latimes--2020-12-01--California got $1.3 billion in wildfire relief. Victims have received nothing, prompting outrage

After her home in Santa Rosa , Calif. , burned down in the Tubbs fire three years ago , Linda Adrain moved into a tiny apartment .
She didn ’ t expect to stay long .
Adrain soon learned about plans for a complex for low-income senior citizens on the site of the fire-ravaged mobile home park where she had lived for a quarter-century .
She quickly signed up for a two-bedroom apartment .
But before breaking ground , developers were relying on funding from a federal disaster relief package approved by Congress a few months after the fire .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ money .
And so Adrain is still waiting for her new home .
“ It ’ s supposed to be a temporary place , and I ’ ve been here for three years , ” said Adrain , 80 .
“ There ’ s nowhere for me to go.
” California has received more than $ 1.3 billion in federal aid to rebuild after the 2017 wine country wildfires , the 2018 Camp fire in Butte County and other disasters from those years .
But disaster-affected homeowners and renters have yet to receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years-long federal and state bureaucratic delays .
As a result , renters like Adrain are going without permanent housing while homeowners are unable to cobble together enough money to rebuild their homes .
In the Butte County town of Paradise , which was heavily damaged in the Camp fire , disaster victims are still living in cars and recreational vehicles on their properties as they await further financial assistance .
“ This was a delay we wished we wouldn ’ t have had , ” said Gustavo Velasquez , director of the California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is responsible for giving out the money .
“ Families deserve to have this money out to rebuild their lives.
” More than 4,500 homes were wiped out and 22 people died in the Tubbs fire , which began in Napa County and spread through Santa Rosa in 2017 .
A year later , the Camp fire killed 85 people and destroyed nearly 14,000 homes , with much of the damage centered on Paradise .
In the wake of the disasters , the Federal Emergency Management Agency began providing temporary housing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further aid for California in February 2018 to permanently rebuild and prevent future disasters .
About $ 300 million of that money is for 2017 relief ; the remaining $ 1 billion is for the 2018 wildfires .
More than $ 300 million of the total is earmarked to finance new housing for low-income renters .
An additional $ 250 million is dedicated to rebuild homeowners ’ single-family homes .
A third pot of money , more than $ 400 million , is set aside to repair roads , water systems and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at lessening the effects of future fires .
To get access to the funding , California housing officials have needed to develop spending plans approved by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development .
But it took nearly two years after the disasters for HUD to sign off on any of the state ’ s proposals to respond to the 2017 wildfires .
Last week , more than two years after the 2018 wildfires , federal officials finally authorized the state ’ s plans for that year ’ s relief efforts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional funding for this year ’ s wildfires as well , which would again trigger the HUD approval process for the new money .
President Trump and California leaders have fought over wildfire prevention , immigration , climate change and numerous other issues , and the president has at times threatened to withhold disaster funding from the state .
But there ’ s no evidence these disputes have held up this money .
Indeed , massive delays have beset disaster relief measures across the country , including dollars earmarked for hurricane-ravaged communities in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Additionally , Congress has approved more than $ 20 billion for Puerto Rico to recover from that year ’ s Hurricane Maria , yet the vast majority remained unspent as of this summer , according to a report from an internal congressional research agency .
The spending problems have attracted condemnation from Democrats and Republicans in Congress , with Sen. John Cornyn ( R-Texas ) , typically an ally of the president , among those accusing the administration of having intentionally stalled the money nationwide .
HUD officials have denied that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Instead , they ’ ve lamented the complicated requirements surrounding the disaster relief program , which include writing new regulations every time the money is authorized .
Legislation to simplify how HUD handles disaster relief has not advanced despite bipartisan support .
“ Our federal government ’ s disaster recovery system is broken , ” said Sarah Saadian , vice president of public policy at the National Low Income Housing Coalition , a Washington-based advocacy group that has tracked the issue .
“ These problems we run into every single time.
” Nevertheless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same issues as California .
Hurricane Harvey and resulting floods in 2017 badly damaged at least 197,000 homes in Texas — an even more widespread catastrophe than the California wildfires .
Though the pace of federal approval affected Texas ’ recovery efforts , state officials have already spent nearly $ 1 billion of its almost $ 10-billion allocation as of November , according to state statistics .
In California , around the time the 2017 fires hit , HUD investigators were examining the state housing department ’ s handling of other federal grants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in how the department monitored the money it handed out .
HUD officials have said the state ’ s internal oversight issues , which housing officials here did not dispute , contributed to the delays in approving disaster relief plans .
More recently , it took Gov .
Gavin Newsom nearly seven months after the previous state housing director resigned to appoint Velasquez to the position in the spring .
Velasquez said the gap at the top of the department , which occurred after HUD had approved much of the state ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pace .
“ There was a void in leadership , ” he said .
In the meantime , those in need are left waiting , sometimes frustrated by deadlines set by other government agencies .
The city of Santa Rosa has a dozen affordable housing complexes in varying stages of development that are in need of funding and could probably take advantage of the relief dollars , said David Gouin , the city ’ s director of housing and community services .
If they ’ re all built , the projects would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low-income families .
In Paradise , the town ’ s largest low-income housing complex burned down during the Camp fire .
Its developer , Community Housing Improvement Program , is in the process of rebuilding and would be eligible for disaster relief funding .
But the project is getting squeezed by Internal Revenue Service regulations that call for affordable housing projects to be reoccupied within two years after they ’ re destroyed .
Financing for the project remains precarious , said Seana O ’ Shaughnessy , the developer ’ s president and chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to legally park recreational vehicles and have other temporary housing on their properties through June , already prolonging its original time limit by six months because so few people have been able to gather sufficient money to rebuild .
“ There ’ s no way around wanting to have the assistance sooner so people are not living in tents , living in cars , living in RVs and doing so for years , ” said Casey Hatcher , deputy chief administrative officer for Butte County .
“ The longer that happens , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those situations.
” State housing officials expect that money for 2017 wildfire relief will start flowing in early 2021 .
And they believe they ’ re prepared to spend more quickly in the future .
In late October , the housing agency tweeted that it ’ s “ urgently hiring ” for 18 new jobs to manage disaster relief programs .
Velasquez said he hopes to have the workers beginning as the federal government is signing off on the state ’ s plans for the 2018 disasters .
“ Finally , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can say confidently this money is coming out , ” Velasquez said .
For Adrain , though , the wait will continue .
Even when the senior housing development on the old mobile home park receives its final approval , it could take two more years before it ’ s finished .
If all remains on schedule , it will be more than five years from when her home burned down until she ’ ll be able to move into her new apartment .
She ’ s already thinking about the day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel like I ’ m home , ” Adrain said .
“ I ’ m probably never going to move out of there .
”

