latimes--2020-03-01--Costco sees run on supplies amid coronavirus concerns. Do you really need to stock up?

If you noticed your local Costco was more crowded than normal this weekend , it probably wasn ’ t your imagination .
People have been stocking up on supplies amid the growing concerns about coronavirus spreading in the United States .
Store managers report big crowds , and social media are filled with photos of empty shelves even though there are no shortages of items .
Experts continue to urge caution , despite new cases in California and Washington that appear to have been spread in communities rather than from people connected to overseas travel .
Centers for Disease Control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday there was no need for healthy Americans to stock up on supplies .
In some places , it appears so .
Some Costcos , Walmarts and other stores said they ’ ve seen a decided increase in customers this weekend , and some store shelves have emptied .
Thad Kleszcz , general manager of Costco in Atwater Village , said for weeks he ’ s noticed an unusually high number of customers at the store , but it seemed to have increased Friday and Saturday , after it was announced that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first person in the U.S. to die from coronavirus .
“ Antiseptic wipes and Clorox disinfecting wipes are flying out of here , ” he said .
“ We can ’ t keep those in stock.
” He said people are mostly purchasing water , paper goods , grains such as rice and pasta , jarred food and peanut butter .
He said Costco is doing everything it can to keep up with demand .
At the Mountain View , Calif. , Costco , employees said the crowds this weekend eclipsed even Christmas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going fast .
“ Yeah , this is double Christmas time .
I feel like this is a little overdoing it for now , ” manager Grant Garmsey told KGO .
Crowds were also big at a Costco in Hawaii after state health officials urged residents to “ stock up on all prescription medications and other basic household items like food and cleaning products so you can care for yourself and your family at home if someone becomes ill. Supplies of these items may be affected in the event of a pandemic.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following the virus coverage and said she felt it could not hurt to be prepared .
Three weeks ago , Capatori said , she began stockpiling household necessities .
She purchased the last jug of hand sanitizer at a local drugstore .
She ordered cleaning wipes , masks , two suits — for her and her 11-year-old daughter — goggles and gloves .
She has stocked up on food that will last her up to 3 months .
“ We ’ re competing against time , ” she said .
What are experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water or cleaning supply or toilet paper shortages .
But officials are concerned about a run on masks .
Health experts warn that stocking up on the disposable masks could do more harm than good by limiting their availability to doctors and nurses .
If the coronavirus outbreak should cause a run on anything , they say , it should be soap and water instead .
There are good reasons to wear masks — namely , to protect others .
Surgeons use them so they don ’ t cough or sneeze into open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out to visitors with respiratory symptoms to protect others in the waiting area .
Doctors diligently swap their masks between visits with immune-suppressed patients , to avoid exposing them to clinging pathogens .
If you ’ re already sick , mask-wearing is good practice .
Donning a paper mask on a crowded train or bus , for instance , can minimize the degree to which a cough or sneeze disseminates infectious fluid onto neighbors and handrails that will be grabbed throughout the day .
But for everyone else , the masks are simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Department of Health and Human Services .
In fact , if the mask-hoarding continues , officials worry there could be a shortage , affecting clinics and hospitals where they ’ re needed most .
Retail chains including Walgreens , Home Depot , Lowe ’ s and True Value Hardware are reporting a sharp uptick in sales of masks over the last several weeks and say they are scrambling to get more from suppliers .
Home Depot , the nation ’ s largest home improvement chain , has limited sales of N95 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can you do to protect yourself ?
Experts agree that for viral infections including the common cold , flu and coronavirus , the most effective way to protect yourself is regular hand-washing with warm water and soap , plus avoiding touching your nose and mouth .
To wash your hands properly , the World Health Organization suggests scrubbing your palms with a large dollop of soap before interlacing and clasping the fingers , then scrubbing around the thumbs and the backs of your hands .
The should take 40 to 60 seconds .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ In addition to the dozens of cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. linked to travel abroad , officials have announced that eight people , all on the West Coast , appear to have contracted the virus in their communities .
An outbreak at a long-term care facility in Washington is expected to push that total higher in the coming days , officials said .
Though federal officials say the risk to the American public remains low , the latest developments raise the possibility that the virus will become entrenched in the U.S. and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health necessity in communities where the virus takes hold , officials said .
For most people , COVID-19 causes a mild sickness , and some who are infected do not even know they are sick .
The virus has been estimated to kill two of every 100 people who contract it , though the risk is lower for younger people and higher for the elderly , experts said .
The rise in patients in the U.S. diagnosed with COVID-19 in recent days is probably due in part to increased testing .
Before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to order the tests , of which there is a limited supply , for patients who did not have a history of travel to China or close contact with someone who had traveled there .
Physicians can now order tests for people who are hospitalized and very ill but have no travel history .

Ruben Vives, Emily Baumgaertner, Alex Wigglesworth

If you’re planning a Costco visit: A CDC expert has told Congress there’s no need for healthy Americans to stock up on supplies.
If you noticed your local Costco was more crowded than normal this weekend, it probably wasn’t your imagination.
People have been stocking up on supplies amid the growing concerns about coronavirus spreading in the United States. Store managers report big crowds, and social media are filled with photos of empty shelves even though there are no shortages of items.
Experts continue to urge caution, despite new cases in California and Washington that appear to have been spread in communities rather than from people connected to overseas travel.
Advertisement
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield told Congress on Thursday there was no need for healthy Americans to stock up on supplies.
Are people stocking up?
In some places, it appears so.
Some Costcos, Walmarts and other stores said they’ve seen a decided increase in customers this weekend, and some store shelves have emptied.
Thad Kleszcz, general manager of Costco in Atwater Village, said for weeks he’s noticed an unusually high number of customers at the store, but it seemed to have increased Friday and Saturday, after it was announced that a Washington state man had become the first person in the U.S. to die from coronavirus.
“Antiseptic wipes and Clorox disinfecting wipes are flying out of here,” he said. “We can’t keep those in stock.”
He said people are mostly purchasing water, paper goods, grains such as rice and pasta, jarred food and peanut butter. He said Costco is doing everything it can to keep up with demand.
Advertisement
At the Mountain View, Calif., Costco, employees said the crowds this weekend eclipsed even Christmas rush — with cleaning supplies and water going fast.
“Yeah, this is double Christmas time. I feel like this is a little overdoing it for now,” manager Grant Garmsey told KGO.
Crowds were also big at a Costco in Hawaii after state health officials urged residents to “stock up on all prescription medications and other basic household items like food and cleaning products so you can care for yourself and your family at home if someone becomes ill. Supplies of these items may be affected in the event of a pandemic.”
Los Angeles resident Lily Capatori has been following the virus coverage and said she felt it could not hurt to be prepared.
Three weeks ago, Capatori said, she began stockpiling household necessities. She purchased the last jug of hand sanitizer at a local drugstore. She ordered cleaning wipes, masks, two suits — for her and her 11-year-old daughter — goggles and gloves. She has stocked up on food that will last her up to 3 months.
“We’re competing against time,” she said.
What are experts saying?
There are no signs of water or cleaning supply or toilet paper shortages.
But officials are concerned about a run on masks.
Health experts warn that stocking up on the disposable masks could do more harm than good by limiting their availability to doctors and nurses. If the coronavirus outbreak should cause a run on anything, they say, it should be soap and water instead.
There are good reasons to wear masks — namely, to protect others. Surgeons use them so they don’t cough or sneeze into open wounds. Emergency room staff hand them out to visitors with respiratory symptoms to protect others in the waiting area. Doctors diligently swap their masks between visits with immune-suppressed patients, to avoid exposing them to clinging pathogens.
If you’re already sick, mask-wearing is good practice. Donning a paper mask on a crowded train or bus, for instance, can minimize the degree to which a cough or sneeze disseminates infectious fluid onto neighbors and handrails that will be grabbed throughout the day.
But for everyone else, the masks are simply “unnecessary,” said Alex Azar , secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
In fact, if the mask-hoarding continues, officials worry there could be a shortage, affecting clinics and hospitals where they’re needed most.
Retail chains including Walgreens, Home Depot, Lowe’s and True Value Hardware are reporting a sharp uptick in sales of masks over the last several weeks and say they are scrambling to get more from suppliers. Home Depot, the nation’s largest home improvement chain, has limited sales of N95 respirators to 10 per customer.
What can you do to protect yourself?
Experts agree that for viral infections including the common cold, flu and coronavirus, the most effective way to protect yourself is regular hand-washing with warm water and soap, plus avoiding touching your nose and mouth.
To wash your hands properly, the World Health Organization suggests scrubbing your palms with a large dollop of soap before interlacing and clasping the fingers, then scrubbing around the thumbs and the backs of your hands. The whole process should take 40 to 60 seconds.
What about these new U.S. cases?
In addition to the dozens of cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. linked to travel abroad, officials have announced that eight people, all on the West Coast, appear to have contracted the virus in their communities. An outbreak at a long-term care facility in Washington is expected to push that total higher in the coming days, officials said.
Though federal officials say the risk to the American public remains low, the latest developments raise the possibility that the virus will become entrenched in the U.S. and impossible to contain. Closing schools and canceling events could become a public health necessity in communities where the virus takes hold, officials said.
For most people, COVID-19 causes a mild sickness, and some who are infected do not even know they are sick. The virus has been estimated to kill two of every 100 people who contract it, though the risk is lower for younger people and higher for the elderly, experts said.
The rise in patients in the U.S. diagnosed with COVID-19 in recent days is probably due in part to increased testing. Before last week, doctors were not allowed to order the tests, of which there is a limited supply, for patients who did not have a history of travel to China or close contact with someone who had traveled there. Physicians can now order tests for people who are hospitalized and very ill but have no travel history.


