latimes--2020-08-20--L.A. coronavirus cases dropping so low that officials could soon seek to reopen schools

Despite disturbing numbers of young people dying of COVID-19 , Los Angeles County ’ s chief medical officer said Thursday that new coronavirus cases may soon drop enough to allow officials to apply for waivers to reopen elementary schools .
During an online news conference , Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser noted that waivers can be sought to reopen schools when cases are below 200 for every 100,000 people for two weeks .
Over the last two weeks , officials have reported 27,739 new cases , which amounts to 275 per 100,000 , but Gunzenhauser said that number was steadily dropping .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ down to under 200 in the near future , ” he said .
The Los Angeles Unified School District resumed classes this week , but instruction was being done remotely .
There are extensive requirements for applying for waivers , and county health officers must approve applications .
The reaction from education officials was cautious but hopeful .
Debra Duardo , superintendent for the L.A. County Office of Education , called the update a “ heartening development.
” “ Not all districts are going to apply for a waiver , especially right away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will make the best decision based on the needs of their families and communities .
There are so many factors that need to be considered .
The health and safety of students and staff must come first and there needs to be buy-in from labor partners.
” Also to be considered is “ how nimbly can the district switch to and from different learning models ?
” Duardo said .
L.A. school board member Jackie Goldberg said the district needs to have in place its plan for an ambitious internal testing and contract-tracing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the safety of campuses .
“ We ’ ve said from the beginning , we ’ re going to follow the science , ” Goldberg said .
“ We ’ re going to begin our testing first with the nurses and the people who are going to do the testing , but we ’ re going to do some baseline testing before we open any schools , because we don ’ t want to put people in harm ’ s way.
” Parts of southeast L.A. County , which she represents , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but that ’ s not necessarily true of all areas in her district .
Local conditions could be taken into consideration for a particular campus , said both Goldberg and school board member Nick Melvoin .
“ In light of the frustrations people are feeling with online learning , we ’ re doing all we can to get kids back , ” Melvoin said .
“ I do think we should look at waivers as soon as it ’ s feasible , on a case-by-case , school-by-school basis.
” Gunzenhauser gave a generally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic in L.A. County .
He said the length of average hospital stays for COVID-19 has declined from a few months ago , probably because of improved understanding of how to treat the disease .
He said more young people are now being hospitalized for the disease , and they also are likely to recover more quickly than older patients .
But he warned that younger people are dying from the disease , and the percentage of people ages 18 to 29 hospitalized for COVID-19 has doubled to 10 % .
Of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have died of COVID-19 , 440 were ages 18 to 41 with no underlying health conditions , he said .
The underlying conditions that make patients most at risk for severe illness and death are hypertension , which is common among those 65 and older , and diabetes , a condition that affects 10 % of the county ’ s population , he said .
He also reported a positive trend in skilled nursing homes , where widespread testing and protective equipment are now stemming infections .
The county now has about nine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two-thirds from a high of 27 in April , he said .
The number is “ still too many , ” he said , “ but it does show our measures are working.
” There have been 13,120 COVID-19 infections among healthcare workers and first responders in the county .
Two-thirds of them are women , nearly half are Latino , and more than half are between the ages of 18 and 40 , he said .
More than 37 % of those infected were nurses .

Los Angeles County’s chief medical officer said Thursday that new coronavirus cases may soon drop enough to allow officials to apply for waivers to reopen elementary schools.
During an online news conference, Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser noted that waivers can be sought to reopen schools when cases are below 200 for every 100,000 people for two weeks.
Over the last two weeks, officials have reported 27,739 new cases, which amounts to 275 per 100,000, but Gunzenhauser said that number was steadily dropping.
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“We do believe we could get down to under 200 in the near future,” he said.
The Los Angeles Unified School District resumed classes this week, but instruction was being done remotely. There are extensive requirements for applying for waivers, and county health officers must approve applications.
The reaction from education officials was cautious but hopeful.
Debra Duardo, superintendent for the L.A. County Office of Education, called the update a “heartening development.”
“Not all districts are going to apply for a waiver, especially right away,” Duardo said. “Each will make the best decision based on the needs of their families and communities. There are so many factors that need to be considered. The health and safety of students and staff must come first and there needs to be buy-in from labor partners.”
Also to be considered is “how nimbly can the district switch to and from different learning models?” Duardo said.
L.A. school board member Jackie Goldberg said the district needs to have in place its plan for an ambitious internal testing and contract-tracing program so parents can have confidence in the safety of campuses.
“We’ve said from the beginning, we’re going to follow the science,” Goldberg said. “We’re going to begin our testing first with the nurses and the people who are going to do the testing, but we’re going to do some baseline testing before we open any schools, because we don’t want to put people in harm’s way.”
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Parts of southeast L.A. County, which she represents, have been considered hot spots for infection, but that’s not necessarily true of all areas in her district.
Local conditions could be taken into consideration for a particular campus, said both Goldberg and school board member Nick Melvoin.
“In light of the frustrations people are feeling with online learning, we’re doing all we can to get kids back,” Melvoin said. “I do think we should look at waivers as soon as it’s feasible, on a case-by-case, school-by-school basis.”
Gunzenhauser gave a generally optimistic briefing on the state of the pandemic in L.A. County. He said the length of average hospital stays for COVID-19 has declined from a few months ago, probably because of improved understanding of how to treat the disease.
He said more young people are now being hospitalized for the disease, and they also are likely to recover more quickly than older patients.
But he warned that younger people are dying from the disease, and the percentage of people ages 18 to 29 hospitalized for COVID-19 has doubled to 10%.
Of the approximately 5,400 people in the county who have died of COVID-19, 440 were ages 18 to 41 with no underlying health conditions, he said.
The underlying conditions that make patients most at risk for severe illness and death are hypertension, which is common among those 65 and older, and diabetes, a condition that affects 10% of the county’s population, he said.
He also reported a positive trend in skilled nursing homes, where widespread testing and protective equipment are now stemming infections.
Which California counties are reopening? To contain the spread of COVID-19, parks, restaurants and stores are slowly reopening.
The county now has about nine nursing home deaths a week, down two-thirds from a high of 27 in April, he said.
The number is “still too many,” he said, “but it does show our measures are working.”
There have been 13,120 COVID-19 infections among healthcare workers and first responders in the county. Two-thirds of them are women, nearly half are Latino, and more than half are between the ages of 18 and 40, he said.
More than 37% of those infected were nurses.


latimes--2020-08-20--At least 5 dead, nearly 700,000 acres burned as massive fires threaten Northern and Central Californ

At least 5 dead, nearly 700,000 acres burned as massive fires threaten Northern and Central California

