latimes--2020-07-08--Fireworks went up and dogs ran out: L.A. pups lost, found and returned after the Fourth

Mollie ran off as the Pasadena sky exploded in fleeting , fiery colors , and Karen Hirst , who owns and loves that silver gray Yorkie-Shih Tzu , hasn ’ t stopped thinking about her since .
“ I ’ ve cried till I thought I couldn ’ t cry anymore .
We went everywhere together .
I took her to the bank , shopping , to the doctor .
When I got ready to go to work , she would lay on my clothes and make sure I was going to take her , ” said Hirst , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago .
Alongside New Year ’ s Eve , Independence Day is the biggest day for canine runaways and the busiest for Los Angeles ’ animal shelters as dogs flee their homes because of booming fireworks .
On the holiday , shelters and rescue organizations work overtime to reunite man with man ’ s best friend .
Hirst went to a Fourth of July barbecue on Saturday , and Mollie escaped near Navarro Avenue and West Howard Street when the neighbors watching her let her out to relieve herself .
“ I came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a war zone .
Not just firecrackers , it sounded like bombs going off , ” Hirst said .
As the amateur pyrotechnics raged on , Hirst ’ s husband sat on the porch waiting for the green-eyed pooch to come back .
He stayed out there until 3 in the morning .
“ I just can ’ t bear the thought of my dog , knowing how emotional she is , that she can ’ t get back to me , ” Hirst said .
The couple reached out to shelters and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the internet .
On Monday evening , Hirst made fliers and prepped a list of animal stores to put them in .
As he ran at South L.A. ’ s Harvard Park on Sunday morning , Danny Rivera came across a gray pit bull mix .
“ I went to pet her and then looked around and didn ’ t see anyone , ” Rivera said .
He said firework explosions have rocked his neighborhood nightly since early June but picked up Saturday night .
“ The day of the Fourth , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rivera said .
The dog wore a studded blue collar and looked taken care of .
He guessed she had just run away , so he started walking with his new companion in hopes she would find its owner nearby .
After four fruitless hours , he and the dog — whom he ’ d named Sunny — went home .
“ The way that she smiled at everyone and everything , you can ’ t help but smile at her too , ” Rivera said .
He bought canned dog food and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday , he took Sunny to the Chesterfield Square Animal Services Center , where a scan showed she didn ’ t have a microchip .
“ I really did bond with the dog .
I was really crying my heart out after I dropped her off at the shelter , ” Rivera said .
He described Sunny as sweet and curious and said she never barked while he had her .
He ’ s gotten permission from his apartment manager to foster Sunny when she becomes available if her owners aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ field operations at Chesterfield Square , said Fourth of July runaways end up in her facility every year .
She blames the fireworks .
“ We ’ ve had animals actually break through windows because they ’ re so panicked , so scared .
They ’ re sensitive to the noises : They ’ re loud bangs for us , and our ears are not as sensitive as a dog ’ s ears , so it can really scare scare animals .
That ’ s why they end up getting out of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the noises , ” Rodriguez said .
Since July 1 , her shelter has reunited 38 dogs with owners .
Fewer dogs came in this week than expected .
“ It has been the calmest Fourth of July we have ever had , which is absolutely surprising due to the amount of fireworks going on , and it really has been because of the number of partners out there supporting us and helping us with scanning [ microchips ] and intervening with animals not coming into the shelter , ” Rodriguez said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many reunifications where they never even came into the shelter.
” Microchips , tiny implants placed under a pet ’ s skin , have individual codes that are uploaded with the pet ’ s ownership information into online databases .
Shelters , vets and rescues scan for such chips as a way to quickly get pets back to their owners .
One of Chesterfield Square ’ s partner organizations , Paws for Life K9 Rescue , scored 18 reunions Saturday night .
The group , which works with incarcerated people to train therapy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the city .
They directed finders of lost pups to the test sites and contacted owners as information came in .
The process was born out of creativity and necessity , founder Alex Tonner said .
“ On Fourth of July , there are so many dogs that get turned into the shelter , and normally rescue groups are outside the shelter helping the public there , but because of COVID , no one was allowed to do that , ” Tonner said .
Shelters are closed to the public because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most emotional part of her job .
“ People think of their pets as family members , ” she said .
“ It ’ s such a beautiful thing to connect that family back together.
” After his chihuahua went on the lam Saturday evening , Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson experienced that joyful homecoming .
“ They saved my family and my sanity by finding my littlest , ” he said .
Wesson ’ s dog ran off as he did yard work and grilled steaks .
He realized Waldo was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dogs inside as fireworks picked up .
“ It ’ s like a kid : You think the worst .
He ’ s been eaten by a coyote .
A hawk flew down and grabbed him .
He ’ s underneath a bush shivering .
You don ’ t think anything good .
You do a lot of praying , ” Wesson said .
He searched for the dog for six hours , trolling the streets by foot and truck as fireworks erupted in the night sky , forgetting to eat the food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ They were everywhere , illegal fireworks .
On every corner , every little cul-de-sac , on major streets , ” Wesson said .
“ It was hellish… .
You think you hear maybe a dog whimpering or barking , but it winds up being some firework.
” About 11:45 p.m. , he got a call from Tonner .
She knew where Waldo was .
A neighbor three doors down and across the street had found the dog and brought him to a scan station run by Angel City Pit Bulls and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pledged to support the organizations and expressed gratefulness for the neighbors who took care of Waldo , credited his dog ’ s microchip for Waldo ’ s return .
“ If it wasn ’ t for that , I ’ d be out looking for him right now , ” he said .
Now , the family lap dog , who Wesson said is “ four and a half pounds , maybe five depending on what he ’ s eaten that day ” and described as “ a little miniature heating pad , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sound .
Hirst is still searching for Mollie , whom she calls her California girl “ because she liked to have the wind blowing in her hair.
” “ I can ’ t explain the joy I would have having her back .
I think about everything I could ’ ve done , maybe should have done that I would have a chance to do again , ” Hirst said .
“ She understood us , and we understood her .
God , I miss her .
”

Arlene McNeel holds a pit bull mix outside the Chesterfield Square animal shelter in South Los Angeles. The dog was found Sunday morning, the day after Fourth of July celebrations.
Mollie ran off as the Pasadena sky exploded in fleeting, fiery colors, and Karen Hirst, who owns and loves that silver gray Yorkie-Shih Tzu, hasn’t stopped thinking about her since.
“I’ve cried till I thought I couldn’t cry anymore. We went everywhere together. I took her to the bank, shopping, to the doctor. When I got ready to go to work, she would lay on my clothes and make sure I was going to take her,” said Hirst, who got Mollie as a puppy 13 years ago.
Alongside New Year’s Eve, Independence Day is the biggest day for canine runaways and the busiest for Los Angeles’ animal shelters as dogs flee their homes because of booming fireworks. On the holiday, shelters and rescue organizations work overtime to reunite man with man’s best friend.
Hirst went to a Fourth of July barbecue on Saturday, and Mollie escaped near Navarro Avenue and West Howard Street when the neighbors watching her let her out to relieve herself.
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“I came back here, and it was like a war zone. Not just firecrackers, it sounded like bombs going off,” Hirst said. As the amateur pyrotechnics raged on, Hirst’s husband sat on the porch waiting for the green-eyed pooch to come back. He stayed out there until 3 in the morning.
“I just can’t bear the thought of my dog, knowing how emotional she is, that she can’t get back to me,” Hirst said.
The couple reached out to shelters and posted notices of the missing dog across the internet. On Monday evening, Hirst made fliers and prepped a list of animal stores to put them in.
As he ran at South L.A.’s Harvard Park on Sunday morning, Danny Rivera came across a gray pit bull mix.
“I went to pet her and then looked around and didn’t see anyone,” Rivera said.
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He said firework explosions have rocked his neighborhood nightly since early June but picked up Saturday night.
“The day of the Fourth, they were really going at it,” Rivera said.
The dog wore a studded blue collar and looked taken care of. He guessed she had just run away, so he started walking with his new companion in hopes she would find its owner nearby. After four fruitless hours, he and the dog — whom he’d named Sunny — went home.
“The way that she smiled at everyone and everything, you can’t help but smile at her too,” Rivera said. He bought canned dog food and potty pads for his guest. On Monday, he took Sunny to the Chesterfield Square Animal Services Center, where a scan showed she didn’t have a microchip.
“I really did bond with the dog. I was really crying my heart out after I dropped her off at the shelter,” Rivera said. He described Sunny as sweet and curious and said she never barked while he had her. He’s gotten permission from his apartment manager to foster Sunny when she becomes available if her owners aren’t found.
Annette Rodriguez, director of field operations at Chesterfield Square, said Fourth of July runaways end up in her facility every year. She blames the fireworks.
“We’ve had animals actually break through windows because they’re so panicked, so scared. They’re sensitive to the noises: They’re loud bangs for us, and our ears are not as sensitive as a dog’s ears, so it can really scare animals. That’s why they end up getting out of their yards, trying to get away from all the noises,” Rodriguez said.
Since July 1, her shelter has reunited 38 dogs with owners. Fewer dogs came in this week than expected.
“It has been the calmest Fourth of July we have ever had, which is absolutely surprising due to the amount of fireworks going on, and it really has been because of the number of partners out there supporting us and helping us with scanning [microchips] and intervening with animals not coming into the shelter,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve had so many reunifications where they never even came into the shelter.”
Microchips, tiny implants placed under a pet’s skin, have individual codes that are uploaded with the pet’s ownership information into online databases. Shelters, vets and rescues scan for such chips as a way to quickly get pets back to their owners.
One of Chesterfield Square’s partner organizations, Paws for Life K9 Rescue, scored 18 reunions Saturday night. The group, which works with incarcerated people to train therapy dogs, set up seven microchip-scanning stations across the city. They directed finders of lost pups to the test sites and contacted owners as information came in.
The process was born out of creativity and necessity, founder Alex Tonner said.
“On Fourth of July, there are so many dogs that get turned in to the shelter, and normally rescue groups are outside the shelter helping the public there, but because of COVID, no one was allowed to do that,” Tonner said. Shelters are closed to the public because of the pandemic.
Los Angeles Animal Services scanned lost dogs, too. Their officers gave identified pets free rides back home.
Rodriguez called reunions the most emotional part of her job.
“People think of their pets as family members,” she said. “It’s such a beautiful thing to connect that family back together.”
After his chihuahua went on the lam Saturday evening, Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson experienced that joyful homecoming.
“They saved my family and my sanity by finding my littlest,” he said.
Wesson’s dog ran off as he did yard work and grilled steaks. He realized Waldo was missing when he let his other two dogs inside as fireworks picked up.
“It’s like a kid: You think the worst. He’s been eaten by a coyote. A hawk flew down and grabbed him. He’s underneath a bush shivering. You don’t think anything good. You do a lot of praying,” Wesson said. He searched for the dog for six hours, trolling the streets by foot and truck as fireworks erupted in the night sky, forgetting to eat the food he’d cooked for the holiday.
We adopted Waldo from a local shelter and it breaks my heart to know that during the 4th of July, hundreds of animals just like him end up in shelters after being scared by fireworks. Keep a careful eye on your pets and follow @lacitypets for ways you can help our furry friends. pic.twitter.com/x0NfLzuUSj — Councilmember Herb J. Wesson, Jr. (@CMHerbJWesson) July 3, 2019
“They were everywhere, illegal fireworks. On every corner, every little cul-de-sac, on major streets,” Wesson said. “It was hellish…. You think you hear maybe a dog whimpering or barking, but it winds up being some firework.”
About 11:45 p.m., he got a call from Tonner. She knew where Waldo was. A neighbor three doors down and across the street had found the dog and brought him to a scan station run by Angel City Pit Bulls and Paws For Life. Wesson, who pledged to support the organizations and expressed gratefulness for the neighbors who took care of Waldo, credited his dog’s microchip for Waldo’s return.
“If it wasn’t for that, I’d be out looking for him right now,” he said. Now, the family lap dog, who Wesson said is “four and a half pounds, maybe five depending on what he’s eaten that day” and described as “a little miniature heating pad,” is back home, safe and sound.
Hirst is still searching for Mollie, whom she calls her California girl “because she liked to have the wind blowing in her hair.”
“I can’t explain the joy I would have having her back. I think about everything I could’ve done, maybe should have done that I would have a chance to do again,” Hirst said.
“She understood us, and we understood her. God, I miss her.”