latimes--2020-03-02--Column: 'I will shoot you' isn't a great campaign slogan for D.A. Jackie Lacey

I hate the overuse of the term “ bad optics.
” But when you ’ re running for another term as L.A. County district attorney and your husband stands in the doorway of your house with a gun and threatens to shoot someone , the day before the election , that can fairly be described as bad optics .
This happened Monday morning at the Granada Hills home of D.A .
Jackie Lacey , a two-term incumbent whose reelection bid has divided the community and stirred activists , including members of Black Lives Matter .
Some of those activists , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
for not being tougher in officer-involved shootings and other high-profile cases , gathered outside Lacey ’ s home at dawn to protest her performance and what they say is her months-long refusal to meet with them .
What happened next was captured on a video that spread faster than a wildfire .
“ Get off my porch , ” Lacey ’ s husband , David , says in a threatening tone as he stands in his doorway , arm extended , finger on the trigger of a sizable , no-nonsense gun .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” responds a female visitor .
“ I will shoot you , ” says Lacey ’ s husband .
“ Get off of my porch.
” “ Can you tell Jackie Lacey that we ’ re here ?
” he is asked .
“ I don ’ t care who you are , ” he responds , ordering the woman off his porch and saying he would call the police .
Then he closes the door .
“ He pulled a gun and pointed it at my chest , ” a female @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scene , and it raised lots of questions .
No matter how ticked off he might have felt about his wife being harassed , was it appropriate for Lacey ’ s husband to point a gun at protesters ?
Of course not .
He ’ d have been better off not answering the door at all , or calling police in the first place .
Unless he thought the protesters were armed or planning to burst into his house , waving the gun around was a reckless and potentially dangerous thing to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question of whether his antics could be interpreted as a crime .
Was it fair of protesters to go to the private home of a public official and invade her privacy ?
That ’ s a tougher one to answer , but I have to come clean here and admit that over the long course of my career as a journalist , I have on occasion taken extra steps to confront those who were trying to avoid me .
Lacey ’ s protesters say they were promised a meeting that never happened .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ downtown Los Angeles office , sometimes reciting names of victims shot by police .
Protesting at the office is fair play , for sure .
Going to Lacey ’ s house Monday morning was a way to make a statement , but on the day before the election , it clearly was also a political stunt .
Jasmyne Cannick , a longtime activist and current communications director for Lacey foe Rachel Rossi , said she can understand a public official not being happy about having protesters on the front porch .
But she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lacey .
“ The short and skinny of it for me , ” said Cannick , is that Lacey has avoided a core constituency of black voters who take issue with her job performance .
“ People are frustrated and angry ... .
She shows up for meetings with other constituencies.
” Last October , Cannick said , Lacey agreed to meet with critics on her handling of a West Hollywood case involving the deaths of young black men at the home of a white Democratic fundraiser , but she reneged .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the D.A .
's race , Rossi and George Gascón , Lacey cited protests as a reason to bow out of future debates .
These political blunders by Lacey only fueled the rage of her critics .
On Monday , a few hours after the incident at her home , a visibly shaken Lacey held a news conference in which she was emotional , personal and defensive .
She said her husband was “ profoundly sorry ” for what he had done and wanted protesters to know he didn ’ t intend to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always performed her job as dictated by facts and laws , and she spoke of a newfound courage .
But I saw what looked more like fatigue than resolve .
As to whether Lacey had reneged on promised meetings with critics , she said : “ In the past I have offered to meet with Black Lives Matter , but I felt it should be one on one or a small group .
They have rejected those offers .
It seems like what they like is to embarrass me and intimidate me.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her home .
“ Believe it or not , the Laceys are private people , ” she said .
“ We expect people will exercise their 1st Amendment right , but our home is our sanctuary and we do not believe , I don ’ t believe , it is fair or right for protesters to show up at the homes of people who dedicate their lives to public service.
” I can certainly understand her perspective , but I think she could have defused the tension and avoided Monday morning ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When you ’ re elected to public office , you do naturally surrender some privacy , and it ’ s time to look for another job when the cost becomes too high .
Avoiding critics is a sign of weakness .
Hearing them out could lead to better understanding all around — or at least defuse a bad situation .
I ’ m wondering now if Lacey , whose support is strong in the law enforcement community , is too damaged to be an effective leader going forward .
That said , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a female of color and for , among other things , her focus on diverting people out of the traditional justice system when their crimes are likely caused by mental illness , although we are by no means where we should be on that front .
The local jails still serve as mental institutions for thousands .
Late last year , Lacey was among a local delegation that visited Trieste , Italy , to study a better system .
I was along on that trip , and one night , as public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a call to conscience on the creation of more humane alternatives to incarceration .
It ’ s hard to know whether and how the scene Monday at Lacey ’ s home will affect the outcome of the election .
Some might be won over by Lacey ’ s personal and honest response to a divisive political culture , and what she saw as an overstep by critics .
Others might think they were witnessing the end for someone who ’ s been on the job long enough , if not a little too @ @

Activists with Black Lives Matter holding a photograph of Ezell Ford, who was killed by L.A. police officers in 2014. Members of the group have protested the policies of Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, and on Monday showed up at her house, where they were confronted by her husband wielding a gun.
I hate the overuse of the term “bad optics.” But when you’re running for another term as L.A. County district attorney and your husband stands in the doorway of your house with a gun and threatens to shoot someone, the day before the election, that can fairly be described as bad optics.
This happened Monday morning at the Granada Hills home of D.A. Jackie Lacey, a two-term incumbent whose reelection bid has divided the community and stirred activists, including members of Black Lives Matter.
Some of those activists, who have blasted the African American D.A. for not being tougher in officer-involved shootings and other high-profile cases, gathered outside Lacey’s home at dawn to protest her performance and what they say is her months-long refusal to meet with them.
Advertisement
What happened next was captured on a video that spread faster than a wildfire.
“Get off my porch,” Lacey’s husband, David, says in a threatening tone as he stands in his doorway, arm extended, finger on the trigger of a sizable, no-nonsense gun.
“Are you going to shoot me?” responds a female visitor.
“I will shoot you,” says Lacey’s husband. “Get off of my porch.”
“Can you tell Jackie Lacey that we’re here?” he is asked.
“I don’t care who you are,” he responds, ordering the woman off his porch and saying he would call the police. Then he closes the door.
“He pulled a gun and pointed it at my chest,” a female voice says.
It was an ugly scene, and it raised lots of questions.
No matter how ticked off he might have felt about his wife being harassed, was it appropriate for Lacey’s husband to point a gun at protesters?
Advertisement
Of course not.
He’d have been better off not answering the door at all, or calling police in the first place. Unless he thought the protesters were armed or planning to burst into his house, waving the gun around was a reckless and potentially dangerous thing to do, and there’s even a question of whether his antics could be interpreted as a crime.
And here’s another question:
Was it fair of protesters to go to the private home of a public official and invade her privacy?
That’s a tougher one to answer, but I have to come clean here and admit that over the long course of my career as a journalist, I have on occasion taken extra steps to confront those who were trying to avoid me.
Lacey’s protesters say they were promised a meeting that never happened. Typically, they have protested outside her downtown Los Angeles office, sometimes reciting names of victims shot by police.
Protesting at the office is fair play, for sure. Going to Lacey’s house Monday morning was a way to make a statement, but on the day before the election, it clearly was also a political stunt.
Jasmyne Cannick, a longtime activist and current communications director for Lacey foe Rachel Rossi, said she can understand a public official not being happy about having protesters on the front porch. But she offered some context in the case of Lacey.
“The short and skinny of it for me,” said Cannick, is that Lacey has avoided a core constituency of black voters who take issue with her job performance. “People are frustrated and angry .... She shows up for meetings with other constituencies.”
Last October, Cannick said, Lacey agreed to meet with critics on her handling of a West Hollywood case involving the deaths of young black men at the home of a white Democratic fundraiser, but she reneged. After a January debate with her opponents in the D.A.’s race, Rossi and George Gascón, Lacey cited protests as a reason to bow out of future debates.
These political blunders by Lacey only fueled the rage of her critics.
On Monday, a few hours after the incident at her home, a visibly shaken Lacey held a news conference in which she was emotional, personal and defensive.
She said her husband was “profoundly sorry” for what he had done and wanted protesters to know he didn’t intend to harm anyone. She said she had always performed her job as dictated by facts and laws, and she spoke of a newfound courage. But I saw what looked more like fatigue than resolve.
As to whether Lacey had reneged on promised meetings with critics, she said:
“In the past I have offered to meet with Black Lives Matter, but I felt it should be one on one or a small group. They have rejected those offers. It seems like what they like is to embarrass me and intimidate me.”
She drew a line on protests at her home.
“Believe it or not, the Laceys are private people,” she said. “We expect people will exercise their 1st Amendment right, but our home is our sanctuary and we do not believe, I don’t believe, it is fair or right for protesters to show up at the homes of people who dedicate their lives to public service.”
I can certainly understand her perspective, but I think she could have defused the tension and avoided Monday morning’s debacle by meeting with her critics.
When you’re elected to public office, you do naturally surrender some privacy, and it’s time to look for another job when the cost becomes too high. Avoiding critics is a sign of weakness. Hearing them out could lead to better understanding all around — or at least defuse a bad situation. I’m wondering now if Lacey, whose support is strong in the law enforcement community, is too damaged to be an effective leader going forward.
That said, I’ve admired Lacey for her rise as a female of color and for, among other things, her focus on diverting people out of the traditional justice system when their crimes are likely caused by mental illness, although we are by no means where we should be on that front. The local jails still serve as mental institutions for thousands.
Late last year, Lacey was among a local delegation that visited Trieste, Italy, to study a better system. I was along on that trip, and one night, as public officials shared notes, Lacey passionately delivered a call to conscience on the creation of more humane alternatives to incarceration.
It’s hard to know whether and how the scene Monday at Lacey’s home will affect the outcome of the election.
Some might be won over by Lacey’s personal and honest response to a divisive political culture, and what she saw as an overstep by critics.
Others might think they were witnessing the end for someone who’s been on the job long enough, if not a little too long.
steve.lopez@latimes.com


