latimes--2020-03-22--Beware the coronavirus scams: Colloidal silver, herb remedies and fake test kits

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak , public health officials have made it clear : There is no pill , vaccine or supplement that can cure or prevent the virus .
But that hasn ’ t stopped scam artists from trying to take advantage of people ’ s fears .
In Peru , a curandero claiming to have “ a pact with the devil ” promised to treat coronavirus among other ailments .
On Craigslist , a now-removed post claimed : “ I think I found how to prevent coronavirus ... from my grandmother ’ s herbal remedy recipe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his “ Silver Solution ” on his show , suggesting the concoction would boost the immune system and kill the virus within 12 hours .
These are just a few examples of people who are trying to capitalize on the coronavirus panic , and there are countless others — from price gougers selling hand sanitizer for hundreds of dollars to fake at-home coronavirus test kits coming from out of the country .
Officials are aggressively pursuing scammers , threatening legal action if they continue .
The FDA has issued warning letters to seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims about coronavirus cures or treatments , including “ The Jim Bakker Show , ” which is already facing legal action from federal and state agencies .
Los Angeles City Atty .
Mike Feuer and L.A. County Dist .
Atty .
Jackie Lacey have formed a coronavirus task force dedicated to scouring the internet and brick-and-mortar stores for fraudsters and price gougers .
Feuer ’ s office is already investigating two Los Angeles companies : CEN Group LLC.
, which on its website , SafeBabyHealthyChild , promoted vitamin C as a coronavirus treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was selling face masks .
So far , CEN Group LLC .
has complied with requests to take down the false claims , Feuer said .
On March 12 , U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at Los Angeles International Airport seized six plastic bags containing fake coronavirus home testing kits that were shipped from the United Kingdom .
Dozens of vials inside the plastic bags were labeled “ Corona Virus 2019nconvd ( COVID-19 ) ” and “ Virus1 Test Kit , ” according to CBP .
Feuer said his coronavirus task force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at-home test kits advertised online .
The city attorney wouldn ’ t talk about the details of each investigation , or how many cases his office was following , but he promised : “ Scam artists who are targeting Angelenos are going to confront our office and we ’ re going to take them on.
” The crackdown comes as normal day-to-day activities are grinding to a halt across the country .
In the Bay Area , seven counties are under a shelter-in-place order , and in Los Angeles County , bars and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nearly 900 people in California have tested positive for the virus and 17 have died so far .
Experts say in the next year , up to 70 % of the population will become infected .
Officials say that not only do the false claims for cures and tests fuel the national anxiety , they could prevent sick people from seeking the help they need , or discourage healthy people from adopting best practices such as social distancing and washing their hands .
Scam artists who emerge during a health crisis are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ panic arises , they seize the opportunity to prey upon a frightened population , as was the case with SARS in 2003 and the H1N1 virus in 2009 , another outbreak during which we heard about colloidal silver .
Some scammers touted it as a cure-all , insisting that it could get rid of cancer , AIDS , tuberculosis , diabetes and numerous other diseases .
Others pushed counterfeit Tamiflu pills as a cure .
“ When people are at this state , they ’ re willing to try almost anything , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor of psychology and a clinical neuropsychologist at USC .
On a recent show , Jim Bakker— a televangelist who spent almost five years in jail in the 1990s for defrauding followers into buying memberships and retreats that supported his extravagant lifestyle — said of his colloidal silver product : “ We ’ ve tested , it works on just about everything.
” Holding the black “ Silver Solution ” bottle , he asked a guest : “ This influenza that is now circulating the globe , you ’ re saying that silver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hasn ’ t been tested on this strain of the virus , but “ it ’ s been tested on other strains of the coronavirus and has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours ” the woman responded .
“ Totally eliminate it .
Kills it .
Deactivates it.
” Bakker is now facing a lawsuit in the state of Missouri , and New York officials have ordered him to stop promoting his colloidal silver products , which have since been removed from his website .
Feuer has also taken aim at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with federal and state officials who have already targeted the televangelist .
Representatives of “ The Jim Bakker Show , ” which airs in Los Angeles on satellite and cable TV , did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
In Boise , Idaho , a business called Herbal Amy , which was selling products developed by herbalist Stephen Buhner , received a warning letter from the FDA .
According to the letter , the Herbal Amy site claimed that Buhner “ analyzed how coronaviruses infect tissues…and herbs that are useful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Stephen Buhner has used this with other corona virus infections , including SARS , it works well.
” By Tuesday , the website had taken down those statements and added a note warning that the products were made in a kitchen and were not FDA-approved .
The website also noted that herbs high in demand , such as Chinese skullcap root , were sold out .
“ As people are concerned about their immune systems , these and many other immune herbs are being sold out across the nation , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for such products to google Stephen Buhner ’ s herbs .
In response , Buhner said though he ’ s not happy about Herbal Amy ’ s claims and that the company used his name without permission , he believes in the effectiveness of herbal medicines in some circumstances .
He said he is not affiliated with Herbal Amy or any other company selling his herbs .
“ Despite the existence of a few antiviral pharmaceuticals the only real treatments that Western medicine has developed for viral infections are vaccines , ” Buhner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , vaccines for new organisms generally take a year or so to develop , hence my desire to create an herbal protocol that people could begin using to boost their immunity to , and disrupt the tissue infections of , this specific coronavirus strain.
” Facebook , Amazon and other major companies have banned and removed advertisements and posts about bogus cures .
In addition , Amazon has blocked or removed millions of products suspected of making misleading claims about the coronavirus .
Facebook has done the same , and has instigated a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We are temporarily banning advertisements and commerce listings that sell medical face masks , ” a Facebook spokesperson said .
“ Our teams are monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and will make necessary updates to our policies if we see people trying to exploit this public health emergency for their own benefit.
” When panic and fear are pervasive , people are more likely to fall victim to these types of claims , because their decision-making skills could be impaired by the heightened anxiety , USC ’ s Thames said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s a tendency for people to be reactive , ” Thames said .
“ We ’ re all vulnerable to it.
” Officials say that seniors , whose decision-making skills may be diminished by age , are more frequently targeted by scammers looking to make money or steal people ’ s identities .
The health risks and panic caused by the coronavirus make them even more vulnerable to scammers claiming to have a quick fix for the virus .
On the other hand , younger adults and teenagers may be susceptible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they will often think with emotions , “ so if something looks good or exciting , the thought often is , ‘ Why not ?
’ ” Others who have a distrust of the public health system or don ’ t have the means to obtain the care they need sometimes search for alternative forms of healing , putting them at risk as well .
“ I ’ ve had several patients come to me and say , ‘ I heard this works ’ about some herb they heard about , and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ type of Westernized medicine , ” Thames said .
“ It ’ s a complete scam , because it ’ s not backed by scientific evidence of any kind.
” The scams also show up via emails and robocalls .
One robocall claiming to be associated with the World Health Organization said : “ The WHO is informing you that you applied for a coronavirus vaccine and today is the last day to address it .
If you have any questions , press 9 for help.
” The message is then repeated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helpful resources from official sources , such as the WHO or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
When users click through , they are actually allowing access to personal data like passwords or credit card details or downloading malicious software , said Nikolas Behar , a cybersecurity expert .
Behar said these types of online scanners are always pervasive and looking for new targets .
The coronavirus is simply “ the flavor of the month.
” Officials and experts say protecting the public will be , to a great extent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can disseminate educational information to those at risk .
Thames said the public should be educated about the rigorous scientific process that cures and vaccinations need to go through before becoming available to the public .
“ There needs to be a wide public information campaign by our national health experts about some basic issues ... where [ they ] make clear there ’ s no home testing , there are no cures for coronavirus , and there is no medication that one can take.
” “ The more pervasive the campaign would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better .
”

