latimes--2020-05-27--Protesters, law enforcement clash in downtown L.A. during protest over George Floyd's death

Several hundred demonstrators , organized by Black Lives Matter-LA , converged on downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday to march around the Civic Center , part of a series of national protests to show outrage over the the death of George Floyd , a black man killed Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground with his knee .
At some point during the march , a group of people broke off and entered the 101 Freeway near Alameda Street , briefly blocking the roadway .
Television footage showed the protesters blocking the freeway and confronting a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one patrol car was vandalized by protesters during the confrontation , and one demonstrator was injured after falling off the CHP cruiser as it drove away .
That protester received medical attention ; the person ’ s condition was not released .
The marchers eventually left the freeway but continued to protest off Aliso Street .
Ringed by officers and police cruisers and with helicopters circling overhead , protesters used an aerosol spray to burn an upside-down American flag at the intersection of Aliso and Los Angeles streets .
Some tagged the LAPD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peak , hundreds of people gathered outside the Los Angeles County Hall of Justice .
The Los Angeles Police Department issued a citywide tactical alert , and officers from the previous shift were kept over to allow more officers to respond to the area .
Dozens of officers were sent to the scene to provide crowd control .
There were no reports of arrests but one LAPD commander said he was troubled by the tactics of some of the protesters .
“ I ’ m concerned .
They have exhibited a significant degree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chief Robert Arcos said .
Charlie Morales , who look part in the freeway protest , said that the CHP cruiser drove by trying to scatter the demonstrators and that some of them converged on the vehicle .
Morales , 27 , said he hopes the “ small inconvenience ” to commuters leaving downtown has made them consider “ a matter of life or death to black and brown people.
” Police brutality happens “ every week , ” he said , “ but nothing changes until you start interrupting , until you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people who aren ’ t affected by it.
” Jaime Carter , who demonstrated with a charred American flag , said he hoped the motorists he helped bring to a standstill on the freeway realized a traffic jam was “ a lot less of an inconvenience than me losing my life , than me not living a life of dignity.
” Carter , a student at Cal State L.A. , said he came to protest not only the death of Floyd , who he said is just one of many black men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s Emmett Till , it ’ s LaQuan McDonald , ” he said .
“ It ’ s every one of them.
” Earlier in the day , Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore issued a statement calling the video in the Floyd case disturbing and said it tarnished the badge .
“ The actions I watched in the video were incredibly disturbing and go against the basic law enforcement principle of preservation of life , ” he said .
Moore said Wednesday night that he was also “ troubled by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Floyd case has gotten national attention and has sparked several protests .
The mayor of Minneapolis called Wednesday for criminal charges to be filed against the white police officer seen on the video kneeling on the neck of Floyd during an arrest , even after the man said he couldn ’ t breathe and stopped moving .
Based on the video , Mayor Jacob Frey said he believes Officer Derek Chauvin should be charged in Floyd ’ s death .
Chauvin and three other officers were fired Tuesday .
The video recorded by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Floyd ’ s neck for several minutes as Floyd is on the ground with his face against the pavement .
The FBI and state law enforcement are investigating Floyd ’ s death .
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said the department would conduct a full internal investigation , and prosecutors will decide whether to file criminal charges against the officers involved .
The Hennepin County attorney ’ s office said it was “ shocked and saddened ” by the video and pledged to handle the case fairly .
Part of that investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the officers , whether they meant to harm Floyd or whether it was a death that happened in the course of police work .
The FBI was investigating whether the officers willfully deprived Floyd of his civil rights .
Times staff writer Sam Omar-Hall and the Associated Press contributed to this report .

Matthew Ormseth, Richard Winton, Jessica Perez

An injured man gets up with the help of emergency workers during a protest May 27 in downtown L.A. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
A protester lies hurt on the 101 Freeway near downtown Los Angeles on May 27. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
During a May 29 protest, Los Angeles police patrol the 110 after having moved protesters off the freeway. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Police officers assume a defensive stance as a protester approaches them on the 110 Freeway on May 29. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters climb over a barrier during the May 29 protest in downtown L.A. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters are arrested by Los Angeles police in front of City Hall on Saturday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
A protester remains defiant after being pushed to the ground by police on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Police fire percussion rounds to clear protesters from Grand Avenue in in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters gather around a fire in the middle of a downtown L.A. street on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Cecelia Rosales, who said she was homeless, walks past a line of police officers in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Sake House employee Jared Settles can’t bear to watch as the restaurant burns in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Gilbert Haro and sons Richard, 8, and James, 6, help clean up in Santa Monica. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Volunteers help clean up the mess left by looters in Long Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
People out after curfew are arrested Monday at Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Arrests are made of those out after curfew in Hollywood. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
AJ Lovelace, director and writer, tries to stop looters from breaking into a Walgreens in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
A demonstrator, injured while trying to flee the firing of nonlethal rounds, lies on the ground in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Demonstrators in Riverside retreat as county sheriff’s deputies fire nonlethal rounds on Monday after law enforcement announced an unlawful assembly. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
AJ Lovelace, a director and writer, and others keep potential looters from entering a dry cleaning store as they attempt to march peacefully. “We need peace and we need someone to talk to each other,” he said after the looters fled the scene. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Khalil Mitchell speaks to protesters kneeling near a police line, preaching calm and working to preserve a peaceful protest on Monday. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
LAPD Cmdr. Gerald Woodyard takes a knee with protesters and L.A. clergy during a march in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Thousands of protesters march down Spring Street in Los Angeles Wednesday night to demonstrate for justice in the killing of George Floyd. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
A protester confronts National Guardsmen as thousands of protesters march down Spring Street in Los Angeles to demonstrate for justice in the George Floyd murder by cop case Wednesday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
Protestors turn on their cell phone flashlights at Los Angeles City Hall at 9 pm on Wednesday as part of a silent protest against the death of George Floyd. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
Protesters stand on top of a bus stop at the Los Angeles Civic Center to demonstrate for justice Wednesday night. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
Several hundred demonstrators, organized by Black Lives Matter-LA, converged on downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday to march around the Civic Center, part of a series of national protests to show outrage over the the death of George Floyd, a black man killed Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground with his knee.
At some point during the march, a group of people broke off and entered the 101 Freeway near Alameda Street, briefly blocking the roadway.
Television footage showed the protesters blocking the freeway and confronting a California Highway Patrol car. At least one patrol car was vandalized by protesters during the confrontation, and one demonstrator was injured after falling off the CHP cruiser as it drove away. That protester received medical attention; the person’s condition was not released.
The marchers eventually left the freeway but continued to protest off Aliso Street. Ringed by officers and police cruisers and with helicopters circling overhead, protesters used an aerosol spray to burn an upside-down American flag at the intersection of Aliso and Los Angeles streets. Some tagged the LAPD headquarters with anti-police graffiti.
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At its peak, hundreds of people gathered outside the Los Angeles County Hall of Justice.
The Los Angeles Police Department issued a citywide tactical alert, and officers from the previous shift were kept over to allow more officers to respond to the area. Dozens of officers were sent to the scene to provide crowd control.
× Several hundred protesters converged Wednesday on downtown Los Angeles, briefly blocking the 101 Freeway, after a black man in Minneapolis was killed Monday when a police officer pinned him to the ground by the neck.
There were no reports of arrests but one LAPD commander said he was troubled by the tactics of some of the protesters.
“I’m concerned. They have exhibited a significant degree of violence,” LAPD Asst. Chief Robert Arcos said.
Charlie Morales, who took part in the freeway protest, said that the CHP cruiser drove by trying to scatter the demonstrators and that some of them converged on the vehicle.
Morales, 27, said he hopes the “small inconvenience” to commuters leaving downtown has made them consider “a matter of life or death to black and brown people.”
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Police brutality happens “every week,” he said, “but nothing changes until you start interrupting, until you start putting it directly in the minds of people who aren’t affected by it.”
Jaime Carter, who demonstrated with a charred American flag, said he hoped the motorists he helped bring to a standstill on the freeway realized a traffic jam was “a lot less of an inconvenience than me losing my life, than me not living a life of dignity.”
Carter, a student at Cal State L.A., said he came to protest not only the death of Floyd, who he said is just one of many black men and children who died an unjust death.
“It’s Emmett Till, it’s LaQuan McDonald,” he said. “It’s every one of them.”
Earlier in the day, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore issued a statement calling the video in the Floyd case disturbing and said it tarnished the badge.
“The actions I watched in the video were incredibly disturbing and go against the basic law enforcement principle of preservation of life,” he said.
Moore said Wednesday night that he was also “troubled by the violence on the freeway.”
The Floyd case has gotten national attention and has sparked several protests.
The mayor of Minneapolis called Wednesday for criminal charges to be filed against the white police officer seen on the video kneeling on the neck of Floyd during an arrest, even after the man said he couldn’t breathe and stopped moving.
Based on the video, Mayor Jacob Frey said he believes Officer Derek Chauvin should be charged in Floyd’s death. Chauvin and three other officers were fired Tuesday. The video recorded by a bystander shows Chauvin with his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes as Floyd is on the ground with his face against the pavement.
The FBI and state law enforcement are investigating Floyd’s death.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said the department would conduct a full internal investigation, and prosecutors will decide whether to file criminal charges against the officers involved. The Hennepin County attorney’s office said it was “shocked and saddened” by the video and pledged to handle the case fairly.
Part of that investigation will likely focus on the intent of the officers, whether they meant to harm Floyd or whether it was a death that happened in the course of police work. The FBI was investigating whether the officers willfully deprived Floyd of his civil rights.
Times staff writer Sam Omar-Hall and the Associated Press contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-05-27--Los Angeles police fatally shoot man wielding 'sword-type weapon' in North Hollywood

