latimes--2020-05-01--California's indigenous Mexicans and Guatemalans miss vital pandemic information due to language bar

California's indigenous Mexicans and Guatemalans miss vital pandemic information due to language barriers

Juan Luis , who moved to Los Angeles from a tiny town in Oaxaca and primarily speaks the indigenous language Zapotec , knew he was missing information about the pandemic changing life around him .
In March , the 24-year-old didn ’ t fully understand why people on the street were wearing masks .
He watched news about the coronavirus spreading around the globe on TV at his restaurant job and at the laundry , but the Spanish subtitles moved too fast .
One day , Luis discovered a video on social media that used illustrations to explain in Zapotec @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should wash their hands frequently , not touch their face , and keep their distance from others .
It hit home .
Two days later , Luis bought three masks from a street vendor .
He began cleaning his hands more frequently and wiping the door handle at his home .
He shared the minute-long video with his Zapotec-speaking housemate , who immediately worried about what would happen to her child if she got sick .
“ I didn ’ t know how serious it was , ” said Luis , who arrived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Koreatown .
“ I realized the gravity of what was happening.
” The video came from CIELO , a local indigenous organization whose leaders are among activists across the state working to keep Mexican and Central American indigenous communities informed about the pandemic .
Advocates have done outreach through phone calls and educational videos , and by broadcasting information on radio stations in native languages .
There is no complete census count on the number of indigenous people from Mexico and Guatemala living in Los Angeles , many of whom work in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be as different from Spanish as Chinese is from English , and can contain dozens of variants .
The city is home to Mexicans who speak languages such as Zapotec , Mixtec and Triqui , as well as Guatemalan Mayans who speak languages like K ’ iche ’ and Q ’ anjob ’ al .
Many have only a basic grasp of Spanish .
“ We ’ re everywhere and people don ’ t know that , ” said CIELO co-founder Odilia Romero .
“ They say the food industry is all Latino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A lot of the busboys , a lot of the cleaning crew , are of indigenous background , and it ’ s crucial they have all that information — how to protect themselves , how to get access to resources — in their languages.
” In rural parts of the state , many indigenous immigrants work as farmworkers .
The Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project , a group that helps indigenous farmworker families in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties , has been transmitting warnings about the virus and price gouging into languages like Mixtec @ @ @ @ @ @ @ station , Radio Indigena 94.1 FM .
Executive director Arcenio Lopez said it ’ s critical that the information reach farmworkers , who face challenges with social distancing .
They frequently have to share rides to work , and families often live together in the same housing unit .
“ There ’ s this concern , are these people really understanding , is there a lack of accurate information in their language ?
” he said .
Farther up north , KBBF-FM , a multilingual public affairs radio station in Santa Rosa that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been broadcasting information in languages like Mixtec and Triqui .
Rafael Vazquez , a radio station volunteer and professor at Santa Rosa Junior College , is a regular guest on a show with a host who speaks Mixtec .
They recently took a call from a farmworker who said that an employer hadn ’ t provided enough paper cups next to water containers — forcing workers to share — or adequate shading to allow for social distancing .
Vazquez and the host explained that farmworkers should report their concerns to legal aid groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The person was asking for information to be provided in Mixteco , ” he said .
“ I keep hearing from people who are indigenous whose Spanish may not be their first language that they are not getting the information.
” Another volunteer , 21-year-old Maribel Merino , has been answering questions on the air in Triqui about where to get food , what to do about rent , and financial assistance .
She ’ s dealt with misinformation .
Two Oaxacan Triqui speakers in Solano and Mendocino counties recently told her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they were worried they could be fined .
“ There are people that don ’ t speak Spanish .
They don ’ t know where to get help , they don ’ t know what to do , ” said Merino .
“ They lock themselves in their house and are scared to go out.
” Undocumented indigenous immigrants also have access to fewer government resources .
They can ’ t receive unemployment benefits , but the governor of California in April announced a $ 125-million relief effort to help about 150,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposal would offer $ 500 cash grants for individuals in the U.S. illegally and up to $ 1,000 for families .
The money will be distributed by regional nonprofit groups .
That ’ s why grassroots-level help , often passed through word of mouth , can be a lifeline .
At Terroni , an Italian restaurant in downtown L.A. where 26-year-old Luis Lopez Resendiz worked for two years as a busboy , most of the kitchen staff were indigenous .
Mayan dishwashers spoke K ’ iche ’ .
Cooks would chat with busboys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stop coming in when L.A. restaurants closed for dining , anxious workers reached out to Lopez Resendiz , knowing he worked at CIELO .
They have asked him about how to get food and financial support .
Some have worried about not being able to send money to their families back home .
They ’ ve been troubled by news that people who died of the coronavirus in the U.S. then faced barriers in being transported back home for burial .
“ Many of them are desperate , ” said Lopez Resendiz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jobs to do on the side , but there ’ s nothing .
The jobs that are available is at the grocery stores where you can be exposed to COVID-19 .
But they can also not get a job because they are undocumented.
” So far , CIELO has delivered $ 400 checks to more than 30 families from a grant it received and has also given supermarket gift cards to more than 70 families .
It has helped people like Francisco Vasquez Gonzalez , a 31-year-old immigrant from Oaxaca who arrived in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , Gonzalez would leave his home at 7 a.m. every day and return at midnight .
He received daily meals at two Century City restaurants where he worked as a cook , leaving him with very few expenses .
He ’ s lost his jobs at both and has had to stock his home with food for the first time .
“ I can pay rent , but I won ’ t have enough money to eat , ” he said .
Others suffering economic hardships have tried to do their part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Juan Ramos , a 32-year-old K ’ iche ’ speaker from Totonicapan , Guatemala , tried unsuccessfully to find a job after he lost work as a busboy at two restaurants .
He arrived in Los Angeles more than a decade ago and has always sent anywhere from $ 100 to $ 300 a month back home to his parents .
He recently told his mother he didn ’ t think he ’ d be able to send even $ 50 .
“ I got really sad .
I have always helped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I never thought this could happen in the United States.
” Ramos has shared a video from CIELO explaining the pandemic in K ’ iche ’ with a cousin who speaks neither Spanish or English well .
He advised his cousin , who is in his late 20s , to wear gloves and a mask when riding the bus .
“ After we showed him the video and explained in K ’ iche ’ , he understood better , ” said Ramos .
“ He took more precautions .
He started keeping his @ @ @