At a news conference March 13, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey and Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer announced a joint coronavirus task force to identify price gougers and scammers claiming to have a cure for the coronavirus.
In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, public health officials have made it clear: There is no pill, vaccine or supplement that can cure or prevent the virus.
But that hasn’t stopped scam artists from trying to take advantage of people’s fears.
In Peru, a curandero claiming to have “a pact with the devil” promised to treat coronavirus among other ailments. On Craigslist, a now-removed post claimed: “I think I found how to prevent coronavirus ... from my grandmother’s herbal remedy recipe card.” And a televangelist recently promoted his “Silver Solution” on his show, suggesting the concoction would boost the immune system and kill the virus within 12 hours.
Advertisement
These are just a few examples of people who are trying to capitalize on the coronavirus panic, and there are countless others — from price gougers selling hand sanitizer for hundreds of dollars to fake at-home coronavirus test kits coming from out of the country.
Officials are aggressively pursuing scammers, threatening legal action if they continue.
The FDA has issued warning letters to seven entities that it says have made false claims about coronavirus cures or treatments, including “The Jim Bakker Show,” which is already facing legal action from federal and state agencies.
Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer and L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey have formed a coronavirus task force dedicated to scouring the internet and brick-and-mortar stores for fraudsters and price gougers.
Feuer’s office is already investigating two Los Angeles companies: CEN Group LLC., which on its website, SafeBabyHealthyChild, promoted vitamin C as a coronavirus treatment, and the website modernbeyond.com, which was selling face masks.
So far, CEN Group LLC. has complied with requests to take down the false claims, Feuer said.
On March 12, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at Los Angeles International Airport seized six plastic bags containing fake coronavirus home testing kits that were shipped from the United Kingdom. Dozens of vials inside the plastic bags were labeled “Corona Virus 2019nconvd (COVID-19)” and “Virus1 Test Kit,” according to CBP.
Advertisement
Feuer said his coronavirus task force is on the lookout for other fake at-home test kits advertised online.
The city attorney wouldn’t talk about the details of each investigation, or how many cases his office was following, but he promised: “Scam artists who are targeting Angelenos are going to confront our office and we’re going to take them on.”
On March 12, border patrol officials discovered fake coronavirus test kits at Los Angeles International Airport that were shipped from the United Kingdom. Officials are on the lookout for more bogus kits. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
The crackdown comes as normal day-to-day activities are grinding to a halt across the country. In the Bay Area, seven counties are under a shelter-in-place order, and in Los Angeles County, bars and restaurants have closed or prohibited dining in. Nearly 900 people in California have tested positive for the virus and 17 have died so far. Experts say in the next year, up to 70% of the population will become infected.
Officials say that not only do the false claims for cures and tests fuel the national anxiety, they could prevent sick people from seeking the help they need, or discourage healthy people from adopting best practices such as social distancing and washing their hands.
Scam artists who emerge during a health crisis are nothing new. Any time a new panic arises, they seize the opportunity to prey upon a frightened population, as was the case with SARS in 2003 and the H1N1 virus in 2009, another outbreak during which we heard about colloidal silver. Some scammers touted it as a cure-all, insisting that it could get rid of cancer, AIDS, tuberculosis, diabetes and numerous other diseases. Others pushed counterfeit Tamiflu pills as a cure.
“When people are at this state, they’re willing to try almost anything,” said April Denise Thames, an associate professor of psychology and a clinical neuropsychologist at USC.
On a recent show, Jim Bakker— a televangelist who spent almost five years in jail in the 1990s for defrauding followers into buying memberships and retreats that supported his extravagant lifestyle — said of his colloidal silver product: “We’ve tested, it works on just about everything.”
Holding the black “Silver Solution” bottle, he asked a guest: “This influenza that is now circulating the globe, you’re saying that silver solution would be effective?”
It hasn’t been tested on this strain of the virus, but “it’s been tested on other strains of the coronavirus and has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours” the woman responded. “Totally eliminate it. Kills it. Deactivates it.”
Bakker is now facing a lawsuit in the state of Missouri, and New York officials have ordered him to stop promoting his colloidal silver products, which have since been removed from his website. Feuer has also taken aim at Bakker, saying his office is collaborating with federal and state officials who have already targeted the televangelist.
Representatives of “The Jim Bakker Show,” which airs in Los Angeles on satellite and cable TV, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In Boise, Idaho, a business called Herbal Amy, which was selling products developed by herbalist Stephen Buhner, received a warning letter from the FDA.
According to the letter, the Herbal Amy site claimed that Buhner “analyzed how coronaviruses infect tissues…and herbs that are useful to interrupt that process” and that “Stephen Buhner has used this with other corona virus infections, including SARS, it works well.”
By Tuesday, the website had taken down those statements and added a note warning that the products were made in a kitchen and were not FDA-approved. The website also noted that herbs high in demand, such as Chinese skullcap root, were sold out.
“As people are concerned about their immune systems, these and many other immune herbs are being sold out across the nation,” the site read, before directing people looking for such products to google Stephen Buhner’s herbs.
In response, Buhner said though he’s not happy about Herbal Amy’s claims and that the company used his name without permission, he believes in the effectiveness of herbal medicines in some circumstances. He said he is not affiliated with Herbal Amy or any other company selling his herbs.
“Despite the existence of a few antiviral pharmaceuticals the only real treatments that Western medicine has developed for viral infections are vaccines,” Buhner said in the statement. “Unfortunately, vaccines for new organisms generally take a year or so to develop, hence my desire to create an herbal protocol that people could begin using to boost their immunity to, and disrupt the tissue infections of, this specific coronavirus strain.”
Facebook, Amazon and other major companies have banned and removed advertisements and posts about bogus cures. In addition, Amazon has blocked or removed millions of products suspected of making misleading claims about the coronavirus. Facebook has done the same, and has instigated a new policy about certain medical supplies:
“We are temporarily banning advertisements and commerce listings that sell medical face masks,” a Facebook spokesperson said. “Our teams are monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and will make necessary updates to our policies if we see people trying to exploit this public health emergency for their own benefit.”
When panic and fear are pervasive, people are more likely to fall victim to these types of claims, because their decision-making skills could be impaired by the heightened anxiety, USC’s Thames said.
“In times of uncertainty and distress, there’s a tendency for people to be reactive,” Thames said. “We’re all vulnerable to it.”
Officials say that seniors, whose decision-making skills may be diminished by age, are more frequently targeted by scammers looking to make money or steal people’s identities. The health risks and panic caused by the coronavirus make them even more vulnerable to scammers claiming to have a quick fix for the virus.
On the other hand, younger adults and teenagers may be susceptible to scams because, Thames said, they will often think with emotions, “so if something looks good or exciting, the thought often is, ‘Why not?’ ”
Others who have a distrust of the public health system or don’t have the means to obtain the care they need sometimes search for alternative forms of healing, putting them at risk as well.
“I’ve had several patients come to me and say, ‘I heard this works’ about some herb they heard about, and they would prefer to try that than any type of Westernized medicine,” Thames said. “It’s a complete scam, because it’s not backed by scientific evidence of any kind.”
The scams also show up via emails and robocalls.
One robocall claiming to be associated with the World Health Organization said: “The WHO is informing you that you applied for a coronavirus vaccine and today is the last day to address it. If you have any questions, press 9 for help.” The message is then repeated in Chinese.
Emails might disguise themselves as helpful resources from official sources, such as the WHO or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When users click through, they are actually allowing access to personal data like passwords or credit card details or downloading malicious software, said Nikolas Behar, a cybersecurity expert.
Behar said these types of online scanners are always pervasive and looking for new targets. The coronavirus is simply “the flavor of the month.”
Officials and experts say protecting the public will be, to a great extent, a matter of how well health officials can disseminate educational information to those at risk.
Thames said the public should be educated about the rigorous scientific process that cures and vaccinations need to go through before becoming available to the public.
“There needs to be a wide public information campaign by our national health experts about some basic issues ... where [they] make clear there’s no home testing, there are no cures for coronavirus, and there is no medication that one can take.”
“The more pervasive the campaign would be, in many languages, the better.”


latimes--2020-03-22--Earthquakes: 4.8 quake near Fortuna, Calif.

A magnitude-4.8 earthquake was reported at 9:27 a.m. Sunday 36 miles from Fortuna , Calif. , according to the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ occurred 39 miles from Eureka , Calif. , 43 miles from Myrtletown , Calif. , @ @ @ @ @ Calif. , and 50 miles from McKinleyville , Calif..
In the last 10 days , @ @ @ @ @ of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby .
An average of 25 earthquakes with magnitudes @ @ @ @ @ each year in California and Nevada , according to a recent three-year data sample .
@ @ @ @ @ depth of 7.4 miles .
Did you feel this earthquake ?
Consider reporting what you @ @ @ @ @ Find out what to do before , and during , an earthquake near you by @ @ @ @ @ guide .
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors @ @ @ @ @ the USGS .
A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published .
If @ @ @ @ @ learning more about the system , visit our list of frequently asked questions .

