latimes--2020-04-03--39 million masks for hospitals never materialized. Federal officials are investigating

They had seemingly done the impossible .
The union that represents healthcare workers in California announced it had arranged the purchase of 39 million N95 masks for hospitals and government agencies that badly need the protective equipment .
Among the intended recipients was Kaiser Permanente , which placed orders for 6 million masks .
A week later , none of those masks have materialized , and Kaiser is cooperating with a federal fraud investigation into the deal , a spokesman for the health plan confirmed .
There is no indication that the union is a target of the investigation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t come through remain unclear .
But the failed arrangement marks the latest in a smoke-and-mirrors marketplace for medical supplies in short supply as hospitals and other healthcare facilities in California and beyond prepare for an onslaught of COVID-19 patients .
Experts in the global supply chain say that dubious middlemen have flooded the market with suspect offers , creating an atmosphere of confusion and distrust just as hospitals are desperate to arm their front-line personnel with the gear they need to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus .
Kaiser spokesman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been brought to Kaiser ’ s attention by Service Employees International Union - United Healthcare Workers West .
Despite multiple requests , he said , the supplier repeatedly failed to provide reliable information about how Kaiser could verify and inspect the masks .
Kaiser withdrew from the deal and no money ever changed hands , he said .
“ We learned shortly afterward that the supplier never had possession of the masks , ” Brown said in an email .
“ We are cooperating with federal law enforcement in their investigation of suspected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a spokesman for SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West , said that the organization “ was trying to save the lives of healthcare workers and patients ” and that union officials “ were proud of having made that attempt.
” Trossman said the union had turned the name of the supplier over to a federal task force that is investigating suppliers of medical equipment related to COVID-19 .
He declined to provide the supplier ’ s name to The Times .
A spokesperson with the U.S. attorney general ’ s office declined to comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies that the union had listed as buyers of the massive stockpile said they had decided not to pursue the deal .
Meanwhile , healthcare workers who are members of the union say they haven ’ t seen the masks and are expressing frustration at the ongoing lack of personal protective equipment .
“ We are angry , we are scared , we are mad , disappointed , ” said Marcie Call , a medical records worker at Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa .
Counterfeiting is now rampant in global medical supply chains , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Reshoring Institute , a nonprofit that helps companies move manufacturing back to the U.S. “ Any time there is an opportunity like this , the counterfeiters will jump on it , and that ’ s what we ’ re seeing right now , ” Coates said .
“ Things are mislabeled or the companies don ’ t really have the connection we think they have or they are made of low-quality components.
” The chaotic marketplace stems from the federal government ’ s lack of a coordinated strategy to procure protective medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Hospitals now find themselves competing with one another for supplies .
Frustrated doctors and nurses are soliciting donations from the public .
Some have said they are reusing masks and fashioning gowns from trash bags .
Officials in Los Angeles County , which was among the intended recipients of the SEIU deal for masks , did not respond to questions about the arrangement .
But in a statement , Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas acknowledged that county health officials have found it difficult to quickly obtain the necessary supplies .
“ It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to contend with the lack of national leadership in securing supplies , which has exacerbated competition , confusion and chaos at a time when our first responders should feel the most protected , ” he said .
Chaun Powell , group vice president of strategic supplier engagement at the healthcare group purchasing firm Premier Inc. , said bad actors had flooded what he called the “ gray market ” for personal protective equipment .
“ It ’ s a major problem .
...
It ’ s creating so much false hope and distraction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve received no less than 300 solicitations in the last 10 days .
Of that , we ’ ve only found four that are potentially viable.
” The promise of 39 million masks was announced by Dave Regan , president of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West , during a Facebook Live town hall on March 25 .
Regan said that the union had secured the supplies at $ 5 a mask and that various hospitals would soon be receiving millions of masks , according to a video of the event .
The next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the discovery .
The statement , which said the union had no financial interest in the transactions , made headlines at major news outlets because of the daunting shortage of personal protective equipment .
This week , the union distanced itself from the arrangement .
Trossman said the union only connected the supplier to the hospitals and had no other involvement .
“ As far as we knew , he had legitimate masks , ” Trossman said of the supplier , “ and the people who were going to purchase those masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ check it out and do their due diligence .
”

An employee from the Tieks by Gavrieli shoe company makes masks in Culver City to be donated to hospitals amid the coronavirus pandemic.
They had seemingly done the impossible. The union that represents healthcare workers in California announced it had arranged the purchase of 39 million N95 masks for hospitals and government agencies that badly need the protective equipment.
Among the intended recipients was Kaiser Permanente, which placed orders for 6 million masks.
A week later, none of those masks have materialized, and Kaiser is cooperating with a federal fraud investigation into the deal, a spokesman for the health plan confirmed.
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There is no indication that the union is a target of the investigation, and the exact reasons why the masks didn’t come through remain unclear. But the failed arrangement marks the latest in a smoke-and-mirrors marketplace for equipment in short supply as hospitals and other healthcare facilities in California and beyond prepare for an onslaught of COVID-19 patients.
Experts in the global supply chain say that dubious middlemen have flooded the market with suspect offers, creating an atmosphere of confusion and distrust just as hospitals are desperate to arm their front-line personnel with the gear they need to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus.
A nurse holds up a sign to protest the lack of personal protective gear available at UCI Medical Center in Orange. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)
Kaiser spokesman Marc Brown said the mask supplier had been brought to Kaiser’s attention by Service Employees International Union - United Healthcare Workers West. Despite multiple requests, he said, the supplier repeatedly failed to provide reliable information about how Kaiser could verify and inspect the masks.
Kaiser withdrew from the deal and no money ever changed hands, he said.
“We learned shortly afterward that the supplier never had possession of the masks,” Brown said in an email. “We are cooperating with federal law enforcement in their investigation of suspected fraud in this case.”
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Steve Trossman, a spokesman for SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, said that the organization “was trying to save the lives of healthcare workers and patients” and that union officials “were proud of having made that attempt.”
Trossman said the union had turned the name of the supplier over to a federal task force that is investigating suppliers of medical equipment related to COVID-19. He declined to provide the supplier’s name to The Times.
A spokesperson with the U.S. attorney general’s office declined to comment.
Officials with the state and several other hospital systems and government agencies that the union had listed as buyers of the massive stockpile said they had decided not to pursue the deal. Meanwhile, healthcare workers who are members of the union say they haven’t seen the masks and are expressing frustration at the ongoing lack of personal protective equipment.
“We are angry, we are scared, we are mad, disappointed,” said Marcie Call, a medical records worker at Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa.
At a Saturday news conference, Gov. Gavin Newsom said state officials also have run into fraud while trying to buy equipment and are working with the FBI to investigate con artists hawking masks.
“People are taking advantage of all of us at this moment and saying they’re going to deliver something quite literally that they’re not capable of delivering or never intended to deliver,” he said.
Newsom said some masks purchased by the state arrived moldy and were sent back.
“So, it’s not only not receiving the product, it’s getting inadequate product, a product that was identified and labeled as one thing comes in as another, or the units that were agreed to don’t arrive,” Newsom said. “This has been described, I think appropriately, as the wild, wild West.”
He said he plans to make an announcement early next week about the “larger supply-chain issues” and security protocols.
Counterfeiting is now rampant in global medical supply chains, said Rosemary Coates, executive director of the Reshoring Institute, a nonprofit that helps companies move manufacturing back to the U.S.
“Any time there is an opportunity like this, the counterfeiters will jump on it, and that’s what we’re seeing right now,” Coates said. “Things are mislabeled or the companies don’t really have the connection we think they have or they are made of low-quality components.”
The chaotic marketplace stems from the federal government’s lack of a coordinated strategy to procure protective medical equipment and distribute it equitably, Coates said.
Officials with Los Angeles County, which was among the intended recipients of the SEIU deal, did not respond to questions about the arrangements. But in a statement, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas acknowledged that county health officials have found it difficult to quickly obtain the necessary supplies.
“It is baffling that local and state governments have to contend with the lack of national leadership in securing supplies, which has exacerbated competition, confusion and chaos at a time when our first responders should feel the most protected,” he said.
Chaun Powell, group vice president of strategic supplier engagement at the healthcare group purchasing firm Premier Inc., said bad actors had overwhelmed what he called the “gray market” for personal protective equipment.
“It’s a major problem. ... It’s creating so much false hope and distraction,” Powell said. “We’ve received no less than 300 solicitations in the last 10 days. Of that we’ve only found four that are potentially viable.”
The promise of 39 million masks was announced by Dave Regan, president of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, during a Facebook Live town hall on March 25. Regan said that the union had secured the supplies at $5 a mask and that various hospitals would soon be receiving millions of masks, according to a video of the event.
The next day, the union posted an announcement that it had found the distributor within “48 hours of painstakingly calling leads and potential suppliers.”
The statement, which said the union had no financial interest in the transactions, made headlines at major news outlets because of the daunting shortage of personal protective equipment.
This week, the union has distanced itself from the arrangement.
Trossman said the union only connected the supplier to the hospitals and had no involvement after that.
“As far as we knew, he had legitimate masks,” Trossman said of the supplier, “and the people who were going to purchase those masks were going to fully vet it and check it out and do their due diligence.”
The union’s March 25 announcement also said it had identified a second supplier that could make an additional 20 million masks per week for American healthcare workers.
What happened with the second supplier remains unclear. Trossman would only say that all potential leads for buying masks had been turned over to officials at various hospital systems, and they “expressed their gratitude and are following up.”