latimes--2020-03-02--No criminal charges against officers in fatal shooting of 'ER' actress Vanessa Marquez

Los Angeles County prosecutors will not file criminal charges against two police officers who fatally shot “ ER ” actress Vanessa Marquez inside her South Pasadena home in August 2018 during a wellness check , according to a memo from the agency released Monday .
The district attorney ’ s office determined that South Pasadena Officers Gilberto Carrillo and Christopher Perez acted legally when they fired 12 rounds at the 49-year-old after she brandished a replica firearm .
“ In this incident , the evidence demonstrates that Carrillo and Perez actually and reasonably believed Marquez posed an imminent threat of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shannon Presby , head deputy district attorney , wrote in the memo .
Police had been dispatched to Marquez ’ s apartment in the 1100 block of Fremont Avenue on Aug. 30 , 2018 , at the behest of a friend who was concerned for the actress ’ well-being .
When officers arrived , they knocked on the door for 10 minutes and eventually entered the apartment .
The living area was stacked with boxes , furniture and other items in what was described by authorities as “ hoarding conditions ” that made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ door and move through the unit , video from a body-worn camera shows .
As soon as Marquez saw one of the officers , she screamed and began having a seizure , the video shows .
Officers and a county mental health clinician spoke with Marquez for more than an hour in an effort to persuade her to accept medical help .
Police said at the time that she was uncooperative , may have been suffering from mental health issues and appeared to be unable to care for herself .
After Carrillo told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken to a hospital on a psychiatric hold , Marquez grabbed a pair of scissors and what officers thought was a handgun and pointed it at them , according to the memo .
“ She has a gun !
Gun !
Gun !
Gun !
Gun !
” Carrillo yelled as he ushered other personnel out of the apartment .
He yelled several times for Marquez to “ drop the gun ” as he exited the apartment and continued down a staircase into a common area .
When Marquez emerged from the apartment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sounds of a gun magazine being inserted and a slide being racked .
When Carrillo saw the handgun being pointed in their direction , he was “ scared out of his mind ” and fired approximately eight or nine rounds from his .40-caliber handgun through the drywall toward Marquez .
Perez also fired his gun , according to the memo .
The officers retrieved a weapon after the shooting and determined it was a BB gun that resembled a pistol .
Marquez suffered two gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 , Marquez ’ s mother , Delia McElfresh , filed a wrongful-death claim against the city of South Pasadena seeking $ 20 million along with burial and funeral expenses .
The status of the claim was not immediately clear Monday .
Marquez was best known for her recurring role as nurse Wendy Goldman on the popular medical drama “ ER , ” which ran for 15 seasons until 2009 .
Marquez appeared on the show from 1994 to 1997 .
She also starred as student Ana Delgado in the 1988 film “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the story of East Los Angeles math teacher Jaime Escalante .
In the years before her death , Marquez used social media to reference her struggles with celiac disease and seizures .
She wrote on Facebook in March 2018 that she was “ terminally ill. ” Marquez in 2005 starred in an episode on the first season of the reality television show “ Intervention , ” which delved into how a compulsive shopping addiction created financial problems for the actress , according to a synopsis of the episode on Amazon .
She grabbed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ER ” co-star George Clooney of helping to blacklist her from the series .
Clooney has publicly denied the allegations .
Marquez had posted on social media in the months before the fatal encounter about her desire to die and her purchase of an “ air ” gun that resembled a Glock .
Minutes before she was fatally shot , she wrote on Facebook that “ there shooting cremate me pour ashes over Hollywood sign.
” “ Her intention , as evidenced by her final Facebook post , sadly appears to have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote in the memo .

Los Angeles County prosecutors will not file criminal charges against two police officers who fatally shot “ER” actress Vanessa Marquez inside her South Pasadena home in August 2018 during a wellness check, according to a memo from the agency released Monday.
The district attorney’s office determined that South Pasadena Officers Gilberto Carrillo and Christopher Perez acted legally when they fired 12 rounds at the 49-year-old after she brandished a replica firearm.
“In this incident, the evidence demonstrates that Carrillo and Perez actually and reasonably believed Marquez posed an imminent threat of great bodily injury or death,” Shannon Presby, head deputy district attorney, wrote in the memo.
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Police had been dispatched to Marquez’s apartment in the 1100 block of Fremont Avenue on Aug. 30, 2018, at the behest of a friend who was concerned for the actress’ well-being. When officers arrived, they knocked on the door for 10 minutes and eventually entered the apartment.
The living area was stacked with boxes, furniture and other items in what was described by authorities as “hoarding conditions” that made it difficult for officers to open the door and move through the unit, video from a body-worn camera shows.
As soon as Marquez saw one of the officers, she screamed and began having a seizure, the video shows. Officers and a county mental health clinician spoke with Marquez for more than an hour in an effort to persuade her to accept medical help. Police said at the time that she was uncooperative, may have been suffering from mental health issues and appeared to be unable to care for herself.
After Carrillo told Marquez that she was going to be taken to a hospital on a psychiatric hold, Marquez grabbed a pair of scissors and what officers thought was a handgun and pointed it at them, according to the memo.
“She has a gun! Gun! Gun! Gun! Gun!” Carrillo yelled as he ushered other personnel out of the apartment. He yelled several times for Marquez to “drop the gun” as he exited the apartment and continued down a staircase into a common area.
When Marquez emerged from the apartment, Carrillo told investigators he heard the sounds of a gun magazine being inserted and a slide being racked.
Advertisement
When Carrillo saw the handgun being pointed in their direction, he was “scared out of his mind” and fired approximately eight or nine rounds from his .40-caliber handgun through the drywall toward Marquez. Perez also fired his gun, according to the memo.
The officers retrieved a weapon after the shooting and determined it was a BB gun that resembled a pistol. Marquez suffered two gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
In 2019, Marquez’s mother, Delia McElfresh, filed a wrongful-death claim against the city of South Pasadena seeking $20 million along with burial and funeral expenses. The status of the claim was not immediately clear Monday.
Marquez was best known for her recurring role as nurse Wendy Goldman on the popular medical drama “ER,” which ran for 15 seasons until 2009. Marquez appeared on the show from 1994 to 1997. She also starred as student Ana Delgado in the 1988 film “Stand and Deliver,” which told the story of East Los Angeles math teacher Jaime Escalante.
In the years before her death, Marquez used social media to reference her struggles with celiac disease and seizures. She wrote on Facebook in March 2018 that she was “terminally ill.”
Marquez in 2005 starred in an episode on the first season of the reality television show “Intervention,” which delved into how a compulsive shopping addiction created financial problems for the actress, according to a synopsis of the episode on Amazon.
She grabbed headlines in 2017 when she accused “ER” co-star George Clooney of helping to blacklist her from the series. Clooney has publicly denied the allegations.
Marquez had posted on social media in the months before the fatal encounter about her desire to die and her purchase of an “air” gun that resembled a Glock. Minutes before she was fatally shot, she wrote on Facebook that “there shooting cremate me pour ashes over Hollywood sign.”
“Her intention, as evidenced by her final Facebook post, sadly appears to have been to end her life,” Presby wrote in the memo.