latimes--2020-07-08--Column: She asked her neighbors to wear masks. Then the swastikas and racial slurs appeared

Jaycebelle Tadena was feeling pretty good last week , as she pulled her new car into the garage at her apartment complex in Canoga Park .
Then she stepped into the elevator and got the shock of her life .
Its walls had been defaced with hateful messages : “ There were two swastikas , one on each side of the elevator , ” she recalled .
On the other walls , someone had scrawled “ die blacks .
die Jews.
” Along with slurs I will not repeat .
Tadena , 28 , trembled as she rode upstairs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but she called the manager and left a voicemail .
“ I wasn ’ t quite panicky , but obviously distressed , ” she recalled .
“ I just wanted it gone by the morning , so nobody else would have to see that horrible sight.
” She thought of her Black neighbors .
The children were shy , and clung to their parents during elevator rides .
“ I can only imagine how helpless this might make a parent feel.
” The graffiti hadn ’ t been there when she left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that afternoon , but her brother had noticed it that evening .
“ I realized it had probably been there for four or five hours , without anybody saying anything , ” she said .
I could hear the disappointment in her voice .
“ It ’ s a nice neighborhood , a comfortable multicultural building , ” she said .
“ The kind of place where , if you live here , you feel like ‘ I ’ m doing well in life.
’ ” As she walked me through everything that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feelings were more complicated than disappointment or sorrow .
There was something else .
“ I think I might have inadvertently caused this to happen , ” she told me .
“ And I feel terrible about that.
” For weeks , Tadena had been troubled by elevator riders not following the rules .
Her brother lives with her and works with vulnerable patients at a nursing home .
Neither of them can risk contracting COVID-19 .
“ And every single day , I end up stuck with somebody not wearing their mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 28 .
“ I ask them very nicely to please wear a mask .
But I get a lot of hostility because of that.
” At her request , the manager posted a sign in the elevator last week , reminding residents of the mask requirement .
The note went up on Sunday , it was slashed with an ‘ X ’ on Monday , and on Tuesday the racial slurs and swastikas showed up .
She can ’ t help but wonder if her mask request triggered the hate-mongering .
Tadena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and grew up in the San Fernando Valley .
“ But everything is so polarized right now , there ’ s a collective anger that ’ s very noticeable ; you lash out at people who are not like you.
” I ’ m sure she ’ s seen the same social media videos I have , of adults melting down , toting rifles , throwing tantrums because they object to wearing a mask to help stop the spread of the coronavirus .
In a world where so much seems out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what to do .
And that resistance has morphed into anger , as we sit at the intersection of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter .
The battle over masks has become more than a health issue ; it ’ s a reflection of how frightened we feel , how self-centered we ’ ve become , how suspicious we are of people we don ’ t know and things we don ’ t understand .
“ I ’ m still trying to figure it out , ” Tadena admitted .
She suspects the success @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a backlash and surfaced hidden bigots , who were already nursing pandemic grievances .
“ You think about the anger that anyone feels — being cooped up at home , losing their jobs , being forced to think about everything that ’ s going on in their minds all the time.
” Talking with Tadena reminded me how bewildering this all feels , even as we ’ re learning lessons about our communities and ourselves .
She feels guilty that her efforts to safeguard her health may have unleashed a stranger ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I feel like I have put them in danger even more , ” she said , “ by the act of requesting people to put on masks.
” And she wishes she wasn ’ t the only one to raise a ruckus about the hateful things written in the elevator .
“ I can ’ t imagine this isn ’ t a bigger deal , ” she said .
“ Are we just going to pretend this is not happening ?
Tadena knew enough not to call 911 , but she did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They dispatched the police ; she was surprised when four officers showed up .
They took photos , got statements from Tadena and her brother and checked to see how much damage had been done .
Then the officers grabbed rags and scrubbed the swastikas and slurs from the wall .
It was the middle of the night , and “ there wasn ’ t much they could do , ” she said .
“ But they took it seriously .
It was quite a nice thing , for them to wipe it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see it.
” She hadn ’ t expected the police to fix it .
“ I just wanted to have it on the record , ” she told me .
She thought about all the neighbors who had ridden the elevator that night , and imagined their stomachs churning with the hurt she ’ d felt .
“ I would want my experience to be documented , for it to count , ” she declared .
“ It ’ s incredibly important for the story to be told , to have people ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now but for the generations to come .
”

Jaycebelle Tadena was feeling pretty good last week, as she pulled her new car into the garage at her apartment complex in Canoga Park. Then she stepped into the elevator and got the shock of her life.
Its walls had been defaced with hateful messages: “There were two swastikas, one on each side of the elevator,” she recalled. On the other walls, someone had scrawled “die blacks. die Jews.” Along with slurs I will not repeat.
Tadena, 28, trembled as she rode upstairs to her apartment. It was after midnight, but she called the manager and left a voicemail. “I wasn’t quite panicky, but obviously distressed,” she recalled. “I just wanted it gone by the morning, so nobody else would have to see that horrible sight.”
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She thought of her Black neighbors. The children were shy, and clung to their parents during elevator rides. “I can only imagine how helpless this might make a parent feel.”
“I just wanted it gone by the morning, so nobody else would have to see that horrible sight,” Jaycebelle Tadena said of finding hateful messages painted inside the elevator at her Canoga Park apartment complex. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
The graffiti hadn’t been there when she left for her job as a Zoom technician that afternoon, but her brother had noticed it that evening. “I realized it had probably been there for four or five hours, without anybody saying anything,” she said.
I could hear the disappointment in her voice. “It’s a nice neighborhood, a comfortable multicultural building,” she said. “The kind of place where, if you live here, you feel like ‘I’m doing well in life.’”
As she walked me through everything that happened that night, I realized her feelings were more complicated than disappointment or sorrow. There was something else.
“I think I might have inadvertently caused this to happen,” she told me. “And I feel terrible about that.”
Advertisement
::
For weeks, Tadena had been troubled by elevator riders not following the rules. Her brother lives with her and works with vulnerable patients at a nursing home. Neither of them can risk contracting COVID-19.
“And every single day, I end up stuck with somebody not wearing their mask in the elevator,” said Tadena, 28. “I ask them very nicely to please wear a mask. But I get a lot of hostility because of that.”
At her request, the manager posted a sign in the elevator last week, reminding residents of the mask requirement. The note went up on Sunday, it was slashed with an ‘X’ on Monday, and on Tuesday the racial slurs and swastikas showed up.
She can’t help but wonder if her mask request triggered the hate-mongering. Tadena is Filipino, not Black or Jewish, and grew up in the San Fernando Valley. “But everything is so polarized right now, there’s a collective anger that’s very noticeable; you lash out at people who are not like you.”
I’m sure she’s seen the same social media videos I have, of adults melting down, toting rifles, throwing tantrums because they object to wearing a mask to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
In a world where so much seems out of our control, they resent being told what to do. And that resistance has morphed into anger, as we sit at the intersection of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter.
The battle over masks has become more than a health issue; it’s a reflection of how frightened we feel, how self-centered we’ve become, how suspicious we are of people we don’t know and things we don’t understand.
“I’m still trying to figure it out,” Tadena admitted. She suspects the success of Black Lives Matter protests has generated a backlash and surfaced hidden bigots, who were already nursing pandemic grievances.
“You think about the anger that anyone feels — being cooped up at home, losing their jobs, being forced to think about everything that’s going on in their minds all the time.”
Talking with Tadena reminded me how bewildering this all feels, even as we’re learning lessons about our communities and ourselves.
She feels guilty that her efforts to safeguard her health may have unleashed a stranger’s hatred of Jewish and Black people. “I feel like I have put them in danger even more,” she said, “by the act of requesting people to put on masks.”
And she wishes she wasn’t the only one to raise a ruckus about the hateful things written in the elevator. “I can’t imagine this isn’t a bigger deal,” she said. “Are we just going to pretend this is not happening?
::
Tadena knew enough not to call 911, but she did call a city helpline that night. They dispatched the police; she was surprised when four officers showed up.
They took photos, got statements from Tadena and her brother and checked to see how much damage had been done. Then the officers grabbed rags and scrubbed the swastikas and slurs from the wall.
It was the middle of the night, and “there wasn’t much they could do,” she said. “But they took it seriously. It was quite a nice thing, for them to wipe it down so nobody else would have to see it.”
She hadn’t expected the police to fix it. “I just wanted to have it on the record,” she told me. She thought about all the neighbors who had ridden the elevator that night, and imagined their stomachs churning with the hurt she’d felt.
“I would want my experience to be documented, for it to count,” she declared. “It’s incredibly important for the story to be told, to have people’s experience validated, not just for now but for the generations to come.”