Los Angeles police officers fatally shot a man who was wielding a bladed weapon , the Police Department said .
@ @ @ @ @ were called to the 6400 block of Elmer Avenue for a dispute between neighbors .
@ @ @ @ @ encountered a man wielding a “ sword-type weapon , ” the Los Angeles Police Department @ @ @ @ @ , and personnel from the Los Angeles Fire Department pronounced the man dead shortly thereafter @ @ @ @ @ .
None of the officers were injured .
The identities of the victim and the @ @ @ @ @ weren ’ t disclosed Wednesday .
The LAPD promised a “ thorough investigation ” of @ @ @

Los Angeles police shot a man armed with a “sword-type weapon” in North Hollywood after responding to a call of a dispute between neighbors, the LAPD said.
Los Angeles police officers fatally shot a man who was wielding a bladed weapon, the LAPD said.
At 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, officers were called to the 6400 block of Elmer Avenue in North Hollywood for a dispute between neighbors. When they arrived, they tried to approach the home of Rommel Mendoza, 50, who was “screaming at the officers from inside the home,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.
Mendoza came out of his house holding a “wide bladed sword” and “ordered the officers to shoot him,” the LAPD said. The officers drew back to the street, radioed for backup and took cover behind some cars, according to the department.
Mendoza came out on the street, still carrying the sword, the LAPD said. Despite “numerous commands” to stop, Mendoza refused to surrender and advanced toward the officers, prompting them to open fire both with less-lethal munitions and live rounds, the LAPD said.
Paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department pronounced Mendoza dead at the scene. No officers were injured.
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The shooting is under review by a specialized LAPD unit that investigates fatal police shootings. The agency’s inspector general is monitoring the investigation.


latimes--2020-05-27--Judge orders safety measures in O.C. jails, but denies inmate releases over coronavirus threat

A federal judge ruled that Orange County ’ s sheriff acted with deliberate indifference toward the safety of inmates and ordered new social distancing requirements in the jails to combat spread of the coronavirus .
But the decision by U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal on Tuesday denied a request by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California to release 468 medical vulnerable inmates at risk of contracting COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus .
Sheriff Don Barnes said his department would appeal the court order .
“ While I appreciate that the court did not grant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inmates into our community , I am disappointed that the court has ordered us to implement measures which are not mandated by law or regulation , ” Barnes said .
“ I have taken seriously the threat of COVID-19 in our jails .
The department has implemented CDC guidelines in our facilities , and in many instances have done more than their recommendations , long before this lawsuit was filed.
” Jacob Reisberg , a jail conditions advocate with the ACLU , said although its request to release vulnerable inmates was not granted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s ruling that inmates were not being adequately protected .
The ACLU had challenged the conditions of inmate confinement as violating the Constitution ’ s guarantees of due process and protection against cruel and unusual punishment .
“ A review of the evidence submitted suggests that although defendants may have a policy to comply with the [ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ] guidelines , actual compliance has been piecemeal and inadequate , ” the judge found .
He noted that the sheriff claimed to “ give inmates soap and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they have not been given enough soap to frequently wash or clean their living spaces.
” Similarly , the sheriff claimed to “ quarantine new arrivals and those with a known exposure , but inmates declare that defendants allow quarantined individuals to use the same common spaces as the general population.
” Bernal noted that the number of infected inmates had risen to 369 from only 26 confirmed cases on April 22 .
“ Assuming a current Jail population of 2,826 , the rate of COVID‐19 infection at the Jail is 12.4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the rate of infection in the Orange County general population , which is about 0.14 % , ” the judge wrote .
“ Plaintiffs have established a likelihood of irreparable harm ... .
Without additional measures to abate the spread , more inmates will contract the disease .
Undoubtedly some will die .
Certainly , there is no greater irreparable harm than death , ” the judge wrote .
But the ACLU , he wrote , failed to “ meet their burden to prove that the balance of equities tilts in favor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inmates.
” Some inmates could prove a flight risk and pose a threat to public safety , he said , noting that “ many of the individuals in the proposed class have committed or are charged with violent crimes.
” Bernal instead imposed a detailed set of requirements including “ adequate spacing of six feet or more between incarcerated people so that social distancing can be accomplished in accordance with CDC guidelines.
” He required that inmates receive , free of charge , an individual supply of hand soap and paper towels sufficient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each day and an adequate supply of clean implements for cleaning such as sponges , brushes and disinfectant hand wipes or other products effective against the virus .
In addition , each inmate must now have access to hand sanitizer containing at least 60 % alcohol as well as daily showers and access to clean laundry .
He also mandated that all Jail staff wear personal protective equipment , including CDC‐recommended surgical masks , when interacting with inmates .
The department is also required to take the temperature of inmates , jail staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms of COVID-19 .
Barnes has repeatedly rebuffed suggestions that he is not doing enough to protect inmates and opposes further releases , telling the county Board of Supervisors that he has reduced the jail population by about 45 % since Gov .
Gavin Newsom in March issued the state ’ s stay-at-home-order and social distancing policy .
The sheriff said he has “ implemented extraordinary measures ” to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and preserve jail operations .
“ I am not supportive of extensive preemptive releases that go beyond what is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe , ” Barnes said .
“ I am confident that the measures we continue to take in the jails meet our obligation to provide for the safety of both inmates and staff .
”

A federal judge ruled that Orange County’s sheriff acted with deliberate indifference toward the safety of inmates and ordered new social distancing requirements in the jails to combat spread of the coronavirus.
But the decision by U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal on Tuesday denied a request by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California to release 468 medical vulnerable inmates at risk of contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Sheriff Don Barnes said his department would appeal the court order.
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“While I appreciate that the court did not grant the ACLU’s request to release inmates into our community, I am disappointed that the court has ordered us to implement measures which are not mandated by law or regulation,” Barnes said. “I have taken seriously the threat of COVID-19 in our jails. The department has implemented CDC guidelines in our facilities, and in many instances have done more than their recommendations, long before this lawsuit was filed.”
Jacob Reisberg, a jail conditions advocate with the ACLU, said although its request to release vulnerable inmates was not granted, the organization was pleased with Bernal’s ruling that inmates were not being adequately protected.
The ACLU had challenged the conditions of inmate confinement as violating the Constitution’s guarantees of due process and protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
“A review of the evidence submitted suggests that although defendants may have a policy to comply with the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines, actual compliance has been piecemeal and inadequate,” the judge found.
He noted that the sheriff claimed to “give inmates soap and other personal hygiene supplies, but inmates report that they have not been given enough soap to frequently wash or clean their living spaces.”
Similarly, the sheriff claimed to “quarantine new arrivals and those with a known exposure, but inmates declare that defendants allow quarantined individuals to use the same common spaces as the general population.”
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Bernal noted that the number of infected inmates had risen to 369 from only 26 confirmed cases on April 22.
“Assuming a current Jail population of 2,826, the rate of COVID‐19 infection at the Jail is 12.4%. That number is astronomical compared to the rate of infection in the Orange County general population, which is about 0.14%,” the judge wrote.
“Plaintiffs have established a likelihood of irreparable harm.... Without additional measures to abate the spread, more inmates will contract the disease. Undoubtedly some will die. Certainly, there is no greater irreparable harm than death,” the judge wrote.
But the ACLU, he wrote, failed to “meet their burden to prove that the balance of equities tilts in favor of releasing all medically vulnerable and disabled inmates.”
Some inmates could prove a flight risk and pose a threat to public safety, he said, noting that “many of the individuals in the proposed class have committed or are charged with violent crimes.”
Bernal instead imposed a detailed set of requirements including “adequate spacing of six feet or more between incarcerated people so that social distancing can be accomplished in accordance with CDC guidelines.”
He required that inmates receive, free of charge, an individual supply of hand soap and paper towels sufficient to allow frequent hand washing and drying each day and an adequate supply of clean implements for cleaning such as sponges, brushes and disinfectant hand wipes or other products effective against the virus.
In addition, each inmate must now have access to hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol as well as daily showers and access to clean laundry.
He also mandated that all Jail staff wear personal protective equipment, including CDC‐recommended surgical masks, when interacting with inmates.
The department is also required to take the temperature of inmates, jail staff and visitors daily and test anyone displaying symptoms of COVID-19.
Barnes has repeatedly rebuffed suggestions that he is not doing enough to protect inmates and opposes further releases, telling the county Board of Supervisors that he has reduced the jail population by about 45% since Gov. Gavin Newsom in March issued the state’s stay-at-home-order and social distancing policy.
The sheriff said he has “implemented extraordinary measures” to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and preserve jail operations.
“I am not supportive of extensive preemptive releases that go beyond what is necessary to keep the jail and community safe,” Barnes said. “I am confident that the measures we continue to take in the jails meet our obligation to provide for the safety of both inmates and staff.”


latimes--2020-05-28--Travel ban lifted in El Dorado County but Lake Tahoe tourism still prohibited