Wildfires ringing the Bay Area and other parts of the state killed at least five people , destroyed more than 500 structures and scorched hundreds of square miles as evacuations expanded Thursday .
In all , more than 694,000 acres have burned in Northern and Central California — the equivalent of 1,085 square miles , more than twice the size of the city of Los Angeles .
The fires , fanned by strong winds , heat and low humidity , have forced more than 60,000 people to evacuate .
At least 539 structures have been destroyed , and the fire-fanning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and thousands of lightning strikes in the past few days are not expected to abate soon .
One major cluster of fires was in the wine country .
The LNU Lightning Complex fire has blackened a combined 215,000 acres , destroyed 480 structures and triggered the evacuation of nonessential personnel from Travis Air Force Base in Solano County and patients from Adventist Health St. Helena hospital in Napa County .
It was 0 % contained as of 7:30 p.m. See the location of fires burning across the state in our California wildfires map @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and long-range spotting [ is ] continuing to challenge firefighting efforts , ” officials wrote in an update Thursday morning .
“ Fires continue to make runs in multiple directions ... impacting multiple communities.
” There have been reports of fatalities — including four civilian deaths tied to the LNU Lightning Complex fire and a pilot who was killed when his firefighting helicopter crashed in Fresno County on Wednesday , briefly sparking another brush fire to join the dozens burning across the state .
On Thursday , the California Department of Forestry and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. employee who was found unresponsive in his vehicle after clearing infrastructure — such as utility poles and lines — in the Gates Canyon area outside Vacaville for crews responding to the fires .
Cal Fire Assistant Deputy Director Daniel Berlant later said that the employee ’ s death was determined to be unrelated to the fires so it is not included in the agency ’ s fatality count .
In Sonoma County , the city of Healdsburg was under an evacuation warning early Thursday .
Sonoma County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were ordered to evacuate should do so “ calmly yet quickly ” and not delay in making their way to safety .
“ We also are concerned that many people are pulling over on the sides of busy highways and roads to take pictures and view the fire , ” he said during a briefing .
“ We really urge you to fight that urge and continue to evacuate.
” Residents also should refrain from returning to their homes until given official word to do so , he added .
About 30,500 structures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened .
“ We have had some minor reports of people reentering evacuation areas , and they ’ ve had to be rescued , ” Essick said .
“ When we have to rescue you from an evacuation area , it creates a secondary burden on police and fire services and adds to the problem.
” Healdsburg resident Harvest Echols said Thursday that she ’ s tired of running from fires , tired of packing up her kids , tired of her wine country town that seems to come close to burning every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
“ There are lots of more relaxing places to live.
” These moments seem increasingly inevitable in California ’ s pastoral farmlands north of San Francisco , with their rolling hills , old forests and miles of dry brown grass .
Though Healdsburg is only under an evacuation warning , Echols remembers the middle-of-the-night run she had to do last October when the Kincade fire was close enough that its orange glow crested the nearby hills .
Two years before that , the Tubbs fire sent them running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an organized retreat to a lake up north , an attempt to make it seem more like a vacation than another looming disaster .
Her husband , Healdsburg Vice Mayor Shaun McCaffery , said their nervousness is normal in the city , where for the last few days “ people were getting anxious ” and everybody is leery of the wind picking up .
“ It just kind of wears on people that they might have to go , ” he said .
Others share his anxiety and the frustration that comes from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Healdsburg town square , Gina Gandeza smoked a cigarette in front of her chartreuse green apartment complex .
A lifelong resident , she said “ a lot of people have been talking about Oregon lately.
” She evacuated last year during the Kincade fire and would have done so again this week , but her two adult daughters work at businesses that are still open — a gas station and a convenience store .
Those places won ’ t close until there is a mandatory evacuation order , she said , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Of course , we ’ ve got the car packed , ” she said .
Evacuation orders were also prompted on the eastern edge of San Jose by the SCU Lightning Complex fire , which has burned more than 157,000 acres in multiple locations generally east of Silicon Valley and the East Bay and west of the Central Valley .
Flames have neared the famed Lick Observatory , which serves astronomers from the University of California .
It was threatening 20,000 structures and was 5 % contained as of Thursday evening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , covering portions of San Joaquin County south of West Corral Hollow Road to the Stanislaus County line ; west of the 580 Freeway to the Alameda County line ; and east of the Alameda County line to the 580 and the Stanislaus County line .
They also ordered new evacuations for Santa Clara County , including east of Anderson Lake and Coyote Creek , and north and east of Highway 152 .
Excluded from the order are the PAR Estates and Tracy Golf and Country Club , both of which are instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders were issued in the path of the CZU August Lightning Complex fire , which was raging in the remote mountainous area southwest of Silicon Valley , on the border of San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties .
That fire has burned 48,000 acres and forced the evacuation of at least 48,000 people , officials said Thursday evening .
Jonathan Cox , a deputy chief with Cal Fire , said the CZU fire has destroyed 50 structures and threatens 20,000 others .
It is 0 % contained .
The fire has caused extensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and forced the evacuation of staff , campers and other visitors .
The state park , California ’ s oldest , sustained damage to its headquarters , campgrounds and historic core .
Officials with the California Department of Parks and Recreation said the agency did not yet know the number of acres that had burned within the park and were assessing the damage .
“ We are devastated to report that Big Basin , as we have known it , loved it and cherished it for generations , is gone , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focuses on protecting redwood forests and wildlife , in a statement on its website .
“ We do not yet know the fate of the park ’ s grandest old trees.
” Cal Fire officials said Thursday morning that the fire was extremely active overnight , creating “ significant burning conditions that were unprecedented and unseen by veteran firefighters.
” The fire was threatening the communities of Pescadero and La Honda in San Mateo County .
In Santa Cruz County , structures have been lost in the Swanton Road area , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The evacuation zone for this fire has expanded rapidly and now includes the communities of Davenport , Ben Lomond , Boulder Creek , Lompico , Felton and the area of Zayante Canyon .
Officials also issued evacuation warnings for downtown Scotts Valley , a mountainous city of about 12,000 people just north of Santa Cruz along Highway 17 .
At about 7 pm , evacuation orders were issued for UC Santa Cruz ’ s campus , in addition to other areas .
On Twitter , the school wrote that all on-campus residents must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for at least two weeks .
“ I couldn ’ t stress more the importance of leaving when those orders come out , I really can ’ t , ” Santa Cruz County Sheriff ’ s Chief Deputy Chris Clark said during a briefing Thursday .
“ There are people that are unaccounted for that we are looking to try to determine where they are , so I stress that because , with this fire , you just don ’ t know how things are going to go.
” The weather conditions for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grim , said Mark Brunton of Cal Fire .
“ That makes that threat very direct and very real , ” he said .
“ We ’ re doing everything we possibly can to protect life and property.
” The Butte County Sheriff ’ s Office also issued an evacuation warning Thursday afternoon covering the areas of Philbrook Reservoir and Inskip .
The county is contending with its own Lightning Complex , a collection of 34 confirmed lightning-caused fires that have burned a combined 1,900 acres .
Many of those fires are under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ containment for the overall complex was reported at 20 % as of Thursday morning .
According to the website PurpleAir , the Bay Area was home to the world ’ s worst air quality overnight Thursday .
Air quality is especially bad in Silicon Valley , San Mateo County and Livermore Valley , according to local air quality management officials .
“ Smoke can irritate the eyes and airways , causing coughing , a dry scratchy throat and irritated sinuses , ” the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said .
“ Elevated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wheezing in those who suffer from asthma , emphysema ” and other chronic respiratory ailments .
“ Very dry and warm conditions will persist across the interior and in the region ` 's higher elevations , ” the National Weather Service said .
“ Smoky and hazy conditions are likely to impact portions of the region through at least this upcoming weekend.
” Given the unhealthy air and continuing presence of the coronavirus — which can spread through respiratory droplets — experts suggested that staying indoors at home is safest .
But , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wear a mask .
“ We are in this perfect storm of a lot of uncertainty with not a ton of reassurance things are going to get substantially better in the next few months , ” said Dr. Jahan Fahimi , director of UC San Francisco ’ s emergency department .
“ I think we ’ re hunkering down and preparing for kind of a longer-term response to what is happening in our community.
” There have been more than 370 new wildfires across the state in the past four days , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year , crews had responded to a total of 4,007 fires throughout the state , according to Gov .
Gavin Newsom .
They ’ ve already been dispatched to at least 6,754 this year .
Formed in the last 3 million to 4 million years as tectonic plates grind past each other underneath California , the state ’ s North Coast mountain range provides fires a range of slopes , canyons and cliffs to run up , funnel through and climb .
The Jarbo Gap at the Feather River channel in Butte @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small flames from a utility-caused grass fire outside Paradise into an inferno , said Don Hankins , a geography and planning professor at Chico State University .
As fires have revisited burn scars repeatedly in the last few years , some areas of land are transitioning from shrub and oak woodland to highly flammable invasive species , such as areas around Napa and Butte counties where ripgut brome grass is expanding , Hankins said .
A similar issue plagues the Los Padres National Forest in Southern California .
At the same time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Valley fire that ravaged Lake County in 2015 was sparked by a faulty electrical connection , and the worst fires in state history , which occurred in Northern California 2017 and 2018 , were caused by power lines .
The area that burned from 2015-18 amounted to 50 % of what had burned there in the previous 65 years , said John Abatzoglou , an associate professor in UC Merced ’ s school of engineering .
“ The complex terrain [ in Northern California ] does make it more challenging for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more land for fires to take advantage of , ” he said , contrasting it with Southern California ’ s urban sprawl .
Also burning in California is the River fire , which has consumed more than 33,000 acres in steep mountainous terrain south of Salinas in Monterey County , destroying 10 structures , damaging two others and forcing mandatory evacuations , according to Cal Fire .
At least 3,000 structures remain threatened by the blaze , which was 9 % contained as of Thursday evening .
The Carmel fire , burning just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charred more than 4,400 acres and destroyed 28 structures , fire officials said .
Crews are also battling a sizable blaze in Tehama County .
The Elkhorn fire , originally referred to as the 3-4 fire , broke out southwest of Red Bank Road on Wednesday and has already grown to 15,250 acres and prompted a number of evacuations .
There ’ s promising news , however , out of Southern California , where firefighters are making progress on a few older wildfires .
The Lake fire , which has burned more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lake Hughes , is now 52 % contained , officials said Thursday evening .
That blaze , which started Aug. 12 , has destroyed 12 structures and 21 outbuildings .
Officials also reported 39 % containment on the Ranch 2 fire near Azusa .
That more than 4,000-acre fire started Aug. 13 and is the result of suspected arson , authorities say .
Crews are also nearing full containment of the Apple fire , which has charred 33,424 acres in the Inland Empire since it broke out July 31 .
Progress anywhere is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rapid outbreak of new blazes has stretched the state ’ s firefighting resources to their limit .
Getting a handle on some fires , officials said , will free additional assets that can then be redeployed as needed .
Given the severity of the state ’ s firestorm , California also has turned to some of its fellow states for assistance .
Jeremy Rahn , the lead Cal Fire public information officer for the LNU Lightning Complex fire , said Wednesday that the state had already requested 375 additional fire engines as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies , and hired “ nearly all available private firefighting ‘ call when needed ’ aircraft in the Western United States.
” At a media briefing Thursday morning for the LNU Lightning Complex incident , Cal Fire firefighters warned that it would take time to get control of the fires , with officials saying they were short on manpower and resources .
“ This is a very large fire .
It ’ s one of many in the state of California , and honestly , our resources are stretched , ” said Shana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the agency ’ s Sonoma and Lake counties unit .
Cal Fire Incident Commander Sean Kavanaugh said the sheer number of fires statewide has meant that the fire zone in Sonoma , Lake , Napa , Solano and Yolo counties has not received the firefighting manpower officials had been accustomed to getting .
“ We ’ re used to lots of resources , and that ’ s not where we ’ re at today , ” he said .
“ With the amount of large fires that we have throughout the entire Northern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small piece of the bigger picture.
” Kavanaugh said in the coming days , there will be additional resources coming in from out of state , and he ’ s hoping personnel who are fighting smaller fires in other counties — where they ’ ve made progress surrounding fires with containment lines — will be brought to the LNU Lightning Complex fires in the North Bay , which is 0 % contained .
Newsom announced Thursday that the state had received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that will allow local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CZU August Lightning Complex fire to receive reimbursement for up to 75 % of certain firefighting costs .
The state has also secured grants over the last week to help fight blazes in Monterey , Napa and Nevada counties .
Another wrinkle in this year ’ s fire season is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic , which has raised concerns among displaced residents who would normally pack into emergency shelters and created new challenges for the agencies that operate them .
“ This is obviously a new dynamic that we ’ re dealing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment , ” Cox , the Cal Fire deputy chief , said .
“ The recommendation ... is try to find family and friends that you are comfortable with before you go into these large environments with multiple people where they may be an additional risk for exposure.
” Lin reported from San Francisco and Miller , Money and Serna from Los Angeles .
Times staff writers Anita Chabria in Vacaville , Taryn Luna in Sacramento , Susanne Rust in San Francisco and Colleen Shalby in Los Angeles contributed to this report .

Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money, Leila Miller, Joseph Serna, Anita Chabria

Firefighter Ian Johnson watches as an air tanker drops retardant to keep the River fire from reaching a home in Salinas. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A home in the Sky Ranch community burns in the Carmel fire near Carmel Valley. (Nic Coury / Associated Press)
A plume rises over a vineyard in unincorporated Napa County as the Hennessey fire burns. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Members of the Grizzly Firefighters fight the Carmel fire near Carmel Valley. (Nic Coury / Associated Press)
Mobile homes burn at Spanish Flat Mobile Villa as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Flames consume a cabin at the Nichelini Family Winery in unincorporated Napa County as the Hennessey fire burns in Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Horses stand in an enclosure as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through the Spanish Flat community in unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Seen in a long-exposure photograph, embers burn along a hillside above Lake Berryessa as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Matt Nichols sprays water while trying to save his home as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through Vacaville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Seen in a long-exposure photograph, embers burn along a hillside as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Bill Nichols, 84, works to save his home as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through Vacaville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
An air tanker drops retardant as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through the Spanish Flat community in unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires jump Interstate 80 in Vacaville on Wednesday. The highway was closed in both directions shortly afterward. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
The charred carcass of a cow rests beside a road in Vacaville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A firefighter walks through an area burned by the Hennessey fire along Solar Hills drive in Vacaville. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Flames from the the CZU August Lightning Complex fire approach a structure along Pine Flat Road in Felton. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
The remains of a house burned by the CZU August Lightning Complex fire in Felton. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters from Eugene, Ore., walk beside an area burning along Pine Flat Road during the CZU August Lightning Complex fire in Felton. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
A plume of smoke billows over Healdsburg as the LNU Lightning Complex fire continues to burn. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Scorched homes and vehicles fill Spanish Flat Mobile Villa struck by the LNU Lightning Complex fire in unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Charles Chavira, left, and Thomas Henney watch a plume of smoke spread over Healdsburg as the LNU Lightning Complex fire continues to burn. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A crew cuts down foliage and trees near some structures in preparation in Boulder Creek. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Ben Lomond firefighters work on a blaze at The Sequoia Retreat Center during the CZU August Lightning Complex Fires on Friday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters keeps watch as the fire line creeps up on Highway 9 during the CZU Lightning complex fire. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters respond to a structure fire along Riverdale Blvd. during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Smoke hangs low in the air at Big Basin Redwoods State Park as some redwoods are still on fire on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
The Big Basin Redwoods State Park Headquarters & Visitor Center which was built in 1936 was one of the structures lost to the blaze that tore through the state park. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Hand crews work on a hillside above the Boulder Creek Community Church as the fire line creeps up on Highway 9 during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
A house is engulfed with flame during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters watches as the fire line creeps up on Highway 9 during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Burned vehicles and rubble from homes are left after the CZU Lightning Complex Fire tore through Sunday in Boulder Creek, Calif. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
Firefighters protect a home in the Berryessa Estates neighborhood of unincorporated Napa County, Calif., as the LNU Lightning Complex fires burn on Friday. The blaze forced thousands to flee and destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Firefighters from Barstow tackle hotspots along Highway 9 during the CZU Lightning Complex fire Sunday in Boulder Creek, Calif. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Wildfires ringing the Bay Area and other parts of the state killed at least five people, destroyed more than 500 structures and scorched hundreds of square miles as evacuations expanded Thursday.
In all, more than 694,000 acres have burned in Northern and Central California — the equivalent of 1,085 square miles, more than twice the size of the city of Los Angeles. The fires, fanned by strong winds, heat and low humidity, have forced more than 60,000 people to evacuate.
At least 539 structures have been destroyed, and the fire-fanning weather conditions that have brought record temperatures and thousands of lightning strikes in the past few days are not expected to abate soon.
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One major cluster of fires was in the wine country. The LNU Lightning Complex fire has blackened a combined 215,000 acres, destroyed 480 structures and triggered the evacuation of nonessential personnel from Travis Air Force Base in Solano County and patients from Adventist Health St. Helena hospital in Napa County. It was 0% contained as of 7:30 p.m.
See the location of fires burning across the state in our California wildfires map.
“Extreme fire behavior with short- and long-range spotting [is] continuing to challenge firefighting efforts,” officials wrote in an update Thursday morning. “Fires continue to make runs in multiple directions ... impacting multiple communities.”
Firefighters battle the Hennessey fire in Vacaville on Wednesday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
There have been reports of fatalities — including four civilian deaths tied to the LNU Lightning Complex fire and a pilot who was killed when his firefighting helicopter crashed in Fresno County on Wednesday, briefly sparking another brush fire to join the dozens burning across the state.
On Thursday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection also announced the death of a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. employee who was found unresponsive in his vehicle after clearing infrastructure — such as utility poles and lines — in the Gates Canyon area outside Vacaville for crews responding to the fires. Cal Fire Assistant Deputy Director Daniel Berlant later said that the employee’s death was determined to be unrelated to the fires so it is not included in the agency’s fatality count.
In Sonoma County, the city of Healdsburg was under an evacuation warning early Thursday.
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Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick stressed that residents who were ordered to evacuate should do so “calmly yet quickly” and not delay in making their way to safety.
“We also are concerned that many people are pulling over on the sides of busy highways and roads to take pictures and view the fire,” he said during a briefing. “We really urge you to fight that urge and continue to evacuate.”
Residents also should refrain from returning to their homes until given official word to do so, he added. About 30,500 structures around the LNU Lightning Complex are still threatened.
“We have had some minor reports of people reentering evacuation areas, and they’ve had to be rescued,” Essick said. “When we have to rescue you from an evacuation area, it creates a secondary burden on police and fire services and adds to the problem.”
Healdsburg resident Harvest Echols said Thursday that she’s tired of running from fires, tired of packing up her kids, tired of her wine country town that seems to come close to burning every year.
“I want to move,” she said. “There are lots of more relaxing places to live.”
These moments seem increasingly inevitable in California’s pastoral farmlands north of San Francisco, with their rolling hills, old forests and miles of dry brown grass.
Though Healdsburg is only under an evacuation warning, Echols remembers the middle-of-the-night run she had to do last October when the Kincade fire was close enough that its orange glow crested the nearby hills. Two years before that, the Tubbs fire sent them running.
This time, it would be an organized retreat to a lake up north, an attempt to make it seem more like a vacation than another looming disaster.
Her husband, Healdsburg Vice Mayor Shaun McCaffery, said their nervousness is normal in the city, where for the last few days “people were getting anxious” and everybody is leery of the wind picking up.
“It just kind of wears on people that they might have to go,” he said.
Others share his anxiety and the frustration that comes from frequently having to flee wildfires. Near the Healdsburg town square, Gina Gandeza smoked a cigarette in front of her chartreuse green apartment complex. A lifelong resident, she said “a lot of people have been talking about Oregon lately.”
She evacuated last year during the Kincade fire and would have done so again this week, but her two adult daughters work at businesses that are still open — a gas station and a convenience store. Those places won’t close until there is a mandatory evacuation order, she said, and she won’t leave without them.
“Of course, we’ve got the car packed,” she said.
Evacuation orders were also prompted on the eastern edge of San Jose by the SCU Lightning Complex fire, which has burned more than 157,000 acres in multiple locations generally east of Silicon Valley and the East Bay and west of the Central Valley. Flames have neared the famed Lick Observatory, which serves astronomers from the University of California. It was threatening 20,000 structures and was 5% contained as of Thursday evening.
Officials on Thursday ordered additional evacuations, covering portions of San Joaquin County south of West Corral Hollow Road to the Stanislaus County line; west of the 580 Freeway to the Alameda County line; and east of the Alameda County line to the 580 and the Stanislaus County line. They also ordered new evacuations for Santa Clara County, including east of Anderson Lake and Coyote Creek, and north and east of Highway 152.
Excluded from the order are the PAR Estates and Tracy Golf and Country Club, both of which are instead under an evacuation warning.
