latimes--2020-10-30--They voted for Obama twice and now back Trump. Inside purple California

Earlier in the election cycle , Georgette Belcourt weighed whether to post a Trump campaign sign in front of her Lancaster home .
“ I had to pray on it.
” By then , her support for the president was steadfast — the retired nurse had already voted for him once , as had her husband of 40 years , Larry , both longtime Democrats who made the switch four years ago .
But as a Christian , she decided that the only thing she would proclaim so boldly as to post it in her front yard was her faith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Trump supporters in the Antelope Valley , she spotted a flag that read , “ JESUS IS MY SAVIOR .
TRUMP IS MY PRESIDENT.
” The woman carrying the flag noticed Georgette admiring it and offered to give it to her with one condition : You must hang it outside your home .
Larry felt nervous someone might egg the house or toss a brick through the window .
But so far , he said , he ’ s only noticed a few smirks and lingering stares from passersby .
“ If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Georgette said , glimpsing at the flag hanging above their porch , “ they just ignore us.
” And in this neighborhood — a pocket of purple within a deeply liberal county — there are certainly some residents who don ’ t agree .
As you scan the almost-all-blue electoral map of L.A. County , you ’ ll spot a few sprinkles of red — an oceanside sliver of Palos Verdes Estates , the little chunk of East Hollywood that ’ s home to the Scientology building .
But as you pan north @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Palmdale , the map looks more like an Impressionist painting with alternating splotches of red and blue .
It ’ s an area with true diversity of political thought , home to a mixed electorate that promotes dialogue among neighbors , but can also foster a certain wariness over how others down the block might react to bold displays of support .
As you head east in Lancaster , past an expanse of Joshua trees , a row of telephone poles decorated in orange letters reading “ MAGA ” and a field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eventually arrive at a subdivision of tidy homes built about a decade ago and painted earth tones .
There , across a street and two doors down from the Belcourts , sits a tan-colored home with an American flag flying above a yard sign that reads “ BIDEN-HARRIS.
” “ My own little symbolism , ” says Tiffany Countryman .
“ I ’ m putting country above party.
” The 51-year-old lifelong Democrat said that publicly signaling her preferred candidate is important to her .
She left her Hillary bumper sticker on her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a message about the current administration ’ s failures : “ I didn ’ t cause this.
” Putting up her sign this year was a bit nerve-racking at first .
She hadn ’ t seen any others like it in her neighborhood and wondered what kind of attention it might draw .
In pockets of the Antelope Valley , particularly the outskirts , she said , some people have views that are “ more right-wing than conservative.
” And although she sometimes wonders if spending so much time reading Twitter and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she knows there ’ s truth to the stories about some Americans becoming radicalized — look at the recent plot by far-right armed extremists to kidnap Michigan ’ s governor , she noted .
While working from home recently , Countryman , a human resources manager , noticed a man walking toward her yard , snapping photos .
Concerned the stranger might try to yank out her sign , she walked outside .
“ No , no , no , ” he said , taken aback .
“ You ’ re not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I just wanted to take a picture of your sign , cause I haven ’ t seen one.
” “ OK , I ’ m just being careful , because of this neighborhood.
” Maybe the man hadn ’ t disliked her sign , she later thought to herself .
Maybe he really had just been curious ?
She ’ s not sure , but in that moment , she said , she told herself she needed to be a little less quick to make assumptions .
She ’ s friendly with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she talked politics with him ahead of the last election and she makes an effort , she said , to follow people with an array of political views on social media .
“ I don ’ t want to fall into a vacuum.
” One reason she put up the sign , Countryman said , is to signal to like-minded neighbors , especially those who might be more private about their views , that they ’ re not alone .
She knows it can sometimes feel that way , she said , noting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was surprised to see that several other registered Democrats lived in the area .
On a recent afternoon at a home two streets over , Jazmin Banda answered the door , holding her 10-month-old on her hip .
Asked about the “ TRUMP Keep America Great ” flag flying outside , the 24-year-old responded matter-of-factly .
Her husband put it up , she said .
He ’ s strongly pro-military and pro-police and believes Trump will best support both groups .
For her part , Banda said , she disagrees with how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s been concerned , in particular , by accounts of children held in detention facilities .
To tease her husband , she sometimes tells him she ’ s going to hang a Biden flag next to his .
But , in reality , Banda , who believes she ’ s registered as a Democrat , said she wanted to do more research about both candidates .
“ I ’ m undecided , ” she said , adding that , for the most part , she and her husband steer clear of talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the couple was outlining their political evolution .
“ We were hardcore Democrats , ” says Larry , who ’ s wearing a “ NATIVE VETERAN ” hat , a sign he hails from the Rocky Boy ’ s Reservation in Montana .
He was a member of the Teamsters and his wife was in a union for nurses and , with the exception of Ross Perot in 1992 , the couple always supported the Democratic candidate , including Obama for both terms .
But they struggled in the years after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d lose their home , and ahead of the 2016 election , something Trump said kept echoing through Georgette ’ s mind : “ What do you have to lose ?
” At first , she wondered if he was sincere or simply a good con man , but they both ultimately voted for Trump and now they ’ re big fans .
Larry loves that the president moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and Georgette says she ’ s impressed by his interactions with leaders in North Korea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she says , without starting any wars .
Asked what they thought about criticisms characterizing the president ’ s actions as racist , Georgette shook her head , saying she vehemently disagreed .
“ I do have one prejudice and my one prejudice is ignorance.
” The couple — who used to watch CNN and Rachel Maddow , but now prefer Fox News — said supporting Trump has caused tension with some of Larry ’ s relatives .
During one gathering , Georgette said , her sister-in-law laid down a nonnegotiable rule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics.
” They obliged , Georgette said , noting that , although she ’ s not afraid to tell you where she stands , she ’ s never been one to shove her ideas on others .
“ I ’ m a ’ 50s girl , ” she says , “ so I ’ m raised to not discuss politics or religion.
” And they know the president has made mistakes , Larry adds .
“ We realize Trump isn ’ t Jesus Christ , ” he says , noting that , during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump interrupted Biden too often .
Still , they certainly plan to cast their votes for him — in person , Georgette stresses .
Larry nods , saying he expects that the results will be contested .
Then he pauses .
“ But not here , ” he said , pointing down at the ground and shrugging .
“ California will stay Democrat .
”