Linda Adrain, 80, is surrounded by her belongings in her 350-square-foot apartment in Santa Rosa. Her previous home in the Journey’s End mobile home park burned down in the Tubbs fire in 2017.
After her home in Santa Rosa, Calif., burned down in the Tubbs fire three years ago, Linda Adrain moved into a tiny apartment. She didn’t expect to stay long.
Adrain soon learned about plans for a complex for low-income senior citizens on the site of the fire-ravaged mobile home park where she had lived for a quarter-century. She quickly signed up for a two-bedroom apartment.
But before breaking ground, developers were relying on funding from a federal disaster relief package approved by Congress a few months after the fire. They’re still waiting for the money. And so Adrain is still waiting for her new home.
“It’s supposed to be a temporary place, and I’ve been here for three years,” said Adrain, 80. “There’s nowhere for me to go.”
Advertisement
California has received more than $1.3 billion in federal aid to rebuild after the 2017 wine country wildfires, the 2018 Camp fire in Butte County and other disasters from those years. But disaster-affected homeowners and renters have yet to receive a single penny. The cause: years-long federal and state bureaucratic delays.
As a result, renters like Adrain are going without permanent housing while homeowners are unable to cobble together enough money to rebuild their homes. In the Butte County town of Paradise, which was heavily damaged in the Camp fire, disaster victims are still living in cars and recreational vehicles on their properties as they await further financial assistance.
“This was a delay we wished we wouldn’t have had,” said Gustavo Velasquez, director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which is responsible for giving out the money. “Families deserve to have this money out to rebuild their lives.”
More than 4,500 homes were wiped out and 22 people died in the Tubbs fire, which began in Napa County and spread through Santa Rosa in 2017. A year later, the Camp fire killed 85 people and destroyed nearly 14,000 homes, with much of the damage centered on Paradise.
The vacant lot where the Journey’s End mobile home park once stood is now fenced off and overgrown with weeds. A new senior housing complex is to be built on the site, but it could be years before it opens. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
In the wake of the disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency began providing temporary housing and other short-term assistance. Congress began approving further aid for California in February 2018 to permanently rebuild and prevent future disasters. About $300 million of that money is for 2017 relief; the remaining $1 billion is for the 2018 wildfires.
More than $300 million of the total is earmarked to finance new housing for low-income renters. An additional $250 million is dedicated to rebuild homeowners’ single-family homes. A third pot of money, more than $400 million, is set aside to repair roads, water systems and other infrastructure and make other public improvements aimed at lessening the effects of future fires.
Advertisement
To get access to the funding, California housing officials have needed to develop spending plans approved by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. But it took nearly two years after the disasters for HUD to sign off on any of the state’s proposals to respond to the 2017 wildfires. Last week, more than two years after the 2018 wildfires, federal officials finally authorized the state’s plans for that year’s relief efforts.
State housing officials expect Congress to OK additional funding for this year’s wildfires as well, which would again trigger the HUD approval process for the new money.
President Trump and California leaders have fought over wildfire prevention, immigration, climate change and numerous other issues, and the president has at times threatened to withhold disaster funding from the state. But there’s no evidence these disputes have held up this money.
Indeed, massive delays have beset disaster relief measures across the country, including dollars earmarked for hurricane-ravaged communities in Texas, Florida and Georgia in 2017. Additionally, Congress has approved more than $20 billion for Puerto Rico to recover from that year’s Hurricane Maria, yet the vast majority remained unspent as of this summer, according to a report from an internal congressional research agency.
The spending problems have attracted condemnation from Democrats and Republicans in Congress, with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), typically an ally of the president, among those accusing the administration of having intentionally stalled the money nationwide. HUD officials have denied that they prevented the dollars from coming out. Instead, they’ve lamented the complicated requirements surrounding the disaster relief program, which include writing new regulations every time the money is authorized.
Legislation to simplify how HUD handles disaster relief has not advanced despite bipartisan support.
“Our federal government’s disaster recovery system is broken,” said Sarah Saadian, vice president of public policy at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a Washington-based advocacy group that has tracked the issue. “These problems we run into every single time.”
Nevertheless, not every state is facing the same issues as California.
Hurricane Harvey and resulting floods in 2017 badly damaged at least 197,000 homes in Texas — an even more widespread catastrophe than the California wildfires. Though the pace of federal approval affected Texas’ recovery efforts, state officials have already spent nearly $1 billion of its almost $10-billion allocation as of November, according to state statistics.
In California, around the time the 2017 fires hit, HUD investigators were examining the state housing department’s handling of other federal grants. They found a “systemic failure” in how the department monitored the money it handed out. HUD officials have said the state’s internal oversight issues, which housing officials here did not dispute, contributed to the delays in approving disaster relief plans.
More recently, it took Gov. Gavin Newsom nearly seven months after the previous state housing director resigned to appoint Velasquez to the position in the spring. Velasquez said the gap at the top of the department, which occurred after HUD had approved much of the state’s 2017 disaster spending, further slowed the pace.
“There was a void in leadership,” he said.
In the meantime, those in need are left waiting, sometimes frustrated by deadlines set by other government agencies.
The city of Santa Rosa has a dozen affordable housing complexes in varying stages of development that are in need of funding and could probably take advantage of the relief dollars, said David Gouin, the city’s director of housing and community services. If they’re all built, the projects would add more than 950 new apartments for low-income families.
In Paradise, the town’s largest low-income housing complex burned down during the Camp fire. Its developer, Community Housing Improvement Program, is in the process of rebuilding and would be eligible for disaster relief funding. But the project is getting squeezed by Internal Revenue Service regulations that call for affordable housing projects to be reoccupied within two years after they’re destroyed. Financing for the project remains precarious, said Seana O’Shaughnessy, the developer’s president and chief executive.
The town has allowed homeowners to legally park recreational vehicles and have other temporary housing on their properties through June, already prolonging its original time limit by six months because so few people have been able to gather sufficient money to rebuild.
“There’s no way around wanting to have the assistance sooner so people are not living in tents, living in cars, living in RVs and doing so for years,” said Casey Hatcher, deputy chief administrative officer for Butte County. “The longer that happens, the harder it is to get people out of those situations.”
State housing officials expect that money for 2017 wildfire relief will start flowing in early 2021. And they believe they’re prepared to spend more quickly in the future. In late October, the housing agency tweeted that it’s “urgently hiring” for 18 new jobs to manage disaster relief programs. Velasquez said he hopes to have the workers beginning as the federal government is signing off on the state’s plans for the 2018 disasters.
“Finally, we’re getting to a point where we can say confidently this money is coming out,” Velasquez said.
For Adrain, though, the wait will continue. Even when the senior housing development on the old mobile home park receives its final approval, it could take two more years before it’s finished.
If all remains on schedule, it will be more than five years from when her home burned down until she’ll be able to move into her new apartment. She’s already thinking about the day.
“I’m going to feel like I’m home,” Adrain said. “I’m probably never going to move out of there.”


latimes--2020-12-01--California is failing to provide free and equal education to all during pandemic, suit alleges

The state of California has failed during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide a free and equal education to all students , violating the state Constitution and discriminating against Black , Latino and low-income families , according to a lawsuit filed Monday .
These children have been left behind during months of distance learning , lacking access to digital tools as well as badly needed academic and social-emotional supports , according to the lawsuit filed by the Public Counsel on behalf of California students , parents and several community organizations .
The suit also alleges that students have been harmed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instructional times and to provide adequate training and support to teachers .
“ The State ’ s abdication of responsibility and insufficient response to the challenges of remote learning have denied Plaintiffs the basic educational equality guaranteed to them by the California Constitution , ” the complaint said .
“ Because the State ’ s pandemic response compels families to use their homes as classrooms , the State ’ s constitutional obligations expand into the home.
” The lawsuit , filed in Alameda County Superior Court , names as defendants the state , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and state Supt .
of Instruction Tony Thurmond .
Jesse Melgar , a spokesman for the governor , said in a statement : “ Throughout the pandemic this administration has taken important actions to protect student learning while also taking necessary steps to protect public health .
We will defend our position in court.
” In a statement Tuesday , Supt .
Thurmond said : “ There is no question that this pandemic has disproportionately impacted those who have been made vulnerable by historic and systemic inequities .
That is why , from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I have charged my team to maintain an ongoing and urgent focus on addressing the numerous access and opportunity gaps that impact student learning.
” He said the department had secured hundreds of thousands of computers for students , pressured internet service providers to expand access , bolstered counseling resources , offered training for educators in distance learning , and made it easier for schools to provide meals .
A spokeswoman for the state board deferred to the governor ’ s office .
Angela J. , a plaintiff named in the complaint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Oakland Unified School District , said that her twins , who were in the second grade last year , received live instruction with a teacher only twice from the time when schools closed in mid-March to the end of the school year .
The students weren ’ t assigned packets or other materials to make up for the lost time .
“ The teacher totally dropped the ball , ” Angela J. said in an interview .
( The lawsuit named the parent and student plaintiffs with pseudonyms to protect their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the teacher after repeated phone calls and messages , the teacher said that because some students weren ’ t able to get online for remote learning , she had canceled classes for all students .
Angela J .
's children struggled to learn place values and multiplication , and their difficulties have persisted into the fall .
Now in the third grade , they receive only 75 minutes of live instruction daily — well below the 230 instructional minutes required for students in grade 1 through 3 during the pandemic — and are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off a checklist .
The teacher has not provided any supplies or materials , according to the complaint .
“ There ’ s no schedule , no structure — it ’ s loosey-goosey , ” Angela J. said .
“ I don ’ t think it ’ s effective.
” Her younger daughter , now in the first grade , is in a class with 33 students .
Once , she tried to raise her hand virtually , but the teacher didn ’ t see her .
When Angela J. asked the teacher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only see six students at a time on her screen .
“ This is red flag after red flag , ” said Angela J. , whose children enrolled in virtual summer school through the Oakland REACH , a community organization whose members are Black and Latino parents and grandparents from low-income families .
The Oakland REACH is itself a plaintiff .
When the pandemic hit , the organization pivoted , at a substantial cost , from its parent-centered work to distributing laptops and wireless hot spots and creating a “ virtual hub , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reading and science instruction , as well as social workers to help parents .
Community Coalition , which serves low-income Black and Latino families in South L.A. , is also a plaintiff .
This summer the organization held a virtual summer program focused on academics , technology and wellness , hiring credentialed teachers and tutors to offer students one-on-one help .
A plaintiff named as Maria O. , whose two younger children attend San Miguel Elementary School in South Gate , said in an interview that in the spring the school provided the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not work .
They didn ’ t receive a hot spot until October — and it still doesn ’ t work .
The family relied on cellphones and , eventually , a laptop that Community Coalition provided .
They also have had to pay out-of-pocket for basic supplies like paper and printed materials , she said .
Maria O. , who works as a social worker from home , said it ’ s hard to provide her kindergartener with the attention and support she needs .
“ I ’ m working double time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out on any of their education , ” she said .
“ School isn ’ t supporting with technology or tutors or anything that the parents might need help with.
” The lawsuit follows another filed by parents in September against the Los Angeles Unified School District , which alleged that the district ’ s distance learning plan had caused “ enormous learning losses ” and left tens of thousands of Black and Latino students without a basic education .
Data released by the district showed that attendance slipped and D ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities , where the COVID-19 pandemic has hit especially hard .
The lawsuit filed against the state Monday demands appropriate access to computing devices and technology ; “ effective remote instruction that is substantially equivalent to in-person instruction ” and meets minimum instructional times ; academic and mental health supports for students ; and a plan for a return to in-person instruction .
It seeks to ensure that parents and community organizations are included in a meaningful way as these plans are developed .
Most important , though , said attorney Jesselyn Friley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make up for the learning losses low-income , Black and Latino students have experienced .
“ When remote learning ends and when students go back to school , they ’ re not going to be on the trajectory that they were before .
They ’ re going to be really behind , ” Friley said .
“ There will need to be a huge effort to get those kids back on track and make sure that not only do we go back to ‘ normal , ’ but that the damage that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is undone .
”

