latimes--2020-09-19--Bobcat fire explodes to 91,000 acres, claims homes amid heavy winds; more evacuations ordered

Roland Pagan stood knee-deep in swirls of smoke on a mesa where the two-story home it took him nine years to build once offered commanding views of the desert flatlands below .
Almost exactly 24 hours earlier , Pagan , 80 , stood on a nearby hill and peered through binoculars , watching his house in Juniper Hills collapse in flames .
“ The ferocity of this fire was shocking , ” he said , shaking his head in sadness .
“ It burned my house alive in just 20 minutes.
” The Bobcat fire exploded Friday amid intense winds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and spreading in multiple directions .
As of Saturday , the fire had burned more than 91,000 acres and was threatening some desert communities along Highway 138 .
The fire lines stretched across 30 miles of rough terrain on the northern flanks of the San Gabriel Mountains .
Pagan was struggling to take stock of his losses and figure out what to do next .
“ Holy mackerel , ” he mumbled , to no one in particular as he strode through the smoldering ruins .
“ It ’ s gon na take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what just happened here , ” he said .
“ I ’ m in shock.
” As he spoke , columns of smoke arose in the distance on all sides of his house , signaling property elsewhere that was catching fire .
“ Yesterday and through the night , the fire made a dramatic push due to the windy conditions , ” Capt .
David Dantic , public information officer for the fire response effort , said Saturday morning .
Several homes in the remote foothills community were lost , Dantic said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t immediately clear .
“ We ’ ll get a better assessment once our teams go out , but we were in an active firefight yesterday , ” he said .
He said firefighters were continuing to work to protect homes on Saturday .
Though the fire approached the high desert community of Valyermo , a Benedictine monastery there appeared to have escaped major damage .
The fire spread rapidly onto the desert floor Friday as winds arrived .
Some residents had to flee as the fire jumped around , hitting some homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stands of yucca and juniper , leaving behind piles of ash resembling leopard spots and transforming the landscape into a smoky wasteland .
The fire was 15 % contained as of Saturday , but fire officials said they have a tough weekend ahead with hot conditions and more winds forecast .
“ We are expecting another round of some pretty gusty south to southwest winds over the Bobcat fire this afternoon and into the evening hours , ” said David Gomberg , meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard .
The weather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weather threat both Saturday and Sunday due to the combination of wind and low relative humidity .
A high priority throughout the day for firefighters was monitoring the behavior of the wind , which was sporadic and ranged from stock still to rambunctious .
Whenever gusts arose , there suddenly appeared more smoke in the air and more spires of dark smoke , indicating new blazes .
Gomberg said the wind isn ’ t expected to be as strong as Friday , when gusts reached 40 to 45 mph , but gusts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Humidity is forecast to be in the teens .
The fire has more than doubled in size in just a few days , growing nearly 20,000 acres from Friday to Saturday alone .
Officials said the fire has been so challenging because it is burning in areas that have not burned in decades , and because the firestorms across the state have limited resources .
There are now more than 1,600 firefighters on the lines .
They have relied upon helicopters and water dropping airplanes to deal with heat , erratic winds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swaths of inaccessible mountain terrain .
Compounding problems for firefighters trying to defend lives and property in sparsely populated areas has been what L.A. County Fire Department Capt .
Sam Bashaw described as “ a lack of responsibility among folks who should know better.
” “ The price of living in a rural area comes with responsibility — be prepared for the worst , ” he said .
“ Do they take that to heart ?
Absolutely not.
” The blaze is destroying forests and laying the groundwork for mudslides in some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including the southern mountain yellow-legged frog .
The fire burned through the Devil ’ s Punchbowl Natural Area , destroying the nature center , the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation said on Twitter .
No animals or staff were hurt , and the wildlife sanctuary staff office was still standing , the department said .
Crews are trying to stop the blaze from marching east of Highway 39 and , to the west , working to protect Mt .
Wilson , topped by its namesake observatory as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a containment line around part of Mt .
Wilson but are “ still not out of the woods ” because hotspots could flare up , Dantic said .
There was also concern that wind could push the fire northeast toward the Wrightwood area , which remained under an evacuation warning Saturday .
At 2:30 p.m. , the eastern edges of the fire were chewing through pine and oak forests about eight miles south of the San Gabriel Mountain resort town .
The town of about 4,000 residents sits at the bottom of heavily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many times over the decades by encroaching wildfire .
As of Saturday afternoon , however , it was business as usual with tourists ringing up purchases in gift shops and restaurants .
But firefighters at the U.S. Forest Service ’ s century-old wood-framed visitors center , four miles south of town , were not taking any chances .
There , a crew spent much of the day encasing the historic structure ’ s eaves , wood shingles and exterior walls in aluminum foil to deflect windblown embers .
“ Our goal is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire is unpredictable and it can do anything at any point and time , ” Dantic said .
“ We do have units strategically in place so we can stop this fire.
” He urged residents to heed evacuation orders and to be ready to leave if placed under an evacuation warning .
New evacuation orders were issued Saturday for the foothill areas south of 138th Street East , north of Big Pines Highway and Highway 2 , west of 263rd Street East and east of Largo Vista Road .
Residents in northern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hills , Devil ’ s Punchbowl and Paradise Springs , were placed under earlier in the week as flames closed in on the area .
were issued Friday for residents in the Angeles National Forest east of Highway 39 , south of East Fork Road , west of Glendora Mountain Road and north of Glendora Ridge Road .
Additional were issued for residents south of Fort Tejon Road , west of Longview Road , north of Colley Place and east of 89th Street East , as well as residents south of East Avenue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , north of Tumbleweed Road and east of Longview Road .
Orders were also issued for residents south of Pearblossom Highway , north of Big Pines Highway , west of Largo Vista Road and east of 165th Street East .
Fire crews have made significant progress on the southern edge of the fire , which jeopardized several foothill communities , including Arcadia and Sierra Madre .
Evacuation warnings for Arcadia , Sierra Madre , Monrovia , Duarte and Bradbury were lifted Saturday afternoon , but the warnings remained in place for Pasadena and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ midst of an unprecedented fire season in California , with more than 7,900 wildfires burning more than 3.5 million acres in the state since the start of the year , according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
The fires have killed 26 people and destroyed more than 5,800 structures since mid-August , when a siege of dry lightning strikes sparked hundreds of blazes , some of which quickly spread through dry vegetation that was primed by a record-setting heat wave .
Experts say that climate change has played a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the gradual warming of the planet has accelerated as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise .
Crews have nearly contained several of the lightning-sparked fires that converged into massive complexes in Northern and Central California .
The LNU Lightning Complex fire in Napa , Lake , Sonoma , Colusa , Solano and Yolo counties was 363,220 acres and 98 % contained Saturday after killing five people and destroying 1,491 structures .
The SCU Lightning Complex fire in Contra Costa , Alameda , Santa Clara , San Joaquin , Merced and Stanislaus counties was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having destroyed 222 structures .
The CZU August Lightning Complex fire in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties was 86,509 acres and 98 % contained .
It has killed one person and destroyed 1,490 structures .
Crews also reported progress against several large fires burning elsewhere in the state but said that weather conditions could pose a challenge this weekend .
The North Complex fire , which has killed 15 people and damaged or destroyed more than 1,450 structures in Butte , Plumas and Yuba counties , was at 289,951 acres and 58 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected an increase in fire activity Saturday due to dropping humidity and warmer temperatures .
To the south , the 22,071-acre El Dorado fire was burning in San Bernardino County along Highway 38 and in the Angelus Oaks area , officials said .
The fire broke out Sept. 7 near Yucaipa and was 59 % contained Saturday , down from 66 % earlier in the week .
Officials said it was caused by a smoke-emitting pyrotechnic device that was part of a gender-reveal party in a park .
Flames had destroyed at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the fire was continuing to threaten more than 26,000 structures .
A firefighter died while fighting the blaze earlier in the week , becoming the third firefighter to die while fighting California ’ s wildfires this year .

Roland Pagan on Saturday stood knee-deep in swirls of smoke on a mesa where the two-story home it took him nine years to build once offered commanding views of the desert flatlands below.
Almost exactly 24 hours earlier, Pagan, 80, had stood on a nearby hill and peered through binoculars, watching the house in Juniper Hills collapse in flames.
“The ferocity of this fire was shocking,” he said, shaking his head in sadness. “It burned my house alive in just 20 minutes.”
The Bobcat fire exploded Friday amid intense winds, burning homes in the Antelope Valley and spreading in multiple directions.
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As of Saturday, the fire had burned more than 93,842 acres and was threatening some desert communities along Highway 138. The fire lines stretched across 30 miles of rough terrain on the northern flanks of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Roland Pagan surveys the remains of his home that the Bobcat fire burned to the ground Friday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Pagan was struggling to take stock of his losses and figure out what to do next.
“Holy mackerel,” he mumbled to no one in particular as he strode through the smoldering ruins.
“It’s gonna take several days to come to grips with what just happened here,” he said. “I’m in shock.”
As he spoke, columns of smoke arose in the distance on all sides of his house, signaling property elsewhere that was catching fire.
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“Yesterday and through the night, the fire made a dramatic push due to the windy conditions,” Capt. David Dantic, public information officer for the fire response effort, said Saturday morning.
Several homes in the remote foothills community were lost, Dantic said. The extent of the destruction wasn’t immediately clear.
“We’ll get a better assessment once our teams go out, but we were in an active firefight yesterday,” he said. He said firefighters were continuing to work to protect homes on Saturday.
