latimes--2020-04-21--Leimert Park fire spares Vision Theatre during renovation

A predawn fire in an abandoned building near a historic South Los Angeles theater caused alarm early Tuesday morning , but city officials are now saying the Vision Theatre escaped largely undamaged .
The roof of the Vision Theatre , which has been under renovation since 2018 , caught fire around 4:35 a.m. in the 4400 block of Leimert Boulevard in Leimert Park , according to the Los Angeles Fire Department .
More than 100 firefighters responded to the blaze , which was knocked down around 5 a.m. , according to the LAFD .
No one was injured in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posted a video on Facebook showing burn debris littering the outside of the Art Deco theater , which opened in 1931 .
Tuesday afternoon , City Councilman Herb Wesson said the fire actually occurred in an abandoned building next door .
Damage to the Vision Theatre itself was minimal , according to Wesson ’ s staff .
“ I was deeply upset to hear about the fire at the Vision Theatre , an incredibly important and special place in South L.A .
However , I want to set the record straight , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The preliminary investigation has shown the fire was actually in an abandoned building next door , and we are incredibly fortunate that the theater is largely intact .
While the west side of the marquee suffered some damage , it appears that there is zero damage to the roof.
” The cause of the fire was not immediately clear .
The theater was purchased in 1990 by actress Marla Gibbs , who gave it the Vision name , according to the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs .
The city eventually took over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ performing arts center .
The theater has been envisioned as part of a revived stretch of the city that would be along a new light rail commuter line .
Wesson said the remodeling of the theater is expected to be completed by the end of the year .

The 1931 Art Deco Vision Theatre, which overlooks Leimert Park Plaza, is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar renovation by the city of Los Angeles.
A predawn fire in an abandoned building near a historic South Los Angeles theater caused alarm early Tuesday morning, but city officials are now saying the Vision Theatre escaped largely undamaged.
The roof of the Vision Theatre, which has been under renovation since 2018, caught fire around 4:35 a.m. in the 4400 block of Leimert Boulevard in Leimert Park, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. More than 100 firefighters responded to the blaze, which was knocked down around 5 a.m., according to the LAFD.
No one was injured in the fire, but local activist Najee Ali posted a video on Facebook showing burn debris littering the outside of the Art Deco theater, which opened in 1931.
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Tuesday afternoon, City Councilman Herb Wesson said the fire actually occurred in an abandoned building next door. Damage to the Vision Theatre itself was minimal, according to Wesson’s staff.
“I was deeply upset to hear about the fire at the Vision Theatre, an incredibly important and special place in South L.A. However, I want to set the record straight,” Wesson said in an email. “The preliminary investigation has shown the fire was actually in an abandoned building next door, and we are incredibly fortunate that the theater is largely intact. While the west side of the marquee suffered some damage, it appears that there is zero damage to the roof.”
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
The theater was purchased in 1990 by actress Marla Gibbs, who gave it the Vision name, according to the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. The city eventually took over the theater and turned it into a performing arts center.
The theater has been envisioned as part of a revived stretch of the city that would be along a new light rail commuter line. Wesson said the remodeling of the theater is expected to be completed by the end of the year.


latimes--2020-04-21--L.A. County coronavirus cases top 15,000 as nearby locales mull lifting stay-at-home orders

Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday confirmed 1,400 more coronavirus cases , 880 of which were included in a backlog from laboratories that had not previously reported results through the county ’ s electronic system .
The county also reported 46 new coronavirus-linked deaths , bringing the toll to at least 663 .
More than 89,000 residents have been tested for COVID-19 , and at least 15,140 have tested positive , Public Health Department director Barbara Ferrer said .
There are 1,739 people currently hospitalized with the virus , and of those , 31 % are in intensive care .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on ventilators .
The news comes as various communities throughout the state consider easing stay-at-home orders issued to stem the spread of the illness .
As Week 5 of California ’ s coronavirus restrictions continue , several counties have begun to shift their policies and Gov .
Gavin Newsom plans to outline more strategic targets for easing restrictions .
COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to be reported in 53 of the state ’ s 58 counties , with the largest numbers tallied in Los Angeles County .
L.A. County officials on Monday emphasized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing practices after results from a study suggested that tens of thousands of the county ’ s residents had been infected with the virus .
Without such efforts , that number would be far higher than the more than 15,000 cases that have been confirmed in the county of roughly 10 million people .
Ferrer echoed that guidance Tuesday .
Los Angeles County ’ s Safer at Home order was previously extended to May 15 , but Ferrer said that date is not a “ magic number.
” She noted that officials are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with local hospitals to determine when to lift stay-at-home restrictions , and she asked residents to continue adhering to such mandates until told otherwise .
“ We have to take responsibly for 10 million people who live in L.A. County , ” Ferrer said .
L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said that a decision to reopen the county will not be based solely on the voices who have expressed concern with the closures .
“ We know we can ’ t be foolish , ” she said .
While Newsom and Ferrer have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helped flatten the curve of the outbreak , both have continued to caution local governments against rushing to reopen .
During a news conference Tuesday , Newsom called on Californians to remain cautious in order to protect one another as the number of deaths and hospitalizations continued to rise .
“ We ’ re making progress in the state , but there was a spirit that defined that progress , and that was community , ” he said .
“ If we pull back too quickly , those numbers will go through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities that had been less affected by the virus to “ disabuse ” themselves of the idea that they were in the clear .
He also acknowledged that several counties had reached out to ask about stay-at-home modifications , all with different proposed time periods , something that will be addressed Wednesday during the state ’ s update on its road map to reopening .
“ We ’ re processing those time lines and working in a collaborative spirit to work with local partners , ” Newsom said .
In Ventura and Riverside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ease restrictions .
Some businesses and golf courses have reopened in Riverside County , and in Ventura County , gatherings of up to five people are again allowed .
In San Diego , city parks reopened for “ individual use ” Tuesday , although recreation centers and parking lots remain closed .
Newsom said that , in many instances , counties initially went beyond the state ’ s guidelines on restrictions issued to curb the spread of the coronavirus .
In those instances , Newsom said , the more stringent measures could be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t violate state limits .
Still , the governor emphasized that the virus continued to spread .
“ This virus knows no jurisdiction , ” he said Monday .
“ Different parts of this state [ have been ] impacted differently , but ... the collective responsibility we have to one another , neighboring counties , neighboring cities , also must be considered.
” Ferrer asked Los Angeles County residents on Monday to refrain from visiting Ventura County , which was the first to lift restrictions .
“ I want to beg people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go to Ventura County to use their resources , ” she said .
“ You could inadvertently infect yourself and infect others in the county.
” “ I know many of you are feeling frustrated or wondering when we ’ ll be able to lift the Safer at Home order .
But lifting the restrictions too soon could risk lives .
My promise to the people of L.A. is that evidence and medicine will continue to guide us through this crisis .
”

Healthcare workers attend to an intubated COVID-19 patient at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center in Chula Vista on April 10, 2020.
Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday confirmed 1,400 more coronavirus cases, 880 of which were included in a backlog from laboratories that had not previously reported results through the county’s electronic system.
The county also reported 46 new coronavirus-linked deaths, bringing the toll to at least 663.
More than 89,000 residents have been tested for COVID-19, and at least 15,140 have tested positive, Public Health Department director Barbara Ferrer said.
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There are 1,739 people currently hospitalized with the virus, and of those, 31% are in intensive care. Nearly one-fifth of all hospitalized patients are on ventilators.
The news comes as various communities throughout the state consider easing stay-at-home orders issued to stem the spread of the disease. As Week 5 of California’s coronavirus restrictions continue, several counties have begun to shift their policies and Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to outline more strategic targets for easing restrictions.
COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to be reported in 53 of the state’s 58 counties, with the largest numbers tallied in Los Angeles County.
L.A. County officials on Monday emphasized the need for residents to maintain social distancing practices after results from a study suggested that tens of thousands of the county’s residents may have been infected with the virus. Without such efforts, that number would be far higher than the more than 15,000 cases that have been confirmed in the county of roughly 10 million people.
Ferrer echoed that guidance Tuesday. Los Angeles County’s Safer at Home order was previously extended to May 15, but Ferrer said that date is not a “magic number.” She noted that officials are relying on data and science and working with local hospitals to determine when to lift stay-at-home restrictions, and she asked residents to continue adhering to such mandates until told otherwise.
“We have to take responsibly for 10 million people who live in L.A. County,” Ferrer said.
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L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said that a decision to reopen the county will not be based solely on the voices who have expressed concern with the closures.
“We know we can’t be foolish,” she said.
While Newsom and Ferrer have said that evidence suggests social distancing has helped flatten the curve of the outbreak, both have continued to caution local governments against rushing to reopen.
During a news conference Tuesday, Newsom called on Californians to remain cautious in order to protect one another as the number of deaths and hospitalizations continued to rise.
“We’re making progress in the state, but there was a spirit that defined that progress, and that was community,” he said. “If we pull back too quickly, those numbers will go through the roof.”
The governor told residents of communities that had been less affected by the virus to “disabuse” themselves of the idea that they were in the clear. He also acknowledged that several counties had reached out to ask about stay-at-home modifications, all with different proposed time periods, something that will be addressed Wednesday during the state’s update on its road map to reopening.
“We’re processing those time lines and working in a collaborative spirit ... with local partners,” Newsom said.
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said Tuesday evening that he intends to sign a worker retention ordinance that could protect people who have been laid off or furloughed by requiring companies to rehire them based on seniority.
“Those folks with decades of experience and seniority, who support families and communities, can’t be the victims when we get back to work,” Garcetti said. “For so many thousands of displaced workers in these industries, this could mean at least a little bit of certainty at this moment of so much insecurity and a whole lot of fairness as we navigate this crisis.”
He said the City Council is taking up the ordinance Wednesday.
In Ventura and Riverside counties, officials have already begun to ease restrictions. Some businesses and golf courses have reopened in Riverside County, and in Ventura County, gatherings of up to five people are again allowed.
In San Diego, city parks reopened for “individual use” Tuesday, although recreation centers and parking lots remain closed.
Newsom said that, in many instances, counties initially went beyond the state’s guidelines on restrictions issued to curb the spread of the coronavirus. In those instances, Newsom said, the more stringent measures could be loosened as long as they didn’t violate state limits.
Still, the governor emphasized that the virus continued to spread.
“This virus knows no jurisdiction,” he said Monday. “Different parts of this state [have been] impacted differently, but ... the collective responsibility we have to one another, neighboring counties, neighboring cities, also must be considered.”
Ferrer asked Los Angeles County residents on Monday to refrain from visiting Ventura County, which was the first to lift restrictions.
“I want to beg people in L.A. County: Please do not go to Ventura County to use their resources,” she said. “You could inadvertently infect yourself and infect others in the county.”
Garcetti issued a similar plea on Twitter late Monday night.
“I know many of you are feeling frustrated or wondering when we’ll be able to lift the Safer at Home order. But lifting the restrictions too soon could risk lives. My promise to the people of L.A. is that evidence and medicine will continue to guide us through this crisis.”


