuesday , followed by five more on Wednesday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ doses of the vaccine .
The state ’ s initial allocation — 327,600 doses in all — will go mostly to acute-care hospitals to be administered to healthcare workers , although some counties have said they also will send a portion to skilled nursing facilities .
California is planning on receiving roughly 2.1 million doses by the end of the year , Newsom said .
But the vaccine is not expected to be available to everyone who wants it until at least the spring .
Though development of multiple successful COVID-19 vaccines was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politically charged backdrop of a presidential election — officials and the healthcare workers who got shots on Monday emphasized the vaccinations ’ safety and efficacy and urged an anxious public to get inoculated as soon as possible .
“ These vaccines have not been infected by politics , ” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a news conference at the hospital .
“ You can trust them .
You should trust them .
I trust them.
” He added : “ When my ticket is the right one , I will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with my family ” to get vaccinated .
“ To have witnessed the vaccines that we just saw brought a tear to my eye because it shows human ingenuity , ” Garcetti said .
“ It shows the stubbornness that human beings have : We want to survive .
We want to thrive .
And we will make it through this.
” A working group of scientists and experts representing California , Nevada , Oregon and Washington has reviewed the vaccine and endorsed its safety .
The vaccine is coming during a dark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ averaged 32,858 new coronavirus cases a day over the last week — the highest level ever and a 133 % increase from two weeks ago , according to data compiled by The Times .
On Monday , California broke yet another record for the largest number of coronavirus cases reported in a single day — 42,129 , according to a Times county-by-county tally .
That breaks a record last set Dec. 8 , when 35,400 cases were counted .
The number of coronavirus-positive patients hospitalized statewide also continues to soar , reaching a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s quadruple the number from last month , according to the from the state .
On Monday , San Francisco received 2,000 doses of the vaccine , the city ’ s chief of public health said .
“ We are on the brink of a historic moment for our city : The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine is beginning , ” said Dr. Grant Colfax , director of San Francisco ’ s Public Health Department .
The vaccine was sent to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital , which is run by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long rollout — and too late for this surge , ” Colfax said , noting that more San Franciscans are infected with the coronavirus than at any previous time during the pandemic .
“ I think it is very important to step back for a moment and realize how dire our situation has become , ” Colfax said .
During the last week , the city has reported more than 200 new cases of the coronavirus every day , and there are no signs the surge is abating , he said .
Three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be used both by the county itself — which operates the San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital — as well as by hospitals .
are expected to receive allotments from the first batch of vaccines , though it was unclear how many doses they would get .
Three other hospitals , including Rady Children ’ s Hospital , will receive the vaccine directly from Pfizer .
A spokesperson for Rady said the hospital expected to receive the vaccines Tuesday .
In Humboldt County , 975 doses arrived at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to receive 82,875 doses as part of its initial vaccine shipment , officials said Monday was a “ monumental day , ” said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer , who just last week fought back tears as she announced that the county ’ s death toll had surpassed 8,000 .
But she stressed that residents need to remain diligent since it will probably be months before vaccines are widely distributed to the general public .
“ The choices every person and every business make throughout each day have an impact on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
“ If you ’ re not playing by the rules , to put it blunt , at this point you ’ re part of the problem , and you ’ re contributing to the distressing increases that we see in cases , hospitalizations and deaths.
” ICU availability has tumbled to a scant 2.7 % in the Southern California region , a sprawling swath covering Imperial , Inyo , Los Angeles , Mono , Orange , Riverside , San Bernardino , San Diego , San Luis Obispo , Santa Barbara @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the recent massive rise in cases will eventually trigger a tidal wave of hospitalizations and that mortality rates will spike if ICUs can no longer accommodate the sickest patients .
“ Obviously we ’ re all excited to see images of the first vaccinations take place across the country and across Los Angeles .
And I share in that joy , and it ’ s a reminder for all of us that the pandemic some day will come to a close , ” said Dr. Christina Ghaly , L.A. County ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the midst of that joy , and that joyous story that ’ s being told , we can ’ t lose sight of the fact that we are still ... in the midst of a very deadly and dangerous surge.
” Times staff writers Alex Wigglesworth , Tracy Wilkinson and Maya Lau contributed to this report , as did Jonathan Wosen and Andrew Dyer of the San Diego Union-Tribune .

Colleen Shalby, Luke Money, Hailey Branson-Potts, Rong-Gong Lin II

With cameras clicking and Gov. Gavin Newsom standing beside her wearing a surgical mask, intensive care nurse Helen Cordova rolled up the sleeve of her blue scrubs Monday afternoon and became one of the first Californians to get a coronavirus vaccine.
“Protect me,” she said with a laugh, just before nurse Marilyn Lansangan jabbed her right deltoid.
Cheers broke out from the small, masked crowd of doctors, nurses and elected officials before the syringe was even out of Cordova’s arm.
Advertisement
The inoculation in a conference room at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center ushered in a hopeful new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has sickened more than 1.6 million Californians and killed more than 21,000.
Cordova and four other healthcare workers were the first people in Los Angeles County outside a clinical trial to get the shots made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech, marking the start of what will be a long campaign to vaccinate California.
But while the vaccine offers promise, it comes as the U.S. is facing the darkest moment of the coronavirus crisis. On Monday, the U.S. death toll topped 300,000, and California, like much of the nation, is in the throes of the worst wave of the disease.
Record numbers of people are being infected and hospitalized with COVID-19, and space in intensive care units across the state has shrunk to dangerous lows. The situation is especially dire in the San Joaquin Valley, where the availability of intensive care beds this week is zero.
After watching the first vaccinations in Los Angeles, Newsom said he was “enthusiastic that there is light at the end of the tunnel, but mindful that we’re still in the tunnel.”
“We are in the midst of the worst moment of this pandemic,” he said. “So today is hopeful, and it’s reason to be optimistic, but let’s be mindful of where we really are.”
Advertisement
Even for the Kaiser medical staffers who got their shots with the world watching, there was no reprieve. They went right back to work.
“It’s way busier now than it was initially,” said Kim Taylor, a 53-year-old nurse in the hospital’s emergency department who got her vaccine after Cordova.
California California again shatters single-day coronavirus case record: more than 42,000 cases A Los Angeles Times county-by-county tally tallied 42,129 coronavirus cases across the state Monday. That’s the first time more than 40,000 cases have been reported by the state’s local health agencies in a single day.
When Taylor arrived at the hospital Monday morning, four patients were waiting for a bed in the ICU. Sometimes, she said, they have to wait for days.
After her vaccination, Taylor stood before a bank of television cameras and pleaded with a weary public to continue wearing masks, to stay home for Christmas and to get vaccinated when they can.
“We frontline workers have been working around the clock over the past nine months, sacrificing so much of what we do and love to take care of our patients,” she said. “We’ve been doing this while trying to take care of our own families and keep them safe.... We can’t win this fight alone. We need your help to keep our numbers down.”
Dr. Brian Thompson, a 61-year-old emergency room physician who was next in line for the vaccine, was born at the Kaiser hospital, where he has worked since 1988.
“We’ve gotten through SARS, MERS — nothing compares to this,” said Thompson, who has tended to COVID-19 patients since March, when the initial outbreak forced the state into a lockdown.