Additional evacuation orders were issued in the path of the CZU August Lightning Complex fire, which was raging in the remote mountainous area southwest of Silicon Valley, on the border of San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. That fire has burned 48,000 acres and forced the evacuation of at least 48,000 people, officials said Thursday evening.
Jonathan Cox, a deputy chief with Cal Fire, said the CZU fire has destroyed 50 structures and threatens 20,000 others. It is 0% contained.
The fire has caused extensive damage at Big Basin Redwoods State Park and forced the evacuation of staff, campers and other visitors. The state park, California’s oldest, sustained damage to its headquarters, campgrounds and historic core. Officials with the California Department of Parks and Recreation said the agency did not yet know the number of acres that had burned within the park and were assessing the damage.
“We are devastated to report that Big Basin, as we have known it, loved it and cherished it for generations, is gone,” said the Sempervirens Fund, an organization that focuses on protecting redwood forests and wildlife, in a statement on its website. “We do not yet know the fate of the park’s grandest old trees.”
Cal Fire officials said Thursday morning that the fire was extremely active overnight, creating “significant burning conditions that were unprecedented and unseen by veteran firefighters.”
The fire was threatening the communities of Pescadero and La Honda in San Mateo County. In Santa Cruz County, structures have been lost in the Swanton Road area, and a Cal Fire station was under threat.
The evacuation zone for this fire has expanded rapidly and now includes the communities of Davenport, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Lompico, Felton and the area of Zayante Canyon. Officials also issued evacuation warnings for downtown Scotts Valley, a mountainous city of about 12,000 people just north of Santa Cruz along Highway 17. At about 7 pm, evacuation orders were issued for UC Santa Cruz’s campus, in addition to other areas.
On Twitter, the school wrote that all on-campus residents must evacuate and be prepared to not return for at least two weeks.
“I couldn’t stress more the importance of leaving when those orders come out, I really can’t,” Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Chris Clark said during a briefing Thursday. “There are people that are unaccounted for that we are looking to try to determine where they are, so I stress that because, with this fire, you just don’t know how things are going to go.”
The weather conditions for the next three days make the outlook grim, said Mark Brunton of Cal Fire.
“That makes that threat very direct and very real,” he said. “We’re doing everything we possibly can to protect life and property.”
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office also issued an evacuation warning Thursday afternoon covering the areas of Philbrook Reservoir and Inskip. The county is contending with its own Lightning Complex, a collection of 34 confirmed lightning-caused fires that have burned a combined 1,900 acres.
Many of those fires are under control, fire officials said, and containment for the overall complex was reported at 20% as of Thursday morning.
According to the website PurpleAir, the Bay Area was home to the world’s worst air quality overnight Thursday. Air quality is especially bad in Silicon Valley, San Mateo County and Livermore Valley, according to local air quality management officials.
“Smoke can irritate the eyes and airways, causing coughing, a dry scratchy throat and irritated sinuses,” the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said. “Elevated particulate matter in the air can trigger wheezing in those who suffer from asthma, emphysema” and other chronic respiratory ailments.
“Very dry and warm conditions will persist across the interior and in the region`’s higher elevations,” the National Weather Service said. “Smoky and hazy conditions are likely to impact portions of the region through at least this upcoming weekend.”
Given the unhealthy air and continuing presence of the coronavirus — which can spread through respiratory droplets — experts suggested that staying indoors at home is safest. But, if you need to go outside, wear a mask.
“We are in this perfect storm of a lot of uncertainty with not a ton of reassurance things are going to get substantially better in the next few months,” said Dr. Jahan Fahimi, director of UC San Francisco’s emergency department. “I think we’re hunkering down and preparing for kind of a longer-term response to what is happening in our community.”
There have been more than 370 new wildfires across the state in the past four days, according to Cal Fire.
At this time last year, crews had responded to a total of 4,007 fires throughout the state, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom. They’ve already been dispatched to at least 6,754 this year.
Formed in the last 3 million to 4 million years as tectonic plates grind past each other underneath California, the state’s North Coast mountain range provides fires a range of slopes, canyons and cliffs to run up, funnel through and climb.
The Jarbo Gap at the Feather River channel in Butte County, for example, turned the small flames from a utility-caused grass fire outside Paradise into an inferno, said Don Hankins, a geography and planning professor at Chico State University.
As fires have revisited burn scars repeatedly in the last few years, some areas of land are transitioning from shrub and oak woodland to highly flammable invasive species, such as areas around Napa and Butte counties where ripgut brome grass is expanding, Hankins said. A similar issue plagues the Los Padres National Forest in Southern California.
At the same time, humans continue to expand and install infrastructure. The Valley fire that ravaged Lake County in 2015 was sparked by a faulty electrical connection, and the worst fires in state history, which occurred in Northern California 2017 and 2018, were caused by power lines. The area that burned from 2015-18 amounted to 50% of what had burned there in the previous 65 years, said John Abatzoglou, an associate professor in UC Merced’s school of engineering.
“The complex terrain [in Northern California] does make it more challenging for fire suppression and there’s just more land for fires to take advantage of,” he said, contrasting it with Southern California’s urban sprawl.
Also burning in California is the River fire, which has consumed more than 33,000 acres in steep mountainous terrain south of Salinas in Monterey County, destroying 10 structures, damaging two others and forcing mandatory evacuations, according to Cal Fire.
At least 3,000 structures remain threatened by the blaze, which was 9% contained as of Thursday evening.
The Carmel fire, burning just southwest of the River fire, has charred more than 4,400 acres and destroyed 28 structures, fire officials said.
Crews are also battling a sizable blaze in Tehama County. The Elkhorn fire, originally referred to as the 3-4 fire, broke out southwest of Red Bank Road on Wednesday and has already grown to 15,250 acres and prompted a number of evacuations.
There’s promising news, however, out of Southern California, where firefighters are making progress on a few older wildfires.
The Lake fire, which has burned more than 27,000 acres in Los Angeles County near Lake Hughes, is now 52% contained, officials said Thursday evening. That blaze, which started Aug. 12, has destroyed 12 structures and 21 outbuildings.
Officials also reported 39% containment on the Ranch 2 fire near Azusa. That more than 4,000-acre fire started Aug. 13 and is the result of suspected arson, authorities say.
Crews are also nearing full containment of the Apple fire, which has charred 33,424 acres in the Inland Empire since it broke out July 31.
California Massive wildfire spawns fire tornadoes in Northern California Videos posted to social media showed twister-like formations in the path of the Loyalton fire, which started Friday evening in the Tahoe National Forest.
Progress anywhere is welcome news in fire-ravaged California, where the rapid outbreak of new blazes has stretched the state’s firefighting resources to their limit.
Getting a handle on some fires, officials said, will free additional assets that can then be redeployed as needed.
Given the severity of the state’s firestorm, California also has turned to some of its fellow states for assistance.
Jeremy Rahn, the lead Cal Fire public information officer for the LNU Lightning Complex fire, said Wednesday that the state had already requested 375 additional fire engines as well as additional hand crews from out-of-state agencies, and hired “nearly all available private firefighting ‘call when needed’ aircraft in the Western United States.”
At a media briefing Thursday morning for the LNU Lightning Complex incident, Cal Fire firefighters warned that it would take time to get control of the fires, with officials saying they were short on manpower and resources.
“This is a very large fire. It’s one of many in the state of California, and honestly, our resources are stretched,” said Shana Jones, a Cal Fire chief with the agency’s Sonoma and Lake counties unit.
Cal Fire Incident Commander Sean Kavanaugh said the sheer number of fires statewide has meant that the fire zone in Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Solano and Yolo counties has not received the firefighting manpower officials had been accustomed to getting.
“We’re used to lots of resources, and that’s not where we’re at today,” he said. “With the amount of large fires that we have throughout the entire Northern California, we’re just one small piece of the bigger picture.”
Kavanaugh said in the coming days, there will be additional resources coming in from out of state, and he’s hoping personnel who are fighting smaller fires in other counties — where they’ve made progress surrounding fires with containment lines — will be brought to the LNU Lightning Complex fires in the North Bay, which is 0% contained.
Newsom announced Thursday that the state had received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that will allow local, state and tribal governments responding to the CZU August Lightning Complex fire to receive reimbursement for up to 75% of certain firefighting costs.
The state has also secured grants over the last week to help fight blazes in Monterey, Napa and Nevada counties.
Another wrinkle in this year’s fire season is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has raised concerns among displaced residents who would normally pack into emergency shelters and created new challenges for the agencies that operate them.
“This is obviously a new dynamic that we’re dealing with across the state in the COVID moment,” Cox, the Cal Fire deputy chief, said. “The recommendation ... is try to find family and friends that you are comfortable with before you go into these large environments with multiple people where they may be an additional risk for exposure.”
Lin reported from San Francisco and Miller, Money and Serna from Los Angeles. Times staff writers Anita Chabria in Vacaville, Taryn Luna in Sacramento, Susanne Rust in San Francisco and Colleen Shalby in Los Angeles contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-08-21--Animal rescue sues to reopen L.A. shelters closed during pandemic

