latimes--2020-05-27--Column: Exclusive West L.A. property, surrounded by stars, on sale for $745,000. Are you dying to mo

Column: Exclusive West L.A. property, surrounded by stars, on sale for $745,000. Are you dying to move in?

What if I were to tell you that an exclusive piece of real estate is available on L.A. ’ s Westside , right next door to a couple of the biggest names in entertainment history .
And you can pick it up at the recently discounted price of $ 745,000 ?
You ’ d be curious about it , right ?
Well , I ’ m not exaggerating about the location or the price , but there ’ s a catch .
OK , I ’ m talking about a cemetery plot , so you wouldn ’ t be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dead .
“ Be buried adjacent to Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner , ” said an ad that ran in the L.A. Times a couple of weeks ago .
“ The last prominent bench estate location in Westwood Village Memorial Park .
Accommodates four people.
” A friend spotted the ad and sent it my way , and I figured I ’ d check it out just to have a break from the COVID-19 beat .
Not that this is the cheeriest of topics , either .
The first thing that occurred to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where the median home price is about $ 650,000 , the Westside is out of reach even in death .
And then I wondered whether people buy and flip burial sites in L.A. the way they flip houses .
If it ’ s happening anywhere , it would be happening here .
I called the number in the advertisement and a gent named John Thill answered the phone in Florida , where he now lives .
Thill , 66 , writes textbooks in the business field .
He told me he has lived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that one of his favorite Marilyn Monroe movies was “ Some Like It Hot , ” which was filmed at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego .
Thill said he wasn ’ t thinking of the burial site as a buy-and-flip investment , but as an interesting place to spend eternity .
“ I wanted to be next to Marilyn , ” said Thill , who was single at the time but has since married .
In 2017 , when Playboy magnate Hefner died and moved into the crypt next to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that little corner of the cemetery became all the more of a destination for tourists .
Lipstick imprints are visible on the face of both crypts , left there by visitors .
Call me unsentimental or unromantic or something , but I figure when you ’ re dead , you ’ re dead , and it doesn ’ t make much of a difference who ’ s next door .
But Thill has a broader concept of death than I do .
“ I think there ’ ll be a resurrection day when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , and he wouldn ’ t mind being an arm ’ s length from Monroe .
“ I ’ m not sure how it will work , exactly.
” And there might be more luminaries at the party .
Buried in that same cemetery are Dean Martin , Frank Zappa , Eva Gabor , Natalie Wood , Rodney Dangerfield , Ray Bradbury , Jack Lemmon , Walter Matthau , Burt Lancaster , Truman Capote , Carroll O ’ Connor , Kirk Douglas , Donna Reed , Mel Torme and Billy Wilder , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m a writer but then nobody ’ s perfect.
” Now that Thill ’ s in Florida , he told me , the plot lost some of its appeal .
He first listed it last year at $ 790,000 and then dropped the price recently .
He ’ s gotten several nibbles , and said he stands to make “ a little money ” if he can sell near the list price .
When I got to the cemetery Tuesday , I had trouble locating Thill ’ s plot , but a woman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hot sun with a pink umbrella — was visiting her parents ’ gravesite and kindly showed me where Monroe and Hefner are buried .
She took off her mask only when I asked to photograph her .
Not everyone in the park is a celebrity , Ebert said , and her parents are buried in “ very cheap plots.
” The space owned by Thill , located several feet from the celebrities , is called a bench estate because there ’ s a bench next to a space big enough to accommodate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lovely space , but I ’ m not sure I ’ d want to be underground there , with endless hordes of strangers tramping over my head to go kiss Marilyn Monroe ’ s crypt .
I asked Ebert to guess how much the plot was listed for .
“ That ’ s beyond my pocketbook , ” said Ebert .
Brooke Covington , an Alabama resident , took a good look at the Monroe and Hefner crypts and checked those names off her list .
She also wanted to see the final @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Heather O ’ Rourke , both of “ Poltergeist ” fame , “ because I ’ m a huge horror movie fan.
” Covington said she ’ s a respiratory therapist who came to Los Angeles to work on COVID-19 patients at St. Vincent ’ s Hospital , but she was about to return home and wanted to do some sightseeing first .
“ I ’ m going to a lot of cemeteries because they ’ re the only thing open , ” she said , keeping a safe social distance .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a plot .
“ I don ’ t really plan on being in a cemetery when I go .
I want to be laid into a coral reef , ” Covington said .
I didn ’ t know that was a thing , but apparently your cremated remains can be mixed into a concrete sphere and dropped into the ocean to support coral life .
That ’ s relatively inexpensive , but if you want your eternal resting place to be a little more prestigious , Westwood Village Memorial Park — like Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rent districts .
“ We have items for sale at a lesser price , ” said Steve Quach , who works for Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary .
“ Some of them are near other stars and it depends on who ’ s important to you .
To give an example , if I was a Don Knotts fan and I wanted to be near Don Knotts … we have a cremation pedestal available there.
” The space would accommodate four urns and would be in the $ 200,000 range @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a little surprised that Knotts , who played Barney Fife in “ The Andy Griffith Show ” and starred in “ The Incredible Mr. Limpet , ” about a man who turns into a talking fish , didn ’ t go for the coral reef burial instead .
Across the way from Monroe and Hefner is a section called Garden of Serenity , where you can find George C. Scott , Walter Matthau , Peggy Lee , Les Brown and Brian Keith .
The author of “ Fahrenheit 451 ” is buried next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I were to end up in that cemetery , that ’ s where I ’ d want to be , so I asked Quach if he had anything near the author .
“ The nearest to him is one single lot , opposite of Walter Matthau , for $ 209,000 , ” Quach said , but I ’ d need more than one space .
“ Within that same garden , in back of Rodney Dangerfield , I have a double for $ 307,000 , ” Quach said .
I ’ ll keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lottery one day , but even then , I might prefer sleeping with the fishes on the coral reef .
I ’ m not sure it matters one way or another , because as Marilyn Monroe once said , “ It ’ s all make believe , isn ’ t it ?
”