latimes--2020-04-03--'We are reeling': Coronavirus kills two Riverside sheriff's deputies in 24 hours

In the end , it was not the bombs he disarmed , the suspicious packages he retrieved or the meth labs he raided that killed David Werksman , a 22-year deputy with the Riverside County Sheriff ’ s Department .
It was the coronavirus .
Werksman , 51 , died Thursday night , the second Riverside sheriff ’ s deputy killed by the virus in a day .
Terrell Young , 52 , a deputy who worked in the county jails , died Thursday morning .
“ We are reeling from the reality that this virus has taken the lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past 24 hours , ” Sheriff Chad Bianco said Friday .
Law enforcement officers serve on the front lines of the pandemic , and most have little or no ability to do their jobs in isolation or without coming into contact with the public or their colleagues .
As of Friday afternoon , 35 sworn officers and eight civilian employees with the Los Angeles Police Department have tested positive for COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus .
Within the New York Police Department , 1 in 6 officers are out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive for COVID-19 .
Bianco , the Riverside County sheriff , appeared frustrated with the public for flouting stay-at-home orders intended to slow the virus ’ spread .
“ Take it from me , losing two family members right here , ” he said .
“ You don ’ t want to be the next.
” Bill Young , president of the union that represents Riverside County sheriff ’ s deputies , said he knew both Werksman and Young and called them “ the nicest guys that you could meet.
” “ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for me , personally , ” he said .
Young and Werksman did not work together and did not encounter each other while infected with the coronavirus , Bianco said .
No Sheriff ’ s Department employees who worked with Werksman have shown symptoms of the virus as of Friday .
Twenty-six Sheriff ’ s Department employees and 13 inmates in the county ’ s jails have tested positive .
Two employees and no inmates have been hospitalized .
Young , a deputy of 15 years , was working March 22 at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he fell ill and went home early , Bianco said .
A week earlier , Young had escorted an inmate from the detention center to the Riverside University Health System Medical Center .
The inmate has tested positive for COVID-19 .
Young was a family man , a caring husband to his wife of nearly 31 years , Marie , and an attentive father to their four children , said Tania Gergel , a longtime friend of Young and his family .
Since launching a fundraiser for his family , Gergel has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to strangers at his local church in Murrieta , where he worked security and ushered cars into the parking lot every Sunday .
Werksman joined the Riverside County Sheriff ’ s Department in 1998 , working in the jails , on patrol and then on the bomb squad , an assignment he held for 11 years , Bianco said .
His first day on the bomb squad , Werksman was sent to a vineyard in Temecula , where a man digging with a backhoe had unearthed an unexploded World War II-era artillery shell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harry , said in an interview .
“ David said , ‘ What are we going to do ?
’ And the guys said , ‘ Pick it up.
’ He said , ‘ What if it goes off ?
’ And they said , ‘ We won ’ t know .
We ’ ll be pink mist.
’ ” Despite its stress and the toll it took on his body , Werksman loved the work .
One day , he called his brother and told him to turn on the news .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , its basement converted into a meth lab , and a solitary figure approaching .
“ There he was in his bomb suit , ” Harry Werksman recalled , “ trudging toward it.
” “ He really felt like he was saving not just one person , but as many people that might be affected by a meth lab blowing up or by a suspicious package in a courthouse , ” he said .
“ For him , it was about helping as many people as possible .
And when he told me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at him and think , ‘ I am the most selfish person in the world.
’ ” After 11 years , though , David Werksman ’ s shoulders , knees and back were aching .
He moved into the Sheriff ’ s Department ’ s administration unit , handling public records requests , Bianco said Friday .
He was in the process of being declared medically retired , his brother said , and was looking forward to purchasing a catamaran , moving with his wife to the Caribbean and opening a charter boat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s mother , Mary , died at her home in Rancho Mirage .
She was 88 and suffering from leukemia , Harry Werksman said .
Though Bianco said Friday that Werksman may have contracted the coronavirus at the funeral or while making arrangements for his mother ’ s burial , Harry Werksman said there was no funeral service out of concerns about spreading the virus .
“ I was told don ’ t come — sorry , ” Harry Werskman said .
His brothers told him they stood several feet from one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line with social distancing requirements , as a mechanical lift hoisted their mother ’ s coffin into a vault beside her husband .
“ They said it didn ’ t take longer than five minutes.
” After the funeral , David Werksman told his brother he felt run down , but they both figured it stemmed from the stress of losing a loved one .
When he spoke to his brother last Saturday , the deputy was coughing and his voice was all but gone .
He checked into a hospital the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The last thing he said before he was hooked up to the machine , hospital workers later told Harry Werksman , was “ take care of my kids.
” He leaves behind a wife , son and two daughters .
“ At the end , ” his brother said , “ they were his concern .
”

Matthew Ormseth, Kailyn Brown, Nicole Santa Cruz

David Werksman, a longtime bomb technician and deputy for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, died Thursday of complications from COVID-19, hours after fellow Deputy Terrell Young had died.
In the end, it was not the bombs he disarmed, the suspicious packages he retrieved or the meth labs he raided that killed David Werksman, a 22-year deputy with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
It was the coronavirus.
Werksman, 51, died Thursday night, the second Riverside sheriff’s deputy killed by the virus in a day. Terrell Young, 52, a deputy who worked in the county jails, died Thursday morning.
“We are reeling from the reality that this virus has taken the lives of two of our family members within the past 24 hours,” Sheriff Chad Bianco said Friday.
Law enforcement officers serve on the front lines of the pandemic, and most have little or no ability to do their jobs in isolation or without coming into contact with the public or their colleagues. As of Friday afternoon, 35 sworn officers and eight civilian employees with the Los Angeles Police Department have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Within the New York Police Department, 1 in 6 officers are out sick, and about 1,400 have tested positive for COVID-19.
Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, appeared frustrated with the public for flouting stay-at-home orders intended to slow the virus’ spread. “Take it from me, losing two family members right here,” he said. “You don’t want to be the next.”
Bill Young, president of the union that represents Riverside County sheriff’s deputies, said he knew both Werksman and Young and called them “the nicest guys that you could meet.”
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“It’s too much of a coincidence for me, personally,” he said.
Young and Werksman did not work together and did not encounter each other while infected with the coronavirus, Bianco said. No Sheriff’s Department employees who worked with Werksman have shown symptoms of the virus as of Friday. Twenty-six Sheriff’s Department employees and 13 inmates in the county’s jails have tested positive. Two employees and no inmates have been hospitalized.
Young, a deputy of 15 years, was working March 22 at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center near Murrieta when he fell ill and went home early, Bianco said. A week earlier, Young had escorted an inmate from the detention center to the Riverside University Health System Medical Center. The inmate has tested positive for COVID-19.
Young was a family man, a caring husband to his wife of nearly 31 years, Marie, and an attentive father to their four children, said Tania Gergel, a longtime friend of Young and his family. Since launching a fundraiser for his family, Gergel has heard that Young was a smiling face to strangers at his local church in Murrieta, where he worked security and ushered cars into the parking lot every Sunday.
Werksman joined the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998, working in the jails, on patrol and then on the bomb squad, an assignment he held for 11 years, Bianco said. His first day on the bomb squad, Werksman was sent to a vineyard in Temecula, where a man digging with a backhoe had unearthed an unexploded World War II-era artillery shell, Werksman’s older brother, Harry, said in an interview.
“David said, ‘What are we going to do?’ And the guys said, ‘Pick it up.’ He said, ‘What if it goes off?’ And they said, ‘We won’t know. We’ll be pink mist.’”
Despite its stress and the toll it took on his body, Werksman loved the work. One day, he called his brother and told him to turn on the news. A TV crew showed a day care, its basement converted into a meth lab, and a solitary figure approaching. “There he was in his bomb suit,” Harry Werksman recalled, “trudging toward it.”
“He really felt like he was saving not just one person, but as many people that might be affected by a meth lab blowing up or by a suspicious package in a courthouse,” he said. “For him, it was about helping as many people as possible. And when he told me those stories, I’d look at him and think, ‘I am the most selfish person in the world.’”
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After 11 years, though, David Werksman’s shoulders, knees and back were aching. He moved into the Sheriff’s Department’s administration unit, handling public records requests, Bianco said Friday. He was in the process of being declared medically retired, his brother said, and was looking forward to purchasing a catamaran, moving with his wife to the Caribbean and opening a charter boat company.
On March 17, Werksman’s mother, Mary, died at her home in Rancho Mirage. She was 88 and suffering from leukemia, Harry Werksman said. Though Bianco said Friday that Werksman may have contracted the coronavirus at the funeral or while making arrangements for his mother’s burial, Harry Werksman said there was no funeral service out of concerns about spreading the virus.
“I was told don’t come — sorry,” Harry Werskman said. His brothers told him they stood several feet from one another and the cemetery workers, in line with social distancing requirements, as a mechanical lift hoisted their mother’s coffin into a vault beside her husband. “They said it didn’t take longer than five minutes.”
After the funeral, David Werksman told his brother he felt run down, but they both figured it stemmed from the stress of losing a loved one. When he spoke to his brother last Saturday, the deputy was coughing and his voice was all but gone. He checked into a hospital the next day and went on a ventilator.
The last thing he said before he was hooked up to the machine, hospital workers later told Harry Werksman, was “take care of my kids.” He leaves behind a wife, son and two daughters.
“At the end,” his brother said, “they were his concern.”