latimes--2020-04-21--Coronavirus leads to 'alarming' drop in child abuse reports; L.A. County sheriff plans checks

On a typical day , up to 1,000 calls and reports of suspected child abuse and neglect flood into the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department and Department of Children and Family Services .
Eagle-eyed teachers , doctors , dentists , counselors , coaches — an army of mandated reporters across California — along with security guards , janitors and observant parents typically fill the hotline with reports of suspected child abuse or neglect .
Those calls , investigators say , often save lives .
But since the outbreak of the coronavirus has shuttered schools , curtailed medical visits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind closed doors , the reports of suspected abuse have dropped by as much as 50 % .
The drop began almost immediately after California began its stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
“ We usually have a lot of eyes and ears out there making sure children are safe .
But right now we don ’ t know what is happening behind closed doors , ” Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villaneuva said Monday in an interview .
“ We do not want another Gabriel Fernandez or another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ referring to two young boys who were killed after lengthy and repeated incidents of abuse at home .
“ That is my worst nightmare.
” In Fernandez ’ s case , highlighted by The Times and a Netflix series , social workers and sheriff ’ s deputies failed to act despite repeated reports by a slew of mandated reporters in Palmdale before the 8-year-old succumbed to his horrific injuries in 2013 .
In March , the L.A. County Sheriff ’ s Department documented about 4,200 reports on its suspected-child-abuse reporting system , compared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The drop is even more dramatic so far in April , with 662 reports in the first week , compared with 1,352 in 2019 .
“ These numbers are alarming because of the magnitude of the decline , ” Villaneuva said .
Those declines also come as his deputies are responding to an uptick in reports of domestic violence as residents are under stay-at-home orders to prevent the disease ’ s spread .
In response to the drop in abuse reports , Villanueva said he is launching a plan “ to do welfare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patrol personnel.
” He said he is working with the Special Victims Unit , the Department of Children and Family Services and other stakeholders to develop a way to identify high-risk minors who may not have contact with their schools and then have patrol deputies do some form of a welfare check .
The sheriff , who spent years working the streets and is a veteran of child abuse and neglect investigations , said teachers , daycare workers and janitors are key to investigators when it comes to protecting children .
Without schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said the abuse is likely to still be going on out of sight .
“ We are at the mercy of those who report .
We need the community to take up the slack , ” he said .
Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Kris Pitcher , who oversees detectives , said in the first month since the stay-at-home order the department has recorded a 44 % drop in suspected child abuse reports with 1,173 from March 17 to April 17 , compared with 2,488 for the same period in 2019 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Department of Children and Family Services , said the decline in reports is unprecedented and is occurring across the nation as most areas have gone into some form of a shutdown because of the pandemic .
Pryor said child welfare systems rely primarily on mandated reporters in education and secondly from medical professionals .
Without school , teachers are not seeing students .
And because routine medical visits have been curtailed , doctors and nurses are not seeing children the way they normally do .
Pryor said the child welfare agency is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can better keep an eye out for children .
But she noted that when it comes to making contact with households , police agencies have more leeway than social workers .
The department ’ s social workers , she said , are continuing to work on their cases .
In some situations , they are making home visits with the appropriate protective equipment .
In other cases , they use video to stay in contact with families .
DCFS Director Bobby Cagle said the public can help fill the void .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be the voice for children who may be experiencing physical abuse , severe food insecurity or other forms of neglect , ” he said .
Orange County Dist .
Atty .
Todd Spitzer warned that the pandemic may serve up victims to predators .
“ Given the stay-at-home orders and schools closed , our children and elderly are the most vulnerable as they are potentially in the closest contact now with their abusers , ” he said .
“ When we review how we handled this pandemic , it looks like that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Spitzer also called on the public to report any suspicious activity they observe .
He said the supermarket may now be where signs of child or elder abuse are spotted .
“ It is so much better to call the elder abuse or child abuse hotlines and be wrong than fail to report it at all and something terrible happened , ” he said .
The Orange County Social Services Administration has reported a 44 % drop in suspected child abuse and neglect compared with a prior month .
Deborah Baetz , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supervisors early this month that teachers are being encouraged to check on students ’ well being when in contact with them remotely .
Last week , Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced $ 42 million in funding for children who are at greater risk for abuse or neglect because of the coronavirus pandemic , including about $ 7 million for social worker overtime and additional outreach .
“ Without the structure and safety of school , children — who are already vulnerable to abuse and neglect at home — face a greater threat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this month is National Child Abuse Prevention Month .
“ Similarly , we recognize that many parents who have lost jobs and income due to the COVID-19 pandemic may be feeling overwhelmed and strained.
” Jennifer Braun , president and chief executive of the Alliance for Children ’ s Rights , said Newsom has taken the right steps with funding for more resources and support for parents .
She said anything the government can do to reduce financial stress on parents will also reduce the chances of abuse .
“ There is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when this comes to an end , ” she said , which may overwhelm the child welfare system .

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he is launching a plan “to do welfare checks on our most at-risk kids with patrol personnel.”
On a typical day, up to 1,000 calls and reports of suspected child abuse and neglect flood into the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Department of Children and Family Services.
Eagle-eyed teachers, doctors, dentists, counselors, coaches — an army of mandated reporters across California — along with security guards, janitors and observant parents typically fill the hotline with reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. Those calls, investigators say, often save lives.
But since the outbreak of the coronavirus has shuttered schools, curtailed medical visits and largely hidden the lives of children behind closed doors, the reports of suspected abuse have dropped by as much as 50%. The drop began almost immediately after California began its stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“We usually have a lot of eyes and ears out there making sure children are safe. But right now we don’t know what is happening behind closed doors,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villaneuva said Monday in an interview.
“We do not want another Gabriel Fernandez or another Anthony Avalos,” he said, referring to two young boys who were killed after lengthy and repeated incidents of abuse at home. “That is my worst nightmare.”
Gabriel Fernandez, left, and Anthony Avalos, right. (Family photos)
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In Fernandez’s case, highlighted by The Times and a Netflix series, social workers and sheriff’s deputies failed to act despite repeated reports by a slew of mandated reporters in Palmdale before the 8-year-old succumbed to his horrific injuries in 2013.
In March, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department documented about 4,200 reports on its suspected-child-abuse reporting system, compared with 5,218 reports the year before. The drop is even more dramatic so far in April, with 662 reports in the first week, compared with 1,352 in 2019.
“These numbers are alarming because of the magnitude of the decline,” Villaneuva said.
Those declines also come as his deputies are responding to an uptick in reports of domestic violence as residents are under stay-at-home orders to prevent the disease’s spread.
In response to the drop in abuse reports, Villanueva said he is launching a plan “to do welfare checks on our most at-risk kids with patrol personnel.” He said he is working with the Special Victims Unit, the Department of Children and Family Services and other stakeholders to develop a way to identify high-risk minors who may not have contact with their schools and then have patrol deputies do some form of a welfare check.
The sheriff, who spent years working the streets and is a veteran of child abuse and neglect investigations, said teachers, daycare workers and janitors are key to investigators when it comes to protecting children.
Without schools, daycare facilities and counseling programs, he said the abuse is likely to still be going on out of sight.
“We are at the mercy of those who report. We need the community to take up the slack,” he said.
Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Kris Pitcher, who oversees detectives, said in the first month since the stay-at-home order the department has recorded a nearly 53% drop in suspected child abuse reports, with 1,173 from March 17 to April 17, compared with 2,488 for the same period in 2019.
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Ginger Pryor, chief deputy director of the Department of Children and Family Services, said the decline in reports is unprecedented and is occurring across the nation as most areas have gone into some form of a shutdown because of the pandemic.
Pryor said child welfare systems rely primarily on mandated reporters in education and secondly from medical professionals. Without school, teachers are not seeing students. And because routine medical visits have been curtailed, doctors and nurses are not seeing children the way they normally do.
Pryor said the child welfare agency is talking to law enforcement about ways they can better keep an eye out for children. But she noted that when it comes to making contact with households, police agencies have more leeway than social workers.
The department’s social workers, she said, are continuing to work on their cases. In some situations, they are making home visits with the appropriate protective equipment. In other cases, they use video to stay in contact with families.
DCFS Director Bobby Cagle said the public can help fill the void.
“I am calling on Los Angeles County residents to be the voice for children who may be experiencing physical abuse, severe food insecurity or other forms of neglect,” he said.
Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer warned that the pandemic may serve up victims to predators.
“Given the stay-at-home orders and schools closed, our children and elderly are the most vulnerable as they are potentially in the closest contact now with their abusers,” he said. “When we review how we handled this pandemic, it looks like that will be one of our horror stories.”
Spitzer also called on the public to report any suspicious activity they observe. He said the supermarket may now be where signs of child or elder abuse are spotted.
“It is so much better to call the elder abuse or child abuse hotlines and be wrong than fail to report it at all and something terrible happened,” he said.
The Orange County Social Services Administration has reported a 44% drop in suspected child abuse and neglect compared with a prior month. Deborah Baetz, Social Services Administration director, told county supervisors early this month that teachers are being encouraged to check on students’ well being when in contact with them remotely.
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $42 million in funding for children who are at greater risk for abuse or neglect because of the coronavirus pandemic, including about $7 million for social worker overtime and additional outreach.
“Without the structure and safety of school, children — who are already vulnerable to abuse and neglect at home — face a greater threat,” said Newsom, also noting that this month is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. “Similarly, we recognize that many parents who have lost jobs and income due to the COVID-19 pandemic may be feeling overwhelmed and strained.”
Jennifer Braun, president and chief executive of the Alliance for Children’s Rights, said Newsom has taken the right steps with funding for more resources and support for parents. She said anything the government can do to reduce financial stress on parents will also reduce the chances of abuse.
“There is going to be a deluge of abuse reports when this comes to an end,” she said, which may overwhelm the child welfare system.