Marsha Ebert regularly visits her parents’ gravesites at Westwood Village Memorial Park, and knows where the celebrities are, too
What if I were to tell you that an exclusive piece of real estate is available on L.A.’s Westside, right next door to a couple of the biggest names in entertainment history. And you can pick it up at the recently discounted price of $745,000?
You’d be curious about it, right?
Well, I’m not exaggerating about the location or the price, but there’s a catch.
OK, I’m talking about a cemetery plot, so you wouldn’t be able to move in until you’re dead.
Advertisement
“Be buried adjacent to Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner,” said an ad that ran in the L.A. Times a couple of weeks ago. “The last prominent bench estate location in Westwood Village Memorial Park. Accommodates four people.”
A friend spotted the ad and sent it my way, and I figured I’d check it out just to have a break from the COVID-19 beat. Not that this is the cheeriest of topics, either.
The first thing that occurred to me was that in L.A. County, where the median home price is about $650,000, the Westside is out of reach even in death. And then I wondered whether people buy and flip burial sites in L.A. the way they flip houses. If it’s happening anywhere, it would be happening here.
I called the number in the advertisement and a gent named John Thill answered the phone in Florida, where he now lives. Thill, 66, writes textbooks in the business field. He told me he has lived in Los Angeles and San Diego, and that one of his favorite Marilyn Monroe movies was “Some Like It Hot,” which was filmed at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego.
Thill said he wasn’t thinking of the burial site as a buy-and-flip investment, but as an interesting place to spend eternity.
“I wanted to be next to Marilyn,” said Thill, who was single at the time but has since married.
Advertisement
In 2017, when Playboy magnate Hefner died and moved into the crypt next to his first Playmate of the Month, that little corner of the cemetery became all the more of a destination for tourists. Lipstick imprints are visible on the face of both crypts, left there by visitors.
Call me unsentimental or unromantic or something, but I figure when you’re dead, you’re dead, and it doesn’t make much of a difference who’s next door. But Thill has a broader concept of death than I do.
“I think there’ll be a resurrection day when everyone’s joined,” Thill said, and he wouldn’t mind being an arm’s length from Monroe. “I’m not sure how it will work, exactly.”
And there might be more luminaries at the party. Buried in that same cemetery are Dean Martin, Frank Zappa, Eva Gabor, Natalie Wood, Rodney Dangerfield, Ray Bradbury, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Burt Lancaster, Truman Capote, Carroll O’Connor, Kirk Douglas, Donna Reed, Mel Torme and Billy Wilder, whose gravestone says, “I’m a writer but then nobody’s perfect.”
Now that Thill’s in Florida, he told me, the plot lost some of its appeal. He first listed it last year at $790,000 and then dropped the price recently. He’s gotten several nibbles, and said he stands to make “a little money” if he can sell near the list price.
When I got to the cemetery Tuesday, I had trouble locating Thill’s plot, but a woman named Marsha Ebert — shielding herself from the hot sun with a pink umbrella — was visiting her parents’ gravesite and kindly showed me where Monroe and Hefner are buried. She took off her mask only when I asked to photograph her.
Not everyone in the park is a celebrity, Ebert said, and her parents are buried in “very cheap plots.” The space owned by Thill, located several feet from the celebrities, is called a bench estate because there’s a bench next to a space big enough to accommodate four people.
It’s a lovely space, but I’m not sure I’d want to be underground there, with endless hordes of strangers tramping over my head to go kiss Marilyn Monroe’s crypt.
I asked Ebert to guess how much the plot was listed for.
“A thousand dollars?” she said.
Yes. Times 745.
“That’s beyond my pocketbook,” said Ebert.
Brooke Covington, an Alabama resident, took a good look at the Monroe and Hefner crypts and checked those names off her list. She also wanted to see the final resting places of actresses Dominique Dunne and Heather O’Rourke, both of “Poltergeist” fame, “because I’m a huge horror movie fan.”
Covington said she’s a respiratory therapist who came to Los Angeles to work on COVID-19 patients at St. Vincent’s Hospital, but she was about to return home and wanted to do some sightseeing first.
“I’m going to a lot of cemeteries because they’re the only thing open,” she said, keeping a safe social distance.
I asked whether she was interested in buying a plot.
“I don’t really plan on being in a cemetery when I go. I want to be laid into a coral reef,” Covington said.
I didn’t know that was a thing, but apparently your cremated remains can be mixed into a concrete sphere and dropped into the ocean to support coral life.
That’s relatively inexpensive, but if you want your eternal resting place to be a little more prestigious, Westwood Village Memorial Park — like Los Angeles — has both high and low rent districts.
“We have items for sale at a lesser price,” said Steve Quach, who works for Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary. “Some of them are near other stars and it depends on who’s important to you. To give an example, if I was a Don Knotts fan and I wanted to be near Don Knotts … we have a cremation pedestal available there.”
The space would accommodate four urns and would be in the $200,000 range, Quach said.
I’m a little surprised that Knotts, who played Barney Fife in “The Andy Griffith Show” and starred in “The Incredible Mr. Limpet,” about a man who turns into a talking fish, didn’t go for the coral reef burial instead.
Across the way from Monroe and Hefner is a section called Garden of Serenity, where you can find George C. Scott, Walter Matthau, Peggy Lee, Les Brown and Brian Keith.
And Ray Bradbury.
The author of “Fahrenheit 451” is buried next to his wife, Maggie. If I were to end up in that cemetery, that’s where I’d want to be, so I asked Quach if he had anything near the author.
“The nearest to him is one single lot, opposite of Walter Matthau, for $209,000,” Quach said, but I’d need more than one space.
“Within that same garden, in back of Rodney Dangerfield, I have a double for $307,000,” Quach said.
I’ll keep that in mind if I hit the lottery one day, but even then, I might prefer sleeping with the fishes on the coral reef.
I’m not sure it matters one way or another, because as Marilyn Monroe once said, “It’s all make believe, isn’t it?”
Steve.lopez@latimes.com


latimes--2020-05-27--A silent coronavirus threat looms large as California reopens businesses

At Eaton Canyon , a popular Pasadena hiking area , so many people crowded the trail Saturday morning — many without masks and jammed close together — that rangers shut it down for the rest of the month .
On the Venice boardwalk , social distancing was in short supply as thousands converged on the beach-side mecca for Memorial Day weekend .
Photos of the crowds made national headlines and brought concern from officials who had urged beachgoers to wear masks and keep at least six feet apart .
Both scenes offered a window into the challenges ahead as officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen the economy while also maintaining safety rules aimed at preventing new COVID-19 outbreaks .
Since the coronavirus crisis began , officials have been concerned about “ silent spreaders , ” people who have the virus but do not show symptoms .
They could be strolling along Ocean Front Walk or marching up a hiking trial and look perfectly healthy — but still pass along the virus that causes COVID-19 to others .
Officials have been reopening public spaces , businesses and other institutions at a rapid clip over the last couple of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that retail stores and religious institutions could reopen , with safety restrictions on how many people could be inside at one time .
Experts said that as the stay-at-home order is relaxed , observing such restrictions is going to be essential to prevent silent spreaders from causing new outbreaks .
“ Without having social distancing , we are going to definitely see some increased spikes and transmission occurring .
That ’ s definitely going to happen , ” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley , epidemiologist and infectious-disease expert at the UCLA Fielding School of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were not necessarily representative of how well social distancing went during the holiday .
Lifeguards at beaches in Los Angeles and Orange counties said they did not see major problems and that for the most part people followed rules .
Officials hope residents will continue to cooperate and warn that further reopenings depend on it .
“ Reopening does not mean going back to business as usual , ” Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said Tuesday .
“ As long as community members follow safety rules , we can continue to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Disease Control and Prevention that there ’ s a 20 % to 50 % chance that those infected with the coronavirus never show major symptoms during their infection .
Asymptomatic people may be just as capable of transmitting the disease as infected people who become visibly sick , the CDC said .
People can also transmit the coronavirus days before they show signs of sickness .
This is what scientists call “ presymptomatic transmission.
” Of 402 residents and workers testing positive for the coronavirus at Los Angeles County nursing homes , 345 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said last week .
In other words , 86 % of people testing positive at scores of skilled nursing facilities across the nation ’ s most populous counties had no symptoms of the disease when they were tested .
This is not the only study to raise concerns about the large numbers of presymptomatic or asymptomatic infected people .
A UC San Francisco conducted in late April found that , among several thousand residents and workers in San Francisco ’ s Mission District , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than half of them , 53 % , had no symptoms at the time they were tested .
An editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine in late April called asymptomatic transmission “ the of COVID-19 pandemic control through the public health strategies we have currently deployed.
” In another , also published in the New England Journal of Medicine , 56 % of residents at a skilled nursing facility in Washington state ’ s King County who initially tested positive showed no symptoms at the time , but most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It took a median of four days for them to show symptoms .
Visibly healthy people can efforts aimed at trying to identify infected people , such as attempting to screen incoming airline passengers from overseas .
Further , a silent spreader can transmit the coronavirus simply by talking .
Loud talking can emit thousands of saliva droplets per second , and researchers recently found that , in a stagnant air environment , droplets of fluid sprayed from the mouth remained in the air for as long as before drying up .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a substantial probability that normal speaking causes airborne virus transmission in confined environments , ” said the authors in a study published May 13 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
That ’ s why it ’ s so important to adhere to social distancing and wearing masks , experts say .
“ What we ’ re really trying to do is prevent transmission from talking , ” said Dr. George Rutherford , an epidemiology and infectious-disease expert at UC San Francisco , last week .
“ We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asymptomatically infected from transmitting.
” It ’ s easier to suffocate a disease in which the symptoms are obvious , and in which infectiousness occurs after symptoms show up , said Kim-Farley , the UCLA epidemiologist .
For instance , there are few asymptomatic cases of measles , and officials can identify cases , isolate them , find the infected person ’ s close contacts and quarantine them , snuffing out an outbreak .
But diseases in which there ’ s a large share of asymptomatic cases can be far harder to deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 people who were infected with polio , only about one fell ill with paralysis , Kim-Farley said .
“ So it ’ s highly asymptomatic .
So that ’ s why you really can ’ t do contact tracing for polio , because for every case that you identify that has symptoms , there are 99 others that don ’ t .
So it ’ s silently spread in the community.
” That ’ s why , in the years before the polio vaccine was available on a large scale in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at home , even in the summer , when the spread of the virus seemed to peak .
Polio was once one of the nation ’ s most feared diseases , more than 35,000 people a year , on average .
Dr. Deborah Birx , the White House ’ s coronavirus response coordinator , said the problem of silent spreaders makes it all the more important that testing be done widely , especially in vulnerable places like nursing homes , meatpacking plants and agricultural fields , and that people wear masks when they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from others .
“ What I ’ m worried about is : What are we putting in place to find asymptomatic cases ?
” Birx said Sunday on ABC News .
“ All of this proactive testing needs to be in place — and needs to continue to be in place — because that will determine safely remaining open in the fall.
” Experts expect a second surge of coronavirus cases starting in the fall , which may be made worse by the simultaneous start of the flu season .
As of Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus deaths reported in California — 56 % of which have occurred among L.A. County residents .
Nationally , more than 98,000 deaths have been reported .
Over the Memorial Day weekend , there were no major reported problems with excessive crowds in the San Francisco Bay Area .
San Francisco recently painted 10-foot-diameter circles in the grass at four city parks to help groups keep away from one another .
Uniformed people staffed Mission Dolores Park to distribute masks to park guests .
But in Los Angeles County , officials lamented the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where few were wearing masks in images shared on social media .
“ The issues this weekend validate our decision to keep our county parking lots at Venice Beach closed , ” said Nicole Mooradian , spokeswoman for L.A. County ’ s Department of Beaches and Harbors .