California California demands that Amazon comply with COVID-19 investigation The California attorney general’s office issued subpoenas in August as part of an investigation into Amazon’s protocols for protecting employees from COVID-19.
Two other Kaiser employees also received doses Monday: Angela Balam, a worker in environmental services, and Raul Aguilar, a respiratory therapy technician.
Along with Los Angeles, three other California cities received vaccines on Monday: San Diego, San Francisco and Eureka.
Twenty-four additional sites were expected to receive the vaccine Tuesday, followed by five more on Wednesday.
Newsom said California had already received 33,150 doses of the vaccine. The state’s initial allocation — 327,600 doses in all — will go mostly to acute-care hospitals to be administered to healthcare workers, although some counties have said they also will send a portion to skilled nursing facilities.
California is planning on receiving roughly 2.1 million doses by the end of the year, Newsom said. But the vaccine is not expected to be available to everyone who wants it until at least the spring.
Though development of multiple successful COVID-19 vaccines was rapid — and played out amid the politically charged backdrop of a presidential election — officials and the healthcare workers who got shots on Monday emphasized the vaccinations’ safety and efficacy and urged an anxious public to get inoculated as soon as possible.
“These vaccines have not been infected by politics,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a news conference at the hospital. “You can trust them. You should trust them. I trust them.”
He added: “When my ticket is the right one, I will be ready, probably here at Kaiser, with my family” to get vaccinated.
“To have witnessed the vaccines that we just saw brought a tear to my eye because it shows human ingenuity,” Garcetti said. “It shows the stubbornness that human beings have: We want to survive. We want to thrive. And we will make it through this.”
A working group of scientists and experts representing California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington has reviewed the vaccine and endorsed its safety.
The vaccine is coming during a dark period in California. The state has averaged 32,858 new coronavirus cases a day over the last week — the highest level ever and a 133% increase from two weeks ago, according to data compiled by The Times.
On Monday, California broke yet another record for the largest number of coronavirus cases reported in a single day — 42,129, according to a Times county-by-county tally. That breaks a record last set Dec. 8, when 35,400 cases were counted.
The number of coronavirus-positive patients hospitalized statewide also continues to soar, reaching a record 13,635 as of Sunday. That’s quadruple the number from last month, according to the latest data from the state.
On Monday, San Francisco received 2,000 doses of the vaccine, the city’s chief of public health said.
“We are on the brink of a historic moment for our city: The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine is beginning,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of San Francisco’s Public Health Department.
The vaccine was sent to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, which is run by the city.
“It will be a long rollout — and too late for this surge,” Colfax said, noting that more San Franciscans are infected with the coronavirus than at any previous time during the pandemic.
“I think it is very important to step back for a moment and realize how dire our situation has become,” Colfax said.
During the last week, the city has reported more than 200 new cases of the coronavirus every day, and there are no signs the surge is abating, he said.
San Diego County will initially receive 28,275 doses of vaccine.
Three boxes of doses arrived Monday, the county tweeted. Those will be used both by the county itself — which operates the San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital — as well as by hospitals. Five medical centers are expected to receive allotments from the first batch of vaccines, though it was unclear how many doses they would get.
Three other hospitals, including Rady Children’s Hospital, will receive the vaccine directly from Pfizer. A spokesperson for Rady said the hospital expected to receive the vaccines Tuesday.
In Humboldt County, 975 doses arrived at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka on Monday.
L.A. County is scheduled to receive 82,875 doses as part of its initial vaccine shipment, officials said
Monday was a “monumental day,” said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, who just last week fought back tears as she announced that the county’s death toll had surpassed 8,000.
But she stressed that residents need to remain diligent since it will probably be months before vaccines are widely distributed to the general public.
“The choices every person and every business make throughout each day have an impact on what happens in our hospitals,” she said.
“If you’re not playing by the rules, to put it blunt, at this point you’re part of the problem, and you’re contributing to the distressing increases that we see in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.”
ICU availability has tumbled to a scant 2.7% in the Southern California region, a sprawling swath covering Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
Health experts fear that the recent massive rise in cases will eventually trigger a tidal wave of hospitalizations and that mortality rates will spike if ICUs can no longer accommodate the sickest patients.
“Obviously we’re all excited to see images of the first vaccinations take place across the country and across Los Angeles. And I share in that joy, and it’s a reminder for all of us that the pandemic some day will come to a close,” said Dr. Christina Ghaly, L.A. County’s director of health services.
“But in the midst of that joy, and that joyous story that’s being told, we can’t lose sight of the fact that we are still ... in the midst of a very deadly and dangerous surge.”
Times staff writers Alex Wigglesworth, Tracy Wilkinson and Maya Lau contributed to this report, as did Jonathan Wosen and Andrew Dyer of the San Diego Union-Tribune.


latimes--2020-12-15--Claremont church depicts Black Lives Matter protest in Nativity scene

According to the Bible , Jesus ’ birth was a crowded affair — Mary and Joseph , a menagerie of animals and some shepherd visitors .
But protesters ?
Claremont United Methodist Church , in keeping with its tradition of , situated the Holy Family this year in front of a painting of masked people holding signs reading “ I can ’ t breathe !
” and “ Black Lives Matter , ” alongside Bible verses and other quotes .
“ We couldn ’ t think of any other issue that we wanted to keep under the light of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racism , ” said the Rev .
Karen Clark Ristine , the church ’ s senior minister .
Against the mural backdrop , a statue of Joseph kneels beside the babe in a manger .
Mary stands , her arms lifted with the protesters in the painting , alluding to the protests that erupted this summer after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd .
Above their heads , a banner lists the names of more than 30 Black people who have been killed , including Emmett Till , Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the call for justice and equity by the Black Lives Matter movement to ensure that Black lives matter as much as any other life , ” reads accompanying the exhibit .
“ Our faith in Christ challenges us to stand with Mary in her call for justice for the poor , the marginalized and the oppressed.
” The church has made a Christmas tradition of erecting Nativity scenes tied to the issues of the day .
A few years ago , Mary was huddled in a sleeping bag , sitting at a bus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a baby — a modern depiction of Jesus ’ family as homeless .
Another year , a hooded and bloody re-creation of Trayvon Martin , the 17-year-old shot and killed by George Zimmerman in 2012 , knelt beside a silhouette of the virgin mother .
, the church placed each member of the Holy Family in cages , to represent families separated and detained behind fences at the U.S.-Mexico border .
“ We don ’ t want the need for continuing conversation of racism and white supremacy to get lost in news cycles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a centuries-old issue that we need to keep wrestling with.
” The work is borne out by the church ’ s “ Creative Peacemaking ” committee , which begins mulling over ideas for the Advent season in March , said Genaro Cordova , the church ’ s facilities engineer who constructed the set .
The possibilities for 2020 ’ s Nativity statement were seemingly endless , but Cordova said the choice was obvious .
“ We thought that racism was really worse , the worst epidemic that maybe we had around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID is going to pass , but the struggle [ of ] our brothers and sisters , Black Americans , is going to continue for a long time.
” Though COVID-19 was not the purpose of the scene , the painted people nonetheless wore masks .
The summer ’ s protests couldn ’ t be untangled from the raging pandemic , Ristine said .