latimes--2020-04-21--Cal State Fullerton preparing to go online this fall. Will others follow?

Cal State Fullerton is planning to begin fall semester with online classes , one of the first universities in the nation to make that move as campuses throughout the country grapple with how long to stay closed to most students amid the coronavirus pandemic .
“ Like every university in America , we are working through the unknowns of the current pandemic as we plan for the fall 2020 semester , ” the university said in a statement Tuesday .
“ To make sure we are prepared for all variables , but with the goal that we can offer in-person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be prepared to start the semester teaching virtually.
” The university said it would be flexible and finalize its decision “ as the facts and circumstances become clear.
” Fullerton is one of only a handful of universities in the country to announce their intent to proceed with remote instruction this fall .
None of the other 22 California State University campuses have decided yet , according to systemwide spokesman Michael Uhlenkamp .
The University of California ’ s 10 campuses are currently considering different scenarios for the fall , but have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has not announced plans .
Stanford University is considering opening its academic year in January 2021 and continuing though spring and summer .
Boston University has formed several working groups to figure out how to safely reopen the campus this fall but if health authorities deem it unsafe , will consider a later in-person return , perhaps January 2021 .
Harvard ’ s student-run newspaper published an editorial Tuesday suggesting the university postpone fall semester altogether instead of proceed online .
“ A Harvard College education simply can not be replaced by classes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s editorial board wrote .
“ Without the physical gathering of students and professors , much is lost .
Virtual technologies , no matter how smooth and high-resolution , can not replace dining hall conversations , the exchanges on the way in and out of classrooms , and the richness of body language .
What remains , when you take these out , is a subpar educational , not to mention social , experience.
” Continuing remote learning will have significant ramifications on university finances , and possibly enrollment , if students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about $ 6,900 annually at Fullerton for California residents — without a full campus experience and decide to take a gap year or attend community college instead .
Campuses already have reported staggering revenue hits from canceled housing and dining contracts , along with increased costs of technology for online learning and deep facilities cleaning .
California State University estimates its lost monthly revenue at about $ 100 million from student housing , dining , parking and other operations , Uhlenkamp said .
Increased costs for technology and health and sanitation supplies will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of California President Janet Napolitano recently disclosed that campuses have been hit with $ 310 million in unexpected costs — about 40 % of the system ’ s $ 775 million monthly revenues in a $ 9.3-billion core budget .
University officials say that the health and safety of campus members are paramount in their decisions .
Fullerton said it has been following the guidance of health agencies , Gov .
Gavin Newsom and Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White , and it will continue to do so .
Ellen Treanor , associate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State Fullerton , said the university is giving faculty and staff time to prepare for remote instruction so they won ’ t be caught off guard .
She said officials hope to make a final decision about the fall , with input from the Academic Senate , before the spring term ends May 22 .
David Forgues , Fullerton vice president of human resources , diversity and inclusion , said in a town hall Monday that Fullerton , which educates about 40,000 students , was “ not yet even days away or weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guidance outlined last week by Newsom .
Even when the campus reopens , Forgues said , utmost care will be taken to protect public health .
Face coverings , gloves and other personal protective equipment will likely be required or highly encouraged .
Social distancing will probably reconfigure workplaces , and faculty and staff may switch to rotational scheduling or staggered work days or hours .
Some level of telecommuting will likely continue .
Students considering attending Fullerton this fall said they were disappointed but resigned to the news .
“ When I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like , ‘ Oh , that kind of changes a lot , ’ ” said Casey Umamoto , a senior at West High School in Torrance who accepted Fullerton ’ s offer of admission earlier this month .
But Umamoto , a basketball player who plans to study kinesiology and play intramural sports , said he still thinks the school is the best fit for him .
“ I ’ m pretty set on going to Fullerton either way , ” he said .
“ In the years to come it ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a senior at Beckman High School in Irvine , is currently choosing between Cal States Fullerton and Long Beach .
He plans to decide in the next few days , based on where he thinks he ’ ll be most successful .
He said the news from Fullerton won ’ t be much of a factor .
“ I expect others to follow , ” he said .
Victoria Rodriguez , a high school counselor at the Santee Education Complex south of downtown Los Angeles , said online instruction in the fall is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worries .
Students are more concerned about whether they should chose a college close to home so they can work or help care for younger siblings .
Paying upcoming college registration deposits is also a struggle .
“ They would prefer in-person classes over online but they won ’ t let that stand in the way of their education , ” Rodriguez said .

Cal State Fullerton is planning to begin fall semester with online classes, one of the first universities in the nation to make that move as campuses throughout the country grapple with how long to stay closed to most students amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Like every university in America, we are working through the unknowns of the current pandemic as we plan for the fall 2020 semester,” the university said in a statement Tuesday. “To make sure we are prepared for all variables, but with the goal that we can offer in-person instruction, we are asking our faculty to be prepared to start the semester teaching virtually.”
The university said it would be flexible and finalize its decision “as the facts and circumstances become clear.”
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Fullerton is one of only a handful of universities in the country to announce their intent to proceed with remote instruction this fall. None of the other 22 California State University campuses have decided yet, according to systemwide spokesman Michael Uhlenkamp.
The University of California’s 10 campuses are currently considering different scenarios for the fall, but have not made firm decisions. USC also has not announced plans.
Stanford University is considering opening its academic year in January 2021 and continuing though spring and summer. Boston University has formed several working groups to figure out how to safely reopen the campus this fall but if health authorities deem it unsafe, will consider a later in-person return, perhaps January 2021.
Harvard’s student-run newspaper published an editorial Tuesday suggesting the university postpone fall semester altogether instead of proceed online.
“A Harvard College education simply cannot be replaced by classes over Zoom,” The Harvard Crimson’s editorial board wrote. “Without the physical gathering of students and professors, much is lost. Virtual technologies, no matter how smooth and high-resolution, cannot replace dining hall conversations, the exchanges on the way in and out of classrooms, and the richness of body language. What remains, when you take these out, is a subpar educational, not to mention social, experience.”
Continuing remote learning will have significant ramifications on university finances, and possibly enrollment, if students balk at paying tuition and fees — about $6,900 annually at Fullerton for California residents — without a full campus experience and decide to take a gap year or attend community college instead.
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Campuses already have reported staggering revenue hits from canceled housing and dining contracts, along with increased costs of technology for online learning and deep facilities cleaning.
California State University estimates its lost monthly revenue at about $100 million from student housing, dining, parking and other operations, Uhlenkamp said. Increased costs for technology and health and sanitation supplies will probably increase further, he said.
University of California President Janet Napolitano recently disclosed that campuses have been hit with $310 million in unexpected costs — about 40% of the system’s $775 million monthly revenues in a $9.3-billion core budget.
University officials say that the health and safety of campus members are paramount in their decisions. Fullerton said it has been following the guidance of health agencies, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White, and it will continue to do so.
Ellen Treanor, associate vice president of strategic communications at Cal State Fullerton, said the university is giving faculty and staff time to prepare for remote instruction so they won’t be caught off guard. She said officials hope to make a final decision about the fall, with input from the Academic Senate, before the spring term ends May 22.
David Forgues, Fullerton vice president of human resources, diversity and inclusion, said in a town hall Monday that Fullerton, which educates about 40,000 students, was “not yet even days away or weeks away from reopening,” based on guidance outlined last week by Newsom.
Even when the campus reopens, Forgues said, utmost care will be taken to protect public health. Face coverings, gloves and other personal protective equipment will likely be required or highly encouraged. Social distancing will probably reconfigure workplaces, and faculty and staff may switch to rotational scheduling or staggered work days or hours. Some level of telecommuting will likely continue.
Students considering attending Fullerton this fall said they were disappointed but resigned to the news.
“When I first heard about it, I was like, ‘Oh, that kind of changes a lot,’” said Casey Umamoto, a senior at West High School in Torrance who accepted Fullerton’s offer of admission earlier this month.
But Umamoto, a basketball player who plans to study kinesiology and play intramural sports, said he still thinks the school is the best fit for him. “I’m pretty set on going to Fullerton either way,” he said. “In the years to come it’ll work out better.”
Jared Shintani, a senior at Beckman High School in Irvine, is currently choosing between Cal States Fullerton and Long Beach. He plans to decide in the next few days, based on where he thinks he’ll be most successful. He said the news from Fullerton won’t be much of a factor.
“I expect others to follow,” he said.
Victoria Rodriguez, a high school counselor at the Santee Education Complex south of downtown Los Angeles, said online instruction in the fall is not among their students’ primary college worries. Students are more concerned about whether they should chose a college close to home so they can work or help care for younger siblings. Paying upcoming college registration deposits is also a struggle.
“They would prefer in-person classes over online but they won’t let that stand in the way of their education,” Rodriguez said.