At Eaton Canyon, a popular Pasadena hiking area, so many people crowded the trail Saturday morning — many without masks and jammed close together — that rangers shut it down for the rest of the month.
On the Venice boardwalk, social distancing was in short supply as thousands converged on the beach-side mecca for Memorial Day weekend. Photos of the crowds made national headlines and brought concern from officials who had urged beachgoers to wear masks and keep at least six feet apart.
Both scenes offered a window into the challenges ahead as officials try to slowly ease stay-at-home regulations and reopen the economy while also maintaining safety rules aimed at preventing new COVID-19 outbreaks.
Advertisement
Since the coronavirus crisis began, officials have been concerned about “silent spreaders,” people who have the virus but do not show symptoms. They could be strolling along Ocean Front Walk or marching up a hiking trail and look perfectly healthy — but still pass along the virus that causes COVID-19 to others.
Officials have been reopening public spaces, businesses and other institutions at a rapid clip over the last couple of days. Los Angeles County officials announced that retail stores and religious institutions could reopen, with safety restrictions on how many people could be inside at one time.
Experts said that as the stay-at-home order is relaxed, observing such restrictions is going to be essential to prevent silent spreaders from causing new outbreaks.
“Without having social distancing, we are going to definitely see some increased spikes and transmission occurring. That’s definitely going to happen,” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, epidemiologist and infectious-disease expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
Advertisement
Venice and Eaton Canyon were not necessarily representative of how well social distancing went during the holiday. Lifeguards at beaches in Los Angeles and Orange counties said they did not see major problems and that for the most part people followed rules.
Visitors share a narrow hiking path at Eaton Canyon Natural Area Park on Sunday in Pasadena. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Officials hope residents will continue to cooperate and warn that further reopenings depend on it.
“Reopening does not mean going back to business as usual,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said Tuesday. “As long as community members follow safety rules, we can continue to make more progress.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there’s a 20% to 50% chance that those infected with the coronavirus never show major symptoms during their infection. Asymptomatic people may be just as capable of transmitting the disease as infected people who become visibly sick, the CDC said.
People can also transmit the coronavirus days before they show signs of sickness. This is what scientists call “presymptomatic transmission.”
Of 402 residents and workers testing positive for the coronavirus at Los Angeles County nursing homes, 345 had no symptoms of illness, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said last week. In other words, 86% of people testing positive at scores of skilled nursing facilities across the nation’s most populous counties had no symptoms of the disease when they were tested.
This is not the only study to raise concerns about the large numbers of presymptomatic or asymptomatic infected people. A UC San Francisco study conducted in late April found that, among several thousand residents and workers in San Francisco’s Mission District, 62 tested positive for COVID-19 — but more than half of them, 53%, had no symptoms at the time they were tested.
An editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine in late April called asymptomatic transmission “the Achilles’ heel of COVID-19 pandemic control through the public health strategies we have currently deployed.”
In another study , also published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 56% of residents at a skilled nursing facility in Washington state’s King County who initially tested positive showed no symptoms at the time, but most of them later did show signs of illness. It took a median of four days for them to show symptoms.
Visibly healthy people can be omitted from efforts aimed at trying to identify infected people, such as attempting to screen incoming airline passengers from overseas.
Further, a silent spreader can transmit the coronavirus simply by talking. Loud talking can emit thousands of saliva droplets per second, and researchers recently found that, in a stagnant air environment, droplets of fluid sprayed from the mouth remained in the air for as long as eight to 14 minutes before drying up.
“These observations confirm that there is a substantial probability that normal speaking causes airborne virus transmission in confined environments,” said the authors in a study published May 13 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
That’s why it’s so important to adhere to social distancing and wearing masks, experts say.
“What we’re really trying to do is prevent transmission from talking,” said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiology and infectious-disease expert at UC San Francisco, last week. “We’re trying to ... prevent people who are asymptomatically infected from transmitting.”
It’s easier to suffocate a disease in which the symptoms are obvious, and in which infectiousness occurs after symptoms show up, said Kim-Farley, the UCLA epidemiologist. For instance, there are few asymptomatic cases of measles, and officials can identify cases, isolate them, find the infected person’s close contacts and quarantine them, snuffing out an outbreak.
But diseases in which there’s a large share of asymptomatic cases can be far harder to deal with. For instance, for every 100 people who were infected with polio, only about one fell ill with paralysis, Kim-Farley said.
“So it’s highly asymptomatic. So that’s why you really can’t do contact tracing for polio, because for every case that you identify that has symptoms, there are 99 others that don’t. So it’s silently spread in the community.”
That’s why, in the years before the polio vaccine was available on a large scale in the mid-1950s, many parents kept their children at home, even in the summer, when the spread of the virus seemed to peak. Polio was once one of the nation’s most feared diseases, crippling more than 35,000 people a year, on average.
Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, said the problem of silent spreaders makes it all the more important that testing be done widely, especially in vulnerable places like nursing homes, meatpacking plants and agricultural fields, and that people wear masks when they can’t stay six feet away from others.
“What I’m worried about is: What are we putting in place to find asymptomatic cases?” Birx said Sunday on ABC News. “All of this proactive testing needs to be in place — and needs to continue to be in place — because that will determine safely remaining open in the fall.”
Experts expect a second surge of coronavirus cases starting in the fall, which may be made worse by the simultaneous start of the flu season.
As of Tuesday night, there were more than 3,800 coronavirus deaths reported in California — 56% of which have occurred among L.A. County residents. Nationally, more than 98,000 deaths have been reported.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, there were no major reported problems with excessive crowds in the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco recently painted 10-foot-diameter circles in the grass at four city parks to help groups keep away from one another. Uniformed people staffed Mission Dolores Park to distribute masks to park guests.
But in Los Angeles County, officials lamented the crowds at the Venice Beach boardwalk, where few were wearing masks in images shared on social media.
“The issues this weekend validate our decision to keep our county parking lots at Venice Beach closed,” said Nicole Mooradian, spokeswoman for L.A. County’s Department of Beaches and Harbors.
NO @GavinNewsom This is not #Florida. I took this today an hour ago at #Venice #Beach and 98% of the people are not wearing masks including food workers. There are police everywhere and not one is in forcing anything. We paid $20 to park, saw this and left immediately. pic.twitter.com/FrLje7r7LU — DanteTheComic (@Dantethecomic) May 24, 2020
Times staff writer Sarah Parvini contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-05-27--California bullet train could end up needing subsidies, despite promises to voters