Larry and Georgette Belcourt will be voting for Trump in the 2020 election. They were Democrats until 2016, when they voted for Trump. President Obama got eight years, they say, so Trump deserves four more.
Earlier in the election cycle, Georgette Belcourt weighed whether to post a Trump campaign sign in front of her Lancaster home.
“I had to pray on it.”
By then, her support for the president was steadfast — the retired nurse had already voted for him once, as had her husband of 40 years, Larry, both longtime Democrats who made the switch four years ago. But as a Christian, she decided that the only thing she would proclaim so boldly as to post it in her front yard was her faith.
Then, at a recent gathering of Trump supporters in the Antelope Valley, she spotted a flag that read, “JESUS IS MY SAVIOR. TRUMP IS MY PRESIDENT.” The woman carrying the flag noticed Georgette admiring it and offered to give it to her with one condition: You must hang it outside your home.
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Larry felt nervous someone might egg the house or toss a brick through the window. But so far, he said, he’s only noticed a few smirks and lingering stares from passersby.
“If they don’t agree,” Georgette said, glimpsing at the flag hanging above their porch, “they just ignore us.”
And in this neighborhood — a pocket of purple within a deeply liberal county — there are certainly some residents who don’t agree.
As you scan the almost-all-blue electoral map of L.A. County, you’ll spot a few sprinkles of red — an oceanside sliver of Palos Verdes Estates, the little chunk of East Hollywood that’s home to the Scientology building.
But as you pan north toward the high desert communities of Lancaster and Palmdale, the map looks more like an Impressionist painting with alternating splotches of red and blue. It’s an area with true diversity of political thought, home to a mixed electorate that promotes dialogue among neighbors, but can also foster a certain wariness over how others down the block might react to bold displays of support.
As you head east in Lancaster, past an expanse of Joshua trees, a row of telephone poles decorated in orange letters reading “MAGA” and a field of solar panels, you’ll eventually arrive at a subdivision of tidy homes built about a decade ago and painted earth tones.
There, across a street and two doors down from the Belcourts, sits a tan-colored home with an American flag flying above a yard sign that reads “BIDEN-HARRIS.”
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Tiffany Countryman, a human resources manager and a big supporter of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, stands in front of her Lancaster home. Countryman says she is one of the only people in her neighborhood who has put up a Biden-Harris sign. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
“My own little symbolism,” says Tiffany Countryman. “I’m putting country above party.”
The 51-year-old lifelong Democrat said that publicly signaling her preferred candidate is important to her. She left her Hillary bumper sticker on her car, she says, to send a message about the current administration’s failures: “I didn’t cause this.”
Putting up her sign this year was a bit nerve-racking at first.
She hadn’t seen any others like it in her neighborhood and wondered what kind of attention it might draw. In pockets of the Antelope Valley, particularly the outskirts, she said, some people have views that are “more right-wing than conservative.”
And although she sometimes wonders if spending so much time reading Twitter and the news whips up her fear too much, she knows there’s truth to the stories about some Americans becoming radicalized — look at the recent plot by far-right armed extremists to kidnap Michigan’s governor, she noted.
While working from home recently, Countryman, a human resources manager, noticed a man walking toward her yard, snapping photos. Concerned the stranger might try to yank out her sign, she walked outside.
“Can I help you?”
“No, no, no,” he said, taken aback.
“You’re not taking anything from my yard.”
“I just wanted to take a picture of your sign, cause I haven’t seen one.”
“OK, I’m just being careful, because of this neighborhood.”
Maybe the man hadn’t disliked her sign, she later thought to herself. Maybe he really had just been curious? She’s not sure, but in that moment, she said, she told herself she needed to be a little less quick to make assumptions. She’s friendly with a neighbor who she knows is conservative because she talked politics with him ahead of the last election and she makes an effort, she said, to follow people with an array of political views on social media.
“I don’t want to fall into a vacuum.”
One reason she put up the sign, Countryman said, is to signal to like-minded neighbors, especially those who might be more private about their views, that they’re not alone. She knows it can sometimes feel that way, she said, noting that she recently downloaded a canvassing app and was surprised to see that several other registered Democrats lived in the area.
On a recent afternoon at a home two streets over, Jazmin Banda answered the door, holding her 10-month-old on her hip. Asked about the “TRUMP Keep America Great” flag flying outside, the 24-year-old responded matter-of-factly.
“Not my flag.”
Her husband put it up, she said. He’s strongly pro-military and pro-police and believes Trump will best support both groups. For her part, Banda said, she disagrees with how Trump has handled immigration, saying she’s been concerned, in particular, by accounts of children held in detention facilities.
To tease her husband, she sometimes tells him she’s going to hang a Biden flag next to his. But, in reality, Banda, who believes she’s registered as a Democrat, said she wanted to do more research about both candidates.
“I’m undecided,” she said, adding that, for the most part, she and her husband steer clear of talking politics.
“We avoid it.”
Back at the Belcourt home, the couple was outlining their political evolution.
“We were hardcore Democrats,” says Larry, who’s wearing a “NATIVE VETERAN” hat, a sign he hails from the Rocky Boy’s Reservation in Montana.
He was a member of the Teamsters and his wife was in a union for nurses and, with the exception of Ross Perot in 1992, the couple always supported the Democratic candidate, including Obama for both terms.
But they struggled in the years after the Great Recession, sometimes wondering if they’d lose their home, and ahead of the 2016 election, something Trump said kept echoing through Georgette’s mind: “What do you have to lose?”
At first, she wondered if he was sincere or simply a good con man, but they both ultimately voted for Trump and now they’re big fans.
Larry loves that the president moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and Georgette says she’s impressed by his interactions with leaders in North Korea and Iran — he has exhibited strength, she says, without starting any wars. Asked what they thought about criticisms characterizing the president’s actions as racist, Georgette shook her head, saying she vehemently disagreed.
“I do have one prejudice and my one prejudice is ignorance.”
The couple — who used to watch CNN and Rachel Maddow, but now prefer Fox News — said supporting Trump has caused tension with some of Larry’s relatives. During one gathering, Georgette said, her sister-in-law laid down a nonnegotiable rule: “We were not to discuss politics.”
They obliged, Georgette said, noting that, although she’s not afraid to tell you where she stands, she’s never been one to shove her ideas on others.
“I’m a ’50s girl,” she says, “so I’m raised to not discuss politics or religion.”
And they know the president has made mistakes, Larry adds.
“We realize Trump isn’t Jesus Christ,” he says, noting that, during the first presidential debate, he thought Trump interrupted Biden too often. Still, they certainly plan to cast their votes for him — in person, Georgette stresses.
Larry nods, saying he expects that the results will be contested. Then he pauses.
“But not here,” he said, pointing down at the ground and shrugging. “California will stay Democrat.”
Times graphics/data journalist Priya Krishnakumar contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-10-30--Unidentified woman shot to death in South Los Angeles

An unidentified woman was shot to death in South Los Angeles on Thursday evening by an unknown assailant , according @ @ @ @ @ Department .
Several shots were fired , said LAPD Officer Jader Chaves , near the @ @ @ @ @ and Hoover Street at 7:30 p.m .
The victim , whose age and name was @ @ @ @ @ pronounced dead at the scene .
Chaves said it was unclear if the shooting was @ @ @ @ @ there was only one shooter who fled in an unknown direction .
Los Angeles police @ @ @ @ @ shooting site shortly after to begin an investigation .

An unidentified woman was shot to death in South Los Angeles on Thursday evening by an unknown assailant, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Several shots were fired, said LAPD Officer Jader Chaves, near the intersection of West 84th Street and Hoover Street at 7:30 p.m. The victim, whose age and name was not immediately available, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Chaves said it was unclear if the shooting was gang related.
Police believe there was only one shooter who fled in an unknown direction.
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Los Angeles police homicide detectives arrived at the shooting site shortly after to begin an investigation.


latimes--2020-10-31--'I definitely feel like a minority': Beverly Hills is an unlikely outpost for Trump supporters

They converge on Beverly Hills , hailing from around the corner , or halfway across the world .
Their reasons for supporting President Trump range from his stance on Israel to his policies on gun rights and abortion .
At this unlikely spot in front of the iconic letters spelling out the city ’ s name , Trump fans gather every Saturday , their “ Make America Great Again ” hats a rare sight in this city synonymous with glittering wealth .
Trump is deeply unpopular in California , particularly on Los Angeles ’ affluent Westside .
Numerous protests have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ranging from attacks on immigrants and rollbacks of environmental safeguards to his personal conduct and statements critics say are racist .
A recent poll on the presidential race had former Vice President Joe Biden leading Trump in California by historic margins .
For local Trump supporters feeling alienated from family and friends , a weekly event known as the “ USA Freedom Rally ” is a chance to commune with like-minded people amid a festive atmosphere of chanting and dancing .
In recent weeks , thousands have attended .
Tyler Johnson , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be among fellow conservatives Oct. 24 on the grassy strip along Santa Monica Boulevard , where the 40-foot wide “ Beverly Hills ” sign has long been a tourist attraction .
Living in the Palms neighborhood of west Los Angeles , “ I definitely feel like a minority , ” the former U.S. Marine said .
“ It ’ s really nice to stand up for what you believe in a city where you oftentimes feel intimidated to wear your ‘ MAGA ’ hat or express your political beliefs , ” said Johnson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nearly four months ago , Beverly Hills resident Shiva Bagheri began organizing the rallies in part to dispel what she called misrepresentations of Trump supporters in the media .
“ They think that we ’ re all white supremacists .
And that ’ s just ridiculous , ” said Bagheri , a single mother who was born in Iran and works as a dance instructor .
By the third or fourth week , other political groups joined in , and attendance started ballooning , Bagheri said .
At last Saturday ’ s rally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3,000 , according to a Beverly Hills city spokesman .
Signs and shirts announced a kaleidoscope of identities in support of Trump , including members of the Latino , Jewish , Vietnamese and LGBTQ communities .
Some traveled from out of the state and even from out of the country to attend .
Occasional chants of “ Four more years ” and “ Biden ’ s laptop matters ” broke out .
Mask-wearers were in the minority , though some people sported “ Trump-Pence ” masks .
As the crowd marched down Beverly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ glitzy shopping district , onlookers whipped out camera phones .
Some drivers honked in support .
The weekly event has sometimes attracted counter-protestors rallying for racial justice and other causes .
In August , one person was arrested during a clash between the two sides .
Indeed , Beverly Hills , with all its symbolic heft , has become a destination for protestors on both sides of the political spectrum .
After the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May , Beverly Hills became a focus for demonstrations decrying police brutality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white , affluent areas by design — “ so that they can ’ t look away , so that they have to face what ’ s happening to Black people , ” said Melina Abdullah , a cofounder of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles .
She noted that her organization has not been heavily involved in Beverly Hills , protesting more in wealthy areas of Los Angeles .
Beverly Hills has faced criticism for how it has handled some street demonstrations .
Since June , the city has prohibited protests in residential areas after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are being prosecuted for violating the curfew .
Beverly Hills moved forward with the charges even though Los Angeles and other cities have decided against charging peaceful protesters who violated curfews .
Voter registration in Beverly Hills , which has a population of 34,000 , is 43 % Democratic , 24 % Republican and 28 % no affiliation .
In 2016 , 61 % of Beverly Hills residents voted for Hillary Clinton and 31 % for Trump .
However , one precinct in the ritzy area southwest of the Beverly Hills Hotel went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addressing the crowd with a megaphone Oct. 24 , Bagheri said she was a registered Democrat until 2017 but voted for Trump in 2016 .
“ His policies made sense — they had common sense , ” Bagheri said .
She became tired of the criticism she received for supporting Trump .
The rallies have empowered people like her to go from “ the silent majority ” to the “ loud-lion majority , ” she said .
Malka Porat , 58 , of Studio City , said she previously refrained from publicly showing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beverly Hills rallies has given her confidence to declare her beliefs .
Now , she wears her “ MAGA ” hat everywhere .
“ We were really afraid , everywhere and anywhere we ’ d go , and now , we just wear it all the time , and we ’ re not silent and we ’ re not afraid , ” Porat said .
Her father , 86-year-old Aaron Cocos , wore a T-shirt with a photo of Trump in front of the Israeli flag .
Father and daughter are Jewish , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backing of Israel is a major reason they support him .
Sofia Romo , 14 , held a “ Mexicans for Trump ” sign as she pushed through the crowd with her mother and twin sister .
“ We ’ re here to support our president and show that California is not all Democrats , ” said Romo , of Long Beach .
Polls have shown that Jewish and Latino people overwhelmingly support Biden over Trump .
Bagheri may continue holding the rallies after the election , no matter who wins .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep it going , because this Trump train is not stopping , ” she said .