Janet Martinez, left, with CIELO, talks with Luis Gabriel, 17, from Ecatepec de Morelos, Mexico, while giving him a relief check in Los Angeles.
Juan Luis, who moved to Los Angeles from a tiny town in Oaxaca and primarily speaks the indigenous language Zapotec, knew he was missing information about the pandemic changing life around him.
In March, the 24-year-old didn’t fully understand why people on the street were wearing masks. He watched news about the coronavirus spreading around the globe on TV at his restaurant job and at the laundry, but the Spanish subtitles moved too fast.
One day, Luis discovered a video on social media that used illustrations to explain in Zapotec what the coronavirus was and how people should wash their hands frequently, not touch their face, and keep their distance from others.
It hit home. Two days later, Luis bought three masks from a street vendor. He began cleaning his hands more frequently and wiping the door handle at his home. He shared the minute-long video with his Zapotec-speaking housemate, who immediately worried about what would happen to her child if she got sick.
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“I didn’t know how serious it was,” said Luis, who arrived in L.A. five years ago and lives in Koreatown. “I realized the gravity of what was happening.”
The video came from CIELO, a local indigenous organization whose leaders are among activists across the state working to keep Mexican and Central American indigenous communities informed about the pandemic. Advocates have done outreach through phone calls and educational videos, and by broadcasting information on radio stations in native languages.
There is no complete census count on the number of indigenous people from Mexico and Guatemala living in Los Angeles, many of whom work in low-wage service-sector jobs. Their languages can be as different from Spanish as Chinese is from English, and can contain dozens of variants. The city is home to Mexicans who speak languages such as Zapotec, Mixtec and Triqui, as well as Guatemalan Maya who speak languages like K’iche’ and Q’anjob’al. Many have only a basic grasp of Spanish.
“We’re everywhere and people don’t know that,” said CIELO co-founder Odilia Romero. “They say the food industry is all Latino, the busboys are all Latinos. A lot of the busboys, a lot of the cleaning crew, are of indigenous background, and it’s crucial they have all that information — how to protect themselves, how to get access to resources — in their languages.”
Odilia Romero, left, and Janet Martinez, with CIELO, prepare to drop off relief checks to indigenous people from Mexico and Guatemala in Los Angeles who have lost employment due to the coronavirus. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
In rural parts of the state, many indigenous immigrants work as farmworkers. The Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, a group that helps indigenous farmworker families in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, has been transmitting warnings about the virus and price gouging into languages like Mixtec, Zapotec and Purepecha on its radio station, Radio Indigena 94.1 FM.
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Executive director Arcenio Lopez said it’s critical that the information reach farmworkers, who face challenges with social distancing. They frequently have to share rides to work, and families often live together in the same housing unit.
“There’s this concern, are these people really understanding, is there a lack of accurate information in their language?” he said.
Farther up north, KBBF-FM, a multilingual public affairs radio station in Santa Rosa that serves Latinos and indigenous farmworkers, has been broadcasting information in languages like Mixtec and Triqui.
Rafael Vazquez, a radio station volunteer and professor at Santa Rosa Junior College, is a regular guest on a show with a host who speaks Mixtec. They recently took a call from a farmworker who said that an employer hadn’t provided enough paper cups next to water containers — forcing workers to share — or adequate shading to allow for social distancing.
Vazquez and the host explained that farmworkers should report their concerns to legal aid groups like the California Rural Legal Assistance.
“The person was asking for information to be provided in Mixteco,” he said. “I keep hearing from people who are indigenous whose Spanish may not be their first language that they are not getting the information.”
Another volunteer, 21-year-old Maribel Merino, has been answering questions on the air in Triqui about where to get food, what to do about rent, and financial assistance. She’s dealt with misinformation. Two Oaxacan Triqui speakers in Solano and Mendocino counties recently told her they hadn’t left their homes because they were worried they could be fined.
“There are people that don’t speak Spanish. They don’t know where to get help, they don’t know what to do,” said Merino. “They lock themselves in their house and are scared to go out.”
Undocumented indigenous immigrants also have access to fewer government resources. They can’t receive unemployment benefits, but the governor of California in April announced a $125-million relief effort to help about 150,000 Californians without legal immigration status. The proposal would offer $500 cash grants for individuals in the U.S. illegally and up to $1,000 for families. The money will be distributed by regional nonprofit groups.
That’s why grassroots-level help, often passed through word of mouth, can be a lifeline.
At Terroni, an Italian restaurant in downtown L.A. where 26-year-old Luis Lopez Resendiz worked for two years as a busboy, most of the kitchen staff were indigenous. Maya dishwashers spoke K’iche’. Cooks would chat with busboys in Zapotec.
After many were told to stop coming in when L.A. restaurants closed for dining, anxious workers reached out to Lopez Resendiz, knowing he worked at CIELO.
They have asked him about how to get food and financial support. Some have worried about not being able to send money to their families back home. They’ve been troubled by news that people who died of the coronavirus in the U.S. then faced barriers in being transported back home for burial.
“Many of them are desperate,” said Lopez Resendiz. “They’re looking for jobs to do on the side, but there’s nothing. The jobs that are available is at the grocery stores where you can be exposed to COVID-19. But they can also not get a job because they are undocumented.”
Odilia Romero talks with Francisco Vasquez Gonzalez, 31, from Oaxaca, Mexico, after giving him a relief check. Vasquez lost his jobs as a cook at two Century City restaurants. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
So far, CIELO has delivered $400 checks to more than 30 families from a grant it received and has also given supermarket gift cards to more than 70 families. It has helped people like Francisco Vasquez Gonzalez, a 31-year-old immigrant from Oaxaca who arrived in L.A. three years ago.
Before the pandemic, Gonzalez would leave his home at 7 a.m. every day and return at midnight. He received daily meals at two Century City restaurants where he worked as a cook, leaving him with very few expenses. He’s lost his jobs at both and has had to stock his home with food for the first time.
“I can pay rent, but I won’t have enough money to eat,” he said.
Others suffering economic hardships have tried to do their part by keeping people from their hometowns informed. Juan Ramos, a 32-year-old K’iche’ speaker from Totonicapan, Guatemala, tried unsuccessfully to find a job after he lost work as a busboy at two restaurants.
He arrived in Los Angeles more than a decade ago and has always sent anywhere from $100 to $300 a month back home to his parents. He recently told his mother he didn’t think he’d be able to send even $50.
“I got really sad. I have always helped her,” he said. “I never thought this could happen in the United States.”
Ramos has shared a video from CIELO explaining the pandemic in K’iche’ with a cousin who speaks neither Spanish or English well. He advised his cousin, who is in his late 20s, to wear gloves and a mask when riding the bus.
“After we showed him the video and explained in K’iche’, he understood better,” said Ramos. “He took more precautions. He started keeping his distance.”


latimes--2020-05-01--Californians broadly trust state government on coronavirus — but mistrust Trump, poll finds