latimes--2020-04-03--Henry C. Gonzalez, former South Gate mayor who survived a gunshot to the head, dies at 84

Henry C. Gonzalez often told the story of how he survived a shooting while serving as mayor of South Gate .
It ’ s a tale he continued to tell from his hospital bed during his final days .
It was 1999 , the height of a corruption scandal that would cost the town more than $ 20 million .
Gonzalez was one of the good guys and one night , after a long day at City Hall , he stepped out of his car and was shot in the head .
The bullet miraculously bounced off his skull and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretending to be a dead , his wife ran after the shooter , falling in the middle of the street .
The assailant was never caught .
But the shooting did not stop Gonzalez from serving nearly three decades as the first Latino elected to office in South Gate .
On Sunday , after a colorful life , Gonzalez died from natural causes at a Whittier hospital .
He was 84 .
“ He went peacefully , ” said Regina Estrada , his daughter .
“ He wasn ’ t taken out like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He was taken out on his own terms.
” Hector De La Torre , former assemblyman who served on the City Council with Gonzalez , said his former colleague loved serving the city and would defend it to the hilt .
“ People not from the area who hear about him getting shot when he was a City Council member and going back to City Hall after being shot can ’ t believe it , ” he said .
“ That shows how tough he was and how committed he was.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles County was known as a breeding ground for corruption , a place where millions of dollars were looted from municipal coffers , sometimes through play-to-pay schemes or mismanagement .
In some instances , threats and acts of violence were used to intimidate or deter people from running for office .
No other place seems to exemplify it better than South Gate .
Gonzalez was born on May 3 , 1935 , in Los Angeles .
His father , an immigrant from the Mexican state of Sinaloa , and his mother ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Growing up in Watts , Gonzalez was only 9 when he started to attend union meetings with his father and sometimes stood alongside him on the picket lines .
In 1955 , Gonzalez began working as a paint sprayer for General Motors in South Gate , joining the United Auto Workers International Union .
The following year , he married his wife , Theresa .
In 1961 , he and his wife moved to South Gate as he scaled the union ranks , serving 11 years as assistant director of UAW Region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him the nickname “ Hammerin ’ Hank.
” In 1982 , Gonzalez was elected to the South Gate City Council and the following year became mayor .
But his time in office coincided with hard times in the city .
General Motors , Firestone and other companies closed , and thousands of jobs were lost .
Families fled and the city ’ s demographics shifted from 80 % white to 80 % Latino .
“ That was the time of turmoil , social turmoil and economic turmoil , ” De La Torre said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rebuilt South Gate.
” In 1988 , Gonzalez was voted out of office after he tried and failed to municipalize South Gate ’ s electricity by taking over a Southern California Edison plant .
But he was reelected to the council in 1994 and mentored a young councilman , Albert T. Robles , who had graduated from UCLA and seemed full of promise .
But it was a deception .
Robles , who eventually became mayor , treasurer and then deputy city manager , was indicted on federal corruption charges , accused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million-dollar contracts to friends and business associates .
When he was found guilty on 30 felony charges , he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison .
“ Once elected city treasurer in 1997 , Robles ’ seemed determined to rule the city — purely to his own benefit .
He even proclaimed himself ‘ King of South Gate ’ … and referred to the city as his ‘ fiefdom , ’ ” federal authorities wrote in a summary of the case .
De La Torre said he and Gonzalez had their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against municipal corruption and had identified Robles as a corrupt figure .
“ That ’ s how he and I became strong allies , good friends , ” he said .
“ Henry and I did the best we could with what we had , which was our voices and access to documents.
” He said the latter helped federal investigators with their investigation into Robles .
Amid all this came the shooting .
Estrada said that after her father was shot , the family tried to convince him to get out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He wasn ’ t going to let anyone chase him away from his beloved South Gate , ” she said .
Gonzalez continued to serve the city until 2015 , when he stepped down and officially retired .
News of his death sent a wave of sadness over Southeast L.A. “ He was a personal friend who I will miss , ” Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement .
“ Henry ’ s legacy of public service will live on forever among the vibrancy of South Gate ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gate planning commissioner and longtime friend of Gonzalez , said it was a sad day for the city .
“ He was a role model and my mentor , ” he said .
“ I ’ m glad that he left a great legacy in South Gate where he was part of the effort to root out the corruption.
” Gonzalez is survived by his wife , two children , seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren .

South Gate Mayor Henry Gonzalez is shown before he retired from public office in 2015. Gonzalez, who survived a gunshot wound to the head in 1999 at the height of a corruption scandal at City Hall, served in public office for nearly three decades.
Henry C. Gonzalez often told the story of how he survived a shooting while serving as mayor of South Gate. It’s a tale he continued to tell from his hospital bed during his final days.
It was 1999, the height of a corruption scandal that would cost the town more than $20 million. Gonzalez was one of the good guys and one night, after a long day at City Hall, he stepped out of his car and was shot in the head.
The bullet miraculously bounced off his skull and as he lay on his driveway, pretending to be a dead, his wife ran after the shooter, falling in the middle of the street. The assailant was never caught.
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But the shooting did not stop Gonzalez from serving nearly three decades as the first Latino elected to office in South Gate. On Sunday, after a colorful life, Gonzalez died from natural causes at a Whittier hospital. He was 84.
South Gate Mayor Henry Gonzalez sits in his office at City Hall. His negotiating skills for the United Auto Workers International Union earned him the nickname “Hammerin’ Hank.” (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“He went peacefully,” said Regina Estrada, his daughter. “He wasn’t taken out like that person wanted to take him out. He was taken out on his own terms.”
Hector De La Torre, former assemblyman who served on the City Council with Gonzalez, said his former colleague loved serving the city and would defend it to the hilt.
“People not from the area who hear about him getting shot when he was a City Council member and going back to City Hall after being shot can’t believe it,” he said. “That shows how tough he was and how committed he was.”
For years, politics in Southeast Los Angeles County was known as a breeding ground for corruption, a place where millions of dollars were looted from municipal coffers, sometimes through play-to-pay schemes or mismanagement. In some instances, threats and acts of violence were used to intimidate or deter people from running for office.
No other place seems to exemplify it better than South Gate.
Gonzalez was born on May 3, 1935, in Los Angeles. His father, an immigrant from the Mexican state of Sinaloa, and his mother’s family were all involved in the unions. Growing up in Watts, Gonzalez was only 9 when he started to attend union meetings with his father and sometimes stood alongside him on the picket lines.
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In 1955, Gonzalez began working as a paint sprayer for General Motors in South Gate, joining the United Auto Workers International Union. The following year, he married his wife, Theresa.
In 1961, he and his wife moved to South Gate as he scaled the union ranks, serving 11 years as assistant director of UAW Region 6. His union negotiating skills won him the nickname “Hammerin’ Hank.”
In 1982, Gonzalez was elected to the South Gate City Council and the following year became mayor.
But his time in office coincided with hard times in the city. General Motors, Firestone and other companies closed, and thousands of jobs were lost. Families fled and the city’s demographics shifted from 80% white to 80% Latino.
“That was the time of turmoil, social turmoil and economic turmoil,” De La Torre said. Gonzalez “was part of having to rebuilt South Gate.”
In 1988, Gonzalez was voted out of office after he tried and failed to municipalize South Gate’s electricity by taking over a Southern California Edison plant.
But he was reelected to the council in 1994 and mentored a young councilman, Albert T. Robles, who had graduated from UCLA and seemed full of promise. But it was a deception.
Robles, who eventually became mayor, treasurer and then deputy city manager, was indicted on federal corruption charges, accused of money laundering, bribery and awarding million-dollar contracts to friends and business associates. When he was found guilty on 30 felony charges, he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
“Once elected city treasurer in 1997, Robles’ seemed determined to rule the city — purely to his own benefit. He even proclaimed himself ‘King of South Gate’ … and referred to the city as his ‘fiefdom,’” federal authorities wrote in a summary of the case.
De La Torre said he and Gonzalez had their differences but were united in their fight against municipal corruption and had identified Robles as a corrupt figure.
“That’s how he and I became strong allies, good friends,” he said. “Henry and I did the best we could with what we had, which was our voices and access to documents.”
He said the latter helped federal investigators with their investigation into Robles.
Amid all this came the shooting.
Estrada said that after her father was shot, the family tried to convince him to get out of politics. But he refused.
“He wasn’t going to let anyone chase him away from his beloved South Gate,” she said.
Gonzalez continued to serve the city until 2015, when he stepped down and officially retired.
Henry C. Gonzalez was South Gate’s first Latino City Council member and mayor. “I’m glad that he left a great legacy in South Gate where he was part of the effort to root out the corruption,” a former South Gate official said. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
News of his death sent a wave of sadness over Southeast L.A.
“He was a personal friend who I will miss,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement. “Henry’s legacy of public service will live on forever among the vibrancy of South Gate’s neighborhoods.”
Rudy Montalvo, former South Gate planning commissioner and longtime friend of Gonzalez, said it was a sad day for the city.
“He was a role model and my mentor,” he said. “I’m glad that he left a great legacy in South Gate where he was part of the effort to root out the corruption.”
Gonzalez is survived by his wife, two children, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.