The mother of a student at Marco Antonio Firebaugh High School in Lynwood collects books from her vehicle.
The state of California has failed during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide a free and equal education to all students, violating the state Constitution and discriminating against Black, Latino and low-income families, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.
These children have been left behind during months of distance learning, lacking access to digital tools as well as badly needed academic and social-emotional supports, according to the lawsuit filed by the Public Counsel on behalf of California students, parents and several community organizations.
The suit also alleges that students have been harmed by schools that fail to meet required minimum instructional times and to provide adequate training and support to teachers.
“The State’s abdication of responsibility and insufficient response to the challenges of remote learning have denied Plaintiffs the basic educational equality guaranteed to them by the California Constitution,” the complaint said. “Because the State’s pandemic response compels families to use their homes as classrooms, the State’s constitutional obligations expand into the home.”
Advertisement
The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, names as defendants the state, Department of Education, Board of Education and state Supt. of Instruction Tony Thurmond.
Jesse Melgar, a spokesman for the governor, said in a statement: “Throughout the pandemic this administration has taken important actions to protect student learning while also taking necessary steps to protect public health. We will defend our position in court.”
In a statement Tuesday, Supt. Thurmond said: “There is no question that this pandemic has disproportionately impacted those who have been made vulnerable by historic and systemic inequities. That is why, from Day One of this public health crisis, I have charged my team to maintain an ongoing and urgent focus on addressing the numerous access and opportunity gaps that impact student learning.”
He said the department had secured hundreds of thousands of computers for students, pressured internet service providers to expand access, bolstered counseling resources, offered training for educators in distance learning, and made it easier for schools to provide meals.
A spokeswoman for the state board deferred to the governor’s office.
Angela J., a plaintiff named in the complaint and a parent of three elementary-age children in the Oakland Unified School District, said that her twins, who were in the second grade last year, received live instruction with a teacher only twice from the time when schools closed in mid-March to the end of the school year. The students weren’t assigned packets or other materials to make up for the lost time.
“The teacher totally dropped the ball,” Angela J. said in an interview. (The lawsuit named the parent and student plaintiffs with pseudonyms to protect their privacy.)
When she finally reached the teacher after repeated phone calls and messages, the teacher said that because some students weren’t able to get online for remote learning, she had canceled classes for all students.
Angela J.’s children struggled to learn place values and multiplication, and their difficulties have persisted into the fall. Now in the third grade, they receive only 75 minutes of live instruction daily — well below the 230 instructional minutes required for students in grade 1 through 3 during the pandemic — and are left on their own to complete work off a checklist. The teacher has not provided any supplies or materials, according to the complaint.
“There’s no schedule, no structure — it’s loosey-goosey,” Angela J. said. “I don’t think it’s effective.”
Her younger daughter, now in the first grade, is in a class with 33 students. Once, she tried to raise her hand virtually, but the teacher didn’t see her. When Angela J. asked the teacher about it, she said she can only see six students at a time on her screen.
Advertisement
“This is red flag after red flag,” said Angela J., whose children enrolled in virtual summer school through the Oakland REACH, a community organization whose members are Black and Latino parents and grandparents from low-income families.
The Oakland REACH is itself a plaintiff. When the pandemic hit, the organization pivoted, at a substantial cost, from its parent-centered work to distributing laptops and wireless hot spots and creating a “virtual hub,” including summer and after-school math, reading and science instruction, as well as social workers to help parents.
Community Coalition, which serves low-income Black and Latino families in South L.A., is also a plaintiff. This summer the organization held a virtual summer program focused on academics, technology and wellness, hiring credentialed teachers and tutors to offer students one-on-one help.
A plaintiff named as Maria O., whose two younger children attend San Miguel Elementary School in South Gate, said in an interview that in the spring the school provided the family with a single laptop that did not work. They didn’t receive a hot spot until October — and it still doesn’t work. The family relied on cellphones and, eventually, a laptop that Community Coalition provided. They also have had to pay out-of-pocket for basic supplies like paper and printed materials, she said.
Maria O., who works as a social worker from home, said it’s hard to provide her kindergartener with the attention and support she needs.
“I’m working double time to get my kids to not miss out on any of their education,” she said. “School isn’t supporting with technology or tutors or anything that the parents might need help with.”
The lawsuit follows another filed by parents in September against the Los Angeles Unified School District, which alleged that the district’s distance learning plan had caused “enormous learning losses” and left tens of thousands of Black and Latino students without a basic education.
Data released by the district showed that attendance slipped and D’s and F’s surged among lower-income communities, where the COVID-19 pandemic has hit especially hard.
The lawsuit filed against the state Monday demands appropriate access to computing devices and technology; “effective remote instruction that is substantially equivalent to in-person instruction” and meets minimum instructional times; academic and mental health supports for students; and a plan for a return to in-person instruction. It seeks to ensure that parents and community organizations are included in a meaningful way as these plans are developed.
Most important, though, said attorney Jesselyn Friley, the lawsuit calls for extra education to make up for the learning losses low-income, Black and Latino students have experienced.
“When remote learning ends and when students go back to school, they’re not going to be on the trajectory that they were before. They’re going to be really behind,” Friley said. “There will need to be a huge effort to get those kids back on track and make sure that not only do we go back to ‘normal,’ but that the damage that’s been done by this period is undone.”


latimes--2020-12-01--Filming of 'She's All That' remake halts coronavirus testing at Union Station. Officials try to rest

Filming of 'She's All That' remake halts coronavirus testing at Union Station. Officials try to restart it