Officials lifted El Dorado County ’ s nonessential travel ban this week but emphasized that a state order still prohibits tourism to Lake Tahoe .
“ Because the state ban on nonessential travel supersedes the county ’ s , there is no material change in what people should do in regard to visiting Lake Tahoe , ” public health officer Dr. Nancy Williams said in a prepared statement released Wednesday .
“ I can not emphasize this enough : People should not come to Lake Tahoe unless they have an essential purpose for doing so.
” The county ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of “ sufficient testing and contact tracing capacity along with the ability to monitor COVID-19 indicators by a team of public health and hospital officials.
” The county imposed the ban on April 3 to help curb the spread of COVID-19 .
The rule was in addition to a statewide mandate asking the public to stay home .
The county order allowed law enforcement to fine violators $ 1,000 .
Exceptions were made for travel by homeowners to their second home .
“ The governor ’ s stay-at-home order is still in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel for nonessential purposes .
I regret having to discourage visitors , but traveling outside of one ’ s home community is still proving to be a major factor in the spread of COVID-19 , ” Williams said .
“ A visit to one of our county ’ s and state ’ s most popular destinations for the purpose of a vacation , hiking , boating , enjoying a meal at your favorite Tahoe restaurant , or change of scenery is still prohibited , whether or not there is a county-specific restriction in @ @ @

Officials lifted El Dorado County’s nonessential travel ban this week, but emphasized that a state order still prohibits tourism to the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Officials lifted El Dorado County’s nonessential travel ban this week but emphasized that a state order still prohibits tourism to Lake Tahoe.
“Because the state ban on nonessential travel supersedes the county’s, there is no material change in what people should do in regard to visiting Lake Tahoe,” public health officer Dr. Nancy Williams said in a prepared statement released Wednesday. “I cannot emphasize this enough: People should not come to Lake Tahoe unless they have an essential purpose for doing so.”
The county’s announcement said the order was rescinded because of “sufficient testing and contact tracing capacity along with the ability to monitor COVID-19 indicators by a team of public health and hospital officials.”
The county imposed the ban on April 3 to help curb the spread of COVID-19. The rule was in addition to a statewide mandate asking the public to stay home. The county order allowed law enforcement to fine violators $1,000. Exceptions were made for travel by homeowners to their second home.
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“The governor’s stay-at-home order is still in place and clearly requires that residents refrain from travel for nonessential purposes. I regret having to discourage visitors, but traveling outside of one’s home community is still proving to be a major factor in the spread of COVID-19,” Williams said.
“A visit to one of our county’s and state’s most popular destinations for the purpose of a vacation, hiking, boating, enjoying a meal at your favorite Tahoe restaurant, or change of scenery is still prohibited, whether or not there is a county-specific restriction in place.”


latimes--2020-05-28--Synagogues in L.A. can reopen, but many rabbis are holding off

When Young Israel of Century City reopens , it will hold satellite services in backyards following social distancing protocols .
Fewer people will be in close contact with the Torah .
There will be limited singing and no sermons .
Even though the synagogue , which has about 500 families , now has permission from the city and county of Los Angeles to reopen in a limited fashion , its rabbi has firmly decided to hold off .
Rabbi Elazar Muskin is among a group of local Orthodox rabbis who have signed a letter stating they will wait at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surge .
“ This is a question of halacha [ Jewish law ] and to make sure that you don ’ t , God forbid , put anybody into danger , ” he said .
“ Synagogue life — something in the Orthodox community which is so social — can be very contagious .
It can be a means of spreading the virus .
We want to make sure that would not occur.
” Following announcements by officials Tuesday to allow the resumption of faith-based services , rabbis have been grappling with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inviting their congregants back in time for Shavuot , a holiday that begins Thursday night , while others will wait longer .
For many , reopening means starting off with significant changes , including backyard services , no singing , and no food or socializing after prayers .
California ’ s move to coronavirus-related restrictions on houses of worship came amid growing local pressure on Gov .
Gavin Newsom to address the reopening of churches .
But in the state and across the country , infections have been linked to such gatherings .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a choir practice at a church in Washington state led to more than 40 people diagnosed with the virus or ill with its symptoms , as well as several deaths , despite the fact that participants brought their own music and avoided direct physical contact .
Under new state guidelines , houses of worship must limit total attendance to 25 % of a building ’ s capacity or a maximum of 100 people , whichever is lower .
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has released guidelines to reopen churches for private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next week .
Parishes must receive their regional bishop ’ s approval for reopening after meeting safety criteria to prevent crowding and physical contact as much as possible .
On May 14 , 18 local Orthodox rabbis signed a letter stating that under guidelines published by Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America , they would reconsider reopening their synagogues at least two weeks after the local government has allowed public gatherings of more than 10 people , and has not seen an uptick in cases .
They will also not permit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of immediate family over the Shavuot holiday .
“ Our commitment to the well-being of our community , in particular the elderly and the immune-compromised , demands nothing less , ” the letter said .
Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR , a non-denominational congregation in Mid-Wilshire , is waiting on indicators such as whether cases spike in the weeks after Memorial Day weekend .
The community , which has more than 800 families , aims to eventually bring people together in outdoor spaces with congregants sitting in household clusters .
Services may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not attend because they are at high risk of getting severely sick .
Over the last several months , IKAR has held services over Zoom every morning , including on Shabbat , with people from around the world attending .
“ It does not approximate the real-life experience , and we miss that very much , but the risk is too high , ” Brous said .
Temple Beth Am , a conservative synagogue on the West side with more than 900 families , will also take a few weeks to determine safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ singing .
It may first hold daily prayer services , which receive up to several dozen people , prior to restarting Shabbat services typically attended by hundreds , senior Rabbi Adam Kligfeld said .
The synagogue plans to also focus on bar and bat mitzvahs , which might be attended by a small number of people with the rest of guests watching over Zoom .
“ There ’ s this notion to go beyond the letter and honor the spirit of the law , ” Kligfeld said .
“ We don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least of all ourselves , with piety , saying we ’ re going to be the first ones open… Even if that means other synagogues are going to open before us , we want to open in such a way where we don ’ t have to close if we didn ’ t do it smartly enough.
” Others have decided to move forward .
Rabbi Avraham Hirschman of Pico Bais Medrash , an Orthodox congregation in Pico-Robertson , emailed his congregants shortly after officials permitted houses of worship to reopen this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for holiday services on Thursday night , he said .
Attendance will be limited to men , who under an Orthodox interpretation of Jewish law are obligated to participate in communal prayer , with the hopes of soon expanding to women .
Congregants must wear masks and bring their own prayer shawls and books .
Only one person will handle the Torah .
Hirschman held it ’ s necessary to find a balance between the health risk and the obligation of communal prayer .
“ The government felt that things are safe to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have a law , a commitment towards god to do this , ” said Hirschman , whose congregation consists of about 100 members .
“ I just feel like now is the right time to go ahead and do it.
” Rabbi Yitzchok Summers of Anshe Emes in Pico-Robertson is also taking the next step .
When Anshe Emes — an Orthodox synagogue with up to 100 families — reopens Thursday night , members will be instructed not to kiss the mezuzahs , tiny scrolls of Hebrew in a protective case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During the services that follow , sections like introductory psalms will be removed to shorten prayer time .
There will be no singing and the rabbi won ’ t give his sermon , which he joked some people might be happy about .
The synagogue will not host the all-night learning that ’ s typical of the Shavuot holiday , which celebrates God ’ s revelation of the Torah at Mt .
Sinai .
While congregants could study in pairs , Summers worried about accommodating them with enough room for social distancing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I hope it goes well , ” he said .
“ Of course , I ’ m concerned , but at a certain point you have to jump.
” But some community members aren ’ t sure if they ’ re ready to attend services just yet , and while decisions over reopening continue , rabbis have been fielding calls from hesitant congregants .
Rabbi Avrohom Czapnik , the director of the Jewish Learning Exchange in Hancock Park , an educational institution that hosts up to 50 people for Shabbat and holiday services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asking for advice because his wife didn ’ t want him to attend services for another few weeks .
“ I texted him back : ‘ Listen to your wife .
Don ’ t go , ’ ” Czapnik said .
“ She has to feel comfortable , and they have to work as a team.
” Czapnik , who is Orthodox , decided not to reopen this week but hopes to have services next Shabbat , pointing out he needed more time to coordinate things like seating cards and sanitizer for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right or wrong , and we tell our congregants , if you don ’ t feel comfortable , you don ’ t have to come , ” he said .
“ I see both sides of the coin very clearly .
On one hand , we don ’ t want everyone to be infected .
On the other hand , the world outside is going crazy — look at the beaches , look at everything .
It ’ s a delicate balance .
”