Though the fire approached the high desert community of Valyermo, a Benedictine monastery there appeared to have escaped major damage.
A resident flees as the Bobcat fire approaches Cima Mesa Road in Juniper Hills. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
The fire spread rapidly onto the desert floor Friday as winds arrived. Some residents had to flee as the fire jumped around, hitting some homes but sparing others.
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Flames tore through stands of yucca and juniper, leaving behind piles of ash resembling leopard spots and transforming the landscape into a smoky wasteland.
The fire was 15% contained as of Saturday, but fire officials said they had a tough weekend ahead with hot conditions and more winds forecast.
“We are expecting another round of some pretty gusty south to southwest winds over the Bobcat fire this afternoon and into the evening hours,” said David Gomberg, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. The weather service was warning of an elevated fire weather threat both Saturday and Sunday due to the combination of wind and low relative humidity.
A high priority throughout the day for firefighters was monitoring the behavior of the wind, which was sporadic and ranged from stock still to rambunctious. Whenever gusts arose, there suddenly appeared more smoke in the air and more spires of dark smoke, indicating new blazes.
The fire more than doubled in size in just a few days, growing by nearly 20,000 acres from Friday to Saturday alone. Officials said the fire had been so challenging because it was burning in areas that had not burned in decades, and because the firestorms across the state had limited resources.
There are now more than 1,600 firefighters on the lines. They have relied on helicopters and water-dropping airplanes in dealing with heat, erratic winds, low humidity and flames sweeping across vast swaths of inaccessible mountain terrain.
Advertisement
Compounding problems for firefighters trying to defend lives and property in sparsely populated areas has been what L.A. County Fire Department Capt. Sam Bashaw described as a lack of responsibility among some residents to prepare for fires.
A statue sits on top of a house in Juniper Hills that was leveled by the Bobcat fire Saturday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
“The price of living in a rural area comes with responsibility — be prepared for the worst,” he said. “Do they take that to heart? Absolutely not.”
The blaze is destroying forests and laying the groundwork for mudslides in some of the last refuges for federally endangered animals, including the southern mountain yellow-legged frog.
The fire burned through the Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area, destroying the nature center, the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation said on Twitter. No animals or staff were hurt, and the wildlife sanctuary staff office was still standing, the department said.
Crews are trying to stop the blaze from marching east of Highway 39 and, to the west, are working to protect Mt. Wilson, topped by its namesake observatory as well as numerous communication towers. Firefighters have put a containment line around part of Mt. Wilson but are “still not out of the woods” because hotspots could flare up, Dantic said.
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There was also concern that wind could push the fire northeast toward the Wrightwood area, which remained under an evacuation warning Saturday.
At 2:30 p.m., the eastern edges of the fire were chewing through pine and oak forests about eight miles south of the San Gabriel Mountain resort town.
The Bear Divide Hotshots crew on Saturday wraps the U.S. Forest Service information center in aluminum foil to deflect windblown embers from the Bobcat fire. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
The town of about 4,000 residents sits at the bottom of heavily wooded Swarthout Valley and has been threatened many times over the decades by encroaching wildfire.
As of Saturday afternoon, however, it was business as usual with tourists ringing up purchases in gift shops and restaurants.
But firefighters at the U.S. Forest Service’s century-old wood-framed visitors center, four miles south of town, were not taking any chances.
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There, a crew spent much of the day encasing the historic structure’s eaves, wood shingles and exterior walls in aluminum foil to deflect windblown embers.
“Our goal is to make sure we contain the fire, but fire is unpredictable, and it can do anything at any point and time,” Dantic said. “We do have units strategically in place so we can stop this fire.”
He urged residents to heed evacuation orders and to be ready to leave if placed under an evacuation warning.
New evacuation orders were issued Saturday for the foothill areas south of 138th Street East, north of Big Pines Highway and Highway 2, west of 263rd Street East and east of Largo Vista Road.
Residents in northern foothill communities, including portions of Juniper Hills, Devil’s Punchbowl and Paradise Springs, were placed under evacuation orders earlier in the week as flames closed in on the area.
Orders were also issued for residents south of Pearblossom Highway, north of Big Pines Highway, west of Largo Vista Road and east of 165th Street East.
Fire crews have made significant progress on the southern edge of the fire, which jeopardized several foothill communities, including Arcadia and Sierra Madre. Evacuation warnings for Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Duarte and Bradbury were lifted Saturday afternoon, but the warnings remained in place for Pasadena and Altadena.
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The blaze comes in the midst of an unprecedented fire season in California, with more than 7,900 wildfires burning over 3.5 million acres in the state since the start of the year, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fires have killed 26 people and destroyed more than 5,800 structures since mid-August, when a siege of dry lightning strikes sparked hundreds of blazes, some of which quickly spread through dry vegetation that was primed by a record-setting heat wave.
Experts say that climate change has played a role in the extreme conditions, as the gradual warming of the planet has accelerated as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.
A firefighter monitors the El Dorado fire as it approaches Yucaipa. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Crews have nearly contained several of the lightning-sparked fires that converged into massive complexes in Northern and Central California.
Crews also reported progress against several large fires burning elsewhere in the state but said weather conditions could pose a challenge this weekend.
The North Complex fire, which has killed 15 people and damaged or destroyed more than 1,450 structures in Butte, Plumas and Yuba counties, was at 289,951 acres and 58% contained.
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Fire officials said they expected an increase in fire activity Saturday due to dropping humidity and warmer temperatures.
To the south, the 22,071-acre El Dorado fire was burning in San Bernardino County along Highway 38 and in the Angelus Oaks area, officials said.
The fire broke out Sept. 7 near Yucaipa and was 59% contained Saturday, down from 66% earlier in the week. Officials said it was caused by a smoke-emitting pyrotechnic device that was part of a gender-reveal party in a park.
Flames had destroyed at least four homes and damaged two others, and the fire was continuing to threaten more than 26,000 structures. A firefighter died while fighting the blaze earlier in the week, becoming the third firefighter to die while fighting California’s wildfires this year.


latimes--2020-09-19--Column: Sharks moving north, redwood growth slowing, mosquitoes biting — this is California's altere

Column: Sharks moving north, redwood growth slowing, mosquitoes biting — this is California's altered state

In California , we ’ ve come to see drought , extreme heat and deadly fire as the most alarming , obvious evidence of climate change .
But life as we know it is being altered in multiple ways , often just out of view .
There was a time not long ago when young great white sharks were seldom found north of Point Conception on the Santa Barbara County coast , because the water was too cold for them .
But now there ’ s a sizable population in Monterey Bay , where water has warmed in recent years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been affected .
“ We ’ re seeing a whole host of things happening that are unprecedented , ” said Kyle Van Houtan , chief scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium .
Farther south , warming trends off the coast of Baja California are part of a dynamic in which tropical air is pushing north and making Southern California hotter and more humid , creating better conditions for giving harbor to mosquitoes and other insects .
Meanwhile , marine creatures from tropical climates are taking up residence off our coast .
And decreases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several decades are wreaking havoc not just on California ’ s $ 40-billion wine industry , which I wrote about recently , but also on other crops and even our redwood forests .
None of this is guesswork .
It ’ s the result of years of research by dedicated scholars , and their discoveries serve as dire warnings only a fool would dismiss .
This leads me to the short visit to California , several days ago , by President Trump .
He insisted better forest management is needed to prevent wildfires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to that .
But he shrugged off the reality of climate change , as he has for years .
“ It will start getting cooler again , ” he said .
“ Just watch.
” “ I don ’ t think science knows , actually , ” said Trump .
It ’ s not news that the president lacks basic intellectual curiosity about complex matters .
But ignorance is particularly dangerous at the moment , because with the twin threats of the coronavirus and global warming , we need to pay attention to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it and make matters worse .
“ I really wonder about the younger generations and what they ’ re going to have to live through .
They are going to be living in a very different place , ” said UC Berkeley professor Todd Dawson .
Dawson has studied , among other things , changes in California ’ s coastal fog .
“ Over the last 60 years , fog has declined by about 30 % , ” said Dawson , explaining that fog is generated by the differential between air and ocean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fog and more sunlight , which means among other things that coastal vegetation such as chaparral is drier and more fire-prone .
Dawson ’ s study of the narrow band of redwoods that extends from the Oregon border to Big Sur found that in the north , which is cooler and wetter , the trees are fine .
But he ’ s made disturbing observations about some of the redwoods at the southern end of the band , where a drier and warmer climate appears to be taking a toll .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the very driest end of the habitat , and growth is slowing , both in height and annual radial growth , ” Dawson said .
It ’ s not just coastal fog that ’ s in decline , as one Davis resident tells it .
“ It used to be that every December and January there was so much fog you could hardly drive in it , and it hasn ’ t been that way for the last 10 years , ” said Richard Snyder , retired UC Davis professor of biometeorology .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern for growers of various crops in the state , Snyder said the bigger problem is that less rain and a lower snowpack mean less water for agricultural and urban use .
We think of record-setting summer daytime temperatures as markers of change , but Snyder said winter temperatures in California are rising faster than summer temperatures , and nighttime temperatures are rising faster than daytime temperatures .
In much of California , the 1,100-mile coast is a moderating influence on our weather .
And the Pacific , like all the oceans of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But there are certain bull ’ s-eyes of warming , where the water is warming faster .
And one of those is off the coast of Baja California , ” said Scripps Oceanography researcher Sasha Gershunov .
“ This impacts our terrestrial heat waves , making them more humid.
” As ocean temperatures warm , Gershunov said , clouds dissipate , allowing solar radiation to warm the ocean and dissipate cloud cover even more .