Coronavirus test appointments scheduled for Tuesday at Union Station were canceled after Miramax was granted a permit to film there , officials confirmed late Monday night .
As Los Angeles County broke records for COVID-19 hospitalizations and new restrictions were imposed , a film permit was granted to Miramax for the filming of “ He ’ s All That , ” a remake of the 1999 film “ She ’ s All That ” featuring Tik Tok-er Addison Rae and directed by Mark Waters .
The filming will take place Tuesday inside and outside Union Station with a cast and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Philip Sokoloski , a spokesman for FilmLA , which processes film permit applications .
According to reporting from Deadline , Los Angeles residents who had coronavirus test appointments scheduled Tuesday received an email informing them of the shutdown .
“ We apologize for the inconvenience and delayed notification but LA Union Station Kiosk site has had to cancel all appointments for December 1st due to an event being held at this location , ” the email said .
But , until this afternoon , FilmLA and the mayor ’ s office was unaware @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the closure of the testing site .
Andrea Garcia , a spokesperson for the office of Mayor Eric Garcetti , said the office is working to reopen the site ’ s operations Tuesday .
A follow-up email from the mayor ’ s office was sent at 7:46 p.m. Monday to those with scheduled appointments .
“ As soon as this was brought to our attention , we contacted the 504 people scheduled for a test on December 1st at Union Station to let them know that their appointment would be honored at any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including another mobile testing site located at the North Hollywood Metro Station accessible by the Metro transit system , ” Garcia said .
“ We remain committed to providing free tests and are scheduled to test more than 38,000 people tomorrow , ” she continued .
Sokoloski said FilmLA did not know who made the decision to close the testing center to appointments Tuesday .
“ All we know at this hour is that this decision wasn ’ t made by FilmLA or the City ’ s film permit approver LAPD , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company seeking to film at Union Station.
” The Union Station site tests 350 to 400 people daily , about 1.5 % of the city ’ s total capacity .
Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted early Tuesday : “ My team has worked to reopen testing at Union Station on Tuesday .
The 504 Angelenos who were scheduled for a test there can visit the kiosk as originally planned or any of the other 14 City sites , where we offer 38K tests daily.
” A source close to the Miramax production said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requested that Curative , the company operating the testing site , resume its services .
The source said the scheduled filming will not take place near the testing kiosks .
“ The two uses of the facility may be compatible , based on the area to be used for filming and the production ’ s interest in making it work , ” Sokoloski said .
It ’ s unclear whether the testing kiosk will reopen on Tuesday .
Curative and Union Station officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ we do not know , at this hour , what will happen tomorrow or what is possible .
”

Officials confirmed late Monday that the coronavirus testing kiosks at Union Station were shut down because of filming approved at the train station.
Coronavirus test appointments scheduled for Tuesday at Union Station were canceled after Miramax was granted a permit to film there, officials confirmed late Monday night.
As Los Angeles County broke records for COVID-19 hospitalizations and new restrictions were imposed, a film permit was granted to Miramax for the filming of “He’s All That,” a remake of the 1999 film “She’s All That” featuring Tik Tok-er Addison Rae and directed by Mark Waters. The filming will take place Tuesday inside and outside Union Station with a cast and crew of about 170 people, said Philip Sokoloski, a spokesman for FilmLA, which processes film permit applications.
According to reporting from Deadline, Los Angeles residents who had coronavirus test appointments scheduled Tuesday received an email informing them of the shutdown. “We apologize for the inconvenience and delayed notification but LA Union Station Kiosk site has had to cancel all appointments for December 1st due to an event being held at this location,” the email said.
Advertisement
But, until this afternoon, FilmLA and the mayor’s office was unaware that the filming permit would lead to the closure of the testing site. Andrea Garcia, a spokesperson for the office of Mayor Eric Garcetti, said the office is working to reopen the site’s operations Tuesday.
A follow-up email from the mayor’s office was sent at 7:46 p.m. Monday to those with scheduled appointments.
“As soon as this was brought to our attention, we contacted the 504 people scheduled for a test on December 1st at Union Station to let them know that their appointment would be honored at any of the other 14 city testing locations, including another mobile testing site located at the North Hollywood Metro Station accessible by the Metro transit system,” Garcia said.
“We remain committed to providing free tests and are scheduled to test more than 38,000 people tomorrow,” she continued.
Sokoloski said FilmLA did not know who made the decision to close the testing center to appointments Tuesday. “All we know at this hour is that this decision wasn’t made by FilmLA or the City’s film permit approver LAPD, nor was it sought by the production company seeking to film at Union Station.”
The Union Station site tests 350 to 400 people daily, about 1.5% of the city’s total capacity.
Advertisement
Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted early Tuesday: “My team has worked to reopen testing at Union Station on Tuesday. The 504 Angelenos who were scheduled for a test there can visit the kiosk as originally planned or any of the other 14 City sites, where we offer 38K tests daily.”
A source close to the Miramax production said that after learning about the shutdown, Miramax requested that Curative, the company operating the testing site, resume its services. The source said the scheduled filming will not take place near the testing kiosks.
“The two uses of the facility may be compatible, based on the area to be used for filming and the production’s interest in making it work,” Sokoloski said.
It’s unclear whether the testing kiosk will reopen on Tuesday. Curative and Union Station officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
As of 10 p.m. Monday, Sokoloski said, “we do not know, at this hour, what will happen tomorrow or what is possible.”


latimes--2020-12-02--San Gabriel Mission gets temporary roof; restoration to be completed by November

The San Gabriel Mission is heading into the rainy season with a temporary roof as investigators continue to probe the cause of a fire that heavily damaged the 249-year-old church six months ago .
About $ 400,000 has been raised to restore the adobe structure , which suffered significant interior damage .
Along with a new roof , it needs new wooden screens behind the altar and several new pews .
The historical preservation firm working on the job estimates that the restoration will be completed by November .
The price tag is still unknown , with not all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles Archdiocese officials said .
“ You ’ ll know we ’ ve done a good job and everything goes well if we ’ re able to make the San Gabriel Mission look exactly like it did before the fire — like nothing happened , ” said Reuben Lombardo , a senior estimator at Pomona-based Spectra Co. , which will be working with the architectural firm Melvyn Green & Associates .
Spectra restored the Santa Barbara Mission ’ s facade in 2015 and renovated Hollywood ’ s El Capitan Theatre .
The restoration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of steel beams inserted during an earthquake retrofit in the 1990s .
The fire was so hot that it warped the beams , Lombardo said .
The temporary roof is made of wood and a waterproof membrane .
“ With the rainy season right around the corner , it was important to protect the mission , ” archdiocese spokeswoman Adrian Marquez Alarcon said .
As of Monday , the mission ’ s fire restoration fund had raised more than $ 200,000 , and the archdiocese has received about $ 180,000 in additional gifts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ church officials .
Some of that money has come from GoFundMe pages , including $ 2,745 raised by Remy Tran of Garland , Texas , who formerly led the choir at the mission ’ s Vietnamese-language services .
The investigation into the July 11 early-morning fire , which left longtime parishioners grief-stricken , is continuing , said Jonathan Fu , the city of San Gabriel ’ s public information officer .
The Verdugo Arson Task Force , consisting of investigators from regional fire departments , is in charge and has been assisted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives .
Fu said he has received several comments from community members wondering why the process has gone longer than “ some people would have liked.
” “ This is a building that is hundreds of years old , and we just want to make sure we have the proper picture and all facts gathered before we make an announcement , ” Fu said .
“ We are asking the community for patience .
”

The San Gabriel Mission’s temporary roof, which will protect it during the rainy season as restoration begins after a fire heavily damaged the historic building in July.
The San Gabriel Mission is heading into the rainy season with a temporary roof as investigators continue to probe the cause of a fire that heavily damaged the 249-year-old church six months ago.
About $400,000 has been raised to restore the adobe structure, which suffered significant interior damage. Along with a new roof, it needs new wooden screens behind the altar and several new pews.
The historical preservation firm working on the job estimates that the restoration will be completed by November.
The price tag is still unknown, with not all of the damage covered by insurance, Los Angeles Archdiocese officials said.
Advertisement
“You’ll know we’ve done a good job and everything goes well if we’re able to make the San Gabriel Mission look exactly like it did before the fire — like nothing happened,” said Reuben Lombardo, a senior estimator at Pomona-based Spectra Co., which will be working with the architectural firm Melvyn Green & Associates.
Spectra restored the Santa Barbara Mission’s facade in 2015 and renovated Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre.
The restoration of the mission will include the removal of steel beams inserted during an earthquake retrofit in the 1990s. The fire was so hot that it warped the beams, Lombardo said.
The temporary roof is made of wood and a waterproof membrane.
“With the rainy season right around the corner, it was important to protect the mission,” archdiocese spokeswoman Adrian Marquez Alarcon said.
The San Gabriel Mission’s temporary roof on Dec. 1 (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
As of Monday, the mission’s fire restoration fund had raised more than $200,000, and the archdiocese has received about $180,000 in additional gifts earmarked for the project, according to church officials.
Some of that money has come from GoFundMe pages, including $2,745 raised by Remy Tran of Garland, Texas, who formerly led the choir at the mission’s Vietnamese-language services.
Advertisement
The investigation into the July 11 early-morning fire, which left longtime parishioners grief-stricken, is continuing, said Jonathan Fu, the city of San Gabriel’s public information officer.
The Verdugo Arson Task Force, consisting of investigators from regional fire departments, is in charge and has been assisted by the Los Angeles Fire Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Fu said he has received several comments from community members wondering why the process has gone longer than “some people would have liked.”
“This is a building that is hundreds of years old, and we just want to make sure we have the proper picture and all facts gathered before we make an announcement,” Fu said. “We are asking the community for patience.”


latimes--2020-12-02--Column: Does L.A. County's crackdown on outdoor dining go too far?