latimes--2020-03-02--Former student arrested after threatening mass shooting at Montebello High, police say

Police have arrested an 18-year-old they say threatened in an online post to “ start a massacre ” at Montebello High School , where he ’ d been expelled for making similar threats .
Late Friday night , officers went to the 500 block of South Sixth Street , where a woman told them her son had seen an alarming Instagram post , the Montebello Police Department said .
In the post , a man said that “ he was going to take a gun and start a massacre at Montebello High School on Monday , ” according to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Officers were able to locate the man , who denied posting the threat , authorities said .
“ When the officers asked the male subject to go into his Instagram post , he told the officers that he was unable to access it , ” officials said .
Police arrested Montebello resident Devin Harper on suspicion of making criminal threats .
He remained in custody Monday afternoon in lieu of $ 50,000 bail , custody records show .
He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday .
Authorities said Harper attended Montebello High @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago .
There are no additional credible threats to the school , according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department ’ s East L.A. Station .
As a precaution , the department will coordinate with other agencies “ to boost patrol in the areas the station serves , ” officials wrote on Twitter .
In a written statement , Montebello Unified School District officials said they take such threats “ very seriously.
” “ The safety of our schools , students and personnel continues to be our top priority , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an abundance of caution , we have officers from school police on and around our campus .
All classes are resuming on a normal schedule .
Any matters relating to the safety on our campuses will be addressed swiftly and appropriately .
”

A former Montebello High School student was arrested after authorities say he threatened to “start a massacre” at the campus.
Police have arrested an 18-year-old they say threatened in an online post to “start a massacre” at Montebello High School, where he’d been expelled for making similar threats.
Late Friday night, officers went to the 500 block of South Sixth Street, where a woman told them her son had seen an alarming Instagram post, the Montebello Police Department said.
In the post, a man said that “he was going to take a gun and start a massacre at Montebello High School on Monday,” according to a written statement from the police department.
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Officers were able to locate the man, who denied posting the threat, authorities said.
“When the officers asked the male subject to go into his Instagram post, he told the officers that he was unable to access it,” officials said.
Police arrested Montebello resident Devin Harper on suspicion of making criminal threats. He remained in custody Monday afternoon in lieu of $50,000 bail, custody records show. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
Authorities said Harper attended Montebello High until he was expelled about two years ago.
There are no additional credible threats to the school, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s East L.A. Station.
As a precaution, the department will coordinate with other agencies “to boost patrol in the areas the station serves,” officials wrote on Twitter.
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Recently there was an arrest related to threats @ #Montebello HS. @EastLALASD wants concerned parents 2 know there are no credible additional threats. As a precaution, #LASD is coordinating w/ surrounding agencies to boost patrol in the areas the station serves. — LASD East LA Station (@EastLALASD) March 2, 2020
In a written statement, Montebello Unified School District officials said they take such threats “very seriously.”
“The safety of our schools, students and personnel continues to be our top priority,” they said Monday. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have officers from school police on and around our campus. All classes are resuming on a normal schedule. Any matters relating to the safety on our campuses will be addressed swiftly and appropriately.”


latimes--2020-03-02--February ranked among the driest on record across California. Forecasters hopeful for a 'miracle Mar

February ranked among the driest on record across California. Forecasters hopeful for a 'miracle March'

After one of the driest Februaries on record across much of California , the first day of March brought a dash of rain and a dusting of fresh powder to the parched landscape .
The storm , which rolled into Los Angeles County on Sunday afternoon , dropped less than one-tenth of an inch of rain on the coast , while higher elevations saw between one-quarter and an inch of precipitation .
Snow Valley Mountain Resort in the San Bernardino Mountains reported a foot of snow from the system , while Frazier Park in Kern County received a 3-inch dusting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the National Weather Service in Oxnard .
Sunday ’ s rain was the most precipitation some areas have seen in at least a month .
A high-pressure ridge that ’ s lingered over the eastern Pacific Ocean for much of January and February has rerouted winter storms that typically soak California to the Pacific Northwest .
That pattern appears to be shifting , which could allow more storms through , but it ’ s unclear how long it will last .
Long-range models are hinting at more rain in Southern California on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the middle of next week , Dumas said .
Forecasters and water managers keeping a close eye on precipitation are hopeful that a wet month , a phenomenon known by weather experts as “ miracle March , ” may help bolster lackluster winter rain totals .
“ It won ’ t take much to beat February , ” Dumas said .
After a parched January across southwestern California , February did not bring the reprieve forecasters had wanted .
Most places received less than 5 % of normal rainfall for the month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This lack of precipitation rewrote the record books in some areas in California .
Santa Maria Airport , which did not see any rain last month , and San Luis Obispo Airport , which saw just a trace , had their driest Februaries on record .
Los Angeles International Airport and Paso Robles Airport both received a trace of precipitation , tying with their driest Februaries on record .
Records for both locations date back more than 70 years .
A total of 0.04 inches of rain fell in Downtown Los Angeles last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with February 1899 for the 10th-driest February on record .
There has been no rain downtown three times in the entire month of February —1912 , 1933 and 1984 — i since records began in 1877 .
In February 1885 , 1896 , 1900 and 1964 , just a trace of rain was recorded .
Downtown Los Angeles also had its fourth-driest combined January and February on record after just 0.36 inches fell during the first two months of this year .
The driest combined January and February occurred in 1912 , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in downtown .
Much of Northern California also experienced a bone-dry February .
Santa Rosa , San Francisco Airport , Redwood City , Oakland and San Jose did not see any rain last month , making it their driest February on record .
The previous February record for those locations was set in 1953 , data shows .
The lack of rain has pushed nearly 70 % of the state , including much of the Central Coast and Los Angeles County , into abnormally dry conditions .
About 23 % of the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joaquin Valley and portions of the Sierra Nevada , home to about 5.9 million people , is considered to be in moderate drought conditions , according to maps released last week by the U.S. Drought Monitor .
The lack of rain also has taken its toll on the Sierra Nevada snowpack , a key source of the state ’ s water supply .
As of Thursday , the statewide snowpack measured 46 % of average for the time of year .
At roughly the same time last year , the snowpack measured 151 @ @ @ @

After one of the driest Februaries on record across much of California, the first day of March brought a dash of rain and a dusting of fresh powder to the parched landscape.
The storm, which rolled into Los Angeles County on Sunday afternoon, dropped less than one-tenth of an inch of rain on the coast, while higher elevations saw between one-quarter and an inch of precipitation.
Snow Valley Mountain Resort in the San Bernardino Mountains reported a foot of snow from the system, while Frazier Park in Kern County received a 3-inch dusting, said John Dumas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Sunday’s rain was the most precipitation some areas have seen in at least a month. A high-pressure ridge that’s lingered over the eastern Pacific Ocean for much of January and February has rerouted winter storms that typically soak California to the Pacific Northwest.
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That pattern appears to be shifting, which could allow more storms through, but it’s unclear how long it will last. Long-range models are hinting at more rain in Southern California on Saturday or Sunday and a larger storm by the middle of next week, Dumas said.
Forecasters and water managers keeping a close eye on precipitation are hopeful that a wet month, a phenomenon known by weather experts as “miracle March,” may help bolster lackluster winter rain totals.
“It won’t take much to beat February,” Dumas said.
After a parched January across southwestern California, February did not bring the reprieve forecasters had wanted. Most places received less than 5% of normal rainfall for the month, according to weather service data.
This lack of precipitation rewrote the record books in some areas in California.
Santa Maria Airport, which did not see any rain last month, and San Luis Obispo Airport, which saw just a trace, had their driest Februaries on record. Los Angeles International Airport and Paso Robles Airport both received a trace of precipitation, tying with their driest Februaries on record. Records for both locations date back more than 70 years.
A total of 0.04 inches of rain fell in Downtown Los Angeles last month, placing it in a tie with February 1899 for the 10th-driest February on record. There has been no rain downtown three times in the entire month of February —1912, 1933 and 1984 — i since records began in 1877. In February 1885, 1896, 1900 and 1964, just a trace of rain was recorded.
Downtown Los Angeles also had its fourth-driest combined January and February on record after just 0.36 inches fell during the first two months of this year. The driest combined January and February occurred in 1912, when a scant 0.07 inches of rain fell in downtown.
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Much of Northern California also experienced a bone-dry February.
Santa Rosa, San Francisco Airport, Redwood City, Oakland and San Jose did not see any rain last month, making it their driest February on record. The previous February record for those locations was set in 1953, data shows.
The lack of rain has pushed nearly 70% of the state, including much of the Central Coast and Los Angeles County, into abnormally dry conditions. About 23% of the state, including large swaths of the San Joaquin Valley and portions of the Sierra Nevada, home to about 5.9 million people, is considered to be in moderate drought conditions, according to maps released last week by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The lack of rain also has taken its toll on the Sierra Nevada snowpack, a key source of the state’s water supply. As of Thursday, the statewide snowpack measured 46% of average for the time of year. At roughly the same time last year, the snowpack measured 151% of average.