Gregg Donovan, the onetime “ambassador” who greeted tourists in Beverly Hills, poses with Stephanie Weiss at the USA Freedom Rally on Oct. 24.
They converge on Beverly Hills, hailing from around the corner, or halfway across the world. Their reasons for supporting President Trump range from his stance on Israel to his policies on gun rights and abortion.
At this unlikely spot in front of the iconic letters spelling out the city’s name, Trump fans gather every Saturday, their “Make America Great Again” hats a rare sight in this city synonymous with glittering wealth.
Trump is deeply unpopular in California, particularly on Los Angeles’ affluent Westside. Numerous protests have slammed the president’s divisive policies, ranging from attacks on immigrants and rollbacks of environmental safeguards to his personal conduct and statements critics say are racist.
A recent poll on the presidential race had former Vice President Joe Biden leading Trump in California by historic margins.
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For local Trump supporters feeling alienated from family and friends, a weekly event known as the “USA Freedom Rally” is a chance to commune with like-minded people amid a festive atmosphere of chanting and dancing. In recent weeks, thousands have attended.
Tyler Johnson, 48, said it felt good to be among fellow conservatives Oct. 24 on the grassy strip along Santa Monica Boulevard, where the 40-foot wide “Beverly Hills” sign has long been a tourist attraction.
Living in the Palms neighborhood of west Los Angeles, “I definitely feel like a minority,” the former U.S. Marine said.
“It’s really nice to stand up for what you believe in a city where you oftentimes feel intimidated to wear your ‘MAGA’ hat or express your political beliefs,” said Johnson, an investor and Lyft driver.
Nearly four months ago, Beverly Hills resident Shiva Bagheri began organizing the rallies in part to dispel what she called misrepresentations of Trump supporters in the media.
“They think that we’re all white supremacists. And that’s just ridiculous,” said Bagheri, a single mother who was born in Iran and works as a dance instructor.
By the third or fourth week, other political groups joined in, and attendance started ballooning, Bagheri said.
At last Saturday’s rally, the crowd numbered between 2,500 and 3,000, according to a Beverly Hills city spokesman. Signs and shirts announced a kaleidoscope of identities in support of Trump, including members of the Latino, Jewish, Vietnamese and LGBTQ communities. Some traveled from out of the state and even from out of the country to attend.
Occasional chants of “Four more years” and “Biden’s laptop matters” broke out. Mask-wearers were in the minority, though some people sported “Trump-Pence” masks.
As the crowd marched down Beverly Drive, through the city’s glitzy shopping district, onlookers whipped out camera phones. Some drivers honked in support.
Trump supporters line Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills, cheering and waving flags at passing vehicles as they attend the USA Freedom Rally in Beverly Gardens Park. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
The weekly event has sometimes attracted counter-protestors rallying for racial justice and other causes. In August, one person was arrested during a clash between the two sides.
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Indeed, Beverly Hills, with all its symbolic heft, has become a destination for protestors on both sides of the political spectrum. After the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May, Beverly Hills became a focus for demonstrations decrying police brutality against Black Americans. The protestors targeted white, affluent areas by design — “so that they can’t look away, so that they have to face what’s happening to Black people,” said Melina Abdullah, a cofounder of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles. She noted that her organization has not been heavily involved in Beverly Hills, protesting more in wealthy areas of Los Angeles.
Beverly Hills has faced criticism for how it has handled some street demonstrations. Since June, the city has prohibited protests in residential areas after 9 p.m. Twenty-five protesters were arrested and are being prosecuted for violating the curfew. Beverly Hills moved forward with the charges even though Los Angeles and other cities have decided against charging peaceful protesters who violated curfews.
Randolph Grant of Culver City attends the USA Freedom Rally in Beverly Hills. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Voter registration in Beverly Hills, which has a population of 34,000, is 43% Democratic, 24% Republican and 28% no affiliation. In 2016, 61% of Beverly Hills residents voted for Hillary Clinton and 31% for Trump. However, one precinct in the ritzy area southwest of the Beverly Hills Hotel went for Trump.
Taking a break from addressing the crowd with a megaphone Oct. 24, Bagheri said she was a registered Democrat until 2017 but voted for Trump in 2016.
“His policies made sense — they had common sense,” Bagheri said.
She became tired of the criticism she received for supporting Trump. The rallies have empowered people like her to go from “the silent majority” to the “loud-lion majority,” she said.
Malka Porat, 58, of Studio City, said she previously refrained from publicly showing support for the president. Attending the Beverly Hills rallies has given her confidence to declare her beliefs. Now, she wears her “MAGA” hat everywhere.
“We were really afraid, everywhere and anywhere we’d go, and now, we just wear it all the time, and we’re not silent and we’re not afraid,” Porat said.
Her father, 86-year-old Aaron Cocos, wore a T-shirt with a photo of Trump in front of the Israeli flag. Father and daughter are Jewish, and Porat said Trump’s strong backing of Israel is a major reason they support him.
Sofia Romo, 14, held a “Mexicans for Trump” sign as she pushed through the crowd with her mother and twin sister.
“We’re here to support our president and show that California is not all Democrats,” said Romo, of Long Beach.
Polls have shown that Jewish and Latino people overwhelmingly support Biden over Trump.
Trump supporters cheer and wave at passing vehicles. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Bagheri may continue holding the rallies after the election, no matter who wins.
“I think we’re going to keep it going, because this Trump train is not stopping,” she said.


latimes--2020-10-31--These two Californians think they're close to changing the electoral college

If a California-based group succeeds in reworking the rules of the electoral college before the next presidential election , the achievement will come almost six decades after its architect unveiled his first , more trifling approach to the subject .
As a Michigan graduate student in the 1960s , computer scientist John Koza designed a game in which players sprint across the country to win support from clusters of voters .
The object , the instructions say , is to “ use the limited supply of campaigning hours to maximum advantage ” in collecting the 270 electoral college votes needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Consensus , ” even though he knew that when players and presidents rely on a state-by-state strategy , there is no guarantee of a harmonious result .
“ The essence of the game was the winner-take-all system is so quirky that even when two candidates have the exact same resources , you can play over and over again and end up with different results , ” he said .
“ The moral of the game is the system is so crazy that anything can happen.
” Fifteen years go , Koza stopped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a Bay Area political campaign attorney to upend electoral college rules that have been in place for almost two centuries by persuading states to join a formal compact awarding their electors to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote .
“ Voters get it , ” said Barry Fadem , the campaign attorney who runs the organization created to make Koza ’ s plan a reality .
“ They truly do understand that under the current system , their vote doesn ’ t count in a number of states.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men is rooted in California politics .
Koza , who sold 3,200 copies of the “ Consensus ” board game , hit the jackpot a few years later when his work with lottery games led to the invention of the instant-win scratch-off ticket .
The company he helped create , Scientific Games , championed the creation of state lotteries , including the 1984 ballot measure that created the California Lottery .
Fadem helped run the California campaign and the two men kept in touch through the years .
During a lunch meeting in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the electoral college compact , which he likens to a “ workaround ” of the system enshrined in the U.S. Constitution .
“ What we ’ re doing is changing the method of choosing the electors , ” he said .
Since 2005 , their political nonprofit has lobbied legislators and governors across the nation to adopt a law requiring their state to award all of its electoral college votes to the national top vote-getter , regardless of which candidate wins the most votes in that state .
Fifteen states and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ representing 196 of the 270 electoral college votes needed to elect a president .
The effort needs states representing 74 more votes , at which point the statutes will have the full force of the law .
“ It ’ s been a marathon , but we absolutely see the light at the end of the tunnel , ” Fadem said .
The organization ’ s goal is to force the change in time for the presidential election of 2024 .
Every state but two awards all of its electoral votes in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them up by congressional district .
The U.S. Constitution is silent on the issue , leaving the decision to each state ’ s legislature .
“ In hindsight , it was the most brilliant decision by the Founding Fathers , ” Fadem said of the flexibility .
“ We have met with legislators in various states to say , ‘ You have the power of how electoral votes are awarded.
’ ” California joined the compact in 2011 , with only two Republican legislators in support .
The result has been more bipartisan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is frequently dismissed by skeptics who insist it would give an unfair advantage to one major political party or the other .
Elected officials in smaller states have also expressed concern .
“ In cases like this , where Nevada ’ s interests could diverge from the interests of large states , I will always stand up for Nevada , ” Gov .
Steve Sisolak wrote in his 2019 veto message rejecting the state Legislature ’ s approval of the electoral college agreement .
Koza dismisses those concerns as “ mythology ” in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , noting that President Trump ’ s 2016 victory was sealed by winning relatively large states — Wisconsin , Michigan and Pennsylvania — and that even then , there ’ s no justification for elevating any one state above the national interest .
“ Why do we care who carries Florida ?
” Koza asked .
“ Why should that be relevant in an election with 150 million people voting ?
” The effort faces a major test on Tuesday in Colorado , where voters will consider a statewide referendum on whether to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signed by Gov .
Jared Polis in 2019 .
Should Proposition 113 be defeated , Colorado ’ s nine electoral college votes will be removed from the ledger kept by Koza and Fadem ’ s organization , National Popular Vote Inc. And even if they ultimately succeed in signing up enough states , legal challenges are all but certain .
Derek Mueller , a University of Iowa law professor , believes new rules for choosing a president can be created only by a constitutional amendment — involving an arduous process that requires supermajority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the states .
An effort in Congress to adopt the change failed in 1969 .
Even then , Mueller said , attempting to bind the states together ignores that distinct — sometimes conflicting — rules govern elections from location to another .
“ States have different voter eligibility rules , different candidates appear on the ballot , different timing rules , ” Mueller said .
“ The compact aggregates all these votes that aren ’ t really meant to be aggregated.
” He notes challenges will also arise based on existing limits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consent of Congress .
“ While states can do what they want with their electors , there ’ s a separate concern about entering an agreement with other states , ” Mueller said .
Fadem said he believes the legality of a state-to-state agreement like the electoral college compact is “ strong ” and that a clear national winner would defuse the controversy that currently erupts over recounts , as it did in Florida in 2000 .
“ We ’ re very confident that when challenged , it will pass muster , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge remains in the court of popular opinion .
Koza said he can see the frenzy at the heart of his 1966 board game playing out in the current presidential race , a sprint focused on winning states , not on winning total votes .
And he admits the contest between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden is a double-edged sword , drawing attention to the issue but also likely to leave supporters of the winner resistant to change .
“ We ’ re hoping to get back to a policy discussion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s a compelling case for it .
”