California voters give broad approval to Gov .
Gavin Newsom amid the coronavirus crisis , and despite widely felt economic pain , large majorities want to go slow on ending stay-at-home orders , a new statewide poll finds .
The poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies documents the hardship caused by the pandemic and the economic disruption surrounding it .
The poll found 16 % of California voters already reporting that they were unemployed when the survey was taken , April 16-20 .
Nearly 4 in 10 expect they may lose their job as a result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among the state ’ s African American and Latino populations and those without a college education .
Nearly 7 in 10 voters fear the possibility of getting sick with COVID-19 , the illness caused by the coronavirus .
Nine in 10 voters say they see the pandemic as a threat to their personal or family health , with 52 % calling it a major threat ; 83 % call it a threat to their personal finances .
Amid that widespread anxiety and disruption , voters want officials to take their time about ending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ By 70 % to 30 % , the state ’ s voters say they ’ re more worried that shelter-in-place orders will end too soon , causing the illness to spread more , than they are that such orders will continue for too long and damage the economy .
Voters express considerable confidence in the state government , which , along with local officials , have imposed orders banning public gatherings and closing many businesses .
Newsom benefits from that , with 70 % of California voters approving of how he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The governor ’ s high standing and the priority voters put on keeping restrictions in place to protect health could give him considerable leeway to take controversial decisions , such as his order Thursday to keep Orange County beaches closed .
The governor ’ s standing is up 10 points from the last time the Berkeley IGS poll asked about it , in September .
The increase reflects significant upticks in the share of Republicans and self-described moderates who say they approve of the job the liberal Democratic governor is doing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ which governors of both parties who have ordered aggressive measures to combat the spread of the virus have seen a positive response from voters .
“ That ’ s what we ’ d normally expect to see , ” said UC Berkeley political science professor Eric Schickler , co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies .
Across the country , “ governors are benefiting ” from the tendency of voters to rally around their leaders , at least initially , “ during a time of national crisis.
” President Trump , Schickler noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule , a head of government who has not had a significant rallying moment as a result of the crisis .
The poll bears that out .
California voters have much less confidence in the federal government and Trump , whom many of them blame for problems with the national response to the virus : 61 % , for example , say the president is mostly or completely responsible for the shortages of tests and medical supplies that have dogged efforts to combat the virus .
Only about 2.5 % of the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve been tested , with an additional 6 % saying they have tried to get a test and were unable to do so .
About one-third say they know someone who has been tested , and about half of those say they know someone who has tested positive .
Slightly less than 4 in 10 state voters say they have confidence in the federal government ’ s response to the pandemic .
A similar share say they trust national leaders to provide accurate information about the disease , compared with 6 in 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders rank slightly below television news ( 49 % ) and considerably below newspapers ( 60 % ) as a source of information that voters at least somewhat trust , the poll found .
By contrast , 77 % trust state and local leaders to provide accurate information , 87 % trust the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , and 92 % trust scientific experts such as university researchers .
The UC Berkeley poll was conducted by email in English and Spanish among 8,800 registered voters statewide , an unusually large sample @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The results have an estimated margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction .
Because the poll questioned registered voters , it may not completely capture the extent of economic disruption the pandemic has caused .
While about 82 % of eligible California adults are registered to vote , those who are not registered are , on average , younger and poorer .
The poll reveals the strong impact that partisanship , and views of Trump , have on how people view the pandemic .
Just 30 % of the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president is handling his job , with 20 % approving strongly .
By contrast , 64 % disapprove , with 55 % doing so strongly .
The minority who strongly approve of Trump and those who identify themselves as conservative have notably different views of the pandemic than the rest of the state ’ s voters .
Just over half of voters statewide say they see COVID-19 as a “ major threat ” to their personal or family health .
That share falls to just over one-third among those who identify as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illness as a major threat is also somewhat higher in Los Angeles County , which has had the most confirmed cases , than in some other parts of the state .
In L.A. County , 56 % say they see the illness as a major threat , while in the Central Valley , San Diego and Orange counties and the far northern parts of the state , concern is slightly below the state average , between 48 % and 49 % .
The level of concern in the Bay Area and the Inland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Those who strongly support Trump are less likely to believe that social distancing measures are effective in combating the virus and oppose continuing them , although even among that group , 57 % say that staying home as much as possible is an “ extremely effective ” method of stopping the spread of the disease .
Among those who strongly disapprove of Trump , the share who see staying at home as extremely effective is much higher , 90 % .
Similar gaps showed up in questions about the effectiveness of wearing masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people .
Strong supporters of Trump are also somewhat more likely than the rest of the state ’ s voters to say that eating a healthful diet or taking vitamins are effective ways to stave off the illness .
Medical experts say that ’ s not the case .
The numbers show the power that partisanship has to affect people ’ s opinions , said IGS co-director G. Cristina Mora , associate professor of sociology at UC Berkeley .
“ When it hits at your everyday behaviors , that ’ s particularly striking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vacillated in his support for social distancing .
The White House coronavirus task force has repeatedly urged Americans to stay at home , maintain distance from other people and wear masks in public .
At times , Trump has backed that message .
At other times , he has called for quickly ending restrictions on commerce and public gatherings and has supported protesters who have demonstrated in California and other states to call for rolling back the rules .
He has also publicly said that he won ’ t wear a mask .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they fear the damage to the economy from closures outweighs the injury caused by the virus .
Strong Trump supporters embrace that view , in sharp contrast with the rest of the state ’ s voters : By 78 % to 22 % , Trump ’ s strong backers say they worry more that the restrictions will be kept in place too long and damage the economy than that they ’ ll be ended too quickly .
By contrast , African American and Latino voters , although they report more economic distress , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end to the stay-at-home restrictions .
By a wide margin , 70 % to 8 % , with 22 % unsure , California voters say they believe that the economic damage is leading to more inequality in the U.S .
The poll provides extensive evidence to back that belief , finding that the cost has fallen most heavily on people of color and those with the lowest incomes .
About 30 % of Latino voters say the pandemic has caused them to lose income because of reduced hours at work , and an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to be laid off .
That ’ s almost twice the share of white voters who say they ’ ve suffered from lost hours or a layoff .
African American and Asian American voters fall between the other two groups .
White voters and those with incomes greater than $ 100,000 a year are far more likely than others to say that the pandemic has caused a loss of money in the stock market or retirement funds , reflecting their greater likelihood of having investments in the first place .
Just over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 20,000 a year see the pandemic as a major threat to their employment , more than twice the level among those earning $ 200,000 or more .
Latinos , at 49 % , and African Americans , at 44 % , are more likely than whites , 30 % , to see a major threat to their employment .
Asian Americans , at 42 % , fall close to the statewide average .
Similarly , 37 % of Latinos said they faced a “ very serious ” risk of being unable to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , compared with 16 % of whites , 26 % of African Americans and 28 % of Asian Americans .
Just over half of the state ’ s voters say they are currently working , with 23 % retired and 9 % students in addition to the 16 % who are unemployed .
Of those who are working , just over half say they are able to work from home , and about 1 in 5 say they leave home to go to work but that their work involves minimal contact with other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state ’ s workforce , or about 1 in 8 voters , working in jobs that require regular contact with other people .
That share is highest among those with no more than high school or trade school degrees and lowest among those with college or graduate degrees , the poll found .
Also among those who are working , 37 % said they expected they would not get paid or would lose their jobs if they got sick and couldn ’ t work for two weeks or more , while 53 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be paid and 10 % were unsure .
Not surprisingly , those with the lowest incomes and least education were most likely to be at risk of not being paid .
Among those earning $ 200,000 or more , 72 % said they expected their pay would continue if they couldn ’ t work ; that fell to 24 % among those earning less than $ 20,000 .
A large share of California voters say they worry they might inadvertently spread the illness to others .
Contrary to the stereotype of young people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern is most widespread among voters between 18 and 35 , with nearly 6 in 10 saying they are “ very concerned ” about infecting others .
Despite such worries , however , only 19 % of the state ’ s voters said that since the coronavirus outbreak , they were “ rarely ” feeling happy or satisfied with their lives .
Just over one-third said they were “ sometimes ” happy or satisfied , while most , 45 % , said they remained happy or satisfied “ often ” or “ very @ @ @