In extreme heat waves , air is often pulled up and into Southern California from that region , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a study that found a connection between warmer , more humid air and cases of West Nile virus .
“ In Los Angeles , you ’ re seeing more humid conditions and warmer nights , and that actually helps the mosquitoes proliferate and bite you more often , ” Gershunov said .
One feature of climate change is aberrant patterns .
Scripps researcher Natalya Gallo is part of a team studying changes in the California Current over the last 71 years , and while there ’ s been a general warming along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ southerly climates , occasional temperature fluctuations have surprised scientists .
“ In the last month or two , temperature variability … is unprecedented , with really warm periods and then there ’ s a strong upwelling event .
The water is 70 degrees and then all of a sudden it ’ s in the 50s , ” said Gallo , adding that such changes stress habitats and lead to migration of fish , including anchovies and sardines .
Chris Lowe , director of the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recent years involves the movement of sharks north .
“ Prior to the last big El Niño , it was unheard of for white shark nurseries to be north of Point Conception , and now a new nursery has formed off Santa Cruz , ” Lowe said .
Until they grow older and move offshore , young great whites prefer a temperature niche between 60 and 82 degrees , Lowe said , and the warming of Monterey Bay has made those waters more hospitable .
Spiny lobster and garibaldi , more common @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up residence in Monterey Bay in greater numbers , said Van Houtan , the aquarium researcher .
“ The spiny lobster is a Long Beach animal , not a Monterey animal , ” he said .
Van Houtan said a sea otter population that extends from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz has been under attack , with shark bites as the leading cause of death over the last 10 years .
It appears the sharks mistake the fur of otters for the blubber of elephant seals .
“ So everyone comes away disappointed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Van Houtan .
These attacks are more common in areas of dramatic kelp decline .
Ocean warming is suspected as a cause of that decline , as well as the decline of starfish .
And Van Houtan neatly explained the interconnections .
“ Because starfish eat sea urchins , this sort of took the lid off of what was regulating urchins , and one of sea urchins ’ fave meals is kelp , ” Van Houtan said .
“ So due to warming , sea star disease , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news for kelp .
This is also bad news for otters as kelp provides a sheltering refuge , a habitat cover that otters can find safe harbor from sharks.
” All life forms , all natural forces , are connected .
The sea , the land , the atmosphere — we live on this remarkable floating sphere , and it ’ s our moral duty to understand and protect it , and to stand for nothing less than a large-scale conversion to clean energy and a radical reduction in our production of greenhouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t alone reverse the advance of climate change , nor can any one nation .
Which is all the more reason for the U.S. to embrace rather than dismiss science and to lead the global conversation rather than walk away from it .
“ Even though we are perhaps the most sophisticated animal on this planet , ” Van Houtan said , “ we seem to be the last species to find consensus on climate change .
White sharks , otters , kelp , lobsters , corals , redwoods , monarch butterflies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for years .
It ’ s time for us to listen to this chorus from nature .
We need to act on climate change .
”

Not long ago, young great whites were seldom found in the colder waters north of Point Conception. Now there’s a sizable population in Monterey Bay, where water temperatures have risen.
In California, we’ve come to see drought, extreme heat and deadly fire as the most alarming, obvious evidence of climate change. But life as we know it is being altered in multiple ways, often just out of view.
There was a time not long ago when young great white sharks were seldom found north of Point Conception on the Santa Barbara County coast, because the water was too cold for them. But now there’s a sizable population in Monterey Bay, where water has warmed in recent years, and much of the ecosystem has been affected.
“We’re seeing a whole host of things happening that are unprecedented,” said Kyle Van Houtan, chief scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Farther south, warming trends off the coast of Baja California are part of a dynamic in which tropical air is pushing north and making Southern California hotter and more humid, creating better conditions for giving harbor to mosquitoes and other insects. Meanwhile, marine creatures from tropical climates are taking up residence off our coast.
And decreases in fog and precipitation over the last several decades are wreaking havoc not just on California’s $40-billion wine industry, which I wrote about recently, but also on other crops and even our redwood forests.
Advertisement
None of this is guesswork. It’s the result of years of research by dedicated scholars, and their discoveries serve as dire warnings only a fool would dismiss.
This leads me to the short visit to California, several days ago, by President Trump. He insisted better forest management is needed to prevent wildfires, and there’s some truth to that. But he shrugged off the reality of climate change, as he has for years.
“It will start getting cooler again,” he said. “Just watch.”
“I wish science agreed with you,” California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot retorted.
“I don’t think science knows, actually,” said Trump.
It’s not news that the president lacks basic intellectual curiosity about complex matters. But ignorance is particularly dangerous at the moment, because with the twin threats of the coronavirus and global warming, we need to pay attention to science and act accordingly rather than debunk it and make matters worse.
“I really wonder about the younger generations and what they’re going to have to live through. They are going to be living in a very different place,” said UC Berkeley professor Todd Dawson.
Dawson has studied, among other things, changes in California’s coastal fog.
“Over the last 60 years, fog has declined by about 30%,” said Dawson, explaining that fog is generated by the differential between air and ocean water temperatures. Warmer water means less fog and more sunlight, which means among other things that coastal vegetation such as chaparral is drier and more fire-prone.
Dawson’s study of the narrow band of redwoods that extends from the Oregon border to Big Sur found that in the north, which is cooler and wetter, the trees are fine. But he’s made disturbing observations about some of the redwoods at the southern end of the band, where a drier and warmer climate appears to be taking a toll.
“We’re seeing some trees dying in the very driest end of the habitat, and growth is slowing, both in height and annual radial growth,” Dawson said.
It’s not just coastal fog that’s in decline, as one Davis resident tells it.
Advertisement
“It used to be that every December and January there was so much fog you could hardly drive in it, and it hasn’t been that way for the last 10 years,” said Richard Snyder, retired UC Davis professor of biometeorology.
But while less fog could become a concern for growers of various crops in the state, Snyder said the bigger problem is that less rain and a lower snowpack mean less water for agricultural and urban use. We think of record-setting summer daytime temperatures as markers of change, but Snyder said winter temperatures in California are rising faster than summer temperatures, and nighttime temperatures are rising faster than daytime temperatures.
In much of California, the 1,100-mile coast is a moderating influence on our weather. And the Pacific, like all the oceans of the world, is warming.
“But there are certain bull’s-eyes of warming, where the water is warming faster. And one of those is off the coast of Baja California,” said Scripps Oceanography researcher Sasha Gershunov. “This impacts our terrestrial heat waves, making them more humid.”
As ocean temperatures warm, Gershunov said, clouds dissipate, allowing solar radiation to warm the ocean and dissipate cloud cover even more. In extreme heat waves, air is often pulled up and into Southern California from that region, said Gershunov, one of the researchers in a study that found a connection between warmer, more humid air and cases of West Nile virus.
“In Los Angeles, you’re seeing more humid conditions and warmer nights, and that actually helps the mosquitoes proliferate and bite you more often,” Gershunov said.
One feature of climate change is aberrant patterns. Scripps researcher Natalya Gallo is part of a team studying changes in the California Current over the last 71 years, and while there’s been a general warming along with the arrival of fish from more southerly climates, occasional temperature fluctuations have surprised scientists.
“In the last month or two, temperature variability … is unprecedented, with really warm periods and then there’s a strong upwelling event. The water is 70 degrees and then all of a sudden it’s in the 50s,” said Gallo, adding that such changes stress habitats and lead to migration of fish, including anchovies and sardines.
Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach, said the biggest change he’s seen in recent years involves the movement of sharks north.
“Prior to the last big El Niño, it was unheard of for white shark nurseries to be north of Point Conception, and now a new nursery has formed off Santa Cruz,” Lowe said.
Until they grow older and move offshore, young great whites prefer a temperature niche between 60 and 82 degrees, Lowe said, and the warming of Monterey Bay has made those waters more hospitable. Spiny lobster and garibaldi, more common off Southern California, have also taken up residence in Monterey Bay in greater numbers, said Van Houtan, the aquarium researcher.
“The spiny lobster is a Long Beach animal, not a Monterey animal,” he said.
Van Houtan said a sea otter population that extends from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz has been under attack, with shark bites as the leading cause of death over the last 10 years. It appears the sharks mistake the fur of otters for the blubber of elephant seals.
“So everyone comes away disappointed from that interaction, especially the otters,” said Van Houtan.
These attacks are more common in areas of dramatic kelp decline. Ocean warming is suspected as a cause of that decline, as well as the decline of starfish. And Van Houtan neatly explained the interconnections.
“Because starfish eat sea urchins, this sort of took the lid off of what was regulating urchins, and one of sea urchins’ fave meals is kelp,” Van Houtan said. “So due to warming, sea star disease, and the rise of urchins, this spells bad news for kelp. This is also bad news for otters as kelp provides a sheltering refuge, a habitat cover that otters can find safe harbor from sharks.”
All life forms, all natural forces, are connected.
The sea, the land, the atmosphere — we live on this remarkable floating sphere, and it’s our moral duty to understand and protect it, and to stand for nothing less than a large-scale conversion to clean energy and a radical reduction in our production of greenhouse gas.
Well-meaning individuals and states can’t alone reverse the advance of climate change, nor can any one nation. Which is all the more reason for the U.S. to embrace rather than dismiss science and to lead the global conversation rather than walk away from it.