Even though Young Israel of Century City synagogue in Los Angeles can now reopen, its rabbi has decided to hold off. Elazar Muskin is among a group of local Orthodox rabbis who have said they will wait at least two weeks to see whether coronavirus cases surge.
When Young Israel of Century City reopens, it will hold satellite services in backyards following social distancing protocols. Fewer people will be in close contact with the Torah. There will be limited singing and no sermons.
Even though the synagogue, which has about 500 families, now has permission from the city and county of Los Angeles to reopen in a limited fashion, its rabbi has firmly decided to hold off. Rabbi Elazar Muskin is among a group of local Orthodox rabbis who have signed a letter stating they will wait at least two weeks to see whether coronavirus cases surge.
“This is a question of halacha [Jewish law] and to make sure that you don’t, God forbid, put anybody into danger,” he said. “Synagogue life — something in the Orthodox community which is so social — can be very contagious. It can be a means of spreading the virus. We want to make sure that would not occur.”
Following announcements by officials Tuesday to allow the resumption of faith-based services, rabbis have been grappling with the right thing to do. Some are inviting their congregants back in time for Shavuot, a holiday that begins Thursday night, while others will wait longer. For many, reopening means starting off with significant changes, including backyard services, no singing, and no food or socializing after prayers.
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California’s move to roll back coronavirus-related restrictions on houses of worship came amid growing local pressure on Gov. Gavin Newsom to address the reopening of churches. But in the state and across the country, infections have been linked to such gatherings. In early March, an outbreak after a choir practice at a church in Washington state led to more than 40 people diagnosed with the virus or ill with its symptoms, as well as several deaths, despite the fact that participants brought their own music and avoided direct physical contact.
Under new state guidelines, houses of worship must limit total attendance to 25% of a building’s capacity or a maximum of 100 people, whichever is lower. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has released guidelines to reopen churches for private prayer and public Mass as early as next week . Parishes must receive their regional bishop’s approval for reopening after meeting safety criteria to prevent crowding and physical contact as much as possible.
On May 14, 18 local Orthodox rabbis signed a letter stating that under guidelines published by Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America, they would reconsider reopening their synagogues at least two weeks after the local government has allowed public gatherings of more than 10 people, and has not seen an uptick in cases. They will also not permit communal prayer services or learning groups outside of immediate family over the Shavuot holiday.
“Our commitment to the well-being of our community, in particular the elderly and the immune-compromised, demands nothing less,” the letter said.
Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR, a non-denominational congregation in Mid-Wilshire, is waiting on indicators such as whether cases spike in the weeks after Memorial Day weekend. The community, which has more than 800 families, aims to eventually bring people together in outdoor spaces with congregants sitting in household clusters. Services may be broadcast online to include those who may not attend because they are at high risk of getting severely sick.
Over the last several months, IKAR has held services over Zoom every morning, including on Shabbat, with people from around the world attending.
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“It does not approximate the real-life experience, and we miss that very much, but the risk is too high,” Brous said.
Temple Beth Am, a conservative synagogue on the Westside with more than 900 families, will also take a few weeks to determine safety protocols, including whether it will allow singing. It may first hold daily prayer services, which receive up to several dozen people, prior to restarting Shabbat services typically attended by hundreds, senior Rabbi Adam Kligfeld said.
The synagogue plans to also focus on bar and bat mitzvahs, which might be attended by a small number of people with the rest of guests watching over Zoom.
“There’s this notion to go beyond the letter and honor the spirit of the law,” Kligfeld said. “We don’t want to try to impress anyone, least of all ourselves, with piety, saying we’re going to be the first ones open… Even if that means other synagogues are going to open before us, we want to open in such a way where we don’t have to close if we didn’t do it smartly enough.”
Others have decided to move forward. Rabbi Avraham Hirschman of Pico Bais Medrash, an Orthodox congregation in Pico-Robertson, emailed his congregants shortly after officials permitted houses of worship to reopen this week. They would open just in time for holiday services on Thursday night, he said.
Attendance will be limited to men, who under an Orthodox interpretation of Jewish law are obligated to participate in communal prayer, with the hopes of soon expanding to women. Congregants must wear masks and bring their own prayer shawls and books. Only one person will handle the Torah.
Hirschman held it’s necessary to find a balance between the health risk and the obligation of communal prayer.
“The government felt that things are safe to reopen, and on the other side we have a law, a commitment towards God to do this,” said Hirschman, whose congregation consists of about 100 members. “I just feel like now is the right time to go ahead and do it.”
Rabbi Yitzchok Summers of Anshe Emes in Pico-Robertson is also taking the next step.
When Anshe Emes — an Orthodox synagogue with up to 100 families — reopens Thursday night, members will be instructed not to kiss the mezuzahs, tiny scrolls of Hebrew in a protective case, on the building’s doors. During the services that follow, sections like introductory psalms will be removed to shorten prayer time. There will be no singing and the rabbi won’t give his sermon, which he joked some people might be happy about.
The synagogue will not host the all-night learning that’s typical of the Shavuot holiday, which celebrates God’s revelation of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. While congregants could study in pairs, Summers worried about accommodating them with enough room for social distancing.
“Transitions are always hard, and I hope it goes well,” he said. “Of course, I’m concerned, but at a certain point you have to jump.”
But some community members aren’t sure if they’re ready to attend services just yet, and while decisions over reopening continue, rabbis have been fielding calls from hesitant congregants. Rabbi Avrohom Czapnik, the director of the Jewish Learning Exchange in Hancock Park, an educational institution that hosts up to 50 people for Shabbat and holiday services, received a text from a man asking for advice because his wife didn’t want him to attend services for another few weeks.
“I texted him back: ‘Listen to your wife. Don’t go,’” Czapnik said. “She has to feel comfortable, and they have to work as a team.”
Czapnik, who is Orthodox, decided not to reopen this week but hopes to have services next Shabbat, pointing out he needed more time to coordinate things like seating cards and sanitizer for the bathroom.
“There’s no right or wrong, and we tell our congregants. If you don’t feel comfortable, you don’t have to come,” he said. “I see both sides of the coin very clearly. On one hand, we don’t want everyone to be infected. On the other hand, the world outside is going crazy — look at the beaches, look at everything. It’s a delicate balance.”


latimes--2020-05-28--San Francisco to allow outdoor dining, exercise classes and spectator-free sports in coming weeks

San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Thursday unveiled a plan for reopening the city , including allowing outdoor dining and permitting customers inside retail stores on June 15 .
“ We ’ re entering a new phase of this crisis and we feel comfortable that we ’ re at a place that we can begin reopening parts of our economy , ” Breed said , “ but that is not to say that this virus doesn ’ t continue to threaten our city.
” In addition to allowing outdoor dining and restricted in-store retail service by June 15 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services , religious services and ceremonies , outdoor exercise classes , sports games with no spectators and nonemergency medical appointments .
The second phase would start on July 13 , when restaurants could reopen for indoor dining , hair salons and barbershop could reopen and real estate open houses could resume by appointment only .
By mid-August , schools , bars , nail salons , gyms , playgrounds , indoor museums , tattoo parlors and swimming pools might be able to reopen .
In the final phase — the date of which has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would reopen concert venues , nightclubs , festivals and hotels for tourism .
City officials cautioned that the schedule would be followed only if San Francisco continues to make progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19 .
San Francisco now allows curbside pickup for most retail locations as well as construction , elective surgeries and outdoor business , such as at car washes , flea markets and garden stores .

San Francisco plans to allow outdoor dining and restricted in-store retail service by June 15.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Thursday unveiled a plan for reopening the city, including allowing outdoor dining and permitting customers inside retail stores on June 15.
“We’re entering a new phase of this crisis and we feel comfortable that we’re at a place that we can begin reopening parts of our economy,” Breed said, “but that is not to say that this virus doesn’t continue to threaten our city.”
San Francisco’s plan includes three phases.
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In addition to allowing outdoor dining and restricted in-store retail service by June 15, the city plans to permit private household indoor services, religious services and ceremonies, outdoor exercise classes, sports games with no spectators and nonemergency medical appointments.
The second phase would start on July 13, when restaurants could reopen for indoor dining, hair salons and barbershop could reopen and real estate open houses could resume by appointment only.
By mid-August, schools, bars, nail salons, gyms, playgrounds, indoor museums, tattoo parlors and swimming pools might be able to reopen.
In the final phase — the date of which has yet to be determined — the city would reopen concert venues, nightclubs, festivals and hotels for tourism.
City officials cautioned that the schedule would be followed only if San Francisco continues to make progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19.
San Francisco now allows curbside pickup for most retail locations as well as construction, elective surgeries and outdoor business, such as at car washes, flea markets and garden stores.


latimes--2020-05-28--L.A. shopping malls reopen. The feel is more ghost town than Black Friday

Black Friday it was not as Southern California malls and shopping centers opened to small crowds and strict social distancing rules aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus .
Los Angeles County this week allowed many retailers and malls to reopen their doors , but customers so far have been slow to return .
And many stores remained closed as well .
The scene underscored that it is going to take some time for the economy to restart even as stay-at-home orders are eased .
Only 25 of the 130 stores at Citadel Outlets in Commerce opened their doors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Assyrian-style icon alongside the 5 Freeway .
The parking structure was almost empty and the scattered crowds left plenty of room for people to maintain more than the recommended six feet of separation .
Almost everyone — adults and children — wore masks .
Short lines appeared at several storefronts , but wait times seldom exceeded 10 minutes .
Citadel general manager David Blagg said the decision whether to open was left up to individual tenants , generally national chains that were making determinations about reopening on a regional scale .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they did not intend to reopen , while several said they were taking time to work out procedures for handling customer spacing .
Others told him they were taking the time to get staff lined up , he said .
Blagg said he was expecting more stores to open over the weekend .
Candace Tripp , manager at Lucky Brand Outlet , was allowing 10 people at a time into the small clothing store .
Because customers could not try garments on before buying , the return period had been extended from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were provided to return by mail , borrowing the practice for online buying .
The lack of choice was a disappointment for Octavio Acevedo and his daughter Dana who waited in line outside Papaya , but Acevedo conceded , “ It ’ s better to be here than home.
” They got in after a wait of about 10 minutes .
Dana left with a dress and a sweater .
For Manny Deluna and his family , who were sitting on a bench , the shopping was beside the point .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
Unlike those who came to browse , Mariah Villock of Los Angeles came to find summer clothes at Old Navy .
She knew it would be open .
“ You got ta look online .
I saw that it was open.
” Christine Parsons , 29 , drove to the Glendale Galleria first on Thursday morning .
The night before she received an alert that the mall was reopening .
As she walked through the mainly gated mall , she clutched a bag with products to return to Pacsun that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But to her dismay , Parsons was turned away by locked doors , clothing scattered across the ground and a note taped to the window — a reality seen at many stores throughout the mall .
“ I don ’ t understand how this store is closed , but the stores across the hall are open , ” Parsons said .
“ What ’ s the deterrent of some stores choosing to stay closed ?
... Everyone else is out , so it doesn ’ t make any sense why some are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Flavio Astoria , an entrepreneur from East Hollywood , brought his family to the mall to enjoy their day off .
He had little luck finding an open store , taking laps around the mostly closed corridor leading to Bloomingdale ’ s .
Regardless , he wanted to go out to get a better understanding of the current retail scene .
“ I feel safe following the CDC ’ s guidelines .
The world ’ s got to keep moving forward .
We can ’ t be stagnant .
We ’ ve got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a time and follow the recommended safety precautions , ” Astoria said .
L.A. County officials this week said and many retail businesses could reopen with strict social distancing rules .
And there is hope L.A. County could soon join surrounding areas in allowing limited in-person dining at restaurants .
But health officials have stressed that with the easing of stay-at-home orders comes potential dangers .
Preventing new outbreaks depends on people wearing masks , avoiding crowded spaces and keeping at least six feet apart .
All retail establishments , including those in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open for business at 50 % capacity ; flea markets , swap meets and drive-in movie theaters can also resume operations .