California voters give broad approval to Gov. Gavin Newsom amid the coronavirus crisis, and despite widely felt economic pain, large majorities want to go slow on ending stay-at-home orders, a new statewide poll finds.
The poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies documents the hardship caused by the pandemic and the economic disruption surrounding it. The poll found 16% of California voters already reporting that they were unemployed when the survey was taken, April 16-20.
Nearly 4 in 10 expect they may lose their job as a result of the pandemic, with that concern heaviest among the state’s African American and Latino populations and those without a college education. Nearly 7 in 10 voters fear the possibility of getting sick with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.
Nine in 10 voters say they see the pandemic as a threat to their personal or family health, with 52% calling it a major threat; 83% call it a threat to their personal finances.
Amid that widespread anxiety and disruption, voters want officials to take their time about ending restrictions on business and public gatherings. By 70% to 30%, the state’s voters say they’re more worried that shelter-in-place orders will end too soon, causing the illness to spread more, than they are that such orders will continue for too long and damage the economy.
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Voters express considerable confidence in the state government, which, along with local officials, have imposed orders banning public gatherings and closing many businesses.
Newsom benefits from that, with 70% of California voters approving of how he’s doing his job, the poll finds. The governor’s high standing and the priority voters put on keeping restrictions in place to protect health could give him considerable leeway to take controversial decisions, such as his order Thursday to keep Orange County beaches closed.
The governor’s standing is up 10 points from the last time the Berkeley IGS poll asked about it, in September. The increase reflects significant upticks in the share of Republicans and self-described moderates who say they approve of the job the liberal Democratic governor is doing.
That increase fits a nationwide pattern in which governors of both parties who have ordered aggressive measures to combat the spread of the virus have seen a positive response from voters.
“That’s what we’d normally expect to see,” said UC Berkeley political science professor Eric Schickler, co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies. Across the country, “governors are benefiting” from the tendency of voters to rally around their leaders, at least initially, “during a time of national crisis.”
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President Trump, Schickler noted, is the great exception to that rule, a head of government who has not had a significant rallying moment as a result of the crisis.
The poll bears that out. California voters have much less confidence in the federal government and Trump, whom many of them blame for problems with the national response to the virus: 61%, for example, say the president is mostly or completely responsible for the shortages of tests and medical supplies that have dogged efforts to combat the virus.
Only about 2.5% of the state’s voters report that they’ve been tested, with an additional 6% saying they have tried to get a test and were unable to do so. About one-third say they know someone who has been tested, and about half of those say they know someone who has tested positive.
Slightly less than 4 in 10 state voters say they have confidence in the federal government’s response to the pandemic. A similar share say they trust national leaders to provide accurate information about the disease, compared with 6 in 10 who do not trust them.
National leaders rank slightly below television news (49%) and considerably below newspapers (60%) as a source of information that voters at least somewhat trust, the poll found.
By contrast, 77% trust state and local leaders to provide accurate information, 87% trust the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 92% trust scientific experts such as university researchers.
The UC Berkeley poll was conducted by email in English and Spanish among 8,800 registered voters statewide, an unusually large sample that allows detailed analysis of sub-groups. The results have an estimated margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.
Because the poll questioned registered voters, it may not completely capture the extent of economic disruption the pandemic has caused. While about 82% of eligible California adults are registered to vote, those who are not registered are, on average, younger and poorer.
Politics How the Berkeley IGS poll is done The UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll that The Times is publishing uses a method that differs from traditional phone-based surveys.
The poll reveals the strong impact that partisanship, and views of Trump, have on how people view the pandemic. Just 30% of the state’s voters approve of the way the president is handling his job, with 20% approving strongly. By contrast, 64% disapprove, with 55% doing so strongly.
The minority who strongly approve of Trump and those who identify themselves as conservative have notably different views of the pandemic than the rest of the state’s voters.
Just over half of voters statewide say they see COVID-19 as a “major threat” to their personal or family health. That share falls to just over one-third among those who identify as “very conservative.”
Perception of the illness as a major threat is also somewhat higher in Los Angeles County, which has had the most confirmed cases, than in some other parts of the state.
In L.A. County, 56% say they see the illness as a major threat, while in the Central Valley, San Diego and Orange counties and the far northern parts of the state, concern is slightly below the state average, between 48% and 49%. The level of concern in the Bay Area and the Inland Empire is at the state average.
Those who strongly support Trump are less likely to believe that social distancing measures are effective in combating the virus and oppose continuing them, although even among that group, 57% say that staying home as much as possible is an “extremely effective” method of stopping the spread of the disease.
Among those who strongly disapprove of Trump, the share who see staying at home as extremely effective is much higher, 90%.
Similar gaps showed up in questions about the effectiveness of wearing masks and staying six feet away from other people.
Strong supporters of Trump are also somewhat more likely than the rest of the state’s voters to say that eating a healthful diet or taking vitamins are effective ways to stave off the illness. Medical experts say that’s not the case.
The numbers show the power that partisanship has to affect people’s opinions, said IGS co-director G. Cristina Mora, associate professor of sociology at UC Berkeley.
“When it hits at your everyday behaviors, that’s particularly striking,” Mora said.
Trump has vacillated in his support for social distancing.
The White House coronavirus task force has repeatedly urged Americans to stay at home, maintain distance from other people and wear masks in public.
At times, Trump has backed that message. At other times, he has called for quickly ending restrictions on commerce and public gatherings and has supported protesters who have demonstrated in California and other states to call for rolling back the rules. He has also publicly said that he won’t wear a mask.
Those who want commerce reopened quickly say they fear the damage to the economy from closures outweighs the injury caused by the virus. Strong Trump supporters embrace that view, in sharp contrast with the rest of the state’s voters: By 78% to 22%, Trump’s strong backers say they worry more that the restrictions will be kept in place too long and damage the economy than that they’ll be ended too quickly.
By contrast, African American and Latino voters, although they report more economic distress, are less likely to support a quick end to the stay-at-home restrictions.
By a wide margin, 70% to 8%, with 22% unsure, California voters say they believe that the economic damage is leading to more inequality in the U.S. The poll provides extensive evidence to back that belief, finding that the cost has fallen most heavily on people of color and those with the lowest incomes.
About 30% of Latino voters say the pandemic has caused them to lose income because of reduced hours at work, and an additional 18% say it has caused them to be laid off. That’s almost twice the share of white voters who say they’ve suffered from lost hours or a layoff. African American and Asian American voters fall between the other two groups.
White voters and those with incomes greater than $100,000 a year are far more likely than others to say that the pandemic has caused a loss of money in the stock market or retirement funds, reflecting their greater likelihood of having investments in the first place.
Just over half of those who earn less than $20,000 a year see the pandemic as a major threat to their employment, more than twice the level among those earning $200,000 or more. Latinos, at 49%, and African Americans, at 44%, are more likely than whites, 30%, to see a major threat to their employment. Asian Americans, at 42%, fall close to the statewide average.
Similarly, 37% of Latinos said they faced a “very serious” risk of being unable to work remotely or working under dangerous conditions, compared with 16%of whites, 26% of African Americans and 28% of Asian Americans.
Just over half of the state’s voters say they are currently working, with 23% retired and 9% students in addition to the 16% who are unemployed.
Of those who are working, just over half say they are able to work from home, and about 1 in 5 say they leave home to go to work but that their work involves minimal contact with other people.
That leaves 23% of the state’s workforce, or about 1 in 8 voters, working in jobs that require regular contact with other people. That share is highest among those with no more than high school or trade school degrees and lowest among those with college or graduate degrees, the poll found.
Also among those who are working, 37% said they expected they would not get paid or would lose their jobs if they got sick and couldn’t work for two weeks or more, while 53% said they expected they would still be paid and 10% were unsure.
Not surprisingly, those with the lowest incomes and least education were most likely to be at risk of not being paid. Among those earning $200,000 or more, 72% said they expected their pay would continue if they couldn’t work; that fell to 24% among those earning less than $20,000.
A large share of California voters say they worry they might inadvertently spread the illness to others. Contrary to the stereotype of young people not taking the virus seriously, that concern is most widespread among voters between 18 and 35, with nearly 6 in 10 saying they are “very concerned” about infecting others.
Despite such worries, however, only 19% of the state’s voters said that since the coronavirus outbreak, they were “rarely” feeling happy or satisfied with their lives. Just over one-third said they were “sometimes” happy or satisfied, while most, 45%, said they remained happy or satisfied “often” or “very often.”


latimes--2020-04-30--Elite private schools are receiving federal loans — including one attended by Secretary Mnuchin's ch

Elite private schools are receiving federal loans — including one attended by Secretary Mnuchin's children