A magnitude-4.8 earthquake was reported at 9:27 a.m. about 40 miles from the cities of Fortuna and Eureka in California.
A magnitude-4.8 earthquake was reported at 9:27 a.m. Sunday 36 miles from Fortuna, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake occurred 39 miles from Eureka, Calif., 43 miles from Myrtletown, Calif., 46 miles from Arcata, Calif., and 50 miles from McKinleyville, Calif..
In the last 10 days, there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
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An average of 25 earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.0 to 5.0 occur each year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 7.4 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Find out what to do before, and during, an earthquake near you by reading our five-step earthquake preparedness guide.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.


latimes--2020-03-22--LAPD expected to cancel vacations, work 12-hour shifts to combat coronavirus

The Los Angeles Police Department is expected to switch to 12-hour shifts for its officers in the coming weeks and cancel all vacations as a way to staff up in response to the coronavirus outbreak , a law enforcement source told the L.A. Times .
The department is also planning to assign officers to each of the city ’ s new emergency shelters , which are expected to grow in number , according to the source familiar with the plans who was unable to speak publicly about them .
The plans are still being finalized but are part of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and be of assistance during the public health crisis .
Earlier this month , the LAPD said it would shift half the detectives working in its community stations to daily patrol Mayor Eric Garcetti said at the time that the city ’ s detectives would start working on the streets to “ help supplement our patrol officers.
” Some detectives already are out there , the mayor said , to “ make sure that any challenges that arise in our neighborhoods and grocery stores ” are dealt with and to help people “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that , at a minimum , that would provide at least 300 additional officers to patrol , and potentially more .
On Saturday , a third Los Angeles police officer tested positive for the coronavirus infection and was exhibiting symptoms in an LAPD station for several days this week , according to law enforcement officials who spoke to The Times on Saturday on condition of anonymity .
The officer , who had recently returned from a vacation out of the country , was “ coughing and sweating ” during roll call in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include downtown L.A. , two of the officials said .
The LAPD released a statement late Saturday confirming the positive test result .
The officer was sent home once a supervisor became aware of the individual ’ s possible illness , according to the statement .
“ We have also identified anyone who may have come in contact with the employee and directed them to a contract healthcare provider for evaluation , ” the statement read .
“ The Department has established guidelines for all employees who either exhibit symptoms of the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be infected.
” Two other LAPD employees — a supervisor in the Pacific Division and a described as a “ member of the senior staff ” — have also tested positive for the illness , the LAPD has confirmed .
Sources told The Times as many as 14 LAPD employees had been tested for the virus .
Cleaning crews have disinfected the officer ’ s work station , according to the LAPD statement , which noted it was likely that more first responders would grow ill as the spread of the virus @ @

Los Angeles police Lt. Jay Hom helps assemble kits consisting of an N95 mask, work gloves and nitrile gloves on March 11 for field officers to protect themselves from the coronavirus.
The Los Angeles Police Department is expected to switch to 12-hour shifts for its officers in the coming weeks and cancel all vacations as a way to staff up in response to the coronavirus outbreak, a law enforcement source told the L.A. Times.
The department is also planning to assign officers to each of the city’s new emergency shelters, which are expected to grow in number, according to the source familiar with the plans who was unable to speak publicly about them.
The plans are still being finalized but are part of a larger effort by the LAPD to mobilize and be of assistance during the public health crisis.
Earlier this month, the LAPD said it would shift half the detectives working in its community stations to daily patrol to ensure public peace.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said at the time that the city’s detectives would start working on the streets to “help supplement our patrol officers.”
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Some detectives already are out there, the mayor said, to “make sure that any challenges that arise in our neighborhoods and grocery stores” are dealt with and to help people “feel secure in the city.”
Officials said that, at a minimum, that would provide at least 300 additional officers to patrol, and potentially more.
On Saturday, a third Los Angeles police officer tested positive for the coronavirus infection and was exhibiting symptoms in an LAPD station for several days this week, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to The Times on Saturday on condition of anonymity.
The officer, who had recently returned from a vacation out of the country, was “coughing and sweating” during roll call in Central Division, which patrols areas that include downtown L.A., two of the officials said.
The LAPD released a statement late Saturday confirming the positive test result. The officer was sent home once a supervisor became aware of the individual’s possible illness, according to the statement.
“We have also identified anyone who may have come in contact with the employee and directed them to a contract healthcare provider for evaluation,” the statement read. “The Department has established guidelines for all employees who either exhibit symptoms of the virus or come in contact with someone who may be infected.”
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Two other LAPD employees — a supervisor in the Pacific Division and a high-ranking employee described as a “member of the senior staff” — have also tested positive for the illness, the LAPD has confirmed. Sources told The Times as many as 14 LAPD employees had been tested for the virus.
Cleaning crews have disinfected the officer’s work station, according to the LAPD statement, which noted it was likely that more first responders would grow ill as the spread of the virus worsened.


latimes--2020-03-22--Eerie drone photos reveal California's new stay-at-home landscape

With cases of the coronavirus in California nearing 1,500 , state officials called on residents to self-isolate and tried to @ @ @ @ @ .
Amid some reports that people were gathering with friends or not maintaining the recommended @ @ @ @ @ Gavin Newsom on Saturday pleaded for residents to avoid unnecessary social contact .
The staff @ @ @ @ @ has been documenting the changing landscape of everyday life .
Here are views from on @ @ @ @ @ the time of the coronavirus .

With cases of the coronavirus in California nearing 1,500, state officials called on residents to self-isolate and tried to increase the speed of testing.
Amid some reports that people were gathering with friends or not maintaining the recommended social distance, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday pleaded for residents to avoid unnecessary social contact.
The staff of the Los Angeles Times has been documenting the changing landscape of everyday life. Here are views from on high of the Southland in the time of the coronavirus.
Traffic on the 110 Freeway, heading north out of downtown L.A., is almost nonexistent. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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An aerial view of an empty Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Parking slots create a pattern uninterrupted by cars at Westfield Topanga mall. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
With the Los Angeles Unified School District closed, buses sit idle in a district transportation yard in Gardena. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The basketball courts at the shuttered Roybal Learning Center. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
One table is occupied outside Cal Marketplace in downtown Los Angeles. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Wide stretches of sand are unoccupied on the beach in Santa Monica. The city closed its famed pier. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)


latimes--2020-03-22--Here is the latest list of L.A. County communities with coronavirus infection cases

Los Angeles County health officials Saturday confirmed two more coronavirus-related deaths and 59 new cases , bringing the total confirmed cases in the county to 351 .
The individuals who died were both older than 65 with underlying health conditions ; one person lived in the Miracle Mile area and the other in Del Rey , public health officials said in a statement .
“ Because there are positive cases across the entire county , the public should not think one location is safer than another , ” according to the statement .
Meanwhile on Saturday , the Los Angeles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Safer at Home ” order following Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s instructing 40 million Californians to stay at home as much as possible , with certain exceptions , to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
The new county order largely matches the stronger stay-at-home order issued for the city of Los Angeles by Mayor Eric Garcetti on Thursday night , just moments before the statewide order was announced .
The new rules close drive-in theaters and nail and hair salons , among other things .
Here are the L.A. County @ @ @ @ @

Angelenos line the block outside Chi Spacca on Thursday as Nancy Silverton and her staff distribute 300 free meals to those in the restaurant industry affected by closures because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Los Angeles County health officials Saturday confirmed two more coronavirus-related deaths and 59 new cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the county to 351.
The individuals who died were both older than 65 with underlying health conditions; one person lived in the Miracle Mile area and the other in Del Rey, public health officials said in a statement.
“Because there are positive cases across the entire county, the public should not think one location is safer than another,” according to the statement.
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Meanwhile on Saturday, the Los Angeles County health officer has issued a stronger “Safer at Home” order following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s unprecedented statewide order instructing 40 million Californians to stay at home as much as possible, with certain exceptions, to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The new county order largely matches the stronger stay-at-home order issued for the city of Los Angeles by Mayor Eric Garcetti on Thursday night, just moments before the statewide order was announced. The new rules close drive-in theaters and nail and hair salons, among other things.
Here are the L.A. County communities with coronavirus cases:
Alhambra 3
Altadena 3
Arcadia 2
Baldwin Hills 2
Beverly Hills 7
Beverlywood 5
Boyle Heights 5
Brentwood 18
Burbank 1
Calabasas 1
Carson 3
Castaic 1
Century City 4
Century Palms/Cove 1
Cerritos 1
Covina 1
Crestview 4
Culver City 4
Del Rey 2
Diamond Bar 2
Downtown 1
Eagle Rock 1
East Los Angeles 1
Echo Park 1
El Segundo 2
Encino 10
Gardena 1
Glendale 5
Granada Hills 4
Hancock Park 4
Hawthorne 2
Hollywood 12
Hollywood Hills 2
Inglewood 2
Koreatown 1
La Canada Flintridge 1
La Mirada 3
La Verne 1
Lake Balboa 1
Lakewood 1
Lancaster 3
Lawndale 1
Lomita 7
Long Beach 13
Lynwood 1
Manhattan Beach 7
Mar Vista 4
Melrose 12
Miracle Mile 1
Montebello 1
Monterey Park 3
North Hollywood 5
Northridge 1
Pacific Palisades 7
Palms 1
Park La Brea 4
Pasadena 3
Playa Vista 2
Redondo Beach 2
Reseda 3
San Dimas 1
San Fernando 1
San Pedro 1
Santa Clarita 4
Santa Monica 5
Santa Monica Mountains 3
Sherman Oaks 7
Silver Lake 3
South El Monte 1
South Pasadena 2
South Whittier 1
Stevenson Ranch 1
Studio City 4
Sun Valley 1
Sunland 1
Sylmar 1
Tarzana 7
Torrance 2
Tujunga 1
University Park 1
Valley Glen 6
Van Nuys 2
Venice 6
Vermont Knolls 1
Vermont Vista 1
Vernon Central 1
Walnut 1
West Adams 2
West Covina 1
West Hills 4
West Hollywood 18
West Los Angeles 3
West Vernon 2
Westchester 3
Westlake 1
Westwood 5
Whittier 2
Winnetka 1
Woodland Hills 5
Under investigation 31