A San Fernando Valley animal rescue is suing Los Angeles Animal Services , arguing that the city must reopen two of its animal shelters that have been closed since April .
Ady Gil World Conservation , a nonprofit that operates an animal rescue in Woodland Hills , contends in its lawsuit that it has been “ overburdened and overrun ” with stray animals since the closures earlier this year .
“ I can not cover for the West Valley shelter , ” said Ady Gil , founder and director of the nonprofit .
“ We have a limit on how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you don ’ t want to overcrowd a rescue.
” The lawsuit also alleges that although other L.A. city animal shelters remain open , they have refused to accept strays — and are in violation of city rules as a result .
Animal Services spokeswoman Agnes Sibal-von Debschitz denied that allegation , saying that their shelters had not turned away strays or injured animals .
“ We have also continued to provide field services , including for public safety , in the communities where the two shelters were temporarily closed due to COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Rob Wilcox , a spokesman for City Atty .
Mike Feuer , said their office would review the complaint and “ have no further comment at this time.
” Amid the COVID-19 pandemic , Los Angeles announced that it was temporarily closing its West Valley and North Central animal shelters and that animals there would be moved to four other shelters , which remain open by appointment only .
Department head Brenda Barnette said in a statement that because Animal Services is a smaller department and had scores of employees who were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — the changes were made to avoid a scenario in which animal shelters were struggling to operate with inadequate staffing .
Barnette has since proposed turning the West Valley shelter into a “ community resource center ” run in partnership with outside groups .
Those partners “ would provide the services to the community at their own expense in exchange for occupying space ” in the center , overseen by a city staffer at the site , Barnette wrote in her proposal .
“ Animal Services has a budget that doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , just five , so the department is looking to be creative in how it re-opens the sixth shelter , ” Councilman Paul Koretz , who oversees a council committee focused on animal issues , said in a statement .
“ They also have a shortage of shelter employees due to COVID-19 ... .
They ’ ve undertaken an effort to dialogue with staff , the unions and the community stakeholders to figure out the best approach.
” Thousands of people have signed an online petition against the plan , arguing it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city resource and shortchange residents of needed services .
Councilman John Lee , who represents the northwest San Fernando Valley , said in a statement that he stands with residents “ in wanting to see it reopened as a city-operated facility.
” Gil said he hoped his lawsuit would push the city to do that and more .
“ The right thing to do is to open all the shelters and make them function the way they functioned before the pandemic , ” he said .

A San Fernando Valley animal rescue is suing Los Angeles Animal Services, arguing that the city must reopen two of its animal shelters that have been closed since April.
Ady Gil World Conservation, a nonprofit that operates an animal rescue in Woodland Hills, contends in its lawsuit that it has been “overburdened and overrun” with stray animals since the closures earlier this year.
“I cannot cover for the West Valley shelter,” said Ady Gil, founder and director of the nonprofit. “We have a limit on how many animals we can have — and you don’t want to overcrowd a rescue.”
The lawsuit also alleges that although other L.A. city animal shelters remain open, they have refused to accept strays — and are in violation of city rules as a result.
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Animal Services spokeswoman Agnes Sibal-von Debschitz denied that allegation, saying that their shelters had not turned away strays or injured animals. “We have also continued to provide field services, including for public safety, in the communities where the two shelters were temporarily closed due to COVID-19,” she said in an email.
Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer, said their office would review the complaint and “have no further comment at this time.”
Ady Gil World Conservation Lawsuit Lawsuit filed by Ady Gil World Conservation to reopen two shelters
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles announced that it was temporarily closing its West Valley and North Central animal shelters and that animals there would be moved to four other shelters, which remain open by appointment only.
Department head Brenda Barnette said in a statement that because Animal Services is a smaller department and had scores of employees who were off — some due to the pandemic — the changes were made to avoid a scenario in which animal shelters were struggling to operate with inadequate staffing.
Barnette has since proposed turning the West Valley shelter into a “community resource center” run in partnership with outside groups. Those partners “would provide the services to the community at their own expense in exchange for occupying space” in the center, overseen by a city staffer at the site, Barnette wrote in her proposal.
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“Animal Services has a budget that doesn’t support six fully staffed shelters this fiscal year, just five, so the department is looking to be creative in how it re-opens the sixth shelter,” Councilman Paul Koretz, who oversees a council committee focused on animal issues, said in a statement. “They also have a shortage of shelter employees due to COVID-19 .... They’ve undertaken an effort to dialogue with staff, the unions and the community stakeholders to figure out the best approach.”
Thousands of people have signed an online petition against the plan, arguing it would amount to a giveaway of a city resource and shortchange residents of needed services. Councilman John Lee, who represents the northwest San Fernando Valley, said in a statement that he stands with residents “in wanting to see it reopened as a city-operated facility.”
Gil said he hoped his lawsuit would push the city to do that and more. “The right thing to do is to open all the shelters and make them function the way they functioned before the pandemic,” he said.


latimes--2020-08-21--'You can still taste the smoke': As fire rages near UC Santa Cruz, thousands are forced to evacuate

A monster fire raging through the Santa Cruz Mountains moved closer to UC Santa Cruz on Friday , bringing new levels of anxiety to a region besieged by days of fire .
Brant Robertson , a UC Santa Cruz astrophysicist , lives 100 yards from the evacuation zone on the university ’ s campus .
He said Friday that he had not received a warning but that he and his family — his wife , 11-year-old triplets and dog — were all packed and ready to evacuate at a moment ’ s notice .
He lives in a cul-de-sac at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half his neighbors had already left .
Standing on a porch outside his home , Robertson said the air was thick with dust and ash , as well as larger particles — burnt leaves and fibers suspended in the blowing air .
“ We have all the windows shut , ” he said .
“ But you can still taste the smoke .
It ’ s unavoidable.
” He and his wife have been constantly following Twitter and keeping an eye on NASA ’ s satellite imagery .
“ I ’ ve lived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ I ’ ve been through tornadoes and earthquakes .
But this is different .
You just react to those events .
This is unusual in that we don ’ t know when the alarm is going to go off .
But there ’ s a lot of tension .
It ’ s continuously stressful to hurry up and wait.
” Upward of 60,000 people were under evacuation orders Friday in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties , as firefighters hoped to use a break in the extreme heat to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordered the evacuation of the UC Santa Cruz campus late Thursday .
Scotts Valley , a hub of Santa Cruz County ’ s tech industry , was also ordered to evacuate , with some residents heading to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for refuge .
It was one of numerous fires burning around Northern California , many caused by lightning .
Together , those fires have killed at least five people , destroyed more than 570 structures and scorched over 1,200 square miles , Robertson said the schools will be closed for at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teachers evacuate .
Even though classes were being taught remotely , the evacuations have made teaching and learning impossible .
He said this last week has been exhausting , starting with the heat wave .
His phone recorded a high of 108 degrees at his house one day .
Then there were the , as the electrical grid was overwhelmed amid the heat .
“ As a physicist , we use supercomputers , ” which were intermittently shutting on and off , Robertson said .
He lost a ton of data .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said of the that moved across the region Sunday and Monday .
“ It cooled off , but then the smoke began to build ” as a result of the fires .