When California voters approved bonds in 2008 to build a bullet train across much of the state , a ballot measure promised them that future passenger service would not require operating subsidies .
State officials asserted over the next decade that their system would attract so many millions of riders that it would actually turn a profit .
Now it is debatable whether those promises will be met .
The state rail authority is moving ahead with a plan to issue a massive contract for tracks and an electrical system that would enable bullet train service in the Central Valley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2028 , it would lose money that the state would absorb , according to consultants for the California High-Speed Rail Authority .
Opponents say the state plan is clearly violating promises made to the electorate .
“ It defies the ballot measure approved by voters , ” said Quentin Kopp , a former judge and state senator who was a key architect of the bullet train program and former chairman of the High-Speed Rail Board of Directors .
“ Once you establish the concept , the sky is the limit .
There will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be the lead plaintiff.
” The $ 80 billion mega-project has confronted an array of challenges in the last decade , but it now faces new political and legal tests about its ability to operate without further taxpayer support .
The Proposition 1A bond act in 2008 contained what looked like an explicit ban on subsidies , saying , “ the planned passenger train service to be provided by the authority , or pursuant to its authority , will not require operating subsidy.
” In another passage , it said that if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , then “ the planned passenger service by the authority in the corridor or usable segment thereof will not require a local , state or federal operating subsidy.
” State officials say they are not violating those promises .
Under a plan introduced by Gov .
Gavin Newsom , the state wants to construct an electrified 171-mile starter system between Bakersfield and Merced by 2028 for $ 20.4 billion .
Once the construction is completed , the state would turn over operations to a separate entity , most likely the San Joaquin Joint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service in the Central Valley that goes to Oakland and Sacramento .
Business analyses of the plan by accounting firm KPMG and German rail firm Deutsche Bahn project that the service would lose about $ 40 million , though the losses could go as high as $ 90 million if expected investments in a new Merced station are not made .
The plan includes connections with the ACE commuter system , which goes from the Central Valley to San Jose .
Proponents of the plan argue that any losses would be incurred by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California High-Speed Rail Authority .
Brian Annis , the rail authority ’ s chief financial officer , said the idea is similar to investments the authority made in 2012 in the Caltrain and Metrolink commuter rail lines , which are also subsidized , though they do not operate bullet trains .
Annis noted that the plan actually saves the state money , because combining high-speed rail service with existing conventional passenger rail operations reduces state subsidies by half .
Stacey Mortensen , executive director of the San Joaquin authority and chief of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a subsidy should be “ run up the flagpole ” to get a legal opinion before moving forward .
“ Let ’ s ask the state attorney general to see how it relates to Prop 1A , ” she said .
To be sure , the rail authority has consistently won the day in the state Legislature and in state courts , turning back past allegations that it was violating taxpayer protections embedded in the Prop 1A bond act .
But the battles have been costly , causing construction delays and higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Authority spokeswoman Annie Parker also defended the plan , saying in a statement , “ This model is allowable and consistent with the tenets of Proposition 1A.
” But others take exception to the idea .
The Legislative Analyst ’ s Office , a nonpartisan adviser to lawmakers , warned in a March report , “ Operating subsidy expected ” and asserted that a “ subsidy of interim service appears inconsistent with the spirit of Proposition 1A.
” Helen Kerstein , the LAO ’ s expert on the bullet train , said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawyers and in a position to opine on how a court would rule .
The idea of having that language was that on an ongoing basis passenger fares would pay for the service , not taxpayers.
” A number of critics also say privately that the $ 40 million projected subsidy is based on inflated ridership expectations and could easily balloon out of control .
The plan is already facing more than verbal opposition .
A bill by Assemblyman Jim Patterson ( R-Fresno ) declares that the High-Speed Rail Authority ’ s plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subsidies .
A committee staff analysis said , “ This bill clarifies the Legislature ’ s intent when it wrote the 2008 bond language prohibiting any operating subsidy for high-speed rail service in the state , because the most recent HSRA business plan proposes a system with an operating subsidy.
” It was approved by the Transportation Committee by a vote of 12 to 1 .
Committee chairman Jim Frazier ( D-Discovery Bay ) , who has grown increasingly critical of the project ’ s execution , voted in favor of the bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is a signal of why high-speed rail is in such difficulty , ” Patterson said .
“ This is clearly bait-and-switch ; this is clearly a shell game.
” A second bill , by Assemblywoman Luz Rivas ( D-Arleta ) , would create other obstacles to the Central Valley plan .
It would set new priorities for the program ’ s investments : select ones that provide the most overall benefit , increase rail ridership and replace car trips with rail trips .
It would likely help a fight led by Speaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion of the Central Valley funding to rail improvements in Los Angeles and San Francisco .
The bill was approved by the committee on a 15-0 vote .
Organized labor has strongly objected to the Rivas legislation , sending dozens of letters in opposition and arguing for continued investments in the Central Valley .
The State Building & Construction Trades Council of California has been one of the strongest and most consistent supporters of the high-speed rail authority .
Patterson ’ s and Rivas ’ s bills were sent to the Appropriations Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them , according to Assembly sources .
The state-appointed peer review committee , led by Amtrak veteran Louis Thompson , also warned in a recent report that the cost of operating a high-speed service in the Central Valley could be higher than expected or more than the San Joaquin authority can handle .
“ It may be difficult to implement an interim arrangement that does not violate the terms of Proposition 1A , ” the report said .
Thompson told The Times that nobody ever defined what constitutes an operating subsidy , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imprecise in many ways.
” The subject of subsidies is likely to come up prominently in an Assembly Transportation Committee hearing Wednesday , though no decisions or actions are expected .
If it didn ’ t have enough trouble with growing political opposition , the high-speed rail is facing another threat , from COVID-19 .
The state ’ s $ 54 billion financial deficit will bring every state expenditure under closer scrutiny .
In addition , the rail authority depends on its 25 % share of fees raised by the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emissions .
The drop in car , rail , bus and air travel , along with less industrial and commercial activity , are reducing energy consumption and will likely decrease at least in the short term the need for emission permits .
The results of an auction for permits last week have not been publicly released .
“ That absolutely does create some new risks and new uncertainties for our funding stream , ” Annis , the rail authority ’ s chief financial officer , said .

Workers tie rebar on a support structure located on the south end of the Cedar Viaduct section of the California High-Speed Rail project.
When California voters approved bonds in 2008 to build a bullet train across much of the state, a ballot measure promised them that future passenger service would not require operating subsidies.
State officials asserted over the next decade that their system would attract so many millions of riders that it would actually turn a profit.
Now it is debatable whether those promises will be met.
The state rail authority is moving ahead with a plan to issue a massive contract for tracks and an electrical system that would enable bullet train service in the Central Valley. But when the service starts in 2028, it would lose money that the state would absorb, according to consultants for the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
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Opponents say the state plan is clearly violating promises made to the electorate.
“It defies the ballot measure approved by voters,” said Quentin Kopp, a former judge and state senator who was a key architect of the bullet train program and former chairman of the High-Speed Rail Board of Directors. “Once you establish the concept, the sky is the limit. There will be a lawsuit, and I want to be the lead plaintiff.”
The $80 billion mega-project has confronted an array of challenges in the last decade, but it now faces new political and legal tests about its ability to operate without further taxpayer support.
The Proposition 1A bond act in 2008 contained what looked like an explicit ban on subsidies, saying, “the planned passenger train service to be provided by the authority, or pursuant to its authority, will not require operating subsidy.”
In another passage, it said that if a partial segment or corridor were built, then “the planned passenger service by the authority in the corridor or usable segment thereof will not require a local, state or federal operating subsidy.”
State officials say they are not violating those promises.
Under a plan introduced by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the state wants to construct an electrified 171-mile starter system between Bakersfield and Merced by 2028 for $20.4 billion. Once the construction is completed, the state would turn over operations to a separate entity, most likely the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, which now controls Amtrak service in the Central Valley that goes to Oakland and Sacramento.
Business analyses of the plan by accounting firm KPMG and German rail firm Deutsche Bahn project that the service would lose about $40 million, though the losses could go as high as $90 million a year if expected investments in a new Merced station are not made. The plan includes connections with the ACE commuter system, which goes from the Central Valley to San Jose.
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Proponents of the plan argue that any losses would be incurred by the San Joaquin authority, not the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
Brian Annis, the rail authority’s chief financial officer, said the idea is similar to investments the authority made in 2012 in the Caltrain and Metrolink commuter rail lines, which are also subsidized, though they do not operate bullet trains. Annis noted that the plan actually saves the state money, because combining high-speed rail service with existing conventional passenger rail operations reduces state subsidies by half.
Stacey Mortensen, executive director of the San Joaquin authority and chief of the ACE commuter line, said the issue of a subsidy should be “run up the flagpole” to get a legal opinion before moving forward. “Let’s ask the state attorney general to see how it relates to Prop 1A,” she said.
To be sure, the rail authority has consistently won the day in the state Legislature and in state courts, turning back past allegations that it was violating taxpayer protections embedded in the Prop 1A bond act. But the battles have been costly, causing construction delays and higher legal costs for the rail authority.
Authority spokeswoman Annie Parker also defended the plan, saying in a statement, “This model is allowable and consistent with the tenets of Proposition 1A.”
But others take exception to the idea.
The Legislative Analyst’s Office, a nonpartisan adviser to lawmakers, warned in a March report, “Operating subsidy expected” and asserted that a “subsidy of interim service appears inconsistent with the spirit of Proposition 1A.”
Helen Kerstein, the LAO’s expert on the bullet train, said in an interview, “We are not lawyers and in a position to opine on how a court would rule. The idea of having that language was that on an ongoing basis passenger fares would pay for the service, not taxpayers.”
A number of critics also say privately that the $40 million projected subsidy is based on inflated ridership expectations and could easily balloon out of control.
The plan is already facing more than verbal opposition.
A bill by Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) declares that the High-Speed Rail Authority’s plan does not comply with the prohibition of subsidies. A committee staff analysis said, “This bill clarifies the Legislature’s intent when it wrote the 2008 bond language prohibiting any operating subsidy for high-speed rail service in the state, because the most recent HSRA business plan proposes a system with an operating subsidy.”
It was approved by the Transportation Committee by a vote of 12 to 1. Committee chairman Jim Frazier (D-Discovery Bay), who has grown increasingly critical of the project’s execution, voted in favor of the bill, along with other Democrats.
“This is a signal of why high-speed rail is in such difficulty,” Patterson said. “This is clearly bait-and-switch; this is clearly a shell game.”
California California bullet train’s mishandling of land deals adds to mounting costs and delays The biggest immediate problem for California’s high-speed rail project is land acquisitions. Mismanagement of them is contributing to construction delays, cost increases, litigation and the launch of a federal audit.
A second bill, by Assemblywoman Luz Rivas (D-Arleta), would create other obstacles to the Central Valley plan. It would set new priorities for the program’s investments: select ones that provide the most overall benefit, increase rail ridership and replace car trips with rail trips.
It would likely help a fight led by Speaker Anthony Rendon to redirect about $5 billion of the Central Valley funding to rail improvements in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The bill was approved by the committee on a 15-0 vote.
Organized labor has strongly objected to the Rivas legislation, sending dozens of letters in opposition and arguing for continued investments in the Central Valley. The State Building & Construction Trades Council of California has been one of the strongest and most consistent supporters of the high-speed rail authority.
Patterson’s and Rivas’s bills were sent to the Appropriations Committee, which is under pressure to block them, according to Assembly sources.
The state-appointed peer review committee, led by Amtrak veteran Louis Thompson, also warned in a recent report that the cost of operating a high-speed service in the Central Valley could be higher than expected or more than the San Joaquin authority can handle.
“It may be difficult to implement an interim arrangement that does not violate the terms of Proposition 1A,” the report said.
Thompson told The Times that nobody ever defined what constitutes an operating subsidy, so the language in Prop 1A “is imprecise in many ways.”
The subject of subsidies is likely to come up prominently in an Assembly Transportation Committee hearing Wednesday, though no decisions or actions are expected.
If it didn’t have enough trouble with growing political opposition, the high-speed rail is facing another threat, from COVID-19. The state’s $54 billion financial deficit will bring every state expenditure under closer scrutiny. In addition, the rail authority depends on its share of fees raised by the state’s cap-and-trade auction system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The declines in car, rail, bus and air travel, along with less industrial and commercial activity, are reducing energy consumption and will probably decrease at least in the short term the need for emission permits. The results of a quarterly auction for permits last week were disclosed Thursday, indicating a sharp drop in emission permits and revenue.
The Air Resources Board reported that the auction raised about $25 million total. The bullet train project gets a 25% share of that revenue, or about $6 million for this auction. That is well below the minimum of $125 million for each quarterly auction that the agency anticipates. If the trend continues, it could cause future problems.
“That absolutely does create some new risks and new uncertainties for our funding stream,” Annis, the rail authority’s chief financial officer, said.