latimes--2020-03-22--Students hit hard as L.A. community colleges scramble to respond to coronavirus

On Wednesday morning , Los Angeles Trade Technical College student Milagro Jones logged onto his laptop from a one-bedroom apartment in south Los Angeles to attend an online class on human evolution .
His 5-year-old daughter , Lydia , at home from preschool , played nearby .
This was supposed to be the first day of online courses after the Los Angeles Community College District announced it would suspend most in-person classes due to the novel coronavirus .
To Jones ’ surprise , nobody else — not even the teacher — was online .
“ I didn ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation ’ s largest community college district , communication about the coronavirus has been confusing .
Less than half of the faculty had been trained in “ distance education ” before the pandemic hit .
Employees lacked access to systems to enable working from home .
There were not enough laptops for students and teachers to access online instruction .
Many staff , faculty and students across the nine-college system say the response to the virus has been inadequate .
“ We were caught kind of flat-footed , ” said Deirdre Wood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is chair of the language arts and humanities department at Trade Tech .
“ We ’ re trying to build the plane while we ’ re learning to fly.
” The uneven response is disrupting the lives of students who rely on campuses not only for education , but also for essential services such as food , healthcare and help with financial aid forms .
The vast majority of the district ’ s 230,000 students come from low-income households .
Many are food and housing insecure .
An estimated one-fourth have children of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ability to complete their higher education goals is tenuous even under ordinary circumstances .
District officials said they are following their emergency plans and protocols and are regularly pushing out information to students , faculty and staff .
But , they said , COVID-19 has created a situation nobody could have planned for .
“ This situation that we are in is completely unprecedented , ” Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez said .
“ To say that we have not planned for an emergency is completely false .
To say that we have not planned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ re changing as the environment is changing , ” board president Andra Hoffman said .
“ It ’ s been ... a challenge.
” The district created a COVID-19 response team earlier this month to come up with immediate plans of action for health and safety and continuity of operations .
Officials have approved $ 450,000 for supplies and overtime for custodial staff , purchased VPN licenses so more employees can work from home and placed orders for thousands of laptops .
They are also rolling out a new platform for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Originally administrators said colleges would begin online instruction March 18 , but a few days later they voted to cancel classes for a full week and move spring break up in order to give faculty more time before having to begin classes online March 30 .
Jones wasn ’ t aware of that latest change , which was why only he logged on this past Wednesday .
“ The response has been confusing , ” he said .
“ I ’ ve been told different things by different faculty ... You get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s different in person.
” Angela Echeverri , president of the district ’ s academic senate and a microbiology teacher at Mission College , said only about 2,000 of the district ’ s 5,000 faculty are certified in distance education .
“ You can imagine how we ’ re scrambling here , ” she said .
“ To train 3,000 faculty in a week — I can ’ t even tell you how overwhelming that is.
” As the coronavirus emergency intensified , with group gatherings restricted , the training itself was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for in-person training Monday , where she said she was in a room with 30 to 40 other faculty members , including visibly sick ones , and no hand sanitizer .
Even if faculty and staff can ultimately switch to online education , many students will still struggle .
“ Some students view our community colleges as their safe place ... related to where they get their food , to where they get their childcare support , to where they get a sense of safety and comfort , ” Rodriguez said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide an online platform , there ’ s still going to be some dislocation and some trauma that students will experience.
” Teissy Angel , an undocumented “ Dreamer ” student at Southwest College , works full-time as a caregiver for an adult with intellectual disabilities .
She normally gets up around 6 a.m. , makes her lunch and goes to campus to attend class .
Then she drives to Culver City , where she works from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day .
Angel , 25 , has relied on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She also runs a student club that invites local activists and social justice leaders to come talk to students .
Most crucially , she helped establish a resource center for “ Dreamers ” like her on campus , where she would go two or three times a week to use the computers , print course material to read on breaks from her job , and attend workshops on financial aid , legal matters and stress relief .
Though she has a computer and internet at home , “ it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my assignments [ at once ] , ” she said .
When she can ’ t pay her internet bill , she resorts to a Starbucks or McDonald ’ s to use Wi-Fi — but that won ’ t be an option any more , as patrons can no longer gather at the sites .
“ I fear that I ’ m not going to be able to pass my classes , ” said Angel , who is currently on track to transfer to a four-year college in fall 2021 .
Her professors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classes , especially in career and technical education , online instruction is simply not possible .
“ Ultimately in my areas there ’ s only so much you can do on paper , only so much you can do online , ” William Elarton-Selig , head of the construction , maintenance and utilities department at Trade Tech , said at an emergency Board of Trustees meeting March 14 .
“ You have to be able to drive the nail , you have to be able to screw the parts together ... or [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ education that ’ s of any value to them.
” Meanwhile , clerical and custodial staff said they felt “ abandoned ” by the administration and unclear on the guidelines of whether and where to work .
“ My members were calling me saying , ‘ Are we the only ones coming to work today ?
’ ” said Steven Butcher , executive secretary of the union that represents clerical and technical staff .
Staff members were particularly worried about having to use sick and vacation days if they stayed home , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay or be penalized for staying home due to the coronavirus .
At the core of the emergency , though , are LACC students like Em Owens , 19 , of Southwest College , who doesn ’ t have internet at the studio apartment she shares with her brother in Long Beach .
Normally she goes to the library for Wi-Fi , but now she plans to rely on friends ’ houses or a mobile hotspot from her phone , which is slow .
Rodriguez said the district is working with internet companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laptops to students who need them .
And Jones , the single parent who attends Trade Tech , illustrates the struggles — and determination — of many .
He has been in and out of homelessness since birth .
He got his GED in 2011 , while he was incarcerated .
Jones , 30 , started at Trade Tech as a full-time student last summer and intends to get an associate degree and transfer to a four-year institution in 2021 .
His financial aid covers tuition but he is relying on savings and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently qualified to enroll in a program that comes with a grant to buy books and 20 monthly meal tickets — but now the bookstore and cafeteria are closed .
He was hoping to finalize a work-study placement on campus this semester , where he expected to earn $ 14 an hour , but now that ’ s on hold , too .
But Jones is undeterred .
“ I ’ ve been through a lot in life , ” he said .
“ I ’ m resourceful , I ’ m resilient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let anything hold me back .
”