latimes--2020-07-07--L.A. Sheriff's employee is charged with sexual misconduct with detainees

A custody assistant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department has been charged with engaging in sexual activity with two detainees being held at a women ’ s jail in Lynwood , prosecutors said .
Roy ’ ce Bass , 29 , surrendered to investigators Tuesday after an investigation by the Sheriff Department ’ s Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau .
Bass , who worked at the Century Regional Detention Facility , was released after posting $ 100,000 bail .
The Los Angeles County district attorney ’ s office said Wednesday that Bass was charged with four counts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a detention facility .
Two of the charges are linked to a July 2017 encounter in an inmate ’ s cell , and the other two are tied to a January 2018 incident with a second inmate , according to the district attorney ’ s office and the criminal complaint .
If convicted , Bass faces up to five years in state prison .
He is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 13 .
“ The Sheriff ’ s Department finds these allegations deeply troubling , ” the sheriff ’ s officials said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are committed to transparency and holding our employees fully accountable .
”

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Alene Tchekmedyian

An employee with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department turned himself in Tuesday after an investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct with detainees.
A custody assistant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has been charged with engaging in sexual activity with two detainees being held at a women’s jail in Lynwood, prosecutors said.
Roy’ce Bass, 29, surrendered to investigators Tuesday after an investigation by the Sheriff Department’s Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau. Bass, who worked at the Century Regional Detention Facility, was released after posting $100,000 bail.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said Wednesday that Bass was charged with four counts of having sex with an adult confined in a detention facility. Two of the charges are linked to a July 2017 encounter in an inmate’s cell, and the other two are tied to a January 2018 incident with a second inmate, according to the district attorney’s office and the criminal complaint.
If convicted, Bass faces up to five years in state prison.
He is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 13.
“The Sheriff’s Department finds these allegations deeply troubling,” the sheriff’s officials said in a news release. “We are committed to transparency and holding our employees fully accountable.”


latimes--2020-07-09--Her father had COVID-19 for weeks. The nursing home told her the day before he died

The letter in early April seemed forthright , notifying families that a resident at Hollywood Premier Healthcare Center received a diagnosis of COVID-19 .
It ended with a promise : If a loved one was “ suspected or diagnosed ” with the menacing disease caused by the coronavirus , family would be promptly notified .
Jamie Ann Ivey was concerned , but no nurses or administrators had informed her of any changes to her father ’ s health .
Unbeknownst to Ivey , her father , James Ivey , had tested positive for COVID-19 nearly a week earlier , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for her to learn of his diagnosis .
The grim news came the day before he died in the skilled nursing home on Fountain Avenue .
The shocking allegation is made in a lawsuit that Ivey and her siblings filed last month in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Hollywood Premier .
“ They knew he was positive and they didn ’ t even tell me .
They never told me until I pressed the last day , ” Ivey recalled in an interview .
“ Why didn ’ t you notify me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the hospital ?
… Why did you keep him there ?
” Ivey ’ s litigation , which names the nursing home ’ s legal entity , Serrano Post Acute LLC , is among a growing number of lawsuits filed across California against nursing home operators that accuse staff and administrators of negligence , reckless misconduct and elder abuse in their response to the coronavirus .
At least 3,176 nursing home residents have died from COVID-19 , 49 % of the statewide total , according to data compiled by The Times , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tens of thousands of deaths among residents and staff at nursing homes across the nation .
At Hollywood Premier , 58 residents and 38 staff had tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 19 died as of May 8 , when Los Angeles County ’ s Public Health Department closed an investigation into the outbreak there .
At some point during the investigation , the facility switched to taking only patients who test positive .
The lawyer representing Ivey and her siblings blamed Hollywood Premier for conditions that allowed the novel coronavirus to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control policies , they understaffed the facility , and at times had two nurses caring for about 90 residents , ” Ivey ’ s attorney , Dmitriy Cherepinskiy , said of Hollywood Premier .
The lawyer said he defended healthcare institutions and physicians for more than a decade before switching to represent patients and their families .
“ The fact that they did not transfer him to a hospital — that just shows an attempt to cover it up and brush it off , ” Cherepinskiy said .
Administrators at Hollywood Premier did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Family members of residents have pushed for heightened scrutiny of the facility .
In May , the family of Vincent Martin , 84 , sued Hollywood Premier in state court , accusing it of negligence , fraud and elder abuse , and their attorneys asked Los Angeles County Dist .
Atty .
Jackie Lacey to “ open a criminal investigation into the troubling circumstances surrounding ” Martin ’ s death on April 4 .
The family alleged in their lawsuit and reported to Lacey ’ s office that two nurses were tending to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s top administrator was out sick with COVID-19 since March ; that their father ’ s positive test results came back the day after he died , but that a physician affiliated with the facility “ fraudulently prepared the death certificate ” to omit COVID-19 .
“ There are so many questions left unanswered , ” said Kathy Sessinghaus , Martin ’ s daughter .
James Ivey , a 78-year-old retired machinist who liked building planes out of balsa wood and fishing in the Sacramento River , entered Hollywood Premier on Jan. 21 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ an ornery old Southern man , ” had limited mobility and required a wheelchair , but did not have a terminal illness .
Ivey said she visited a few times each week , sometimes bringing cash so he could order deli sandwiches .
When she came March 11 to drop off a razor and some pajama pants , Ivey ’ s lawsuit said , staff told her that due to the virus , further visits were prohibited , although few employees had face masks and no residents did .
By April 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her father was tested .
Two days later , a lab reported James Ivey was positive for COVID-19 , according to the lawsuit .
Ivey called the facility often to check on her father , but nothing seemed amiss until April 16 .
Shortly after midnight , a nurse called to say her father ’ s heart rate was “ extremely low ” and asked if 911 should be called .
Ivey agreed .
By 2 a.m. , paramedics arrived and told the facility they would not take her father to the hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to COVID-19 .
No one informed the paramedics that he had already contracted the disease , the lawsuit said .
The next morning , Ivey said she called Hollywood Premier to follow up on her father ’ s condition .
The nurse gave a rundown of his medication , and said he was “ sleeping a lot.
” Ivey said she struggled to get accurate information .
If she called at night , she ’ d be told to call during the day .
By then , the receptionist said administrators were at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You ’ d be on hold six minutes and be transferred easily three times to get the person you need to talk to , ” Ivey said .
“ There was always an excuse.
” And if Ivey wanted to talk to her dad , more explanations followed : He would be sleeping , or at a meal , or it would be between shifts , or the nurses could not locate the cordless phone to take to his bedside .
“ It was almost like they were not letting me talk to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how I felt , ” Ivey said .
When Ivey got a nurse on the phone to follow up on her father ’ s care , the nurse said he was “ doing better ” but he “ kept removing his oxygen and complaining that the mask was bothering him , ” the lawsuit said .
After the call ended , Ivey grew suspicious .
She wondered why her father had on an oxygen mask .
Around midnight on April 19 , the lawsuit said Ivey got a nurse on the phone and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for COVID-19 .
The nurse responded that “ because of exposure , ” he was tested on April 2 and the result came back positive .
The news was delivered with nonchalance , according to the lawsuit .
“ My heart dropped in my chest , ” Ivey said .
“ It all came together for me — the way she said it was like it was no big deal.
” James Ivey died April 20 , and his death certificate lists COVID-19 among the causes , according to the suit .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nurse to put her father on speaker phone .
“ I could hear him crying for help , ” Ivey said through tears .
“ There was nothing I could do .
I had to sit there and listen to him as long as she held it .
”