People sit on an empty beach in Santa Cruz on Friday as smoke from the wildfires and a marine layer slightly obscure the view of the Santa Cruz Wharf. The UC Santa Cruz campus and nearby towns have been under evacuation orders due to wildfires in the region.
A monster fire raging through the Santa Cruz Mountains moved closer to UC Santa Cruz on Friday, bringing new levels of anxiety to a region besieged by days of fire.
Brant Robertson, a UC Santa Cruz astrophysicist, lives 100 yards from the evacuation zone on the university’s campus.
He said Friday that he had not received a warning but that he and his family — his wife, 11-year-old triplets and dog — were all packed and ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
He lives in a cul-de-sac at the edge of campus and said roughly half his neighbors had already left.
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Standing on a porch outside his home, Robertson said the air was thick with dust and ash, as well as larger particles — burnt leaves and fibers suspended in the blowing air.
“We have all the windows shut,” he said. “But you can still taste the smoke. It’s unavoidable.”
He and his wife have been constantly following Twitter and keeping an eye on NASA’s satellite imagery.
“I’ve lived all over the place,” Robertson said. “I’ve been through tornadoes and earthquakes. But this is different. You just react to those events. This is unusual in that we don’t know when the alarm is going to go off. But there’s a lot of tension. It’s continuously stressful to hurry up and wait.”
Upward of 60,000 people were under evacuation orders Friday in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, as firefighters hoped to use a break in the extreme heat to make progress against the raging fires. Authorities ordered the evacuation of the UC Santa Cruz campus late Thursday. Scotts Valley, a hub of Santa Cruz County’s tech industry, was also ordered to evacuate, with some residents heading to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for refuge.
It was one of numerous fires burning around Northern California, many caused by lightning. Together, those fires have killed at least five people , destroyed more than 570 structures and scorched over 1,200 square miles,
Robertson said the schools will be closed for at least the next week as families and teachers evacuate. Even though classes were being taught remotely, the evacuations have made teaching and learning impossible.
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He said this last week has been exhausting, starting with the heat wave. His phone recorded a high of 108 degrees at his house one day.
Then there were the blackouts , as the electrical grid was overwhelmed amid the heat.
“As a physicist, we use supercomputers,” which were intermittently shutting on and off, Robertson said. He lost a ton of data.


latimes--2020-08-21--Some Orange County schools to reopen as COVID-19 cases drop. What about L.A.?

The Orange County Health Care Agency has announced that state waivers have been approved for in-person classes to begin at about 24 private elementary schools and one public school district serving kindergarten through sixth grade .
Under state guidelines , elementary schools may seek reopening waivers from the California Department of Public Health only after their county ’ s COVID-19 seven-day case average falls below 200 cases per 100,000 .
Dr. Clayton Chau , director of the Orange County Health Care Agency , said the schools can reopen immediately .
Roughly 100 other Orange County private and charter schools have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approval .
The reopening waivers — which must be approved by county and state public health authorities — apply only to elementary schools , and robust safety plans must be presented .
State public health officials and educators offered the waivers acknowledging that online learning for small children is particularly difficult .
Also , young children are generally seen as being at lesser risk of developing COVID-19 than older children and adults .
“ Do I have fear and anxiety ?
Of course I do .
Do we expect that there might be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Chau said about concerns to reopen schools .
“ But we have to do it .
We know that this lockdown has caused emotional turmoil for some of our children , and we know that in-home learning is not the best education.
” Chau said that parents who wished to continue with online learning for children , especially those that are high-risk , are encouraged to do so .
Under state rules , all schools can reopen when their county is off the state watch list for 14 days .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county case averages must be below 100 cases per 100,000 people for two weeks .
Orange County officials believe they may be removed from the watch list on Saturday , which could begin the 14-day countdown for school reopenings .
“ I am very optimistic that all will go well , ” Chau said .
In Los Angeles County , home to about 1.5 million K-12 students , Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser , the county ’ s chief medical officer , said this week that elementary schools could soon be able to apply for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Thursday cases stood at 217 per 100,000 , 17 above the threshold for waiver approval .
The county has seen a drop in cases in recent weeks that has encouraged health officials who believe the county may be closer to removal from the watch list .
The county meets five of the state ’ s six criteria for removal from the watch list .
The last metric the county has not yet meet is a drop in cases below 100 per every 100,000 people .
On Friday , the L.A. County Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children sickened by a rare coronavirus-related inflammatory syndrome , known as MIS-C .
The condition affects children who had or may have been exposed to the virus and can cause inflammation of parts of the body including the heart , lungs , kidneys , skin , eyes and gastrointestinal organs .
A total of 25 children in the county have had MIS-C , officials said .
None have died .
In addition , officials reported 46 new deaths related to the virus and 1,759 new cases .
Most recently , San Diego and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Tuesday , and Napa County was Thursday .
Removal from the watch list does not immediately allow indoor operations at shuttered business sectors — like nail salons and gyms — to reopen after being forced to close .
The state ’ s health officer would have to revise the order to allow for such changes to take place .
Though the daily average for cases and hospitalizations has declined statewide in recent weeks , it is always possible for a resurgence to occur in an individual county .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to be taken off , but the county still sits on the list as cases continue to stay above the safety threshold and the number of available intensive care beds has dropped below 20 % .
A decline in cases and hospitalizations not surprisingly leads to a decline in deaths .
“ Hopefully this week and next week you ’ re going to start seeing the death rate really start to drop , ” Centers of Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in an interview with the Journal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in current cases has been attributed to people ’ s social behaviors and businesses ’ modifications in moving indoor operations to outside .
It is always possible that a spike in cases could occur if social behaviors relax , as was the case previously over holiday weekends .

The Orange County Health Care Agency has announced that state waivers have been approved for in-person classes to begin at about 24 private elementary schools and one public school district serving kindergarten through sixth grade.
Under state guidelines, elementary schools may seek reopening waivers from the California Department of Public Health only after their county’s COVID-19 seven-day case average falls below 200 cases per 100,000. Dr. Clayton Chau, director of the Orange County Health Care Agency, said the schools can reopen immediately.
Roughly 100 other Orange County private and charter schools have applied for similar permission and are awaiting approval.
The reopening waivers — which must be approved by county and state public health authorities — apply only to elementary schools, and robust safety plans must be presented. State public health officials and educators offered the waivers acknowledging that online learning for small children is particularly difficult. Also, young children are generally seen as being at lesser risk of developing COVID-19 than older children and adults.
“Do I have fear and anxiety? Of course I do. Do we expect that there might be an outbreak? Of course we will,” Chau said about concerns to reopen schools. “But we have to do it. We know that this lockdown has caused emotional turmoil for some of our children, and we know that in-home learning is not the best education.”
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Chau said that parents who wished to continue with online learning for children, especially those that are high-risk, are encouraged to do so.
Under state rules, all schools can reopen when their county is off the state watch list for 14 days. This means, among other metrics, that county case averages must be below 100 cases per 100,000 people for two weeks.
Orange County officials believe they may be removed from the watch list on Saturday, which could begin the 14-day countdown for school reopenings.
“I am very optimistic that all will go well,” Chau said.
In Los Angeles County, home to about 1.5 million K-12 students, Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, the county’s chief medical officer, said this week that elementary schools could soon be able to apply for waivers if county COVID-19 cases decline. On Thursday, cases stood at 217 per 100,000, 17 above the threshold for waiver approval.
The county has seen a drop in cases in recent weeks that has encouraged health officials who believe the county may be closer to removal from the watch list. The county meets five of the state’s six criteria for removal from the watch list. The last metric the county has not yet met is a drop in cases below 100 per every 100,000 people.
On Friday, the L.A. County Department of Health announced nine additional cases of children sickened by a rare coronavirus-related inflammatory syndrome, known as MIS-C. The condition affects children who had or may have been exposed to the virus and can cause inflammation of parts of the body including the heart, lungs, kidneys, skin, eyes and gastrointestinal organs.
A total of 25 children in the county have had MIS-C, officials said. None have died.
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In addition, officials reported 46 new deaths related to the virus and 1,759 new cases.
Most recently, San Diego and Placer counties were removed from the list on Tuesday, and Napa County was Thursday. Removal from the watch list does not immediately allow indoor operations at shuttered business sectors — like nail salons and gyms — to reopen after being forced to close. The state’s health officer would have to revise the order to allow for such changes to take place.
Though the daily average for cases and hospitalizations has declined statewide in recent weeks, it is always possible for a resurgence to occur in an individual county. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that San Francisco County was expected to be taken off, but the county still sits on the list as cases continue to stay above the safety threshold and the number of available intensive care beds has dropped below 20%.
A decline in cases and hospitalizations not surprisingly leads to a decline in deaths.
“Hopefully this week and next week you’re going to start seeing the death rate really start to drop,” Centers of Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Assn.
The decline in current cases has been attributed to people’s social behaviors and businesses’ modifications in moving indoor operations to outside. It is always possible that a spike in cases could occur if social behaviors relax, as was the case previously over holiday weekends.