If a California-based group succeeds in reworking the rules of the electoral college before the next presidential election, the achievement will come almost six decades after its architect unveiled his first, more trifling approach to the subject.
A board game.
For the record: A previous version of this story misspelled the last name of University of Iowa law professor Derek Muller as Mueller.
As a Michigan graduate student in the 1960s, computer scientist John Koza designed a game in which players sprint across the country to win support from clusters of voters. The object, the instructions say, is to “use the limited supply of campaigning hours to maximum advantage” in collecting the 270 electoral college votes needed to win.
Koza called the game “Consensus,” even though he knew that when players and presidents rely on a state-by-state strategy, there is no guarantee of a harmonious result.
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“The essence of the game was the winner-take-all system is so quirky that even when two candidates have the exact same resources, you can play over and over again and end up with different results,” he said. “The moral of the game is the system is so crazy that anything can happen.”
Fifteen years ago, Koza stopped playing and got serious, joining forces with a Bay Area political campaign attorney to upend electoral college rules that have been in place for almost two centuries by persuading states to join a formal compact awarding their electors to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote.
“Voters get it,” said Barry Fadem, the campaign attorney who runs the organization created to make Koza’s plan a reality. “They truly do understand that under the current system, their vote doesn’t count in a number of states.”
The presidential reform odyssey of the two men is rooted in California politics. Koza, who sold 3,200 copies of the “Consensus” board game, hit the jackpot a few years later when his work with lottery games led to the invention of the instant-win scratch-off ticket. The company he helped create, Scientific Games, championed the creation of state lotteries, including the 1984 ballot measure that created the California Lottery.
Fadem helped run the California campaign and the two men kept in touch through the years. During a lunch meeting in 2004, Koza sketched out the idea for the electoral college compact, which he likens to a “workaround” of the system enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
“What we’re doing is changing the method of choosing the electors,” he said.
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Since 2005, their political nonprofit has lobbied legislators and governors across the nation to adopt a law requiring their state to award all of its electoral college votes to the national top vote-getter, regardless of which candidate wins the most votes in that state.
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have signed on, representing 196 of the 270 electoral college votes needed to elect a president. The effort needs states representing 74 more votes, at which point the statutes will have the full force of the law.
“It’s been a marathon, but we absolutely see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Fadem said. The organization’s goal is to force the change in time for the presidential election of 2024.
Every state but two awards all of its electoral votes in a single action. Maine and Nebraska divvy them up by congressional district. The U.S. Constitution is silent on the issue, leaving the decision to each state’s legislature.
“In hindsight, it was the most brilliant decision by the Founding Fathers,” Fadem said of the flexibility. “We have met with legislators in various states to say, ‘You have the power of how electoral votes are awarded.’”
California joined the compact in 2011, with only two Republican legislators in support. The result has been more bipartisan in other states, though the effort is frequently dismissed by skeptics who insist it would give an unfair advantage to one major political party or the other. Elected officials in smaller states have also expressed concern.
“In cases like this, where Nevada’s interests could diverge from the interests of large states, I will always stand up for Nevada,” Gov. Steve Sisolak wrote in his 2019 veto message rejecting the state Legislature’s approval of the electoral college agreement.
Koza dismisses those concerns as “mythology” in regard to how the electoral college works, noting that President Trump’s 2016 victory was sealed by winning relatively large states — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — and that even then, there’s no justification for elevating any one state above the national interest.
“Why do we care who carries Florida?” Koza asked. “Why should that be relevant in an election with 150 million people voting?”
The effort faces a major test on Tuesday in Colorado, where voters will consider a statewide referendum on whether to keep or reject the electoral compact law signed by Gov. Jared Polis in 2019. Should Proposition 113 be defeated, Colorado’s nine electoral college votes will be removed from the ledger kept by Koza and Fadem’s organization, National Popular Vote Inc.
And even if they ultimately succeed in signing up enough states, legal challenges are all but certain.
Derek Muller, a University of Iowa law professor, believes new rules for choosing a president can be created only by a constitutional amendment — involving an arduous process that requires supermajority support in Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states. An effort in Congress to adopt the change failed in 1969.
Even then, Muller said, attempting to bind the states together ignores that distinct — sometimes conflicting — rules govern elections from one location to another.
“States have different voter eligibility rules, different candidates appear on the ballot, different timing rules,” Muller said. “The compact aggregates all these votes that aren’t really meant to be aggregated.”
He notes that challenges will also arise based on existing limits to formal interstate compacts made without the consent of Congress.
“While states can do what they want with their electors, there’s a separate concern about entering an agreement with other states,” Muller said.
Fadem said he believes the legality of a state-to-state agreement like the electoral college compact is “strong” and that a clear national winner would defuse the controversy that currently erupts over recounts, as it did in Florida in 2000.
“We’re very confident that when challenged, it will pass muster,” he said.
For now, the challenge remains in the court of popular opinion.
Koza said he can see the frenzy at the heart of his 1966 board game playing out in the current presidential race, a sprint focused on winning states, not on winning total votes. And he admits the contest between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden is a double-edged sword, drawing attention to the issue but also likely to leave supporters of the winner resistant to change.
“We’re hoping to get back to a policy discussion,” he said. “And there’s a compelling case for it.”


latimes--2020-10-31--Will the pandemic turn our favorite old-time L.A. shops and restaurants into memories, or can we do

Will the pandemic turn our favorite old-time L.A. shops and restaurants into memories, or can we do more together to save them?