latimes--2020-03-02--Need a ride to the polls? L.A. Metro offering free fares on election day

The right to vote is priceless , and a ride to your Southern California polling place could be too .
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is offering free rides on all of its trains and buses Tuesday , the day of California ’ s presidential primary election .
Free fares also will be available for the agency ’ s Bike Share program .
“ We want to make it easy for people to get to the polls and cast their vote this election year , ” Inglewood Mayor James Butts , Metro ’ s current board chairman , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants to make sure all of the region ’ s voters get the message and vote.
” Other area transportation agencies — including the Los Angeles Department of Transportation , Long Beach Transit and Pasadena Transit — also are offering courtesy lifts on Election Day .
This year , California ’ s primary is part of Super Tuesday : A nationwide ballot bonanza that will play a pivotal role in positioning the Democratic presidential field .
Many voters also will for the first time test drive the new regional vote centers that have @ @ @ @ @ @

A Metro Blue Line train zips past a pedestrian near Washington Boulevard and Flower Street. Metro is offering free fares Tuesday on all buses and trains.
The right to vote is priceless, and a ride to your Southern California polling place could be too.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is offering free rides on all of its trains and buses Tuesday, the day of California’s presidential primary election. Free fares also will be available for the agency’s Bike Share program.
“We want to make it easy for people to get to the polls and cast their vote this election year,” Inglewood Mayor James Butts, Metro’s current board chairman, said in a statement. “Metro wants to make sure all of the region’s voters get the message and vote.”
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Other area transportation agencies — including the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Long Beach Transit and Pasadena Transit — also are offering courtesy lifts on Election Day.
This year, California’s primary is part of Super Tuesday: A nationwide ballot bonanza that will play a pivotal role in positioning the Democratic presidential field.
Many voters also will for the first time test drive the new regional vote centers that have replaced traditional precinct polling places.


latimes--2020-03-02--After unusual trial, Mexican Mafia member sentenced to life in prison

For cutting short the life of a fellow Mexican Mafia member in a hail of bullets , a judge ruled Monday that Jose Luis Loza should spend the rest of his own in a federal prison .
Loza , from Whittier , was convicted of murder , racketeering and other crimes after an unusual trial in August , in which Loza himself testified for two days .
It was an unprecedented departure , law enforcement officials say , from the Mexican Mafia ’ s historical refusal to acknowledge in the courtroom such an organization exists , let alone discuss its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial was a window into what is arguably the most powerful criminal organization in Southern California .
It demonstrated how the Mexican Mafia , most of whose membership is incarcerated , holds the region ’ s Latino street gangs under its sway through fear and mythos , exacting a tax from virtually every dollar they make and using their members as foot soldiers for the syndicate .
Loza , 41 , was born in the Imperial Valley town of Brawley , the son of a machinist and a warehouse employee .
He moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the age of 13 , Loza testified , he had been jumped into Canta Ranas , a street gang born in the late 1940s in neighboring Santa Fe Springs .
At 19 , Loza pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison .
After flitting from facility to facility , he was transferred in 2001 to Pelican Bay State Prison ’ s Secure Housing Unit , or SHU — a wing reserved for the prison ’ s most dangerous inmates , and where , until a landmark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prison ’ s Mexican Mafia members were held .
Inside the SHU , Loza met a revered figure within his gang : David Gavaldon , a Mexican Mafia member who has controlled Canta Ranas from his prison cell since the late 1980s , law enforcement authorities say .
He has been incarcerated since 1984 .
Gavaldon “ was the first one to sit down and talk to me about joining the Mexican Mafia , ” Loza testified .
He was in his mid-20s then , Gavaldon more than 20 years his senior , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mexican Mafia has about 140 members , drawn from Latino street gangs in southern California , law enforcement authorities say .
Because its members maintain control of their gangs after becoming made men , the Mexican Mafia ’ s influence extends beyond the prisons that hold most of its membership .
In 2011 , Loza was released from Pelican Bay .
He took a job at a linen service in Chino , then a trucking company in Ontario .
He made decent money , as much as $ 5,500 a month , prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short-haul deliveries for Gardner Trucking , so as not to stray beyond the 50-mile radius imposed by his parole , Loza was trafficking drugs , overseeing the extortion of dealers in Canta Ranas territory and ensuring the proceeds flowed to Gavaldon , according to evidence presented during his trial .
As one of a few Mexican Mafia members who lived outside of prison , Loza was expected to handle mafia business on the streets — including , in early 2016 , the issue of Dominick “ Solo ” Gonzales , according to witnesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grew up in Pacoima , the stepson of Frank “ Sapo ” Fernandez , a Mexican Mafia member who is serving a life sentence at the federal penitentiary in Florence , Colo. Gonzales , who spent much of his life in prison , was inducted into the Mexican Mafia at the Colorado penitentiary and released in 2015 .
Almost immediately , witnesses for both the prosecution and the defense said , Gonzales began trying to stake a claim in the San Fernando Valley , which was divided at the time primarily among four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taxes , ” or extortionate cuts from the proceeds of criminal activity , in areas under their control .
Remarkably , Thomas “ T-Bug ” Moreno , an active member of the Mexican Mafia , testified in Loza ’ s defense and described this taxation system to the jury .
“ Let ’ s just say , like , in my neighborhood , if somebody ’ s doing something there illegal , then I usually get something from whatever they ’ re doing , whatever it may be , ” Moreno said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scams , whether it ’ s selling drugs , whatever , I get a percentage of it.
” If a Mexican Mafia member were to send an underling to collect from another made man ’ s territory , Moreno explained , “ you tell him to , you know , get the hell out of there .
You don ’ t belong there .
Go .
And usually , they go.
” And what would happen , a prosecutor asked , if they didn ’ t ?
“ Oh , he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He leaves .
There ’ s never been nobody that doesn ’ t leave.
” Mexican Mafia members fumed to one another that Gonzales was “ toe-stepping , ” or encroaching on their territory , a government witness testified .
Eric Garcia , a Florencia-13 gang member , said he facilitated conference calls with dozens of Mexican Mafia members , who dialed in from prison cells on contraband phones , to discuss the matter .
They came to an agreement , Garcia said : Gonzales had to go .
The evening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testified , he met Gonzales at the El Jalisco restaurant in Bassett .
Loza brought along a young Canta Ranas foot-soldier , Leonardo Antolin ; Gonzales came with his right-hand man , Antonio “ Droopy ” Giron .
After talking over micheladas for about an hour , they paid the bill and shook hands .
As they walked out the door , Loza pulled from his pocket a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson .
Antolin produced a Luger .
Gonzales was hit , fatally , in the head and chest .
Giron shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman eating on the restaurant ’ s patio was hit six times .
Loza , shot in the leg , stumbled to his Dodge Charger and sped off , flinging his revolver onto the 605 Freeway .
Loza insisted he was hit first and shot Gonzales only in self-defense .
Carol Chen , the assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted Loza , called the killing “ a cold-blooded , calculated assassination , ” one he committed out of “ rabid insecurity and the need to prove himself.
” Loza , among the most junior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gonzalez to raise his standing in the organization , another prosecutor wrote in court papers , pointing to the black hand — one of the syndicate ’ s symbols — that was inked behind his left ear after Gonzales ’ death .
Loza was arrested a month after the killing , the lead defendant in a 51-person racketeering indictment aimed at dismantling Canta Ranas .
Over the next three years , agents would flip several of Loza ’ s associates , including Jorge “ Bouncer ” Grey , his close friend and cellmate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting a bullet in Gonzales ’ head .
Loza declined to address the court Monday .
His family wept quietly as Chief U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips sentenced him to life plus 30 years in prison .
Loza nodded and appeared resigned to his fate , much as he had in a recorded phone call that Chen , the prosecutor , referenced at his trial .
Chen asked Loza if he recalled saying , “ It is what it is .
I mean , at a young age , this is what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to be a doctor , I didn ’ t want to be a lawyer .
I wanted to be in the streets , and I stayed true .
”