Did Los Angeles County officials go too far last week in banning outdoor dining to help control the spread of the coronavirus ?
“ I could go on a really long rant , ” said a seventh-grade lad named Charles who was enjoying a lunch break Tuesday afternoon with his father , Tim , outside the Slater ’ s 50/50 burger restaurant in the heart of Old Town Pasadena .
That city has its own health department , sets its own rules and still allows outdoor dining — for now .
The waitress who took their order wore a mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ table was about eight feet away .
Charles argued that government operates on tax revenue , and restaurants generate a lot of it .
So as long as people play it safe , what ’ s the problem ?
“ We always wear masks and distance , and we ’ re about to go wash our hands now , ” said his father , who added that he doesn ’ t think restaurants are any riskier than other gathering places that were not shut down , like supermarkets and other stores .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
And I feel for restaurant owners and their tens of thousands of employees , many of whom live on the edge even in normal times .
On the other hand , L.A. County and California are breaking daily records for new coronavirus cases , and hospitals are in danger of being overwhelmed at the current rate .
And a lot of that is directly related to the fact that too many people have either let down their guard or remain openly defiant toward calls to mask up , sanitize and socially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person in Pasadena when I approached two women who were dining alfresco on Colorado Boulevard , a God-given right here in the land of 70-degree December days .
I politely asked what they thought about the dining restrictions imposed in other parts of the county , and one of the women nearly spit her food at me .
“ You ’ re wearing a mask , I ’ m not , ” she growled , suggesting that people like me were responsible for a national overreaction to the pandemic .
“ You ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , telling me to take my newspaper “ and shove it.
” Happy holidays to you , too .
And actually , I ’ m not the problem .
The problem is stubborn resisters who think of themselves as patriots for refusing to make a small sacrifice in the interest of others .
Did you see the op-ed last week by emergency room doctor Mark Morocco , who wrote about the risks to frontline medical staff and pleaded with people to play it safe for everyone ’ s benefit ?
Morocco is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way back to his days in medical school , and I worry about him and all his colleagues .
But I also worry about how many people will lose their businesses or get so far behind on the rent or mortgage that they never catch up .
“ I ’ m just really torn , ” said Jocelyn Ramos , who owns one of my favorite restaurants , La Cabañita in Montrose .
Ramos has had to furlough about three dozen employees .
“ I understand the need to get ahead of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are still going to , like stores , and they ’ re packed.
” I ’ ve been checking in periodically during the pandemic with two servers from Art ’ s Delicatessen & Restaurant in Studio City , and Tony Castro and Tina Smith say they ’ re still surviving but struggling .
They told me Tuesday morning that they had been picking up a couple of shifts serving outdoor tables and might resort to food delivery jobs to supplement unemployment insurance .
Dina Samson , owner of Rossoblu in the Arts District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an outdoor dining tent , lighting and furnishings , adding to the restaurant ’ s losses .
And her staff of several dozen employees is now down to a handful .
“ We understand that COVID is crazy right now , and we don ’ t want to argue for reopening , ” said Samson .
But when the current three-week ban on outdoor dining comes to a close , she said , she and other owners want to make sure they ’ re a part of conversations about when it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who owns A.O.C.
, the wine bar and restaurant on West Third Street in Los Angeles , said she is not convinced that outdoor dining has contributed significantly to the spread of the virus .
“ We take temperatures at the door , and tables were six feet apart , but now they ’ re eight feet , ” Styne said , and her employees wear masks and face shields .
“ We ’ re not allowing guests to move through the restaurant without masks , and we ’ ve limited the amount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be at a table.
” Meanwhile , she said , people have gathered in other places — for parties celebrating Halloween , Thanksgiving , the Dodgers and Lakers championships — without honoring safety protocols .
All those things have contributed to the virus more than outdoor dining has , Styne said .
That ’ s an argument also made by County Supervisor Kathryn Barger , who opposed the outdoor dining ban that was approved by the board 3 to 2 , with Supervisor Janice Hahn also dissenting .
“ Contact tracing does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community transmission , ” Barger stated in an email sent to me Tuesday afternoon by her office .
“ COVID-19 cases traced back to the county ’ s restaurants and bars accounted for just 3.1 % , or 70 of the 2,257 confirmed outbreaks.
” Barger argued that in the first few months after outdoor dining was permitted in July , positivity rates and hospitalizations declined .
Dr. Sharon Balter , director of acute communicable disease control for Los Angeles County , offered a different perspective .
She told me that she and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ feel horrible ” about the hardships of restaurant owners and their employees and customers , “ but this was not done lightly , ” and restaurants haven ’ t been singled out as potential spreaders .
The temporary ban on outdoor dining was not based on contact tracing that identified restaurants as spreaders , Balter said .
It was based on the fact that cases are rising , that viruses often spread faster and invade the body more easily in colder weather and that even with proper table spacing , taking off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company of people outside your own household — is a risk .
“ There does appear to be a seasonal effect ... in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world , and on balance , now seemed like the right time to pause outdoor dining , ” Balter said .
As for the argument that supermarkets can be more crowded than outdoor restaurants , Balter noted that you don ’ t take off your mask to shop for groceries — you put it on .
I ’ m conflicted , because I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts both make good arguments .
Just to be safe , I haven ’ t been to a restaurant since the pandemic began .
I do order takeout a couple of times a week , to support my favorite restaurants .
But there ’ s another way to support restaurants and their employees , and other businesses .
“ It ’ s unfortunate that the choice is between health and economic survival , ” said Balter , suggesting that the bigger question is why we haven ’ t thrown another lifeline to employers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offering several months ago .
County officials did announce Tuesday that a grant program could make up to $ 30,000 in aid available to some , but not all , restaurants in the county .
Restaurateur Styne seconded that motion , calling for Washington to step up .
“ Restaurants would be OK with temporarily closing down for the greater good , ” she said , “ if Congress would pass a stimulus package and get all these small businesses and their employees the relief we need , so we can close , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all being sent to the poorhouse .
”