Many of the church ’ s 430 members didn ’ t attend the protests because their age or health conditions put them at high risk for contracting the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scene was their way to join the discussion .
“ This faith community kind of leads with justice , ” said Ristine , who came to the congregation less than two years ago .
“ This is a very important public art statement for them every year.
” Cordova spent two months working on the project , meticulously choosing a bright color palette to paint the crowd , which he said is intended to represent the diversity of races at this summer ’ s protests .
“ They were people from all over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , white , brown , Asian , all kinds of people were supporting our Black brothers [ and ] sisters , ” said Cordova , who attended a couple of protests this summer .
“ Even our Nativity scene , like Mary and Joseph and Jesus , they are not really white , but we tried to make it like brown , between all the races.
” The church ’ s Nativity scene is not only a Christmas hallmark , but also a public art installation subject to people ’ s interpretations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nativity scenes , she said responses this year have been “ 50/50.
” “ I ’ m disappointed that you put such a volatile thing up on a manger scene , ” one person said in a voicemail left in the church ’ s inbox .
Another caller said the scene brought tears to his eyes : “ Thank you for ... keeping those names in the front line so that everybody remembers.
” Although the set was installed at the beginning of Advent in early December , as is the custom , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comparison to last year ’ s thousands of responses , Ristine said .
The pandemic probably has played a part : Fewer people are visiting the church property since it closed for in-person services in March .

Claremont United Methodist Church put up a Nativity scene that shows Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in front of a wall of people wearing masks and carrying signs that read “Black Lives Matter,” “I can’t breathe” and “Jesus wept,” along with Bible verses.
According to the Bible, Jesus’ birth was a crowded affair — Mary and Joseph, a menagerie of animals and some shepherd visitors. But protesters?
Claremont United Methodist Church, in keeping with its tradition of eye-catching Nativity scenes , situated the Holy Family this year in front of a painting of masked people holding signs reading “I can’t breathe!” and “Black Lives Matter,” alongside Bible verses and other quotes.
“We couldn’t think of any other issue that we wanted to keep under the light of the Bethlehem star than the need to address racism,” said the Rev. Karen Clark Ristine, the church’s senior minister.
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Against the mural backdrop, a statue of Joseph kneels beside the babe in a manger. Mary stands, her arms lifted with the protesters in the painting, alluding to the protests that erupted this summer after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd. Above their heads, a banner lists the names of more than 30 Black people who have been killed, including Emmett Till, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.
“We affirm and join the call for justice and equity by the Black Lives Matter movement to ensure that Black lives matter as much as any other life,” reads a theological statement accompanying the exhibit. “Our faith in Christ challenges us to stand with Mary in her call for justice for the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed.”
The church has made a Christmas tradition of erecting Nativity scenes tied to the issues of the day. A few years ago, Mary was huddled in a sleeping bag, sitting at a bus stop beside her shopping cart and holding a baby — a modern depiction of Jesus’ family as homeless.
Another year, a hooded and bloody re-creation of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old shot and killed by George Zimmerman in 2012, knelt beside a silhouette of the virgin mother. Last year , the church placed each member of the Holy Family in cages, to represent families separated and detained behind fences at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We don’t want the need for continuing conversation of racism and white supremacy to get lost in news cycles,” Ristine said. “This is a centuries-old issue that we need to keep wrestling with.”
The work is borne out by the church’s “Creative Peacemaking” committee, which begins mulling over ideas for the Advent season in March, said Genaro Cordova, the church’s facilities engineer who constructed the set. The possibilities for 2020’s Nativity statement were seemingly endless, but Cordova said the choice was obvious.
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“We thought that racism was really worse, the worst epidemic that maybe we had around the world,” Cordova said. “COVID is going to pass, but the struggle [of] our brothers and sisters, Black Americans, is going to continue for a long time.”
Though COVID-19 was not the purpose of the scene, the painted people nonetheless wore masks. The summer’s protests couldn’t be untangled from the raging pandemic, Ristine said. Many of the church’s 430 members didn’t attend the protests because their age or health conditions put them at high risk for contracting the coronavirus, she said, so the Nativity scene was their way to join the discussion.
“This faith community kind of leads with justice,” said Ristine, who came to the congregation less than two years ago. “This is a very important public art statement for them every year.”
Cordova spent two months working on the project, meticulously choosing a bright color palette to paint the crowd, which he said is intended to represent the diversity of races at this summer’s protests.
“They were people from all over the spectrum, so it was nice that, white, brown, Asian, all kinds of people were supporting our Black brothers [and] sisters,” said Cordova, who attended a couple of protests this summer. “Even our Nativity scene, like Mary and Joseph and Jesus, they are not really white, but we tried to make it like brown, between all the races.”
The church’s Nativity scene is not only a Christmas hallmark, but also a public art installation subject to people’s interpretations, Ristine said. As with past Nativity scenes, she said responses this year have been “50/50.”
“I’m disappointed that you put such a volatile thing up on a manger scene,” one person said in a voicemail left in the church’s inbox.
Another caller said the scene brought tears to his eyes: “Thank you for ... keeping those names in the front line so that everybody remembers.”
Although the set was installed at the beginning of Advent in early December, as is the custom, the response has paled this year in comparison to last year’s thousands of responses, Ristine said. The pandemic probably has played a part: Fewer people are visiting the church property since it closed for in-person services in March.


latimes--2020-12-15--L.A. city attorney files multimillion-dollar lawsuit against underground nightclub LA Party Society

With no sign and no obvious front entrance , the empty storefront looks like many others in downtown Los Angeles ’ Fashion District .
But behind the metal pulldown gate at 1114 South Main St. is an underground nightclub that has been operating in violation of COVID-19 restrictions under the cover of night , city attorneys say .
After documenting evidence of activity at the site for months , including multiple shootings , the city has filed a lawsuit against the LA Party Society ’ s manager and others associated with the venue , seeking millions of dollars in damages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surging pandemic , City Atty .
Mike Feuer said Monday .
“ Beyond the bullets and the assaults and the other criminal activity , I want to emphasize that packing people into an indoor space — an unlicensed club — during the pandemic , is the height of irresponsibility , ” Feuer said at a livestreamed news conference .
The suit , which alleges violations of public nuisance and unfair competition laws , was filed against nightclub manager Yves Oscar Jr. and a pair of limited liability companies that are listed as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real estate investor David Taban .
City attorneys are asking for the venue to be closed indefinitely and for fines of $ 2,500 a day for each unfair competition violation — up to $ 3.65 million per defendant .
Taban , who has dozens of properties in his portfolio , is being prosecuted in two separate criminal cases , including one allegedly involving an illegal marijuana dispensary next door to the club .
He is not a named defendant in the city attorney ’ s lawsuit , which was filed in late November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ front of the club for an outstanding warrant tied to a sexual assault .
During his arrest , more than one pound of marijuana was recovered from his backpack , the lawsuit said .
Taban and Oscar could not be reached for comment .
An Instagram account reportedly tied to the illicit club advertised parties after coronavirus restrictions prohibiting nightclubs and large indoor gatherings began in March .