It was inside Pelican Bay State Prison’s Secure Housing Unit that Jose Luis Loza said he first made contact with, and then joined, the Mexican Mafia.
For cutting short the life of a fellow Mexican Mafia member in a hail of bullets, a judge ruled Monday that Jose Luis Loza should spend the rest of his own in a federal prison.
Loza, from Whittier, was convicted of murder, racketeering and other crimes after an unusual trial in August, in which Loza himself testified for two days. It was an unprecedented departure, law enforcement officials say, from the Mexican Mafia’s historical refusal to acknowledge in the courtroom such an organization exists, let alone discuss its politics on the witness stand.
The trial was a window into what is arguably the most powerful criminal organization in Southern California. It demonstrated how the Mexican Mafia, most of whose membership is incarcerated, holds the region’s Latino street gangs under its sway through fear and mythos, exacting a tax from virtually every dollar they make and using their members as foot soldiers for the syndicate.
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Loza, 41, was born in the Imperial Valley town of Brawley, the son of a machinist and a warehouse employee. He moved as a child to Whittier, and by the age of 13, Loza testified, he had been jumped into Canta Ranas, a street gang born in the late 1940s in neighboring Santa Fe Springs.
At 19, Loza pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. After flitting from facility to facility, he was transferred in 2001 to Pelican Bay State Prison’s Secure Housing Unit, or SHU — a wing reserved for the prison’s most dangerous inmates, and where, until a landmark 2015 settlement reformed the unit, the prison’s Mexican Mafia members were held.
Inside the SHU, Loza met a revered figure within his gang: David Gavaldon, a Mexican Mafia member who has controlled Canta Ranas from his prison cell since the late 1980s, law enforcement authorities say. He has been incarcerated since 1984.
Gavaldon “was the first one to sit down and talk to me about joining the Mexican Mafia,” Loza testified. He was in his mid-20s then, Gavaldon more than 20 years his senior, a made man since 1985.
The Mexican Mafia has about 140 members, drawn from Latino street gangs in southern California, law enforcement authorities say. Because its members maintain control of their gangs after becoming made men, the Mexican Mafia’s influence extends beyond the prisons that hold most of its membership.
In 2011, Loza was released from Pelican Bay. He took a job at a linen service in Chino, then a trucking company in Ontario. He made decent money, as much as $5,500 a month, prosecutors said. But even as he made short-haul deliveries for Gardner Trucking, so as not to stray beyond the 50-mile radius imposed by his parole, Loza was trafficking drugs, overseeing the extortion of dealers in Canta Ranas territory and ensuring the proceeds flowed to Gavaldon, according to evidence presented during his trial.
As one of a few Mexican Mafia members who lived outside of prison, Loza was expected to handle mafia business on the streets — including, in early 2016, the issue of Dominick “Solo” Gonzales, according to witnesses and evidence presented at trial.
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Gonzales grew up in Pacoima, the stepson of Frank “Sapo” Fernandez, a Mexican Mafia member who is serving a life sentence at the federal penitentiary in Florence, Colo. Gonzales, who spent much of his life in prison, was inducted into the Mexican Mafia at the Colorado penitentiary and released in 2015.
Almost immediately, witnesses for both the prosecution and the defense said, Gonzales began trying to stake a claim in the San Fernando Valley, which was divided at the time primarily among four Mexican Mafia members. Members collect “taxes,” or extortionate cuts from the proceeds of criminal activity, in areas under their control.
Remarkably, Thomas “T-Bug” Moreno, an active member of the Mexican Mafia, testified in Loza’s defense and described this taxation system to the jury.
“Let’s just say, like, in my neighborhood, if somebody’s doing something there illegal, then I usually get something from whatever they’re doing, whatever it may be,” Moreno said, “Whether it’s credit card scams, whether it’s selling drugs, whatever, I get a percentage of it.”
If a Mexican Mafia member were to send an underling to collect from another made man’s territory, Moreno explained, “you tell him to, you know, get the hell out of there. You don’t belong there. Go. And usually, they go.”
And what would happen, a prosecutor asked, if they didn’t?
“Oh, he’s going to leave,” Moreno said. “He leaves. There’s never been nobody that doesn’t leave.”
Mexican Mafia members fumed to one another that Gonzales was “toe-stepping,” or encroaching on their territory, a government witness testified. Eric Garcia, a Florencia-13 gang member, said he facilitated conference calls with dozens of Mexican Mafia members, who dialed in from prison cells on contraband phones, to discuss the matter. They came to an agreement, Garcia said: Gonzales had to go.
The evening of April 19, 2016, Loza testified, he met Gonzales at the El Jalisco restaurant in Bassett. Loza brought along a young Canta Ranas foot-soldier, Leonardo Antolin; Gonzales came with his right-hand man, Antonio “Droopy” Giron.
After talking over micheladas for about an hour, they paid the bill and shook hands. As they walked out the door, Loza pulled from his pocket a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson. Antolin produced a Luger.
Gonzales was hit, fatally, in the head and chest. Giron shot back. In the crossfire, a woman eating on the restaurant’s patio was hit six times. Loza, shot in the leg, stumbled to his Dodge Charger and sped off, flinging his revolver onto the 605 Freeway.
Loza insisted he was hit first and shot Gonzales only in self-defense. Carol Chen, the assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted Loza, called the killing “a cold-blooded, calculated assassination,” one he committed out of “rabid insecurity and the need to prove himself.” Loza, among the most junior members of the Mexican Mafia, murdered Gonzalez to raise his standing in the organization, another prosecutor wrote in court papers, pointing to the black hand — one of the syndicate’s symbols — that was inked behind his left ear after Gonzales’ death.
Loza was arrested a month after the killing, the lead defendant in a 51-person racketeering indictment aimed at dismantling Canta Ranas. Over the next three years, agents would flip several of Loza’s associates, including Jorge “Bouncer” Grey, his close friend and cellmate, who testified that Loza bragged of putting a bullet in Gonzales’ head.
Loza declined to address the court Monday. His family wept quietly as Chief U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips sentenced him to life plus 30 years in prison. Loza nodded and appeared resigned to his fate, much as he had in a recorded phone call that Chen, the prosecutor, referenced at his trial.
Chen asked Loza if he recalled saying, “It is what it is. I mean, at a young age, this is what I wanted. I didn’t want to be a doctor, I didn’t want to be a lawyer. I wanted to be in the streets, and I stayed true.”
“You said that, right?”
“Yeah,” Loza said.


latimes--2020-03-02--Orange County firefighters under isolation after possible coronavirus contact

Orange County Fire Authority firefighters from Engine Company 20 have been placed in isolation “ out of an abundance of caution ” after they encountered a patient who had traveled internationally and was showing symptoms similar to coronavirus , authorities said Monday .
The crew members , who were placed in isolation Saturday , will remain at a fire station in Irvine until the patient ’ s test results come back , said Colleen Windsor , the Orange County Fire Authority ’ s director of communications .
This isn ’ t the first time first responders have been exposed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 25 firefighters have been quarantined after visiting a nursing home that is at the center of a coronavirus outbreak , according to the International Assn .
of Fire Fighters .
Paul Biddinger , director of emergency preparedness research at Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health , said that first responders such as firefighters need to remember to take basic measures such as washing their hands and avoiding touching their face .
“ I understand when you ’ re out on an ambulance how hard it is to talk about hand hygiene @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extremely important , ” Biddinger said in a forum Monday hosted by Harvard ’ s public health school and broadcast online .
Biddinger , who said he began his career working in emergency medical services , said that protocols for when to wear a mask or a gown will vary depending on where people are based .
Local health officials need to collaborate with firefighters and other first responders to determine when wearing such gear is appropriate , he said .
“ If we do it too much , if we wear it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , to be blunt , ” he said .
“ If we don ’ t do it enough , we put our first responders at risk.
” There has been only one case of coronavirus in Orange County — reported more than a month ago — and it was not community-spread but occurred in a traveler from Wuhan , China , the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak .
Orange County officials successfully fought a federal proposal to place coronavirus patients at the Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa .
On Friday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans .
On Wednesday , Orange County declared a local health emergency in response to COVID-19 .