Wearing facial coverings and practicing social distancing, shoppers wander the Glendale Galleria on Thursday in Glendale. The mall, which has been shuttered to help fight the spread of the novel coronavirus, has reopened after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s easing of restrictions.
Black Friday it was not as Southern California malls and shopping centers opened to small crowds and strict social distancing rules aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
Los Angeles County this week allowed many retailers and malls to reopen their doors, but customers so far have been slow to return. And many stores remained closed as well.
The scene underscored that it is going to take some time for the economy to restart even as stay-at-home orders are eased.
Only 25 of the 130 stores at Citadel Outlets in Commerce opened their doors Thursday in a mellow first step back for the Assyrian-style icon alongside the 5 Freeway.
The parking structure was almost empty and the scattered crowds left plenty of room for people to maintain more than the recommended six feet of separation. Almost everyone — adults and children — wore masks.
Short lines appeared at several storefronts, but wait times seldom exceeded 10 minutes.
Citadel general manager David Blagg said the decision whether to open was left up to individual tenants, generally national chains that were making determinations about reopening on a regional scale.
Blagg said no tenants had notified him that they did not intend to reopen, while several said they were taking time to work out procedures for handling customer spacing. Others told him they were taking the time to get staff lined up, he said.
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Blagg said he was expecting more stores to open over the weekend.
Candace Tripp, manager at Lucky Brand Outlet, was allowing 10 people at a time into the small clothing store.
Because customers could not try garments on before buying, the return period had been extended from 30 to 60 days and prepaid labels were provided to return by mail, borrowing the practice for online buying.
The lack of choice was a disappointment for Octavio Acevedo and his daughter Dana who waited in line outside Papaya, but Acevedo conceded, “It’s better to be here than home.”
They got in after a wait of about 10 minutes. Dana left with a dress and a sweater.
For Manny Deluna and his family, who were sitting on a bench, the shopping was beside the point.
“I only came here to walk,” he said.
Unlike those who came to browse, Mariah Villock of Los Angeles came to find summer clothes at Old Navy. She knew it would be open. “You gotta look online. I saw that it was open.”
Christine Parsons, 29, drove to the Glendale Galleria first on Thursday morning. The night before she received an alert that the mall was reopening.
Advertisement
As she walked through the mainly gated mall, she clutched a bag with products to return to Pacsun that she had held onto for 30 days. But to her dismay, Parsons was turned away by locked doors, clothing scattered across the ground and a note taped to the window — a reality seen at many stores throughout the mall.
“I don’t understand how this store is closed, but the stores across the hall are open,” Parsons said. “What’s the deterrent of some stores choosing to stay closed? ... Everyone else is out, so it doesn’t make any sense why some are open and some aren’t.”
Flavio Astoria, an entrepreneur from East Hollywood, brought his family to the mall to enjoy their day off.
He had little luck finding an open store, taking laps around the mostly closed corridor leading to Bloomingdale’s. Regardless, he wanted to go out to get a better understanding of the current retail scene.
“I feel safe following the CDC’s guidelines. The world’s got to keep moving forward. We can’t be stagnant. We’ve got to take it a few days at a time and follow the recommended safety precautions,” Astoria said.
L.A. County officials this week said churches and many retail businesses could reopen with strict social distancing rules. And there is hope L.A. County could soon join surrounding areas in allowing limited in-person dining at restaurants.
But health officials have stressed that with the easing of stay-at-home orders comes potential dangers. Preventing new outbreaks depends on people wearing masks, avoiding crowded spaces and keeping at least six feet apart.
All retail establishments, including those in indoor and outdoor shopping centers, can open for business at 50% capacity; flea markets, swap meets and drive-in movie theaters can also resume operations.


latimes--2020-05-28--No pay cuts for California elected officials amid budget crisis prompted by coronavirus

While most state employees face the threat of 10 % pay cuts due to a state budget deficit fueled by the coronavirus crisis , a citizens ’ panel on Thursday decided not to cut the salaries of state lawmakers and other statewide elected officials .
But the decision came with an entreaty from Tom Dalzell , the chairman of the state Citizens Compensation Commission , who called on California ’ s 132 elected state officials to each consider taking less pay as the state contends with the economic upheaval stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and the stay-at-home orders implemented to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I urge the legislators and the constitutional officers … to each seriously consider a voluntary surrender of some portion of their salary in recognition of the budgetary hardships and the hardships of many Californians , especially those who are unemployed , ” Dalzell said during Thursday ’ s meeting .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced earlier this month that he will seek a 10 % reduction in the salaries of rank-and-file state workers as well as his own pay starting July 1 as part of a plan to address an expected $ 54.3-billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day .
Thursday ’ s vote to maintain salary levels for elected officials sent the wrong message , said Jon Coupal , president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn .
“ It ’ s a question of optics , that with all the pain being inflicted on individuals and small business , it ’ s unseemly that the highest paid legislators in America [ until recently ] aren ’ t sharing in the pain , ” Coupal said after the decision .
As a result of the commission vote , California ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain at $ 114,877 , which until recently was the highest base salary paid to lawmakers in any state in the country .
New York bumped its lawmakers ’ pay to $ 120,000 annually in January .
Although the commission did not reduce the governor ’ s annual salary of $ 209,747 , he has indicated that he will voluntarily take a 10 % reduction starting July 1 .
While other legislators were not immediately available Thursday for comment , it does not appear Senate Democrats will voluntarily reduce their salaries .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins ( D-San Diego ) said in a statement Thursday that the Senate is focused on developing a plan that would avoid devastating cuts to important state programs .
“ Voters put legislators ’ compensation in the hands of the Citizens Compensation Commission .
We continue to abide by their decisions , ” Atkins said .
While Newsom ’ s office is negotiating with unions to reduce the pay of civil servants working for the state , the salaries of elected officials are set annually by the commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approved by voters in 1990 .
The commission was not able to raise salaries Thursday because another ballot measure from 2009 prohibits salary increases when there are deficits , as there is now .
All four members of the commission , who are appointed by the governor , said they recognize that the state is facing economic and budgetary difficulty .
Commissioner Laura Horrocks said during the panel ’ s teleconferenced meeting that she would support a reduction of pay but added : “ We don ’ t know the long-term impacts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the state ’ s financial picture is grim .
“ We are facing a financial crisis that is certainly greater than the stock market problems of 2008 , ” Dalzell said .
“ There is uncertainty in budgets at every level of government.
” However , he said that , because the Legislature has not met as frequently as it normally does due to the pandemic , lawmakers are getting less from the $ 206 per diem they receive for each day the Legislature is in session .
“ They still have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the very little time they are here , ” he said .
“ So they are already making a big sacrifice.
” Dalzell also said that the money saved from cutting salaries of legislators is insignificant in comparison with the overall state budget hole .
“ I ’ m not interested in a meaningless , symbolic gesture , “ he said .
The commission action Thursday also maintained the current salary levels for the lieutenant governor , attorney general , treasurer , controller , secretary of state , insurance commissioner , superintendent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Board of Equalization .
The commission cut elected officials ’ pay by 18 % in 2009 after the governor and Legislature furloughed state workers to avoid a budget deficit during the Great Recession .
That year , lawmakers challenged the legality of cutting their salaries mid-term , arguing the changes should apply only to those who take office the following term , but the state attorney general ruled against the legislators .
Legislative leaders signaled last week that they would accept any decision of the citizen panel .
“ Whatever the Citizens Compensation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abide by , ” said Katie Talbot , a spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon ( D-Lakewood ) .