latimes--2020-05-27--One-way halls, lunch at desk, playing alone. L.A. schools could reopen with stark rules

Sixteen students to a class .
One-way hallways .
Students lunch at their desks .
Children could get one ball to play with — alone .
Masks are required .
A staggered school day brings on new schedules to juggle .
These campus scenarios could play out based on new Los Angeles County school reopening guidelines released Wednesday .
This planning document will affect 2 million students and their families as educators undertake a challenge forced on them by the coronavirus crisis : fundamentally redesigning the traditional school day .
The safe reopening of schools in California and throughout the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — of long-held traditions and goals of the American school day , where play time , socialization and hands-on support have long been essential to the learning equation in everything from science labs and team sports to recess and group work .
The Los Angeles County Office of Education guidelines offer an early top-to-bottom glimpse at the massive and costly changes that will be required to reboot campuses serving students from preschool through 12th grade , critical to reopening California .
The 45-page framework was developed through the work of county staffers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school systems , each of which must develop its own reopening plan .
“ Our main priority is health and safety , ” said Debra Duardo , the superintendent for the L.A. County Office of Education , which provides services and financial oversight for the county ’ s 80 school systems .
“ Unfortunately some of the things that children could enjoy in the past , they ’ re not going to be able to do that.
” The county ’ s guidance came out before the state Department of Education released its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million public school students .
State Supt .
of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Wednesday to expect that “ guidebook ” in early June .
“ We expect ... that students and staff should be wearing a face covering at school , ” Thurmond said .
Schools should follow the lead of childcare centers open now , which take temperatures when children enter and ask parents to take their children ’ s temperatures before they leave home .
“ We ’ re going to have to use every part of the campus to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of distance , ” whether in the classroom , at lunch , or on the way to and from campus .
When campuses closed in mid-March , school systems scrambled to develop a new style of education on the fly — one that relied on “ distance learning.
” Administrators quickly handed out computers and internet hot spots .
Teachers trained on Zoom and other online platforms .
Parents oversaw learning at home , even as they faced economic hardship .
Despite these Herculean efforts , school leaders and teachers report uneven student @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , underscoring the importance of an academically robust return to campus — even as the governor ’ s proposed budget envisions a cut for schools of about 10 % .
A walk-through Tuesday at Cerritos Elementary School in Glendale put the complexities into focus .
The campus has the natural advantage of multiple outdoor spaces : The doors for the youngest students ’ classrooms open directly onto a circular courtyard leading to a student garden — no need for these students to go through hallways to get to class .
The guidelines recommend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the threat of virus transmission is lower .
But how exactly do you keep kindergartners and other youngsters six feet apart ?
“ That is a big challenge because our nature is to play together and the socialization is so important at that age , ” said Cerritos Principal Perla Chavez-Fritz .
“ Maybe hula hoops and things that the students can play together alone.
” Then there ’ s the challenge of requiring students , especially little ones , to wear masks all day — if they ’ re fiddling or taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefit declines .
Some students with disabilities or health issues can not safely wear masks .
The other side of Cerritos Elementary opens onto a grassy field adjacent to a covered eating area — additional helpful outdoor space .
But the massive , brightly hued play structure is likely to be off-limits .
Under the guidelines , the spacious eating area could be used for some classroom activities , but not for the traditional lunch period gathering .
It ’ s safer for students to remain in class , eating at their desks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county said school districts could consider hybrid learning models , with students spending half the school day at home to reduce class size , and perhaps eliminating lunch period altogether — by sending students home with a bagged meal .
A hybrid model would likely require some element of distance learning , which many children statewide are still not equipped for , Thurmond said Wednesday .
About 600,000 California students are still waiting for a computing device and 300,000-400,000 need internet hot spots , a gap that would cost at least $ 500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Emily Miranda ’ s classroom and other issues become obvious .
Her classroom opens onto an interior hall — which new guidelines suggest be turned into a one-way passage to limit jostling .
Inside , the room is frozen in mid-March , walls festooned with student work for display at an open house that never happened : book reports on Dr. Seuss ; crayon and collage pieces for the Fine Arts Day display .
Book orders were due March 13 .
A girl ’ s pencil box is open and askew .
Student @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Addison and Maya sat facing one another with their desks pushed together .
That wouldn ’ t work for the fall .
The guidelines suggest facing all desks the same way , six feet apart .
Plus , there are too many desks — far more than the 16 the guidelines recommend in a standard-sized California classroom .
And there ’ s just too much furniture , including a student activity center at a kidney-shaped table .
That ’ s too much to keep clean , to disinfect and to allow for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administrators rent storage pods for unusable furniture .
“ We ’ ve measured , ” said Vivian Ekchian , the superintendent of Glendale Unified School District .
“ We ’ re going through all the different scenarios to see how many tables , how many chairs , how many desks , how many students would have to be in a classroom for us to remain safe and make sure that instruction still occurs.
” At Cerritos Elementary , all classrooms have sinks , but that ’ s not true everywhere .
The guidelines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frequent hand washing .
The carpet on Miranda ’ s floor — where students recently huddled during storytime to listen to her read such books as “ Horrible Harry , ” “ The Frog Prince , ” “ The Mangrove Tree ” — may also have to go because it ’ s too small for social distancing .
And those books — part of Miranda ’ s huge classroom library — are impossible to sanitize daily , and may have to be packed away .
Students may have to read online , Ekchian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be purchasing for our students their own personal equipment .
So whether it ’ s their masks or crayons and pencils , whatever is appropriate at that age level .
And it might include a basketball which they can use .
It might not be in a team sport.
” Ekchian can ’ t imagine having to reduce staff because of proposed budget cuts .
She ’ s thinking that necessary new hires might include bathroom attendants , to keep those areas properly supervised .
So many unknowns remain , said Alejandro Ruvalcaba @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , south of Pasadena .
If the county is in Phase 5 of reopening , school will be closest to normal , he said .
Although the district also must be ready , for example , to handle more restrictive openings and split schedules .
“ We don ’ t know whether it ’ s going to be every other day , ” Ruvalcaba said .
“ We don ’ t know whether it ’ s going to be AM/PM , and it might be a combination of both.
” And one instructional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Lancaster School District Supt .
Michele Bowers , who served on the task force along with Ekchian and Ruvalcaba .
“ Not everyone wants their child to be in a school setting , ” said Bowers .
“ Some need a school setting for various reasons .
Some are very comfortable with a blended model.
” The uncertain timeline of restructured schools is worrisome , said UCLA education professor Pedro Noguera .
Schools offer an important environment where children learn to socialize with one another , he said .
The diminishing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contact could hurt students if such measures continue in the long term .
“ There are a lot of kids that are more social , and they look to school for their friends and their teachers.
” Noguera said , “ and they ’ re going to be at a huge disadvantage .
”