Unlike Los Angeles County, Pasadena, which has its own health department, is still allowing outdoor patio dining, as seen Sunday along Colorado Boulevard. Residents and visitors are urged to follow COVID-19 safety protocols.
Did Los Angeles County officials go too far last week in banning outdoor dining to help control the spread of the coronavirus?
“I could go on a really long rant,” said a seventh-grade lad named Charles who was enjoying a lunch break Tuesday afternoon with his father, Tim, outside the Slater’s 50/50 burger restaurant in the heart of Old Town Pasadena. That city has its own health department, sets its own rules and still allows outdoor dining — for now.
The waitress who took their order wore a mask and face shield, and the nearest table was about eight feet away. Charles argued that government operates on tax revenue, and restaurants generate a lot of it. So as long as people play it safe, what’s the problem?
Advertisement
“We always wear masks and distance, and we’re about to go wash our hands now,” said his father, who added that he doesn’t think restaurants are any riskier than other gathering places that were not shut down, like supermarkets and other stores.
On the one hand, I agree with them. And I feel for restaurant owners and their tens of thousands of employees, many of whom live on the edge even in normal times.
On the other hand, L.A. County and California are breaking daily records for new coronavirus cases, and hospitals are in danger of being overwhelmed at the current rate. And a lot of that is directly related to the fact that too many people have either let down their guard or remain openly defiant toward calls to mask up, sanitize and socially distance.
I ran into one such person in Pasadena when I approached two women who were dining alfresco on Colorado Boulevard, a God-given right here in the land of 70-degree December days. I politely asked what they thought about the dining restrictions imposed in other parts of the county, and one of the women nearly spit her food at me.
“You’re wearing a mask, I’m not,” she growled, suggesting that people like me were responsible for a national overreaction to the pandemic.
“You’re the problem,” she said, telling me to take my newspaper “and shove it.”
Happy holidays to you, too. And actually, I’m not the problem. The problem is stubborn resisters who think of themselves as patriots for refusing to make a small sacrifice in the interest of others.
Advertisement
Did you see the op-ed last week by emergency room doctor Mark Morocco, who wrote about the risks to frontline medical staff and pleaded with people to play it safe for everyone’s benefit? Morocco is a longtime pal of mine, all the way back to his days in medical school, and I worry about him and all his colleagues.
But I also worry about how many people will lose their businesses or get so far behind on the rent or mortgage that they never catch up.
“I’m just really torn,” said Jocelyn Ramos, who owns one of my favorite restaurants, La Cabañita in Montrose. Ramos has had to furlough about three dozen employees. “I understand the need to get ahead of this, but I see other places people are still going to, like stores, and they’re packed.”
I’ve been checking in periodically during the pandemic with two servers from Art’s Delicatessen & Restaurant in Studio City, and Tony Castro and Tina Smith say they’re still surviving but struggling. They told me Tuesday morning that they had been picking up a couple of shifts serving outdoor tables and might resort to food delivery jobs to supplement unemployment insurance.
Dina Samson, owner of Rossoblu in the Arts District, said she invested $20,000 in an outdoor dining tent, lighting and furnishings, adding to the restaurant’s losses. And her staff of several dozen employees is now down to a handful.
“We understand that COVID is crazy right now, and we don’t want to argue for reopening,” said Samson. But when the current three-week ban on outdoor dining comes to a close, she said, she and other owners want to make sure they’re a part of conversations about when it’s safe to reopen.
Caroline Styne, who owns A.O.C., the wine bar and restaurant on West Third Street in Los Angeles, said she is not convinced that outdoor dining has contributed significantly to the spread of the virus.
“We take temperatures at the door, and tables were six feet apart, but now they’re eight feet,” Styne said, and her employees wear masks and face shields. “We’re not allowing guests to move through the restaurant without masks, and we’ve limited the amount of time they’re allowed to be at a table.”
Meanwhile, she said, people have gathered in other places — for parties celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, the Dodgers and Lakers championships — without honoring safety protocols. All those things have contributed to the virus more than outdoor dining has, Styne said.
That’s an argument also made by County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who opposed the outdoor dining ban that was approved by the board 3 to 2, with Supervisor Janice Hahn also dissenting.
“Contact tracing does not show a significant connection between restaurants and community transmission,” Barger stated in an email sent to me Tuesday afternoon by her office. “COVID-19 cases traced back to the county’s restaurants and bars accounted for just 3.1%, or 70 of the 2,257 confirmed outbreaks.”
Barger argued that in the first few months after outdoor dining was permitted in July, positivity rates and hospitalizations declined.
Dr. Sharon Balter, director of acute communicable disease control for Los Angeles County, offered a different perspective. She told me that she and other officials in the Public Health Department “feel horrible” about the hardships of restaurant owners and their employees and customers, “but this was not done lightly,” and restaurants haven’t been singled out as potential spreaders.
The temporary ban on outdoor dining was not based on contact tracing that identified restaurants as spreaders, Balter said. It was based on the fact that cases are rising, that viruses often spread faster and invade the body more easily in colder weather and that even with proper table spacing, taking off your mask to dine — sometimes in the company of people outside your own household — is a risk.
“There does appear to be a seasonal effect ... in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world, and on balance, now seemed like the right time to pause outdoor dining,” Balter said.
As for the argument that supermarkets can be more crowded than outdoor restaurants, Balter noted that you don’t take off your mask to shop for groceries — you put it on.
I’m conflicted, because I think the restaurant owners and the health experts both make good arguments. Just to be safe, I haven’t been to a restaurant since the pandemic began. I do order takeout a couple of times a week, to support my favorite restaurants.
But there’s another way to support restaurants and their employees, and other businesses.
“It’s unfortunate that the choice is between health and economic survival,” said Balter, suggesting that the bigger question is why we haven’t thrown another lifeline to employers and their employees since the first stimulus offering several months ago.
County officials did announce Tuesday that a grant program could make up to $30,000 in aid available to some, but not all, restaurants in the county.
Restaurateur Styne seconded that motion, calling for Washington to step up.
“Restaurants would be OK with temporarily closing down for the greater good,” she said, “if Congress would pass a stimulus package and get all these small businesses and their employees the relief we need, so we can close, and everybody can get through this without all being sent to the poorhouse.”
I’ll drink to that.
Steve.lopez@latimes.com


latimes--2020-12-02--For contact tracers, COVID-19 fight is personal: 'I understand hardship'