“Even though we are perhaps the most sophisticated animal on this planet,” Van Houtan said, “we seem to be the last species to find consensus on climate change. White sharks, otters, kelp, lobsters, corals, redwoods, monarch butterflies — they all get it and have for years. It’s time for us to listen to this chorus from nature. We need to act on climate change.”
steve.lopez@latimes.com


latimes--2020-09-19--California was choked by wildfire smoke. How bad is it for our health?

For weeks , millions of Californians were smothered by smoke from a record explosion of wildfires burning through grass , shrubs , conifer forests , houses and mobile home parks .
Eyes watered .
Lungs burned .
Skies glowed orange .
People suffered sore throats , headaches and chest pains .
Many cloistered themselves indoors as pollution spiked to “ hazardous ” levels , or worse , on the Air Quality Index .
While most people were not threatened directly by fires burning up and down the West Coast , smoke transported health dangers to nearly every corner of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aware of no precedent for so many people breathing such high levels of wildfire smoke for so long .
Even as air quality begins to improve , many remain worried about long-term health impacts .
“ Frankly , we don ’ t really know about the long-term effects of wildfire smoke because community exposures haven ’ t been long-term before , ” said Dr. John Balmes , a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco and a member of the California Air Resources Board .
Health experts are fairly certain that such levels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the immediate term by aggravating chronic lung and heart conditions , triggering asthma attacks , strokes and heart attacks .
Scientists also suspect that heavy smoke has lowered people ’ s defenses against the coronavirus , and put them at greater risk of severe symptoms .
But the question of lasting health damage remains hazier .
Though the link between chronic exposure to the fine-particle pollution in urban smog and long-term health problems is well-established thanks to thousands of studies and decades of research , there has been relatively little research when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long-term consequences is critical , scientists said , because wildfire smoke is a growing health hazard , responsible for an increasing share of the fine-particle pollution across the Western U.S. And with climate change warming and drying out landscapes , helping to fuel bigger , more intense fires , you can expect more smoky days in the future .
In just the last month , fires have generated both the highest readings and most widespread unhealthy levels of fine-particle pollution since continuous monitoring began in the late 1990s , California air quality officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the firestorm , about half of California ’ s population — an estimated 19.6 million people — experienced levels of wildfire smoke exceeding health standards , mostly north of the Grapevine , according to the state Air Resources Board .
By last weekend , the smoke had spread across Southern California and to nearly every corner of the state , with almost 95 percent of Californians exposed to unhealthy pollution levels , the air quality agency estimated .
Monitoring data released this week by the Air Resources Board showed that 15 of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record in California have occurred during the fires over the last month .
The highest concentration yet came on Tuesday in Mammoth Lakes , where concentrations of tiny soot particles known as PM2.5 reached 660 micrograms per cubic meter — more than 18 times the federal health standard of 35 and beyond the range of the Air Quality Index .
“ These are unprecedented levels of air pollution , ” said Bonnie Holmes-Gen , chief of the Air Resources Board ’ s health and exposure assessment branch .
Large areas of California have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past .
The most widespread episode prior to this year , according to air quality officials , was during the 2018 Camp fire , when unhealthy pollution spread across the entire northern portion of the state .
The smoke lasted about 13 days , impacting about 60 % of California ’ s population .
Fires in the summer of 2008 also brought weeks of widespread unhealthy smoke to northern and central California .
Like tobacco , without the nicotine Wildfire smoke is distinct from typical urban smog , and consists of thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on what type of fuel was burned and when .
A big , hot fire burns material more completely , breaking fuels down to their more essential elements .
A cooler fire , one that leaves smoldering black and brown wood behind , can release more toxic particulates , experts say .
And a fire that burns homes can release a stew of potentially more toxic chemicals from plastics , furniture and building materials .
As a product of the combustion of wood , leaves and other material , wildfire smoke is closer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and consists of carbon-based particles with “ nasty , complex hydrocarbons on their surface ” and irritant gases that are known carcinogens , said Balmes .
“ The dose is usually less than inhaling directly from a burning cigarette , ” Balmes said .
“ But the dose makes the poison … and the community is getting a bigger dose than we ’ ve ever had before because of these multiple days in a row of bad air quality.
” Some of the world ’ s most intense fires produce smoke that lofts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles around the globe , said Barry Lefero , manager of NASA ’ s Tropospheric Composition Program , which uses a DC-8 jetliner that circles the globe studying wildfire smoke .
With big fires “ the smoke goes higher in the air , it ’ s more buoyant , it can travel farther , but at night the fires lay down , the smoke is trapped and it fumigates the valleys that fill up with smoke.
” Of all the ingredients in wildfire smoke , the most concerning to scientists are microscopic particles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 2.5 microns in diameter .
They can be inhaled deep into the lungs and pass into the bloodstream .
In the short term , those tiny specks of pollution can irritate the eyes , nose and throat and cause coughing , tightness in the chest and difficulty breathing , and even flu-like symptoms in otherwise healthy people .
But they pose more serious risks to young children , pregnant women , outdoor workers , the elderly and especially people with chronic health conditions such as asthma , lung disease and heart disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of wildfire smoke along the West Coast have likely increased the number of patients seeking medical care for asthma attacks , heart attacks , strokes and other health problems aggravated by air pollution .
“ And the longer we have bad air , ” he said , ” the greater the cumulative exposure , and that increases the risk of these adverse outcomes.
” Stanford University researchers Marshall Burke and Sam Heft-Neal did a “ back-of-envelope ” calculation estimating that smoke exposure has likely caused 1,000 to 3,000 excess deaths and an additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last month .
Francesca Dominici , a professor of biostatistics at Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health , said their estimate is credible and the general approach makes sense .
“ There is a large epidemiological literature that shows strong evidence of short-term changes in PM2.5 and increased mortality risk , ” she said .
The concerns about increased risk of COVID-19 come from past research showing dirty air makes people more susceptible to contracting similar respiratory infections , such as pneumonia , and of developing more severe symptoms .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus .
Even if the number of new cases remains the same , there could be more serious health complications because of the way air pollution inflames the lungs and “ just doesn ’ t allow the immune system to respond correctly to this kind of infection , ” said Tarik Benmarhnia , a professor of epidemiology at UC San Diego ’ s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and School of Medicine .
“ I really hope I ’ m wrong , but what we may expect to see in the next few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate from COVID-19.
” Scientists have good reasons to expect that chronic exposure to wildfire smoke may inflict some of the same long-term health damage as typical urban fine-particle pollution , or soot .
That type of pollution , which in California is generated mainly by motor vehicles , is linked to an array of health problems , including thousands of early deaths each year .
Wildfire smoke could even be more harmful , said Benmarhnia , who cited studies showing that the same concentrations of fine particles , when coming from wildfires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toxic for the respiratory system compared to PM2.5 from other sources.
” Scientists don ’ t know for sure because of a dearth of long-term health research .
For all the years of study we ’ ve devoted to vehicle exhaust and cigarettes , our understanding of this fundamental element in our planet ’ s existence is in its relative infancy .
The few studies that have been completed have usually involved groups like wildland firefighters .
There is research suggesting they have increased risk of heart disease and lung cancer , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already known about exposure to PM2.5 from other sources of pollution , such as traffic .
One of the most relevant studies followed not humans , but baby rhesus macaque monkeys at a primate research center on the UC Davis campus who were exposed to high levels of PM2.5 pollution over a 10-day period during the wildfires in the summer of 2008 .
The study found that the monkeys had reduced function in their lungs and immune systems years later , compared to monkeys that were not exposed to high pollution levels as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after shorter exposures , and lower pollution levels than Californians have lived with since August , the Air Resources Board ’ s Holmes-Gen noted .
A flurry of new research into the health effects of the smoke is now underway .
Rebecca Schmidt , a professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at UC Davis , is conducting a long-term study into effects of smoke on pregnant women that began in response to the 2017 fires in Napa and Sonoma .
She heard from expecting mothers who were affected by the smoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other symptoms and wanted to know what the science said about the impacts on their developing babies .
“ There really wasn ’ t much out there , ” Schmidt said .
“ There were just a couple studies.
” Schmidt ’ s project now includes about 400 women who were pregnant during or shortly after wildfires in Northern California over the past three years .
She plans to recruit additional participants this year who may have faced even higher , cumulative smoke exposure due to the recent fires .
“ What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see what ’ s happening long term and whether those early biological responses are going to have long-term impacts , and that we just don ’ t know yet , ” she said .
“ There ’ s just very little known about wildfire , specifically smoke exposure , and long-term health impacts.
” Meanwhile , another ongoing study in Montana has reported troubling new findings that suggest wildfire smoke impairs people ’ s lungs long after the smoke clears .
Researchers assessed the health of people in the small community of Seeley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blanketed with heavy wildfire smoke for 49 days during devastating wildfires in 2017 .
Follow-up tests showed they had decreased lung function for two years after the fires , with the percentage of residents who fell below normal levels more than doubling in 2018 and remaining low a year later .
As University of Montana immunologist Christopher Migliaccio and colleagues wrote in a study published last month , '' these findings suggest that wildfire smoke can have long-lasting effects on human health.
” Though at least some portion of California ’ s PM2.5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in years past most of it has been generated by motor vehicles and industrial sources .
But as vehicle emissions decline and the climate warms , scientists expect the bulk of that pollution to come from wildfire smoke within the next few decades .
“ We ’ ve always been exposed to smoke , but it ’ s getting worse these days , ” said Carsten Warneke , a research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
“ And we notice it much more as we ’ re getting all our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of researchers coined the term “ smoke wave ” to describe episodes of high air pollution from wildfire that last two or more days .
In a 2016 study , they projected a big increase in the frequency and intensity of smoke wave events that will affect tens of millions of people across the western U.S. if greenhouse gases continue to rise moderately .