Jamie Ivey filed a lawsuit this week against Hollywood Premier nursing home, where her father died of COVID-19.
The letter in early April seemed forthright, notifying families that a resident at Hollywood Premier Healthcare Center received a diagnosis of COVID-19.
It ended with a promise: If a loved one was “suspected or diagnosed” with the menacing disease caused by the coronavirus, family would be promptly notified.
Jamie Ann Ivey was concerned, but no nurses or administrators had informed her of any changes to her father’s health.
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Unbeknownst to Ivey, her father, James Ivey, had tested positive for COVID-19 nearly a week earlier, and she said it would take another week for her to learn of his diagnosis. The grim news came the day before he died in the skilled nursing home on Fountain Avenue.
The shocking allegation is made in a lawsuit that Ivey and her siblings filed last month in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Hollywood Premier.
“They knew he was positive and they didn’t even tell me. They never told me until I pressed the last day,” Ivey recalled in an interview. “Why didn’t you notify me? Why wasn’t he sent to the hospital? … Why did you keep him there?”
Ivey’s litigation, which names the nursing home’s legal entity, Serrano Post Acute LLC, is among a growing number of lawsuits filed across California against nursing home operators that accuse staff and administrators of negligence, reckless misconduct and elder abuse in their response to the coronavirus.
At least 3,176 nursing home residents have died from COVID-19, 49% of the statewide total, according to data compiled by The Times, and federal data from last month show tens of thousands of deaths among residents and staff at nursing homes across the nation.
At Hollywood Premier, 58 residents and 38 staff had tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 19 died as of May 8, when Los Angeles County’s Public Health Department closed an investigation into the outbreak there. At some point during the investigation, the facility switched to taking only patients who test positive.
The lawyer representing Ivey and her siblings blamed Hollywood Premier for conditions that allowed the novel coronavirus to flourish.
“They violated the infection control policies, they understaffed the facility, and at times had two nurses caring for about 90 residents,” Ivey’s attorney, Dmitriy Cherepinskiy, said of Hollywood Premier. The lawyer said he defended healthcare institutions and physicians for more than a decade before switching to represent patients and their families.
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“The fact that they did not transfer him to a hospital — that just shows an attempt to cover it up and brush it off,” Cherepinskiy said.
Administrators at Hollywood Premier did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Family members of residents have pushed for heightened scrutiny of the facility. In May, the family of Vincent Martin, 84, sued Hollywood Premier in state court, accusing it of negligence, fraud and elder abuse, and their attorneys asked Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey to “open a criminal investigation into the troubling circumstances surrounding” Martin’s death on April 4.
The family alleged in their lawsuit and reported to Lacey’s office that two nurses were tending to 83 residents; that the facility’s top administrator was out sick with COVID-19 since March; that their father’s positive test results came back the day after he died, but that a physician affiliated with the facility “fraudulently prepared the death certificate” to omit COVID-19.
“There are so many questions left unanswered,” said Kathy Sessinghaus, Martin’s daughter.
James Ivey, a 78-year-old retired machinist who liked building planes out of balsa wood and fishing in the Sacramento River, entered Hollywood Premier on Jan. 21.
His daughter said her father, “an ornery old Southern man,” had limited mobility and required a wheelchair, but did not have a terminal illness.
Ivey said she visited a few times each week, sometimes bringing cash so he could order deli sandwiches.
When she came March 11 to drop off a razor and some pajama pants, Ivey’s lawsuit said, staff told her that due to the virus, further visits were prohibited, although few employees had face masks and no residents did.
By April 2, for reasons that are unclear, her father was tested. Two days later, a lab reported James Ivey was positive for COVID-19, according to the lawsuit.
Ivey called the facility often to check on her father, but nothing seemed amiss until April 16. Shortly after midnight, a nurse called to say her father’s heart rate was “extremely low” and asked if 911 should be called. Ivey agreed.
By 2 a.m., paramedics arrived and told the facility they would not take her father to the hospital because they did not want him exposed to COVID-19. No one informed the paramedics that he had already contracted the disease, the lawsuit said.
The next morning, Ivey said she called Hollywood Premier to follow up on her father’s condition. The nurse gave a rundown of his medication, and said he was “sleeping a lot.”
Ivey said she struggled to get accurate information. If she called at night, she’d be told to call during the day. By then, the receptionist said administrators were at lunch or in a meeting.
“You’d be on hold six minutes and be transferred easily three times to get the person you need to talk to,” Ivey said. “There was always an excuse.”
And if Ivey wanted to talk to her dad, more explanations followed: He would be sleeping, or at a meal, or it would be between shifts, or the nurses could not locate the cordless phone to take to his bedside.
“It was almost like they were not letting me talk to him — that’s kind of how I felt,” Ivey said.
When Ivey got a nurse on the phone to follow up on her father’s care, the nurse said he was “doing better” but he “kept removing his oxygen and complaining that the mask was bothering him,” the lawsuit said.
After the call ended, Ivey grew suspicious. She wondered why her father had on an oxygen mask. Around midnight on April 19, the lawsuit said Ivey got a nurse on the phone and pressed if her father had been checked for COVID-19.
The nurse responded that “because of exposure,” he was tested on April 2 and the result came back positive. The news was delivered with nonchalance, according to the lawsuit.
“My heart dropped in my chest,” Ivey said. “It all came together for me — the way she said it was like it was no big deal.”
James Ivey died April 20, and his death certificate lists COVID-19 among the causes, according to the suit. In his final hours, Ivey asked the nurse to put her father on speaker phone.
“I could hear him crying for help,” Ivey said through tears. “There was nothing I could do. I had to sit there and listen to him as long as she held it.”


latimes--2020-07-09--Activists bring demonstrations to L.A. officials' doorsteps

When a lawyer advised the Los Angeles City Council not to adopt a blanket ban on evictions , renters rights activists were furious .
A group of protesters descended on the city lawyer ’ s block days later , honking their car horns and shouting “ Shame on you !
” from a megaphone , according to video of the event .
Organizers posted the attorney ’ s home address on Twitter , along with a map and a photo of his house , and accused him of protecting his “ class interests ” as a homeowner .
“ Nice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one group known as the People ’ s City Council , which is made up of activists from such organizations as Ktown for All , a homeless advocacy group , and NOlympics LA .
“ Would be a real shame if we came and disrupted it.
” Since the coronavirus outbreak began , a growing number of L.A. public officials have seen their homes become the target of protesters — some on foot , others in cars .
Progressive activists have staged a “ die-in ” at Mayor Eric Garcetti ’ s residence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house homeless residents .
Tenants rights protesters have shown up as early as 7 a.m. outside the homes of City Council members , calling for them to cancel rent payments during the coronavirus shutdown .
Last week , protesters threatened to return to council members ’ homes if they fail to do more to eliminate the Los Angeles Police Department budget .
One activist told council members that protesters have their home addresses , phone numbers and the numbers of their spouses — and are willing to protest at all hours .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make changes , your life isn ’ t going to be fun , ” said People ’ s City Council organizer Ricci Sergienko , a digital media strategist living in Mid-City .
Mike Madrid , a Republican political consultant , argued that state and local laws are needed to stop a practice being used across the state by “ extremists ” on the left and the right .
At one end of the spectrum , vaccine and mask opponents have shown up at the homes of health officials , he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ gathered outside officials ’ homes to demand stronger rent restrictions and the defunding of law enforcement agencies , he said .
“ Intimidation should not be part of the policy-making process ever , ” Madrid said .
“ And there ’ s no question that that ’ s what this is.
” Protest organizers say their tactics ensure their message reaches public officials working from home .
The pandemic has created an urgent political moment that demands dramatic action , they argue .
“ This isn ’ t just garden-variety failure of elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an organizer with the People ’ s City Council and NOlympics LA .
“ This is failure of elected officials in a time when the world is changing , and inaction will lead to death.
” Garcetti ’ s home has been a frequent site of demonstrations for both the left and the right .
Crowds have converged on the mayor ’ s residence to protest stay-at-home orders and demand a reopening of the economy .
The biggest demonstration at his home in recent months came after the death of George Floyd , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people outside .
Garcetti aides declined to comment .
So did Michaelson , the lawyer who advised against a sweeping eviction ban .
In remarks to the council earlier this year , Michaelson said the city attorney ’ s office has sympathy for tenants , but does not believe such a ban would survive a legal challenge .
Councilman Bob Blumenfield , who has had protesters demonstrate outside his West Valley residence , said he has had to explain to his children why people were standing outside their home shouting from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ councilman said he opposed a blanket ban on evictions out of concern that such a measure would be overturned in court , forcing the city to make a big financial payout to landlords .
He complained that protesters had “ never even asked for a meeting ” on the issue before showing up at his home .
“ It ’ s their right to do it , ” Blumenfield said , “ but it ’ s not a pleasant experience.
” Protests outside public officials ’ homes were an established tactic even before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , activists with Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and other groups showed up before 6 a.m. at L.A. County Dist .
Atty .
Jackie Lacey ’ s home in Granada Hills .
That episode became infamous after Lacey ’ s husband pointed a gun at the unarmed demonstrators .
But after stay-at-home orders left City Hall and other government buildings largely empty , demonstrations outside politicians ’ homes became much more routine .
Tenant activists and their allies have staged at least a dozen since March .
The practice initially tapered off after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests against police brutality broke out across L.A .
But demonstrators soon returned to the homes of Garcetti and Lacey .
Dozens assembled outside the home of Westside Councilman Paul Koretz , who has opposed calls for deep cuts to the LAPD .
UCLA student Nina Long said students pushing to defund the police decided to protest there after pleas to Koretz ’ s office were met with an impersonal “ copy-and-pasted ” message .
“ We believe this was really the only way to make it personal to Paul Koretz , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Long , who helped organize the event .
“ And when folks are being killed on the street , defining what is respectful and civil — it feels no longer relevant.
” Earlier this year , LAPD Chief Michel Moore complained that his department was having to devote a greater amount of resources to patrol the protests outside politicians ’ homes .
Some demonstrators have used language that is “ intimidating , disruptive and interfering with the lives of individuals living in their own private space , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who is active with the group Sunrise Movement L.A. , said that noise outside politicians ’ homes is nothing compared to the suffering of people unable to make rent .
“ If you ’ re not going to give us what we need , we ’ re not going to let you sleep in in the morning , ” she said .
Some protesters have been cited for noise violations .
In June , after a protest outside Garcetti ’ s home , more than 100 demonstrators were followed by police and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to a lawsuit filed on their behalf .
Weeks earlier , South Los Angeles Pastor Sherman Manning was arrested on suspicion of felony stalking after showing up repeatedly outside Garcetti ’ s home .
Manning said he was there to call on the mayor to help people on skid row .
Garcetti and his wife , Amy Wakeland , obtained a temporary restraining order against Manning , arguing that he had engaged in “ disturbing ” behavior , such as filming the family .
They also raised concerns about his criminal history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Manning says he did nothing to harass the family and was wrongfully convicted in the past .
His attorney is fighting a push for a more permanent restraining order , arguing that Manning ’ s actions were a legitimate , constitutionally protected protest .
When you are elected to public office , “ you sign up for nonviolent protesters being on your street , ” Manning said .
Some activists have also circulated public officials ’ home addresses and phone numbers — both public and private — on social media .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defunding the LAPD repeatedly yelled out the home address of Councilman Paul Krekorian , who heads the council ’ s budget committee .
City Council President Nury Martinez called such behavior “ reckless and dangerous.
” Koretz , who faced protests from activists pushing to defund the Police Department , said calls to his home number were “ nasty and intimidating.
” “ I ’ ve been a progressive Democrat fighting for equality for 30 years as an elected official , and I ’ m getting dozens of calls at home calling me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It ’ s a little unnerving , but I still don ’ t believe we should get rid of the LAPD.
” Madrid , the Republican political consultant , predicted that confrontations outside public officials ’ homes will eventually lead to violence .
“ That ’ s why I ’ m raising the alarm with legislators , ” he said .
Protest organizers say they do not support violence and argue that politicians ’ home addresses are easily found online .
Ktown for All member Sabrina Johnson said activists circulated the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney , to show that he had been “ protecting his class interests ” as a Westside homeowner .
“ He ’ s a rich guy who lives in a rich neighborhood , ” she said .
“ Obviously , he ’ s invested in not giving us renter protections .
”