Who realized how wide open our lives were until the pandemic shrank them down last spring ?
Who really thought about what a privilege it was to be able to explore our city freely — to peer into its windows and shop in its stores and eat out at its crowded restaurants and frequent its crowded bars ?
Who stopped in the course of a busy day out in the world to acknowledge how important such daily habits were in keeping the Los Angeles we love alive and vibrant ?
Now every week there is news of more longtime businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic neglect after holding on for so many years .
This week it was Jerry ’ s Deli in Studio City , which announced on Instagram that it was shutting its doors “ for the foreseeable future ” after 42 years on Ventura Boulevard .
“ To say that 2020 has been a year of uncertainty would be an understatement , ” read the post .
“ The world as we knew it has changed and is still changing.
” One day , our world is so big .
The next it shrinks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m hoping our narrower lenses can have at least this upside : that they can help us focus in collectively on those one-of-a-kind L.A. places that we ’ re willing to fight hard for and resolve not to lose .
I ’ ve been thinking about that a lot since I discovered the work of Kieran Wright , who moved to L.A. from New Zealand three years ago , and used to love to seek out his new home ’ s most distinctive historic businesses and roadside attractions .
He researched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by one .
He sat in the very oldest , the Saugus Cafe in Santa Clarita , which opened in 1905 , and imagined those who ’ d been there before him , the stars who ’ d visited while filming nearby in Hollywood ’ s Golden Age .
This year , after he was first furloughed and then laid off from his suddenly nonsensical Qantas Airways job marketing the delights of Australia to Americans , his life shrank smaller than most .
The pandemic turned him into a miniaturist paying tribute to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months , from a nook in the corner of his mid-city bedroom , Wright has been meticulously creating heartbreakingly perfect tiny versions of some of the L.A. area ’ s most beloved old-time spots : the Tiki-Ti bar on Sunset Boulevard , Rae ’ s Restaurant in Santa Monica , Taix in Echo Park , Fugetsu-Do in Little Tokyo .
When from the confines of my little home office I recently stumbled upon his rendering of that Little Tokyo confectionery , which opened in 1903 , its evocative power took me by surprise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought , how long has it been now since I ’ ve been there ?
All over Los Angeles are these places we ’ ve long loved — which aren ’ t seeing that love so much right now .
I am worried about their survival and about their employees .
I am worried about how many of them will be there to welcome us back when we come out of our cocoons .
In the normal course of life , of course , many of us love such places erratically .
Sometimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new spots or we move too far away .
We mean to visit more often than we do .
When The Times was downtown , I would wander into Fugetsu-Do about once a week and buy something small and beautiful , perhaps a little mochi in the shape of a mushroom or a plum .
But then the newspaper moved to El Segundo and I stopped by less often .
And then this spring , those of us who were able to do so stayed inside our homes to stay safe and mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t the normal course of life — and so many of the beloved places we aren ’ t patronizing enough are hurting .
So many already have disappeared with barely a word .
Before the pandemic , we would often get a little advance notice .
“ Now it ’ s often like a very abrupt death , ” said Adrian Fine , director of advocacy for the Los Angeles Conservancy , a nonprofit membership organization that tries to draw attention to and help protect and revitalize L.A. County ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall , the conservancy began highlighting L.A. 's legacy businesses , which it defines as places that have been around for a quarter-century or more and are mainstays of their communities .
On its site and on social media , it has been telling stories of such places , which are often family owned , and asking people to share more of them .
The hope is to proactively draw attention to a diversity of longtime businesses from neighborhoods all over the city , to help get them support and attention before they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last legs .
The pandemic obviously has given the campaign a different kind of urgency .
That is one reason why the conservancy plans to do everything it can to bolster a fledgling effort to create a city-sponsored legacy business program .
In the summer of 2019 , City Councilman Curren Price proposed that the city ’ s Economic and Workforce Development Department study programs other cities have created to help legacy businesses , and report back with recommendations .
The City Council passed his motion that September .
But the pandemic slowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with help from the city ’ s Office of Historic Resources , is readying to present the report .
San Francisco offers one great model , said city planner Ken Bernstein , who manages the Office of Historic Resources .
That city , in an effort to preserve its uniqueness in the face of rampant development , first created a registry of legacy businesses in order to promote them and then set up programs to offer financial and technical assistance to the businesses themselves and grants to landlords that agreed to extend their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's current financial crisis , new spending isn ’ t possible , Bernstein said — but the city ’ s recognition and promotion of legacy businesses could help them a lot .
And there might be ways to create private and philanthropic partnerships to offer financial support .
“ We see this as building upon our work in helping to preserve the places that help define Los Angeles ’ identity .
It ’ s not only about preserving significant architecture , ” Bernstein told me .
“ When you have a business that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s one of the factors that immediately generates a sense of loss or cultural displacement within that neighborhood and that begins to undermine a community ’ s sense of well-being and cohesion.
” Wright , the miniaturist , understands this — which is why he gave away his Fugetsu-Do miniature , choosing a winner from among those who showed him that they ’ d donated at least $ 20 to the Little Tokyo Small Business Relief Fund .
His giveaway raised about $ 5,000 .
“ These places are so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he told me .
Wright fell in love with L.A. right after moving here , by the way , in that special transplant way I know well , when you can ’ t believe how much more there is than the cliches you ’ ve been fed , how much history and texture there is in a place often typecast by outsiders as hollow and history-less .
In New Zealand , there were ersatz , American-style ’ 50s diners , with shiny black-and-white checkerboard floors .
In L.A. , Wright found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and scuffed .
He loved them especially for that wear .
And it is that evidence of lived history — rust on the Rae ’ s sign , a dumpster and trash bag alongside a grime-smudged brick wall at Tiki-Ti — that helps make his miniatures seem so extraordinarily alive .
He got the idea to make the first miniature , he said , early in the spring , when he and his boyfriend saw Walt Disney ’ s miniature collection on a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rae ’ s , admiring its Googie style , and wondered if he could figure out how to make a miniature version .
He spent a lot of time watching YouTube how-to videos and got help from other California miniaturists .
When he started posting his work on Instagram as @ smallscalela , people immediately started asking to buy it .
Annie Given , an L.A. native , reached out right away when she saw his miniature Tail o ’ the Pup , which has been in storage far longer than he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reproduced from photographs .
She used to go to the hot-dog-shaped hot-dog stand every Sunday after Hebrew school , she told me .
It ’ s dear to her heart .
And now her miniature of it has proud placement in her Hancock Park living room .
Joshua Tuberville , who has loved places with history since earliest childhood growing up in Camden , Ark.
, whose downtown “ was kind of frozen in the ’ 50s or ’ 60s , ” told me he started messaging Wright right away after Tiki-Ti posted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very small bar .
He suggested Wright make a version of the wonderful facade of Morgan Camera Shop , which has long sat empty on Hollywood Boulevard .
Then he commissioned one for himself .
Like Given ’ s miniature , it has prominent placement in his living room in Jefferson Park .
“ You want the great places to survive , ” he told me .
“ And I hate to see places that are not blight getting demoed to build something unremarkable.
” L.A. landmarks that did not survive , by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another miniaturist , C.C .
de Vere , born and raised in L.A. , whose homages to the disappeared can be found on Instagram under the poignant name @ littlelostangeles .
“ There ’ s so much that ’ s gone but so much that ’ s left that ’ s worth saving , ” she told me .
Maybe as a city we can come together to help .

Who realized how wide open our lives were until the pandemic shrank them down last spring?
Who really thought about what a privilege it was to be able to explore our city freely — to peer into its windows and shop in its stores and eat out at its crowded restaurants and frequent its crowded bars?
Who stopped in the course of a busy day out in the world to acknowledge how important such daily habits were in keeping the Los Angeles we love alive and vibrant?
Now every week there is news of more longtime businesses closing, given the final shove by pandemic neglect after holding on for so many years.
Advertisement
This week it was Jerry’s Deli in Studio City, which announced on Instagram that it was shutting its doors “for the foreseeable future” after 42 years on Ventura Boulevard.
“To say that 2020 has been a year of uncertainty would be an understatement,” read the post. “The world as we knew it has changed and is still changing.”
One day, our world is so big. The next it shrinks. It gets smaller than small.
I’m hoping our narrower lenses can have at least this upside: that they can help us focus in collectively on those one-of-a-kind L.A. places that we’re willing to fight hard for and resolve not to lose.
Kieran Wright, in an iPhone photo, seems to be in scale with his miniature creation of the Tiki-Ti bar inside his apartment. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
I’ve been thinking about that a lot since I discovered the work of Kieran Wright, who moved to L.A. from New Zealand three years ago, and used to love to seek out his new home’s most distinctive historic businesses and roadside attractions. He researched the oldest restaurants and visited them one by one. He sat in the very oldest, the Saugus Cafe in Santa Clarita, which opened in 1905, and imagined those who’d been there before him, the stars who’d visited while filming nearby in Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Advertisement
This year, after he was first furloughed and then laid off from his suddenly nonsensical Qantas Airways job marketing the delights of Australia to Americans, his life shrank smaller than most. The pandemic turned him into a miniaturist paying tribute to our treasures.
For the past seven months, from a nook in the corner of his mid-city bedroom, Wright has been meticulously creating heartbreakingly perfect tiny versions of some of the L.A. area’s most beloved old-time spots: the Tiki-Ti bar on Sunset Boulevard, Rae’s Restaurant in Santa Monica, Taix in Echo Park, Fugetsu-Do in Little Tokyo.
When from the confines of my little home office I recently stumbled upon his rendering of that Little Tokyo confectionery, which opened in 1903, its evocative power took me by surprise. My eyes welled up. I thought, how long has it been now since I’ve been there?
Kieran Wright’s miniature creation of Taix French Restaurant. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
All over Los Angeles are these places we’ve long loved — which aren’t seeing that love so much right now. I am worried about their survival and about their employees. I am worried about how many of them will be there to welcome us back when we come out of our cocoons.
In the normal course of life, of course, many of us love such places erratically. Sometimes we forget about them. We discover new spots or we move too far away. We mean to visit more often than we do.
Paints, brushes and other materials that Kieran Wright uses to make his miniature creations of classic Los Angeles buildings. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
When The Times was downtown, I would wander into Fugetsu-Do about once a week and buy something small and beautiful, perhaps a little mochi in the shape of a mushroom or a plum. But then the newspaper moved to El Segundo and I stopped by less often.
And then this spring, those of us who were able to do so stayed inside our homes to stay safe and mostly gave up such visits altogether.
This isn’t the normal course of life — and so many of the beloved places we aren’t patronizing enough are hurting. So many already have disappeared with barely a word.
Before the pandemic, we would often get a little advance notice.
“Now it’s often like a very abrupt death,” said Adrian Fine, director of advocacy for the Los Angeles Conservancy, a nonprofit membership organization that tries to draw attention to and help protect and revitalize L.A. County’s historic architectural and cultural resources.
Last fall, the conservancy began highlighting L.A.’s legacy businesses, which it defines as places that have been around for a quarter-century or more and are mainstays of their communities. On its site and on social media, it has been telling stories of such places, which are often family owned, and asking people to share more of them. The hope is to proactively draw attention to a diversity of longtime businesses from neighborhoods all over the city, to help get them support and attention before they’re in crisis and on their last legs. The pandemic obviously has given the campaign a different kind of urgency.
Advertisement
That is one reason why the conservancy plans to do everything it can to bolster a fledgling effort to create a city-sponsored legacy business program.
In the summer of 2019, City Councilman Curren Price proposed that the city’s Economic and Workforce Development Department study programs other cities have created to help legacy businesses, and report back with recommendations. The City Council passed his motion that September. But the pandemic slowed things down. Now the EWDD, with help from the city’s Office of Historic Resources, is readying to present the report.
San Francisco offers one great model, said city planner Ken Bernstein, who manages the Office of Historic Resources. That city, in an effort to preserve its uniqueness in the face of rampant development, first created a registry of legacy businesses in order to promote them and then set up programs to offer financial and technical assistance to the businesses themselves and grants to landlords that agreed to extend their leases for 10 years.
In L.A.’s current financial crisis, new spending isn’t possible, Bernstein said — but the city’s recognition and promotion of legacy businesses could help them a lot. And there might be ways to create private and philanthropic partnerships to offer financial support.
“We see this as building upon our work in helping to preserve the places that help define Los Angeles’ identity. It’s not only about preserving significant architecture,” Bernstein told me. “When you have a business that operates for decades and then suddenly closes, it’s one of the factors that immediately generates a sense of loss or cultural displacement within that neighborhood and that begins to undermine a community’s sense of well-being and cohesion.”
Advertisement
Wright, the miniaturist, understands this — which is why he gave away his Fugetsu-Do miniature, choosing a winner from among those who showed him that they’d donated at least $20 to the Little Tokyo Small Business Relief Fund. His giveaway raised about $5,000.
“These places are so much more than just brick and mortar,” he told me.
Wright fell in love with L.A. right after moving here, by the way, in that special transplant way I know well, when you can’t believe how much more there is than the cliches you’ve been fed, how much history and texture there is in a place often typecast by outsiders as hollow and history-less.
In New Zealand, there were ersatz, American-style ’50s diners, with shiny black-and-white checkerboard floors.
In L.A., Wright found himself in real ones, well worn and scuffed. He loved them especially for that wear.
And it is that evidence of lived history — rust on the Rae’s sign, a dumpster and trash bag alongside a grime-smudged brick wall at Tiki-Ti — that helps make his miniatures seem so extraordinarily alive.
Kieran Wright’s miniature creation of Tail o’ the Pup hot dog stand. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Advertisement
He got the idea to make the first miniature, he said, early in the spring, when he and his boyfriend saw Walt Disney’s miniature collection on a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Then he was having breakfast at Rae’s, admiring its Googie style, and wondered if he could figure out how to make a miniature version. He spent a lot of time watching YouTube how-to videos and got help from other California miniaturists.
Kieran Wright’s sketch for his miniature creation of Tail o’ the Pup hot dog stand. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
When he started posting his work on Instagram as @smallscalela, people immediately started asking to buy it. Annie Given, an L.A. native, reached out right away when she saw his miniature Tail o’ the Pup, which has been in storage far longer than he’s been in L.A. and which he reproduced from photographs. She used to go to the hot-dog-shaped hot-dog stand every Sunday after Hebrew school, she told me. It’s dear to her heart. And now her miniature of it has proud placement in her Hancock Park living room.
Joshua Tuberville, who has loved places with history since earliest childhood growing up in Camden, Ark., whose downtown “was kind of frozen in the ’50s or ’60s,” told me he started messaging Wright right away after Tiki-Ti posted his really small version of the already very small bar. He suggested Wright make a version of the wonderful facade of Morgan Camera Shop, which has long sat empty on Sunset Boulevard. Then he commissioned one for himself. Like Given’s miniature, it has prominent placement in his living room in Jefferson Park.
“You want the great places to survive,” he told me. “And I hate to see places that are not blight getting demoed to build something unremarkable.”
L.A. landmarks that did not survive, by the way, are the specialty of another miniaturist, C.C. de Vere, born and raised in L.A., whose homages to the disappeared can be found on Instagram under the poignant name @littlelostangeles.
“There’s so much that’s gone but so much that’s left that’s worth saving,” she told me.
Maybe as a city we can come together to help.