Northern California and Western Oregon are among the areas “ likely to suffer the highest exposure to wildfire smoke in the future.
” California regulators , who have for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on smog , are also being forced to confront wildfires as an increasing threat to their work to reduce emissions and slow global warming .
“ We ’ re concerned about smoke pollution undercutting all the efforts we ’ re making to reduce particle pollution and clean up the air , ” said Holmes-Gen of the state Air Resources Board .
Scientists also worry about what the future holds because of the role wildfire emissions play in what ’ s called a “ climate feedback loop , ” in which the global warming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emissions lead to higher temperatures , which then create drier , more fire-prone conditions , ” researchers at the World Resources Institute think tank wrote in a blog post this week .
“ With more fires comes more emissions , perpetuating the entire cycle .
”

Breya Hodge walks her dog Sophie as smoke from the Bobcat fire and other blazes casts a pall over downtown Los Angeles recently.
For weeks, millions of Californians were smothered by smoke from a record explosion of wildfires burning through grass, shrubs, conifer forests, houses and mobile home parks. Eyes watered. Lungs burned. Skies glowed orange.
People suffered sore throats, headaches and chest pains. Many cloistered themselves indoors as pollution spiked to “hazardous” levels, or worse, on the Air Quality Index.
While most people were not threatened directly by fires burning up and down the West Coast, smoke transported health dangers to nearly every corner of the state. State air quality officials are aware of no precedent for so many people breathing such high levels of wildfire smoke for so long.
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Even as air quality begins to improve, many remain worried about long-term health impacts.
(Swetha Kannan / Los Angeles Times)
“Frankly, we don’t really know about the long-term effects of wildfire smoke because community exposures haven’t been long-term before,” said Dr. John Balmes, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco and a member of the California Air Resources Board.
Health experts are fairly certain that such levels of wildfire smoke did significant harm in the immediate term by aggravating chronic lung and heart conditions, triggering asthma attacks, strokes and heart attacks. Scientists also suspect that heavy smoke has lowered people’s defenses against the coronavirus, and put them at greater risk of severe symptoms.
But the question of lasting health damage remains hazier. Though the link between chronic exposure to the fine-particle pollution in urban smog and long-term health problems is well-established thanks to thousands of studies and decades of research, there has been relatively little research when it comes to wildfire smoke.
Understanding the long-term consequences is critical, scientists said, because wildfire smoke is a growing health hazard, responsible for an increasing share of the fine-particle pollution across the Western U.S. And with climate change warming and drying out landscapes, helping to fuel bigger, more intense fires, you can expect more smoky days in the future.
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Unprecedented pollution
In just the last month, fires have generated both the highest readings and most widespread unhealthy levels of fine-particle pollution since continuous monitoring began in the late 1990s, California air quality officials said.
In the first few weeks of the firestorm, about half of California’s population — an estimated 19.6 million people — experienced levels of wildfire smoke exceeding health standards, mostly north of the Grapevine, according to the state Air Resources Board. By last weekend, the smoke had spread across Southern California and to nearly every corner of the state, with almost 95 percent of Californians exposed to unhealthy pollution levels, the air quality agency estimated.
Monitoring data released this week by the Air Resources Board showed that 15 of the top 20 fine-particle pollution readings on record in California have occurred during the fires over the last month. The highest concentration yet came on Tuesday in Mammoth Lakes, where concentrations of tiny soot particles known as PM2.5 reached 660 micrograms per cubic meter — more than 18 times the federal health standard of 35 and beyond the range of the Air Quality Index.
“These are unprecedented levels of air pollution,” said Bonnie Holmes-Gen, chief of the Air Resources Board’s health and exposure assessment branch.
Large areas of California have been hit with heavy smoke in the past. The most widespread episode prior to this year, according to air quality officials, was during the 2018 Camp fire, when unhealthy pollution spread across the entire northern portion of the state. The smoke lasted about 13 days, impacting about 60% of California’s population. Fires in the summer of 2008 also brought weeks of widespread unhealthy smoke to northern and central California.
Like tobacco, without the nicotine
Wildfire smoke is distinct from typical urban smog, and consists of thousands of compounds. Its composition varies widely depending on what type of fuel was burned and when.
A big, hot fire burns material more completely, breaking fuels down to their more essential elements. A cooler fire, one that leaves smoldering black and brown wood behind, can release more toxic particulates, experts say. And a fire that burns homes can release a stew of potentially more toxic chemicals from plastics, furniture and building materials.
As a product of the combustion of wood, leaves and other material, wildfire smoke is closer to tobacco smoke than diesel exhaust, and consists of carbon-based particles with “nasty, complex hydrocarbons on their surface” and irritant gases that are known carcinogens, said Balmes.
“The dose is usually less than inhaling directly from a burning cigarette,” Balmes said. “But the dose makes the poison … and the community is getting a bigger dose than we’ve ever had before because of these multiple days in a row of bad air quality.”
Some of the world’s most intense fires produce smoke that lofts into the atmosphere and wraps thousands of miles around the globe, said Barry Lefero, manager of NASA’s Tropospheric Composition Program, which uses a DC-8 jetliner that circles the globe studying wildfire smoke. With big fires “the smoke goes higher in the air, it’s more buoyant, it can travel farther, but at night the fires lay down, the smoke is trapped and it fumigates the valleys that fill up with smoke.”
Short-term effects
Of all the ingredients in wildfire smoke, the most concerning to scientists are microscopic particles known as PM2.5 because they are less than 2.5 microns in diameter. They can be inhaled deep into the lungs and pass into the bloodstream.
In the short term, those tiny specks of pollution can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and cause coughing, tightness in the chest and difficulty breathing, and even flu-like symptoms in otherwise healthy people. But they pose more serious risks to young children, pregnant women, outdoor workers, the elderly and especially people with chronic health conditions such as asthma, lung disease and heart disease.
Balmes said that such high levels of wildfire smoke along the West Coast have likely increased the number of patients seeking medical care for asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes and other health problems aggravated by air pollution.
“And the longer we have bad air,” he said, ”the greater the cumulative exposure, and that increases the risk of these adverse outcomes.”
Stanford University researchers Marshall Burke and Sam Heft-Neal did a “back-of-envelope” calculation estimating that smoke exposure has likely caused 1,000 to 3,000 excess deaths and an additional 5,000 emergency room visits in California in the last month.
Francesca Dominici, a professor of biostatistics at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said their estimate is credible and the general approach makes sense.
“There is a large epidemiological literature that shows strong evidence of short-term changes in PM2.5 and increased mortality risk,” she said.
What are the health consequences of the terrible air quality experienced recently in CA due to wildfires? In a back-of-envelope, we calculate that smoke exposure has likely caused 1000-3000 excess deaths in CA in the last month. Blog+thread https://t.co/5FmhaxGewB — Marshall Burke (@MarshallBBurke) September 11, 2020
The concerns about increased risk of COVID-19 come from past research showing dirty air makes people more susceptible to contracting similar respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, and of developing more severe symptoms. Scientists suspect that is also happening with the coronavirus.
Even if the number of new cases remains the same, there could be more serious health complications because of the way air pollution inflames the lungs and “just doesn’t allow the immune system to respond correctly to this kind of infection,” said Tarik Benmarhnia, a professor of epidemiology at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and School of Medicine. “I really hope I’m wrong, but what we may expect to see in the next few weeks is an increase in the fatality rate from COVID-19.”
Long-term risks
Scientists have good reasons to expect that chronic exposure to wildfire smoke may inflict some of the same long-term health damage as typical urban fine-particle pollution, or soot. That type of pollution, which in California is generated mainly by motor vehicles, is linked to an array of health problems, including thousands of early deaths each year.
Wildfire smoke could even be more harmful, said Benmarhnia, who cited studies showing that the same concentrations of fine particles, when coming from wildfires, “seem to be way more toxic for the respiratory system compared to PM2.5 from other sources.”
Scientists don’t know for sure because of a dearth of long-term health research. For all the years of study we’ve devoted to vehicle exhaust and cigarettes, our understanding of this fundamental element in our planet’s existence is in its relative infancy.
The few studies that have been completed have usually involved groups like wildland firefighters. There is research suggesting they have increased risk of heart disease and lung cancer, but that is mostly extrapolated from what is already known about exposure to PM2.5 from other sources of pollution, such as traffic.
One of the most relevant studies followed not humans, but baby rhesus macaque monkeys at a primate research center on the UC Davis campus who were exposed to high levels of PM2.5 pollution over a 10-day period during the wildfires in the summer of 2008. The study found that the monkeys had reduced function in their lungs and immune systems years later, compared to monkeys that were not exposed to high pollution levels as infants.
But even those findings were after shorter exposures, and lower pollution levels than Californians have lived with since August, the Air Resources Board’s Holmes-Gen noted.
Lingering questions
A flurry of new research into the health effects of the smoke is now underway.
Rebecca Schmidt, a professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at UC Davis, is conducting a long-term study into effects of smoke on pregnant women that began in response to the 2017 fires in Napa and Sonoma. She heard from expecting mothers who were affected by the smoke, dealing with coughs, watery eyes and other symptoms and wanted to know what the science said about the impacts on their developing babies.
“There really wasn’t much out there,” Schmidt said. “There were just a couple studies.”
Schmidt’s project now includes about 400 women who were pregnant during or shortly after wildfires in Northern California over the past three years. She plans to recruit additional participants this year who may have faced even higher, cumulative smoke exposure due to the recent fires.