A Nov. 13 flier for “ Freaky Friday ” featured a woman in a revealing bathing suit and stated that doors were open from midnight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pole dancers performed at some events , and patrons could smoke hookahs and purchase alcohol from a full bar , according to the suit .
A person who answered a message to the Instagram account inquiring about the lawsuit wrote , “ Is this for real ?
” According to the suit , patrons entered the club through a back door and gated parking lot along the public alley running east of Main Street between 11th and 12th Streets .
A colorful mural emblazoned on a wall in the parking lot depicts the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a marijuana joint and a liquor bottle , the suit said .
An early November Instagram post included a photo of Oscar counting money in front of the mural , according to the lawsuit .
At least five violent incidents have occurred at the venue in recent months , the suit alleged .
In mid-July in the parking lot and alley , a bullet struck a bouncer in the neck , and another bullet hit a second victim in the leg .
Less than two months later , a security guard was shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clubgoers , according to the lawsuit .
Asked why the city is suing , rather than directing the Police Department to shut the venue down , Feuer said his goal is a permanent closure .
He added that the city is in talks with the Police Department to cut power and water at the facility .

L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer has sued the manager of LA Party Society, an underground nightclub in the Fashion District.
With no sign and no obvious front entrance, the empty storefront looks like many others in downtown Los Angeles’ Fashion District.
But behind the metal pulldown gate at 1114 South Main St. is an underground nightclub that has been operating in violation of COVID-19 restrictions under the cover of night, city attorneys say.
After documenting evidence of activity at the site for months, including multiple shootings, the city has filed a lawsuit against the LA Party Society’s manager and others associated with the venue, seeking millions of dollars in damages for allegedly holding crowded events amid a surging pandemic, City Atty. Mike Feuer said Monday.
“Beyond the bullets and the assaults and the other criminal activity, I want to emphasize that packing people into an indoor space — an unlicensed club — during the pandemic, is the height of irresponsibility,” Feuer said at a livestreamed news conference.
The suit, which alleges violations of public nuisance and unfair competition laws, was filed against nightclub manager Yves Oscar Jr. and a pair of limited liability companies that are listed as the property’s owners and controlled by real estate investor David Taban.
City attorneys are asking for the venue to be closed indefinitely and for fines of $2,500 a day for each unfair competition violation — up to $3.65 million per defendant.
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Taban, who has dozens of properties in his portfolio, is being prosecuted in two separate criminal cases, including one allegedly involving an illegal marijuana dispensary next door to the club. He is not a named defendant in the city attorney’s lawsuit, which was filed in late November.
Oscar was arrested in August in front of the club for an outstanding warrant tied to a sexual assault. During his arrest, more than one pound of marijuana was recovered from his backpack, the lawsuit said.
Taban and Oscar could not be reached for comment.
An Instagram account reportedly tied to the illicit club advertised parties after coronavirus restrictions prohibiting nightclubs and large indoor gatherings began in March.
A Nov. 13 flier for “Freaky Friday” featured a woman in a revealing bathing suit and stated that doors were open from midnight to 6 a.m.
Rap artists and exotic pole dancers performed at some events, and patrons could smoke hookahs and purchase alcohol from a full bar, according to the suit.
A person who answered a message to the Instagram account inquiring about the lawsuit wrote, “Is this for real?”
According to the suit, patrons entered the club through a back door and gated parking lot along the public alley running east of Main Street between 11th and 12th Streets.
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A colorful mural emblazoned on a wall in the parking lot depicts the club’s name and images including a marijuana joint and a liquor bottle, the suit said.
An early November Instagram post included a photo of Oscar counting money in front of the mural, according to the lawsuit.
At least five violent incidents have occurred at the venue in recent months, the suit alleged.
In mid-July in the parking lot and alley, a bullet struck a bouncer in the neck, and another bullet hit a second victim in the leg. Less than two months later, a security guard was shot while breaking up an altercation between two clubgoers, according to the lawsuit.
Asked why the city is suing, rather than directing the Police Department to shut the venue down, Feuer said his goal is a permanent closure.
He added that the city is in talks with the Police Department to cut power and water at the facility.


latimes--2020-12-15--'Is it worth it?' How distance learning brings new challenges to college applications

With the California State University application deadline less than a day away , John Marshall High School college counselor Tricia Bryan had one final push to make Monday .
At least 40 of her students had begun an application to the CSU but had not completed it .
She didn ’ t know why because she had not seen or heard from most of them .
“ This whole thing is unpredictable — who ’ s applying , why they ’ re applying , who ’ s not applying , why they ’ re not applying , ” Bryan said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s for certain is , I ’ m dependent on whether or not they respond back to me ... .
I just have less access.
” This is the challenge hundreds of counselors and students are facing as they enter the final weeks of the college application process amid a remote learning environment , major changes to admissions policies and uncertainty about what higher education next fall will look like .
Even with counselors ’ efforts to aggressively meet online with students and follow up by text , phone and email to check @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for many seniors , especially the underserved , virtual counseling has been no match for the drop-in , hub-of-activity role that high school college counseling offices provide .
Throughout Los Angeles , counselors have had a hard time reaching many of their students .
The lack of reliable technology continues to be an issue .
Most troubling , counselors said , some students are unmotivated amid their families ’ pandemic hardships .
“ The difference between last year and this year has been mostly [ students asking ] , ‘ Will this even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should I focus on different things ?
’ ” said Cynthia Medrano , college counselor at Alliance Marine — Innovation and Technology 6-12 Complex , a charter school in the Los Angeles Unified School District .
In ordinary times , counselors can pull students out of class , stop them in the hallway or summon them to their offices .
“ I have less control now , ” said Bryan , a college counselor for nearly 600 seniors .
She estimated she hadn ’ t heard from half about their college application plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I have interacted with those students in some way at some point in person , ” Bryan said .
“ At this point , it ’ s just show up to a Zoom session .
I ’ m not able to intervene as forcefully.
” The overall effect on college applications remains to be seen , but early national indicators point to a slowdown this year .
National data released last week showed that college enrollment among the high school class of 2020 plunged 22 % from the previous year , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , high-minority schools .
In California , applications for financial aid are down by about 16 % among high schoolers who will graduate in 2021 , with the drops most pronounced among schools serving low-income students , schools with high Latino and Black enrollments and rural high schools , according to the California Student Aid Commission .
“ Some of these forms are very complicated , and it is really helpful to have an adult sitting next to you at a computer going through it , ” said Lauren Cook , immediate past-president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Admission Counseling .
“ The loss of that proximity and of the ability to chase someone down a hall ... to have them come and work on things is really problematic.
” For first-generation students in particular , Cook said , the knowledgeable adult role is crucial .
Plus , she said , “ to have the loss of the school computer , the reliable Wi-Fi , perhaps even a quiet space to work ... can be difficult.
” Application data from the University of California and the Cal State system are pending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which largely serves low-income , underrepresented and first generation college students — recently extended its application deadline to Dec. 15 to make it easier for more students to apply and announced a plan to reopen with in-person instruction next year .
The University of California deadline was Dec. 4 .
Counselors , students and admissions experts have speculated the pandemic could affect college admissions in a variety of ways : More students could potentially opt to stay closer to home , there may be greater competition because of students who took a gap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of financial and family issues .
Also adding to uncertainty this year is the lack of SAT and ACT test requirements in the admissions process .