When a lawyer advised the Los Angeles City Council not to adopt a blanket ban on evictions, renters rights activists were furious.
A group of protesters descended on the city lawyer’s block days later, honking their car horns and shouting “Shame on you!” from a megaphone, according to video of the event. Organizers posted the attorney’s home address on Twitter, along with a map and a photo of his house, and accused him of protecting his “class interests” as a homeowner.
“Nice neighborhood, David Michaelson,” wrote one group known as the People’s City Council, which is made up of activists from such organizations as Ktown for All, a homeless advocacy group, and NOlympics LA. “Would be a real shame if we came and disrupted it.”
Since the coronavirus outbreak began, a growing number of L.A. public officials have seen their homes become the target of protesters — some on foot, others in cars.
Progressive activists have staged a “die-in” at Mayor Eric Garcetti’s residence to demand that he commandeer hotels to house homeless residents. Tenants rights protesters have shown up as early as 7 a.m. outside the homes of City Council members, calling for them to cancel rent payments during the coronavirus shutdown.
Last week, protesters threatened to return to council members’ homes if they fail to do more to eliminate the Los Angeles Police Department budget. One activist told council members that protesters have their home addresses, phone numbers and the numbers of their spouses — and are willing to protest at all hours.
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“If you all don’t want to make changes, your life isn’t going to be fun,” said People’s City Council organizer Ricci Sergienko, a digital media strategist living in Mid-City.
Mike Madrid, a Republican political consultant, argued that state and local laws are needed to stop a practice being used across the state by “extremists” on the left and the right.
At one end of the spectrum, vaccine and mask opponents have shown up at the homes of health officials, he said. At the other end, leftists have gathered outside officials’ homes to demand stronger rent restrictions and the defunding of law enforcement agencies, he said.
“Intimidation should not be part of the policy-making process ever,” Madrid said. “And there’s no question that that’s what this is.”
Protest organizers say their tactics ensure their message reaches public officials working from home. The pandemic has created an urgent political moment that demands dramatic action, they argue.
“This isn’t just garden-variety failure of elected officials,” said Albert Corado, an organizer with the People’s City Council and NOlympics LA. “This is failure of elected officials in a time when the world is changing, and inaction will lead to death.”
Garcetti’s home has been a frequent site of demonstrations for both the left and the right.
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Crowds have converged on the mayor’s residence to protest stay-at-home orders and demand a reopening of the economy. The biggest demonstration at his home in recent months came after the death of George Floyd, with Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles rallying thousands of people outside.
Garcetti aides declined to comment. So did Michaelson, the lawyer who advised against a sweeping eviction ban. In remarks to the council earlier this year, Michaelson said the city attorney’s office has sympathy for tenants, but does not believe such a ban would survive a legal challenge.
Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who has had protesters demonstrate outside his West Valley residence, said he has had to explain to his children why people were standing outside their home shouting from a bullhorn and cursing at him.
The councilman said he opposed a blanket ban on evictions out of concern that such a measure would be overturned in court, forcing the city to make a big financial payout to landlords. He complained that protesters had “never even asked for a meeting” on the issue before showing up at his home.
“It’s their right to do it,” Blumenfield said, “but it’s not a pleasant experience.”
Protests outside public officials’ homes were an established tactic even before the pandemic. In March, for example, activists with Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and other groups showed up before 6 a.m. at L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey’s home in Granada Hills. That episode became infamous after Lacey’s husband pointed a gun at the unarmed demonstrators.
But after stay-at-home orders left City Hall and other government buildings largely empty, demonstrations outside politicians’ homes became much more routine. Tenant activists and their allies have staged at least a dozen since March.
The practice initially tapered off after the death of Floyd, when mass protests against police brutality broke out across L.A. But demonstrators soon returned to the homes of Garcetti and Lacey. Dozens assembled outside the home of Westside Councilman Paul Koretz, who has opposed calls for deep cuts to the LAPD.
UCLA student Nina Long said students pushing to defund the police decided to protest there after pleas to Koretz’s office were met with an impersonal “copy-and-pasted” message.
“We believe this was really the only way to make it personal to Paul Koretz, because this issue is personal to us,” said Long, who helped organize the event. “And when folks are being killed on the street, defining what is respectful and civil — it feels no longer relevant.”
Earlier this year, LAPD Chief Michel Moore complained that his department was having to devote a greater amount of resources to patrol the protests outside politicians’ homes. Some demonstrators have used language that is “intimidating, disruptive and interfering with the lives of individuals living in their own private space,” he said.
Cal State L.A. student Astrid Andrea Cota, who is active with the group Sunrise Movement L.A., said that noise outside politicians’ homes is nothing compared to the suffering of people unable to make rent.
“If you’re not going to give us what we need, we’re not going to let you sleep in in the morning,” she said.
Some protesters have been cited for noise violations. In June, after a protest outside Garcetti’s home, more than 100 demonstrators were followed by police and wrongfully arrested a few blocks away, according to a lawsuit filed on their behalf.
Weeks earlier, South Los Angeles Pastor Sherman Manning was arrested on suspicion of felony stalking after showing up repeatedly outside Garcetti’s home. Manning said he was there to call on the mayor to help people on skid row.
Miguel Rios, left, who is homeless, and Pastor Sherman Manning carry protest signs along Wilshire Boulevard in L.A. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Garcetti and his wife, Amy Wakeland, obtained a temporary restraining order against Manning, arguing that he had engaged in “disturbing” behavior, such as filming the family. They also raised concerns about his criminal history, which includes convictions for sexual assault.
Manning says he did nothing to harass the family and was wrongfully convicted in the past. His attorney is fighting a push for a more permanent restraining order, arguing that Manning’s actions were a legitimate, constitutionally protected protest.
When you are elected to public office, “you sign up for nonviolent protesters being on your street,” Manning said.
Some activists have also circulated public officials’ home addresses and phone numbers — both public and private — on social media. During one recent meeting, an advocate for defunding the LAPD repeatedly yelled out the home address of Councilman Paul Krekorian, who heads the council’s budget committee.
City Council President Nury Martinez called such behavior “reckless and dangerous.” Koretz, who faced protests from activists pushing to defund the Police Department, said calls to his home number were “nasty and intimidating.”
“I’ve been a progressive Democrat fighting for equality for 30 years as an elected official, and I’m getting dozens of calls at home calling me a white supremacist,” Koretz said. “It’s a little unnerving, but I still don’t believe we should get rid of the LAPD.”
Madrid, the Republican political consultant, predicted that confrontations outside public officials’ homes will eventually lead to violence. “That’s why I’m raising the alarm with legislators,” he said.
Protest organizers say they do not support violence and argue that politicians’ home addresses are easily found online. Ktown for All member Sabrina Johnson said activists circulated the home address of Michaelson, the city attorney, to show that he had been “protecting his class interests” as a Westside homeowner.
“He’s a rich guy who lives in a rich neighborhood,” she said. “Obviously, he’s invested in not giving us renter protections.”