latimes--2020-04-03--California Legislature extends recess over coronavirus concerns until May 4

Leaders of the California Legislature on Friday extended the cancellation of all legislative hearings and meetings until May 4 , a decision they said reflected the need for additional caution in the face of the ongoing coronavirus crisis .
“ Our priority continues to be bending the curve of infection , ” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins ( D-San Diego ) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon ( D-Lakewood ) said in a written statement .
“ We must continue to support the efforts of our first responders and healthcare personnel.
” Lawmakers were supposed to return to Sacramento to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ date that began to look less tenable as the number of COVID-19 infections and related deaths across the state continued to rise .
The initial decision last month to suspend activities at the state Capitol was unprecedented in California history and came after legislators grappled for several days to balance public health concerns with the need for action to address the impact of the pandemic .
Both houses quickly passed a $ 1-billion relief plan on March 16 before putting a halt to all legislative business .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom said recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two leaders to discuss changes to the timetable for the Legislature ’ s return , but insisted the final decision was theirs to make .
Whether a return in early May will be possible could depend on the state ’ s success or failure this month in slowing the rate of infection .
Newsom and his advisors said this week that the state could see a peak of cases in May , while pointing out that estimates are still fluid .
Early spring is traditionally one of the busiest times of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of bills considered by policy committees before receiving final votes in either of the two houses by May 31 .
How lawmakers will adjust the process this year remains to be seen .
Legislative rules state that bills must be considered by a policy committee before the date on which lawmakers are now scheduled to return to work .
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez ( D-San Diego ) , the chairwoman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee , said last month that she had advised her colleagues to scrap many or most of the bills they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be neither time to consider them nor the funding needed to enact them into law .
Also in doubt is the usual process for crafting a state budget , made all the more challenging by early estimates that most or all of California ’ s projected $ 21-billion cash reserves could be needed to replace tax revenues lost due to the pandemic-caused shutdown of businesses and job cuts .

Leaders of the California Legislature on Friday extended the cancellation of all legislative hearings and meetings until May 4, a decision they said reflected the need for additional caution in the face of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
“Our priority continues to be bending the curve of infection,” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) said in a written statement. “We must continue to support the efforts of our first responders and healthcare personnel.”
Lawmakers were supposed to return to Sacramento to resume work on April 13, a date that began to look less tenable as the number of COVID-19 infections and related deaths across the state continued to rise. The initial decision last month to suspend activities at the state Capitol was unprecedented in California history and came after legislators grappled for several days to balance public health concerns with the need for action to address the impact of the pandemic. Both houses quickly passed a $1-billion relief plan on March 16 before putting a halt to all legislative business.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom said recently that he had been in touch with the two leaders to discuss changes to the timetable for the Legislature’s return, but insisted the final decision was theirs to make.
Whether a return in early May will be possible could depend on the state’s success or failure this month in slowing the rate of infection. Newsom and his advisors said this week that the state could see a peak of cases in May, while pointing out that estimates are still fluid.
Early spring is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for the Legislature, with hundreds of bills considered by policy committees before receiving final votes in either of the two houses by May 31. How lawmakers will adjust the process this year remains to be seen. Legislative rules state that bills must be considered by a policy committee before the date on which lawmakers are now scheduled to return to work.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), the chairwoman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, said last month that she had advised her colleagues to scrap many or most of the bills they introduced earlier this year, saying there would be neither time to consider them nor the funding needed to enact them into law.
Also in doubt is the usual process for crafting a state budget, made all the more challenging by early estimates that most or all of California’s projected $21-billion cash reserves could be needed to replace tax revenues lost due to the pandemic-caused shutdown of businesses and job cuts.


latimes--2020-04-03--This is how we're getting extra doctors and nurses to fight coronavirus

The surgeons in training puzzled over a machine that looks like an overly complicated landline phone plugged into aquarium tubing .
They ’ d seen it hooked up to numerous patients , but its workings were a mystery .
Normally , operating that intravenous infusion pump would be none of their business .
The circumstances are not normal .
Not for these surgical residents at Keck Medicine of USC , and not for any of the nation ’ s healthcare professionals , who are on the front lines of fighting the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 7,000 Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system is mobilizing for an unprecedented expansion .
More than 1,900 COVID-19 patients are already stressing California hospitals ’ capacity , and the state is adding as many as 50,000 beds — in wards as well as in makeshift spaces , such as convention centers and sports arenas — to prepare for an expected wave of critically sick people .
That urgency has forced the healthcare industry to radically reshuffle and expand its niched and hierarchical workforce , matching specialists , nurses , aides , technicians and family doctors with new responsibilities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That ’ s why the USC residents last month were learning the actual keystrokes of a machine they normally would glance at but seldom touch .
And it has been humbling .
“ None of us had any clue on how to actually use that machine , ” said chief resident Dr. Christoper Foran , 34 .
“ I think everyone walked away with a lot of valuable knowledge.
” Similar scenes are playing out across Southern California and nationwide as known U.S. cases of COVID-19 soar above 200,000 , taxing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and spiraling costs .
Hospitals have three broad strategies , according to health workforce experts : reposition existing staffers , keep their staffs intact by keeping the workers healthy , and hire reinforcements .
But each sets off a complicated chain reaction that ripples through the organization .
If a physician who manages general care on a ward moves to intensive care , who supervises the ward ?
Can outpatient staffers , or the facilities themselves , be repurposed ?
Who supervises those taking on new skills or refreshing old ones ?
How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be supervised by one doctor — or do they need a doctor ’ s supervision at all ?
Who is qualified to draw blood ?
Take vitals ?
Who knows how to triage patients ?
“ The challenge is that the surge [ of new patients ] is happening very quickly in some spots , ” said Edward Salsberg , director of health workforce studies at the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health .
“ It ’ s not something that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prepare for .
Those decisions at the front line are really critical , and that ’ s where I think some of the task-shifting , if you ’ re a large delivery system , makes a lot of sense.
” Gov .
Gavin Newsom this week issued an emergency order and created the California Health Corps to enlist the help of more medical professionals to provide needed care .
He also directed the Department of Consumer Affairs and other agencies to work with the state ’ s health-profession credentialing boards to waive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tasks those professionals can perform .
Many of those “ scope-of-practice ” rules are among the most rigid in the country , with proposed changes in the state Legislature over the years drawing considerable debate and little action .
“ I think we ’ re flying the plane while we ’ re building it , ” said Joanne Spetz , a professor at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at UC San Francisco who helped craft the recommendations that resulted in Newsom ’ s order .
“ Every state has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of health professionals , and those scope-of-practice regulations dictate essentially who can do what and under what circumstances.
” In some states , vocational nurses may administer drugs via an intravenous tube .
In California , they can ’ t , Spetz said .
Loosening that rule would free up registered nurses to perform more urgent tasks .
Among those who will have to figure out the scope-of-practice puzzle is Dr. Kenji Inaba , chief of trauma , emergency surgery and surgical critical care at Keck Medicine of USC , who organized the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Our nursing staff can get wiped out ” if too many nurses get sick , Inaba said .
“ And if that happens , we wanted to make sure that all of our residents , all of our surgeons would be cross-trained in all of the basic things ... so that they could step into to any of those roles.
” Drastic steps are being taken to allocate resources and manpower to support the healthcare system .
More than 40,000 medical professionals , including retirees , have answered a call to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workforce .
The U.S. Army made a similar plea , and New York University announced it will let senior medical students graduate early and begin working in NYU ’ s internal medicine or emergency medicine departments .
The U.S. Navy , meanwhile , positioned two hospital ships in New York and Los Angeles to treat cases unrelated to the pandemic .
The Los Angeles Convention Center is being transformed into a field hospital with help from the National Guard .
There appears to be no shortage of will or flexibility among the medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whose private practices have shut are offering their help at hospitals , said California Medical Assn .
spokesman Anthony York .
“ I ’ m a primary care physician , and I was trained to be able to work on the hospital floors , but when I left my training program I went into primary care , ” said Leah Zallman , a Cambridge Health Alliance physician who directs research at the Institute for Community Health , a nonprofit consulting organization in the Boston area .
“ I essentially haven ’ t been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a decade .
But I know what to do , generally .
I know how to function on one , generally.
” Some medical students have said that if they can ’ t practice , they want to run hospital errands or take care of nurses ’ children , said Andy Ortiz , senior vice president of human resources at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center .
Salsberg said there is a pool of 28,000 students at medical and osteopathic schools who have just a little coursework to complete before graduation .
Many of them can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and work on COVID-19 response , he said .
It ’ s unclear on when exactly Los Angeles will see its peak of COVID-19 cases , and hospital executives have expressed guarded optimism that they will be able to move quickly and adeptly to meet the expected surge .
They have shut down elective surgeries and discouraged people from going to emergency rooms for routine treatments .
But California had troubles before the surge , including a shortage of nurses and other health professionals .
More than one-third of the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age , according to the California Future Health Workforce Commission , a coalition of healthcare , education and business leaders .
Nearly one in five of the nation ’ s registered nurses who work in hospitals , and a quarter of those employed elsewhere , are 55 to 64 years old — a demographic at greater risk of complications and death from COVID-19 than younger people , Douglas O. Staiger , a Dartmouth College economics professor , wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Assn .
Deploying them on front lines during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned .
“ This is not to suggest that these older nurses and physicians should necessarily be precluded from providing clinical care or should be isolated , but rather to consider if their direct clinician duties can be shifted to emphasize roles with less risk of exposure , ” Staiger wrote .
Kaiser neurologist Jeffrey Klingman , 61 , is working from his home in Contra Costa County on what he called “ COVID triage , ” issuing recommendations on who can be tested for the coronavirus amid a shortage of tests .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A nurse was showing COVID-19 symptoms and had been exposed , one message showed .
“ Absolutely , ” he said , as he texted back the recommendation to test .
If history is any lesson , medical professionals will get ill and die .
Hundreds of U.S. nurses and home health workers did in the 1918 flu epidemic .
That number was almost miraculously low , considering what they faced in teeming slums and isolated farms , where the dead shared beds with the living and where caregivers had to boil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too , there was a shortage of protective equipment and of nurses , because they had been shipped to European battlefields for World War I , said University of Virginia nursing professor and historian Arlene Keeling .
“ It seems to me the parallels are amazingly appropriate , ” said Keeling , who was teaching a class on disaster nursing when the virus broke out in Wuhan , China .
The flu bore the “ Spanish ” descriptor only because Spain , neutral in World War I , was the first to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from adversaries .
The delay contributed to the heavy casualties — 50 million people died worldwide , 675,000 of them in the United States , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
“ The federal government has had over a hundred years to prepare , ” Keeling said .
“ Now its response may be too little , too late.
” Times staff writer Maura Dolan in Orinda , Calif. , contributed to this report .