In this environment , counselors have gotten creative , offering not only group presentations and workshops as usual , but also increasing their outreach by phone , one-on-one appointments and social media .
Some began earlier in the year , anticipating it would take longer to reach every student .
Lisa Golden , a college advisor at the King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with reference guides and created an email account so students could get quick answers from the 23 “ peer counselors ” she trained .
She took to posting on Instagram .
And she hosted 30 after-school college information and financial aid sessions , including two-hour meetings specifically for undocumented students .
“ Am I tired ?
Am I sick of looking at that little square on the screen ?
Yes , I am , ” Golden said .
“ But I am determined to get my students what they need.
” Despite their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students would apply and go on to four-year universities this year .
Medrano said that last year 100 % of her eligible students applied to the Cal State system or UC , but this year only 77 % did .
Danny Moreno was one she worried about .
Before the pandemic , Moreno , who played soccer and ran cross-country , loved school , earning mostly A ’ s and Bs , and planned to apply to UC Santa Barbara , UC San Diego , Cal State Northridge and Cal Poly San Luis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struggled with virtual learning , especially in classes such as AP calculus and AP computer science .
His computer would lag , and he had a hard time getting his questions answered .
Moreno ’ s dad runs a barbershop , and business suffered during the pandemic .
His mom , previously a homemaker , started work at Costco .
That left him mostly responsible for supervising and cooking for his four younger siblings , ages 1 to 15 .
“ Right now my grades are pretty poor , ” he said — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and two Cs .
“ It ’ s harder for me to do work.
” Moreno started the college application process but changed his mind halfway through .
“ The corona isn ’ t going to end anytime soon , ” he said .
His friends who are in college now haven ’ t had a great experience online .
“ I ’ m thinking to myself if it ’ s that hard for them , and they were straight-A students , it ’ s going to be two times harder for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to any UCs or Cal State universities .
A private university in Arizona specializing in aerospace reached out to him , promising hybrid instruction , so he applied .
Otherwise he plans to go to community college and transfer .
Other students completed their applications mostly as planned .
Rosa Murillo , a senior at John Marshall High and first-generation college-goer , has long had dreams of going to Brown University and becoming a doctor .
The pandemic didn ’ t change that , but it did spur her to apply more broadly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleges , about half of them UCs and Cal State universities and the remaining private schools .
She plans to apply for financial aid and scholarships but is also leaving open the possibility of going to community college and transferring to save money and be closer to her mother .
“ Part of me wants to say in California because of the pandemic and because I don ’ t know if I ’ m going to have money to pay for an out-of-state school , ” Murillo said .
“ But if I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … I ’ m willing to take that route for the sake of financial income and for the experience.
” Isabel Santos Ayala , a senior and first-generation college student at Alliance Marine , relied heavily on Medrano for help with applications .
“ I was clueless , ” she said .
“ Without [ my school ] explaining things to me and being there as a support system I would have probably got lost in the process.
” Looming over Santos Ayala was the SAT .
“ I was very anxious about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will depend on how well I can take the test , ” she said .
With standardized tests out of the equation this year , Santos Ayala breathed a sigh of relief .
“ Not having to take those tests really gave me a chance to broaden my scope and look at schools that I wouldn ’ t have applied to because of fear of failure , ” she said .
Those included “ dream schools ” Humboldt State and Cal State East Bay .
Santos Ayala recently got into both .

Cynthia Medrano, a college counselor at an LAUSD charter school in Sun Valley, works remotely at her home in Woodland Hills. Like other counselors, Medrano adjusted how she interacted with students amid remote learning, setting up dozens of one-on-one meetings and texting, emailing and calling students to ensure they filled out their college applications.
With the California State University application deadline a day away, John Marshall High School college counselor Tricia Bryan had one final push to make Monday. At least 40 of her students had begun an application to the CSU but had not completed it. She didn’t know why because she had not seen or heard from most of them.
“This whole thing is unpredictable — who’s applying, why they’re applying, who’s not applying, why they’re not applying,” Bryan said. “The one thing that’s for certain is, I’m dependent on whether or not they respond back to me.... I just have less access.”
This is the challenge hundreds of counselors and students are facing as they enter the final weeks of the college application process amid a remote learning environment, major changes to admissions policies and uncertainty about what higher education next fall will look like.
Advertisement
Even with counselors’ efforts to aggressively meet online with students and follow up by text, phone and email to check that their applications are on track, for many seniors, especially the underserved, virtual counseling has been no match for the drop-in, hub-of-activity role that high school college counseling offices provide.
Throughout Los Angeles, counselors have had a hard time reaching many of their students. The lack of reliable technology continues to be an issue. Most troubling, counselors said, some students are unmotivated amid their families’ pandemic hardships.
This year, many students have asked college counselor Cynthia Medrano: “Will this even happen? Is it worth it or should I focus on different things?’ ” (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
“The difference between last year and this year has been mostly [students asking], ‘Will this even happen? Is it worth it or should I focus on different things?’ ” said Cynthia Medrano, college counselor at Alliance Marine — Innovation and Technology 6-12 Complex, a charter school in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
In ordinary times, counselors can pull students out of class, stop them in the hallway or summon them to their offices.
“I have less control now,” said Bryan, a college counselor for nearly 600 seniors. She estimated she hadn’t heard from half about their college application plans this year.
“In the past, I have interacted with those students in some way at some point in person,” Bryan said. “At this point, it’s just show up to a Zoom session. I’m not able to intervene as forcefully.”
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The overall effect on college applications remains to be seen, but early national indicators point to a slowdown this year. National data released last week showed that college enrollment among the high school class of 2020 plunged 22% from the previous year, with even steeper drops among students at high-poverty, high-minority schools.
In California, applications for financial aid are down by about 16% among high schoolers who will graduate in 2021, with the drops most pronounced among schools serving low-income students, schools with high Latino and Black enrollments and rural high schools, according to the California Student Aid Commission.
“Some of these forms are very complicated, and it is really helpful to have an adult sitting next to you at a computer going through it,” said Lauren Cook, immediate past-president of the Western Assn. for College Admission Counseling. “The loss of that proximity and of the ability to chase someone down a hall ... to have them come and work on things is really problematic.”
For first-generation students in particular, Cook said, the knowledgeable adult role is crucial. Plus, she said, “to have the loss of the school computer, the reliable Wi-Fi, perhaps even a quiet space to work ... can be difficult.”
Application data from the University of California and the Cal State system are pending, but the California State University — which largely serves low-income, underrepresented and first generation college students — recently extended its application deadline to Dec. 15 to make it easier for more students to apply and announced a plan to reopen with in-person instruction next year. The University of California deadline was Dec. 4.
Counselors, students and admissions experts have speculated the pandemic could affect college admissions in a variety of ways: More students could potentially opt to stay closer to home, there may be greater competition because of students who took a gap year or students may opt out because of financial and family issues.
Also adding to uncertainty this year is the lack of SAT and ACT test requirements in the admissions process.
In this environment, counselors have gotten creative, offering not only group presentations and workshops as usual, but also increasing their outreach by phone, one-on-one appointments and social media. Some began earlier in the year, anticipating it would take longer to reach every student.