latimes--2020-10-31--Nearly 100 firefighters battle blaze that engulfs downtown L.A. building

Nearly 100 Los Angeles city firefighters are battling a blaze that engulfed a downtown building late Friday night .
By 10:02 p.m. , only small pockets of flames were left at the one-story structure at 917 S. San Julian Street .
There were no serious injuries , though one firefighter was treated for a heat-related illness and was in “ fair condition , ” according to fire officials .
Firefighters arrived a little after 8 p.m. and found “ pressurized smoke showing from the roof , ” according to a department statement .
By 8:23 p.m. the blaze was upgraded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire , which means between nine and 15 fire companies were called to the scene .
In total 99 firefighters were assigned to the effort , according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Margaret Stewart .
Firefighters advanced into the concrete building to locate the source of the fire .
They were unable to find it , though fire officials said it may have been “ overhead in a possible mezzanine.
” Eventually , as conditions in the building deteriorated and became more dangerous , firefighters left the structure at around 8:36 p.m. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the building as water was blasted through entrances .

Los Angeles Fire Department personnel have turned their efforts from offensive to defensive in battling a one-story blaze in downtown Los Angeles on Friday.
Nearly 100 Los Angeles city firefighters are battling a blaze that engulfed a downtown building late Friday night.
By 10:02 p.m., only small pockets of flames were left at the one-story structure at 917 S. San Julian Street. There were no serious injuries, though one firefighter was treated for a heat-related illness and was in “fair condition,” according to fire officials.
Firefighters arrived a little after 8 p.m. and found “pressurized smoke showing from the roof,” according to a department statement.
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By 8:23 p.m. the blaze was upgraded to a “greater alarm” structure fire, which means between nine and 15 fire companies were called to the scene.
In total 99 firefighters were assigned to the effort, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Margaret Stewart.
Firefighters advanced into the concrete building to locate the source of the fire. They were unable to find it, though fire officials said it may have been “overhead in a possible mezzanine.”
Eventually, as conditions in the building deteriorated and became more dangerous, firefighters left the structure at around 8:36 p.m., adopting a defensive posture outside of the building as water was blasted through entrances.


latimes--2020-10-30--Body camera video shows Fred Williams jumping a fence, holding a gun when he was shot by deputy

The Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department late Friday released footage of the fatal shooting of Fred Williams III , who was killed during a foot chase in Willowbrook this month in what marked the first deputy shooting captured on department-issued body cameras .
Sheriff ’ s officials released an 11-minute briefing that included body camera footage , security video and radio communications from the incident .
The disclosure came after Williams ’ family reviewed the footage with the captain of the Century station , where the deputy involved was assigned .
The agency rolled out body cameras there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The footage from Oct. 16 shows Williams , 25 , on top of a garden shed , holding a gun while jumping over a fence , before he was shot .
During the incident , the deputy broadcast over the radio that Williams “ pointed 417 at me , ” referring to the firearm .
The man ’ s father , Fred Williams Jr. , said the body camera footage refutes that .
“ We see the video , we all see the video , and he was shot in the back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday night .
“ The video clearly shows there was never a gun pointed in [ the deputy ’ s ] direction.
” The coroner ’ s office has not yet completed the full autopsy report but has determined that Williams died by a “ gunshot wound of back , ” according to its online records .
The Sheriff ’ s Department said a semiautomatic handgun was recovered by homicide investigators .
A day after the incident , the Sheriff ’ s Department said Williams “ engaged the deputy by pointing his firearm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incident posted on the Sheriff ’ s Department ’ s website Friday appeared to walk that back , saying “ the deputy rounded the corner and encountered [ Williams ] , gun in hand and a deputy involved shooting occurred.
” Chief Matthew Burson said in the recorded briefing released Friday that the department is in the “ very early stages of this investigation.
” “ Our understanding of the incident may change as additional evidence is collected , analyzed and reviewed , ” he said .
The Sheriff ’ s Department said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Century station were conducting a patrol check of Mona Park because of recent shootings in the area when they noticed a group of 10 to 15 people , one of whom was holding a handgun .
Williams looked toward the deputies and ran south through a parking lot .
One deputy chased after him on foot , and the other followed in a patrol car .
Williams put the pistol in his pocket and ran west on 122nd Street and up a driveway , the Sheriff ’ s Department said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while the second deputy circled the block to contain him .
Williams ran through the yard behind the property , climbed on top of a garden shed and was shot , gun in hand , as he jumped a fence into another backyard , the Sheriff ’ s Department said .
The agency said Williams was on parole and prohibited from having a gun .
The shooting came a day after two teenage boys were found shot to death after a car crash in the same neighborhood southeast of downtown L.A. , @ @ @ @ @

L.A. County Sheriff’s Department officials on Friday released body camera and security footage of the fatal deputy shooting of Fred Williams III.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department late Friday released footage of the fatal shooting of Fred Williams III, who was killed during a foot chase in Willowbrook this month in what marked the first deputy shooting captured on department-issued body cameras.
Sheriff’s officials released an 11-minute briefing that included body camera footage, security video and radio communications from the incident. The disclosure came after Williams’ family reviewed the footage with the captain of the Century station, where the deputy involved was assigned. The agency rolled out body cameras there and at four other stations this month.
The footage from Oct. 16 shows Williams, 25, on top of a garden shed, holding a gun while jumping over a fence, before he was shot. During the incident, the deputy broadcast over the radio that Williams “pointed 417 at me,” referring to the firearm.
The man’s father, Fred Williams Jr., said the body camera footage refutes that.
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“We see the video, we all see the video, and he was shot in the back,” Williams told The Times on Friday night. “The video clearly shows there was never a gun pointed in [the deputy’s] direction.”
The coroner’s office has not yet completed the full autopsy report but has determined that Williams died by a “gunshot wound of back,” according to its online records.
The Sheriff’s Department said a semiautomatic handgun was recovered by homicide investigators.
A day after the incident, the Sheriff’s Department said Williams “engaged the deputy by pointing his firearm at him.” A summary of the incident posted on the Sheriff’s Department’s website Friday appeared to walk that back, saying “the deputy rounded the corner and encountered [Williams], gun in hand and a deputy involved shooting occurred.”
Chief Matthew Burson said in the recorded briefing released Friday that the department is in the “very early stages of this investigation.”
“Our understanding of the incident may change as additional evidence is collected, analyzed and reviewed,” he said.
The Sheriff’s Department said in the narrative that two deputies assigned to the Century station were conducting a patrol check of Mona Park because of recent shootings in the area when they noticed a group of 10 to 15 people, one of whom was holding a handgun. Williams looked toward the deputies and ran south through a parking lot. One deputy chased after him on foot, and the other followed in a patrol car.
Williams put the pistol in his pocket and ran west on 122nd Street and up a driveway, the Sheriff’s Department said. The deputy followed him up the driveway, while the second deputy circled the block to contain him.
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Williams ran through the yard behind the property, climbed on top of a garden shed and was shot, gun in hand, as he jumped a fence into another backyard, the Sheriff’s Department said. The agency said Williams was on parole and prohibited from having a gun.
The shooting came a day after two teenage boys were found shot to death after a car crash in the same neighborhood southeast of downtown L.A., leaving residents there reeling.