Members of the state Assembly, seen here in 2016, are among 132 elected state officials whose pay was maintained at the current level Thursday by the state Citizens Compensation Commission.
While most state employees face the threat of 10% pay cuts due to a state budget deficit fueled by the coronavirus crisis, a citizens’ panel on Thursday decided not to cut the salaries of state lawmakers and other statewide elected officials.
But the decision came with an entreaty from Tom Dalzell, the chairman of the state Citizens Compensation Commission, who called on California’s 132 elected state officials to each consider taking less pay as the state contends with the economic upheaval stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and the stay-at-home orders implemented to slow spread of the virus.
“I urge the legislators and the constitutional officers … to each seriously consider a voluntary surrender of some portion of their salary in recognition of the budgetary hardships and the hardships of many Californians, especially those who are unemployed,” Dalzell said during Thursday’s meeting.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced earlier this month that he will seek a 10% reduction in the salaries of rank-and-file state workers as well as his own pay starting July 1 as part of a plan to address an expected $54.3-billion deficit for the fiscal year starting that day.
Thursday’s vote to maintain salary levels for elected officials sent the wrong message, said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn.
“It’s a question of optics, that with all the pain being inflicted on individuals and small business, it’s unseemly that the highest paid legislators in America [until recently] aren’t sharing in the pain,” Coupal said after the decision.
As a result of the commission vote, California’s 120 legislators will see their base salaries remain at $114,877, which until recently was the highest base salary paid to lawmakers in any state in the country. New York bumped its lawmakers’ pay to $120,000 annually in January.
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Although the commission did not reduce the governor’s annual salary of $209,747, he has indicated that he will voluntarily take a 10% reduction starting July 1.
While other legislators were not immediately available Thursday for comment, it does not appear Senate Democrats will voluntarily reduce their salaries. When asked about Dalzell’s suggestion, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) said in a statement Thursday that the Senate is focused on developing a plan that would avoid devastating cuts to important state programs.
“Voters put legislators’ compensation in the hands of the Citizens Compensation Commission. We continue to abide by their decisions,” Atkins said.
While Newsom’s office is negotiating with unions to reduce the pay of civil servants working for the state, the salaries of elected officials are set annually by the commission that was created under a ballot measure approved by voters in 1990.
The commission was not able to raise salaries Thursday because another ballot measure from 2009 prohibits salary increases when there are deficits, as there is now.
All four members of the commission, who are appointed by the governor, said they recognize that the state is facing economic and budgetary difficulty.
Commissioner Laura Horrocks said during the panel’s teleconferenced meeting that she would support a reduction of pay but added: “We don’t know the long-term impacts of where we are going economically.”
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Dalzell said the state’s financial picture is grim.
“We are facing a financial crisis that is certainly greater than the stock market problems of 2008,” Dalzell said. “There is uncertainty in budgets at every level of government.”
However, he said that, because the Legislature has not met as frequently as it normally does due to the pandemic, lawmakers are getting less from the $206 per diem they receive for each day the Legislature is in session.
“They still have the cost of maintaining housing in Sacramento for the very little time they are here,” he said. “So they are already making a big sacrifice.”
Dalzell also said that the money saved from cutting salaries of legislators is insignificant in comparison with the overall state budget hole.
“I’m not interested in a meaningless, symbolic gesture,“ he said.
The commission action Thursday also maintained the current salary levels for the lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, controller, secretary of state, insurance commissioner, superintendent of public instruction and members of the Board of Equalization.
The commission cut elected officials’ pay by 18% in 2009 after the governor and Legislature furloughed state workers to avoid a budget deficit during the Great Recession.
That year, lawmakers challenged the legality of cutting their salaries mid-term, arguing the changes should apply only to those who take office the following term, but the state attorney general ruled against the legislators.
Legislative leaders signaled last week that they would accept any decision of the citizen panel.
“Whatever the Citizens Compensation Commission decides is what the Assembly will abide by,” said Katie Talbot, a spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood).


latimes--2020-05-28--A-OK boomers: New 'Laurel Canyon' doc will make you swoon over the scene all over again

One of the most sacred musical places in the baby boomer bible sits just above the Sunset Strip in the once-ramshackle Laurel Canyon neighborhood .
The era ’ s own Garden of Eden , the labyrinthine neighborhood became a tangled nest of creativity that housed rising artists including Joni Mitchell , Carole King , Frank Zappa , James Taylor , Jackson Browne and members of Crosby , Stills , Nash & Young , the Doors , the Mamas & the Papas , the Monkees , Love , the Eagles and dozens of other soon-to-be-famous artists .
Virtually every plugged-in American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that musical history was made in the hills .
Histories , memoirs , art books , a few documentaries and a fictional film — it would seem that the story of how a relatively isolated L.A. ZIP code helped connect artists with one another , who then connected with millions of fans , has been told .
“ Really , we need another one ?
” Alison Ellwood , the director of “ Laurel Canyon : A Place in Time , ” a two-part , 3½-hour limited series that premieres Sunday on Epix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We did think a lot about that .
But it was this truly magical bubble that gurgled up.
” More than most , Ellwood understands this .
She also directed the 2013 documentary “ The History of the Eagles.
” Like that film , “ Laurel Canyon ” was produced Alex Gibney ’ s Jigsaw Pictures .
Another of her L.A. music projects , “ The Go-Go ’ s , ” will premiere on Showtime in August .
Bits and pieces of the Laurel Canyon story have certainly been told , Ellwood adds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at the connections and relationships that fertilized the creativity , told entirely from the perspective of the participants .
Fewer still have had the budget to afford the music licenses required to properly soundtrack the story .
The Andrew Slater-directed , Jakob Dylan-guided “ Echo in the Canyon , ” which came out in 2019 , mines similar terrain but is missing the volume of footage and music required for the kind of film Ellwood wanted to make .
( “ Echo ... ” is also missing any mention of Joni Mitchell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canyon ” corrects that .
The most comprehensive and musically satisfying document of a notably insular scene , the limited series combines sublime performance footage , home movies , artist interviews , choice music and a host of images by two photographers present at the time , Nurit Wilde and Henry Diltz , to tell a vivid story of a period that took place roughly from 1966 to 1972 .
A music scene that has been idealized to the point of redundancy , it ’ s represented in this film as akin to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stars aligned to connect writers Gertrude Stein , F. Scott Fitzgerald , Kay Boyle and Ernest Hemingway .
From an aesthetic perspective , it ’ s hard to deny .
Mitchell wrote all of her album “ Blue ” while living with Graham Nash in the canyon .
Nash composed “ Our House ” about their place .
Stephen Stills wrote “ For What It ’ s Worth ” about the scene down below on the Sunset Strip , and the foundations of his and bandmate Young ’ s band Buffalo Springfield were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stills and Crosby figured out that they could do three-part harmonies here .
While living in the Hills , Arthur Lee and his band Love crafted “ Forever Changes.
” This music suggested that the new decade might be a little more settled and bucolic than the one they ’ d all just lived through , like the sparkling afterglow of a particularly great acid trip .
It also portended an easing into adulthood , and a desire to create music minus the “ yeah-yeah-yeah ” screaming and shouting , or the Jimi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more , Ellwood , whose feature film directing credits also include “ American Jihad , ” “ Spring Broke ” and “ Magic Trip : Ken Kesey ’ s Search for a Kool Place , ” had been wanting to focus on the Laurel Canyon music scene for 20 years .
A lifelong Doors fan , she was drawn to the neighborhood when researching a documentary on the band that never happened .
Along the way , she made connections that convinced her that an untold tale lay beneath the surface .
Guided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presence at regular intervals across the series helps anchor the structure , Ellwood ’ s narrators include David Crosby , Linda Ronstadt , Alice Cooper , Michelle Phillips , the Monkees ’ Mickey Dolenz and Mike Nesmith and the Doors ’ Robbie Krieger .
Woven in are archival recollections from dead musicians including Love ’ s Arthur Lee , Zappa , Cass Elliot and Jim Morrison .
Though neither Mitchell nor Young agreed to be interviewed for the film , Ellwood ’ s research team found illuminating archival interviews with both .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canyon , ” she ’ s sitting on a stool preparing to be interviewed .
Out of the frame , someone asks her to look into the camera and say who she is .
She looks a little surprised by the question .
“ Who I am ?
” Pondering for an uncomfortable moment , she says with a laugh , “ That ’ s a hard departure point .
A synopsis ?
” He means her name .
“ She struggles with that for 35 seconds , and we let that run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ To me , that ’ s who Joni Mitchell is .
She always goes to the deepest possible place.
” The team ’ s goal was similarly intentioned , to create what the director calls “ something immersive and experiential that included a lot of artists .
[ But ] I didn ’ t want it to feel like an anthology .
What magically happened for us , in the process of editing and researching was , we learned about all the ways the artists were very organically connected.
” That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s story is a crucial contribution to the canyon narrative .
Peter Tork ’ s parties , the sidewalk meet-ups in front of the Troubadour , the flourishing of the Byrds , a teenage Jackson Browne ’ s arrival on the scene , the TV success of “ The Monkees.
” All combined to confirm the spot as a kind of Valhalla .
Nostalgia has sanded off the rough edges .
Striking footage humanizes musicians including Morrison , who is shown during one fantastic snippet pedaling shirtless on a beach cruiser .
Grainy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Ciro ’ s , and of a seated crowd at the Troubadour awaiting a folk concert , reveal hidden corners of the scene ’ s psyche .
“ Laurel Canyon ” lays it all out , combining narrative through-lines that in one way or another entangle Mitchell , Crosby , Stills , Nash , Gram Parsons , Ronstadt , David Geffen and his business partner Elliot Roberts , , John Phillips , Denny Doherty , Michelle Phillips and Elliot of the Mamas & the Papas , Gene Clark and various other members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crosby used to lure friends to backyard concerts with what he calls “ the best pot in town , ” which would get them “ completely stoned out of their gourds.
” Crosby adds , “ And then I ’ d say , ‘ Hey Joni , why don ’ t you sing a song ?
’ They ’ d listen to her sing and their brains would run out their noses in a puddle , and that would be that.
” As with most L.A. music stories of the era , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the whole vibe .
Or maybe it was the rising mountains of cocaine .
Ellwood says the series arc was driven by “ naivete and innocence , at the beginning , but a sort of darkness always comes into these things.
” Specifically , the Hells Angels stabbing at the Rolling Stones ’ concert at Altamont Speedway and the Manson family killing spree , both of which occurred in 1969 , mark a turning point .
That shift was driven as much by the perils of , and drive for , success , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angels .
Even without those two oft-employed end-of-era touchstones , the scene was pricing , and drugging , itself out of the canyon .
The union of neighbors Crosby , Stills and Nash begat a harmony trio that , after Woodstock , made them millionaires .
Music men Geffen and Roberts relocated to L.A. from New York to tap into the budding scene , and helped propel the careers of clients Young and Mitchell before founding Asylum Records in 1971 .
The label ’ s initial , and good-looking , roster of Browne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Souther , Judee Sill and Glenn Frey all had canyon connections .
Within a few years , all but Sill were household names , and the successful commercialization of hippiedom had made Geffen and Roberts millionaires .
They sold the company a few years later .
With Warner Bros. signing canyon-dwellers Young and James Taylor and Lou Adler ’ s Ode working with Carole King , big labels advertised these young , beautiful singer-songwriters as being the product of Walden-esque respite .
That each of these young men managed to elude a military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the front lines in Vietnam is little more than a footnote .
The freedom of movement afforded the artists allowed for a bucolic privilege in which money is seldom an issue .
Ellwood traces the dissolution of Crosby , Stills , Nash and Young , and offers the bittersweet story of how the Doors ended up signed to Elektra Records — seemingly at the expense of labelmates Love .
Morrison ’ s antics get a lot of screen time , but his undeniable charisma is on full display .
His death from an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , come as a surprise .
Drugs were everywhere , and seemingly everyone in the canyon was dosed on acid , stoned or both .
Those polarities helped dictate a structure for the two episodes , Ellwood says .
“ The first part would be more of the light , and the second part would be more of the darkness .
There ’ s tons of light that comes through the darkness in Part 2 as well — it ’ s not like it was doom and gloom .
But it shifted.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When : 9 p.m. Sunday ; concludes June 7 Rating : TV-MA ( may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17 )