L.A. County Office of Education Supt. Debra Duardo explains that a play structure at Cerritos Elementary in Glendale would be off-limits to students under current health directives when the school reopens.
Sixteen students to a class. One-way hallways. Students lunch at their desks. Children could get one ball to play with — alone. Masks are required. A staggered school day brings on new schedules to juggle.
These campus scenarios could play out based on new Los Angeles County school reopening guidelines released Wednesday. This planning document will affect 2 million students and their families as educators undertake a challenge forced on them by the coronavirus crisis: fundamentally redesigning the traditional school day.
The safe reopening of schools in California and throughout the nation compels the reimagining — or abandoning — of long-held traditions and goals of the American school day, where play time, socialization and hands-on support have long been essential to the learning equation in everything from science labs and team sports to recess and group work.
Advertisement
The Los Angeles County Office of Education guidelines offer an early top-to-bottom glimpse at the massive and costly changes that will be required to reboot campuses serving students from preschool through 12th grade, critical to reopening California. The 45-page framework was developed through the work of county staffers, outside advisors and representatives from 23 county school systems, each of which must develop its own reopening plan.
“Our main priority is health and safety,” said Debra Duardo, the superintendent for the L.A. County Office of Education, which provides services and financial oversight for the county’s 80 school systems. “Unfortunately some of the things that children could enjoy in the past, they’re not going to be able to do that.”
The county’s guidance came out before the state Department of Education released its own framework for California’s 6.2 million public school students. State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Wednesday to expect that “guidebook” in early June.
“We expect ... that students and staff should be wearing a face covering at school,” Thurmond said. Schools should follow the lead of childcare centers open now, which take temperatures when children enter and ask parents to take their children’s temperatures before they leave home. “We’re going to have to use every part of the campus to make sure that we have six feet of distance,” whether in the classroom, at lunch, or on the way to and from campus.
When campuses closed in mid-March, school systems scrambled to develop a new style of education on the fly — one that relied on “distance learning.” Administrators quickly handed out computers and internet hot spots. Teachers trained on Zoom and other online platforms. Parents oversaw learning at home, even as they faced economic hardship.
Despite these Herculean efforts, school leaders and teachers report uneven student engagement and impediments to learning at home, underscoring the importance of an academically robust return to campus — even as the governor’s proposed budget envisions a cut for schools of about 10%.
Advertisement
A walk-through Tuesday at Cerritos Elementary School in Glendale put the complexities into focus.
The campus has the natural advantage of multiple outdoor spaces: The doors for the youngest students’ classrooms open directly onto a circular courtyard leading to a student garden — no need for these students to go through hallways to get to class.
The guidelines recommend making use of outdoor spaces — where the threat of virus transmission is lower.
But how exactly do you keep kindergartners and other youngsters six feet apart?
“That is a big challenge because our nature is to play together and the socialization is so important at that age,” said Cerritos Principal Perla Chavez-Fritz. “Maybe hula hoops and things that the students can play together alone.”
Cerritos Elementary Principal Perla Chavez-Fritz, foreground, looks over an outdoor lunch eating area that is unlikely to be used for the school lunch period when the Glendale campus reopens. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Then there’s the challenge of requiring students, especially little ones, to wear masks all day — if they’re fiddling or taking them on and off, the sanitation benefit declines. Some students with disabilities or health issues cannot safely wear masks.
The other side of Cerritos Elementary opens onto a grassy field adjacent to a covered eating area — additional helpful outdoor space. But the massive, brightly hued play structure is likely to be off-limits.
Under the guidelines, the spacious eating area could be used for some classroom activities, but not for the traditional lunch period gathering. It’s safer for students to remain in class, eating at their desks, spaced six feet apart.
The county said school districts could consider hybrid learning models, with students spending half the school day at home to reduce class size, and perhaps eliminating lunch period altogether — by sending students home with a bagged meal.
A hybrid model would likely require some element of distance learning, which many children statewide are still not equipped for, Thurmond said Wednesday. About 600,000 California students are still waiting for a computing device and 300,000-400,000 need internet hot spots, a gap that would cost at least $500 million to fill.
Enter second-grade teacher Emily Miranda’s classroom and other issues become obvious. Her classroom opens onto an interior hall — which new guidelines suggest be turned into a one-way passage to limit jostling.
Inside, the room is frozen in mid-March, walls festooned with student work for display at an open house that never happened: book reports on Dr. Seuss; crayon and collage pieces for the Fine Arts Day display. Book orders were due March 13. A girl’s pencil box is open and askew.
A pencil box left by a student before Cerritos Elementary in Glendale shut down, along with other schools across the state. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Student name tags show that Ryan, Lucas, Addison and Maya sat facing one another with their desks pushed together. That wouldn’t work for the fall. The guidelines suggest facing all desks the same way, six feet apart.
Plus, there are too many desks — far more than the 16 the guidelines recommend in a standard-sized California classroom. And there’s just too much furniture, including a student activity center at a kidney-shaped table. That’s too much to keep clean, to disinfect and to allow for physical distancing.
The calendar stops at March 13 in the second-grade classroom of teacher Emily Miranda at Cerritos Elementary in Glendale. That was the last day before campuses closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
The guidelines suggest that administrators rent storage pods for unusable furniture.
“We’ve measured,” said Vivian Ekchian, the superintendent of Glendale Unified School District. “We’re going through all the different scenarios to see how many tables, how many chairs, how many desks, how many students would have to be in a classroom for us to remain safe and make sure that instruction still occurs.”
Glendale Unified Supt. Vivian Ekchian, left, and L.A. County Office of Education Supt. Debra Duardo tour Cerritos Elementary in Glendale on Tuesday while discussing plans to reopen campuses. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
At Cerritos Elementary, all classrooms have sinks, but that’s not true everywhere. The guidelines recommend building time into the schedule for frequent hand washing.
The carpet on Miranda’s floor — where students recently huddled during storytime to listen to her read such books as “Horrible Harry,” “The Frog Prince,” “The Mangrove Tree” — may also have to go because it’s too small for social distancing. And those books — part of Miranda’s huge classroom library — are impossible to sanitize daily, and may have to be packed away.
Students may have to read online, Ekchian said, adding, “We will be purchasing for our students their own personal equipment. So whether it’s their masks or crayons and pencils, whatever is appropriate at that age level. And it might include a basketball which they can use. It might not be in a team sport.”
Ekchian can’t imagine having to reduce staff because of proposed budget cuts. She’s thinking that necessary new hires might include bathroom attendants, to keep those areas properly supervised.
So many unknowns remain, said Alejandro Ruvalcaba, superintendent of the Rosemead School District, south of Pasadena.
If the county is in Phase 5 of reopening, school will be closest to normal, he said. Although the district also must be ready, for example, to handle more restrictive openings and split schedules.
“We don’t know whether it’s going to be every other day,” Ruvalcaba said. “We don’t know whether it’s going to be AM/PM, and it might be a combination of both.”
And one instructional plan won’t be enough, said Lancaster School District Supt. Michele Bowers, who served on the task force along with Ekchian and Ruvalcaba.
“Not everyone wants their child to be in a school setting,” said Bowers. “Some need a school setting for various reasons. Some are very comfortable with a blended model.”
The uncertain timeline of restructured schools is worrisome, said UCLA education professor Pedro Noguera.
Schools offer an important environment where children learn to socialize with one another, he said.
The diminishing of play, lunch table chatter and personal contact could hurt students if such measures continue in the long term.
“There are a lot of kids that are more social, and they look to school for their friends and their teachers.” Noguera said, “and they’re going to be at a huge disadvantage.”


latimes--2020-05-28--L.A. County sheriff reviewing deputies' actions in video recorded by suspects complaining of harassm

L.A. County sheriff reviewing deputies' actions in video recorded by suspects complaining of harassment

The Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department is reviewing the actions of deputies captured on video confronting three men in a gray sedan who complained of unlawful harassment .
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he does not want to “ Monday morning quarterback ” the incident , which began with the three men sitting in the car after being pulled over , until investigations into the suspects ’ and deputies ’ conduct are complete .
His primary concern at the moment is for the welfare of a deputy who was allegedly kicked in the stomach by the driver and broke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fell to the ground , he said in answer to reporters ’ questions at a news briefing Wednesday .
“ If you have a doubt about the actions of a peace officer , you ’ re not going to improve the situation by resisting violently , resisting with force , ” Villanueva said .
In the video , posted May 25 on YouTube , the men make a phone call to ask for a supervisor as a male deputy hovers at the driver ’ s side door .
“ You just stuck your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the door , ” one of the men says .
“ Like what hell ?
Just ask me.
” “ You ’ re over here yapping , so I ’ m just letting you yap , ” the deputy responds .
Eventually , the male deputy opens the door and attempts to handcuff the driver .
A tussle ensues inside the car , as the driver resists and the deputy puts a hand on the suspect ’ s head , knocking his hat off .
The men shout for help in English and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were stopped for having tinted windows .
The Sheriff ’ s Department has not commented on why the men were pulled over .
The driver ends up face down on the ground with both deputies trying to handcuff him .
The alleged kick in the stomach and injury to the female deputy are not apparent in the video .
The driver was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer , resisting an officer with force and driving without a license , Villanueva said .
One passenger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comply with a lawful order , and the other on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine for sale .