Milagro Jones, a student at L.A. Trade Tech College. Campus services he counts on, like healthcare, the library, meals and a work-study job, are not available during the crisis.
On Wednesday morning, Los Angeles Trade Technical College student Milagro Jones logged onto his laptop from a one-bedroom apartment in south Los Angeles to attend an online class on human evolution. His 5-year-old daughter, Lydia, at home from preschool, played nearby.
This was supposed to be the first day of online courses after the Los Angeles Community College District announced it would suspend most in-person classes due to the novel coronavirus.
To Jones’ surprise, nobody else — not even the teacher — was online.
“I didn’t know why,” he said.
At the nation’s largest community college district, communication about the coronavirus has been confusing. Less than half of the faculty had been trained in “distance education” before the pandemic hit. Employees lacked access to systems to enable working from home. There were not enough laptops for students and teachers to access online instruction.
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Many staff, faculty and students across the nine-college system say the response to the virus has been inadequate.
“We were caught kind of flat-footed,” said Deirdre Wood McDermott, who teaches public speaking and is chair of the language arts and humanities department at Trade Tech. “We’re trying to build the plane while we’re learning to fly.”
The uneven response is disrupting the lives of students who rely on campuses not only for education, but also for essential services such as food, healthcare and help with financial aid forms.
The vast majority of the district’s 230,000 students come from low-income households. Many are food and housing insecure. An estimated one-fourth have children of their own to care for. Their ability to complete their higher education goals is tenuous even under ordinary circumstances.
District officials said they are following their emergency plans and protocols and are regularly pushing out information to students, faculty and staff. But, they said, COVID-19 has created a situation nobody could have planned for.
“This situation that we are in is completely unprecedented,” Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez said. “To say that we have not planned for an emergency is completely false. To say that we have not planned for a pandemic is true.”
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“We’re changing as the environment is changing,” board president Andra Hoffman said. “It’s been ... a challenge.”
The district created a COVID-19 response team earlier this month to come up with immediate plans of action for health and safety and continuity of operations. Officials have approved $450,000 for supplies and overtime for custodial staff, purchased VPN licenses so more employees can work from home and placed orders for thousands of laptops. They are also rolling out a new platform for online counseling three months ahead of schedule.
Originally administrators said colleges would begin online instruction March 18, but a few days later they voted to cancel classes for a full week and move spring break up in order to give faculty more time before having to begin classes online March 30.
Jones wasn’t aware of that latest change, which was why only he logged on this past Wednesday.
“The response has been confusing,” he said. “I’ve been told different things by different faculty ... You get one thing on email and then it’s different in person.”
1 / 29 Workers at the Ralphs grocery store in Westchester measure out social distancing guidelines for its customers with markers every six feet and limiting the number of customers it allows in to shop. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 29 At Echo Park Lake, friends gather with their dogs and enjoy a Sunday afternoon in the park. Social distancing and home isolation remain in effect due to the coronavirus. (Carolyn Cole/Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 29 During the coronavirus pandemic, people continue to walk and ride their bikes along the path at Junipero Beach in Long Beach. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 29 People run and walk on the Veterans Parkway in Manhattan Beach even with signage saying the space is closed to help minimize the spread of the coronavirus. (Dania Maxwell/Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 29 Jesus Mendoza sells roses on the sidewalk in downtown Los Angeles. Mendoza said his business was overwhelmed by hundred of boxes of roses they could not sell. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times) 6 / 29 Riverside County medical personnel administer a coronavirus test to a driver at a drive-though testing facility at Diamond Stadium in Lake Elsinore. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 7 / 29 Drivers line-up to get a coronavirus test administered by Riverside County medical personnel at a drive-though testing facility at Diamond Stadium in Lake Elsinore. Those tested have symptoms or have had a risk of exposure. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 8 / 29 Xiao Ping, holding a tray of eggs, looks back at the long line of egg buyers on Saturda morning in Chino. Spooked by coronavirus people from nearby Inland Empire cities started lining up early morning at Maust’s California Poultry in Chino. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 29 Spooked by coronavirus fears, people from nearby Inland Empire cities lined-up to buy eggs at Maust’s California Poultry in Chino. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 10 / 29 The sparsely trafficked intersection of the 101 and 110 freeways in downtown Los Angeles is seen in a drone image. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 29 School buses sit idle since all schools have been closed in Los Angeles County. The image was taken by drone. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 29 In this drone image, the Westfield Topanga mall parking lot sits empty, as new regulations have closed all indoor shopping centers in Canoga Park. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 29 Vehicles flow smoothly along Interstate 5 and the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles in this drone image. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 29 The city of Santa Monica has closed the Santa Monica Pier, and few people were on the beach Friday. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 29 Shops are shuttered on historic Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 16 / 29 The intersection of the 101 and 110 freeways in downtown Los Angeles. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) 17 / 29 Hollywood Blvd. is devoid of the usual crowds as most shops are closed. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 18 / 29 Hollywood Blvd. is devoid of the usual crowds as most shops are closed. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 19 / 29 On the first day of L.A.’s ‘Safer at Home,” most major avenues and streets in downtown Los Angeles have very little traffic. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 20 / 29 Empty streets in downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 21 / 29 The main entrance to Union Station is closed. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 22 / 29 Union Station was restricted to only ticketed passenger and main entrance closed. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 23 / 29 Commuter protect themselves with a face mask while riding a bus at El Monte Metro Station. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 24 / 29 Salvation Army volunteer Christina Cuevas sets up cots for homeless at Westwood Recreation Center in Westwood. (Brian van der Brug/Brian van der Brug/Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 25 / 29 Popular shopping destination Rodeo Drive is all but deserted as retail shops are shuttered in Beverly Hills. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 26 / 29 The Apple store is among all the stores which have closed during the coronavirus outbreak in Newport Beach. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 27 / 29 With all the stores closed, Fashion Island is a ghost town except for an occasional customer getting food for take-out Newport Beach. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 28 / 29 People walk the beach, but maintain “social distancing” during the coronavirus outbreak at Crystal Cove in Newport Beach. (Gina Ferazzi/Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 29 / 29 During the coronavirus epidemic people continue to walk, ride thier bikes, and play basketball at Junipero Beach in Long Beach. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
Angela Echeverri, president of the district’s academic senate and a microbiology teacher at Mission College, said only about 2,000 of the district’s 5,000 faculty are certified in distance education.
“You can imagine how we’re scrambling here,” she said. “To train 3,000 faculty in a week — I can’t even tell you how overwhelming that is.”
As the coronavirus emergency intensified, with group gatherings restricted, the training itself was forced online.
One counselor showed up for in-person training Monday, where she said she was in a room with 30 to 40 other faculty members, including visibly sick ones, and no hand sanitizer.
Even if faculty and staff can ultimately switch to online education, many students will still struggle.
“Some students view our community colleges as their safe place ... related to where they get their food, to where they get their childcare support, to where they get a sense of safety and comfort,” Rodriguez said. “No matter how well we do ... to provide an online platform, there’s still going to be some dislocation and some trauma that students will experience.”
Teissy Angel, an undocumented “Dreamer” student at Southwest College, works full-time as a caregiver for an adult with intellectual disabilities. She normally gets up around 6 a.m., makes her lunch and goes to campus to attend class. Then she drives to Culver City, where she works from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
Angel, 25, has relied on the school library to access expensive textbooks. She also runs a student club that invites local activists and social justice leaders to come talk to students. Most crucially, she helped establish a resource center for “Dreamers” like her on campus, where she would go two or three times a week to use the computers, print course material to read on breaks from her job, and attend workshops on financial aid, legal matters and stress relief.
Though she has a computer and internet at home, “it’s not like I can sit and do all my assignments [at once],” she said. When she can’t pay her internet bill, she resorts to a Starbucks or McDonald’s to use Wi-Fi — but that won’t be an option any more, as patrons can no longer gather at the sites.
“I fear that I’m not going to be able to pass my classes,” said Angel, who is currently on track to transfer to a four-year college in fall 2021. Her professors seem understanding so far.
For some classes, especially in career and technical education, online instruction is simply not possible.
“Ultimately in my areas there’s only so much you can do on paper, only so much you can do online,” William Elarton-Selig, head of the construction, maintenance and utilities department at Trade Tech, said at an emergency Board of Trustees meeting March 14. “You have to be able to drive the nail, you have to be able to screw the parts together ... or [students] won’t have an education that’s of any value to them.”
Meanwhile, clerical and custodial staff said they felt “abandoned” by the administration and unclear on the guidelines of whether and where to work.
“My members were calling me saying, ‘Are we the only ones coming to work today?’” said Steven Butcher, executive secretary of the union that represents clerical and technical staff.
Staff members were particularly worried about having to use sick and vacation days if they stayed home, but district officials said no employees would lose pay or be penalized for staying home due to the coronavirus.
At the core of the emergency, though, are LACC students like Em Owens, 19, of Southwest College, who doesn’t have internet at the studio apartment she shares with her brother in Long Beach. Normally she goes to the library for Wi-Fi, but now she plans to rely on friends’ houses or a mobile hotspot from her phone, which is slow.
Rodriguez said the district is working with internet companies and philanthropists to provide free internet and laptops to students who need them.
And Jones, the single parent who attends Trade Tech, illustrates the struggles — and determination — of many. He has been in and out of homelessness since birth. He got his GED in 2011, while he was incarcerated.
Jones, 30, started at Trade Tech as a full-time student last summer and intends to get an associate degree and transfer to a four-year institution in 2021. His financial aid covers tuition but he is relying on savings and other assistance to cover expenses.
He recently qualified to enroll in a program that comes with a grant to buy books and 20 monthly meal tickets — but now the bookstore and cafeteria are closed. He was hoping to finalize a work-study placement on campus this semester, where he expected to earn $14 an hour, but now that’s on hold, too.
“It’s a hurdle,” he said.
But Jones is undeterred. “I’ve been through a lot in life,” he said. “I’m resourceful, I’m resilient. I’m not gonna let anything hold me back.”