Sometimes when he calls , the person on the other end of the phone already knows .
Sometimes , they deny the news .
Often , they reel from it .
Though each conversation differs , the disquieting messages Levonn Gardner delivers are the same .
“ You have been exposed to the coronavirus , ” he tells some .
“ You have tested positive for the virus , ” he tells others .
Gardner is a contact tracer , part of an army of hired public health workers who notify those who have tested positive for the virus and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pathogen that causes COVID-19 .
The conversations are confidential and sometimes surprisingly intimate .
Some last minutes , others hours .
And as Gardner and two other contact tracers shared , much of the job relies on intuition shaped by cultural and familial ties — bonds that make the work personal .
“ I understand hardship , ” said Gardner , a 39-year-old Marine Corps veteran .
“ I understand what it means , especially , because it is primarily the Black and Latino communities that are dying from this and getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my community.
” Before data underscored how marginalized communities were disproportionately hit by the virus , which has killed at least 7,700 in Los Angeles County , Gardner knew .
A contact tracer with the county Department of Public Health , he didn ’ t need to see the numbers or be told by officials to understand the reality he was hearing on the phone .
“ I ’ m a Black dude from Watts , so my view is : Anything bad that happens hits the poor communities harder.
” On Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations ever experienced during the pandemic — an indicator that the virus is spreading at alarming speed .
Tracers face immense pressure when infections are surging — as they are now in California and elsewhere .
When a backlog in cases has been reported , the window to contact someone before the potential incubation period is over narrows .
Some have been overwhelmed ; others have given up .
California has poured more than $ 27.3 million into contact tracing efforts .
According to the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city , county and state employees are trying to track the disease through the state ’ s California Connected program .
The work requires patience and perseverance .
In L.A. County , an average of 63 % of people who tested positive for the virus and 71 % of their contacts agreed to complete an interview over a seven-day period from Nov. 11 to Nov. 17 .
Hang-ups happen , and some argue that the virus isn ’ t real .
Those who do answer the phone often experience great anxiety brought on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who is working remotely from his kitchen , recalls speaking to a Latina who was an essential worker and a mother .
She understood that she needed to self-isolate but couldn ’ t fathom the loss of a paycheck for two weeks .
Gardner wondered what other responsibilities would be affected if she were to get sick .
“ Does she live with her parents ?
How young are her kids ?
You can ’ t completely leave a 6-year-old child by itself .
Even if you were exposed , you need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is crucial in gaining a person ’ s trust , Gardner said , and some people are naturally skeptical about speaking with tracers .
To encourage Angelenos to participate in contact tracing , the county began offering $ 20 gift cards to those who complete the process .
The tracer asks where the person has been , offers tips to safely quarantine , answers questions and listens to myriad fears about a disease that has killed more than 268,000 in the U.S. and has left millions of lives hanging in the balance .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , multiple times until it ’ s time to stop for the day and prepare for the next .
Recently , health officials launched a method for people who test positive to immediately and anonymously alert contacts via their mobile phone by clicking a link from their electronic notification .
Gardner has made hundreds of calls to infected or potentially infected individuals since he became a contact tracer last spring .
When the county began its tracing program in April , there were 500 workers .
There are now 2,600 .
Most , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county departments to assist in one of the state ’ s key efforts to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus .
Gardner previously worked solely in the county ’ s division of HIV and STD program .
“ Civil servants in the county all agreed that if there was ever a disaster , we were going to work it , ” said Roberto Melendrez , 54 , who has overseen a team of tracers in L.A. County for months .
Conversations stick with him : The homeless man who answered his call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he needed to stay away from people but said he couldn ’ t afford not to keep collecting recyclables .
The teenager who had become the caregiver for an infected parent .
The guilt-ridden nursing home attendant whose husband and son got sick before she did .
“ You go through this very intense , intimate conversation with a group of people , and then you say goodbye , ” Melendrez said .
Once , he called a woman to warn her to quarantine , but she already knew that she had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this morning from COVID-19 , ” she told him .
Then there was the time he contacted 12 people in a multigenerational family that included parents , in-laws , children and grandchildren .
As he started making phone calls , he realized that all 12 were living under the same roof .
As the news spread , Melendrez could hear the family members gather .
Those who awaited contact anxiously questioned one another in the background ; those already in the know shouted answers .
The goal is to reach a person before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help .
That can be difficult when people are wary to pick up calls from unknown numbers .
One of Melendrez ’ s rules is to never hound a person or bombard them with voicemails — you never know what someone is going through in a given moment , he said , and adding to their stress should always be avoided .
The script that Melendrez and other tracers use as guidance for their conversations started as half a page .
It ’ s now 15 pages long , a living document that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and knowledge of the virus has expanded .
The outline guides tracers ’ questions but doesn ’ t dictate their conversations .
Much of the back-and-forth relies on an individual tracer ’ s perception .
For example , Melendrez , who was born and raised in East Los Angeles , recognized early on that using residencia — Spanish for “ home ” — may bring a fear of immigration services for some Latino residents .
He changed the phrase to domicilio , a softer way to ask where a person lives .
Allison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One of the job that essential workers who were disproportionately of Spanish-speaking and Cantonese-speaking backgrounds were those most at risk for contracting the virus — and often the people least able to stop working .
“ It was really important to me personally to reach out and offer support — both information and services — to these populations that are , after all , risking their lives to serve us , ” said Wong , a UC San Francisco medical student who works part time with the city ’ s Department of Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a contact tracer since last spring , has learned that listening is just as important as providing information .
She too has heard from people who feared that loss of work would upend their lives and those of the families that depend on them .
Then there are those with few options , like the infected person who lived with a dozen roommates in a two-bedroom apartment .
How to self-isolate ?
Wong provided contacts for a staffer who helps place people in hotels .
“ At the end of the day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as we can .
In some cases , that may not be enough , ” she said .
Wong has felt the impact of the pandemic too .
Though she feels fortunate by comparison with others who have lost loved ones or have suffered from the virus , she misses her dad .
One of the hardest adjustments has been her inability to see him regularly and sit down with him to enjoy a meal he ’ s cooked — one of his favorite displays of love .
She ’ s visited him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her father is high-risk — a fact she can ’ t ignore .
Before California moved most of its 58 counties backward in its color-coded reopening blueprint , San Francisco was one of the few areas that had reached the least restrictive tier .
Wong attributes some of that success to tracing efforts and the many services offered during contact , including mental health resources , quarantine options for relocation — and translation services .
Many of Wong ’ s elderly relatives speak only Cantonese .
That insight helped her understand quickly that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t speak English , especially those within the Asian community — a group targeted by discriminatory bias when the virus first hit the U.S .
The dual need to educate the masses and combat rumors became apparent .
“ The Cantonese population here in San Francisco has limited English proficiency , so I think that ’ s a really fertile environment for misinformation to spread , ” she said , emphasizing that her ability to help her community is a big reason she is committed to the work .
Gardner too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the early days of the pandemic .
He also points to systemic racism and historical mistrust , highlighting the U.S. government ’ s infamous Tuskegee syphilis study in Alabama that used sick Black men for experimentation from 1932 to 1972 .
Such a history , he said , explains why the virus wasn ’ t initially taken as seriously by some in the Black community .
Black Americans have been hit hard by the virus .
It ’ s a major reason he ’ s committed to reaching out and sharing the facts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , his friends in Watts or his mom , a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus driver on a different kind of coronavirus front line .
Tracing work can be taxing .
But Gardner , like others , is in it for the long haul .
“ I ’ m here until they need me to do something else.
” The tracers ’ mission is to gather information .
But sometimes they find themselves confiding personal details to those they call .
Sometimes , the revelations are to gain trust , but sometimes it just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Melendrez has told his contacts he knows all too well how the coronavirus can rip families apart .
His 94-year-old father died of COVID-19 .

Sometimes when he calls, the person on the other end of the phone already knows.
I’m not surprised.
Sometimes, they deny the news.
This is a hoax.
Often, they reel from it.
I can’t afford not to work.
Advertisement
Though each conversation differs, the disquieting messages Levonn Gardner delivers are the same.
“You have been exposed to the coronavirus,” he tells some. “You have tested positive for the virus,” he tells others.
Gardner is a contact tracer, part of an army of hired public health workers who notify those who have tested positive for the virus and identify those they may have exposed to the pathogen that causes COVID-19.
The conversations are confidential and sometimes surprisingly intimate. Some last minutes, others hours. And as Gardner and two other contact tracers shared, much of the job relies on intuition shaped by cultural and familial ties — bonds that make the work personal.
“I understand hardship,” said Gardner, a 39-year-old Marine Corps veteran. “I understand what it means, especially, because it is primarily the Black and Latino communities that are dying from this and getting sick. It’s people from my community.”
Before data underscored how marginalized communities were disproportionately hit by the virus, which has killed at least 7,700 in Los Angeles County, Gardner knew. A contact tracer with the county Department of Public Health, he didn’t need to see the numbers or be told by officials to understand the reality he was hearing on the phone.
Advertisement
“I’m a Black dude from Watts, so my view is: Anything bad that happens hits the poor communities harder.”
Cars line up for coronavirus testing at Dodger Stadium in November. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
On Tuesday, the county reported its highest number of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations ever experienced during the pandemic — an indicator that the virus is spreading at alarming speed. Tracers face immense pressure when infections are surging — as they are now in California and elsewhere. When a backlog in cases has been reported, the window to contact someone before the potential incubation period is over narrows. Some have been overwhelmed; others have given up.
California has poured more than $27.3 million into contact tracing efforts. According to the state’s Department of Public Health, about 10,600 city, county and state employees are trying to track the disease through the state’s California Connected program.
Column One A showcase for compelling storytelling from the Los Angeles Times. More stories
The work requires patience and perseverance. In L.A. County, an average of 63% of people who tested positive for the virus and 71% of their contacts agreed to complete an interview over a seven-day period from Nov. 11 to Nov. 17. Hang-ups happen, and some argue that the virus isn’t real.
Those who do answer the phone often experience great anxiety brought on by anticipation of the unknown. Gardner, who is working remotely from his kitchen, recalls speaking to a Latina who was an essential worker and a mother. She understood that she needed to self-isolate but couldn’t fathom the loss of a paycheck for two weeks. Gardner wondered what other responsibilities would be affected if she were to get sick.
“Does she live with her parents? How young are her kids? You can’t completely leave a 6-year-old child by itself. Even if you were exposed, you need contact,” he said.
Empathy is crucial in gaining a person’s trust, Gardner said, and some people are naturally skeptical about speaking with tracers. To encourage Angelenos to participate in contact tracing, the county began offering $20 gift cards to those who complete the process.
The tracer asks where the person has been, offers tips to safely quarantine, answers questions and listens to myriad fears about a disease that has killed more than 268,000 in the U.S. and has left millions of lives hanging in the balance. The process is repeated once, twice, multiple times until it’s time to stop for the day and prepare for the next.
Recently, health officials launched a method for people who test positive to immediately and anonymously alert contacts via their mobile phone by clicking a link from their electronic notification.
Gardner has made hundreds of calls to infected or potentially infected individuals since he became a contact tracer last spring. When the county began its tracing program in April, there were 500 workers. There are now 2,600.
Most, like Gardner, were reassigned by other county departments to assist in one of the state’s key efforts to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. Gardner previously worked solely in the county’s division of HIV and STD program.
“Civil servants in the county all agreed that if there was ever a disaster, we were going to work it,” said Roberto Melendrez, 54, who has overseen a team of tracers in L.A. County for months.
You go through this very intense, intimate conversation with a group of people, and then you say goodbye. — Roberto Melendrez
Conversations stick with him: The homeless man who answered his call outside a liquor store and understood that he needed to stay away from people but said he couldn’t afford not to keep collecting recyclables. The teenager who had become the caregiver for an infected parent. The guilt-ridden nursing home attendant whose husband and son got sick before she did.
“You go through this very intense, intimate conversation with a group of people, and then you say goodbye,” Melendrez said.
Once, he called a woman to warn her to quarantine, but she already knew that she had been exposed.
“My mother just died this morning from COVID-19,” she told him.
Then there was the time he contacted 12 people in a multigenerational family that included parents, in-laws, children and grandchildren.
As he started making phone calls, he realized that all 12 were living under the same roof. As the news spread, Melendrez could hear the family members gather. Those who awaited contact anxiously questioned one another in the background; those already in the know shouted answers.
The goal is to reach a person before it’s too late to offer help. That can be difficult when people are wary to pick up calls from unknown numbers. One of Melendrez’s rules is to never hound a person or bombard them with voicemails — you never know what someone is going through in a given moment, he said, and adding to their stress should always be avoided.
The script that Melendrez and other tracers use as guidance for their conversations started as half a page. It’s now 15 pages long, a living document that has evolved as health orders have changed and knowledge of the virus has expanded.
The outline guides tracers’ questions but doesn’t dictate their conversations. Much of the back-and-forth relies on an individual tracer’s perception.
For example, Melendrez, who was born and raised in East Los Angeles, recognized early on that using residencia — Spanish for “home” — may bring a fear of immigration services for some Latino residents. He changed the phrase to domicilio, a softer way to ask where a person lives.
“That’s a lot less threatening.”
Allison Wong, 30, realized on Day One of the job that essential workers who were disproportionately of Spanish-speaking and Cantonese-speaking backgrounds were those most at risk for contracting the virus — and often the people least able to stop working.
“It was really important to me personally to reach out and offer support — both information and services — to these populations that are, after all, risking their lives for service,” said Wong, a UC San Francisco medical student who works part time with the city’s Department of Public Health.
Wong, who has worked as a contact tracer since last spring, has learned that listening is just as important as providing information. She too has heard from people who feared that loss of work would upend their lives and those of the families that depend on them.
Then there are those with few options, like the infected person who lived with a dozen roommates in a two-bedroom apartment. How to self-isolate? Wong provided contacts for a staffer who helps place people in hotels.
“At the end of the day, we try to offer as much as we can. In some cases, that may not be enough,” she said.
Wong has felt the impact of the pandemic too. Though she feels fortunate by comparison with others who have lost loved ones or have suffered from the virus, she misses her dad. One of the hardest adjustments has been her inability to see him regularly and sit down with him to enjoy a meal he’s cooked — one of his favorite displays of love. She’s visited him three times at a distance, but her father is high-risk — a fact she can’t ignore.
Before California moved most of its 58 counties backward in its color-coded reopening blueprint, San Francisco was one of the few areas that had reached the least restrictive tier. Wong attributes some of that success to tracing efforts and the many services offered during contact, including mental health resources, quarantine options for relocation — and translation services.
Many of Wong’s elderly relatives speak only Cantonese. That insight helped her understand quickly that educational resources were crucial for residents who didn’t speak English, especially those within the Asian community — a group targeted by discriminatory bias when the virus first hit the U.S. The dual need to educate the masses and combat rumors became apparent.
“The Cantonese population here in San Francisco has limited English proficiency, so I think that’s a really fertile environment for misinformation to spread,” she said, emphasizing that her ability to help her community is a big reason she is committed to the work.
Gardner too saw the negative effects of misinformation in the early days of the pandemic. He also points to systemic racism and historical mistrust, highlighting the U.S. government’s infamous Tuskegee syphilis study in Alabama that used sick Black men for experimentation from 1932 to 1972. Such a history, he said, explains why the virus wasn’t initially taken as seriously by some in the Black community.
Black Americans have been hit hard by the virus. It’s a major reason he’s committed to reaching out and sharing the facts, whether with strangers over the phone, his friends in Watts or his mom, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus driver on a different kind of coronavirus front line.
Tracing work can be taxing. But Gardner, like others, is in it for the long haul.
“I’m here until they need me to do something else.”
The tracers’ mission is to gather information. But sometimes they find themselves confiding personal details to those they call. Sometimes, the revelations are to gain trust, but sometimes it just feels right to share, to reveal.
Melendrez has told his contacts he knows all too well how the coronavirus can rip families apart. His 94-year-old father died of COVID-19.