latimes--2020-04-21--Lewis MacAdams, famed crusader for the Los Angeles River, dies at 75

Lewis MacAdams , a poet and crusader for restoring the concrete Los Angeles River to a more natural state and co-founder of one of the most influential conservation organizations in California , has died .
He was 75 .
MacAdams , who died of complications related to Parkinson ’ s disease early Tuesday at a healthcare facility in Los Angeles , was a visionary figure who led the hardened army known as Friends of the Los Angeles River and mentored generations of activists in fights to reduce the damage along the 51-mile flood control channel hemmed by freeways , power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group ’ s first president , MacAdams was influential in making river restoration an issue for policymakers and transformed the nonprofit from a handful of nature lovers to an organization with a list of 40,000 supporters , annual river cleanup efforts and educational programs .
He also did much of the work to win approval of a $ 1.6-billion federal project to restore habitat , widen the channel , create wetlands and provide access points and bike trails along an 11-mile section of unpaved riverbed north of downtown .
In recognition of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ artistic renderings of MacAdams in his trademark porkpie hat and flora and fauna such as cottonwood trees and red-legged frogs was installed in 2016 in a park along the river ’ s edge .
The park was renamed Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park .
In an interview later that year , MacAdams , who was recovering from a stroke , gripped the handles of his walker to steady himself and gazed out at a weedy stretch of concrete banks , listening intently .
“ The L.A. River speaks to me , ” MacAdams said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vigorous muse for more than 30 years.
” “ There is a hole in the L.A. River , ” Jon Christensen , a professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability , said .
“ Lewis showed us the spirit of nature that could be found , revered , and recovered in its most altered and almost unrecognizable form in the Los Angeles River.
” While recuperating from ailments that made it hard for him to walk and speak , MacAdams was pressing ahead with his memoir : “ Poetry and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he wanted to be a legend but ended up a lobbyist .
Looking back on it all , he was both , ” said his son Ocean .
MacAdams grew up in Dallas , the son of political activists .
As a teenager , he rode his bicycle around that city singing “ We Shall Overcome , ” and was arrested for trying to integrate a Dallas restaurant .
Before moving to Los Angeles in 1980 , MacAdams worked as a barker for strip clubs in San Francisco , ran the poetry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sorted out environmental issues as a utility district commissioner in Marin County .
In 1986 , he co-directed the documentary “ What Happened to Kerouac ?
” which explored the life and times of Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac .
He found his calling one day that year when he and a few friends , fortified by coffee and brandy , used wire cutters to snip a hole in the fence that separated the concrete flood control channel from the city .
Walking along a stretch of the L.A. River just north of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak on its behalf , MacAdams recalled , adding : “ We didn ’ t hear no.
” Friends of the Los Angeles River launched as a piece of performance art , staged in a skid row basement .
MacAdams donned a white suit and painted himself green to hearken the ghost of William Mulholland , chief engineer of the Los Angeles Aqueduct .
Props included a massive totem pole made of junk found along the river .
“ Everybody hated what we were doing , ” MacAdams recalls in his memoir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles Times said , ‘ With friends like Lewis MacAdams , ‘ the Los Angeles River doesn ’ t need enemies.
’ ” It was only one of many activities MacAdams and his cohorts were up to in the 1980s as part of their efforts to bring attention to the river .
Then there was the “ bulldozer incident.
” That was the time that MacAdams , clad in work clothes and rain boots , threw himself in front of three big D-10 Caterpillar tractor trailers as they were revving up to remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s confluence with the Glendale Freeway .
“ We stopped the bulldozers that day , ” he wrote .
The organization has been feeding visions of an urban oasis along the river ever since .
“ Lewis wasn ’ t all that interested in scientific details — that wasn ’ t his mission , ” said Melanie Winter , director of the nonprofit group The River Project and an expert on urban water and land use issues .
“ He experienced the river and its potential as a giant conceptual poem , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a flood-control channel in the 1930s to protect the burgeoning flatlands .
Nearly the entire 51-mile channel was paved , except for a few spots north of downtown where the water table was too high .
Of concern to MacAdams , the last Southern California steelhead trout seen in the L.A. River was caught off a Glendale bridge in 1948 after that stretch of the river was paved for flood control .
Steelhead are now an endangered species .
Awareness of the river as a natural resource and potential economic powerhouse began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environmental groups led by Friends of the Los Angeles River put pressure on the city , county and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers .
Ever since , the river ’ s permanent flow of warm treated runoff that smells like old socks has been slowly transforming into a greenbelt of parks , trees , bike paths and kayaking .
When environmental activist George Wolfe and a team of fellow explorers were preparing to undertake an unprecedented and unauthorized three-day float down the river in rafts one July morning in 2008 , MacAdams presented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He showed up just before we launched and handed me an authentic-looking ‘ honorary passport to the L.A. River , ’ ” Wolfe recalled .
“ It was a symbol of cooperation among people with the same goals.
” In 2010 , the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deemed the river navigable and subject to the protections of the Clean Water Act for its entirety , from Chatsworth to Long Beach .
A year later , the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permitted kayaking along a soft-bottom stretch about 17 miles north @ @ @ @ @ @ @ targeted for another potentially uncomfortable historic change , this time involving recreational amenities and significant residential , commercial and office development , which could price longtime residents out of their homes .
In 2016 , MacAdams stepped down to allow new leaders to take the reins of Friends of the Los Angeles River .
Their priorities included mending the nonprofit ’ s rift with architect Frank Gehry and River LA , a group founded to pursue economic opportunities along the river .
A year earlier , MacAdams was dismayed to learn that Gehry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the scenes on a new master plan for the river with the approval of powerhouse business leaders , River LA and City Hall officials led by Mayor Eric Garcetti .
Worried that the project would undermine his group ’ s efforts to secure funding for the $ 1.6-billion proposal to restore habitat , MacAdams refused to endorse the Gehry effort .
Garcetti , though , remained one of MacAdams admirers .
“ Lewis was my creative writing teacher in high school and the first deep poet I ever met in my life , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew him as a cooler than cool guy with a lot of layers and courage , whose words were measured , profound and sparse , and affected the lives of the people they reached.
” “ Lewis took that same approach to his activism , ” the mayor added .
“ He showed us how the Los Angeles River was as much about our souls as about a material place .
To him , the river was the most democratic of places , and he zealously guarded it.
” In semi-retirement , MacAdams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arc of his own existence and plunged deeper into his memoir , using his characteristic wry humor and thoughtfulness to instill a sense of appreciation in others for his “ art project , ” the river .
Marissa Christiansen , president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit , said MacAdams , like the river itself , “ led a winding , fabled and momentous life -- the kind that will live on in the memories of everyone he knew.
” Not surprisingly , friends and admirers had been nagging MacAdams for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will you know when you ’ re done ?
” The answer comes on page 110 of his unfinished memoir .
“ When steelhead trout return to the L.A. River , ” he wrote , “ our work will be done.
” MacAdams is survived by his brother Alan ; his sister Kathy ; sons Ocean , Will and Torii ; his daughter Natalia , and his companion , Sissy Boyd .