Brentwood School , the elite K-12 institution in West Los Angeles , has received a Paycheck Protection Program loan , according to an April 24 newsletter it sent to parents , joining a number of exclusive schools throughout the country that have secured government financial aid due to coronavirus disruptions .
The private school , which has more than 1,100 students spread across two campuses , said that the loan , approved and funded in mid-April , would “ help us enormously as we move forward into a financially ambiguous future ” brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Many private schools in Southern California and beyond are grappling with financial hardships , but the federal loans offered via the $ 660-billion PPP are designed to help pay for workers ’ salaries .
At Brentwood , though , the optics are unique .
Founded in 1972 , Brentwood counts among its students at least two of Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin ’ s children , according to multiple people with knowledge of the school .
Board members include actress Calista Flockhart and investor Lance Milken , son of billionaire Michael Milken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mnuchin has been critical of another well-heeled L.A. organization that received a PPP loan .
In a CNBC interview Tuesday , he called it “ outrageous ” that the Los Angeles Lakers received a now-returned $ 4.6-million PPP loan .
Monica Crowley , assistant secretary of the Treasury for public affairs , said in a statement to The Times that “ the Secretary has no knowledge if the school has taken out a PPP loan .
He saw in the press today that private schools with endowments have taken out these loans and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appropriate.
” Following the publication of this article , Mnuchin doubled down on his criticism of private schools on Friday morning , saying in a tweet : According to an Internal Revenue Service filing , Brentwood ’ s endowment was about $ 17.4 million in 2017 , the most recent year for which data were available .
The letter from Brentwood officials did not disclose the size of the loan the school received .
In a statement to The Times , the school said that its PPP loan would help it navigate a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decline in enrollment and charitable giving , accompanied by increased demand for financial assistance and other escalating expenses.
” Tuition at Brentwood ranges from $ 37,500 a year for K-5 students to $ 44,000 for sixth through 12th grades .
“ The dramatic and enduring impacts of COVID-19 will continue to affect our school financially , and in other ways , over the course of at least the next year , ” the statement said .
The issue of private schools accepting PPP loans has been a touchy one in recent days ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times listed several elite institutions that have gotten the funding , including St. Andrew ’ s Episcopal School in Potomac , Md.
, which counts Barron Trump , one of the president ’ s sons , as a student .
Allocations of PPP funding — a component of the federal CARES Act that was signed into law March 27 — have come under intense scrutiny , with several high-profile businesses and organizations , including Shake Shack Inc. , saying they would give their loan back after facing public pressure .
Mnuchin has threatened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they do not meet criteria for the program .
Private prep schools may not be the first entity that comes to mind when considering aid for small businesses .
But that ’ s what they are , and times are tough for many of them , said Mary Menacho , interim executive director for the California Assn .
of Independent Schools , the organization for 224 private schools in the state .
“ All of these schools are small businesses when it comes down to it … [ and ] have really bent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and their people employed , ” Menacho said .
“ All of them are highly committed to keeping their teachers , their janitorial staff — everybody that works for them — on payroll as long as they can.
” Menacho said she was aware of California private schools that had received PPP loans , but said she could not name them and did not know whether any had opted to return funds they received .
Officials at five other exclusive Los Angeles-area private schools either did not respond to interview requests or declined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make clear that it hadn ’ t taken the federal funding .
Ari Engelberg , a spokesman for Harvard-Westlake School , said in a statement that the school has tapped into its financial reserves “ to provide security and continuity to faculty , staff , students and their families , ” and had done so “ without accessing federal funding programs.
” The first round of Small Business Administration-backed PPP loans , which totaled $ 349 billion and were offered on a first-come , first-serve basis , was quickly exhausted .
A second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion was made available on April 27 .
Questions have been raised about the program ’ s fairness , with many small-business owners saying their operations have been imperiled after failing to secure a loan from the fund .
And there is evidence that bigger — and in some cases more sophisticated — banking clients are the ones who have been able to get the loans , which are forgivable if certain parameters are met .
Amid the mounting economic turmoil , even Sidwell Friends School in Washington , D.C. , which has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has taken a loan under the PPP .
The school said in an April 29 letter to its community that it had been approved for a $ 5.2-million PPP loan .
“ The Board determined that accepting the loan was appropriate and fully consistent with its fiduciary responsibilities , as well as our Quaker values , ” the letter said .
“ We need to protect people — teachers and staff members — who provide the foundation for our community.
” But not all private schools , including those that educate many low-income @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fortunate .
The Diocese of San Bernardino , which comprises 26 schools , applied for a PPP loan but has not yet received one .
Officials remain hopeful .
Like many entities that have applied , the diocese does not know whether its application will be approved or where it stands in the queue for limited available funding .
These schools are responsible for their own budgets , and some were financially at risk even before the pandemic , said diocese spokesman John Andrews .
Twenty of the 26 schools already are reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with grimmer prospects anticipated for next year .
Overall , 110 employees out of 741 already have been laid off or have taken salary reductions , including part-time employees , instructional aides , support staff and even some teachers .
Schooling continues via distance learning , but some families are no longer able to pay tuition , Andrews said .
Before the pandemic , about half of enrolled families at the Diocese of San Bernardino schools received discounted tuition .
Depending on the school , full annual tuition fees range from about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lower grades and from about $ 8,000 to $ 12,000 for high school .
The federal support “ would be a major help for those schools struggling to pay their staff and meet the expenses of providing education , ” Andrews said .
The predicament those Catholic schools face is not unique .
Menacho said that a 2019 survey of California private schools found that 60 % of those that participated “ were not at their optimal enrollment.
” She said that the “ perspective of elitism around independent or private schools ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ realities of many of these institutions .
“ Because a school has a certain history or a certain reputation — that doesn ’ t really speak to its financial standing or what its needs are , ” Menacho said .
“ What ’ s their debt ?
Their deferred maintenance ?
What costs are they carrying ?
Those are things that … are very real.
” Those are questions that now are being considered by Brentwood School , which counts among its alumni a slew of show business players , including actor Jonah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ X-Men ” writer and producer Simon Kinberg .
Before becoming Treasury secretary , Mnuchin had been a film financier and Wall Street executive .
The April 24 letter to the Brentwood community was signed by Mike Riera , the head of the school , and Lance Milken , chairman of the board of trustees .
Milken is the son of Michael Milken , the Wall Street investor who was sentenced to 10 years in prison following his 1989 indictment on racketeering and securities fraud charges .
He was pardoned by President Trump in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brentwood officials said the school , which has 305 full-time employees and more than 100 part-time employees , is now “ facing some tough realities.
” It said that as part of cost-saving efforts , it already has begun to “ efficiently reduce expenditures.
” In its statement to The Times , Brentwood said that with the PPP loan , “ the school can avoid layoffs that could compromise a successful return to school for our students.
” The statement from the school also laid out some of its financials .
It said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff are the school ’ s largest operating expense , and it noted that its endowment “ does not contribute interest income to our operating budget.
” “ We rely on donations beyond tuition revenue each year to balance our budget , ” the school said .
Several elite universities have opted to not take advantage of money available to them under the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund , which is separate from the PPP .
Harvard and Stanford said that they would not accept money from the fund .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stanford said April 22 that its leadership understands “ that this crisis represents an existential threat for many of the smaller colleges and universities that are such a critical part of the fabric of higher learning in the United States ” and therefore was rescinding its request for funds .
The university said that it was taking such a step even though it faces “ significant financial pressures during this time of unprecedented uncertainty .
”