Registered nurse Nofal Kahwaji, left, instructs surgical residents at Keck Medicine of USC on how to use an intravenous infusion pump.
The surgeons in training puzzled over a machine that looks like an overly complicated landline phone plugged into aquarium tubing. They’d seen it hooked up to numerous patients, but its workings were a mystery.
Normally, operating that intravenous infusion pump would be none of their business.
The circumstances are not normal. Not for these surgical residents at Keck Medicine of USC, and not for any of the nation’s healthcare professionals, who are on the front lines of fighting the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 7,000 Americans.
California’s already troubled healthcare system is mobilizing for an unprecedented expansion. More than 1,900 COVID-19 patients are already stressing California hospitals’ capacity, and the state is adding as many as 50,000 beds — in wards as well as in makeshift spaces, such as convention centers and sports arenas — to prepare for an expected wave of critically sick people.
Advertisement
That urgency has forced the healthcare industry to radically reshuffle and expand its niched and hierarchical workforce, matching specialists, nurses, aides, technicians and family doctors with new responsibilities, or old ones they may have forgotten.
That’s why the USC residents last month were learning the actual keystrokes of a machine they normally would glance at but seldom touch. And it has been humbling.
“None of us had any clue on how to actually use that machine,” said chief resident Dr. Christopher Foran, 34. “I think everyone walked away with a lot of valuable knowledge.”
California coronavirus cases: Tracking the outbreak The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California, including cases, deaths, closures and restrictions.
Similar scenes are playing out across Southern California and nationwide as known U.S. cases of COVID-19 soar above 200,000, taxing a healthcare system already burdened with staff shortages and spiraling costs.
Hospitals have three broad strategies, according to health workforce experts: reposition existing staffers, keep their staffs intact by keeping the workers healthy, and hire reinforcements.
Advertisement
But each sets off a complicated chain reaction that ripples through the organization.
If a physician who manages general care on a ward moves to intensive care, who supervises the ward? Can outpatient staffers, or the facilities themselves, be repurposed? Who supervises those taking on new skills or refreshing old ones? How many physician assistants or nurse practitioners can be supervised by one doctor — or do they need a doctor’s supervision at all? Who is qualified to draw blood? Take vitals? Who knows how to triage patients?
“The challenge is that the surge [of new patients] is happening very quickly in some spots,” said Edward Salsberg, director of health workforce studies at the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. “It’s not something that we have the luxury of weeks or months to prepare for. Those decisions at the front line are really critical, and that’s where I think some of the task-shifting, if you’re a large delivery system, makes a lot of sense.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom this week issued an emergency order and created the California Health Corps to enlist the help of more medical professionals to provide needed care. He also directed the Department of Consumer Affairs and other agencies to work with the state’s health-profession credentialing boards to waive some license requirements and loosen restrictions on tasks those professionals can perform. Many of those “scope-of-practice” rules are among the most rigid in the country, with proposed changes in the state Legislature over the years drawing considerable debate and little action.
“I think we’re flying the plane while we’re building it,” said Joanne Spetz, a professor at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at UC San Francisco who helped craft the recommendations that resulted in Newsom’s order. “Every state has different regulations around the scope of practice of health professionals, and those scope-of-practice regulations dictate essentially who can do what and under what circumstances.”
In some states, vocational nurses may administer drugs via an intravenous tube. In California, they can’t, Spetz said. Loosening that rule would free up registered nurses to perform more urgent tasks.
Among those who will have to figure out the scope-of-practice puzzle is Dr. Kenji Inaba, chief of trauma, emergency surgery and surgical critical care at Keck Medicine of USC, who organized the surgical residents’ training session last month.
“Our nursing staff can get wiped out” if too many nurses get sick, Inaba said. “And if that happens, we wanted to make sure that all of our residents, all of our surgeons would be cross-trained in all of the basic things ... so that they could step into any of those roles.”
Drastic steps are being taken to allocate resources and manpower to support the healthcare system.
More than 40,000 medical professionals, including retirees, have answered a call to beef up New York’s medical workforce. The U.S. Army made a similar plea, and New York University announced it will let senior medical students graduate early and begin working in NYU’s internal medicine or emergency medicine departments.
The U.S. Navy, meanwhile, positioned two hospital ships in New York and Los Angeles to treat cases unrelated to the pandemic.
The Los Angeles Convention Center is being transformed into a field hospital with help from the National Guard.
There appears to be no shortage of will or flexibility among the medical field’s rank-and-file. General practitioners whose private practices have shut are offering their help at hospitals, said California Medical Assn. spokesman Anthony York.
“I’m a primary care physician, and I was trained to be able to work on the hospital floors, but when I left my training program I went into primary care,” said Leah Zallman, a Cambridge Health Alliance physician who directs research at the Institute for Community Health, a nonprofit consulting organization in the Boston area. “I essentially haven’t been on the hospital ward in close to a decade. But I know what to do, generally. I know how to function on one, generally.”
Some medical students have said that if they can’t practice, they want to run hospital errands or take care of nurses’ children, said Andy Ortiz, senior vice president of human resources at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Salsberg said there is a pool of 28,000 students at medical and osteopathic schools who have just a little coursework to complete before graduation. Many of them can simply stay in their current clinical rotation and work on COVID-19 response, he said.
It’s unclear when exactly Los Angeles will see its peak of COVID-19 cases, and hospital executives have expressed guarded optimism that they will be able to move quickly and adeptly to meet the expected surge. They have shut down elective surgeries and discouraged people from going to emergency rooms for routine treatments.
But California had troubles before the surge, including a shortage of nurses and other health professionals. More than one-third of the state’s doctors and nurse practitioners are nearing retirement age, according to the California Future Health Workforce Commission, a coalition of healthcare, education and business leaders.
Nearly 1 in 5 of the nation’s registered nurses who work in hospitals, and a quarter of those employed elsewhere, are 55 to 64 years old — a demographic at greater risk of complications and death from COVID-19 than younger people, Douglas O. Staiger, a Dartmouth College economics professor, wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. Deploying them on the front lines during a pandemic presents a risk, he warned.
“This is not to suggest that these older nurses and physicians should necessarily be precluded from providing clinical care or should be isolated, but rather to consider if their direct clinician duties can be shifted to emphasize roles with less risk of exposure,” Staiger wrote.
Kaiser neurologist Jeffrey Klingman, 61, is working from his home in Contra Costa County on what he called “COVID triage,” issuing recommendations on who can be tested for the coronavirus amid a shortage of tests. The messages come to him by text.
A nurse was showing COVID-19 symptoms and had been exposed, one message showed.
“Absolutely,” he said, as he texted back the recommendation to test.
If history is any lesson, medical professionals will get ill and die. Hundreds of U.S. nurses and home health workers did in the 1918 flu epidemic.
That number was almost miraculously low, considering what they faced in teeming slums and isolated farms, where the dead shared beds with the living and where caregivers had to boil and reuse their cotton masks. Then, too, there was a shortage of protective equipment and of nurses, because they had been shipped to European battlefields for World War I, said University of Virginia nursing professor and historian Arlene Keeling.
“It seems to me the parallels are amazingly appropriate,” said Keeling, who was teaching a class on disaster nursing when the virus broke out in Wuhan, China. The flu bore the “Spanish” descriptor only because Spain, neutral in World War I, was the first to report a pandemic that combatant nations hid from adversaries. The delay contributed to the heavy casualties — 50 million people died worldwide, 675,000 of them in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The federal government has had over a hundred years to prepare,” Keeling said. “Now its response may be too little, too late.”
Times staff writer Maura Dolan in Orinda, Calif., contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-04-03--CDC recommends wearing face masks during coronavirus pandemic