“What we really are interested in is to see what’s happening long term and whether those early biological responses are going to have long-term impacts, and that we just don’t know yet,” she said. “There’s just very little known about wildfire, specifically smoke exposure, and long-term health impacts.”
Meanwhile, another ongoing study in Montana has reported troubling new findings that suggest wildfire smoke impairs people’s lungs long after the smoke clears.
Researchers assessed the health of people in the small community of Seeley Lake, outside Missoula, which was blanketed with heavy wildfire smoke for 49 days during devastating wildfires in 2017. Follow-up tests showed they had decreased lung function for two years after the fires, with the percentage of residents who fell below normal levels more than doubling in 2018 and remaining low a year later.
As University of Montana immunologist Christopher Migliaccio and colleagues wrote in a study published last month,”these findings suggest that wildfire smoke can have long-lasting effects on human health.”
Smoke waves, climate impacts
Though at least some portion of California’s PM2.5 pollution has always come from fires, in years past most of it has been generated by motor vehicles and industrial sources. But as vehicle emissions decline and the climate warms, scientists expect the bulk of that pollution to come from wildfire smoke within the next few decades.
“We’ve always been exposed to smoke, but it’s getting worse these days,” said Carsten Warneke, a research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “And we notice it much more as we’re getting all our other air pollution better.”
Another team of researchers coined the term “smoke wave” to describe episodes of high air pollution from wildfire that last two or more days. In a 2016 study, they projected a big increase in the frequency and intensity of smoke wave events that will affect tens of millions of people across the western U.S. if greenhouse gases continue to rise moderately. Northern California and Western Oregon are among the areas “likely to suffer the highest exposure to wildfire smoke in the future.”
California regulators, who have for decades fought a slow but successful war on smog, are also being forced to confront wildfires as an increasing threat to their work to reduce emissions and slow global warming.
“We’re concerned about smoke pollution undercutting all the efforts we’re making to reduce particle pollution and clean up the air,” said Holmes-Gen of the state Air Resources Board.
Scientists also worry about what the future holds because of the role wildfire emissions play in what’s called a “climate feedback loop,” in which the global warming begets more warming.
“Increased global emissions lead to higher temperatures, which then create drier, more fire-prone conditions,” researchers at the World Resources Institute think tank wrote in a blog post this week. “With more fires comes more emissions, perpetuating the entire cycle.”


latimes--2020-09-19--L.A. suffered deadly heat, yet chairs sat empty at its cooling centers

Despite scorching temperatures that shattered official records and led to deaths on the street , many chairs ended up sitting empty at the handful of city cooling centers set up to spare Angelenos from the blistering heat .
Fewer than 300 people used the six centers that were set up at Los Angeles city facilities over the Labor Day holiday weekend — averaging fewer than 11 visitors daily at each site , according to numbers provided by the office of Mayor Eric Garcetti .
One cooling center in South Los Angeles had no one stop in at all on Labor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocates and city leaders who have pushed for more cooling centers and other aid for unhoused people during heat waves say that such facilities are not underused for lack of need .
Across the county , at least three deaths over the holiday weekend have been linked to the heat wave , including two within L.A. city limits , according to the county coroner .
But Los Angeles has a slim number of official cooling centers scattered across the vast city — and people are often reluctant to travel far in broiling temperatures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaving their belongings behind on the street .
And some people in need , housed or unhoused , are unaware that the city facilities exist .
“ A lot of people don ’ t have transportation , and in the grueling heat , people just stay still as much as possible , ” said Pastor Kathy Huck of the homeless outreach group About My Father ’ s Business .
“ If it were two blocks away , people would walk to it .
But most of them are unreachable for people in encampments.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and advocacy group Ktown for All hit the streets to hand out frozen water bottles and tell unhoused people about a cooling center at Lafayette Park , many people asked them , “ Are you going to take me there ?
” organizer Sherin Varghese said .
Even in the western San Fernando Valley , where some neighborhoods had the miserable distinction of exceeding 120 degrees , cooling centers were not overwhelmed .
Councilman Bob Blumenfield , who was distributing water and ice to homeless people in the area , said he urged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go to a Canoga Park cooling center five blocks away , but the woman feared her car wouldn ’ t make it .
Blumenfield said he gave her cash for gasoline , but didn ’ t know if she ultimately made the trip .
For others in his district , the Canoga Park facility was simply too far — roughly four miles from some encampments under freeways , he said .
“ If somebody has to walk to that cooling center , they ’ re not going to make it , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members who have called to open up more facilities amid extreme temperatures and smoky air .
The ongoing pandemic may have also dragged down turnout .
Many cooling centers across the city also drew paltry numbers earlier this summer : L.A. ’ s Emergency Management Department said that 2020 attendance has significantly dropped compared with 2017 and 2018 .
When wildfires raged this month , Los Angeles opened up four “ smoke relief centers ” that could collectively hold up to 128 people .
Only 11 people used them .
Huck said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unhoused people from indoor facilities .
But the pandemic has also shuttered many other refuges that Angelenos would ordinarily use to escape the heat , including libraries and shopping malls .
One study published four years ago found that only 3 % of Los Angeles households were in walking distance of an official cooling center , but 80 % could reach libraries or other cooled , publicly accessible spaces .
And the pandemic also cut down the capacity of L.A. 's cooling centers , reducing how many people they can safely hold .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wesson announced that the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall would open for two days as an additional cooling center .
Fewer than 10 people came in that weekend , according to a mall representative , who described it as “ a last-minute kind of activation.
” As people suffered in the blistering heat , local activists excoriated Garcetti for not opening up more cooling centers , calling for at least one in every neighborhood and public access to bathrooms and water at city buildings .
“ I can ’ t stress enough the amount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekend , ” said Ktown for All member Nicolas Emmons , who recounted calling an ambulance for a man in visible pain , clutching a walker under a freeway .
That same weekend , Emmons said , he encountered an elderly man in Virgil Village sprawled on the ground at the height of the afternoon heat .
“ He said : ‘ My muscles are so weak .
I just had to fall down.
’ ” The six centers , not including the mall , could accommodate only 207 people at a time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the adequacy of the facilities , said the city was assessing what more it could do to help people during extreme heat , but stressed that “ we ’ ve had plenty of capacity at the cooling centers.
” “ If they ’ re filled up , then we open more ... but there was plenty of space there , which indicated that people were finding someplace to be , ” the mayor said , mentioning that nonprofits had set up additional sites to cool off .
Christopher Yee , a spokesman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said its outreach workers start promoting L.A. ’ s cooling centers as soon as the city lets them know — usually a day in advance .
The city has also promoted the sites online , through the media , and via signs posted outside the centers , according to its emergency management department .
But Rita Dunn , who is unhoused in the Northridge area , said that many people still don ’ t know about the facilities .
“ Of course they were underutilized , ” said Dunn , a founding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Nobody knew they were there.
” Councilman Mike Bonin , who wants to dramatically increase the number of centers , has suggested getting out the word through notifications on mobile phones , much like Amber Alerts .
Blumenfield said that establishing a predictable system for which city facilities will open would also help with public awareness .
“ If people knew that once you reach a certain threshold , all the libraries or the recreation centers would be open , people would know that ’ s an option and plan for it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ center costs roughly $ 2,000 per day to operate , staffed with Recreation and Parks employees , according to the city emergency management department .
The department said the sites , located at recreation and senior centers , typically provide activities such as puzzles and books and staffers may offer “ mindfulness or chair yoga ” to anyone interested .
Some argue that cities need to reimagine such services more broadly to better serve both housed and unhoused residents in need of relief .
Government agencies have been trying to do something good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considering the customer , ” said Jonathan Parfrey , executive director of the nonprofit Climate Resolve .
“ Have we fundamentally asked the question , ‘ What will it take to help those people who don ’ t have air conditioning , who might be homeless , who don ’ t have the resources to turn on their air conditioners ?
’ ” Parfrey asked .
“ I don ’ t think we have .
We ’ ve just gone to this default.
” Parfrey said many Angelenos may feel ashamed about seeking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highs .
He argued that to overcome that reluctance , L.A. should make cooling centers “ an invitation to be part of something fun and joyful , ” possibly by serving ice cream or screening the movie “ Ice Age.
” Beyond Los Angeles , “ people have documented that cooling centers are relatively underutilized across the U.S. , ” said David Eisenman , a UCLA professor of medicine and public health .
What researchers have found , Eisenman said , is that people are more likely to use such centers if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ If it ’ s a library , people will go to a library and use that .
If it ’ s a senior center they ’ ve gone to , they ’ ll be happy to go on an extreme heat day , ” he said .
But if the site is unfamiliar , “ you ’ re not necessarily going to take the leap.
” Los Angeles County , which operates its own cooling centers , also had modest turnout at its sites .
But Helen Chavez , associate director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the most heavily used county center was in unincorporated East Los Angeles , at a community center that had been a gathering spot before the pandemic .
It featured a huge screen playing a soccer match and felt “ almost like an informal club , ” Chavez said .
“ For some of our cooling centers , we ’ re still trying to socialize the concept , ” she said .
“ People are not used to going to a government facility for something like cooling .
”

Despite scorching temperatures that shattered official records and led to deaths on the street, many chairs ended up sitting empty at the handful of city cooling centers set up to spare Angelenos from the blistering heat.
Fewer than 300 people used the six centers that were set up at Los Angeles city facilities over the Labor Day holiday weekend — averaging fewer than 11 visitors daily at each site, according to numbers provided by the office of Mayor Eric Garcetti. One cooling center in South Los Angeles had no one stop in at all on Labor Day or the previous Friday.