Lisa Golden is a college advisor at King Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Lisa Golden, a college advisor at the King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles, revamped her website with reference guides and created an email account so students could get quick answers from the 23 “peer counselors” she trained. She took to posting on Instagram. And she hosted 30 after-school college information and financial aid sessions, including two-hour meetings specifically for undocumented students.
“Am I tired? Am I sick of looking at that little square on the screen? Yes, I am,” Golden said. “But I am determined to get my students what they need.”
Despite their efforts, counselors expressed worry that fewer students would apply and go on to four-year universities this year. Medrano said that last year 100% of her eligible students applied to the Cal State system or UC, but this year only 77% did.
Danny Moreno was one she worried about. Before the pandemic, Moreno, who played soccer and ran cross-country, loved school, earning mostly A’s and Bs, and planned to apply to UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, Cal State Northridge and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to study engineering.
Danny Moreno has struggled with virtual learning. “Right now my grades are pretty poor,” he said. “It’s harder for me to do work.” (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
But he struggled with virtual learning, especially in classes such as AP calculus and AP computer science. His computer would lag, and he had a hard time getting his questions answered. Moreno’s dad runs a barbershop, and business suffered during the pandemic. His mom, previously a homemaker, started work at Costco. That left him mostly responsible for supervising and cooking for his four younger siblings, ages 1 to 15.
“Right now my grades are pretty poor,” he said — two A’s, two Bs, and two Cs. “It’s harder for me to do work.”
Moreno started the college application process but changed his mind halfway through. “The corona isn’t going to end anytime soon,” he said. His friends who are in college now haven’t had a great experience online. “I’m thinking to myself if it’s that hard for them, and they were straight-A students, it’s going to be two times harder for me.”
He ended up not applying to any UCs or Cal State universities. A private university in Arizona specializing in aerospace reached out to him, promising hybrid instruction, so he applied. Otherwise he plans to go to community college and transfer.
Other students completed their applications mostly as planned.
Rosa Murillo, a senior at John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, has applied to 30 colleges. She hopes to attend Brown University and become a doctor. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Rosa Murillo, a senior at John Marshall High and first-generation college-goer, has long had dreams of going to Brown University and becoming a doctor. The pandemic didn’t change that, but it did spur her to apply more broadly.
The A student applied to 30 colleges, about half of them UCs and Cal State universities and the remaining private schools. She plans to apply for financial aid and scholarships but is also leaving open the possibility of going to community college and transferring to save money and be closer to her mother.
“Part of me wants to say in California because of the pandemic and because I don’t know if I’m going to have money to pay for an out-of-state school,” Murillo said. “But if I do get a good financial aid package … I’m willing to take that route for the sake of financial income and for the experience.”
Isabel Santos Ayala, a senior and first-generation college student at Alliance Marine, relied heavily on Medrano for help with applications. “I was clueless,” she said. “Without [my school] explaining things to me and being there as a support system I would have probably got lost in the process.”
Looming over Santos Ayala was the SAT. “I was very anxious about the fact that my acceptance to college will depend on how well I can take the test,” she said.
With standardized tests out of the equation this year, Santos Ayala breathed a sigh of relief. “Not having to take those tests really gave me a chance to broaden my scope and look at schools that I wouldn’t have applied to because of fear of failure,” she said.
Those included “dream schools” Humboldt State and Cal State East Bay. Santos Ayala recently got into both.
Times staff writer Julia Barajas contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-12-15--In love and in limbo, a Texas rancher separated from her husband by immigration policy

Kathleen Morriss fires a .22 rifle to rid her garden of “ varmints.
” She ’ s a veterinarian with a deep love of animals , particularly the horses and goats she raises on her 5,000-acre ranch in Junction , Texas , a town of 2,574 that voted overwhelmingly to reelect Donald Trump .
The 31-year-old fifth-generation rancher always figured she ’ d end up finding her husband in the U.S .
But in 2016 , she joined an online dating site for Orthodox Christians where she became smitten with Falko König , a 32-year-old agronomist and resident of southern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ love of cats and spending time outdoors .
They instant messaged , Skyped and visited each other across two continents for years .
Even though he was in a different time zone , he made sure to wait up to text her to make sure she got home safely when she worked late nights .
On her visits to Brazil , he was the type of guy to open doors for her , and made certain to walk on the street side , between her and vehicles .
When König visited her for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed him the creek , the large pecan trees and the horses on the hardscrabble ranch her mother inherited from her grandparents .
He understood that her family ’ s land kept Morriss rooted to who she was , her tradition and her family .
He was happy to leave his homeland to be with her .
They exchanged vows in February 2019 at an intimate ceremony in Texas , where they planned to settle down .
“ I like it that he is willing to live out here and doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Morriss said .
But their marriage snared them in the bureaucratic machinery of the U.S. immigration system .
When Morriss petitioned for a spousal visa for König in May 2019 , the couple thought it would take a little more than a year for his visa to come through and for him to join her in Texas .
But 14 months later , in July 2020 , König was still waiting in Brazil .
On the surface , it would seem that the couple had every advantage for navigating the immigration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She is a U.S. citizen .
He ’ s a citizen not only of Brazil but also of Germany .
They had the means to spend thousands of dollars in application and attorney fees .
What ’ s more , a visa for the spouses of U.S. citizens is among the easiest visas to obtain .
There are no caps on how many such visas are given per year as there are on other types of visa sponsorships , for which wait times can be up to 40 years .
Even so , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ranks of hundreds of thousands who have tried to reunite with loved ones only to be stymied by the Trump administration ’ s stricter immigration policies and an uncontrolled global pandemic that has shuttered many U.S. embassies and consulates since March .
The closures have left thousands of foreign spouses stuck in their home countries , unable to attend the interviews required for visas to be issued .
In mid-November , the State Department announced that visa services would be resumed at some embassies and consulates , without specifying which ones or when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face significant visa processing times .
Although President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to unravel many of his predecessor ’ s more restrictive immigration policies , some will be logistically and politically complicated to roll back .
Still , reducing wait times for spousal visas could provide a relatively quick fix for couples like Morriss and König , said Julia Gelatt , a senior policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute , a Washington D.C.-based think tank .
“ It really just takes a memo , ” Gelatt said , to start the process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The greater obstacle is that Biden will have a long list of domestic matters to focus on first .
“ This may not be at the top of the priority list , ” Gelatt said .
Although Trump was most vocal in his battle against illegal immigration , he quietly waged a war on legal immigration , too , by limiting the options for foreigners to legally migrate to this country for work or to reunite with family .
Many of his efforts bypassed Congress , relying instead on executive actions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some of those memos directed immigration officials to implement higher fees , intensive vetting , and longer forms that made it increasingly difficult to apply and ballooned wait times .
Before Trump took office , processing times for visa applications averaged from less than a month to just shy of two years , depending on the visa , Gelatt said .
Under the Trump administration , the length of time it took to process many of these visas doubled — taking up to four years .
The wait times on foreign-spouse visas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summer , as König ’ s case remained in limbo , Morriss described the application process as a “ nightmare.
” “ Everything has to be exactly right .
If you mess up on one form , there are delays , ” she said in July .
“ Falko has no criminal record ; we are legally married .