Lewis MacAdams leans on a railing along a green stretch of the Los Angeles River in Elysian Valley, a few miles north of downtown Los Angeles, in 2016.
Lewis MacAdams, a poet and crusader for restoring the concrete Los Angeles River to a more natural state and co-founder of one of the most influential conservation organizations in California, has died. He was 75.
MacAdams, who died of complications related to Parkinson’s disease early Tuesday at a healthcare facility in Los Angeles, was a visionary figure who led the hardened army known as Friends of the Los Angeles River and mentored generations of activists in fights to reduce the damage along the 51-mile flood control channel hemmed by freeways, power lines and railroad yards.
As the group’s first president, MacAdams was influential in making river restoration an issue for policymakers and transformed the nonprofit from a handful of nature lovers to an organization with a list of 40,000 supporters, annual river cleanup efforts and educational programs.
He also did much of the work to win approval of a $1.6-billion federal project to restore habitat, widen the channel, create wetlands and provide access points and bike trails along an 11-mile section of unpaved riverbed north of downtown.
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In recognition of his contributions, a 7-foot-high concrete monument featuring artistic renderings of MacAdams in his trademark porkpie hat and flora and fauna such as cottonwood trees and red-legged frogs was installed in 2016 in a park along the river’s edge. The park was renamed Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park.
In an interview later that year, MacAdams, who was recovering from a stroke, gripped the handles of his walker to steady himself and gazed out at a weedy stretch of concrete banks, listening intently.
“The L.A. River speaks to me,” MacAdams said “And she’s been a vigorous muse for more than 30 years.”
“There is a hole in the L.A. River,” Jon Christensen, a professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, said. “Lewis showed us the spirit of nature that could be found, revered, and recovered in its most altered and almost unrecognizable form in the Los Angeles River.”
While recuperating from ailments that made it hard for him to walk and speak, MacAdams was pressing ahead with his memoir: “Poetry and Politics.”
“Dad used to joke that he wanted to be a legend but ended up a lobbyist. Looking back on it all, he was both,” said his son Ocean.
MacAdams grew up in Dallas, the son of political activists. As a teenager, he rode his bicycle around that city singing “We Shall Overcome,” and was arrested for trying to integrate a Dallas restaurant.
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Lewis MacAdams, founder of Friends of the Los Angeles River, stands in the river with a statue of a great blue heron on Aug. 3, 2010. (Jay L Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Before moving to Los Angeles in 1980, MacAdams worked as a barker for strip clubs in San Francisco, ran the poetry center at San Francisco State, and sorted out environmental issues as a utility district commissioner in Marin County.
In 1986, he co-directed the documentary “What Happened to Kerouac?” which explored the life and times of Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac.
He found his calling one day that year when he and a few friends, fortified by coffee and brandy, used wire cutters to snip a hole in the fence that separated the concrete flood control channel from the city.
Walking along a stretch of the L.A. River just north of downtown, they asked it for permission to speak on its behalf, MacAdams recalled, adding: “We didn’t hear no.”
Friends of the Los Angeles River launched as a piece of performance art, staged in a skid row basement.
MacAdams donned a white suit and painted himself green to hearken the ghost of William Mulholland, chief engineer of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Props included a massive totem pole made of junk found along the river.
“Everybody hated what we were doing,” MacAdams recalls in his memoir. “The reviewer for the Los Angeles Times said, ‘With friends like Lewis MacAdams, ‘the Los Angeles River doesn’t need enemies.’ ”
It was only one of many activities MacAdams and his cohorts were up to in the 1980s as part of their efforts to bring attention to the river.
Then there was the “bulldozer incident.” That was the time that MacAdams, clad in work clothes and rain boots, threw himself in front of three big D-10 Caterpillar tractor trailers as they were revving up to remove several large trees near the river’s confluence with the Glendale Freeway.
“We stopped the bulldozers that day,” he wrote.
The organization has been feeding visions of an urban oasis along the river ever since.
“Lewis wasn’t all that interested in scientific details — that wasn’t his mission,” said Melanie Winter, director of the nonprofit group The River Project and an expert on urban water and land use issues.
“He experienced the river and its potential as a giant conceptual poem,” Winter said.
The river was transformed into a flood-control channel in the 1930s to protect the burgeoning flatlands. Nearly the entire 51-mile channel was paved, except for a few spots north of downtown where the water table was too high.
Of concern to MacAdams, the last Southern California steelhead trout seen in the L.A. River was caught off a Glendale bridge in 1948 after that stretch of the river was paved for flood control. Steelhead are now an endangered species.
Awareness of the river as a natural resource and potential economic powerhouse began to grow in the late 1980s when environmental groups led by Friends of the Los Angeles River put pressure on the city, county and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Ever since, the river’s permanent flow of warm treated runoff that smells like old socks has been slowly transforming into a greenbelt of parks, trees, bike paths and kayaking.
When environmental activist George Wolfe and a team of fellow explorers were preparing to undertake an unprecedented and unauthorized three-day float down the river in rafts one July morning in 2008, MacAdams presented him with an unforgettable gesture of support.
“He showed up just before we launched and handed me an authentic-looking ‘honorary passport to the L.A. River,’ ” Wolfe recalled. “It was a symbol of cooperation among people with the same goals.”
In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deemed the river navigable and subject to the protections of the Clean Water Act for its entirety, from Chatsworth to Long Beach. A year later, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permitted kayaking along a soft-bottom stretch about 17 miles north of downtown.
Now the river is targeted for another potentially uncomfortable historic change, this time involving recreational amenities and significant residential, commercial and office development, which could price longtime residents out of their homes.
In 2016, MacAdams stepped down to allow new leaders to take the reins of Friends of the Los Angeles River. Their priorities included mending the nonprofit’s rift with architect Frank Gehry and River LA, a group founded to pursue economic opportunities along the river.
A year earlier, MacAdams was dismayed to learn that Gehry for several months had been working behind the scenes on a new master plan for the river with the approval of powerhouse business leaders, River LA and City Hall officials led by Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Worried that the project would undermine his group’s efforts to secure funding for the $1.6-billion proposal to restore habitat, MacAdams refused to endorse the Gehry effort. Garcetti, though, remained one of MacAdams admirers.
“Lewis was my creative writing teacher in high school and the first deep poet I ever met in my life,” Garcetti recalled Tuesday. “I knew him as a cooler than cool guy with a lot of layers and courage, whose words were measured, profound and sparse, and affected the lives of the people they reached.”
“Lewis took that same approach to his activism,” the mayor added. “He showed us how the Los Angeles River was as much about our souls as about a material place. To him, the river was the most democratic of places, and he zealously guarded it.”
In semi-retirement, MacAdams came up with another approach to the arc of his own existence and plunged deeper into his memoir, using his characteristic wry humor and thoughtfulness to instill a sense of appreciation in others for his “art project,” the river.
Marissa Christiansen, president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit, said MacAdams, like the river itself, “led a winding, fabled and momentous life -- the kind that will live on in the memories of everyone he knew.”
Not surprisingly, friends and admirers had been nagging MacAdams for years to answer this question: “How will you know when you’re done?”
The answer comes on page 110 of his unfinished memoir.
“When steelhead trout return to the L.A. River,” he wrote, “our work will be done.”
MacAdams is survived by his brother Alan; his sister Kathy; sons Ocean, Will and Torii; his daughter Natalia, and his companion, Sissy Boyd.


latimes--2020-04-21--Coronavirus could become leading cause of death in L.A. County

A new report says that perhaps 4 % of Los Angeles County residents have been infected with the coronavirus at some point .
The research offers both hopeful and sobering news for the county , which has been hit hard by the coronavirus .
It suggests social distancing has slowed the outbreak and that COVID-19 might be less fatal than originally believed .
But it is still a killer .
More than 600 have lost their lives to the coronavirus , accounting for about half the coronavirus deaths in California — even though L.A. County has only about a quarter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The results come from the first large-scale study tracking the spread of the virus in the county , which is California ’ s most populous and has the state ’ s highest numbers of cases and deaths .
Researchers identified a pool of 863 adults reflecting the county ’ s demographics for the study , conducted by USC and the county Department of Public Health .
They found that 2.8 % to 5.6 % of adults have antibodies to the virus in their blood , an indication of past exposure .
Without any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the raw percentage of people testing positive for past exposure to the coronavirus in L.A. County was about 4.1 % .
What are the implications of this report ?
It could mean that L.A. County has done a great job of slowing the spread of the coronavirus , said Barbara Ferrer , director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health .
The virus ’ escalation came while the county pursued stay-at-home orders that have prevented hospitals from being overwhelmed with too many critically ill patients .
In other words , it means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recovered from infection as of early April , at a time when the county had officially reported fewer than 8,000 COVID-19 cases .
What do the numbers suggest about the case fatality rate of the virus ?
It suggests that for those infected with the virus in L.A. County , 0.1 % to 0.2 % died , Ferrer said .
That would put it similar to the case fatality rate for the seasonal flu , which is 0.1 % .
Study leader Neeraj Sood , a professor at USC ‘ s Price School @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s calculation was a preliminary estimate .
“ This is kind of like a back-of-the-envelope calculation that Dr. Ferrer did , ” Sood said .
It ’ s also a percentage specific only to Los Angeles County .
Italy and New York might have different case fatality rates .
“ There could be underlying differences in the health of the population , ” Sood said .
Also , the case fatality rate can change in the course of an epidemic .
When hospitals start to be stretched beyond capacity , and there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical equipment , the case fatality rate can suddenly change and get worse .
Does this mean the coronavirus is only as bad as the flu ?
No .
As can be seen , Ferrer said , the coronavirus is extraordinarily devastating and can cause more death in a much shorter amount of time , compared with the seasonal flu .
The case fatality rate is not the only thing important when considering the catastrophic impact of a pandemic .
Also important : the number of people who get infected .
“ If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is , say , three times of that as the flu , even if the fatality rate is the same , you ’ re going to get thrice as many deaths , ” Sood said .
Also , seasonal flu deaths might be spread out over six to eight months .
But for COVID-19 , the same number of deaths might be concentrated in the span of one or two months , “ which could overwhelm the healthcare system .
And that in turn might change the fatality rate , ” Sood said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other leading causes of death ?
The coronavirus may very well become the leading cause of death in L.A. County .
Dr. Paul Simon , chief science officer at the L.A. County Department of Public Health and co-lead on the study , said that , on average , there are 165 deaths daily in Los Angeles County from all causes , with the leading cause coronary heart disease , which claims 35 to 40 lives daily .
“ We ’ re now seeing about 50 deaths a day from COVID , ” Simon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to continue for the whole year — we hope it doesn ’ t , but if it did — COVID would be the leading cause of death in Los Angeles County .
So we ’ re still very concerned about mortality.
” What are the study ’ s implications on how soon the stay-at-home order can be lifted ?
A second round of the study will be done as a follow-up in two to three weeks , which will be important to see how the virus continues to spread through the county .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ County remains on track to possibly loosen the stay-at-home order some time in May .
“ I think if the prevalence stays relatively stable , that ’ s reassuring , ” Simon said .
“ If we see a big bump up in prevalence , I think that will be more cause of concern.
” Researchers hope to repeat the study at regular intervals over the course of the summer .
Officials will also be looking at multiple sources of data to determine when it ’ s safe to relax certain physical distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authors did not release an underlying technical report that detailed their methodology .
What are racial and gender breakdowns ?
Preliminary data found that men were more likely to be infected than women in L.A. County .
Seven percent of blacks in the study tested positive , compared with 6 % of white participants , 4 % of Asian Americans and 2.5 % of Latinos .
“ There seem to be some differences by gender , and by race/ethnicity , but we really need to dig deeper into that to figure out , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something about where you live ?
Is it something about you taking public transportation ?
Is it something about your biology or some genetic predisposition ?
” What does the latest hospitalization data show ?
Although there ’ s been a surge of public optimism that coronavirus cases are not headed toward worst-case scenarios , California has yet to see a sustained decline in the number of people hospitalized or in intensive care for the coronavirus .
The number of people confirmed to have the coronavirus in California and in intensive care has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6 through Sunday .