latimes--2020-08-21--Active shooter call in San Luis Obispo County ends with deputies killing suspect

San Luis Obispo County sheriff ’ s deputies shot and killed a man Friday afternoon after reports of an active shooter at a gas station near Nipomo , authorities said .
The Sheriff ’ s Department received reports about a gunman at a Vons grocery and gas station parking lot just off Highway 101 about 11:15 a.m. , according to the department ’ s Twitter page .
Witnesses said a man was firing indiscriminately outside the shopping center , sheriff ’ s spokesman Tony Cipolla said .
The man went into a gas station building in the parking lot when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fired a few rounds inside the building before emerging and then began shooting at law enforcement personnel , Cipolla said .
Two deputies and an officer from the California Highway Patrol returned fire , killing him .
“ Sheriff ’ s Deputies and CHP engaged the active shooter and the suspect is deceased .
There is no known threat to public safety at this time , ” the department tweeted .
It was not immediately known how many rounds the man fired .
His identity was being withheld , pending notification of family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miracle but , at this time , we do not have any reports of anyone being injured , ” Cipolla said .
Authorities think the man acted alone .
“ We have no idea at this point what his motivation might have been , ” Cipolla said .
The Associated Press contributed to this report .

Law enforcement officials fatally shot a man after reports of an active shooter in San Luis Obispo County.
San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a man Friday afternoon after reports of an active shooter at a gas station near Nipomo, authorities said.
The Sheriff’s Department received reports about a gunman at a Vons grocery and gas station parking lot just off Highway 101 about 11:15 a.m., according to the department’s Twitter page.
For the record: An earlier version of this article said the shooting took place Wednesday. The shooting occurred Friday.
Witnesses said a man was firing indiscriminately outside the shopping center, sheriff’s spokesman Tony Cipolla said.
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The man went into a gas station building in the parking lot when deputies arrived, Cipolla said.
He fired a few rounds inside the building before emerging and then began shooting at law enforcement personnel, Cipolla said. Two deputies and an officer from the California Highway Patrol returned fire, killing him.
BREAKING NEWS: Active shooting has taken place this morning at the Vons shopping center in Nipomo. According to an eyewitness, the suspect has been taken down by law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/kgOVmVZ1zs — Dave Alley (@KCOYDave) August 21, 2020
“Sheriff’s Deputies and CHP engaged the active shooter and the suspect is deceased. There is no known threat to public safety at this time,” the department tweeted.
It was not immediately known how many rounds the man fired. His identity was being withheld, pending notification of family.
“It’s quite the miracle but, at this time, we do not have any reports of anyone being injured,” Cipolla said.
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Authorities think the man acted alone.
“We have no idea at this point what his motivation might have been,” Cipolla said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-08-21--Do you work for the U.S. Postal Service? Tell us what you're seeing

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent cutbacks at the U.S .
Postal Service have created chaos in the American mail system @ @ @ @ @ delivery .
The best way for the public to learn about what is happening at @ @ @ @ @ journalists to speak to current and former employees who can share documents and explain the @ @ @ @ @ .
You can contact The Times below and a reporter will get in touch .
@ @ @ @ @ share an anonymous tip , you can do so here .

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent cutbacks at the U.S. Postal Service have created chaos in the American mail system, including long waits for delivery.
The best way for the public to learn about what is happening at the Postal Service is for journalists to speak to current and former employees who can share documents and explain the changes to the postal system.
You can contact The Times below and a reporter will get in touch. If you would prefer to share an anonymous tip, you can do so here.


latimes--2020-08-21--Britney Spears' dad's latest move doesn't satisfy her conservatorship demands

Britney Spears ’ father wants to bring back an attorney who has helped manage the singer ’ s complicated conservatorship , which appears to go against the pop star ’ s wishes to appoint the temporary conservator managing her personal affairs to a more permanent role .
The move comes after a temporary arrangement in her protracted conservatorship case — known in other states as a legal guardianship — was extended to 2021 and after the singer ’ s attorney told the court this week that she is “ strongly opposed ” to her father remaining the sole conservator of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documents filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court , James “ Jamie ” Spears , who has had broad authority over his daughter ’ s life since her breakdowns in 2008 , requested the reappointment of attorney Andrew M. Wallet as a co-conservator of the singer ’ s person and estate .
Jamie Spears submitted additional documentation to continue the conservatorship that checked a box saying that his 38-year-old daughter is “ substantially unable to manage his or her financial resources or to resist fraud or undue influence.
” Wallet consented to act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday .
He previously held the position from Jan. 5 , 2009 , until the court accepted his voluntary resignation on March 4 , 2019 .
At the time , he said that the singer would suffer “ substantial detriment , irreparable harm and immediate danger ” if he didn ’ t step down .
Since then , Jamie Spears has been the sole conservator of the pop musician ’ s estate , and his daughter attempted to curb that power this week .
In a Wednesday status hearing in L.A. , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Judge Brenda Penny extended the temporary conservatorship to Feb. 1 , 2021 .
Britney Spears did not appear for Wednesday ’ s hearing , which was conducted through Los Angeles Superior Court ’ s remote courtroom appearance system .
Her court-appointed attorney , Samuel D. Ingham III , is authorized to file a petition no later than Sept. 18 and have the case set for hearing on Oct. 14 .
Any objections would have to be filed by Oct. 2 .
The `` ... Baby One More Time ” hitmaker has not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business affairs since her public unraveling , and her case has been complicated over the years and mostly concealed in probate court .
Ingham ’ s filing Tuesday gave the public a rare glimpse into the singer ’ s highly guarded life and her recently stated desire to no longer perform .
Spears ’ documents requested that Jodi Montgomery , the temporary , licensed professional conservator overseeing since September , be named permanent conservator of the entertainer ’ s personal affairs .
As for her estate , she strongly opposed her father continuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a “ qualified corporate fiduciary ” appointed to serve in the role instead .
The entertainer said that did not mean she would be waiving her right to seek an end to the entire arrangement .
She also stated that she wants to stop performing .
In January 2019 , she abruptly canceled her “ Britney : Domination ” residency in Las Vegas before it even began , then checked into a mental health facility after revealing that her father was sick .
She has not performed live since 2018 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ where the conservatorship must be changed substantially in order to reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated wishes , ” Ingham wrote in Tuesday ’ s documents .
The case has been playing out against the reignited # FreeBritney campaign , a movement by Spears ’ fans to have the conservatorship investigated for abuse and ultimately terminated .
A Change.org petition has amassed more than 106,000 signatures , and the viral campaign has surged in recent months as fans were convinced the singer was sending coded messages on social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother of two revealed she accidentally her followers bombarded the post with comments expressing their concern for her well-being .
Protesters again rallied outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown L.A. during Wednesday ’ s hearing .
Earlier this month , Jamie Spears slammed the campaign , which claims the pop musician is being held captive by him , arguing that the movement ’ s organizers are “ conspiracy theorists.
” Organizers on Friday refuted that characterization , arguing that the documents they reviewed in Spears ’ case show that the entertainer ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away .
“ There are certainly people who are in the movement who dabble in a lot of speculation , ” the campaign ’ s BJ Courville told The Times .
“ There are equally , if not more people who have studied these documents and law who believe that her constitutional rights have been implicated ... [ we ’ re ] actively noticing human rights violations.
” The campaign believes Spears has no voice or autonomy .
The petition said that she ’ s being manipulated and controlled , isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her calls and messages monitored , and can see people or spend her money only with permission .
If she breaks any rules , they allege , her father threatens to have her two sons taken away .
Courville said that Spears was railroaded into the protracted conservatorship and found it strange that Wallet , someone who previously stated the singer could be harmed if he remained a co-conservator , would return instead of having a corporate fiduciary appointed .
“ It ’ s confusing because a little more than a year ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ danger , ’ and now we ’ ve seen Britney ’ s explicit wishes , and it ’ s my understanding that [ his appointment ] is not that , ” Courville said .