latimes--2020-03-22--Californians urged to stay home as coronavirus infections, death toll continue to rise

As the number of California coronavirus infection cases topped 1,500 , state officials called on residents to stay home as much as possible , raced to get more people tested and enlisted the support of tech titans .
Los Angeles County reported an additional death related to the virus on Sunday , the county ’ s fifth .
The Culver City resident was older than 65 and had underlying health conditions , the county Department of Public Health said .
The county recorded 71 new cases of the coronavirus , bringing the total to 409 , 132 of which were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eighty-four people have been hospitalized , public health officials said .
“ Please know that the actions you take today to stay 6 feet away from others and limit all non-essential activities outside your home are the best way for us to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives , ” Dr. Barbara Ferrer , the county public health director , said in a statement .
Riverside County also reported another death related to the virus on Sunday , the sixth in the county .
Information about the person who died was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced its first death of a resident due to complications from the virus .
The person was hospitalized and had an underlying medical condition , officials said Saturday .
“ We are facing a historic public health challenge and know this is a very difficult time , ” Dr. Edward Moreno , the county health officer and director of public health , said in a statement .
The death toll in the state connected to the coronavirus now stands at 30 .
Experts , meanwhile , warned that the number of U.S. deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Anthony Fauci , the government ’ s top infectious-diseases specialist , said Sunday that although the United States was “ not necessarily ” on the same trajectory as that of Italy — which has the world ’ s largest coronavirus-related death toll — “ we ’ re going to get hit , there ’ s no doubt about it.
” Italy ’ s death toll stands at more than 4,800 , including 793 on Saturday alone , Italian officials said .
Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said in an interview on CBS ’ “ Face the Nation ” on Sunday that some aspects of Italy ’ s crushing death toll were not yet fully understood by scientists .
“ If you look at the dynamics of the outbreak in Italy , we don ’ t know why they are suffering so terribly , ” he said , adding that “ many of us believe that early on they did not shut out as well the input of infections that originated in China and came to different parts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been improved by bans on travel from China and Europe .
“ We have from the beginning been able to put a bit of a clamper ” on outside cases , Fauci said .
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Sunday ordered the Sylmar Courthouse closed for three days after a deputy public defender assigned to the courthouse tested positive for COVID-19 , the illness caused by the coronavirus , the court said in a news release .
Presiding Judge Kevin Brazile was notified Saturday that the attorney had tested positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who also tested positive , the court said .
Affected judges and staff will self-quarantine for 14 days , it said .
The courthouse handles juvenile delinquency cases in two courtrooms , and both have been cleaned and disinfected , officials said .
Cases on the calendar for the next three days have been moved to the Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster .
The Sylmar Courthouse is scheduled to reopen Thursday .
Ten more cases of the coronavirus infection have been reported at a South Bay assisted living facility , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daily Breeze .
Six of them are staffers and four are residents , the paper reported .
Administrators said earlier in the week that one resident and two staff members had tested positive , raising fears of an outbreak in the high-end assisted living home .
Amid the steady rise in cases , California Gov .
Gavin Newsom on Saturday pleaded for residents to avoid unnecessary social contact after scattered reports across the state that some people had been flocking to the coast , gathering with friends or failing to follow social-distance orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who didn ’ t show any symptoms of COVID-19 , including young adults who appear to be less likely to become gravely ill if they do contract the illness , needed to cooperate for the good of others in their communities .
The governor ’ s stay-at-home order will remain in effect until “ further notice ” and could be changed as conditions warrant , according to a statement released by the governor ’ s office .
Issued under broad powers granted to the governor under the state ’ s Emergency Services Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforceable by law .
But people continued to crowd California ’ s beach areas Sunday as recent rains gave way to mild weather .
Santa Monica announced Sunday that it was closing its beach parking lots due to the “ large number of beachgoers ” and advised all residents and visitors to avoid the beach , bike path and Palisades Park .
“ Today is not the day to go to the beach , ” City Manager Rick Cole said in a statement .
“ We know that it ’ s difficult to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so nice and being close to the beach is one of the primary reasons why we love to call Santa Monica home .
Yet this is a time when we must take the guidelines from our health officials to heart.
” At Torrance Beach , people were well spread out on the sand , but the narrow walking path beside it was jammed by 10 a.m. At Long Beach ’ s Junipero Beach , besides the occasional mask and glove-wearer , all seemed to be going as normal Sunday morning .
The sun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old : groups of basketball players using all three hoops , bikers , joggers , rollerbladers , men doing pull ups on the outdoor exercise machines , women exercising on the grass , standing not six feet apart .
Along the shore , a family of three , wearing masks , took a walk .
A lone fishermen waded knee-deep in the water , with his family nearby .
When he felt a tug , he called two children nearby to help pull the line .
Strangers , including the family , gathered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Friday , Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia expressed frustration at his fellow residents for not following his guidance .
“ Seriously people , you need to practice social distancing .
I am seeing tons of people out there acting like there ’ s no crisis , ” he wrote on his personal Twitter page .
Or possibly , it was the governor ’ s order that led people to the beach , to spend time outdoors in one of the few remaining places available .
At least for Jaushay Rockett , 36 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This may have sparked something , ” he said .
“ This may have sparked people to be creative and go outside .
It could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing.
” Rockett was playing basketball outside because “ everything ’ s been closed , ” including his usual indoor gyms and courts in Signal Hill and Compton , he said .
Initially , he believed the order to stay indoors would be more strict , but he saw people outdoors seemingly living their lives as usual .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the beach than usual .
“ I ’ m thinking it was gon na be like martial law , ” he said .
“ Everybody is out ... until they make it mandatory .
They ’ re going to have to really lock down the city ” for people to stay indoors .
Rockett is taking precautions to stay safe .
He made sure to keep a distance from people , besides his family friends whom he played ball with .
After each game , he wipes his hands and the ball down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shower .
Clifford Aquino and Ryan Castro , both 28 , were also displaced from their typical gyms in Cerritos .
They decided that Long Beach , where there are plenty of outdoor gyms and paths to run , would be a good replacement to get their workout in .
“ This is only Day 2 , ” said Castro .
“ It sucks.
” “ It does suck but you have to find different ways to stay active , ” Aquino said .
Aquino said he feels safe using the workout machines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people .
If one area is too busy , he finds another , or chooses another activity to do .
He wipes down each bar with Lysol wipes before using them .
Castro said he had been a consistent runner before , but stopped a while back .
Now , because he has so few options , he ’ s getting back into it .
Both have gone hiking and tried different , also busy , beaches .
Maybe Californians just can ’ t help a little sunshine , Castro said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have it , it ’ s like their last chance before the rain comes down , ” he said .
“ Huntington Beach was worse than this.
” In addition to pushing residents to heed social distancing orders , California leaders are also working to marshal much-needed resources to prepare for a possible surge in coronavirus-related hospitalizations .
Newsom said Tim Cook , chief executive officer of Apple , had pledged 1 million medical masks to be donated specifically to California ’ s coronavirus efforts .
And he said manufacturers in Los Angeles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had reached out to sew additional masks if needed .
A key need in California and across the country is ventilators , necessary for some of the most serious COVID-19 patients , and the governor cited new efforts by two entrepreneurs to assist in producing the medical equipment .
Newsom said that Elon Musk , CEO of Tesla Inc. and Space X , had promised to use the supply chains that supported his companies for help in assembling ventilators .
The governor also said that K.R .
Sridhar , the CEO of Bloom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some 200 older ventilators that the state had on hand .
The original manufacturer , Newsom said , had estimated doing so would take about a month .
California , like other states hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic , has seen a shortage of complete testing kits .
Those challenges have hindered the ability of public health officials to get an accurate assessment of the virus ’ spread .
Newsom , who said he had had encouraging conversations with President Trump on additional federal help , said coronavirus testing needed to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ailing state residents .
“ My team is no longer providing me just the number of people that have tested positive .
They ’ re equally weighting the number of people that have tested negative , ” Newsom said .
“ The bottom line for us is we want to know what the spread is .
We want to know if we ’ re bending the curve .
We want to know if our stay-at-home orders are effective.
” In addition to California , New York has been hard-hit by the virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ East coasts , and New York City is home to about one-third of those .
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio , appearing on NBC ’ s “ Face the Nation ” on Sunday , said , “ New Yorkers and all Americans deserve the blunt truth : It is only getting worse .
“ And in fact , April and May are going to be a lot worse , ” he said .
Fauci said federal resources were being “ clearly directed toward hot spots that need it most.
” In California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles , Orange and Santa Clara counties to use testing as a form of what he called “ community surveillance ” to better understand local health conditions .
“ These were just broad random tests that were done with people that were otherwise young and healthy and thought they were perfectly healthy , ” Newsom said .
The results , he said , allowed health officials to improve their use of already scarce medical resources .
California officials have said that the current total of 1,500 of COVID-19 is a gross underestimation because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picked up this week , but healthcare authorities said they still didn ’ t have anything close to a firm estimate of how many people had been infected .
About 25,200 tests had been conducted in California , by both commercial and private labs , as of 2 p.m. Friday , the state Department of Public Health said Saturday .
Results for more than 12,700 of them were pending .
A growing number of the cases in California are instances of community transmission , in which the person diagnosed had not recently traveled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case .
Those cases indicate that the virus is spreading locally within communities .
Community transmission has been identified in California since late February , and since early March , most of the cases in the state have been unrelated to international travel , the state Public Health Department said Saturday .
Therefore , the state will no longer collect information about travelers returning to California from countries with confirmed outbreaks of COVID-19 , the Public Health Department said .
From Los Angeles ’ Griffith Park to Westside beaches , Southern California greeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay-at-home order with pluck , humor and notable kindness .
At a Granada Hills Starbucks drive-through line , customers “ paid it backward.
” And in a Laurel Canyon neighborhood , residents opened their windows for a “ You ’ ve Got a Friend ” singalong .
Still , there were some rough spots : Overflowing lines at markets and food giveaways continued to ratchet up anxiety and some harsh encounters .
The first reported coronavirus infections among Los Angeles police officers , with three testing positive this week , gave reason for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials scrambled to open five more emergency shelters for homeless people .
The Hollywood Walk of Fame , the Venice Beach Boardwalk , the Grove shopping center and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills all went mostly bereft of visitors over the weekend .
Usually crowded streets were mostly open , and parking spaces were free for the taking .
But along the coast in Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades , cars lined up for parking lots at Will Rogers State Beach and nearby Temescal Gateway Park .
A few roller skaters and cyclists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be seen on the surfers enjoying a stunning blue-sky day , with views all the way to Santa Catalina Island .
“ Be a good neighbor .
Be a good citizen .
Those young people that are still out there on the beaches thinking this is a party time — grow up , ” Newsom said during a news conference on Facebook and Twitter on Saturday afternoon .
“ It ’ s time to wake up , time to recognize it ’ s not just about the old folks .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Don ’ t be selfish ; recognize you have a responsibility to meet this moment.
” Complaints of noncompliance have popped up on social media and apps such as the neighborhood forum Nextdoor.com .
The Marin County Sheriff ’ s Office on Saturday tweeted out a photo of people congregating on the coast , imploring residents to stay home .
“ We understand the communities ’ frustrations with the LARGE amount of people traveling to the Coast today and NOT practicing social distancing .
We are working with the Public Health Officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at home !
” the Sheriff ’ s Office said .
Times staff writers Hailey Branson-Potts , John Myers , James Rainey and Jack Dolan contributed to this report .