Homeless advocates and city leaders who have pushed for more cooling centers and other aid for unhoused people during heat waves say that such facilities are not underused for lack of need. Across the county, at least three deaths over the holiday weekend have been linked to the heat wave, including two within L.A. city limits, according to the county coroner.
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But Los Angeles has a slim number of official cooling centers scattered across the vast city — and people are often reluctant to travel far in broiling temperatures. Many homeless people are uneasy about leaving their belongings behind on the street. And some people in need, housed or unhoused, are unaware that the city facilities exist.
“A lot of people don’t have transportation, and in the grueling heat, people just stay still as much as possible,” said Pastor Kathy Huck of the homeless outreach group About My Father’s Business. “If it were two blocks away, people would walk to it. But most of them are unreachable for people in encampments.”
When volunteers with the homeless outreach and advocacy group Ktown for All hit the streets to hand out frozen water bottles and tell unhoused people about a cooling center at Lafayette Park, many people asked them, “Are you going to take me there?” organizer Sherin Varghese said.
Even in the western San Fernando Valley, where some neighborhoods had the miserable distinction of exceeding 120 degrees, cooling centers were not overwhelmed.
Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who was distributing water and ice to homeless people in the area, said he urged an elderly woman living in her car to go to a Canoga Park cooling center five blocks away, but the woman feared her car wouldn’t make it. Blumenfield said he gave her cash for gasoline, but didn’t know if she ultimately made the trip.
For others in his district, the Canoga Park facility was simply too far — roughly four miles from some encampments under freeways, he said.
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“If somebody has to walk to that cooling center, they’re not going to make it,” said Blumenfield, one of several council members who have called to open up more facilities amid extreme temperatures and smoky air.
The ongoing pandemic may have also dragged down turnout. Many cooling centers across the city also drew paltry numbers earlier this summer: L.A.’s Emergency Management Department said that 2020 attendance has significantly dropped compared with 2017 and 2018. When wildfires raged this month, Los Angeles opened up four “smoke relief centers” that could collectively hold up to 128 people. Only 11 people used them.
Huck said that fear of contracting COVID-19 has deterred some unhoused people from indoor facilities. But the pandemic has also shuttered many other refuges that Angelenos would ordinarily use to escape the heat, including libraries and shopping malls. One study published four years ago found that only 3% of Los Angeles households were in walking distance of an official cooling center, but 80% could reach libraries or other cooled, publicly accessible spaces.
And the pandemic also cut down the capacity of L.A.’s cooling centers, reducing how many people they can safely hold.
Monica Ruiz, 32, cools down in the water from a fire hydrant on Crocker Street in downtown L.A. on Sept. 6. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
During the record heat, Councilman Herb Wesson announced that the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall would open for two days as an additional cooling center. Fewer than 10 people came in that weekend, according to a mall representative, who described it as “a last-minute kind of activation.”
As people suffered in the blistering heat, local activists excoriated Garcetti for not opening up more cooling centers, calling for at least one in every neighborhood and public access to bathrooms and water at city buildings.
“I can’t stress enough the amount of visible suffering that everyone saw that weekend,” said Ktown for All member Nicolas Emmons, who recounted calling an ambulance for a man in visible pain, clutching a walker under a freeway.
That same weekend, Emmons said, he encountered an elderly man in Virgil Village sprawled on the ground at the height of the afternoon heat. “He said: ‘My muscles are so weak. I just had to fall down.’”
The six centers, not including the mall, could accommodate only 207 people at a time. Garcetti, when asked this week about the adequacy of the facilities, said the city was assessing what more it could do to help people during extreme heat, but stressed that “we’ve had plenty of capacity at the cooling centers.”
“If they’re filled up, then we open more ... but there was plenty of space there, which indicated that people were finding someplace to be,” the mayor said, mentioning that nonprofits had set up additional sites to cool off.
Christopher Yee, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, said its outreach workers start promoting L.A.’s cooling centers as soon as the city lets them know — usually a day in advance. The city has also promoted the sites online, through the media, and via signs posted outside the centers, according to its emergency management department.
But Rita Dunn, who is unhoused in the Northridge area, said that many people still don’t know about the facilities.
“Of course they were underutilized,” said Dunn, a founding officer of the advocacy group H-. “Nobody knew they were there.”
Councilman Mike Bonin, who wants to dramatically increase the number of centers, has suggested getting out the word through notifications on mobile phones, much like Amber Alerts. Blumenfield said that establishing a predictable system for which city facilities will open would also help with public awareness.
“If people knew that once you reach a certain threshold, all the libraries or the recreation centers would be open, people would know that’s an option and plan for it,” he said.
Each cooling center costs roughly $2,000 per day to operate, staffed with Recreation and Parks employees, according to the city emergency management department. The department said the sites, located at recreation and senior centers, typically provide activities such as puzzles and books and staffers may offer “mindfulness or chair yoga” to anyone interested.
Some argue that cities need to reimagine such services more broadly to better serve both housed and unhoused residents in need of relief.
Government agencies have been trying to do something good, but “we’re not considering the customer,” said Jonathan Parfrey, executive director of the nonprofit Climate Resolve.
“Have we fundamentally asked the question, ‘What will it take to help those people who don’t have air conditioning, who might be homeless, who don’t have the resources to turn on their air conditioners?’” Parfrey asked. “I don’t think we have. We’ve just gone to this default.”
Parfrey said many Angelenos may feel ashamed about seeking help, even when heat reaches miserable highs. He argued that to overcome that reluctance, L.A. should make cooling centers “an invitation to be part of something fun and joyful,” possibly by serving ice cream or screening the movie “Ice Age.”
Beyond Los Angeles, “people have documented that cooling centers are relatively underutilized across the U.S.,” said David Eisenman, a UCLA professor of medicine and public health.
What researchers have found, Eisenman said, is that people are more likely to use such centers if they are a part of everyday life.
“If it’s a library, people will go to a library and use that. If it’s a senior center they’ve gone to, they’ll be happy to go on an extreme heat day,” he said. But if the site is unfamiliar, “you’re not necessarily going to take the leap.”
Los Angeles County, which operates its own cooling centers, also had modest turnout at its sites. But Helen Chavez, associate director of its Office of Emergency Management, noted that the most heavily used county center was in unincorporated East Los Angeles, at a community center that had been a gathering spot before the pandemic.
It featured a huge screen playing a soccer match and felt “almost like an informal club,” Chavez said.
“For some of our cooling centers, we’re still trying to socialize the concept,” she said. “People are not used to going to a government facility for something like cooling.”
Times staff writer Ben Welsh contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-09-19--This new citizen's view of America might help cut through the rancor and division

What can we do for our deeply stressed country right now , when a pandemic has us in its grip and we suddenly have to worry that our votes won ’ t be counted and our own president won ’ t so much as wear a mask to keep us safe or talk about one nation indivisible , rather than red states versus blue ?
Sometimes in the constant static of us and them , it ’ s so hard to remember the all of us .
So I am grateful for the reminder that came my way recently from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aug. 20 , one day after her 65th birthday , Clemencia Isabel Morales , born in Guatemala , put on a polka dot dress and went downtown to the federal building to take a citizenship test that had been twice canceled , leaving her in tears , during the pandemic .
She ’ s been in the country for 19 years now .
She followed the man she loved , who came 14 years before her , in search of better work , which he found for a stretch at a factory .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ little house and built a good life for themselves .
She so wanted to put down her roots for real , to be able to vote and to fully engage .
And when she was at last on the verge of the citizenship she longed for , being questioned about whether she would be willing to rise to the defense of our country , she asked her examiner — separated from her by six feet and plexiglass — if she could tell her a story .
In her mind , she said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could not agree more .
Early on in the COVID-19 shutdown , Morales , who for the last 10 years has worked very long hours as a nanny and household manager for a Westside family , found herself when she wasn ’ t working shut in at home in Montecito Heights , antsy watching TV .
She ’ s a person of great joy and energy who springs up daily at 4:30 a.m. and likes to spend as many of her few free hours as she can on the beach in the ocean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sometimes sitting under an umbrella painting clay pottery she brings back from visiting her grown daughters and grandchildren in Guatemala .
But the beaches were closed then .
Sitting still didn ’ t suit her .
On a cleaning jag , Morales , who knows how to make her own clothes , unearthed piles of bargain fabric she ’ d scooped up but had never gotten around to using .
So she started watching the news with one eye and working her sewing machine with the other , until before she knew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5,000 cloth masks — using hairbands for the elastic to go over the ears .
Those were the early days , when masks were in short supply .
She ’ d seen on the news that a lot of L.A. people couldn ’ t get hold of them to protect one another and themselves .
The family she worked for had spent $ 300 for two dozen .
She knew so many others , herself included , did not have such means .
Fancy people , she figured , probably wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oh my gosh , oh my gosh , they ’ re so ugly , ” she told me .
She ’ d once lost her way though and driven through a part of Compton where she ’ d seen clear evidence of need .
So she drove back into that area with bulging trash bags full of masks and looked around until she came upon a line of people three blocks long waiting for food outside a church .
She asked those handing out the free food if she could hand out free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and delight .
Morales didn ’ t know anyone in Compton .
She lives miles away .
Her goal in this first foray of several was not to help certain people she knew — people she liked or people who were like her or people who shared her views of the world .
She was out to help any fellow human beings in need , in part because of how much she knows others have helped her .
That ’ s a big reason , she told me , she decided to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to renew her green card .
As a citizen , she hopes to be able to do volunteer work she told me she ’ s previously been turned down for because of her legal status .