latimes--2020-07-09--With coronavirus surging, bars and indoor dining could remain closed for the foreseeable future

With coronavirus cases surging in California , there are growing doubts that indoor dining and bar service will reopen anytime soon as health officials zero-in on how to slow the spread of COVID-19 .
Public health officials say indoor dining and drinking pose more significant public health risks than other retail activities , even with social distancing .
Patrons must take off their masks to eat and drink , they often are engaged in conversation and breathe in indoor air that may be contaminated by the virus and get circulated by air conditioning — all of which can spread COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retail economy in many cities , and the reopening of dine-in service followed by the abrupt closures have left the already struggling bar and restaurant industry devastated .
But experts and local , state and federal officials have said in recent days that it ’ s simply too risky for bars and indoor dining rooms to continue operating as the coronavirus surges .
Allowing them to operate as cases spike threatens the wider reopening of the economy and the resumption of school in the fall , they said , and also threatens to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means that we are not going to have indoor dining anytime soon , ” said Dr. Sara Cody , health officer for Santa Clara County , Northern California ’ s most populous county .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the U.S. government ’ s top infectious disease expert , said this week that closing bars is important to curbing the spread of the virus , because they ’ re often crowded with people not wearing masks .
“ When you are indoor ... in the crowded situation in the bar , that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infection , ” Fauci said in an online conversation hosted by Sen. Doug Jones ( D-Ala. ) .
“ Fundamental things like masking , distancing , washing hands , closing bars : If you do that , I think it will be a giant step towards interfering with the spread in your community.
” There are now at least 27 counties in California that have been subject this month to Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s instruction to order bars and indoor dining rooms at restaurants closed for at least three weeks or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not been allowed to reopen .
Together , more than 32.9 million Californians live in these counties , which make up 84 % of the state ’ s population .
San Francisco is not one of those counties on the state ’ s monitoring list , but this week decided on its own to call off next week ’ s planned reopening of outdoor bars and indoor dining rooms at restaurants .
And farther south , in Silicon Valley , Santa Clara County officials said bars and indoor dining won ’ t be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — regardless of whether state officials permit the county to make that decision .
“ We have no choice .
We are living in COVID , ” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said this week .
“ We need these numbers to go down.
” The reversal is wrenching for owners , who suffered massive losses during the stay-at-home order and were bracing for even more losses because the social distancing rules limited capacity when they were allowed to reopen .
“ We ’ re getting destroyed , ” said Chad Cline , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in San Diego ’ s Little Italy .
“ In the past month we just wanted to not sink as fast , and now they ’ ve given us lead weight belts , so we ’ re in this constant state of sinking .
I get there are these experts making these recommendations , but my issue is if a certain industry bears the burden for society ’ s safety , society should be helping with that burden financially.
” When restaurants were allowed to reopen for indoor dine-in service , officials in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not following safety rules .
Inspectors found that on June 27 and 28 , 49 % of bars and 33 % of restaurants were not adhering to physical distancing protocols indoors , while 54 % of bars and 44 % of restaurants were not enforcing mask and face shield requirements .
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors this week voted to allow health officials to impose fines or immediately revoke the permits of restaurants not complying with COVID-19 health orders .
Southern California has been hit harder by the surge in coronavirus cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Francisco and Santa Clara County have among the fewest coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents of largely populated California counties over the past two weeks ; San Francisco has reported 92 cases per 100,000 residents , and Santa Clara County , 91 cases per 100,000 residents .
By contrast , L.A. County has reported 319 cases per 100,000 residents ; Orange County , 258 cases per 100,000 residents ; and San Diego County , 190 cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks , according to the Los Angeles Times ’ California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bay Area , which is still generally faring better than Southern California , officials are sounding the alarm .
San Francisco is now in what officials there call a red zone for new cases , reporting more than triple the number of daily diagnosed cases per 100,000 residents than its goal .
And they ’ re warning that any time it seems as if officials have figured out how to control the coronavirus , the virus seems to find a way to spread once people start getting complacent .
“ This virus has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the country and around the world , that it will come back with a vengeance if you let your guard down , ” said Cody , the health officer in Santa Clara County .
Experts and health officials across the nation are increasingly zeroing in on bars and indoor restaurants as problem spots .
New York City called off its resumption of indoor dining .
Miami-Dade County in Florida this week issued an emergency order closing indoor dining service .
“ It has become clear in watching the pandemic ... that indoor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particular risk : there ’ s a higher rate of transmission , ” said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo , chair of UC San Francisco ’ s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics .
At restaurants , people aren ’ t wearing masks because they ’ re eating , and “ that means indoor dining is a particularly high-risk activity , ” she said .
Bars are even higher risk because there ’ s lots of close contact , it ’ s crowded , and people are often yelling over the noise .
We already know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as when talking loudly or singing , places others at risk for contracting the virus , she said .
It ’ s also important to recognize the risks bars and indoor restaurants pose to bartenders , waiters and other workers , she added .
“ For me , personally , I will patronize my local restaurants by ordering takeout , ” Bibbins-Domingo said .
Other businesses in Santa Clara County have received the green light to reopen next week under some basic principles : outdoors are safer than indoors ; more physical distance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are safer ; and face coverings should be worn consistently .
Santa Clara County will also not allow other venues to reopen in which the nature of the activity does not lend itself to protective measures like wearing masks , staying outside or keeping away from other people .
These venues include indoor swimming pools and saunas , heated exercise rooms , smoking lounges , nightclubs , theaters , stadiums , arenas , theme parks , indoor playgrounds and amusement centers like bounce centers , ball pits and venues that host laser tag @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to resume next week include hair salons , nail salons , massage parlors and gyms .
“ We ’ re at an inflection point , we ’ re at a point in this pandemic when it ’ s crystal clear that COVID-19 will be with us for a long time , ” Cody said .
“ And so we need to adapt to a new way of living that keeps us all safe.
” Cody warned that it will be hard for California to bring the coronavirus back down to controllable levels .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ what we ’ re seeing reflects an exponential growth in transmission that will be extremely difficult to control , and bring back under control , ” Cody said .
Southern California officials had chosen to reopen local economies on a much faster pace than the Bay Area and have recently been forced to backpedal .
L.A. County , for instance , reopened restaurants for in-person dining on May 29 and allowed bars to reopen on June 19 ; Santa Clara County never allowed those settings to reopen .
L.A. County ’ s bars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and indoor dining rooms , on July 1 .
Bibbins-Domingo , the UC San Francisco physician and epidemiologist , said California had been a model state for ordering a stay-at-home order earlier than any other state .
But it ’ s now clear that reopening is far more difficult , and Californians are now feeling the consequences of being more complacent in the state ’ s reopening than New York .
We ’ re also learning much more about the virus , Bibbins-Domingo said , with many scientists pushing the World Health Organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus stays around in the air in indoor environments where there ’ s little circulation .
And it was only on June 18 that Newsom issued a statewide order to wear masks in public , more than a month after the state began allowing counties to decide on reopening businesses .
“ If I had to point to one thing , I would have loved us to [ have ] a clear awareness that we were not going to be able to open up without masks , ” Bibbins-Domingo said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand that indoors is a much riskier environment than outdoors.
” Lin reported from San Francisco , and Lee and Greene from Southern California .
Times staff writer Garrett Snyder as well as Lori Weisberg and Pam Kragen of the San Diego Union-Tribune contributed to this report .