Daniel Miller, Howard Blume, Paloma Esquivel

Brentwood School, the elite K-12 institution in West Los Angeles, has received a Paycheck Protection Program loan, according to an April 24 newsletter it sent to parents, joining a number of exclusive schools throughout the country that have secured government financial aid due to coronavirus disruptions.
The private school, which has more than 1,100 students spread across two campuses, said that the loan, approved and funded in mid-April, would “help us enormously as we move forward into a financially ambiguous future” brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the letter obtained by The Times.
Many private schools in Southern California and beyond are grappling with financial hardships, but the federal loans offered via the $660-billion PPP are designed to help pay for workers’ salaries. At Brentwood, though, the optics are unique.
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Founded in 1972, Brentwood counts among its students at least two of Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin’s children, according to multiple people with knowledge of the school. Board members include actress Calista Flockhart and investor Lance Milken, son of billionaire Michael Milken, the former junk bond king.
Mnuchin has been critical of another well-heeled L.A. organization that received a PPP loan. In a CNBC interview Tuesday, he called it “outrageous” that the Los Angeles Lakers received a now-returned $4.6-million PPP loan.
Monica Crowley, assistant secretary of the Treasury for public affairs, said in a statement to The Times that “the Secretary has no knowledge if the school has taken out a PPP loan. He saw in the press today that private schools with endowments have taken out these loans and he does not think it’s appropriate.”
Following the publication of this article, Mnuchin doubled down on his criticism of private schools on Friday morning, saying in a tweet:
It has come to our attention that some private schools with significant endowments have taken #PPP loans. They should return them. @SBAgov #CARESAct #PPPLoans — Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) May 1, 2020
Politics Column: Coronavirus is the great unequalizer A pandemic, one would think, is indiscriminate, targeting rich and poor alike. But the coronavirus is making inequality worse.
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According to an Internal Revenue Service filing, Brentwood’s endowment was about $17.4 million in 2017, the most recent year for which data were available.
The letter from Brentwood officials did not disclose the size of the loan the school received. In a statement to The Times, the school said that its PPP loan would help it navigate a future that could include “a potential decline in enrollment and charitable giving, accompanied by increased demand for financial assistance and other escalating expenses.”
Tuition at Brentwood ranges from $37,500 a year for K-5 students to $44,000 for sixth through 12th grades.
“The dramatic and enduring impacts of COVID-19 will continue to affect our school financially, and in other ways, over the course of at least the next year,” the statement said.
The issue of private schools accepting PPP loans has been a touchy one in recent days; a Wednesday article in the New York Times listed several elite institutions that have gotten the funding, including St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Md., which counts Barron Trump, one of the president’s sons, as a student.
Allocations of PPP funding — a component of the federal CARES Act that was signed into law March 27 — have come under intense scrutiny, with several high-profile businesses and organizations, including Shake Shack Inc., saying they would give their loan back after facing public pressure. Mnuchin has threatened to hold participating companies criminally liable if they do not meet criteria for the program.
Private prep schools may not be the first entity that comes to mind when considering aid for small businesses. But that’s what they are, and times are tough for many of them, said Mary Menacho, interim executive director for the California Assn. of Independent Schools, the organization for 224 private schools in the state.
“All of these schools are small businesses when it comes down to it … [and] have really bent over backwards to keep their programs going and their people employed,” Menacho said. “All of them are highly committed to keeping their teachers, their janitorial staff — everybody that works for them — on payroll as long as they can.”
Menacho said she was aware of California private schools that had received PPP loans, but said she could not name them and did not know whether any had opted to return funds they received.
Officials at five other exclusive Los Angeles-area private schools either did not respond to interview requests or declined to comment Thursday. One sought to make clear that it hadn’t taken the federal funding.
Ari Engelberg, a spokesman for Harvard-Westlake School, said in a statement that the school has tapped into its financial reserves “to provide security and continuity to faculty, staff, students and their families,” and had done so “without accessing federal funding programs.”
The first round of Small Business Administration-backed PPP loans, which totaled $349 billion and were offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, was quickly exhausted. A second round of funding amounting to $310 billion was made available on April 27.
Questions have been raised about the program’s fairness, with many small-business owners saying their operations have been imperiled after failing to secure a loan from the fund. And there is evidence that bigger — and in some cases more sophisticated — banking clients are the ones who have been able to get the loans, which are forgivable if certain parameters are met.
Amid the mounting economic turmoil, even Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., which has educated the children of several presidents, has taken a loan under the PPP. The school said in an April 29 letter to its community that it had been approved for a $5.2-million PPP loan.
“The Board determined that accepting the loan was appropriate and fully consistent with its fiduciary responsibilities, as well as our Quaker values,” the letter said. “We need to protect people — teachers and staff members — who provide the foundation for our community.”
But not all private schools, including those that educate many low-income and minority students, have been so fortunate.
The Diocese of San Bernardino, which comprises 26 schools, applied for a PPP loan but has not yet received one. Officials remain hopeful. Like many entities that have applied, the diocese does not know whether its application will be approved or where it stands in the queue for limited available funding.
These schools are responsible for their own budgets, and some were financially at risk even before the pandemic, said diocese spokesman John Andrews. Twenty of the 26 schools already are reporting a revenue drop for the current year, with grimmer prospects anticipated for next year.
California Reopening California schools: 4 things you need to know What will it take to reopen California schools? Gov. Gavin Newsom is looking toward an earlier start, possibly in late July, but there’s not yet a plan for doing so.
Overall, 110 employees out of 741 already have been laid off or have taken salary reductions, including part-time employees, instructional aides, support staff and even some teachers. Schooling continues via distance learning, but some families are no longer able to pay tuition, Andrews said.
Before the pandemic, about half of enrolled families at the Diocese of San Bernardino schools received discounted tuition. Depending on the school, full annual tuition fees range from about $4,500 to $7,500 for the lower grades and from about $8,000 to $12,000 for high school.
The federal support “would be a major help for those schools struggling to pay their staff and meet the expenses of providing education,” Andrews said.
The predicament those Catholic schools face is not unique. Menacho said that a 2019 survey of California private schools found that 60% of those that participated “were not at their optimal enrollment.”
She said that the “perspective of elitism around independent or private schools” does not necessarily square with the economic realities of many of these institutions.
“Because a school has a certain history or a certain reputation — that doesn’t really speak to its financial standing or what its needs are,” Menacho said. “What’s their debt? Their deferred maintenance? What costs are they carrying? Those are things that … are very real.”
Those are questions that now are being considered by Brentwood School, which counts among its alumni a slew of show business players, including actor Jonah Hill, producer Ryan Kavanaugh and “X-Men” writer and producer Simon Kinberg. Before becoming Treasury secretary, Mnuchin had been a film financier and Wall Street executive.
The April 24 letter to the Brentwood community was signed by Mike Riera, the head of the school, and Lance Milken, chairman of the board of trustees. Milken is the son of Michael Milken, the Wall Street investor who was sentenced to 10 years in prison following his 1989 indictment on racketeering and securities fraud charges. He was pardoned by President Trump in February.
In the letter, the Brentwood officials said the school, which has 305 full-time employees and more than 100 part-time employees, is now “facing some tough realities.” It said that as part of cost-saving efforts, it already has begun to “efficiently reduce expenditures.”
In its statement to The Times, Brentwood said that with the PPP loan, “the school can avoid layoffs that could compromise a successful return to school for our students.”
The statement from the school also laid out some of its financials. It said that salaries and benefits for faculty and staff are the school’s largest operating expense, and it noted that its endowment “does not contribute interest income to our operating budget.”
“We rely on donations beyond tuition revenue each year to balance our budget,” the school said.
Several elite universities have opted to not take advantage of money available to them under the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, which is separate from the PPP. Harvard and Stanford said that they would not accept money from the fund.
In a series of messages on Twitter, Stanford said April 22 that its leadership understands “that this crisis represents an existential threat for many of the smaller colleges and universities that are such a critical part of the fabric of higher learning in the United States” and therefore was rescinding its request for funds.
The university said that it was taking such a step even though it faces “significant financial pressures during this time of unprecedented uncertainty.”


latimes--2020-05-02--Facing protests, Newsom says easing stay-at-home rules could be 'days' away