Riverside County medical personnel screen a car of load of four people at a coronavirus drive-though testing facility for Coachella Valley residents in the parking lot of the Southwest in Indian Wells. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Members of the Los Angeles Fire Dept. wear protective gear while handing out kits to people to swab the inside of their mouths to test for the coronavirus, inside a parking lot on Stadium Way, near Dodger Stadium. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
Motorists, line up on Stadium Way, near Dodger Stadium, waiting to enter a parking lot and be tested for the coronavirus. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
San Bernardino County health care worker takes a sample at a coronavirus drive-thru sample collection that took place at the county fairgrounds in Victorville. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
A woman shows her notice from her doctor that allows her to obtain a test for COVID-19 at a new drive-up testing site in a parking lot at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Cassidy Roosen, with Beach Cities Health District, holds up a sign that says, “We’re All In This Together,” while waiting to direct cars at a drive-through, appointment-only coronavirus testing location, at the South Bay Galleria, in Redondo Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
A man misses the blue bin while dropping off his self-administered COVID-19 test at a drive-up test site at the Veterans Administration Parking Lot 15 outside of Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Workers direct drivers at a drive-up test site for COVID-19 at the Veterans Administration Parking Lot 15 outside of Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
A man drops off his self-administered COVID-19 test in a blue bin at a drive-up test site at the Veterans Administration Parking Lot 15 outside of Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina/Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Francis Gon-Gibbs, of LA County Fire Department Lifeguard Division, stands at the entrance of a new mobile testing site for people with symptoms of the coronavirus at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Healthcare workers tend to a driver in line at a drive-through Coronavirus testing site at the Westminster Mall in Westminster. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Healthcare workers tend to a driver in line at a drive-through Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing site at the Westminster Mall in Westminster. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Nurses pose for a fun photo between breaks at a drive-through public testing for coronavirus at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
Julie Montez, right, sits in her car as a nurse administers a coronavirus test at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
A portrait and quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. overlooks a new mobile testing site for people with symptoms of the coronavirus at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
A specimen is turned in at the new mobile testing site for people with symptoms of the coronavirus at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
A man talks with a healthcare worker outside Kedren Community Health Center in South LA, where they are offering walk-up coronavirus testing along with other medical services. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Carson residents Kaeli Burks, 3, left, and her cousin Bailey Watson, 5, look out the window of their car after their mothers helped them with self-testing at a drive-up testing site for COVID-19 in Carson. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Carson City Mayor Albert Robles does self-testing at a new drive-up testing site for COVID-19 outside of a community center in Carson. Free COVID-19 testing is available to all city residents. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Drive-through COVID-19 testing in Boyle Heights. Experts say widespread testing is crucial for states to be able to safely reopen their economies. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
A new report says that perhaps 4% of Los Angeles County residents have been infected with the coronavirus at some point. The research offers both hopeful and sobering news for the county, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus.
It suggests social distancing has slowed the outbreak and that COVID-19 might be less fatal than originally believed. But it is still a killer. More than 600 have lost their lives to the coronavirus, accounting for about half the coronavirus deaths in California — even though L.A. County has only about a quarter of the state’s population.
The results come from the first large-scale study tracking the spread of the virus in the county, which is California’s most populous and has the state’s highest numbers of cases and deaths. Researchers identified a pool of 863 adults reflecting the county’s demographics for the study, conducted by USC and the county Department of Public Health.
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They found that 2.8% to 5.6% of adults have antibodies to the virus in their blood, an indication of past exposure. Without any adjustments for a margin of error, the raw percentage of people testing positive for past exposure to the coronavirus in L.A. County was about 4.1%.
What are the implications of this report?
It could mean that L.A. County has done a great job of slowing the spread of the coronavirus, said Barbara Ferrer, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health. The virus’ escalation came while the county pursued stay-at-home orders that have prevented hospitals from being overwhelmed with too many critically ill patients.
In other words, it means that roughly 221,000 to 442,000 adults have recovered from infection as of early April, at a time when the county had officially reported fewer than 8,000 COVID-19 cases.
What do the numbers suggest about the case fatality rate of the virus?
It suggests that for those infected with the virus in L.A. County, 0.1% to 0.2% died, Ferrer said. That would put it similar to the case fatality rate for the seasonal flu, which is 0.1%.
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Study leader Neeraj Sood, a professor at USC‘s Price School for Public Policy, cautioned that Ferrer’s calculation was a preliminary estimate.
“This is kind of like a back-of-the-envelope calculation that Dr. Ferrer did,” Sood said.
It’s also a percentage specific only to Los Angeles County. Italy and New York might have different case fatality rates.
“There could be underlying differences in the health of the population,” Sood said. Also, the case fatality rate can change in the course of an epidemic. When hospitals start to be stretched beyond capacity, and there’s a shortage of doctors or medical equipment, the case fatality rate can suddenly change and get worse.
Does this mean the coronavirus is only as bad as the flu?
No. As can be seen, Ferrer said, the coronavirus is extraordinarily devastating and can cause more death in a much shorter amount of time, compared with the seasonal flu.
The case fatality rate is not the only thing important when considering the catastrophic impact of a pandemic. Also important: the number of people who get infected.
“If the number of people who get infected is, say, three times of that as the flu, even if the fatality rate is the same, you’re going to get thrice as many deaths,” Sood said.
Also, seasonal flu deaths might be spread out over six to eight months. But for COVID-19, the same number of deaths might be concentrated in the span of one or two months, “which could overwhelm the healthcare system. And that in turn might change the fatality rate,” Sood said.
California From the Black Death to AIDS, pandemics have shaped human history. Coronavirus will too From the Plague of Justinian and the Black Death to polio and AIDS, pandemics have violently reshaped civilization since humans first settled into towns thousands of years ago. No one can know exactly how the COVID-19 pandemic will ultimately change the world. But stress cracks are already showing.
How would the coronavirus compare to other leading causes of death?
The coronavirus may very well become the leading cause of death in L.A. County.
Dr. Paul Simon, chief science officer at the L.A. County Department of Public Health and co-lead on the study, said that, on average, there are 165 deaths daily in Los Angeles County from all causes, with the leading cause coronary heart disease, which claims 35 to 40 lives daily.
“We’re now seeing about 50 deaths a day from COVID,” Simon said. “If this mortality were to continue for the whole year — we hope it doesn’t, but if it did — COVID would be the leading cause of death in Los Angeles County. So we’re still very concerned about mortality.”
California Newsom resists pressure to ease California’s coronavirus stay-at-home order Newsom said that while areas across the state have been affected differently by the pandemic, the “virus knows no jurisdiction, knows no boundaries” and could easily spread into neighboring counties if they ease restrictions prematurely.
What are the study’s implications on how soon the stay-at-home order can be lifted?
A second round of the study will be done as a follow-up in two to three weeks, which will be important to see how the virus continues to spread through the county. That study may help determine whether L.A. County remains on track to possibly loosen the stay-at-home order some time in May.
“I think if the prevalence stays relatively stable, that’s reassuring,” Simon said. “If we see a big bump up in prevalence, I think that will be more cause of concern.”
Researchers hope to repeat the study at regular intervals over the course of the summer. Officials will also be looking at multiple sources of data to determine when it’s safe to relax certain physical distancing orders, Simon said.
The study authors did not release an underlying technical report that detailed their methodology.
What are racial and gender breakdowns?
Preliminary data found that men were more likely to be infected than women in L.A. County. Seven percent of blacks in the study tested positive, compared with 6% of white participants, 4% of Asian Americans and 2.5% of Latinos.
“There seem to be some differences by gender, and by race/ethnicity, but we really need to dig deeper into that to figure out,” Sood said. “Is it something about where you live? Is it something about you taking public transportation? Is it something about your biology or some genetic predisposition?”
What does the latest hospitalization data show?
Although there’s been a surge of public optimism that coronavirus cases are not headed toward worst-case scenarios, California has yet to see a sustained decline in the number of people hospitalized or in intensive care for the coronavirus.
The number of people confirmed to have the coronavirus in California and in intensive care has remained between 1,100 and 1,200 from April 6 through Sunday.