latimes--2020-10-30--PG&E should be fined $166 million for botched power shut-offs, watchdog agency says

The California Public Utilities Commission ’ s independent consumer watchdog arm is recommending that Pacific Gas & Electric be fined nearly $ 166 million for the company ’ s failure to properly warn customers of a series of intentional power outages last fall .
At their height , the so-called public safety power shut-offs of October 2019 left nearly 1 million PG & E customers across 38 counties without electricity , some for as long as a week .
The outages were designed to prevent electrical equipment from igniting blazes like the Camp fire , which destroyed the town of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sparked by a PG & E power line a year earlier .
But the San Francisco-based company failed to notify tens of thousands of customers that blackouts were imminent , including hundreds who depended on steady electricity to power life-sustaining medical devices .
Many people couldn ’ t access PG & E ’ s website for several days , as it was overwhelmed by visits from Northern and Central California residents scrambling for information .
The PUC ’ s Public Advocates Office argued in a brief Friday afternoon that the utility should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warn so-called medical baseline customers ; $ 41.51 million for the inaccessibility of its website ; $ 15.3 million for not properly notifying facilities such as hospitals , fire departments and water utilities ; and $ 7.64 million for repeated failure to warn some customers .
The power outages “ disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands of Californians and caused substantial economic damage , ” the consumer watchdog office wrote .
“ If left unchecked , PG & E ’ s [ public safety power shut-off ] failures will result in loss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the commission Friday , PG & E argued that it shouldn ’ t pay any fine .
The company said it “ undertook a months-long process to educate , prepare , and support ” its customers in advance of fall 2019 fire-weather conditions , and as a result of that process “ successfully notified over 1.75 million customers — over 97 % of the population affected by the events in question.
” “ To be sure , our goal is 100 % notification , ” the company wrote .
PG & E @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to address the website problems and to restore access to the website as soon as possible , ” and was able to increase the site ’ s capacity so it was fully available during intentional blackouts later in the month .
More recently , the utility shut off power to 361,000 customers as fierce Diablo winds blew through Northern California this week .
Spokeswoman Lynsey Paulo said in an email that since last year , the company “ has worked diligently to update and improve our operational processes and systems to make [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , shorter and smarter for our customers.
” “ We know that losing power significantly disrupts people ’ s lives , especially for those with medical needs and customers sheltering-at-home in response to COVID-19 , ” she said .
Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric have also used power shut-offs as a tool for limiting wildfire danger .
But neither utility has turned to intentional outages as much as PG & E , which has the state ’ s largest and most heavily forested service territory , as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by power lines .
The company filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2019 under the weight of an estimated $ 30 billion in fire-related liabilities , finally emerging from Bankruptcy Court this summer .
In addition to what critics see as utility negligence , climate change has played a major role in fueling more devastating fires in California and across the West .
The Golden State has experienced five of the six largest blazes in its modern history since August .

The company failed to notify tens of thousands of customers that blackouts were imminent.
The California Public Utilities Commission’s independent consumer watchdog arm is recommending that Pacific Gas & Electric be fined nearly $166 million for the company’s failure to properly warn customers of a series of intentional power outages last fall.
At their height, the so-called public safety power shut-offs of October 2019 left nearly 1 million PG&E customers across 38 counties without electricity, some for as long as a week. The outages were designed to prevent electrical equipment from igniting blazes like the Camp fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people after being sparked by a PG&E power line a year earlier.
But the San Francisco-based company failed to notify tens of thousands of customers that blackouts were imminent, including hundreds who depended on steady electricity to power life-sustaining medical devices. Many people couldn’t access PG&E’s website for several days, as it was overwhelmed by visits from Northern and Central California residents scrambling for information.
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The PUC’s Public Advocates Office argued in a brief Friday afternoon that the utility should be fined $101.29 million for failing to warn so-called medical baseline customers; $41.51 million for the inaccessibility of its website; $15.3 million for not properly notifying facilities such as hospitals, fire departments and water utilities; and $7.64 million for repeated failure to warn some customers.
The power outages “disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands of Californians and caused substantial economic damage,” the consumer watchdog office wrote. “If left unchecked, PG&E’s [public safety power shut-off] failures will result in loss of life.”
In its own filing to the commission Friday, PG&E argued that it shouldn’t pay any fine. The company said it “undertook a months-long process to educate, prepare, and support” its customers in advance of fall 2019 fire-weather conditions, and as a result of that process “successfully notified over 1.75 million customers — over 97% of the population affected by the events in question.”
“To be sure, our goal is 100% notification,” the company wrote.
PG&E also wrote that it “acted promptly to address the website problems and to restore access to the website as soon as possible,” and was able to increase the site’s capacity so it was fully available during intentional blackouts later in the month.
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More recently, the utility shut off power to 361,000 customers as fierce Diablo winds blew through Northern California this week. Spokeswoman Lynsey Paulo said in an email that since last year, the company “has worked diligently to update and improve our operational processes and systems to make [public safety power shut-off] events smaller, shorter and smarter for our customers.”
“We know that losing power significantly disrupts people’s lives, especially for those with medical needs and customers sheltering-at-home in response to COVID-19,” she said.
Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric have also used power shut-offs as a tool for limiting wildfire danger. But neither utility has turned to intentional outages as much as PG&E, which has the state’s largest and most heavily forested service territory, as well as the worst recent history of fires ignited by power lines. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2019 under the weight of an estimated $30 billion in fire-related liabilities, finally emerging from Bankruptcy Court this summer.
In addition to what critics see as utility negligence, climate change has played a major role in fueling more devastating fires in California and across the West. The Golden State has experienced five of the six largest blazes in its modern history since August.


latimes--2020-10-31--Hundreds of Trump supporters rally in Beverly Hills ahead of election day

As they have for weeks now , hundreds of Trump supporters rallied in Beverly Hills on Saturday , three days ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election .
Wearing “ MAGA ” hats , waving U.S. flags and shouting “ four more years ” and “ turn California red , ” the demonstrators gathered at the intersection of Beverly and Santa Monica boulevards .
There were media reports that counter-protesters would show up in force at this week ’ s rally , but that did not appear to be the case .
Police in riot gear stood nearby and employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crowd remained mostly peaceful .
Earlier Saturday , however , a counter-demonstrator did get into a fight with a pro-Trump protester at a separate rally at Roxbury Park , also in Beverly Hills , where officers broke up the fight and declared an unlawful assembly , according to police .
No arrests were made .
Michael Smith , a 30-year-old Los Angeles resident and a supporter of Democratic nominee Joe Biden , stood in the middle of the intersection of Beverly and Rodeo holding a Black Lives Matter sign and surrounded by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an exclusionary movement , ” read Smith ’ s sign .
“ I ’ m willing to have this discussion , ” Smith told the group , who shouted over him .
“ People misinterpret what Black Lives Matter means ; that ’ s why I ’ m here.
” No one made physical contact with him , but several people expressed their anger toward him .
“ Some people get too close without a mask on ; some have forcibly coughed at me , ” Smith told a reporter .
Alexis Lopez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was shopping when she walked out onto the street and saw hundreds of demonstrators waving Trump flags .
“ I didn ’ t realize there were so many Trump supporters in California , ” she said .
“ I ’ m not political but I saw [ Smith ’ s ] sign and people calling him a terrorist for caring about Black lives.
” Lopez carried a camera in one hand and joined him as people called him a “ sheep ” and “ a moron.
” Billy Bickford , 52 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all across the country selling Trump merchandise but that Saturday ’ s rally was one of the busiest he has seen in weeks .
Bickford estimated he made about $ 2,000 in just a few hours selling Trump 2020 shirts , hats and flags .
“ I ’ ve been in this corner for the last three weekends , and I haven ’ t seen anything like this , ” he said , as he jumped from customer to customer .
Trump is deeply unpopular in California , particularly on Los Angeles ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president ’ s divisive policies , ranging from attacks on immigrants and rollbacks of environmental safeguards to his personal conduct and statements critics say are racist .
A recent poll on the presidential race had Biden leading Trump in California by historic margins .
Nearly four months ago , Beverly Hills resident Shiva Bagheri began organizing the rallies in part to dispel what she called misrepresentations of Trump supporters in the media .
“ They think that we ’ re all white supremacists .
And that ’ s just ridiculous , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was born in Iran and works as a dance instructor .
At last Saturday ’ s rally , the crowd numbered between 2,500 and 3,000 , according to a Beverly Hills city spokesman .
Signs and shirts announced a kaleidoscope of identities in support of Trump , including members of the Latino , Jewish , Vietnamese and LGBTQ communities .
Some traveled from out of the state or out of the country to attend .
Beverly Hills has faced criticism for how it has handled some street demonstrations .
Since June , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after 9 p.m. Twenty-five protesters were arrested and are being prosecuted for violating the curfew .
Beverly Hills moved forward with the charges even as Los Angeles and other cities have decided against charging peaceful protesters who violated curfews .