Orange County Fire Authority firefighters from Engine Company 20 have been placed in isolation “out of an abundance of caution” after they encountered a patient who had traveled internationally and was showing symptoms similar to coronavirus, authorities said Monday.
The crew members, who were placed in isolation Saturday, will remain at a fire station in Irvine until the patient’s test results come back, said Colleen Windsor, the Orange County Fire Authority’s director of communications.
This isn’t the first time first responders have been exposed the disease. In Seattle, more than 25 firefighters have been quarantined after visiting a nursing home that is at the center of a coronavirus outbreak, according to the International Assn. of Fire Fighters.
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Paul Biddinger, director of emergency preparedness research at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said that first responders such as firefighters need to remember to take basic measures such as washing their hands and avoiding touching their face.
“I understand when you’re out on an ambulance how hard it is to talk about hand hygiene or protection, but it’s extremely important,” Biddinger said in a forum Monday hosted by Harvard’s public health school and broadcast online.
Biddinger, who said he began his career working in emergency medical services, said that protocols for when to wear a mask or a gown will vary depending on where people are based. Local health officials need to collaborate with firefighters and other first responders to determine when wearing such gear is appropriate, he said.
“If we do it too much, if we wear it for every case, we will run out, to be blunt,” he said. “If we don’t do it enough, we put our first responders at risk.”
There has been only one case of coronavirus in Orange County — reported more than a month ago — and it was not community-spread but occurred in a traveler from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
Orange County officials successfully fought a federal proposal to place coronavirus patients at the Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa. On Friday, federal officials said they have dropped those plans.
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On Wednesday, Orange County declared a local health emergency in response to COVID-19.


latimes--2020-03-02--4 California counties report new cases of coronavirus in one day

Santa Clara , San Mateo , Placer and Sonoma counties all reported new cases of coronavirus on Monday .
Santa Clara County confirmed two new cases of coronavirus .
That brings the total of COVID-19 cases in the county to nine , according to the Santa Clara County Public Health Department .
One of the cases involves a man who was a “ household contact ” of a previously confirmed case in the county .
The other is a man who was a household contact of a previously confirmed case in another county .
Both individuals are under home isolation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refers to a person who likely shared or lived in the residence of another individual .
The relationships are unclear at this time .
San Mateo County reported its first case of coronavirus , pending confirmation from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention .
“ This new case of a positive case of novel coronavirus has happened in San Mateo County and we share the concerns of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that we all need to be prepared for COVID-19 to spread within the United States , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health Officer .
“ To prevent any illness , follow CDC guidelines including washing your hands frequently , covering your sneeze and staying home when sick , ” he continued .
“ Also , please dust off your personal emergency plans to make sure you have proper provisions at your home including water , medications and food.
” The source of exposure is unknown at this time .
The adult patient has been hospitalized and is in isolation , officials said , and has no known exposure to the virus through travel or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This marks the second case of coronavirus in San Mateo County .
The first was an individual who was repatriated to the U.S. by the CDC .
That individual is in isolation and in good condition .
Placer County confirmed its first case of coronavirus , pending confirmation from the CDC .
The individual is a healthcare worker at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital , who had close contact with a previously confirmed case in Solano County before that individual was transferred to another hospital and later tested for the virus .
Placer County spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came into contact with an older woman who had been transported to UC Davis after her physician contacted the public health department to discuss the case and request testing for the novel coronavirus .
That case was announced Friday .
In order to identify individuals who came into contact with the woman while she was at NorthBay VacaValley , officials sifted through medical records to see which clinicians had entered her room .
Additionally , three days ’ worth of security footage from 8 p.m. Feb. 15 to mid-morning Feb. 19 were scoured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — such as workers who brought in food trays or refilled bathroom supplies — were tallied .
The individual at Placer County is isolated at home with mild symptoms .
In Sonoma County , officials declared a local health emergency after reporting a second coronavirus case there , pending confirmation from the CDC .
The person had recently traveled internationally on a cruise unrelated to the Diamond Princess cruise , officials said .
The individual , who is isolated and in stable condition , has been in Sonoma County for 10 days after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from San Francisco and traveled to Mexico .
Meanwhile , in Sonoma County , a private school closed for the day after learning that an adult affiliate of the school — not an employee — had been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus .
“ We were not able to confer with Public Health last night or early this morning as the agency was closed .
At 6:15 this morning we made the cautious decision to close school for today .
We will work with public health officials to determine and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional information , ” Andy Davies , head of Healdsburg School , said .
The school will be reopen Tuesday .
There have been more than 40 confirmed cases of coronavirus in California — the majority of whom are individuals who were repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship or from Wuhan , China .

Santa Clara, San Mateo, Placer and Sonoma counties all reported new cases of coronavirus on Monday.
Santa Clara County confirmed two new cases of coronavirus.
That brings the total of COVID-19 cases in the county to nine, according to the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.
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One of the cases involves a man who was a “household contact” of a previously confirmed case in the county. The other is a man who was a household contact of a previously confirmed case in another county. Both people are under home isolation, officials said.
A household contact refers to a person who likely shared or lived in the residence of another person. The relationships are unclear at this time.
San Mateo County reported its first case of coronavirus, pending confirmation from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
“This new case of a positive case of novel coronavirus has happened in San Mateo County and we share the concerns of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that we all need to be prepared for COVID-19 to spread within the United States,” said Dr. Scott Morrow, San Mateo County Health Officer.
“To prevent any illness, follow CDC guidelines including washing your hands frequently, covering your sneeze and staying home when sick,” he continued. “Also, please dust off your personal emergency plans to make sure you have proper provisions at your home including water, medications and food.”
The source of exposure is unknown at this time. The adult patient has been hospitalized and is in isolation, officials said, and has no known exposure to the virus through travel or through contact with a confirmed case.
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This marks the second case of coronavirus in San Mateo County. The first was an individual who was repatriated to the U.S. by the CDC. That person is in isolation and in good condition.
Placer County confirmed its first case of coronavirus, pending confirmation from the CDC.
The individual is a healthcare worker at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital who had close contact with a previously confirmed case in Solano County before that individual was transferred to another hospital and later tested for the virus.
Placer County spokesperson Katie Combs Prichard said that the individual came into contact with an older woman who had been transported to UC Davis after her physician contacted the public health department to discuss the case and request testing for the novel coronavirus. That case was announced Friday.
In order to identify individuals who came into contact with the woman while she was at NorthBay VacaValley, officials sifted through medical records to see which clinicians had entered her room. Additionally, three days’ worth of security footage from 8 p.m. Feb. 15 to mid-morning Feb. 19 were scoured to ensure that all visitors and non-clinicians — such as workers who brought in food trays or refilled bathroom supplies — were tallied.
The individual at Placer County is isolated at home with mild symptoms.
In Sonoma County, officials declared a local health emergency after reporting a second coronavirus case there, pending confirmation from the CDC.
The person had recently traveled internationally on a cruise unrelated to the Diamond Princess cruise, officials said. The individual, who is isolated and in stable condition, has been in Sonoma County for 10 days after returning from a cruise ship that departed from San Francisco and traveled to Mexico.
Meanwhile, in Sonoma County, a private school closed for the day after learning that an adult affiliate of the school — not an employee — had been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus.
“We were not able to confer with Public Health last night or early this morning as the agency was closed. At 6:15 this morning we made the cautious decision to close school for today. We will work with public health officials to determine and follow appropriate protocols and follow up with additional information,” Andy Davies, head of Healdsburg School, said.
The school will be reopen Tuesday.
The Healdsburg Unified School District remained open Monday.
There have been more than 40 confirmed cases of coronavirus in California — the majority of whom are individuals who were repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship or from Wuhan, China.
Officials in San Francisco are expecting more cases as the more testing occurs.
“As the situation changes rapidly in the Bay Area and on the west coast, we expect to have confirmed cases in San Francisco and are preparing for community spread of the virus,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of health. “It’s not a matter of if, but when. The Health Department will prioritize protecting the populations that are most vulnerable to becoming very sick or dying if they get COVID-19. That includes the elderly and people with chronic diseases and underlying health conditions.”


latimes--2020-03-02--Coronavirus is a deadly threat. But fear and panic are more dangerous, global health chief says

The expanding number of coronavirus cases in California and Washington state spread through community contact have heightened concerns .
But experts warn the rising case counts in the U.S. do not necessarily reveal that the virus is spreading rapidly across the country .
They also urged the public to stay calm and keep the virus in perspective .
“ Stigma , to be honest , is more dangerous than the virus itself .
Fear and panic are dangerous , ” World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said .
“ It ’ s fine to be concerned and worried , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do the right things.
” So far , testing for the virus in the U.S. has been very low , said Harvard epidemiology professor Marc Lipsitch .
“ Some of the numbers are changing because new things are happening , but a lot of the numbers are changing because we ’ re discovering things that have already happened , ” Lipsitch said in a forum Monday hosted by Harvard ’ s public health school .
“ It ’ s really important to distinguish ‘ Oh goodness there ’ s a new cluster ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there ’ s a cluster that ’ s been there for some time.
” Global health officials said Monday there is still time to contain the coronavirus as the death toll in America rose to two in Washington state and the virus spread in California .
“ I think we have a common enemy , ” said Tedros .
“ We have to stand together in unison to fight it , and these early signs are very encouraging.
” WHO officials declined to declare COVID-19 a pandemic , saying 90 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of the 3,000 deaths from the virus , 2,803 have been in China ’ s Hubei province , where the outbreak began .
“ Our message to all countries is this is not a one-way street — we can push this back , ” Tedros said .
“ Our actions now will determine the course of this outbreak.
” he added .
“ Containment is possible in all countries that are affected , and that should be No .
1.
” In the United States , there have been approximately 80 cases of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 40 cases have been reported .
Twenty-four people who have caught the virus either were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship or in Wuhan , China , where the outbreak was first reported , and were then repatriated to the U.S. and quarantined at California military bases .
An additional 16 cases have been discovered in returning travelers or , in at least five instances , people who contracted the virus in their community .
Of the 62 countries affected by COVID-19 , 55 have fewer than 100 cases .
Only four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tedros said .
WHO officials said it is rare to see a respiratory pathogen like this virus that can spread widely in the community but can also be contained .
The flu can not be as easily contained , officials said .
“ That offers us a glimmer , a chink of life that this virus can be suppressed and contained , ” Mike Ryan , who runs the agency ’ s emergencies program , said in a briefing Monday .