Britney Spears’ father wants to bring back an attorney who has helped manage the singer’s complicated conservatorship, which appears to go against the pop star’s wishes to appoint the temporary conservator managing her personal affairs to a more permanent role.
The move comes after a temporary arrangement in her protracted conservatorship case — known in other states as a legal guardianship — was extended to 2021 and after the singer’s attorney told the court this week that she is “strongly opposed” to her father remaining the sole conservator of her personal and financial well-being.
In documents filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, James “Jamie” Spears, who has had broad authority over his daughter’s life since her breakdowns in 2008, requested the reappointment of attorney Andrew M. Wallet as a co-conservator of the singer’s person and estate.
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Jamie Spears submitted additional documentation to continue the conservatorship that checked a box saying that his 38-year-old daughter is “substantially unable to manage his or her financial resources or to resist fraud or undue influence.”
Wallet consented to act as the co-conservator in documents also filed Thursday. He previously held the position from Jan. 5, 2009, until the court accepted his voluntary resignation on March 4, 2019. At the time, he said that the singer would suffer “substantial detriment, irreparable harm and immediate danger” if he didn’t step down.
Since then, Jamie Spears has been the sole conservator of the pop musician’s estate, and his daughter attempted to curb that power this week.
In a Wednesday status hearing in L.A., which was closed to the media and public, Judge Brenda Penny extended the temporary conservatorship to Feb. 1, 2021. Britney Spears did not appear for Wednesday’s hearing, which was conducted through Los Angeles Superior Court’s remote courtroom appearance system.
Her court-appointed attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III, is authorized to file a petition no later than Sept. 18 and have the case set for hearing on Oct. 14. Any objections would have to be filed by Oct. 2.
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The “...Baby One More Time” hitmaker has not had full control over her life or business affairs since her public unraveling, and her case has been complicated over the years and mostly concealed in probate court.
Jamie Spears, father of singer Britney Spears, leaves the Stanley Mosk Courthouse on Oct. 24, 2012. (Nick Ut / Associated Press)
Ingham’s filing Tuesday gave the public a rare glimpse into the singer’s highly guarded life and her recently stated desire to no longer perform.
Spears’ documents requested that Jodi Montgomery, the temporary, licensed professional conservator overseeing her case since September, be named permanent conservator of the entertainer’s personal affairs. As for her estate, she strongly opposed her father continuing in that capacity by himself and preferred to have a “qualified corporate fiduciary” appointed to serve in the role instead.
The entertainer said that did not mean she would be waiving her right to seek an end to the entire arrangement. She also stated that she wants to stop performing. In January 2019, she abruptly canceled her “Britney: Domination” residency in Las Vegas before it even began, then checked into a mental health facility after revealing that her father was sick. She has not performed live since 2018.
“We are now at a point where the conservatorship must be changed substantially in order to reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated wishes,” Ingham wrote in Tuesday’s documents.
The case has been playing out against the reignited #FreeBritney campaign, a movement by Spears’ fans to have the conservatorship investigated for abuse and ultimately terminated. A Change.org petition has amassed more than 106,000 signatures, and the viral campaign has surged in recent months as fans were convinced the singer was sending coded messages on social media.
In April, after the mother of two revealed she accidentally burned down her home gym, her followers bombarded the post with comments expressing their concern for her well-being.
Protesters again rallied outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown L.A. during Wednesday’s hearing.
Earlier this month, Jamie Spears slammed the campaign, which claims the pop musician is being held captive by him, arguing that the movement’s organizers are “conspiracy theorists.”
Organizers on Friday refuted that characterization, arguing that the documents they reviewed in Spears’ case show that the entertainer’s fundamental human rights are being stripped away.
Britney Spears in 2018. (Chris Pizzello / Invision)
“There are certainly people who are in the movement who dabble in a lot of speculation,” the campaign’s BJ Courville told The Times. “There are equally, if not more people who have studied these documents and law who believe that her constitutional rights have been implicated ... [we’re] actively noticing human rights violations.”
The campaign believes Spears has no voice or autonomy. The petition said that she’s being manipulated and controlled, isn’t allowed to drive or vote, has her calls and messages monitored, and can see people or spend her money only with permission. If she breaks any rules, they allege, her father threatens to have her two sons taken away.
Courville said that Spears was railroaded into the protracted conservatorship and found it strange that Wallet, someone who previously stated the singer could be harmed if he remained a co-conservator, would return instead of having a corporate fiduciary appointed.
“It’s confusing because a little more than a year ago it was ‘irreparable harm and immediate danger,’ and now we’ve seen Britney’s explicit wishes, and it’s my understanding that [his appointment] is not that,” Courville said.


latimes--2020-08-21--UCLA sharply scales back reopening plans under strict county rules

UCLA will sharply limit on-campus housing and in-person classes this fall , further scaling down its reopening plans to comply with strict Los Angeles County public health rules on controlling the COVID-19 pandemic , the university announced Friday .
The new county rules , which supersede less strict state guidance , have upended more expansive plans at UCLA , as well as at USC , Harvey Mudd and other local colleges .
L.A. public health officials have said that colleges and universities need to limit campus activities in the near term because high community transmission rates are driven , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 30 years old , who currently account for 25 % to 30 % of new infections .
As the coronavirus crisis deepened over the summer , UCLA successively scaled back plans to hold in-person meetings — from up to 20 % of courses in June to 8 % earlier this month , including those involving labs , clinical health and studio art and performance .
Now , however , nearly all classes will be held remotely when the fall quarter begins Sept. 28 under county rules that allow in-person meetings only when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only in courses that offer “ essential workforce ” training in such areas as health and medicine , emergency services , social work , the sciences and engineering .
The Westwood campus also had hoped to bring back as many as 6,500 students to campus housing .
But L.A. County officials have ordered campuses to house only students who have no “ feasible alternative.
” At UCLA , those students would include those whose current housing is not safe or appropriate or does not provide sufficient accommodations required under the American Disabilities Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditioning and those taking essential workforce classes who lack alternative housing also will be eligible for campus dorms .
It was not immediately clear how many students would qualify under the new county rules .
Those who can ’ t return to university housing will receive a full refund , UCLA said .
“ I am sure you share in my disappointment at our inability to bring more students back to campus , ” Provost Emily A. Carter said in a message to the campus community Friday .
“ At the same time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant threat , and mitigating health risks to our community must always be our overriding concern in any decision we make.
” UCLA is also recommending that newly admitted international students stay in their home countries unless they are required by their field of study to enroll in one of the in-person essential workforce courses .
They will still be able to enroll for fall quarter remote instruction .
Under recently enacted federal policies , international students must take at least one in-person class to qualify for educational visas .
The Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , many of whom have stayed in the U.S. during the pandemic , but retained it for new students .
“ Unfortunately , with the new , tighter restrictions on in-person instruction , most of these students will not meet the legal criteria for travel to the U.S nor have the ability to lawfully remain in the country , ” Carter said .
Last fall , UCLA enrolled about 6,800 international students , 15 % of total enrollment .

UCLA will sharply limit on-campus housing and in-person classes this fall, further scaling down its reopening plans to comply with strict Los Angeles County public health rules on controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, the university announced Friday.
The new county rules, which supersede less strict state guidance, have upended more expansive plans at UCLA, as well as at USC, Harvey Mudd and other local colleges. L.A. public health officials have said that colleges and universities need to limit campus activities in the near term because high community transmission rates are driven, in part, by younger people ages 18 to 30 years old, who currently account for 25% to 30% of new infections.
As the coronavirus crisis deepened over the summer, UCLA successively scaled back plans to hold in-person meetings — from up to 20% of courses in June to 8% earlier this month, including those involving labs, clinical health and studio art and performance. Now, however, nearly all classes will be held remotely when the fall quarter begins Sept. 28 under county rules that allow in-person meetings only when lessons cannot be delivered remotely and only in courses that offer “essential workforce” training in such areas as health and medicine, emergency services, social work, the sciences and engineering.
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The Westwood campus also had hoped to bring back as many as 6,500 students to campus housing. But L.A. County officials have ordered campuses to house only students who have no “feasible alternative.”
At UCLA, those students would include those whose current housing is not safe or appropriate or does not provide sufficient accommodations required under the American Disabilities Act. Student-athletes participating in on-campus training and conditioning and those taking essential workforce classes who lack alternative housing also will be eligible for campus dorms.
It was not immediately clear how many students would qualify under the new county rules. Those who can’t return to university housing will receive a full refund, UCLA said.
“I am sure you share in my disappointment at our inability to bring more students back to campus,” Provost Emily A. Carter said in a message to the campus community Friday. “At the same time, the virus continues to pose a significant threat, and mitigating health risks to our community must always be our overriding concern in any decision we make.”
UCLA is also recommending that newly admitted international students stay in their home countries unless they are required by their field of study to enroll in one of the in-person essential workforce courses. They will still be able to enroll for fall quarter remote instruction.
Under recently enacted federal policies, international students must take at least one in-person class to qualify for educational visas. The Trump administration subsequently removed that requirement for continuing students, many of whom have stayed in the U.S. during the pandemic, but retained it for new students.
“Unfortunately, with the new, tighter restrictions on in-person instruction, most of these students will not meet the legal criteria for travel to the U.S nor have the ability to lawfully remain in the country,” Carter said.
Last fall, UCLA enrolled about 6,800 international students, 15% of total enrollment.