Conor Susi takes orders from a dine-in group in downtown Los Angeles on June 6. Indoor restaurants were ordered shut in L.A. County on July 1.
With coronavirus cases surging in California, there are growing doubts that indoor dining and bar service will reopen anytime soon as health officials zero in on how to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Public health officials say indoor dining and drinking pose more significant public health risks than other retail activities, even with social distancing. Patrons must take off their masks to eat and drink, they often are engaged in conversation, and they breathe in indoor air that may be contaminated by the virus and circulated by air conditioning — all of which can spread COVID-19.
Restaurants are the lifeblood of the retail economy in many cities, and the reopening of dine-in service followed by the abrupt closures have left the already struggling bar and restaurant industry devastated.
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But experts and local, state and federal officials have said in recent days that it’s simply too risky for bars and indoor dining rooms to continue operating as the coronavirus surges. Allowing them to operate as cases spike threatens the wider reopening of the economy and the resumption of school in the fall, they said, and also threatens to overwhelm hospitals.
“That pretty much means that we are not going to have indoor dining anytime soon,” said Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County, Northern California’s most populous county.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, said this week that closing bars is important to curbing the spread of the virus, because they’re often crowded with people not wearing masks.
“When you are indoor ... in the crowded situation in the bar, that’s a perfect setup for the spread of infection,” Fauci said in an online conversation hosted by Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.). “Fundamental things like masking, distancing, washing hands, closing bars: If you do that, I think it will be a giant step towards interfering with the spread in your community.”
There are now at least 27 counties in California that have been subject this month to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s instruction to order bars and indoor dining rooms at restaurants closed for at least three weeks or to keep them shut if they have not been allowed to reopen. Together, more than 32.9 million Californians live in these counties, which make up 84% of the state’s population.
San Francisco is not one of those counties on the state’s monitoring list, but this week decided on its own to call off next week’s planned reopening of outdoor bars and indoor dining rooms at restaurants.
And farther south, in Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County officials said bars and indoor dining won’t be allowed to reopen for the foreseeable future — regardless of whether state officials permit the county to make that decision.
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“We have no choice. We are living in COVID,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said this week. “We need these numbers to go down.”
The reversal is wrenching for owners, who suffered massive losses during the stay-at-home order and were bracing for even more losses because the social distancing rules limited capacity when they were allowed to reopen.
“We’re getting destroyed,” said Chad Cline, co-owner of the Waterfront Bar & Grill in San Diego’s Little Italy. “In the past month we just wanted to not sink as fast, and now they’ve given us lead weight belts, so we’re in this constant state of sinking. I get there are these experts making these recommendations, but my issue is if a certain industry bears the burden for society’s safety, society should be helping with that burden financially.”
When restaurants were allowed to reopen for indoor dine-in service, officials in Los Angeles County found that many were not following safety rules. Inspectors found that on June 27 and 28, 49% of bars and 33% of restaurants were not adhering to physical distancing protocols indoors, while 54% of bars and 44% of restaurants were not enforcing mask and face shield requirements.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors this week voted to allow health officials to impose fines or immediately revoke the permits of restaurants not complying with COVID-19 health orders.
Southern California has been hit harder by the surge in coronavirus cases than the San Francisco Bay Area.
San Francisco and Santa Clara County have among the fewest coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents of largely populated California counties over the past two weeks; San Francisco has reported 92 cases per 100,000 residents, and Santa Clara County, 91 cases per 100,000 residents.
By contrast, L.A. County has reported 319 cases per 100,000 residents; Orange County, 258 cases per 100,000 residents; and San Diego County, 190 cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks, according to the Los Angeles Times’ California coronavirus tracker.
Yet even in the Bay Area, which is still generally faring better than Southern California, officials are sounding the alarm. San Francisco is now in what officials there call a red zone for new cases, reporting more than triple the number of daily diagnosed cases per 100,000 residents than its goal.
And they’re warning that any time it seems as if officials have figured out how to control the coronavirus, the virus seems to find a way to spread once people start getting complacent.
“This virus has proven time and again, in communities around the country and around the world, that it will come back with a vengeance if you let your guard down,” said Cody, the health officer in Santa Clara County.
Experts and health officials across the nation are increasingly zeroing in on bars and indoor restaurants as problem spots. New York City called off its resumption of indoor dining. Miami-Dade County in Florida this week issued an emergency order closing indoor dining service.
“It has become clear in watching the pandemic ... that indoor spaces and close contact put you at particular risk: there’s a higher rate of transmission,” said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of UC San Francisco’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
At restaurants, people aren’t wearing masks because they’re eating, and “that means indoor dining is a particularly high-risk activity,” she said. Bars are even higher risk because there’s lots of close contact, it’s crowded, and people are often yelling over the noise.
Which California counties are reopening? To contain the spread of COVID-19, parks, restaurants and stores are slowly reopening.
We already know that people forcefully expelling their breath, as when talking loudly or singing, places others at risk for contracting the virus, she said.
It’s also important to recognize the risks bars and indoor restaurants pose to bartenders, waiters and other workers, she added. “For me, personally, I will patronize my local restaurants by ordering takeout,” Bibbins-Domingo said.
Other businesses in Santa Clara County have received the green light to reopen next week under some basic principles: outdoors are safer than indoors; more physical distance is safer; fewer and briefer contacts are safer; and face coverings should be worn consistently.
Santa Clara County will also not allow other venues to reopen in which the nature of the activity does not lend itself to protective measures like wearing masks, staying outside or keeping away from other people.
These venues include indoor swimming pools and saunas, heated exercise rooms, smoking lounges, nightclubs, theaters, stadiums, arenas, theme parks, indoor playgrounds and amusement centers like bounce centers, ball pits and venues that host laser tag.
But businesses that will be allowed to resume next week include hair salons, nail salons, massage parlors and gyms.
“We’re at an inflection point, we’re at a point in this pandemic when it’s crystal clear that COVID-19 will be with us for a long time,” Cody said. “And so we need to adapt to a new way of living that keeps us all safe.”
Cody warned that it will be hard for California to bring the coronavirus back down to controllable levels. “And especially in Southern California, what we’re seeing reflects an exponential growth in transmission that will be extremely difficult to control, and bring back under control,” Cody said.
Southern California officials had chosen to reopen local economies on a much faster pace than the Bay Area and have recently been forced to backpedal. L.A. County, for instance, reopened restaurants for in-person dining on May 29 and allowed bars to reopen on June 19; Santa Clara County never allowed those settings to reopen. L.A. County’s bars were ordered shut on June 28, and indoor dining rooms, on July 1.
Tracking the coronavirus in L.A. County The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, including cases, deaths, closures and restrictions.
Bibbins-Domingo, the UC San Francisco physician and epidemiologist, said California had been a model state for ordering a stay-at-home order earlier than any other state. But it’s now clear that reopening is far more difficult, and Californians are now feeling the consequences of being more complacent in the state’s reopening than New York.
We’re also learning much more about the virus, Bibbins-Domingo said, with many scientists pushing the World Health Organization to recognize that it’s likely the virus stays around in the air in indoor environments where there’s little circulation.
And it was only on June 18 that Newsom issued a statewide order to wear masks in public, more than a month after the state began allowing counties to decide on reopening businesses.
“If I had to point to one thing, I would have loved us to [have] a clear awareness that we were not going to be able to open up without masks,” Bibbins-Domingo said. “It has been a learning experience to understand that indoors is a much riskier environment than outdoors.”
Lin reported from San Francisco, and Lee and Greene from Southern California. Times staff writer Garrett Snyder as well as Lori Weisberg and Pam Kragen of the San Diego Union-Tribune contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-07-09--As COVID-19 patients fill beds, many hospitals choose not to cancel nonemergency surgeries

Three months ago , the nation watched as COVID-19 patients overwhelmed New York City ’ s intensive care units , forcing some of its hospitals to convert cafeterias into wards and pitch tents in parking lots .
Hospitals elsewhere prepped for a similar surge : They cleared beds , stockpiled scarce protective equipment , and — voluntarily or under government orders — temporarily canceled nonemergency surgeries to save space and supplies for coronavirus patients .
In most places , that surge in patients never materialized .
Now , coronavirus cases are skyrocketing nationally and hospitalizations are climbing at an alarming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is markedly different .
Most hospitals around the country are not canceling elective surgeries — nor are government officials asking them to .
Instead , hospitals say they are more prepared to handle the crush of patients because they have enough protective gear for their workers and know how to better treat coronavirus patients .
They say they will shut down nonessential procedures at hospitals based on local assessments of risk , but not across whole systems or states .
Some hospitals have already done so , including facilities in South Florida , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And in a few cases , such as in Texas and Mississippi , government officials have ordered hospitals to suspend elective surgeries .
Hospitals ’ decisions to keep operating rooms open are being guided partly by money .
Elective surgeries account for a significant portion of hospital revenue , and the American Hospital Assn .
estimates that the country ’ s hospitals and healthcare systems lost $ 202.6 billion between March 1 and June 30 .
“ What we now realize is that shutting down the entire healthcare system in anticipation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Carmela Coyle , president of the California Hospital Assn .
“ It will bankrupt the healthcare delivery system.
” The association estimates that California hospitals will lose $ 14.6 billion this year , of which $ 4.6 billion has so far been reimbursed by the federal government .
But some healthcare workers fear that continuing elective surgeries amid a surge puts them and their patients at risk .
For instance , some nurses are still being asked to reuse protective equipment such as N95 masks and gowns , even though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perform elective surgeries , said Zenei Cortez , president of the National Nurses United union .
“ They continue to put us at risk , ” Cortez said .
“ They continue to look at us as if we are disposable material.
” Elective surgeries , generally speaking , are procedures that can be delayed without harming patients , such as knee replacements and cataract surgery .
At least 33 states and the District of Columbia temporarily banned elective surgeries this spring , and most hospitals in states that didn ’ t ban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , voluntarily suspended them to make sure they had the beds to accommodate a surge of coronavirus patients .
The U.S. surgeon general , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Surgeons also recommended healthcare facilities suspend nonemergency surgeries .
The suspension was always intended to be temporary , said Dr. David Hoyt , executive director of the American College of Surgeons .
“ When this all started , it was simply a matter of overwhelming the system , ” he said .
Today , case counts are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Americans flocked to restaurants , bars and backyards and met up with friends and family for graduation parties and Memorial Day celebrations .
Nationally , confirmed cases of COVID-19 have topped 3 million .
In California , cases are spiking , with a 52 % jump in the average number of daily cases over the last 14 days , compared with the two previous weeks .
Hospitalizations have gone up 44 % .
Governors , county supervisors and city councils have responded by requiring people to wear masks , shutting down bars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beaches on the July Fourth holiday weekend .
But by and large , government leaders are not calling on hospitals to proactively scale back elective surgeries in preparation for a surge .
“ Our hospitals are telling us they feel very strongly and competent they can manage their resources , ” said Holly Ward , director of marketing and communications at the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Assn .
If they feel the situation warrants it , “ they on their own will delay surgeries.
” In some states , such as Colorado , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resume nonemergency surgeries in the spring required hospitals to have a stockpile of protective equipment and extra beds that could be used to treat an influx of COVID-19 patients .
States also set up overflow sites should hospitals run out of room .
In Maryland , for example , the state is using the Baltimore Convention Center as a field hospital .
California last week reactivated four “ alternative care sites ” — including a hospital that was on the verge of closure in the San Francisco Bay Area — to take COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision to reduce elective surgeries in California will not come from the state .
It will be made by counties in consultation with hospitals , said Rodger Butler , a spokesman for the California Health and Human Services Agency .
The question is whether hospitals have systems in place to meet a surge in COVID-19 patients when it occurs , said Glenn Melnick , a professor of health economics at USC .
“ To some extent , elective care is good care , ” Melnick said “ They ’ re providing needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going .
They are providing employment and income.
” In Los Angeles County , more than 2,000 COVID patients are currently hospitalized , according to county data .
While that number is projected to go up by a couple of hundred people over the next few weeks , hospitals believe they can accommodate them , said county Health Services Director Christina Ghaly .
In the meantime , hospitals are preparing to bring on additional staff members if needed and informing patients who have scheduled surgeries that they could be delayed .
“ There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospitals than there has been at any point previously in Los Angeles County during the pandemic , ” Ghaly said .
“ Hospitals are more prepared now for handling that volume of patients than they were previously.
” Although hospitals have not stopped elective surgeries , many have not ramped up to the full schedule they had before COVID-19 .
And they say they are picking and choosing surgeries based on what ’ s happening in their area .
“ We were all things COVID when it was just starting , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for physician services at UCSF Health .
based at UC San Francisco .
“ We didn ’ t know what we were facing.
” But after a couple of months of treating patients , hospitals have learned how to resupply units , how to transfer patients , how to simultaneously care for other patients and how to improve testing , Adler said .
At Scripps Health in San Diego , which has taken more than 230 patients from hard-hit Imperial County to the east , its hospitals have scaled back how many transfers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rise in their own community , said Chris Van Gorder , president and CEO of Scripps Health .
A command center set up by the hospital system reviews patient counts and medical supplies and coordinates with county health officials to study how the virus is spreading .
Only patients who need urgent surgeries are being scheduled , Van Gorder said .
“ We ’ re only allowing our doctors to schedule cases two weeks out , ” Van Gorder said .
“ If we see a sudden spike , we have to delay.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in Phoenix , where cases and hospitalizations are surging , Mercy hospitals have suspended elective surgeries to focus resources on COVID-19 patients .
But the other hospitals in the CommonSpirit Health system , which has 137 hospitals in 21 states , are not ending elective surgeries — as they did in the spring — and are treating patients with needs other than COVID , said Marvin O ’ Quinn , the system ’ s president and chief operating officer .
“ In many cases their health deteriorated because they didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said O ’ Quinn , whose hospitals lost close to a $ 1 billion in two months .
“ It ’ s not only a disservice to the hospital to not do those cases ; it ’ s a disservice to the community.
” This story was produced by Kaiser Health News , which publishes California Healthline , an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation .
KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente .