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is reviewing the actions of deputies captured on video confronting three men in a gray sedan who complained of unlawful harassment.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he does not want to “Monday morning quarterback” the incident, which began with the three men sitting in the car after being pulled over, until investigations into the suspects’ and deputies’ conduct are complete.
His primary concern at the moment is for the welfare of a deputy who was allegedly kicked in the stomach by the driver and broke her arm in three places when she fell to the ground, he said in answer to reporters’ questions at a news briefing Wednesday.
“If you have a doubt about the actions of a peace officer, you’re not going to improve the situation by resisting violently, resisting with force,” Villanueva said.
In the video, posted May 25 on YouTube, the men make a phone call to ask for a supervisor as a male deputy hovers at the driver’s side door.
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“You just stuck your hand in here and tried to open the door,” one of the men says. “Like what hell? Just ask me.”
“You’re over here yapping, so I’m just letting you yap,” the deputy responds.
A female deputy arrives, saying: “Relax. Just relax.”
Eventually, the male deputy opens the door and attempts to handcuff the driver. A tussle ensues inside the car, as the driver resists and the deputy puts a hand on the suspect’s head, knocking his hat off.
The men shout for help in English and Spanish.
One of the men says they were stopped for having tinted windows. The Sheriff’s Department has not commented on why the men were pulled over.
The driver ends up face down on the ground with both deputies trying to handcuff him. The alleged kick in the stomach and injury to the female deputy are not apparent in the video.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, resisting an officer with force and driving without a license, Villanueva said. One passenger was arrested on suspicion of failing to comply with a lawful order, and the other on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine for sale.


latimes--2020-05-27--Coronavirus infection rates in some parts of L.A. County jails are 40% or higher

As extensive testing for the novel coronavirus gets underway in the vast Los Angeles County jail system , high infection rates are emerging , with nearly 60 % of one group of inmates testing positive .
Among 600 inmates at North County Correctional Facility in Castaic who were without symptoms and living in the general population , 40 % tested positive , indicating that herd immunity “ is starting to take effect , ” Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a news briefing Wednesday .
At Men ’ s Central Jail , nearly 60 % in a dorm of 67 asymptomatic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Inspector General Max Huntsman , an independent watchdog for the L.A. County Sheriff ’ s Department .
But Villanueva said the number of inmates with symptoms of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , has gone down , putting the jails “ in a better place than we were were a week ago , when we were in the opposite direction.
” Patrisse Cullors , chairwoman and founder of Reform L.A. Jails , which has pushed for universal testing in the jails and more inmates to be released early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immunity theory “ ignorant and incredibly risky.
” “ The numbers he announced are appalling , ” she said .
“ It shows there ’ s an outbreak in the jails.
” Huntsman said last week that the jails are violating guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for physical distancing and testing in correctional facilities .
“ There ’ s now a full-blown epidemic within a pandemic in our jail , ” he said .
“ So we have an environment where people are sleeping close together .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to toe or cutting down the numbers a little bit is going to make a difference.
” The percentage of a population needed to achieve herd immunity varies depending on how easily the virus is spreading , according to a paper about the novel coronavirus in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal posted online in advance of its July publication date .
If each infected person gives the virus to roughly two people , 55 % need to have already had the virus or have been vaccinated to prevent further spread .
If each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of nearly six people , the threshold for herd immunity rises to 82 % , according to the paper by Steven Sanche , Yen Ting Lin and four other scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory .
Infectious diseases can spread rapidly among tight living quarters in jails and prisons .
At the Lompoc and Terminal Island federal prisons in California , a combined total of 1,800 inmates have been infected with the coronavirus , and 10 have died .
In the L.A. County jails , more than 1,000 inmates in a population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with 250 Sheriff ’ s Department employees , including some who do not work in the jails .
One jail nurse has died of the virus .
More than 5,100 inmates , or nearly 40 % of the jail population , are under quarantine .
But without testing of all inmates , including those without symptoms , it is unclear how widespread the virus is in the county jails .
Testing of asymptomatic inmates was completed in the women ’ s jail last week , with the goal of testing all inmates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Assistant Sheriff Bruce Chase said last week .
All inmates entering the jails are now tested for the coronavirus .
To create more physical distance behind bars , county officials have reduced the number of inmates by more than 20 % , from a typical population of 17,000 .
But the jails still house some nonviolent offenders and those whose age or preexisting medical conditions make them especially vulnerable to the virus .
With inmates and employees coming and going , outbreaks in the jails can easily spread to the general public .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of inmates at the North County Correctional Facility drinking water from the same container in what he described as an attempt to spread the coronavirus to one another and obtain early release .
The day after the incident in late April , nine inmates fell ill and were removed from the dorm , with 21 eventually testing positive for the virus , Sheriff ’ s Department officials said .
But critics say the video does not prove the inmates ’ intent .
Cullors said the sheriff was trying to gaslight the public by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus .
“ Not a single person inside wants COVID-19 , ” she said .
At last week ’ s Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission meeting , Cheryl Grills , vice chairwoman of the Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections , reported on visits she made to three county jails and interviews she conducted with inmates .
At the women ’ s jail , trustee inmates who cook and clean said they moved freely from quarantined areas to nonquarantined areas without any sanitary precautions , which made them afraid of contracting the virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ were not provided with a change of clothes afterwards , Grills said .
Though most inmates in the women ’ s jail were wearing masks , almost no men were , Grills said .
The North County Correctional Facility had no procedure for deep cleaning , with each inmate responsible for cleaning his own living area .
Chase , the assistant sheriff , said there were structural issues in the jails , such as triple bunks bolted to the floor , that made social distancing difficult .
It is hard to get inmates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from one another when they are essentially at home , Chase added .
Villanueva had defied a subpoena to testify at the meeting about jail conditions , sending Chase instead .

As extensive testing for the novel coronavirus gets underway in the vast Los Angeles County jail system, high infection rates are emerging, with nearly 60% of one group of inmates testing positive.
Among 600 inmates at North County Correctional Facility in Castaic who were without symptoms and living in the general population, 40% tested positive, indicating that herd immunity “is starting to take effect,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a news briefing Wednesday.
At Men’s Central Jail, nearly 60% in a dorm of 67 asymptomatic inmates tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Inspector General Max Huntsman, an independent watchdog for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
But Villanueva said the number of inmates with symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has gone down, putting the jails “in a better place than we were were a week ago, when we were in the opposite direction.”
Patrisse Cullors, chairwoman and founder of Reform L.A. Jails, which has pushed for universal testing in the jails and more inmates to be released early, called the sheriff’s herd immunity theory “ignorant and incredibly risky.”
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“The numbers he announced are appalling,” she said. “It shows there’s an outbreak in the jails.”
Huntsman said last week that the jails are violating guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for physical distancing and testing in correctional facilities.
“There’s now a full-blown epidemic within a pandemic in our jail,” he said. “So we have an environment where people are sleeping close together. There’s no way that sleeping head to toe or cutting down the numbers a little bit is going to make a difference.”
The percentage of a population needed to achieve herd immunity varies depending on how easily the virus is spreading, according to a paper about the novel coronavirus in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal posted online in advance of its July publication date.
If each infected person gives the virus to roughly two people, 55% need to have already had the virus or have been vaccinated to prevent further spread. If each person gives the virus to an average of nearly six people, the threshold for herd immunity rises to 82%, according to the paper by Steven Sanche, Yen Ting Lin and four other scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Infectious diseases can spread rapidly among tight living quarters in jails and prisons. At the Lompoc and Terminal Island federal prisons in California, a combined total of 1,800 inmates have been infected with the coronavirus, and 10 have died.
In the L.A. County jails, more than 1,000 inmates in a population of nearly 13,000 have tested positive, along with 250 Sheriff’s Department employees, including some who do not work in the jails. One jail nurse has died of the virus.
More than 5,100 inmates, or nearly 40% of the jail population, are under quarantine.
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But without testing of all inmates, including those without symptoms, it is unclear how widespread the virus is in the county jails.
Testing of asymptomatic inmates was completed in the women’s jail last week, with the goal of testing all inmates in the county system by mid-June, Assistant Sheriff Bruce Chase said last week. All inmates entering the jails are now tested for the coronavirus.
To create more physical distance behind bars, county officials have reduced the number of inmates by more than 20%, from a typical population of 17,000. But the jails still house some nonviolent offenders and those whose age or preexisting medical conditions make them especially vulnerable to the virus.
With inmates and employees coming and going, outbreaks in the jails can easily spread to the general public.
This month, Villanueva released surveillance video of inmates at the North County Correctional Facility drinking water from the same container in what he described as an attempt to spread the coronavirus to one another and obtain early release.
The day after the incident in late April, nine inmates fell ill and were removed from the dorm, with 21 eventually testing positive for the virus, Sheriff’s Department officials said.
But critics say the video does not prove the inmates’ intent. Cullors said the sheriff was trying to gaslight the public by blaming inmates for the spread of the virus.
“Not a single person inside wants COVID-19,” she said.
At last week’s Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission meeting, Cheryl Grills, vice chairwoman of the Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections, reported on visits she made to three county jails and interviews she conducted with inmates.
At the women’s jail, trustee inmates who cook and clean said they moved freely from quarantined areas to nonquarantined areas without any sanitary precautions, which made them afraid of contracting the virus.
Trustees performing deep cleaning of jail facilities were not provided with a change of clothes afterwards, Grills said.
Though most inmates in the women’s jail were wearing masks, almost no men were, Grills said. The North County Correctional Facility had no procedure for deep cleaning, with each inmate responsible for cleaning his own living area.
Chase, the assistant sheriff, said there were structural issues in the jails, such as triple bunks bolted to the floor, that made social distancing difficult.
It is hard to get inmates to wear masks and keep six feet from one another when they are essentially at home, Chase added.
Villanueva had defied a subpoena to testify at the meeting about jail conditions, sending Chase instead.