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now advising Americans to voluntarily wear a basic cloth or fabric face mask when they go out to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus .
These non-medical masks can be either purchased online or simply made at home , the CDC says .
After insisting for weeks that healthy people did not need to wear masks in most circumstances , federal health officials decided to change their guidance in response to a growing body of evidence that people who do not appear to be sick are playing an outsized role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transmission from individuals without symptoms is playing a more significant role in the spread of the virus than previously understood , ” President Trump said Friday when announcing the new advice at a White House briefing .
“ So you don ’ t seem to have symptoms and it still gets transferred.
” He emphasized that rules on social distancing remain in place , and he asked members of the public not to wear medical-grade masks because those should be reserved for healthcare workers .
Trump also described the guidelines as voluntary .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m going to be doing it , ” he said .
“ I ’ m feeling good , ” he added when pressed about his response .
“ Sitting in the Oval Office , behind that beautiful Resolute Desk , the great Resolute Desk , as I greet presidents , prime ministers , dictators , kings , queens — I don ’ t know , somehow I don ’ t see it for myself .
Maybe I ’ ll change my mind.
” Surgeon General Jerome Adams acknowledged that government advice about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American people.
” Until now , the CDC has said that healthy people do not need a mask unless they are working in a healthcare setting or caring for an infected person .
“ The best available evidence ” did not suggest that wearing a mask would do much to protect a healthy person from contracting COVID-19 , Adams said .
What changed that thinking was a recognition that people were spreading the virus even when they seemed healthy .
For instance , a study published Wednesday in the CDC ’ s Morbidity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 cases in Singapore that were fueled by infected people who showed no signs of illness .
One of those clusters began with two tourists from Wuhan , China , who visited a church when they arrived in Singapore on Jan. 19 and fell ill several days later .
Three other people who attended the same church that day became sick over the next four to 15 days .
One of those patients sat in the same seat as one of the tourists , according to closed-circuit camera footage of the church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asymptomatic people are spreading the virus , U.S. health officials decided everyone should wear cloth face coverings in places such as grocery stores and pharmacies , Adams said .
The masks will “ help people who do have the virus and do not know it ” by limiting their ability to transmit it to others , he said .
Adams also advised people to make sure their hands were clean before donning a mask : “ If you choose to wear a face covering , wash your hands first.
” The move comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state agencies are offering similar guidance .
California officials said Wednesday that covering your face could prevent you from becoming infected with the new coronavirus or from spreading it to others .
But they stressed that masks should not be seen as a substitute for social distancing , hand washing and other safety measures .
“ Face coverings could provide some additional protection against COVID-19 , but Californians should not have a false sense of security if they choose to wear them , ” Dr. Mark Ghaly , California ’ s health and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement .
“ Make sure you ’ re also staying six feet away from other people if you have to leave your home to get groceries or prescriptions.
” Like the CDC , state officials have said people should not use medical or surgical masks , which are desperately needed by medical personnel .
Riverside County health officials released new mask guidance Tuesday , covering such essential situations as grocery shopping and medical visits .
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday that everyone performing essential tasks , such as food shopping , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or even bandannas , as people in other countries have done .
“ To be clear , you should still stay at home .
This isn ’ t an excuse to suddenly all go out , ” Garcetti said .
Experts say face masks alone are not particularly effective in preventing infection .
They don ’ t cover the eyes , for instance , and a bit of coughed saliva that sprays into the eye can cause an infection .
Wearing a mask but still touching your face with unwashed , virus-contaminated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ People often find masks uncomfortable and touch them to make adjustments .
But even if they don ’ t provide full protection to the wearer , they can protect others nearby .
Dr. Otto Yang , an infectious diseases expert at UCLA , said he thinks universal mask-wearing has helped keep the virus under control in places like Singapore and Taiwan .
“ My personal opinion is that that ’ s probably been an important thing in other countries flattening their curve , ” he said .
“ If you go to Taiwan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mask on all the time .
Healthy or not .
Sick or not.
” The California Department of Public Health has these guidelines for cloth masks : • Face coverings can be made out of cloth , be factory-made or hand-sewn , or improvised using bandannas , scarves , T-shirts , sweatshirts or towels .
• The material should cover both the nose and mouth .
• Ideally , face coverings should be washed after each use .
Dirty masks should be placed in a dedicated laundry bag or bin .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cloth masks , and dry them on a hot cycle .
• Be sure your mask is comfortable ; you don ’ t want to have to keep adjusting the mask because that means touching your face .
• Wash your hands , or use hand sanitizer , before and after touching your face or face coverings .
• If you must re-wear your cloth face covering before washing it , wash your hands immediately after putting it back on and avoid touching your face .
Megerian reported from Washington , Lin from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brown from Los Angeles .

Chris Megerian, Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money, Kailyn Brown

Bibi Sheonarine of Upland models a face mask that she sewed. She is donating her homemade masks to local doctors and hospitals, and has recruited others to do the same.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now advising Americans to voluntarily wear a basic cloth or fabric face mask when they go out to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
These non-medical masks can be either purchased online or simply made at home, the CDC says.
After insisting for weeks that healthy people did not need to wear masks in most circumstances, federal health officials decided to change their guidance in response to a growing body of evidence that people who do not appear to be sick are playing an outsized role in the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The transmission from individuals without symptoms is playing a more significant role in the spread of the virus than previously understood,” President Trump said Friday when announcing the new advice at a White House briefing. “So you don’t seem to have symptoms and it still gets transferred.”
Advertisement
He emphasized that rules on social distancing remain in place, and he asked members of the public not to wear medical-grade masks because those should be reserved for healthcare workers.
Trump also described the guidelines as voluntary.
“I don’t think I’m going to be doing it,” he said.
“I’m feeling good,” he added when pressed about his response. “Sitting in the Oval Office, behind that beautiful Resolute Desk, the great Resolute Desk, as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens — I don’t know, somehow I don’t see it for myself. Maybe I’ll change my mind.”
Surgeon General Jerome Adams acknowledged that government advice about masks has been “confusing to the American people.”
Until now, the CDC has said that healthy people do not need a mask unless they are working in a healthcare setting or caring for an infected person. “The best available evidence” did not suggest that wearing a mask would do much to protect a healthy person from contracting COVID-19, Adams said.
What changed that thinking was a recognition that people were spreading the virus even when they seemed healthy.
For instance, a study published Wednesday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report documented seven clusters of COVID-19 cases in Singapore that were fueled by infected people who showed no signs of illness.
Advertisement
One of those clusters began with two tourists from Wuhan, China, who visited a church when they arrived in Singapore on Jan. 19 and fell ill several days later. Three other people who attended the same church that day became sick over the next four to 15 days. One of those patients sat in the same seat as one of the tourists, according to closed-circuit camera footage of the church.
Now that it’s clear asymptomatic people are spreading the virus, U.S. health officials decided everyone should wear cloth face coverings in places such as grocery stores and pharmacies, Adams said.
The masks will “help people who do have the virus and do not know it” by limiting their ability to transmit it to others, he said.
Adams also advised people to make sure their hands were clean before donning a mask: “If you choose to wear a face covering, wash your hands first.”
The move comes as a growing number of local and state agencies are offering similar guidance.
California officials said Wednesday that covering your face could prevent you from becoming infected with the new coronavirus or from spreading it to others. But they stressed that masks should not be seen as a substitute for social distancing, hand washing and other safety measures.
“Face coverings could provide some additional protection against COVID-19, but Californians should not have a false sense of security if they choose to wear them,” Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s health and human services secretary, said in a statement. “Make sure you’re also staying six feet away from other people if you have to leave your home to get groceries or prescriptions.”
Like the CDC, state officials have said people should not use medical or surgical masks, which are desperately needed by medical personnel.
Riverside County health officials released new mask guidance Tuesday, covering such essential situations as grocery shopping and medical visits.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday that everyone performing essential tasks, such as food shopping, should wear homemade, non-medical face coverings, or even bandannas, as people in other countries have done.
“To be clear, you should still stay at home. This isn’t an excuse to suddenly all go out,” Garcetti said.
Experts say face masks alone are not particularly effective in preventing infection. They don’t cover the eyes, for instance, and a bit of coughed saliva that sprays into the eye can cause an infection.
Wearing a mask but still touching your face with unwashed, virus-contaminated hands can also lead to infection. People often find masks uncomfortable and touch them to make adjustments.
But even if they don’t provide full protection to the wearer, they can protect others nearby.
Dr. Otto Yang, an infectious diseases expert at UCLA, said he thinks universal mask-wearing has helped keep the virus under control in places like Singapore and Taiwan.
“My personal opinion is that that’s probably been an important thing in other countries flattening their curve,” he said. “If you go to Taiwan or Singapore, everyone’s got a mask on all the time. Healthy or not. Sick or not.”
The California Department of Public Health has these guidelines for cloth masks:
Face coverings can be made out of cloth, be factory-made or hand-sewn, or improvised using bandannas, scarves, T-shirts, sweatshirts or towels.
The material should cover both the nose and mouth.
Ideally, face coverings should be washed after each use. Dirty masks should be placed in a dedicated laundry bag or bin.
Use detergent and hot water when washing cloth masks, and dry them on a hot cycle.
Be sure your mask is comfortable; you don’t want to have to keep adjusting the mask because that means touching your face.
Wash your hands, or use hand sanitizer, before and after touching your face or face coverings.
If you must re-wear your cloth face covering before washing it, wash your hands immediately after putting it back on and avoid touching your face.
Megerian reported from Washington, Lin from Millbrae, Calif., and Money and Brown from Los Angeles.