One of the most sacred musical places in the baby boomer bible sits just above the Sunset Strip in the once-ramshackle Laurel Canyon neighborhood.
The era’s own Garden of Eden, the labyrinthine neighborhood became a tangled nest of creativity that housed rising artists including Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Frank Zappa, James Taylor, Jackson Browne and members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Doors, the Mamas & the Papas, the Monkees, Love, the Eagles and dozens of other soon-to-be-famous artists.
Virtually every plugged-in American over 18 has been indoctrinated into understanding that musical history was made in the hills. Histories, memoirs, art books, a few documentaries and a fictional film — it would seem that the story of how a relatively isolated L.A. ZIP code helped connect artists with one another, who then connected with millions of fans, has been told.
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“Really, we need another one?” Alison Ellwood, the director of “Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time,” a two-part, 3½-hour limited series that premieres Sunday on Epix, says with a laugh. “We did think a lot about that. But it was this truly magical bubble that gurgled up.”
More than most, Ellwood understands this. She also directed the 2013 documentary “The History of the Eagles.” Like that film, “Laurel Canyon” was produced Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Pictures. Another of her L.A. music projects, “The Go-Go’s,” will premiere on Showtime in August.
Bits and pieces of the Laurel Canyon story have certainly been told, Ellwood adds, but none had offered a grand look at the connections and relationships that fertilized the creativity, told entirely from the perspective of the participants. Fewer still have had the budget to afford the music licenses required to properly soundtrack the story. The Andrew Slater-directed, Jakob Dylan-guided “Echo in the Canyon,” which came out in 2019, mines similar terrain but is missing the volume of footage and music required for the kind of film Ellwood wanted to make. (“Echo...” is also missing any mention of Joni Mitchell.)
Ellwood’s “Laurel Canyon” corrects that. The most comprehensive and musically satisfying document of a notably insular scene, the limited series combines sublime performance footage, home movies, artist interviews, choice music and a host of images by two photographers present at the time, Nurit Wilde and Henry Diltz, to tell a vivid story of a period that took place roughly from 1966 to 1972.
A music scene that has been idealized to the point of redundancy, it’s represented in this film as akin to Paris in the 1920s, when the stars aligned to connect writers Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kay Boyle and Ernest Hemingway.
The undeniable charisma of the Doors’ Jim Morrison, second from left, is on full display in “Laurel Canyon.” (Henry Diltz)
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From an aesthetic perspective, it’s hard to deny. Mitchell wrote all of her album “Blue” while living with Graham Nash in the canyon. Nash composed “Our House” about their place. Stephen Stills wrote “For What It’s Worth” about the scene down below on the Sunset Strip, and the foundations of his and bandmate Young’s band Buffalo Springfield were laid in that soil. Nash, Stills and Crosby figured out that they could do three-part harmonies here. While living in the Hills, Arthur Lee and his band Love crafted “Forever Changes.”
This music suggested that the new decade might be a little more settled and bucolic than the one they’d all just lived through, like the sparkling afterglow of a particularly great acid trip. It also portended an easing into adulthood, and a desire to create music minus the “yeah-yeah-yeah” screaming and shouting, or the Jimi Hendrix-driven freakouts.
For those reasons and more, Ellwood, whose feature film directing credits also include “American Jihad,” “Spring Broke” and “Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search for a Kool Place,” had been wanting to focus on the Laurel Canyon music scene for 20 years. A lifelong Doors fan, she was drawn to the neighborhood when researching a documentary on the band that never happened. Along the way, she made connections that convinced her that an untold tale lay beneath the surface.
Guided by photographers Diltz and Wilde, whose presence at regular intervals across the series helps anchor the structure, Ellwood’s narrators include David Crosby, Linda Ronstadt, Alice Cooper, Michelle Phillips, the Monkees’ Mickey Dolenz and Mike Nesmith and the Doors’ Robbie Krieger. Woven in are archival recollections from dead musicians including Love’s Arthur Lee, Zappa, Cass Elliot and Jim Morrison. Though neither Mitchell nor Young agreed to be interviewed for the film, Ellwood’s research team found illuminating archival interviews with both.
The first time Mitchell arrives in “Laurel Canyon,” she’s sitting on a stool preparing to be interviewed. Out of the frame, someone asks her to look into the camera and say who she is.
She looks a little surprised by the question. “Who I am?” Pondering for an uncomfortable moment, she says with a laugh, “That’s a hard departure point. A synopsis?” He means her name.
“She struggles with that for 35 seconds, and we let that run for that long,” Ellwood says. “To me, that’s who Joni Mitchell is. She always goes to the deepest possible place.”
From left, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. (Henry Diltz)
The team’s goal was similarly intentioned, to create what the director calls “something immersive and experiential that included a lot of artists. [But] I didn’t want it to feel like an anthology. What magically happened for us, in the process of editing and researching was, we learned about all the ways the artists were very organically connected.”
That approach illustrates the reasons why Ellwood’s story is a crucial contribution to the canyon narrative. Peter Tork’s parties, the sidewalk meet-ups in front of the Troubadour, the flourishing of the Byrds, a teenage Jackson Browne’s arrival on the scene, the TV success of “The Monkees.” All combined to confirm the spot as a kind of Valhalla. Nostalgia has sanded off the rough edges.
Striking footage humanizes musicians including Morrison, who is shown during one fantastic snippet pedaling shirtless on a beach cruiser. Grainy footage of the Byrds’ first gigs at Ciro’s, and of a seated crowd at the Troubadour awaiting a folk concert, reveal hidden corners of the scene’s psyche.
“Laurel Canyon” director Alison Ellwood also helmed the 2013 documentary on onetime Laurel Canyon residents the Eagles. (Henry Diltz)
“Laurel Canyon” lays it all out, combining narrative through-lines that in one way or another entangle Mitchell, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Gram Parsons, Ronstadt, David Geffen and his business partner Elliot Roberts, , John Phillips, Denny Doherty, Michelle Phillips and Elliot of the Mamas & the Papas, Gene Clark and various other members of the Byrds.
For example, Crosby used to lure friends to backyard concerts with what he calls “the best pot in town,” which would get them “completely stoned out of their gourds.” Crosby adds, “And then I’d say, ‘Hey Joni, why don’t you sing a song?’ They’d listen to her sing and their brains would run out their noses in a puddle, and that would be that.”
As with most L.A. music stories of the era, the Manson family makes a cameo to kill the whole vibe. Or maybe it was the rising mountains of cocaine.
Ellwood says the series arc was driven by “naivete and innocence, at the beginning, but a sort of darkness always comes into these things.” Specifically, the Hells Angels stabbing at the Rolling Stones’ concert at Altamont Speedway and the Manson family killing spree, both of which occurred in 1969, mark a turning point.
Linda Ronstadt, an early signing of David Geffen and Elliot Roberts’ Canyon-centered label Asylum Records. (Henry Diltz)
That shift was driven as much by the perils of, and drive for, success, as it was by Manson or Hells Angels. Even without those two oft-employed end-of-era touchstones, the scene was pricing, and drugging, itself out of the canyon. The union of neighbors Crosby, Stills and Nash begat a harmony trio that, after Woodstock, made them millionaires.
Music men Geffen and Roberts relocated to L.A. from New York to tap into the budding scene, and helped propel the careers of clients Young and Mitchell before founding Asylum Records in 1971. The label’s initial, and good-looking, roster of Browne, Mitchell, Ronstadt, J.D. Souther, Judee Sill and Glenn Frey all had canyon connections. Within a few years, all but Sill were household names, and the successful commercialization of hippiedom had made Geffen and Roberts millionaires. They sold the company a few years later.
With Warner Bros. signing canyon-dwellers Young and James Taylor and Lou Adler’s Ode working with Carole King, big labels advertised these young, beautiful singer-songwriters as being the product of Walden-esque respite. That each of these young men managed to elude a military draft that sent less fortunate souls to the front lines in Vietnam is little more than a footnote. The freedom of movement afforded the artists allowed for a bucolic privilege in which money is seldom an issue.
Ellwood traces the dissolution of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and offers the bittersweet story of how the Doors ended up signed to Elektra Records — seemingly at the expense of labelmates Love. Morrison’s antics get a lot of screen time, but his undeniable charisma is on full display. His death from an overdose doesn’t, of course, come as a surprise. Drugs were everywhere, and seemingly everyone in the canyon was dosed on acid, stoned or both.
Those polarities helped dictate a structure for the two episodes, Ellwood says. “The first part would be more of the light, and the second part would be more of the darkness. There’s tons of light that comes through the darkness in Part 2 as well — it’s not like it was doom and gloom. But it shifted.”
‘Laurel Canyon’
Where: Epix
When: 9 p.m. Sunday; concludes June 7
Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17)