Phil Willon, Alex Wigglesworth, Richard Winton, Laura King, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

Mayor Eric Garcetti on Sunday said Los Angeles residents need to do a better job of following orders to practice social distancing, announcing the closure of city golf courses, group sports facilities and beach parking lots in Venice.
The weekend was marked by growing alarm from public officials as many people, rather than staying close to home, packed beaches, parks, and hiking and bike trails.
“This weekend we saw too many images of too many people crowding beaches or canyons beyond their capacity,” Garcetti during a Sunday evening briefing. “Too many people, too close together, too often. The longer we do that, the more people will get sick, and the more people will die. There’s no way to sugarcoat that.”
On Sunday afternoon, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority announced that it was closing its popular parks and trails, including the parkland owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Parking lots and access roads also will be closed.
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The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area also announced some closures at Solstice Canyon beginning Monday. And earlier Sunday, the city of Santa Monica announced that it also would close its beach parking lots because of the “large number” visitors and advised people to avoid the beaches, bike paths and Palisades Park.
“Today is not the day to go to the beach,” City Manager Rick Cole said in a statement. “We know that it’s difficult to stay at home when the weather is so nice, and being close to the beach is one of the primary reasons why we love to call Santa Monica home. Yet this is a time when we must take the guidelines from our health officials to heart.”
Garcetti said officials would consider closing beaches if necessary. Late Sunday, the Laguna Beach Police Employees’ Assn. released a statement pressing the Laguna Beach City Council to close all city beaches and parks immediately.
The pleas came as the number of California coronavirus cases reached 1,793, with 35 deaths.
On Sunday night, President Trump approved a request by Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a major disaster in the state to help it respond to the pandemic with “mass care” emergency assistance, unemployment aid and disaster legal services, among other relief.
“Unfortunately, California has been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19,” Newsom wrote to Trump. “Besides California being home to nearly 40 million people, which itself poses significant logistical issues few other states face, California partnered with the federal government in several extremely complex and challenging repatriation missions, which strained California’s resources and impacted California’s healthcare delivery system.”
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Trump said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be shipping mobile hospital units to the state within the next 48 hours. California is in line to get eight of them for a total of 2,000 beds. New York and Washington states will get 1,000 beds each, he said.
The Navy hospital ship Mercy, which is based in San Diego, also will be deployed to Los Angeles. The ship can be on station in L.A. in “a week or less,” FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor said. It would not be used to treat COVID-19 patients but to take other patients in an attempt to relieve the burden on hospitals, Gaynor said.
In addition, Trump announced that he has signed paperwork to have the federal government pay for National Guard deployments in California, New York and Washington. The National Guard will remain under the control of state governments, but the federal government will cover the cost, as is typical in disaster scenarios.
Newsom on Friday deployed the California National Guard to assist food banks statewide that are serving residents whose needs have not been met because of supply chain problems and temporary food shortages during the pandemic.
The rapid-fire announcements came as Los Angeles County on Sunday reported an additional death related to the virus, the county’s fifth. The Culver City resident was older than 65 and had underlying health conditions, the county Department of Public Health said.
The county recorded 71 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total to 409; 132 of those were announced in the past 48 hours. Eighty-four people have been hospitalized, public health officials said.
“Please know that the actions you take today to stay 6 feet away from others and limit all non-essential activities outside your home are the best way for us to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives,” Barbara Ferrer, the county public health director, said in a statement.
The first inmate within California’s prison system has tested positive for COVID-19 at California State Prison, Los Angeles County, state corrections officials announced on Sunday night.
The officials also said that five workers have tested positive for COVID-19. Two are at California State Prison, Sacramento, outside of Folsom; one is at Folsom State Prison; and two are at the California Institution for Men in Chino.
The prisoner in L.A. County was in stable condition and being treated on site, according to a statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Riverside County on Sunday also reported another death related to the virus, the sixth there. Information about the person who died was not immediately available.
And Monterey County announced its first death of a resident due to complications from the virus. The person was hospitalized and had an underlying medical condition, officials said Saturday.
“We are facing a historic public health challenge and know this is a very difficult time,” Dr. Edward Moreno, the county health officer and director of public health, said in a statement.
Experts, meanwhile, warned that the number of U.S. deaths would rise in the months ahead.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-diseases specialist, said Sunday that although the United States was “not necessarily” on the same trajectory as that of Italy — which has the world’s largest coronavirus-related death toll — “we’re going to get hit, there’s no doubt about it.”
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, said in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that some aspects of Italy’s crushing death toll, which reportedly tops 5,000, were not yet fully understood by scientists.
“If you look at the dynamics of the outbreak in Italy, we don’t know why they are suffering so terribly,” he said, adding that “many of us believe that early on they did not shut out as well the input of infections that originated in China and came to different parts of the world.”
U.S. prospects may have been improved by bans on travel from China and Europe.
“We have from the beginning been able to put a bit of a clamper” on outside cases, Fauci said.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Sunday ordered the Sylmar Courthouse closed for three days after a deputy public defender assigned to the courthouse tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, the court said in a news release.
Presiding Judge Kevin Brazile was notified Saturday that the attorney had tested positive last week after caring for a relative who also tested positive, the court said. Affected judges and staff will self-quarantine for 14 days, it said.
The courthouse handles juvenile delinquency cases in two courtrooms, and both have been cleaned and disinfected, officials said. Cases on the calendar for the next three days have been moved to the Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster. The Sylmar Courthouse is scheduled to reopen Thursday.
Ten more cases of the coronavirus infection have been reported at a South Bay assisted living facility, the Kensington Redondo Beach, according to the Daily Breeze. Six of them are staffers, and four are residents, the paper reported.
Administrators said earlier in the week that one resident and two staff members had tested positive, raising fears of an outbreak in the high-end assisted living home.
Amid the steady rise in cases, Gov. Newsom on Saturday pleaded for residents to avoid unnecessary social contact after scattered reports across the state that some people had been flocking to the coast, gathering with friends or failing to follow social-distance orders.
The governor stressed that even those who didn’t show any symptoms of COVID-19, including young adults who appear to be less likely to become gravely ill if they do contract the illness, needed to cooperate for the good of others in their communities.
The governor’s stay-at-home order will remain in effect until “further notice” and could be changed as conditions warrant, according to a statement released by the governor’s office. Issued under broad powers granted to the governor under the state’s Emergency Services Act, Newsom’s executive order is enforceable by law.
But people continued to crowd California’s beach areas Sunday, as recent rains gave way to mild weather.
At Torrance Beach, people were well spread out on the sand, but the narrow walking path beside it was jammed by 10 a.m.
At Long Beach’s Junipero Beach, besides the occasional mask- and glove-wearer, all seemed to be going as normal on Sunday morning.