latimes--2020-04-03--How  Peg + Cat can be a math class during coronovirus school closures

One form of distance learning can be as easy as turning on a low-tech tool — the television .
In a partnership designed to provide students and parents — especially low-income households without Wi-Fi access — an alternative to online classes , the Los Angeles school district teamed up with PBS SoCal/KCET and San Francisco ’ s KQED to offer a slate of educational programming .
It ’ s popular .
Two weeks into the partnership , the three stations involved were viewed by an average of 140,000 homes — and nearly 200,000 people — a day , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the country have picked up the LAUSD/PBS schedule , including all PBS stations in California .
With schools closed , the partnership also offers games , activities , videos and supplemental reading material for families with online access .
For pre-K to third-grade viewers , “ Pinkalicious & Peterrific , ” about the adventures of a pair of siblings , serves as a social learning lesson , while “ Peg + Cat , ” about a girl who solves word problems , reinforces math knowledge .
Episodes of “ NOVA , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science for grades 4-8 .
For older students , Henry Louis Gates Jr. ’ s four-part series “ Black America Since MLK : And Still I Rise ” acts as a social studies class .
Before each show aimed at grades 4-8 or 9-12 , PBS airs one-minute videos with prompts for each episode that are answered after the show .
“ We ’ ve never been through anything like this before , and the goal here is just to continue learning at home , ” said Andrew Russell , president and chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We ’ re trying to build a service so we can continue that during who knows how long this is.
” The programming is spread across three local PBS channels grouped by age range .
Each week ’ s schedule is published ahead of time .
The schedules for the week of April 6 are linked below : • PBS SoCal airs programming for pre-K to third grade from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. • KLCS divides programming between pre-K to third grade from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. , grades 4-8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and grades 9-12 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. • KCET airs programming for grades 9-12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m .
The shows are also available for streaming on the PBS Video and PBS Kids apps .
What should I expect from the programs ?
For families without other options , the TV programming is meant to stand on its own .
L.A. Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner said he conceived of the PBS partnership as a “ low-tech ” solution for LAUSD families who might lack access to more “ high-tech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It had to be the ability to make sure , from an equity and access standpoint , we provided for all we serve , including those most in need , ” Beutner said .
But families may benefit most from combining television viewing with PBS ’ online resources .
Children in grades 4-8 watching “ Africa ’ s Great Civilizations ” also have access to of the areas being discussed or an excerpt from .
Students in grades 9-12 can as they watch “ The Great War : American Experience Part 1 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
To receive the daily activities and links to online tools , parents and teachers can check the At-Home Learning homepage here , sign up for the At-Home Learning newsletter or follow @ KCET on Twitter .
What do teachers think ?
Teachers and education advocates have praised the district for attempting to meet the needs of low-income families as but say TV learning works best as a supplement to educator-led programs .
“ I was in the middle of an earth science unit , in the middle of a chapter book , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Misti Kemmer , a fourth-grade teacher at Russell Elementary School in South Los Angeles .
“ They can watch TV all day long , it ’ s not going to catch them up on the fourth-grade-level standards that I was in the middle of teaching them.
” The program caters to broad age groups across multiple schools across the country , which makes it impossible to replicate the specific lessons students were doing before schools closed , teachers said .
“ Everybody ’ s doing the best they can , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t want to criticize them for making an effort , it ’ s great , but it ’ s no substitute for the kids being in school.
” Rochelle Srigley , a single mother and freelance public relations consultant , dove headfirst into homeschooling when her daughters ’ elementary school in Burbank closed last week .
Srigley is using the PBS At-Home Learning program as a supplement to the homework and teacher-assigned activities her daughters received from school .
They watch “ Pinkalicious ” and other shows , then her daughters use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For pre-K to third grades , activities could be asking them to write a story , an art lesson , or an interactive game .
“ The kids really like it and it ’ s teaching them something , but it ’ s fun , ” said Srigley , who wrote about the partnership on her blog Rockin Mommies , aimed at single moms in Los Angeles .
“ It ’ s just another tool , basically , because you ’ re trying to come up with a million things to do .
@

A still from PBS’ “Peg + Cat,” one of the shows featured in the station’s At-Home Learning program.
One form of distance learning can be as easy as turning on a low-tech tool — the television.
In a partnership designed to provide students and parents — especially low-income households without Wi-Fi access — an alternative to online classes, the Los Angeles school district teamed up with PBS SoCal/KCET and San Francisco’s KQED to offer a slate of educational programming.
For the record: This story has been corrected to say that “Pinkalicious & Peterrific,” about the adventures of a pair of siblings, serves as a social learning lesson.
It’s popular. Two weeks into the partnership, the three stations involved were viewed by an average of 140,000 homes — and nearly 200,000 people — a day, according to PBS. More than 70 television stations across the country have picked up the LAUSD/PBS schedule, including all PBS stations in California.
With schools closed, the partnership also offers games, activities, videos and supplemental reading material for families with online access.
Advertisement
For pre-K to third-grade viewers, “Pinkalicious & Peterrific,” about the adventures of a pair of siblings, serves as a social learning lesson, while “Peg + Cat,” about a girl who solves word problems, reinforces math knowledge. Episodes of “NOVA,” the long-running PBS documentary series, emphasize science for grades 4-8.
For older students, Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s four-part series “Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise” acts as a social studies class.
Before each show aimed at grades 4-8 or 9-12, PBS airs one-minute videos with prompts for each episode that are answered after the show.
“We’ve never been through anything like this before, and the goal here is just to continue learning at home,” said Andrew Russell, president and chief executive of PBS SoCal and KCET. “We’re trying to build a service so we can continue that during who knows how long this is.”
How do I watch?
The programming is spread across three local PBS channels grouped by age range. Each week’s schedule is published ahead of time here . The schedules for the week of April 6 are linked below:
PBS SoCal airs programming for pre-K to third grade from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
KLCS divides programming between pre-K to third grade from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., grades 4-8 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., and grades 9-12 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
KCET airs programming for grades 9-12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The shows are also available for streaming on the PBS Video and PBS Kids apps.
What should I expect from the programs?
For families without other options, the TV programming is meant to stand on its own.
Advertisement
L.A. Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner said he conceived of the PBS partnership as a “low-tech” solution for LAUSD families who might lack access to more “high-tech” distance learning tools online. “It had to be the ability to make sure, from an equity and access standpoint, we provided for all we serve, including those most in need,” Beutner said.
But families may benefit most from combining television viewing with PBS’ online resources. Children in grades 4-8 watching “Africa’s Great Civilizations” also have access to a map of the areas being discussed or an excerpt from Gates’ travel journal in Timbuktu . Students in grades 9-12 can read President Woodrow Wilson’s Declaration of Neutrality as they watch “The Great War: American Experience Part 1,” a documentary on World War I.
To receive the daily activities and links to online tools, parents and teachers can check the At-Home Learning homepage here, sign up for the At-Home Learning newsletter here or follow @KCET on Twitter.
What do teachers think?
Teachers and education advocates have praised the district for attempting to meet the needs of low-income families as schools transition to distance learning but say TV learning works best as a supplement to educator-led programs.
“I was in the middle of an earth science unit, in the middle of a chapter book, in the middle of a math unit,” said Misti Kemmer, a fourth-grade teacher at Russell Elementary School in South Los Angeles. “They can watch TV all day long, it’s not going to catch them up on the fourth-grade-level standards that I was in the middle of teaching them.”
The program caters to broad age groups across multiple schools across the country, which makes it impossible to replicate the specific lessons students were doing before schools closed, teachers said.
“Everybody’s doing the best they can,” Kemmer said. “I don’t want to criticize them for making an effort, it’s great, but it’s no substitute for the kids being in school.”
A mom’s point of view
Rochelle Srigley, a single mother and freelance public relations consultant, dove headfirst into homeschooling when her daughters’ elementary school in Burbank closed last week.
Srigley is using the PBS At-Home Learning program as a supplement to the homework and teacher-assigned activities her daughters received from school. They watch “Pinkalicious” and other shows, then her daughters use her laptop to complete online activities. For pre-K to third grades, activities could be a PDF worksheet asking them to write a story, an art lesson, or an interactive game.
“The kids really like it and it’s teaching them something, but it’s fun,” said Srigley, who wrote about the partnership on her blog Rockin Mommies, aimed at single moms in Los Angeles. “It’s just another tool, basically, because you’re trying to come up with a million things to do.”


latimes--2020-04-03--Coronavirus changes the AP test, big time. Here's what it will look like