Just let him come in and decide if it ’ s a fake marriage.
” While separated and waiting , the couple coped by messaging each other several times a day on WhatsApp .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Brazil on a few occasions to spend time with König .
They grew even closer during her visits .
Morris has a fondness for horses , so whenever the couple walked near a field with horses near his parents ’ house , König would stop and pick grass for the animals so they would come over to greet her .
When it was time to say goodbye , he ’ d wait with her in the airport until the last minute , right after she entered the security line .
Before Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anywhere from nine months to a year .
After Trump , processing times increased to as much as 15 months , said Dan Kowalski , an immigration attorney and scholar based in Colorado .
In the pursuit of curbing legal immigration , the Trump administration directed United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to focus on fraud among immigrant and non-immigrant applications .
“ The Trump administration is on this tear over imagined or perceived fraud , ” Kowalski said .
“ They are convinced that everyone is a liar and a cheater , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Co. or a woman in Texas.
” Just a few months after taking office in March 2017 , Trump issued a memorandum directing the secretary of State , attorney general and Department of Homeland Security to enhance the screening and vetting of immigration applications .
That meant resources and money were diverted from the processing of applications to focusing on fraud detection and applying high levels of scrutiny to all applications , said Gelatt , the policy analyst .
“ There has been a severe slowdown of processing applications at USCIS , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are spending more staff time scrutinizing employment-based immigration visas , they leave fewer staff hours for processing spousal visas.
” In addition , Trump increased the amount of paperwork for immigration applications .
The application forms became longer and more tedious .
For example , the form for a U.S. citizen to sponsor a spouse became nine times as long as it had been .
Petitioners also faced more requests for evidence , prolonging the process .
Perhaps most impactfully , the Trump administration revised a “ public charge ” rule that essentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal status or admitting them to the country .
Under Trump , the rule is interpreted broadly to reduce the number of people who are eligible for green cards and other visas by redefining what makes them dependent on government benefits — or “ likely ” to become dependent in the future .
The 9th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals partially struck down Trump ’ s revision , but the ruling likely will be appealed .
König is a middle-class professional with a well-paying job who just finished his master ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to sign paperwork promising to financially support her husband if he couldn ’ t do so , even in the event of divorce .
It took Morriss ’ petition more than eight months to clear USCIS and reach the Department of State ’ s National Visa Center , which serves as a go-between for the petitioner and the U.S. Consulate in the visa applicant ’ s home country , arranging for the applicant to take the visa interview at a consulate abroad .
The center processed the petition in May .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ De Janeiro had been closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Despite the closure , the couple held out hope that König ’ s case would go forward .
But Morriss grew concerned in mid-summer when they still hadn ’ t received word from the consulate about an interview date .
She called and emailed the consulate , where officials said they didn ’ t know when they ’ d be able to reopen to help her .
She joined Facebook groups with others in similar situations from across the globe .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wife was still waiting in Pakistan .
An Arizona woman who petitioned for her Nigerian husband in January 2019 but still was separated .
Morriss reached out to her government representatives , who mostly ignored her pleas .
“ My great-great grandfather started our ranch in 1879 .
Currently my mother runs the ranch and I help her as much as possible .
It is very hard work for two people , especially when I also have to work outside the ranch , ” Morriss wrote in a July 5 letter to Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need my husband here to help us take care of our family ’ s land and the livestock on it that contribute to the United States ’ food supply.
” Cruz responded with a form letter , directing her to call the consulate in Rio .
Morriss said she didn ’ t think much about immigration before meeting König .
“ It was abstract .
It didn ’ t really affect me much personally .
But now , having been through it ?
I can see how bureaucratic , expensive and difficult it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who describes herself as a libertarian , says she doesn ’ t blame the outgoing president for her situation but does take issue with an immigration system that she believes needs to undergo “ massive reform.
” She blames both Democrats and Republicans for constructing an “ over-regulated ” bureaucracy .
“ A lot of hard-working people want to come , but it ’ s just impossible , ” Morriss said .
“ Why not simplify the process ?
Then people wouldn ’ t have to do it illegally and not cost them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a two-hour drive from the U.S.-Mexico border , says she doesn ’ t condone illegal immigration .
“ But I completely understand why people do it , ” she said .
“ Nobody wants to wait 10 years .
I mean , who is going to wait 30 years ?
It ’ s insane.
” She doesn ’ t expect Biden to improve the situation much .
“ I doubt that ’ s going to be the top thing on his list , to get some spouses of U.S. citizens in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the couple realized they might have hit a dead end with the consulate in Brazil , they decided to switch their case to the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt , Germany , because of König ’ s German ancestry .
The U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt ended up accepting Morriss ’ petition and granted König an interview in late September .
On Nov. 18 , he finally arrived in Texas just in time to celebrate his first Thanksgiving with Morriss .
Most of the couple ’ s days are spent running errands to complete his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applying for his driver ’ s license , procuring a license to carry a firearm , and purchasing an ugly Christmas sweater at their local Walmart .
The rest of their time is spent on the ranch .
König has yet to receive his physical green card .
It likely won ’ t arrive for several months because of a delay .

Kathleen Morriss fires a .22 rifle to rid her garden of “varmints.” She’s a veterinarian with a deep love of animals, particularly the horses and goats she raises on her 5,000-acre ranch in Junction, Texas, a town of 2,574 that voted overwhelmingly to reelect Donald Trump.
The 31-year-old fifth-generation rancher always figured she’d end up finding her husband in the U.S. But in 2016, she joined an online dating site for Orthodox Christians where she became smitten with Falko König, a 32-year-old agronomist and resident of southern Brazil.
They quickly bonded over their love of cats and spending time outdoors. They instant messaged, Skyped and visited each other across two continents for years.
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Even though he was in a different time zone, he made sure to wait up to text her to make sure she got home safely when she worked late nights. On her visits to Brazil, he was the type of guy to open doors for her, and made certain to walk on the street side, between her and vehicles.
When König visited her for the first time in Texas, Morriss showed him the creek, the large pecan trees and the horses on the hardscrabble ranch her mother inherited from her grandparents. He understood that her family’s land kept Morriss rooted to who she was, her tradition and her family. He was happy to leave his homeland to be with her.
They exchanged vows in February 2019 at an intimate ceremony in Texas, where they planned to settle down.
Kathleen Morriss and Falko König married in 2019 in Texas, then Morriss applied for a spousal visa for her new husband, who returned to Brazil to wait. (Alexandre Tessler / For The Times)
“I like it that he is willing to live out here and doesn’t want to live in a big city,” Morriss said.
But their marriage snared them in the bureaucratic machinery of the U.S. immigration system. When Morriss petitioned for a spousal visa for König in May 2019, the couple thought it would take a little more than a year for his visa to come through and for him to join her in Texas. But 14 months later, in July 2020, König was still waiting in Brazil.
On the surface, it would seem that the couple had every advantage for navigating the immigration labyrinth. Both are educated professionals. She is a U.S. citizen. He’s a citizen not only of Brazil but also of Germany. They had the means to spend thousands of dollars in application and attorney fees.
What’s more, a visa for the spouses of U.S. citizens is among the easiest visas to obtain. There are no caps on how many such visas are given per year as there are on other types of visa sponsorships, for which wait times can be up to 40 years.