latimes--2020-04-21--California acknowledges more than 850 coronavirus cases in assisted-living facilities

More than 850 residents and staff in assisted-living facilities in California have tested positive for the coronavirus , according to data released late Monday by the state social services agency .
Among the most severe outbreaks were at Chateau III in Contra Costa County , which has 52 residents and staff with confirmed cases , and Silverado Beverly Place in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles , with 50 residents and staff testing positive for the virus .
This marks the first time that state officials have released data on outbreaks in assisted-living facilities — a broad category of congregate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With aging and frail residents in close quarters , assisted-living homes are particularly vulnerable to the spread of the coronavirus .
Nursing homes , which have residents with more advanced medical needs , have been a locus of outbreaks in the state , with more than 3,500 residents or staff testing positive .
The choice to release data on assisted-living facilities came after a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that government was failing to release information about outbreaks , leaving families and communities in the dark about the true scope of the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ newly available data are limited .
Officials only provided figures for facilities with seven or more residents , citing privacy concerns .
And the state only specified the precise number of cases for a facility when it exceeded 11 .
About half of the assisted-living facility outbreaks listed in the data were clustered in Los Angeles County .
Belmont Village in Hollywood has 21 residents and 17 staff testing positive ; Jasmin Terrace in Pasadena has 23 residents and 16 staff with the coronavirus ; and the Kensington Redondo Beach has 23 residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state did not release data on the number of residents or staff at any facilities who died from COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus .
But at least six residents at the Kensington have died , according to an April 15 letter from Robert May , the facility ’ s executive director .
In his letter , he said that many residents have complicated medical ailments and that for those who died , “ it has not been determined whether they passed away from comorbidities , the virus , or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ L.A. County has been at the Silverado Beverly Place , a relatively posh home near CBS Television City and the Grove .
Twenty-eight residents and 22 staff have the virus , an explosive growth from a few weeks ago , when a handful of residents and staff members had tested positive .
The outbreak drew the ire of residents ’ families , who criticized administrators for allowing a new resident to move in and apparently bring the virus .
“ This was about money .
...
If they were thinking about our parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” an adult daughter of one resident told The Times last month .
In a statement released at the time , a spokesman for the facility ’ s parent company said the new resident did not show symptoms at the time of his admission .
“ Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our residents and the associates who care for them each day , and we ’ re proud of our team ’ s dedication and professionalism during this pandemic , ” said Jeff Frum , spokesman for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Last month , the state Department of Social Services received a complaint about Silverado administrators blocking visitors and not properly isolating an ill resident .
A state licensing analyst interviewed the facility administrator by phone and spoke with residents and staff , and the analyst ultimately determined the complaint was unsubstantiated .
As of Monday , 86 % of 1,224 skilled nursing facilities in California had reported their coronavirus-related data within the last 24 hours .
Of that number , 258 have reported having one or more coronavirus cases involving either a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday , according to the state Department of Public Health .
Thus far , 1,290 staff members at skilled nursing facilities across California have tested positive , along with 1,740 patients , according to the state ’ s data .
Previously , Newsom had said more than 3,500 people who live or work in one of California ’ s nursing homes have the coronavirus .
More than 30 % of those who have died in L.A. County were residents of long-term care facilities ; more than 70 % of the deaths in Long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Another Times analysis found that most skilled nursing facilities that have seen coronavirus outbreaks in Los Angeles County have been cited in recent years for violating federal safety rules on preventing infections .
Times staff writers Jack Dolan and Brittny Mejia contributed to this report .

Fifty residents and staffers at Silverado Beverly Place, a residential care facility in West Los Angeles, have tested positive for the coronavirus.
More than 850 residents and staff in assisted-living facilities in California have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data released late Monday by the state social services agency.
Among the most severe outbreaks were at Chateau III in Contra Costa County, which has 52 residents and staff with confirmed cases, and Silverado Beverly Place in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, with 50 residents and staff testing positive for the virus.
This marks the first time that state officials have released data on outbreaks in assisted-living facilities — a broad category of congregate living homes for mostly elderly residents. With aging and frail residents in close quarters, assisted-living homes are particularly vulnerable to the spread of the coronavirus.
Nursing homes, which have residents with more advanced medical needs, have been a locus of outbreaks in the state, with more than 3,500 residents or staff testing positive.
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The choice to release data on assisted-living facilities came after a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that government was failing to release information about outbreaks, leaving families and communities in the dark about the true scope of the pandemic’s toll.
Still, the newly available data are limited. Officials only provided figures for facilities with seven or more residents, citing privacy concerns. And the state only specified the precise number of cases for a facility when it exceeded 11.
About half of the assisted-living facility outbreaks listed in the data were clustered in Los Angeles County. Belmont Village in Hollywood has 21 residents and 17 staff testing positive; Jasmin Terrace in Pasadena has 23 residents and 16 staff with the coronavirus; and the Kensington Redondo Beach has 23 residents and 19 staff testing positive.
The state did not release data on the number of residents or staff at any facilities who died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
But at least six residents at the Kensington have died, according to an April 15 letter from Robert May, the facility’s executive director. In his letter, he said that many residents have complicated medical ailments and that for those who died, “it has not been determined whether they passed away from comorbidities, the virus, or a combination.”
The most severe outbreak in L.A. County has been at the Silverado Beverly Place, a relatively posh home near CBS Television City and the Grove. Twenty-eight residents and 22 staff have the virus, an explosive growth from a few weeks ago, when a handful of residents and staff members had tested positive. The outbreak drew the ire of residents’ families, who criticized administrators for allowing a new resident to move in and apparently bring the virus.
“This was about money. ... If they were thinking about our parents, none of this would have happened,” an adult daughter of one resident told The Times last month. In a statement released at the time, a spokesman for the facility’s parent company said the new resident did not show symptoms at the time of his admission.
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“Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our residents and the associates who care for them each day, and we’re proud of our team’s dedication and professionalism during this pandemic,” said Jeff Frum, spokesman for Irvine-based Silverado, a privately held firm.
Last month, the state Department of Social Services received a complaint about Silverado administrators blocking visitors and not properly isolating an ill resident. A state licensing analyst interviewed the facility administrator by phone and spoke with residents and staff, and the analyst ultimately determined the complaint was unsubstantiated.
As of Monday, 86% of 1,224 skilled nursing facilities in California had reported their coronavirus-related data within the last 24 hours. Of that number, 258 have reported having one or more coronavirus cases involving either a resident or a healthcare worker as of Friday, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Thus far, 1,290 staff members at skilled nursing facilities across California have tested positive, along with 1,740 patients, according to the state’s data. Previously, Newsom had said more than 3,500 people who live or work in one of California’s nursing homes have the coronavirus.
More than 30% of those who have died in L.A. County were residents of long-term care facilities; more than 70% of the deaths in Long Beach have been nursing home residents.
Another Times analysis found that most skilled nursing facilities that have seen coronavirus outbreaks in Los Angeles County have been cited in recent years for violating federal safety rules on preventing infections.
Times staff writers Jack Dolan and Brittny Mejia contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-04-21--Coyotes, falcons, deer and other wildlife are reclaiming L.A. territory as humans stay at home