Many hospitals canceled nonemergency surgeries early on in the U.S. coronvirus pandemic. But as COVID-19 cases surge again in July, many hospitals are choosing not to cancel such surgeries, arguing that they are better prepared than before. Above, a 2009 surgery at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Calif.
Three months ago, the nation watched as COVID-19 patients overwhelmed New York City’s intensive care units, forcing some of its hospitals to convert cafeterias into wards and pitch tents in parking lots.
Hospitals elsewhere prepped for a similar surge: They cleared beds, stockpiled scarce protective equipment, and — voluntarily or under government orders — temporarily canceled nonemergency surgeries to save space and supplies for coronavirus patients.
In most places, that surge in patients never materialized.
Now, coronavirus cases are skyrocketing nationally and hospitalizations are climbing at an alarming rate. But the response from hospitals is markedly different.
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Most hospitals around the country are not canceling elective surgeries — nor are government officials asking them to.
Instead, hospitals say they are more prepared to handle the crush of patients because they have enough protective gear for their workers and know how to better treat coronavirus patients. They say they will shut down nonessential procedures at hospitals based on local assessments of risk, but not across whole systems or states.
Some hospitals have already done so, including facilities in South Florida, Phoenix and California’s Central Valley. And in a few cases, such as in Texas and Mississippi, government officials have ordered hospitals to suspend elective surgeries.
Hospitals’ decisions to keep operating rooms open are being guided partly by money. Elective surgeries account for a significant portion of hospital revenue, and the American Hospital Assn. estimates that the country’s hospitals and healthcare systems lost $202.6 billion between March 1 and June 30.
“What we now realize is that shutting down the entire healthcare system in anticipation of a surge is not the best option,” said Carmela Coyle, president of the California Hospital Assn. “It will bankrupt the healthcare delivery system.”
The association estimates that California hospitals will lose $14.6 billion this year, of which $4.6 billion has so far been reimbursed by the federal government.
California Thousands of healthcare workers are laid off or furloughed as coronavirus spreads Thousands of nurses, doctors and other medical staff have been laid off, furloughed or taken a pay cut in California since mid-March, even as the coronavirus remains a threat.
But some healthcare workers fear that continuing elective surgeries amid a surge puts them and their patients at risk. For instance, some nurses are still being asked to reuse protective equipment such as N95 masks and gowns, even though hospitals say they have enough gear to perform elective surgeries, said Zenei Cortez, president of the National Nurses United union.
“They continue to put us at risk,” Cortez said. “They continue to look at us as if we are disposable material.”
Elective surgeries, generally speaking, are procedures that can be delayed without harming patients, such as knee replacements and cataract surgery.
Advertisement
At least 33 states and the District of Columbia temporarily banned elective surgeries this spring, and most hospitals in states that didn’t ban them, such as Georgia and California, voluntarily suspended them to make sure they had the beds to accommodate a surge of coronavirus patients. The U.S. surgeon general, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Surgeons also recommended healthcare facilities suspend nonemergency surgeries.
The suspension was always intended to be temporary, said Dr. David Hoyt, executive director of the American College of Surgeons. “When this all started, it was simply a matter of overwhelming the system,” he said.
Today, case counts are soaring after many states loosened stay-at-home orders and Americans flocked to restaurants, bars and backyards and met up with friends and family for graduation parties and Memorial Day celebrations.
Nationally, confirmed cases of COVID-19 have topped 3 million. In California, cases are spiking, with a 52% jump in the average number of daily cases over the last 14 days, compared with the two previous weeks. Hospitalizations have gone up 44%.
Governors, county supervisors and city councils have responded by requiring people to wear masks, shutting down bars and restaurants — again — and closing beaches on the July Fourth holiday weekend.
But by and large, government leaders are not calling on hospitals to proactively scale back elective surgeries in preparation for a surge.
“Our hospitals are telling us they feel very strongly and competent they can manage their resources,” said Holly Ward, director of marketing and communications at the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Assn. If they feel the situation warrants it, “they on their own will delay surgeries.”
In some states, such as Colorado, public health orders that allowed hospitals to resume nonemergency surgeries in the spring required hospitals to have a stockpile of protective equipment and extra beds that could be used to treat an influx of COVID-19 patients.
States also set up overflow sites should hospitals run out of room. In Maryland, for example, the state is using the Baltimore Convention Center as a field hospital. California last week reactivated four “alternative care sites” — including a hospital that was on the verge of closure in the San Francisco Bay Area — to take COVID-19 patients should hospitals fill up.
But the decision to reduce elective surgeries in California will not come from the state. It will be made by counties in consultation with hospitals, said Rodger Butler, a spokesman for the California Health and Human Services Agency.
The question is whether hospitals have systems in place to meet a surge in COVID-19 patients when it occurs, said Glenn Melnick, a professor of health economics at USC.
“To some extent, elective care is good care,” Melnick said “They’re providing needed services. They are keeping the system going. They are providing employment and income.”
In Los Angeles County, more than 2,000 COVID patients are currently hospitalized, according to county data. While that number is projected to go up by a couple of hundred people over the next few weeks, hospitals believe they can accommodate them, said county Health Services Director Christina Ghaly. In the meantime, hospitals are preparing to bring on additional staff members if needed and informing patients who have scheduled surgeries that they could be delayed.
“There’s more patients with COVID in the hospitals than there has been at any point previously in Los Angeles County during the pandemic,” Ghaly said. “Hospitals are more prepared now for handling that volume of patients than they were previously.”
Although hospitals have not stopped elective surgeries, many have not ramped up to the full schedule they had before COVID-19. And they say they are picking and choosing surgeries based on what’s happening in their area.
“We were all things COVID when it was just starting,” said Joshua Adler, executive vice president for physician services at UCSF Health. based at UC San Francisco. “We didn’t know what we were facing.”
But after a couple of months of treating patients, hospitals have learned how to resupply units, how to transfer patients, how to simultaneously care for other patients and how to improve testing, Adler said.
At Scripps Health in San Diego, which has taken more than 230 patients from hard-hit Imperial County to the east, its hospitals have scaled back how many transfers they will accept as confirmed COVID-19 cases rise in their own community, said Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health.
A command center set up by the hospital system reviews patient counts and medical supplies and coordinates with county health officials to study how the virus is spreading. Only patients who need urgent surgeries are being scheduled, Van Gorder said.
“We’re only allowing our doctors to schedule cases two weeks out,” Van Gorder said. “If we see a sudden spike, we have to delay.”
In California’s Central Valley and in Phoenix, where cases and hospitalizations are surging, Mercy hospitals have suspended elective surgeries to focus resources on COVID-19 patients.
But the other hospitals in the CommonSpirit Health system, which has 137 hospitals in 21 states, are not ending elective surgeries — as they did in the spring — and are treating patients with needs other than COVID, said Marvin O’Quinn, the system’s president and chief operating officer.
“In many cases their health deteriorated because they didn’t get care that they needed,” said O’Quinn, whose hospitals lost close to a $1 billion in two months. “It’s not only a disservice to the hospital to not do those cases; it’s a disservice to the community.”
This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.