latimes--2020-05-27--California lawmakers break from Newsom's budget, extend deadline for federal cash

California Senate Democrats are poised to reject $ 14 billion in budget cuts proposed by Gov .
Gavin Newsom earlier this month , choosing instead to craft a spending plan that looks for other ways to erase the state ’ s deficit and assumes additional money for schools and social services will come from the federal government by early September .
The proposal relies on an alternate approach to Newsom ’ s plea for additional funds from President Trump and Congress , said legislative sources who asked not to be identified because they weren ’ t authorized to discuss the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cuts than those in Newsom ‘ s plan , refusing some of the governor ’ s cuts to child care provider rates and affordable housing programs .
A spokeswoman for Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins ( D-San Diego ) declined to comment on the budget proposal Wednesday .
The budget plan is expected to be formally ratified by the Senate Budget Committee on Thursday .
Newsom wants $ 14 billion in immediate spending cuts — including $ 8.1 billion less for public schools — that would be rescinded only if federal cash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Senate Democrats will insist the budget be scaled back only if sufficient federal assistance doesn ’ t arrive by Sept. 1 .
The legislative plan “ avoids harm to schools and other programs by not implementing harsh cuts that may prove to not be necessary , ” states an internal Senate document obtained by The Times .
The Senate plan lays out $ 13 billion in budget solutions if assistance from Washington doesn ’ t materialize .
That includes additional use of cash reserves , internal borrowing and a more limited list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to delay , not cut , some $ 5.3 billion in school spending should the state not receive the assistance and would scale back Newsom ’ s proposed cuts to the University of California and California State University systems .
Senate Democrats will also call for the restoration of a widely panned budget-balancing maneuver from the Great Recession : a one day shift , from the last day of June to the first day of July , for paying state government employees .
That shifts the cost of those paychecks into a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a short-term spending cut .
In essence , the two approaches differ as to how much optimism about political compromise in Washington should be taken into account in California ’ s beleaguered budget .
Senate Democrats believe some of the most drastic remedies offered by Newsom may not be necessary .
A document drafted by legislative staff members earlier this month and reviewed by The Times envisions at least $ 33 billion in federal funds between now and the early summer of 2022 .
That level of federal help could stave off some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services , otherwise necessary in light of the swift decline in tax revenues brought on by what some analysts already are calling a pandemic-induced recession .
Another key difference in budget approaches is the projected growth in California ’ s government healthcare service , Medi-Cal , and its welfare assistance program , CalWorks .
The Senate will adopt projections by the independent Legislative Analyst ’ s Office of less growth in the number of people who will qualify for either aid program than assumed by Newsom ’ s budget team , reducing spending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s budget , crafted to erase a projected $ 54.3-billion shortfall stretching through July of next year , calls for a variety of belt-tightening efforts but is largely built on cuts totaling more than $ 25 billion .
It ’ s unclear whether Democrats in the state Assembly will embrace the plan .
A spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon ( D-Lakewood ) said Wednesday that members of the lower house will carefully review the plan .
On Tuesday , Assembly members roundly criticized Newsom ’ s deep budget cuts during a special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis .
But few proposals for avoiding those cuts were discussed , other than limited ways to increase tax revenues .
The approach by Senate Democrats to link deep budget cuts to the outcome of future events borrows a page from the playbook of former Gov .
Jerry Brown .
His budget plan in the summer of 2012 assumed $ 6 billion in revenues from a tax increase California voters would consider that November , Proposition 30 .
Had voters rejected the tax measure ( they did not ) , the budget would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most of which would have been made to K-12 schools .
Lawmakers have had less time to consider the state budget than they traditionally would , with both houses suspending operations for seven weeks due to public health concerns .
By law , they must send Newsom a balanced budget by June 15 , though they can update or modify that budget in the summer , based on new economic data .

California Senate Democrats are poised to reject $14 billion in budget cuts proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month, choosing instead to craft a spending plan that looks for other ways to erase the state’s deficit and assumes additional money for schools and social services will come from the federal government by early September.
The proposal relies on an alternate approach to Newsom’s plea for additional funds from President Trump and Congress, said legislative sources who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to discuss the document. It also proposes some different cuts than those in Newsom‘s plan, refusing some of the governor’s cuts to child care provider rates and affordable housing programs.
A spokeswoman for Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) declined to comment on the budget proposal Wednesday. The budget plan is expected to be formally ratified by the Senate Budget Committee on Thursday.
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Newsom wants $14 billion in immediate spending cuts — including $8.1 billion less for public schools — that would be rescinded only if federal cash is sent to California. In contrast, Senate Democrats will insist the budget be scaled back only if sufficient federal assistance doesn’t arrive by Sept. 1.
The legislative plan “avoids harm to schools and other programs by not implementing harsh cuts that may prove to not be necessary,” states an internal Senate document obtained by The Times.
The Senate plan lays out $13 billion in budget solutions if assistance from Washington doesn’t materialize. That includes additional use of cash reserves, internal borrowing and a more limited list of cuts. The plan also opts to delay, not cut, some $5.3 billion in school spending should the state not receive the assistance and would scale back Newsom’s proposed cuts to the University of California and California State University systems.
Senate Democrats will also call for the restoration of a widely panned budget-balancing maneuver from the Great Recession: a one day shift, from the last day of June to the first day of July, for paying state government employees. That shifts the cost of those paychecks into a new fiscal year, thus being counted as a short-term spending cut.
In essence, the two approaches differ as to how much optimism about political compromise in Washington should be taken into account in California’s beleaguered budget. Senate Democrats believe some of the most drastic remedies offered by Newsom may not be necessary. A document drafted by legislative staff members earlier this month and reviewed by The Times envisions at least $33 billion in federal funds between now and the early summer of 2022.
That level of federal help could stave off some of the deepest reductions in core government services, otherwise necessary in light of the swift decline in tax revenues brought on by what some analysts already are calling a pandemic-induced recession.
Another key difference in budget approaches is the projected growth in California’s government healthcare service, Medi-Cal, and its welfare assistance program, CalWorks. The Senate will adopt projections by the independent Legislative Analyst’s Office of less growth in the number of people who will qualify for either aid program than assumed by Newsom’s budget team, reducing spending by $3.6 billion.
Newsom’s budget, crafted to erase a projected $54.3-billion shortfall stretching through July of next year, calls for a variety of belt-tightening efforts but is largely built on cuts totaling more than $25 billion.
It’s unclear whether Democrats in the state Assembly will embrace the plan. A spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) said Wednesday that members of the lower house will carefully review the plan. On Tuesday, Assembly members roundly criticized Newsom’s deep budget cuts during a special meeting on the state’s budget crisis. But few proposals for avoiding those cuts were discussed, other than limited ways to increase tax revenues.
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The approach by Senate Democrats to link deep budget cuts to the outcome of future events borrows a page from the playbook of former Gov. Jerry Brown. His budget plan in the summer of 2012 assumed $6 billion in revenues from a tax increase California voters would consider that November, Proposition 30. Had voters rejected the tax measure (they did not), the budget would have automatically triggered the spending cuts, most of which would have been made to K-12 schools.
Lawmakers have had less time to consider the state budget than they traditionally would, with both houses suspending operations for seven weeks due to public health concerns. By law, they must send Newsom a balanced budget by June 15, though they can update or modify that budget in the summer, based on new economic data.