A man wearing a face mask walks past a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which was temporarily closed by South Korea to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The expanding number of coronavirus cases in California and Washington state spread through community contact have heightened concerns.
But experts warn the rising case counts in the U.S. do not necessarily reveal that the virus is spreading rapidly across the country. They also urged the public to stay calm and keep the virus in perspective.
“Stigma, to be honest, is more dangerous than the virus itself. Fear and panic are dangerous,” World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “It’s fine to be concerned and worried, but let’s calm down and do the right things.”
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So far, testing for the virus in the U.S. has been very low, said Harvard epidemiology professor Marc Lipsitch.
“Some of the numbers are changing because new things are happening, but a lot of the numbers are changing because we’re discovering things that have already happened,” Lipsitch said in a forum Monday hosted by Harvard’s public health school.
“It’s really important to distinguish ‘Oh goodness there’s a new cluster’ from ‘Oh goodness we just discovered that there’s a cluster that’s been there for some time.”
Global health officials said Monday there is still time to contain the coronavirus as the death toll in America rose to two in Washington state and the virus spread in California.
“I think we have a common enemy,” said Tedros. “We have to stand together in unison to fight it, and these early signs are very encouraging.”
WHO officials declined to declare COVID-19 a pandemic, saying 90% of the cases have been in China. Of the 3,000 deaths from the virus, 2,803 have been in China’s Hubei province, where the outbreak began. “Our message to all countries is this is not a one-way street — we can push this back,” Tedros said.
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“Our actions now will determine the course of this outbreak.” he added. “Containment is possible in all countries that are affected, and that should be No. 1.”
In the United States, there have been approximately 80 cases of the virus.
In California, at least 40 cases have been reported. Twenty-four people who have caught the virus either were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship or in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak was first reported, and were then repatriated to the U.S. and quarantined at California military bases. An additional 16 cases have been discovered in returning travelers or, in at least five instances, people who contracted the virus in their community.
Of the 62 countries affected by COVID-19, 55 have fewer than 100 cases. Only four countries have more than 1,000 cases, Tedros said.
WHO officials said it is rare to see a respiratory pathogen like this virus that can spread widely in the community but can also be contained. The flu cannot be as easily contained, officials said.
“That offers us a glimmer, a chink of life that this virus can be suppressed and contained,” Mike Ryan, who runs the agency’s emergencies program, said in a briefing Monday.


latimes--2020-03-02--O.C. Democratic Party headquarters vandalized with white nationalist propaganda

The Democratic Party of Orange County said its headquarters was vandalized with white nationalist propaganda over the weekend , in what a party official said was an attempt to intimidate voters just days before California ’ s presidential primary election .
Party officials said they reported Saturday ’ s incident to the Orange Police Department and will submit a hate crime report to the Orange County Human Relations Commission .
“ It is clear that this vandalism is intended to intimidate and suppress voters .
It will not work , ” Democratic Party Chairwoman Ada Briceño said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strongest possible condemnation of hate .
We want to assure voters that intimidation is not tolerated.
” Photos from the scene show several stickers and placards placed around the party headquarters in the 1900 block of West Chapman Avenue in the city of Orange .
One sticker shows a map of the United States with the caption , “ Not stolen , conquered.
” Other materials included the phrases “ America First , ” “ Reclaim America , ” “ America is not for sale ” and “ Two Parties , One Tyranny.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is being viewed as an act of vandalism , ” said Orange police Sgt .
Phil McMullin .
Fewer than a dozen stickers and placards were left in the area , according to party spokeswoman Rachel Potucek .
“ They were placed at or near eye-level on doors and windows , very hard to miss — especially on most doors because there was no other signage , just a sticker right in the middle of the door , ” she wrote in an email .
Party officials declined to name the organization identified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minimize press attention that the group may receive , ” but photos from the scene show the items advertised the website of Patriot Front — which the Southern Poverty Law Center has deemed a white nationalist hate group .
Patriot Front activists have been actively placing “ promotional materials ” across the country for weeks — including in California around Redwood City , Poway , San Marcos , Santa Ana , Temecula , Glendale and Vista , according to posts on the group ’ s Twitter account .
It ’ s unclear whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ targeted as part of this same effort , but pictures the group posted online show materials identical to those that were left at the headquarters .
McMullin also declined to name the group authorities suspect was behind the incident — “ we don ’ t want to give them the free press , ” he said — but asked anyone who may have information regarding the specific individuals involved to call the Orange Police Department at ( 714 ) 744-7444 .

The Democratic Party of Orange County said its headquarters was vandalized with white nationalist propaganda over the weekend, in what a party official said was an attempt to intimidate voters just days before California’s presidential primary election.
Party officials said they reported Saturday’s incident to the Orange Police Department and will submit a hate crime report to the Orange County Human Relations Commission.
“It is clear that this vandalism is intended to intimidate and suppress voters. It will not work,” Democratic Party Chairwoman Ada Briceño said in a statement. “We stand united in the strongest possible condemnation of hate. We want to assure voters that intimidation is not tolerated.”
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Photos from the scene show several stickers and placards placed around the party headquarters in the 1900 block of West Chapman Avenue in the city of Orange. One sticker shows a map of the United States with the caption, “Not stolen, conquered.” Other materials included the phrases “America First,” “Reclaim America,” “America is not for sale” and “Two Parties, One Tyranny.”
“At this point, it is being viewed as an act of vandalism,” said Orange police Sgt. Phil McMullin.
Fewer than a dozen stickers and placards were left in the area, according to party spokeswoman Rachel Potucek.
“They were placed at or near eye-level on doors and windows, very hard to miss — especially on most doors because there was no other signage, just a sticker right in the middle of the door,” she wrote in an email.
Party officials declined to name the organization identified on the materials “in order to minimize press attention that the group may receive,” but photos from the scene show the items advertised the website of Patriot Front — which the Southern Poverty Law Center has deemed a white nationalist hate group.
Patriot Front activists have been actively placing “promotional materials” across the country for weeks — including in California around Redwood City, Poway, San Marcos, Santa Ana, Temecula, Glendale and Vista, according to posts on the group’s Twitter account.
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It’s unclear whether the Democratic Party of Orange County was targeted as part of this same effort, but pictures the group posted online show materials identical to those that were left at the headquarters.
McMullin also declined to name the group authorities suspect was behind the incident — “we don’t want to give them the free press,” he said — but asked anyone who may have information regarding the specific individuals involved to call the Orange Police Department at (714) 744-7444.


latimes--2020-03-02--California Housing Crisis Podcast: Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to fix homelessness

When he bicycles in the morning to Gold ’ s Gym in Venice , former Gov .
Arnold Schwarzenegger has noticed a growing number of homeless people pitching tents in the neighborhood .
Now the head of a public affairs institute at USC , Schwarzenegger last month gathered public officials and experts from across the country to debate what to do about California ’ s homeless population , which now stands at about 151,000 on any given night .
On this episode of Gim me Shelter : The California Housing Crisis Podcast , we interview Schwarzenegger about his experiences as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should make it easier for developers to build housing .
Schwarzenegger also talks about his own history in real estate and what lessons social housing in his native Austria might have for California ’ s challenges .
“ , ” a biweekly podcast that looks at why it ’ s so expensive to live in California and what the state can do about it , features Liam Dillon , who covers housing affordability issues for the Los Angeles Times , and Matt Levin , data and housing reporter for .
You can subscribe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , , , , and .

When he bicycles in the morning to Gold’s Gym in Venice, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has noticed a growing number of homeless people pitching tents in the neighborhood.
Now the head of a public affairs institute at USC, Schwarzenegger last month gathered public officials and experts from across the country to debate what to do about California’s homeless population, which now stands at about 151,000 on any given night.
On this episode of Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast, we interview Schwarzenegger about his experiences as governor and why he believes the state should make it easier for developers to build housing. Schwarzenegger also talks about his own history in real estate and what lessons social housing in his native Austria might have for California’s challenges.
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“ Gimme Shelter ,” a biweekly podcast that looks at why it’s so expensive to live in California and what the state can do about it, features Liam Dillon, who covers housing affordability issues for the Los Angeles Times, and Matt Levin, data and housing reporter for CALmatters .