latimes--2020-05-28--Inmate labeled as 'recovered' from coronavirus dies at Terminal Island

A ninth inmate infected with the coronavirus at the federal prison on Terminal Island in San Pedro died this week after authorities said the man had previously recovered from the illness .
Adrian Solarzano tested positive for the virus on April 16 and was placed in isolation .
The Federal Bureau of Prisons deemed him “ recovered ” on May 10 after he no longer showed symptoms .
But five days later — on May 15 — Solarzano was admitted to a hospital after complaining of chest pain and anxiety .
He was tested twice for COVID-19 , and authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his condition worsened , and he was pronounced dead by hospital staff Sunday .
Terminal Island , which has the second-highest death toll among all federal prisons , instituted mass testing at the facility last month , following Los Angeles County Department of Public Health guidelines .
Solarzano , 54 , was serving a sentence of more than 20 years for racketeering and drug charges .
He had been at the facility since August 2013 .
Prison officials said 42 of the nearly 700 inmates at Terminal Island who had tested positive for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ recovered ” as of Thursday .
About 70 % of the prison population has tested positive , with many being asymptomatic .
The facility typically holds just over 1,000 inmates in its dormitory-like settings .
The federal prison board ’ s handling of the outbreak at the low-security facility , which caters to those with medical needs , has been criticized by several California congressional members .
After touring the prison earlier this month , Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán said there was “ no physical distancing happening ” and described inmates as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ units for highly infectious inmates were only supplied with cloth masks , she said .
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a pair of class-action lawsuits on behalf of prisoners at Terminal Island and Lompoc , claiming officials mishandled outbreaks at the facilities , where a combined total of about 1,800 inmates have been infected .
More than 900 inmates have tested positive at Lompoc — the most in a federal prison — with 884 deemed recovered , according to the Board of Prisons .
“ While the rest of California took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , the Bureau of Prisons failed to take preventive measures as basic as isolating sick prisoners , allowing social distancing , or providing enough soap , ” Peter Bibring , senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California , said in a statement .
“ Their deliberate indifference to the risk of disease violates the Constitution , and puts both those in prison and the surrounding community at risk.
” The lawsuits allege that officials at both facilities allowed the virus to spread by failing to provide clean environments , basic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prisoners and staff .
Overcrowding makes it impossible for prisoners to maintain social distancing or take other precautions , but officials have refused to consider the majority of inmates for release into home confinement despite directives to do so , according to the lawsuits .
The refusal amounts to cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by the 8th Amendment , the suits claim .
In an attempt to provide more space , prison officials have moved inmates into field tents and warehouses that were hastily converted into makeshift living spaces , the lawsuit states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lawsuit — Maurice Smith , 50 , and Edgar Vasquez , 32 — say that , amid the outbreak , they were moved to one such space , an old warehouse that had no heating or hot water for showers .
The warehouse is also “ infested by a veritable menagerie , ” including mice , raccoons , feral cats , possums , skunks , and bats that fly through holes in the ceiling , the lawsuit states .
There , inmates sleep on folding cots three feet from the floor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toilets , four sinks and four showers , according to the lawsuit .
“ In the face of a COVID-19 outbreak , Terminal Island has the worst of all worlds , ” the lawsuit states .
Both complaints note that the CARES Act , which became law March 27 , gave Bureau of Prisons officials broad discretion to reduce prison populations by releasing inmates into home confinement .
That was followed by an April 3 memo issued by Atty .
Gen. William Barr urging the bureau to take such actions for medically at-risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the lawsuits state .
At least two of the Terminal Island inmates who died from COVID-19 — Scott Cutting , 70 , and James Lino , 65 , both of whom had underlying health conditions — should have been on the shortlist to be released into home confinement per the directive , the lawsuit states .

A ninth inmate infected with the coronavirus at the federal prison on Terminal Island in San Pedro died this week after authorities said the man had previously recovered from the illness.
Adrian Solarzano tested positive for the virus on April 16 and was placed in isolation. The Federal Bureau of Prisons deemed him “recovered” on May 10 after he no longer showed symptoms.
But five days later — on May 15 — Solarzano was admitted to a hospital after complaining of chest pain and anxiety. He was tested twice for COVID-19, and authorities said both results were negative. But his condition worsened, and he was pronounced dead by hospital staff Sunday.
Terminal Island, which has the second-highest death toll among all federal prisons, instituted mass testing at the facility last month, following Los Angeles County Department of Public Health guidelines.
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Solarzano, 54, was serving a sentence of more than 20 years for racketeering and drug charges. He had been at the facility since August 2013.
Prison officials said 42 of the nearly 700 inmates at Terminal Island who had tested positive for the virus had not yet been deemed “recovered” as of Thursday. About 70% of the prison population has tested positive, with many being asymptomatic. The facility typically holds just over 1,000 inmates in its dormitory-like settings.
The federal prison board’s handling of the outbreak at the low-security facility, which caters to those with medical needs, has been criticized by several California congressional members.
After touring the prison earlier this month, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán said there was “no physical distancing happening” and described inmates as screaming for help. Many in the units for highly infectious inmates were only supplied with cloth masks, she said.
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The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a pair of class-action lawsuits on behalf of prisoners at Terminal Island and Lompoc, claiming officials mishandled outbreaks at the facilities, where a combined total of about 1,800 inmates have been infected. More than 900 inmates have tested positive at Lompoc — the most in a federal prison — with 884 deemed recovered, according to the Board of Prisons.
“While the rest of California took extraordinary measures to stop the spread of coronavirus, the Bureau of Prisons failed to take preventive measures as basic as isolating sick prisoners, allowing social distancing, or providing enough soap,” Peter Bibring, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California, said in a statement. “Their deliberate indifference to the risk of disease violates the Constitution, and puts both those in prison and the surrounding community at risk.”
The lawsuits allege that officials at both facilities allowed the virus to spread by failing to provide clean environments, basic sanitary supplies and personal protective equipment to prisoners and staff.
California 700 Chino inmates to be transferred as coronavirus sweeps prison The prisoners have tested negative but have histories that make them vulnerable in a facility where the coronavirus has infected every dormitory.
Overcrowding makes it impossible for prisoners to maintain social distancing or take other precautions, but officials have refused to consider the majority of inmates for release into home confinement despite directives to do so, according to the lawsuits. The refusal amounts to cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by the 8th Amendment, the suits claim.
In an attempt to provide more space, prison officials have moved inmates into field tents and warehouses that were hastily converted into makeshift living spaces, the lawsuit states.
Two Terminal Island prisoners named in the lawsuit — Maurice Smith, 50, and Edgar Vasquez, 32 — say that, amid the outbreak, they were moved to one such space, an old warehouse that had no heating or hot water for showers. The warehouse is also “infested by a veritable menagerie,” including mice, raccoons, feral cats, possums, skunks, and bats that fly through holes in the ceiling, the lawsuit states.
There, inmates sleep on folding cots three feet from the floor, and up to 60 prisoners share four toilets, four sinks and four showers, according to the lawsuit.
“In the face of a COVID-19 outbreak, Terminal Island has the worst of all worlds,” the lawsuit states.
Both complaints note that the CARES Act, which became law March 27, gave Bureau of Prisons officials broad discretion to reduce prison populations by releasing inmates into home confinement. That was followed by an April 3 memo issued by Atty. Gen. William Barr urging the bureau to take such actions for medically at-risk prisoners, especially at facilities with outbreaks, the lawsuits state.
At least two of the Terminal Island inmates who died from COVID-19 — Scott Cutting, 70, and James Lino, 65, both of whom had underlying health conditions — should have been on the shortlist to be released into home confinement per the directive, the lawsuit states.