She wants to go into hospitals , for instance , and spend time with sick children , cheering them up by painting their faces or cradling sick babies whose parents can ’ t be with them .
She sees it as a way of returning kindness .
It ’ s from the help she received in recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who had prepared for her citizenship interview and test through the services of the Los Angeles Public Library ’ s New Americans Initiative .
The city ’ s library system in 2012 was the first in the nation to team up with the U.S .
Citizenship and Immigration Services , the federal agency that administers the legal immigration system , to offer information and resources for immigrants and those seeking to become Americans .
Those resources have expanded steadily over the years , with the library , in partnership with nonprofit organizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and classes .
“ We are in 73 neighborhoods in Los Angeles .
We are where Los Angeles immigrant communities live , ” city librarian John Szabo told me of L.A. ’ s library system .
“ And the library is a welcoming institution , less intimidating than a federal building .
What better place for this help to be found ?
” Morales loves the library .
Out of work for several months once , she spent whole days in the Lincoln Heights branch , surfing the web for whatever new query @ @ @ @ @ @ @ L.A. public library branch , she checked out her first guide to becoming a citizen — written in side-by-side English and Spanish , and she and her husband , Julio Gaitan , studied it together .
But she knew she needed more help .
So first at a library branch in Pacoima and then online on Zoom after the pandemic closed all library branches , she ’ d been taking free citizenship classes , going over everything from the many questions on the complex 20-page application for naturalization to the knowledge of U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civics test at the interview .
One of the volunteer teachers in her class , which was run by the nonprofit International Rescue Committee , was former L.A. Times photographer Iris Schneider , who knew I ’ d find Morales ’ outlook inspiring .
She described her to me as “ a breath of fresh air.
” She told me how Morales had cried for hours after her second appointment for the citizenship interview and test were canceled .
“ It just meant so much to her to become a citizen .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come true , ” Schneider told me .
“ It sort of restores my faith in my country right now , knowing what it means to people.
” Morales told me that she often cried during the ups and downs of the citizenship process .
But she also kept doing for others .
One day during the time when supermarkets were still limiting quantities on certain items , she went to Ralphs and found packages of ground beef on sale for 99 cents — but the sign said she could only buy two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more , the manager gave her five packages for free .
She made a big potful of spaghetti sauce and another big pot of spaghetti and loaded them , along with bread and tortillas , into the back of her SUV .
Then she drove to Chinatown , found people living on the street and opened the trunk and welcomed them , asking if they wanted “ some food , fresh and yummy.
” She served out 89 plates full — and has since gone on to do similar runs alongside freeways in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more pasta , sometimes with bolillos and black beans and chicken salad .
Morales passed her citizenship test , on Aug. 20 , by the way .
She took the oath that same day with a few other new citizens — quickly and efficiently without all the fanfare of the usual pre-pandemic ceremonies for thousands at the L.A. Convention Center .
But she made her own party walking down the street waving the flag she ’ d been given with her certificate , and calling out the good news to everyone she saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and coming to their defense is a part of that celebrating , a sort of thank-you card to all of us for accepting and including her .
“ I feel like America has adopted me .
I used to be a foster , ” she told me .
“ I have nothing to ask for .
I have shoes .
I have clothes .
I have a job .
I have food to eat in the morning .
I am thankful .
”

Clemencia Morales, who became a U.S. citizen Aug. 20, has made and given away more than 5,000 masks to people.
What can we do for our deeply stressed country right now, when a pandemic has us in its grip and we suddenly have to worry that our votes won’t be counted and our own president won’t so much as wear a mask to keep us safe or talk about one nation indivisible, rather than red states versus blue?
Sometimes in the constant static of us and them, it’s so hard to remember the all of us.
So I am grateful for the reminder that came my way recently from one of our newest citizens.
Advertisement
On Aug. 20, one day after her 65th birthday, Clemencia Isabel Morales, born in Guatemala, put on a polka dot dress and went downtown to the federal building to take a citizenship test that had been twice canceled, leaving her in tears, during the pandemic.
She’s been in the country for 19 years now. She followed the man she loved, who came 14 years before her, in search of better work, which he found for a stretch at a factory. They got married here, bought a little house and built a good life for themselves. She so wanted to put down her roots for real, to be able to vote and to fully engage.
And when she was at last on the verge of the citizenship she longed for, being questioned about whether she would be willing to rise to the defense of our country, she asked her examiner — separated from her by six feet and plexiglass — if she could tell her a story.
In her mind, she said, the story fit the question. I could not agree more.
Early on in the COVID-19 shutdown, Morales, who for the last 10 years has worked very long hours as a nanny and household manager for a Westside family, found herself when she wasn’t working shut in at home in Montecito Heights, antsy watching TV.
She’s a person of great joy and energy who springs up daily at 4:30 a.m. and likes to spend as many of her few free hours as she can on the beach in the ocean air, sometimes going on long walks, sometimes sitting under an umbrella painting clay pottery she brings back from visiting her grown daughters and grandchildren in Guatemala.
Advertisement
But the beaches were closed then. Sitting still didn’t suit her. On a cleaning jag, Morales, who knows how to make her own clothes, unearthed piles of bargain fabric she’d scooped up but had never gotten around to using.
So she started watching the news with one eye and working her sewing machine with the other, until before she knew it she’d made more than 5,000 cloth masks — using hairbands for the elastic to go over the ears.
Those were the early days, when masks were in short supply. She’d seen on the news that a lot of L.A. people couldn’t get hold of them to protect one another and themselves. The family she worked for had spent $300 for two dozen. She knew so many others, herself included, did not have such means. Fancy people, she figured, probably wouldn’t want her plain masks anyway. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, they’re so ugly,” she told me.
She’d once lost her way though and driven through a part of Compton where she’d seen clear evidence of need. So she drove back into that area with bulging trash bags full of masks and looked around until she came upon a line of people three blocks long waiting for food outside a church. She asked those handing out the free food if she could hand out free masks — and they registered both surprise and delight.
Morales didn’t know anyone in Compton. She lives miles away. Her goal in this first foray of several was not to help certain people she knew — people she liked or people who were like her or people who shared her views of the world. She was out to help any fellow human beings in need, in part because of how much she knows others have helped her.
That’s a big reason, she told me, she decided to work toward citizenship, instead of just continuing to renew her green card. As a citizen, she hopes to be able to do volunteer work she told me she’s previously been turned down for because of her legal status. She wants to go into hospitals, for instance, and spend time with sick children, cheering them up by painting their faces or cradling sick babies whose parents can’t be with them.
She sees it as a way of returning kindness.
It’s from the help she received in recent months that I first learned about Morales, who had prepared for her citizenship interview and test through the services of the Los Angeles Public Library’s New Americans Initiative. The city’s library system in 2012 was the first in the nation to team up with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency that administers the legal immigration system, to offer information and resources for immigrants and those seeking to become Americans.
Those resources have expanded steadily over the years, with the library, in partnership with nonprofit organizations, offering an ever-growing array of services and classes.
“We are in 73 neighborhoods in Los Angeles. We are where Los Angeles immigrant communities live,” city librarian John Szabo told me of L.A.’s library system. “And the library is a welcoming institution, less intimidating than a federal building. What better place for this help to be found?”
Morales loves the library. Out of work for several months once, she spent whole days in the Lincoln Heights branch, surfing the web for whatever new query popped into her mind.
From an L.A. public library branch, she checked out her first guide to becoming a citizen — written in side-by-side English and Spanish, and she and her husband, Julio Gaitan, studied it together. But she knew she needed more help.
So first at a library branch in Pacoima and then online on Zoom after the pandemic closed all library branches, she’d been taking free citizenship classes, going over everything from the many questions on the complex 20-page application for naturalization to the knowledge of U.S. history and government required to pass the civics test at the interview.
One of the volunteer teachers in her class, which was run by the nonprofit International Rescue Committee, was former L.A. Times photographer Iris Schneider, who knew I’d find Morales’ outlook inspiring. She described her to me as “a breath of fresh air.”
She told me how Morales had cried for hours after her second appointment for the citizenship interview and test were canceled.
“It just meant so much to her to become a citizen. She said that America had made her dreams come true,” Schneider told me. “It sort of restores my faith in my country right now, knowing what it means to people.”
Morales told me that she often cried during the ups and downs of the citizenship process. But she also kept doing for others.
One day during the time when supermarkets were still limiting quantities on certain items, she went to Ralphs and found packages of ground beef on sale for 99 cents — but the sign said she could only buy two. When she explained why she wanted more, the manager gave her five packages for free.
She made a big potful of spaghetti sauce and another big pot of spaghetti and loaded them, along with bread and tortillas, into the back of her SUV. Then she drove to Chinatown, found people living on the street and opened the trunk and welcomed them, asking if they wanted “some food, fresh and yummy.” She served out 89 plates full — and has since gone on to do similar runs alongside freeways in Riverside and Los Feliz, sometimes with more pasta, sometimes with bolillos and black beans and chicken salad.
Morales passed her citizenship test, on Aug. 20, by the way. She took the oath that same day with a few other new citizens — quickly and efficiently without all the fanfare of the usual pre-pandemic ceremonies for thousands at the L.A. Convention Center.
But she made her own party walking down the street waving the flag she’d been given with her certificate, and calling out the good news to everyone she saw. For her the giving to others and coming to their defense is a part of that celebrating, a sort of thank-you card to all of us for accepting and including her.
“I feel like America has adopted me. I used to be a foster,” she told me. “I have nothing to ask for. I have shoes. I have clothes. I have a job. I have food to eat in the morning. I am thankful.”