For 65 years , the Advanced Placement test has been a hallmark of a rigorous high school education , allowing bright students to demonstrate mastery of a subject through a passing score that can lead to college credits .
Students typically gird for the grueling exam in long study sessions with friends or outside class hours with teachers .
It ’ s not unusual for parents to hire specialized tutors .
For some students , it becomes a point of pride to report how many AP courses they are taking .
But amid the COVID-19 pandemic , this year ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to new details released Friday by the College Board , the New York-based nonprofit that owns the test .
Normally , there are dozens of multiple-choice questions .
Those will be gone .
The free-response questions will be winnowed down from a typical four or so to one or two , which will be timed separately and submitted .
The exams will be taken at home with open books and notes and will last only about 45 minutes , significantly shorter than the standard three- to four-hour duration .
The exams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — a computer , tablet or smartphone .
Or students can write responses by hand and submit a photo via their cellphones .
To make sure that all students have access to the test , the College Board said it is working with partners to provide thousands of Chromebooks and tablets , along with broadband internet access , to all who need them .
The revised format brought varied reactions .
At Mayfield Senior School , an all-girls Catholic school in Pasadena , students enrolled in an AP Calculus BC ( second and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of reactions : relief , disappointment and excitement by the challenge of taking the test in an entirely new way .
Megan Moffat , who says she ’ s “ kind of a thrill seeker , ” was eager to test herself on racing through a shorter exam on which every question will carry higher stakes .
Isabel Valenzuela said it will be easier to keep up stamina with a shorter test ; when she took the full-length practice exam — more than three hours long — she found herself getting antsy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ my energy and power for a shorter sprint than for , like , the marathon , ” she said .
Halle Villalobos and Agnese Sanavio , however , said they were disappointed that they won ’ t get to showcase all of the skills they ’ ve learned in the last year or delve into calculus concepts as deeply as they might have .
Other students said they missed the personal connections of prepping for the exam at school , able to turn to a classmate for help or visit teachers during office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at-home study has helped her gain independence and self-motivation , while Lauren Clawson said the changes offered a “ good life lesson.
” “ It ’ s helping us adapt to unexpected and unforeseeable situations , which is kind of life , ” Clawson said .
Trevor Packer , a College Board senior vice president who heads the AP program , said such student dedication is why the nonprofit decided to dismiss early thoughts about potentially canceling the exam when the coronavirus outbreak prompted schools to send students home and shift to online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AP students , 91 % said they wanted to take the test and filled 900 pages with comments about why .
Many said studying was their “ last vestige of academic normalcy , ” having lost their sports seasons , proms , graduation ceremonies and senior-year trips , Packer said .
But testing officials had to satisfy themselves that they could create a fair and secure online exam before committing to one , he said .
Key areas of concern included equitable access for students with disabilities and those without adequate devices or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to agree to award college credit for passing scores .
And strict measures had to be taken to prevent and detect cheating , another pressing issue .
To avoid leaks , the same tests will be given at the same time throughout the nation , from May 11 to May 22 .
Makeup test dates will be available for each subject from June 1 to June 5 .
For California students , the tests will be administered at 9 a.m. , 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. , depending on the subject .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that can be found in textbooks or online .
Rather than multiple-choice questions , there will be short-response and document-based questions that require synthesis of material , application of concepts and critical thinking .
Software will be used to detect a student ’ s unique identity and style of online interactions , Packer said , along with plagiarism or similar answers among groups of students .
In addition , the College Board will release the completed exams to AP teachers so they “ can see if a student who has been mediocre all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
If students get caught cheating , the penalties will be severe .
They will be blocked from testing or their AP scores will be canceled .
Their high school will be notified , as will colleges or other organizations to which the student has already sent College Board scores , including the SAT .
And they may be prohibited from taking a future AP exam , as well as the SAT , SAT subject tests or other assessments , the nonprofit said .
Those strict security measures drew praise from some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a great option for AP exams pertaining to how it would eliminate the need to cheat , since that was a main concern with taking the exams online , ” said Jade Hollingsworth , an Upland High School student bound for UCLA who is taking AP courses in literature , art history and studio art .
Despite the truncated format , the University of California announced this week that it would accept the results of this year ’ s exam .
Hundreds of other institutions have given similar assurances , Packer said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for not canceling the tests and for addressing their myriad concerns .
Monty Armstrong , an AP World History teacher at Cerritos High School who initially thought an online test could be a “ disaster ” with the potential for widespread cheating , said the College Board had assuaged all of his concerns .
By giving the test at the same time everywhere and sticking to document-based questions , which require skills and training to answer , not merely internet searches , “ the College Board has made really good choices , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teacher Melissa Tighe said she was gratified that the testing nonproft gave students the chance to weigh in and listened closely to what they had to say .
She also said the College Board ’ s handling of the issue showed students a real-life example of collaborative problem-solving .
“ I love the way they ’ re going about this , and I think they ’ re really role-modeling consensus-building thinking for my students , who are the future decision-makers , ” she said .

Students enrolled in a Zoom AP Calculus class taught by Melissa Tighe (top left) at Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena expressed a range of reactions to the unprecedented changes to the test triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For 65 years, the Advanced Placement test has been a hallmark of a rigorous high school education, allowing bright students to demonstrate mastery of a subject through a passing score that can lead to college credits.
Students typically gird for the grueling exam in long study sessions with friends or outside class hours with teachers. It’s not unusual for parents to hire specialized tutors. For some students, it becomes a point of pride to report how many AP courses they are taking.
But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s test will be like no other, according to new details released Friday by the College Board, the New York-based nonprofit that owns the test.
Advertisement
Normally, there are dozens of multiple-choice questions. Those will be gone. The free-response questions will be winnowed down from a typical four or so to one or two, which will be timed separately and submitted.
The exams will be taken at home with open books and notes and will last only about 45 minutes, significantly shorter than the standard three- to four-hour duration. The exams can be taken on any device available — a computer, tablet or smartphone. Or students can write responses by hand and submit a photo via their cellphones.
To make sure that all students have access to the test, the College Board said it is working with partners to provide thousands of Chromebooks and tablets, along with broadband internet access, to all who need them.
The revised format brought varied reactions. At Mayfield Senior School, an all-girls Catholic school in Pasadena, students enrolled in an AP Calculus BC (second and third stage) class expressed a range of reactions: relief, disappointment and excitement by the challenge of taking the test in an entirely new way.
Megan Moffat, who says she’s “kind of a thrill seeker,” was eager to test herself on racing through a shorter exam on which every question will carry higher stakes.
Isabel Valenzuela said it will be easier to keep up stamina with a shorter test; when she took the full-length practice exam — more than three hours long — she found herself getting antsy. “I can just use all of my energy and power for a shorter sprint than for, like, the marathon,” she said.
Halle Villalobos and Agnese Sanavio, however, said they were disappointed that they won’t get to showcase all of the skills they’ve learned in the last year or delve into calculus concepts as deeply as they might have. Other students said they missed the personal connections of prepping for the exam at school, able to turn to a classmate for help or visit teachers during office hours.
But Paloma Torres said the at-home study has helped her gain independence and self-motivation, while Lauren Clawson said the changes offered a “good life lesson.”
Advertisement
“It’s helping us adapt to unexpected and unforeseeable situations, which is kind of life,” Clawson said.
Trevor Packer, a College Board senior vice president who heads the AP program, said such student dedication is why the nonprofit decided to dismiss early thoughts about potentially canceling the exam when the coronavirus outbreak prompted schools to send students home and shift to online learning.
In a survey of 18,000 AP students, 91% said they wanted to take the test and filled 900 pages with comments about why. Many said studying was their “last vestige of academic normalcy,” having lost their sports seasons, proms, graduation ceremonies and senior-year trips, Packer said.
But testing officials had to satisfy themselves that they could create a fair and secure online exam before committing to one, he said. Key areas of concern included equitable access for students with disabilities and those without adequate devices or broadband access. Colleges and universities would need to agree to award college credit for passing scores.
And strict measures had to be taken to prevent and detect cheating, another pressing issue.
To avoid leaks, the same tests will be given at the same time throughout the nation, from May 11 to May 22. Makeup test dates will be available for each subject from June 1 to June 5. For California students, the tests will be administered at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., depending on the subject.
Points will not be earned from content that can be found in textbooks or online. Rather than multiple-choice questions, there will be short-response and document-based questions that require synthesis of material, application of concepts and critical thinking. Software will be used to detect a student’s unique identity and style of online interactions, Packer said, along with plagiarism or similar answers among groups of students.
In addition, the College Board will release the completed exams to AP teachers so they “can see if a student who has been mediocre all year is suddenly perfect,” Packer said.
If students get caught cheating, the penalties will be severe. They will be blocked from testing or their AP scores will be canceled. Their high school will be notified, as will colleges or other organizations to which the student has already sent College Board scores, including the SAT. And they may be prohibited from taking a future AP exam, as well as the SAT, SAT subject tests or other assessments, the nonprofit said.
Those strict security measures drew praise from some students. “I feel like this is a great option for AP exams pertaining to how it would eliminate the need to cheat, since that was a main concern with taking the exams online,” said Jade Hollingsworth, an Upland High School student bound for UCLA who is taking AP courses in literature, art history and studio art.
Despite the truncated format, the University of California announced this week that it would accept the results of this year’s exam. Hundreds of other institutions have given similar assurances, Packer said.
AP teachers praised the College Board for not canceling the tests and for addressing their myriad concerns.
Monty Armstrong, an AP World History teacher at Cerritos High School who initially thought an online test could be a “disaster” with the potential for widespread cheating, said the College Board had assuaged all of his concerns.
By giving the test at the same time everywhere and sticking to document-based questions, which require skills and training to answer, not merely internet searches, “the College Board has made really good choices,” he said.
At Mayfield, AP teacher Melissa Tighe said she was gratified that the testing nonproft gave students the chance to weigh in and listened closely to what they had to say. She also said the College Board’s handling of the issue showed students a real-life example of collaborative problem-solving.
“I love the way they’re going about this, and I think they’re really role-modeling consensus-building thinking for my students, who are the future decision-makers,” she said.