Even so, Morriss and König found themselves joining the ranks of hundreds of thousands who have tried to reunite with loved ones only to be stymied by the Trump administration’s stricter immigration policies and an uncontrolled global pandemic that has shuttered many U.S. embassies and consulates since March.
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The closures have left thousands of foreign spouses stuck in their home countries, unable to attend the interviews required for visas to be issued.
In mid-November, the State Department announced that visa services would be resumed at some embassies and consulates, without specifying which ones or when. Even so, spouses likely will face significant visa processing times. Although President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to unravel many of his predecessor’s more restrictive immigration policies, some will be logistically and politically complicated to roll back.
Still, reducing wait times for spousal visas could provide a relatively quick fix for couples like Morriss and König, said Julia Gelatt, a senior policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington D.C.-based think tank.
“It really just takes a memo,” Gelatt said, to start the process of speeding up the review of applications.
The greater obstacle is that Biden will have a long list of domestic matters to focus on first.
“This may not be at the top of the priority list,” Gelatt said.
Although Trump was most vocal in his battle against illegal immigration, he quietly waged a war on legal immigration, too, by limiting the options for foreigners to legally migrate to this country for work or to reunite with family.
Many of his efforts bypassed Congress, relying instead on executive actions, changing regulations or modifying policies via memoranda. Some of those memos directed immigration officials to implement higher fees, intensive vetting, and longer forms that made it increasingly difficult to apply and ballooned wait times.
Before Trump took office, processing times for visa applications averaged from less than a month to just shy of two years, depending on the visa, Gelatt said. Under the Trump administration, the length of time it took to process many of these visas doubled — taking up to four years.
The wait times on foreign-spouse visas increased substantially, too.
Over the summer, as König’s case remained in limbo, Morriss described the application process as a “nightmare.”
Kathleen Morris, with Falko König in southern Brazil, flew several times to the country to spend time with her new husband. (Alexandre Tessler / For The Times)
“Everything has to be exactly right. If you mess up on one form, there are delays,” she said in July. “Falko has no criminal record; we are legally married. Just let him come in and decide if it’s a fake marriage.”
While separated and waiting, the couple coped by messaging each other several times a day on WhatsApp. Despite the growing pandemic, Morriss flew to Brazil on a few occasions to spend time with König.
They grew even closer during her visits. Morris has a fondness for horses, so whenever the couple walked near a field with horses near his parents’ house, König would stop and pick grass for the animals so they would come over to greet her.
When it was time to say goodbye, he’d wait with her in the airport until the last minute, right after she entered the security line.
Before Trump became president, spousal-visa processing times were anywhere from nine months to a year. After Trump, processing times increased to as much as 15 months, said Dan Kowalski, an immigration attorney and scholar based in Colorado.
In the pursuit of curbing legal immigration, the Trump administration directed United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to focus on fraud among immigrant and non-immigrant applications.
“The Trump administration is on this tear over imagined or perceived fraud,” Kowalski said. “They are convinced that everyone is a liar and a cheater, whether it’s the Ford Motor Co. or a woman in Texas.”
Just a few months after taking office in March 2017, Trump issued a memorandum directing the secretary of State, attorney general and Department of Homeland Security to enhance the screening and vetting of immigration applications.
That meant resources and money were diverted from the processing of applications to focusing on fraud detection and applying high levels of scrutiny to all applications, said Gelatt, the policy analyst.
“There has been a severe slowdown of processing applications at USCIS,” she said, “and if they are spending more staff time scrutinizing employment-based immigration visas, they leave fewer staff hours for processing spousal visas.”
In addition, Trump increased the amount of paperwork for immigration applications. The application forms became longer and more tedious. For example, the form for a U.S. citizen to sponsor a spouse became nine times as long as it had been. Petitioners also faced more requests for evidence, prolonging the process.
Perhaps most impactfully, the Trump administration revised a “public charge” rule that essentially tests immigrants’ wealth before granting them legal status or admitting them to the country.
Under Trump, the rule is interpreted broadly to reduce the number of people who are eligible for green cards and other visas by redefining what makes them dependent on government benefits — or “likely” to become dependent in the future. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially struck down Trump’s revision, but the ruling likely will be appealed.
König is a middle-class professional with a well-paying job who just finished his master’s degree in biotechnology. Still, Morris had to sign paperwork promising to financially support her husband if he couldn’t do so, even in the event of divorce.
It took Morriss’ petition more than eight months to clear USCIS and reach the Department of State’s National Visa Center, which serves as a go-between for the petitioner and the U.S. Consulate in the visa applicant’s home country, arranging for the applicant to take the visa interview at a consulate abroad.
The center processed the petition in May. But by then, the consulate in Rio De Janeiro had been closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the closure, the couple held out hope that König’s case would go forward. But Morriss grew concerned in mid-summer when they still hadn’t received word from the consulate about an interview date.
She called and emailed the consulate, where officials said they didn’t know when they’d be able to reopen to help her. She joined Facebook groups with others in similar situations from across the globe. There was a Los Angeles man whose wife was still waiting in Pakistan. An Arizona woman who petitioned for her Nigerian husband in January 2019 but still was separated.
Morriss reached out to her government representatives, who mostly ignored her pleas.
“My great-great grandfather started our ranch in 1879. Currently my mother runs the ranch and I help her as much as possible. It is very hard work for two people, especially when I also have to work outside the ranch,” Morriss wrote in a July 5 letter to Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. “We need my husband here to help us take care of our family’s land and the livestock on it that contribute to the United States’ food supply.”
Cruz responded with a form letter, directing her to call the consulate in Rio.
Morriss said she didn’t think much about immigration before meeting König.
“It was abstract. It didn’t really affect me much personally. But now, having been through it? I can see how bureaucratic, expensive and difficult it is.”
Morriss, a Trump supporter who describes herself as a libertarian, says she doesn’t blame the outgoing president for her situation but does take issue with an immigration system that she believes needs to undergo “massive reform.” She blames both Democrats and Republicans for constructing an “over-regulated” bureaucracy.
“A lot of hard-working people want to come, but it’s just impossible,” Morriss said. “Why not simplify the process? Then people wouldn’t have to do it illegally and not cost them a fortune.”
Morriss, who lives about a two-hour drive from the U.S.-Mexico border, says she doesn’t condone illegal immigration.
“But I completely understand why people do it,” she said. “Nobody wants to wait 10 years. I mean, who is going to wait 30 years? It’s insane.”
She doesn’t expect Biden to improve the situation much.
“I doubt that’s going to be the top thing on his list, to get some spouses of U.S. citizens in the country,” she said.
When the couple realized they might have hit a dead end with the consulate in Brazil, they decided to switch their case to the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, because of König’s German ancestry. The U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt ended up accepting Morriss’ petition and granted König an interview in late September.
On Nov. 18, he finally arrived in Texas just in time to celebrate his first Thanksgiving with Morriss.
Most of the couple’s days are spent running errands to complete his transformation as an American, such as applying for his driver’s license, procuring a license to carry a firearm, and purchasing an ugly Christmas sweater at their local Walmart.
The rest of their time is spent on the ranch. König has yet to receive his physical green card. It likely won’t arrive for several months because of a delay.