Gov .
Gavin Newsom on Friday faced the most intense pressure yet to lift restrictions on daily life , with a series of raucous protests around the state , a legal tussle with Orange County over closing its beaches and a rural Northern California county that defied his stay-at-home order and opened up for business .
While polls have shown Californians overwhelmingly support the governor ’ s efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus , the growing economic carnage is becoming a potential political issue , especially in areas where COVID-19 has not spread rapidly .
On Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he could make announcements within days about easing the state ’ s stay-at-home order , now in its sixth week .
This weekend could prove pivotal as officials try to slow the virus ’ spread — especially in hard-hit Southern California — with hopes of cutting hospitalizations enough to begin easing the restrictions , Newsom this week ordered the temporary “ hard close ” of all state and city beaches in Orange County to avoid a repeat of last weekend , when thousands of people flocked to the shoreline .
He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of weekend that I hope and expect we will , ” he could be announcing new strategies as early as Monday .
“ The only thing — I mean it — the only thing that ’ s going to hold us back is the spread of this virus , ” Newsom said .
“ And the only thing that is assured to advance the spread of the virus is thousands of people congregating together , not practicing social distancing or physical distancing.
” As of Friday , there were at least 51,775 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 2,111 deaths .
California was the first to impose a stay-at-home order , and experts credit that with helping the state see a fraction of the deaths of other coronavirus hot spots such as New York , New Jersey and Michigan .
Officials in some bigger cities such as Los Angeles , San Jose and San Francisco have urged caution about reopening too early , fearing it could cause new outbreaks and hurt the economy more in the long run .
The biggest concern is in Los Angeles County , a hotbed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The county has recorded more than 1,000 deaths , nearly 25,000 confirmed cases and is home to about half of hospitalizations in the state .
Newsom ’ s squabbles with local officials over their abilities to determine what is safest for their respective communities have spiraled into more heated debates over the governor ’ s use of his executive powers to protect public health .
Legal battles are brewing in Orange County , where city leaders in Dana Point and Huntington Beach voted during emergency meetings Thursday night to approve filing for an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to close their beaches .
The Newport Beach City Council plans to meet over the weekend to discuss legal options to challenge the closure .
On Friday afternoon , Orange County Superior Court Judge Nathan Scott rejected a request from Huntington Beach seeking a temporary restraining order to keep beaches open .
He set a hearing for May 11 to consider the city ’ s request for an injunction .
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said his department did not plan to cite people simply getting out for beach exercise .
He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As long as people are social distancing and doing what they ’ re expected to do , the sheriff does not have interest in criminalizing people enjoying the beach , ” department spokeswoman Carrie Braun said .
Newport Beach will increase its police presence on the beach and roll out barricades and electronic signs to make sure people are aware of the closure , officials said .
The Huntington Beach Police Department also said its officers were seeking “ voluntary compliance ” from the public .
More than 500 protesters descended on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Street in Huntington Beach on Friday to decry the beach closures and demand stay-at-home orders be lifted .
The densely packed crowd lined both sides of the street .
Few wore masks .
Andrew Norman — clad in board shorts , a black ball cap and sandals without a mask — equated his participation in Friday ’ s protest with his past time in the military .
“ I served in the Army and fought tyrants and dictators overseas , and this has gone too far , ” he said of Newsom ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t do that to come back here and live under a tyrant in my own country.
” The Hesperia resident became aware of the protest through a social media campaign , # reopencalifornia , and made the 90-minute drive with his wife and three children , ages 7 to 11 .
Tami Avants , 60 , of Rancho Cucamonga , said she lost her job as a hairdresser and is looking to get back to work .
She likened the recent $ 1,200 checks from the government as welfare and said she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Just steps away from the protest , beachgoers lounged in the sand and frolicked in the waves .
Hundreds of protesters also gathered outside the closed California State Capitol building in Sacramento .
Scores more circled the block , protesting from their cars .
Horns blared .
Cow bells rang .
Nary a mask was in sight , though there was plenty of Trump 2020 gear .
Overhead , a plane circled , trailing a banner with Newsom ’ s photo and the words , “ End His Tyranny.
” Leigh Dundas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles , stood in an American flag-covered speedboat parked on the street , railing against the closure of Orange County beaches .
“ What ’ s going on at this point is unconstitutional , ” Dundas said .
Meanwhile , in the northeast corner of the state , rural Modoc County became the first in the state to ease stay-at-home rules Friday , despite Newsom ’ s urging to keep them in place .
The county , which has fewer than 9,000 residents , was one of four in California that had not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as of Friday .
Officials announced that , as long as .
“ Our businesses are dying and people need to be able to feed their children and pay their rent , ” said Heather Hadwick , deputy director of the county ’ s Office of Emergency Services .
“ We live a different life than the rest of California .
We ’ re very rural and naturally socially distanced in our everyday lives.
” Restaurants and bars will be allowed to host diners , but only at half capacity .
People 65 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions will still be required to stay home except to conduct essential business , and large gatherings will still be banned .
Restaurant owner Jodie Larranaga said employees were preparing to open Friday and sending out word to customers .
“ My bar tables are already far apart .
But if people pull their stools together , I ’ m not going to stop them , ” said Larranaga , who owns the Brass Rail .
“ As far as I ’ m concerned , right or wrong , that ’ s their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every institution that could reopen plans to do so , though .
Ken Entwistle , senior pastor of GracePoint Church of the Nazarene in Alturas , said the stance of the Nazarene denomination is to follow the state ’ s order — which means he ’ ll continue streaming services and devotionals via Facebook Live .
“ We need to pay attention to the prompting of the spirit and we need to look toward our authorities for some answers or some OKs , ” he said .
“ For us , Jesus Christ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not yet clear how the state will respond to Modoc ’ s move .
The governor ’ s media office did not answer a request for comment Friday .
When it comes to matters of public health , the state has wide powers to enact regulations and restrictions , according to Julie Nice , a constitutional law professor at the University of San Francisco .
Counties and other local governments “ may enforce health and safety and sanitation rules , ” she said , “ so long as they do not conflict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” That doesn ’ t seem to be the case with what Modoc County has proposed , she said .
“ From everything I can tell from the governor ’ s orders and what the county has said it plans to do , it appears to directly conflict with state law , ” she said .
“ And I think , as a matter of governmental power , the county ’ s likely to lose against the state.
” Elected officials from across rural California — from the Central Coast to the Central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have asked Newsom to let them ease restrictions , arguing that their infection rates are incomparable to hot spots such as Los Angeles County .
Newsom on Friday said he wanted to “ be crystal clear ” that he understood there were different circumstances in rural areas and that the state was in direct contact with local leaders in those places .
“ We hear you , ” he said .
“ We ’ re paying attention to you.
” Times staff writers Anh Do , Priscella Vega , Alex Wigglesworth , Hannah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Associated Press contributed to this report .