latimes--2020-12-02--Santa Ana winds will bring extremely dangerous fire conditions this week

National Weather Service officials are urging extreme caution as a strong Santa Ana wind event blowing through Southern California will bring very dangerous fire conditions this week .
A red flag warning for this “ particularly dangerous situation ” is in effect through Saturday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties as well as the Santa Clarita Valley , the weather service said .
Winds will peak Thursday and are expected to reach up to 40 mph with 70 mph gusts .
Humidity levels will be between 8 % and 15 % on Thursday and continue to decrease Friday and through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 % .
The combination of the extended offshore flow and dry air could lead to devastating fires .
Weather service officials said the wind event will last longer than normal , waning in the weekend .
But it ’ s possible the red flag warning will be extended through Tuesday .
“ We are urging the public to be extremely cautious with anything that can start a fire , ” weather service officials said in a forecast discussion .
“ Some ignition sources are obvious [ such as campfires , welding equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are less so [ such as lawn trimmers , dragging trailer chains , firearms ] .
”

Strong Santa Ana winds will bring dangerous fire conditions this week, according to the National Weather Service.
Weather forecasters are urging extreme caution as strong Santa Ana winds blowing through Southern California will bring very dangerous fire conditions and possible power shut-offs this week.
A red flag warning for this “particularly dangerous situation” is in effect through Saturday for the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties as well as the Santa Clarita Valley, the National Weather Service said.
Winds will peak Thursday and are expected to reach up to 40 mph, with 70-mph gusts. Humidity levels will be between 8% and 15% on Thursday and will decrease Friday and through the weekend to between 5% and 10%.
The combination of the extended offshore flow and dry air could lead to devastating fires.
Weather service officials said the high winds will last longer than normal, waning in the weekend. But it’s possible the red flag warning will be extended through Tuesday.
Advertisement
“We are urging the public to be extremely cautious with anything that can start a fire,” weather service officials said in a forecast discussion. “Some ignition sources are obvious [such as campfires, welding equipment, cigarettes, fireworks] but others are less so [such as lawn trimmers, dragging trailer chains, firearms].”
Los Angeles County firefighters have beefed up their staffing around the clock in preparation.
“We got lucky last weekend, and we’re hoping that same luck keeps running through this one,” said fire inspector Henry Narvaez.
Strike teams, or small groups of firefighters, have been deployed on 24-hour shifts to stations in Malibu, Santa Clarita and La Cañada Flintridge, and pilots are on standby Thursday through Saturday, Narvaez said.
On Wednesday, Southern California Edison began shutting off power to customers in wind-prone areas, starting with about 900 customers in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, utility officials said.
Up to 270,000 additional Edison customers, including people in San Bernardino, Orange and Riverside counties, may lose power Thursday or Friday and will have to wait for utility crews to inspect the grid before it can be restored, a process that can take a day or more in some cases.
Advertisement
The upcoming winds will hit the same parts of the Southland that were buffeted by 70- and 80-mph gusts in October, when a pair of fires moved into suburban Orange County, but this time the winds should be less severe, said National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Tardy.
“Nevertheless, this is a strong wind event for wind-prone areas and moderate for many areas,” Tardy said. “If a fire were to start … there would be some problems with containment.”
But given the time of year and duration of the upcoming system, forecasters say the Santa Ana winds could hang around for up to 10 days, extending into next weekend. This would be a weather pattern similar to the one seen in December 2017, when several fires broke out across the region in 72 hours, including the massive Thomas fire.
“It’s common to see Santa Ana winds in December, but we’re not usually critically dry,” Tardy said.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a La Niña climate pattern is ongoing, gathering strength in the tropical Pacific Ocean this year.
Statistically, a La Niña favors warmer, drier conditions across the southern tier of the U.S. and cooler, wetter conditions in the north.
The lack of summer monsoon rain this year resulted in extreme to exceptional drought in the Southwest. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, moderate to severe drought expanded in California’s San Joaquin Valley, and abnormal dryness expanded in Southern California, including Los Angeles County. Parts of Southern California have experienced a seven-month dry streak.
This season in Los Angeles, only 0.11 of an inch of rain has fallen. In an average year by the end of November, the city has received close to 1.7 inches, making rainfall this year about 6% of normal.
Times staff writer Paul Duginski contributed to this report.