The sun shone down on beach goers, young and old: basketball players using all three hoops, bikers, joggers, rollerbladers, men doing pull-ups on the outdoor exercise machines, women exercising on the grass, standing fewer than 6 feet apart.
Along the shore, a family of three, wearing masks, took a walk. A lone fishermen waded knee-deep in the water, with his family nearby. When he felt a tug, he called two children nearby to help pull the line. Strangers, including the family, gathered to see the spectacle up close.
On Friday, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia expressed frustration at his fellow residents for not following his guidance.
“Seriously people, you need to practice social distancing. I am seeing tons of people out there acting like there’s no crisis,” he wrote on his personal Twitter page.
Or possibly, it was the governor’s order that led people to the beach, to spend time outdoors in one of the few remaining places available.
At least for Jaushay Rockett, 36, that was the case.
“This may have sparked something,” he said. “This may have sparked people to be creative and go outside. It could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing.”
Rockett was playing basketball outside because “everything’s been closed,” including his usual indoor gyms and courts in Signal Hill and Compton, he said. Initially, he believed the order to stay indoors would be more strict, but he saw people outdoors seemingly living their lives as usual. It appeared there were more people at the beach than usual.
“I’m thinking it was gonna be like martial law,” he said. “Everybody is out … until they make it mandatory. They’re going to have to really lock down the city” for people to stay indoors.
Rockett was taking precautions to stay safe. He made sure to keep a distance from people, besides his family friends with whom he played ball. After a game, he said, he wipes his hands and the ball with Lysol and goes straight to the shower.
Clifford Aquino and Ryan Castro, both 28, were displaced from their gyms in Cerritos. They decided that Long Beach, where there are plenty of outdoor gyms and paths to run, would be a good replacement to get in a workout.
“This is only Day 2,” said Castro. “It sucks.”
“It does suck, but you have to find different ways to stay active,” Aquino said.
Aquino said he feels safe using the workout machines because he can keep his distance from people. If one area is too busy, he finds another, or chooses another activity to do. He said he wipes down each machine with Lysol wipes before using it.
Castro said he had been a consistent runner before, but stopped a while back. Now, because he has so few options, he’s getting back into it.
Both have gone hiking and tried different, also busy, beaches.
Maybe Californians just can’t help a little sunshine, Castro said.
“A little bit of sun while we have it, it’s like their last chance before the rain comes down,” he said. “Huntington Beach was worse than this.”
In addition to pushing residents to heed social distancing orders, California leaders are also working to marshal much-needed resources to prepare for a possible surge in coronavirus-related hospitalizations.
Newsom said Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple, had pledged 1 million medical masks to be donated specifically to California’s coronavirus efforts. And he said manufacturers in Los Angeles’ garment district and in Northern California had reached out to sew additional masks if needed.
A key need in California and across the country is ventilators, necessary for some of the most serious COVID-19 patients, and the governor cited new efforts by two entrepreneurs to assist in producing the medical equipment. Newsom said that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc. and Space X, had promised to use the supply chains that support his companies for help in assembling ventilators. The governor also said that K.R. Sridhar, chief executive of Bloom Energy, agreed to help quickly modernize some 200 older ventilators that the state had on hand. The original manufacturer, Newsom said, had estimated that doing so would take about a month.
California, like other states hit hard by the pandemic, has seen a shortage of complete testing kits. Those challenges have hindered the ability of public health officials to get an accurate assessment of the virus’ spread. Newsom, who said he had had encouraging conversations with President Trump on additional federal help, said coronavirus testing needed to do more than just document the numbers of ailing state residents.
“My team is no longer providing me just the number of people that have tested positive. They’re equally weighting the number of people that have tested negative,” Newsom said. “The bottom line for us is we want to know what the spread is. We want to know if we’re bending the curve. We want to know if our stay-at-home orders are effective.”
In addition to California, New York has been hard-hit by the virus. Cases are concentrated on the West and East coasts, and New York City is home to about one-third of those. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, appearing on NBC’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, said, “New Yorkers and all Americans deserve the blunt truth: It is only getting worse.
“And in fact, April and May are going to be a lot worse,” he said.
Fauci said federal resources were being “clearly directed toward hot spots that need it most.”
In California, Newsom pointed to efforts in Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Clara counties to use testing as a form of what he called “community surveillance” to better understand local health conditions.
“These were just broad random tests that were done with people that were otherwise young and healthy and thought they were perfectly healthy,” Newsom said.
The results, he said, allowed health officials to improve their use of already scarce medical resources.
California officials have said that the current count of COVID-19 cases is a gross underestimation because of the lack of tests. Testing picked up last week, but healthcare authorities said they still didn’t have anything close to a firm estimate of how many people had been infected.
About 25,200 tests had been conducted in California, by both commercial and private labs, as of 2 p.m. Friday, the state Department of Public Health said Saturday. Results for more than 12,700 of them were pending.
A growing number of the cases in California are instances of community transmission, in which the person diagnosed had not recently traveled or been in contact with another confirmed case. Those cases indicate that the virus is spreading locally within communities.
Community transmission has been identified in California since late February, and since early March, most of the cases in the state have been unrelated to international travel, the state Public Health Department said Saturday. Therefore, the state will no longer collect information about travelers returning to California from countries with confirmed outbreaks of COVID-19, the Public Health Department said.
From Los Angeles’ Griffith Park to Westside beaches, Southern California greeted its first weekend of a public health stay-at-home order with pluck, humor and notable kindness. At a Granada Hills Starbucks drive-through line, customers “paid it backward.” And in a Laurel Canyon neighborhood, residents opened their windows for a “You’ve Got a Friend” singalong.
Still, there were some rough spots: Overflowing lines at markets and food giveaways continued to ratchet up anxiety and some harsh encounters. The first reported coronavirus infections among Los Angeles police officers, with three testing positive last week, gave reason for added worry. And Los Angeles city officials scrambled to open five more emergency shelters for homeless people.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Venice Beach Boardwalk, the Grove shopping center and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills all went mostly bereft of visitors over the weekend. Usually crowded streets were mostly open, and parking spaces were free for the taking.
But along the coast in Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades, cars lined up for parking lots at Will Rogers State Beach and nearby Temescal Gateway Park. A few roller skaters and cyclists wore masks and gloves, though those could not be seen on the surfers enjoying a stunning blue-sky day, with views all the way to Santa Catalina Island.
“Be a good neighbor. Be a good citizen. Those young people that are still out there on the beaches thinking this is a party time — grow up,” Newsom said during a news conference on Facebook and Twitter on Saturday afternoon. “It’s time to wake up, time to recognize it’s not just about the old folks. It’s about your impact on their lives. Don’t be selfish; recognize you have a responsibility to meet this moment.”
Complaints of noncompliance have popped up on social media and apps such as the neighborhood forum Nextdoor.com. The Marin County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday tweeted out a photo of people congregating on the coast, imploring residents to stay home.
“We understand the communities’ frustrations with the large amount of people traveling to the coast today and not practicing social distancing. We are working with the public health officers to address the issue. Please stay at home!” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Times staff writers David Lauter, Hailey Branson-Potts, John Myers, James Rainey and Jack Dolan contributed to this report.