Andrew J. Campa, Hailey Branson-Potts, Luke Money, Anita Chabria

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday faced the most intense pressure yet to lift restrictions on daily life, with a series of raucous protests around the state, a legal tussle with Orange County over closing its beaches and a rural Northern California county that defied his stay-at-home order and opened up for business.
While polls have shown Californians overwhelmingly support the governor’s efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, the growing economic carnage is becoming a potential political issue, especially in areas where COVID-19 has not spread rapidly.
On Friday, the governor acknowledged the frustrations and said he could make announcements within days about easing the state’s stay-at-home order, now in its sixth week.
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1 / 30 Over 1,500 people attended a rally at the capitol in Sacramento, May 1, 2020. asking for the reopening of the economy, closed due to the coronavirus. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 30 Over 1,500 people attended a rally at the capitol in Sacramento, May 1, 2020. asking for the reopening of the economy, closed due to the coronavirus. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 30 Over 1,500 people attended a rally at the capitol in Sacramento, May 1, 2020. asking for the reopening of the economy, closed due to the coronavirus. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 30 Alicia Cruz, center, of Elk Grove, Calif., takes part in a protest at the California State Capitol. She said she was there to protect civil liberties, her children’s future and future livelihoods. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 30 A protester holds a U.S. flag outside his car while joining a rally at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to reopen beaches and lift stay-at-home orders. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 30 Gareth Davies of Aliso Viejo waves the U.S. flag in Huntington Beach while protesting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s closure of Orange County beaches. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 30 Huntington Beach lifeguards patrol with a boat to try to clear surfers out of the water while protesters rallied nearby. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 30 An aerial view of surfers in the waters off Huntington Beach on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 30 Mounted police line up to keep protesters on the sidewalk at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 30 Motorists join the protesters at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 30 Hundreds of protesters rally at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 30 Protesters rally at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 30 Mounted police line up to keep protesters on the sidewalk at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 30 California Highway Patrol officers take into custody a woman who refused to follow orders to move off the Capitol grounds during a protest Friday. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 30 More than 1,500 people took part in a protest at the Capitol in Sacramento, seeking a reopening of the California economy. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 30 California Highway Patrol officers take into custody a woman who refused to follow orders to move off the state Capitol grounds in Sacramento during a protest Friday. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 30 Hundreds of protesters gather at the state Capitol in Sacramento to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 30 Protesters converge on Huntington Beach on Friday to demand stay-at-home rules be lifted. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 30 Protesters at Huntington Beach on Friday demand stay-at-home rules be lifted. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 30 Protesters demand that California’s stay-at-home rules be lifted at Huntington Beach on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 30 Hundreds of people converge in downtown Los Angeles to call on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to lift stay-at-home orders and reopen the state economy, saying the coronavirus lockdown has hurt workers. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles) 22 / 30 A proponent of opening the economy as quickly as possible, right, gets into a verbal altercation with a counterprotester at Los Angeles City Hall. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 30 A protester calling for the end of stay-at-home restrictions, left, argues with a counterprotester outside L.A. City Hall. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 30 A Los Angeles police officer stands outside City Hall on Friday as protesters call on the city and state governments to lift stay-at-home orders. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 30 Protesters demanding that stay-at-home rules be lifted gather outside L.A. City Hall on Friday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 30 Protesters call for the end of coronavirus stay-at-home orders outside City Hall in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 30 Protesters in downtown Los Angeles call for the end of stay-at-home orders. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 30 Protesters demanding the end of the coronavirus lockdown wave flags in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 30 Hundreds of people converge in downtown Los Angeles to demand the reopening of the California economy. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 30 A protester walks into the water in Hermosa Beach following a rally voicing their disagreement with California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s closure of beaches. The residents were joined by about 100 people in chanting to “open the beach,” and then a march to the sand and eventually water, near the Hermosa Beach Pier. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
This weekend could prove pivotal as officials try to slow the virus’ spread — especially in hard-hit Southern California — with hopes of cutting hospitalizations enough to begin easing the restrictions,
Newsom this week ordered the temporary “hard close” of all state and city beaches in Orange County to avoid a repeat of last weekend, when thousands of people flocked to the shoreline. He said Friday that “if we have the kind of weekend that I hope and expect we will,” he could be announcing new strategies as early as Monday.
“The only thing — I mean it — the only thing that’s going to hold us back is the spread of this virus,” Newsom said. “And the only thing that is assured to advance the spread of the virus is thousands of people congregating together, not practicing social distancing or physical distancing.”
As of Friday, there were at least 51,775 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state and 2,111 deaths.
Protesters rally at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway to call on Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax his on Friday in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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California was the first to impose a stay-at-home order, and experts credit that with helping the state see a fraction of the deaths of other coronavirus hot spots such as New York, New Jersey and Michigan. Officials in some bigger cities such as Los Angeles, San Jose and San Francisco have urged caution about reopening too early, fearing it could cause new outbreaks and hurt the economy more in the long run.
The biggest concern is in Los Angeles County, a hotbed of the coronavirus crisis in California. The county has recorded more than 1,000 deaths, nearly 25,000 confirmed cases and is home to about half of hospitalizations in the state.
Newsom’s squabbles with local officials over their abilities to determine what is safest for their respective communities have spiraled into more heated debates over the governor’s use of his executive powers to protect public health.
Legal battles are brewing in Orange County, where city leaders in Dana Point and Huntington Beach voted during emergency meetings Thursday night to approve filing for an injunction to block Newsom’s directive to close their beaches. The Newport Beach City Council plans to meet over the weekend to discuss legal options to challenge the closure.
Mounted police line up to keep protesters on the sidewalk as protesters rally at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway to call on Gov. Newsom to relax the state’s stay-at-home order on Friday in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
On Friday afternoon, Orange County Superior Court Judge Nathan Scott rejected a request from Huntington Beach seeking a temporary restraining order to keep beaches open. He set a hearing for May 11 to consider the city’s request for an injunction.
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said his department did not plan to cite people simply getting out for beach exercise. He said most beachgoers have acted responsibly.
“As long as people are social distancing and doing what they’re expected to do, the sheriff does not have interest in criminalizing people enjoying the beach,” department spokeswoman Carrie Braun said.
Newport Beach will increase its police presence on the beach and roll out barricades and electronic signs to make sure people are aware of the closure, officials said. The Huntington Beach Police Department also said its officers were seeking “voluntary compliance” from the public.
More than 500 protesters descended on the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in Huntington Beach on Friday to decry the beach closures and demand stay-at-home orders be lifted. The densely packed crowd lined both sides of the street. Few wore masks.
“Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Newsom has gotta go!” they chanted.
Gareth Davies, of Aliso Viejo, parades the American flag while defying during a rally to call on Gov. Newsom to relax the state’s stay-at-home order on Friday in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Andrew Norman — clad in board shorts, a black ball cap and sandals without a mask — equated his participation in Friday’s protest with his past time in the military.
“I served in the Army and fought tyrants and dictators overseas, and this has gone too far,” he said of Newsom’s stay-at-home order. “I didn’t do that to come back here and live under a tyrant in my own country.”
The Hesperia resident became aware of the protest through a social media campaign, #reopencalifornia, and made the 90-minute drive with his wife and three children, ages 7 to 11.
Tami Avants, 60, of Rancho Cucamonga, said she lost her job as a hairdresser and is looking to get back to work.
She likened the recent $1,200 checks from the government as welfare and said she wants to earn her own money again.
Just steps away from the protest, beachgoers lounged in the sand and frolicked in the waves.
Hundreds of protesters also gathered outside the closed California State Capitol building in Sacramento. Scores more circled the block, protesting from their cars.
Horns blared. Cow bells rang. Nary a mask was in sight, though there was plenty of Trump 2020 gear. Overhead, a plane circled, trailing a banner with Newsom’s photo and the words, “End His Tyranny.”
Huntington Beach lifeguards patrol trying to get surfers out of the water during a protest calling on Gov. Newsom to relax the state’s stay-at-home order on Friday in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Leigh Dundas, a human rights lawyer from Los Angeles, stood in an American flag-covered speedboat parked on the street, railing against the closure of Orange County beaches.
“What’s going on at this point is unconstitutional,” Dundas said.
“Freedom!” shouted people around her.
Meanwhile, in the northeast corner of the state, rural Modoc County became the first in the state to ease stay-at-home rules Friday, despite Newsom’s urging to keep them in place.
The county, which has fewer than 9,000 residents, was one of four in California that had not reported a single confirmed case of COVID-19 as of Friday. Officials announced that businesses, schools and churches may reopen , as long as people stay six feet apart .
“Our businesses are dying and people need to be able to feed their children and pay their rent,” said Heather Hadwick, deputy director of the county’s Office of Emergency Services. “We live a different life than the rest of California. We’re very rural and naturally socially distanced in our everyday lives.”
Restaurants and bars will be allowed to host diners, but only at half capacity. People 65 and older and residents with underlying health conditions will still be required to stay home except to conduct essential business, and large gatherings will still be banned.
Motorists parade by joining hundreds at a rally at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway to call on Gov. Newsom to relax the state’s stay-at-home order on Friday in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Restaurant owner Jodie Larranaga said employees were preparing to open Friday and sending out word to customers.
“My bar tables are already far apart. But if people pull their stools together, I’m not going to stop them,” said Larranaga, who owns the Brass Rail. “As far as I’m concerned, right or wrong, that’s their choice. They are adults.”
Not every institution that could reopen plans to do so, though.
Ken Entwistle, senior pastor of GracePoint Church of the Nazarene in Alturas, said the stance of the Nazarene denomination is to follow the state’s order — which means he’ll continue streaming services and devotionals via Facebook Live.
“We need to pay attention to the prompting of the spirit and we need to look toward our authorities for some answers or some OKs,” he said. “For us, Jesus Christ is the absolute authority.”
It’s not yet clear how the state will respond to Modoc’s move. The governor’s media office did not answer a request for comment Friday.
When it comes to matters of public health, the state has wide powers to enact regulations and restrictions, according to Julie Nice, a constitutional law professor at the University of San Francisco.
Protesters rally at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway to call on Gov. Newsom to relax the state’s stay-at-home order on Friday in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Counties and other local governments “may enforce health and safety and sanitation rules,” she said, “so long as they do not conflict with the state’s general law.” That doesn’t seem to be the case with what Modoc County has proposed, she said.
“From everything I can tell from the governor’s orders and what the county has said it plans to do, it appears to directly conflict with state law,” she said. “And I think, as a matter of governmental power, the county’s likely to lose against the state.”
Elected officials from across rural California — from the Central Coast to the Central Valley, Northern California and elsewhere — have asked Newsom to let them ease restrictions, arguing that their infection rates are incomparable to hot spots such as Los Angeles County.
Newsom on Friday said he wanted to “be crystal clear” that he understood there were different circumstances in rural areas and that the state was in direct contact with local leaders in those places.
“We hear you,” he said. “We’re paying attention to you.”
Times staff writers Anh Do, Priscella Vega, Alex Wigglesworth, Hannah Fry and Rong-Gong Lin II and the Associated Press contributed to this report.