Naturalist Gerry Hans stood in the middle of a lonely road in Griffith Park on Saturday , inhaled deeply though his face mask and admired the natural sights and sounds of an oddly serene landscape that typically draws thousands of visitors each weekend .
“ It ’ s sheer heaven not hearing the deafening clatter of tourist helicopters hovering over the Hollywood sign , ” he said , with an appreciative sweep of his eyes .
As California ’ s coronavirus lockdown enters its second month , some residents on the edges of Griffith Park and other urban ecosystems swear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once echoed with humanity ’ s tumult .
On message boards , shut-ins trade emotional “ coyote talk , ” recounting the movements of stealthy canids as they search for prey along quiet streets .
Others share snapshots of hawks and owls nesting in the trees of city parks and center dividers , and of raccoons and rats raiding trash cans , suggesting that — by bits and pieces — wildlife is restaking old claims .
Although local experts insist these creatures were always there , and were just ignored in more industrious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ glimpse into Southern California ’ s natural heritage .
On Hans ’ expedition Saturday , the loudest sounds were the trills and chatter of resident woodpeckers and migrating birds — western tanagers , black-headed grosbeaks , hooded orioles and warblers — moving through the boughs of sycamores , pine trees and gnarled oaks .
Just out of view , in the park ’ s canyons and slopes , lurked opossums , skunks , coyotes , deer , bobcats and a lone mountain lion known as P-22 .
An eerily quiet parade of visitors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and face masks ambled along a stretch of Western Canyon Road that is usually choked with cars and tour buses .
Roadkill of western gray squirrels , rabbits , ring-necked snakes and western toads has plummeted to zero , according to Hans , a wildlife expert with the nonprofit Friends of Griffith Park .
And for the first time in memory , rare peregrine falcons have been seen swooping over the Hollywood sign , instead of in the vicinity of downtown skyscrapers , where they nest and dine on pigeons .
While naturalists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of new wildlife sightings , some Southern California residents have been rattled by their brushes with the great outdoors .
On March 18 , a resident of the Villeurbanne townhomes in Orange posted this warning on Nextdoor : “ This evening while walking my dogs , a pack of six coyotes saw us , stopped running and two started heading my way .
I held the dogs close and started yelling at the coyotes , then they stopped long enough for me to duck behind the houses getting in the back gate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ day included this one : “ The coyotes think we all moved away with no cars driving around.
” Wildlife biologists , however , say this rich urban ecosystem was always there , and it is too early to know how the wild side of Los Angeles and Southern California is responding to the month-old lockdown .
For example , research biologists have seen no evidence that Southern California ’ s increasingly isolated and inbred populations of mountain lions are benefiting from far fewer vehicles on freeways cutting across their ever-shrinking islands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the animals that we ’ re tracking are crossing freeways any more in the last couple of weeks , ” said Seth P.D .
Riley , wildlife ecologist and branch chief for the National Park Service ’ s Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area .
“ But that is not too surprising — it is a very short time frame.
” While there are fewer vehicles on roads and freeways these days , there are “ still quite a few , from a wildlife perspective , especially during midday , early a.m. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added .
“ The couple of animals that have happened to have been near freeways recently have not crossed .
Of course , we can not interview them , sadly , to find out what they are thinking.
” Similarly , research scientist Niamh Quinn , who serves as human-wildlife interactions advisor for UC Cooperative Extension , said none of the five collared coyotes she is studying in the cities of Hacienda Heights , Roland Heights , La Verne and Chino Hills “ have changed their behavior yet.
” “ I do believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been altered significantly by the lockdown in ways that are closing the gap between us and what ’ s wild around our own homes — and that ’ s great , up to a point , ” she said .
She worries that animals may be pushed into closer conflicts with humans .
“ We have to interact with wildlife from a distance .
That is because we still do not know all the diseases that , say , coyotes and rats carry with them.
” Despite reports of emboldened coyotes in urban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an increase in the rate of coyote attacks since the lockdown went into effect , according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health .
In any case , conservationists are rejoicing in the scene at Griffith Park a month after its roads were closed to traffic and its trailheads were blocked to keep out hordes of daytripping parents and children mingling with tourists for a hike up scrubby slopes and canyons .
Directly in front of Hans on Saturday , western gray squirrels casually crossed Fern Dell Drive at Griffith Park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it had been cordoned off with yellow tape .
To the left , woodpeckers hunted for insects in sycamores shading an empty parking lot .
“ Follow me .
I want to introduce you to some new arrivals , ” said Hans , leading up a gentle slope to a flat spot in a grove of oaks .
“ Hear that chattering up high in the trees ?
” he whispered with a smile .
“ That is the call of Cooper ’ s hawks fortifying a nest.
” That nest was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crow about this year .
The 2020 Griffith Park raptor survey tallied 122 active hawk , falcon and owl nests — a record jump from 60 nests counted a year ago .
But raptors are sensitive to human disturbance — so sensitive that human activity can cause them to abandon their nests .
“ Noisy crowds are a big issue for Griffith Park ’ s raptors during their breeding season , ” Hans said .
“ Perhaps not quite so much this year .
We ’ ll see.
” Researchers hope a network @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can provide scientists with a precise picture of how wildlife reacted when the commotion and clatter of urban life from Disneyland to New York City came to a standstill .
“ Think of these cameras as unbiased observers , ” said Ted Stankowich , a biologist and director of the Mammal Lab at Cal State Long Beach .
“ Looking forward to an analysis of the imagery they ’ ve collected , ” he said , “ is a case of finding something to be excited about in this horrible time of suffering @ @

Image of a deer captured on April 17, 2020 from a remote camera just outside the boundary to Griffith Park.
Naturalist Gerry Hans stood in the middle of a lonely road in Griffith Park on Saturday, inhaled deeply though his face mask and admired the natural sights and sounds of an oddly serene landscape that typically draws thousands of visitors each weekend.
“It’s sheer heaven not hearing the deafening clatter of tourist helicopters hovering over the Hollywood sign,” he said, with an appreciative sweep of his eyes.
As California’s coronavirus lockdown enters its second month, some residents on the edges of Griffith Park and other urban ecosystems swear that Mother Nature is reclaiming territories that once echoed with humanity’s tumult.
Advertisement
On message boards, shut-ins trade emotional “coyote talk,” recounting the movements of stealthy canids as they search for prey along quiet streets. Others share snapshots of hawks and owls nesting in the trees of city parks and center dividers, and of raccoons and rats raiding trash cans, suggesting that — by bits and pieces — wildlife is restaking old claims.
Although local experts insist these creatures were always there, and were just ignored in more industrious times, shelter-at-homers are enjoying a rare glimpse into Southern California’s natural heritage.
On Hans’ expedition Saturday, the loudest sounds were the trills and chatter of resident woodpeckers and migrating birds — western tanagers, black-headed grosbeaks, hooded orioles and warblers — moving through the boughs of sycamores, pine trees and gnarled oaks.
Naturalist Gerry Hans, president of the nonprofit Friends of Griffith Park. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Just out of view, in the park’s canyons and slopes, lurked opossums, skunks, coyotes, deer, bobcats and a lone mountain lion known as P-22. An eerily quiet parade of visitors clad in ball caps, running shoes and face masks ambled along a stretch of Western Canyon Road that is usually choked with cars and tour buses.
Roadkill of western gray squirrels, rabbits, ring-necked snakes and western toads has plummeted to zero, according to Hans, a wildlife expert with the nonprofit Friends of Griffith Park. And for the first time in memory, rare peregrine falcons have been seen swooping over the Hollywood sign, instead of in the vicinity of downtown skyscrapers, where they nest and dine on pigeons.
Advertisement
While naturalists like Hans have thrilled to the prospect of new wildlife sightings, some Southern California residents have been rattled by their brushes with the great outdoors.
On March 18, a resident of the Villeurbanne townhomes in Orange posted this warning on Nextdoor: “This evening while walking my dogs, a pack of six coyotes saw us, stopped running and two started heading my way. I held the dogs close and started yelling at the coyotes, then they stopped long enough for me to duck behind the houses getting in the back gate. So scary!”
Responses the next day included this one: “The coyotes think we all moved away with no cars driving around.”
Wildlife biologists, however, say this rich urban ecosystem was always there, and it is too early to know how the wild side of Los Angeles and Southern California is responding to the month-old lockdown.
For example, research biologists have seen no evidence that Southern California’s increasingly isolated and inbred populations of mountain lions are benefiting from far fewer vehicles on freeways cutting across their ever-shrinking islands of habitat.
“There is no evidence that the animals that we’re tracking are crossing freeways any more in the last couple of weeks,” said Seth P.D. Riley, wildlife ecologist and branch chief for the National Park Service’s Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. “But that is not too surprising — it is a very short time frame.”
Hans walks along Western Canyon Road. Residents on the edges of Griffith Park insist wildlife is becoming less timid and more easily observed. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
While there are fewer vehicles on roads and freeways these days, there are “still quite a few, from a wildlife perspective, especially during midday, early a.m., and evening hours,” he added. “The couple of animals that have happened to have been near freeways recently have not crossed. Of course, we cannot interview them, sadly, to find out what they are thinking.”
Similarly, research scientist Niamh Quinn, who serves as human-wildlife interactions advisor for UC Cooperative Extension, said none of the five collared coyotes she is studying in the cities of Hacienda Heights, Roland Heights, La Verne and Chino Hills “have changed their behavior yet.”
“I do believe, however, that human behavior has been altered significantly by the lockdown in ways that are closing the gap between us and what’s wild around our own homes — and that’s great, up to a point,” she said.
She worries that animals may be pushed into closer conflicts with humans. “We have to interact with wildlife from a distance. That is because we still do not know all the diseases that, say, coyotes and rats carry with them.”
A coyote captured March 24 by a remote camera just outside the boundary to Griffith Park. (Gerry Hans)
Despite reports of emboldened coyotes in urban settings, there is no evidence of an increase in the rate of coyote attacks since the lockdown went into effect, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
In any case, conservationists are rejoicing in the scene at Griffith Park a month after its roads were closed to traffic and its trailheads were blocked to keep out hordes of daytripping parents and children mingling with tourists for a hike up scrubby slopes and canyons.
Directly in front of Hans on Saturday, western gray squirrels casually crossed Fern Dell Drive at Griffith Park’s southwestern edge, near where it had been cordoned off with yellow tape. To the left, woodpeckers hunted for insects in sycamores shading an empty parking lot.
“Follow me. I want to introduce you to some new arrivals,” said Hans, leading up a gentle slope to a flat spot in a grove of oaks. “Hear that chattering up high in the trees?” he whispered with a smile. “That is the call of Cooper’s hawks fortifying a nest.”
That nest was not the only reason conservationists have plenty to crow about this year. The 2020 Griffith Park raptor survey tallied 122 active hawk, falcon and owl nests — a record jump from 60 nests counted a year ago.
But raptors are sensitive to human disturbance — so sensitive that human activity can cause them to abandon their nests.
“Noisy crowds are a big issue for Griffith Park’s raptors during their breeding season,” Hans said. “Perhaps not quite so much this year. We’ll see.”
Researchers hope a network of strategically placed cameras throughout the nation can provide scientists with a precise picture of how wildlife reacted when the commotion and clatter of urban life from Disneyland to New York City came to a standstill.
“Think of these cameras as unbiased observers,” said Ted Stankowich, a biologist and director of the Mammal Lab at Cal State Long Beach.
“Looking forward to an analysis of the imagery they’ve collected,” he said, “is a case of finding something to be excited about in this horrible time of suffering.”