A large crowd chants “four more years” during a pro-Trump rally at Beverly and Santa Monica boulevards in Beverly Hills on Saturday.
As they have for weeks now, hundreds of Trump supporters rallied in Beverly Hills on Saturday, three days ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.
Wearing “MAGA” hats, waving U.S. flags and shouting “four more years” and “turn California red,” the demonstrators gathered at the intersection of Beverly and Santa Monica boulevards. Thousands attended the Saturday rally, according to the Beverly Hills police department.
There were media reports that counter-protesters would show up in force at this week’s rally, but that did not appear to be the case. Police in riot gear stood nearby and employees guarded storefronts along Rodeo Drive, but the crowd remained mostly peaceful.
Earlier Saturday, however, a counter-demonstrator did get into a fight with a pro-Trump protester at a separate rally in Beverly Hills, where officers broke up the fight and declared an unlawful assembly, according to police. No arrests were made.
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Michael Smith, a 30-year-old Los Angeles resident and a supporter of Democratic nominee Joe Biden, stood in the middle of the intersection of Beverly and Rodeo holding a Black Lives Matter sign and surrounded by Trump supporters.
“BLM is not an exclusionary movement,” read Smith’s sign.
“I’m willing to have this discussion,” Smith told the group, who shouted over him. “People misinterpret what Black Lives Matter means; that’s why I’m here.”
No one made physical contact with him, but several people expressed their anger toward him.
“Some people get too close without a mask on; some have forcibly coughed at me,” Smith told a reporter.
Alexis Lopez, a 22-year-old tourist from New York, was shopping when she walked out onto the street and saw hundreds of demonstrators waving Trump flags.
“I didn’t realize there were so many Trump supporters in California,” she said. “I’m not political but I saw [Smith’s] sign and people calling him a terrorist for caring about Black lives.”
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Lopez carried a camera in one hand and joined him as people called him a “sheep” and “a moron.”
Billy Bickford, 52, of Fontana said that he has traveled all across the country selling Trump merchandise but that Saturday’s rally was one of the busiest he has seen in weeks.
Bickford estimated he made about $2,000 in just a few hours selling Trump 2020 shirts, hats and flags.
“I’ve been in this corner for the last three weekends, and I haven’t seen anything like this,” he said, as he jumped from customer to customer.
Trump is deeply unpopular in California, particularly on Los Angeles’ affluent Westside. Numerous protests have slammed the president’s divisive policies, ranging from attacks on immigrants and rollbacks of environmental safeguards to his personal conduct and statements critics say are racist.
A recent poll on the presidential race had Biden leading Trump in California by historic margins.
Nearly four months ago, Beverly Hills resident Shiva Bagheri began organizing the rallies in part to dispel what she called misrepresentations of Trump supporters in the media.
“They think that we’re all white supremacists. And that’s just ridiculous,” said Bagheri, a single mother who was born in Iran and works as a dance instructor.
At last Saturday’s rally, the crowd numbered between 2,500 and 3,000, according to a Beverly Hills city spokesman. Signs and shirts announced a kaleidoscope of identities in support of Trump, including members of the Latino, Black, Jewish, Vietnamese and LGBTQ communities. Some traveled from out of the state or out of the country to attend.
Beverly Hills has faced criticism for how it has handled some street demonstrations. Since June, the city has prohibited protests in residential areas after 9 p.m. Twenty-five protesters were arrested and are being prosecuted for violating the curfew. Beverly Hills moved forward with the charges even as Los Angeles and other cities have decided against charging peaceful protesters who violated curfews.


latimes--2020-10-31--L.A. County reports 1,326 coronavirus cases and 15 deaths, urges people to avoid Halloween gathering

L.A. County reports 1,326 coronavirus cases and 15 deaths, urges people to avoid Halloween gatherings

Los Angeles County public health officials on Saturday issued a renewed plea for people to celebrate Halloween safely as the region continues to see an uptick in new coronavirus cases .
The county reported 1,326 new cases of the virus and 15 related deaths , bringing its total to 307,700 cases and 7,071 deaths .
“ Decisions we each make tonight could haunt us and the county for many weeks , ” Barbara Ferrer , the county health director , said in a statement .
“ It ’ s not just about who might get infected on Halloween as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also about the people that will come in contact with that person in the days to follow.
” Health officials are recommending that people refrain from trick-or-treating because of the risk of exposure posed by communal food handling , crowding and mixing with others from different households .
Carnivals , parties , festivals , live entertainment and haunted houses are banned by health orders .
Instead , people are advised to have virtual parties , attend drive-in events , walk or drive around their neighborhoods to look at decorations or hold at-home scavenger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others should only do so outdoors while wearing face coverings and keeping six feet apart , and should limit attendance to two other households , officials said .
The warnings come amid an increase in L.A. County ’ s daily number of new coronavirus cases — from about 940 at the beginning of October to nearly 1,200 as of last week , according to a Los Angeles Times analysis .
There were 10,987 reported cases in the seven-day period that ended Thursday , a 39 % increase from the previous week .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per 100,000 residents inched up to 8 this week , from 7.6 the week before .
Due to the rising number , the county remains in the strictest , purple , tier of the state ’ s four-phase reopening plan , which means that many nonessential businesses remain closed .
“ The stakes are high since our case numbers have already been steadily increasing for the past 2 weeks ; we can ’ t really afford to repeat what we went through after the July 4th holiday when we saw surges in cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths , ” Ferrer said .
There were 783 confirmed coronavirus patients in county hospitals as of Thursday , with the most recent three-day average number of hospitalizations reported by the county representing a slight increase of 3 % .
Deaths and hospitalizations are considered lagging indicators of the pandemic because they often rise several weeks after an increase in cases .
Orange County has also seen its daily case rate increase — to 5.1 cases per 100,000 residents , up from 4.6 the week before .
The county reported 164 new cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , bringing its total to 59,882 cases and 1,483 deaths .
The rising case numbers mirror a trend that ’ s playing out elsewhere in the state .
Throughout California , more than 30,200 coronavirus cases were reported for the seven-day period that ended Thursday , a 19 % jump from the previous week .
Even San Francisco , which is the only urban county in the state ’ s least restrictive reopening tier , announced Friday that it was pausing further reopening plans due to an increase in hospitalizations and positive test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have also been on the rise across the United States and elsewhere around the globe , with England announcing a new monthlong stay-at-home order on Saturday .
More than 230,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the U.S. Over the past two weeks , more than 78,700 new virus cases have been reported each day on average , up from about 55,100 in mid-October , according to Johns Hopkins University .
Times staff writers Luke Money , Rong-Gong Lin II , Maura Dolan and Iris Lee contributed to this report .
The Associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Customers are reminded they must wear masks at the Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall in Arcadia.
Los Angeles County public health officials on Saturday issued a renewed plea for people to celebrate Halloween safely as the region continues to see an uptick in new coronavirus cases.
The county reported 1,326 new cases of the virus and 15 related deaths, bringing its total to 307,700 cases and 7,071 deaths.
“Decisions we each make tonight could haunt us and the county for many weeks,” Barbara Ferrer, the county health director, said in a statement. “It’s not just about who might get infected on Halloween as a result of an ill-advised party, but also about the people that will come in contact with that person in the days to follow.”
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Health officials are recommending that people refrain from trick-or-treating because of the risk of exposure posed by communal food handling, crowding and mixing with others from different households.
Carnivals, parties, festivals, live entertainment and haunted houses are banned by health orders.
Instead, people are advised to have virtual parties, attend drive-in events, walk or drive around their neighborhoods to look at decorations or hold at-home scavenger hunts. Those who do gather with others should only do so outdoors while wearing face coverings and keeping six feet apart, and should limit attendance to two other households, officials said.
The warnings come amid an increase in L.A. County’s daily number of new coronavirus cases — from about 940 at the beginning of October to nearly 1,200 as of last week, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis.
There were 10,987 reported cases in the seven-day period that ended Thursday, a 39% increase from the previous week.
The county’s adjusted rate of cases per 100,000 residents inched up to 8 this week, from 7.6 the week before.
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Due to the rising number, the county remains in the strictest, purple, tier of the state’s four-phase reopening plan, which means that many nonessential businesses remain closed.
“The stakes are high since our case numbers have already been steadily increasing for the past 2 weeks; we can’t really afford to repeat what we went through after the July 4th holiday when we saw surges in cases followed by alarming increases in hospitalizations and deaths,” Ferrer said.
There were 783 confirmed coronavirus patients in county hospitals as of Thursday, with the most recent three-day average number of hospitalizations reported by the county representing a slight increase of 3%. Deaths and hospitalizations are considered lagging indicators of the pandemic because they often rise several weeks after an increase in cases.
Orange County has also seen its daily case rate increase — to 5.1 cases per 100,000 residents, up from 4.6 the week before. The county reported 164 new cases of the virus and eight deaths Saturday, bringing its total to 59,882 cases and 1,483 deaths.
The rising case numbers mirror a trend that’s playing out elsewhere in the state. Throughout California, more than 30,200 coronavirus cases were reported for the seven-day period that ended Thursday, a 19% jump from the previous week.
Even San Francisco, which is the only urban county in the state’s least restrictive reopening tier, announced Friday that it was pausing further reopening plans due to an increase in hospitalizations and positive test rates.
New coronavirus infections and hospitalizations have also been on the rise across the United States and elsewhere around the globe, with England announcing a new monthlong stay-at-home order on Saturday.
More than 230,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the U.S. Over the past two weeks, more than 78,700 new virus cases have been reported each day on average, up from about 55,100 in mid-October, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Times staff writers Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II, Maura Dolan and Iris Lee contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-10-31--Under a blue moon, officials hope for a quiet, and distanced, Halloween

Expect a balmy , quieter-than-normal Halloween , with the first blue moon on the holiday since 2001 .
An offshore wind flow should keep skies mostly clear to see the blue moon , the name for a second full moon in a single calendar month , when it rises at 6:20 pm .
Traditional Halloween celebrations are largely canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic , and officials have strongly discouraged — or outright banned — trick-or-treating .
Major events , such as West Hollywood ’ s Halloween Carnaval and the Queen Mary ’ s Dark Harbor haunt in Long Beach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yourself and your family to a safe Halloween .
Don ’ t trick the community to even higher levels of spread , ” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley , medical epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health .
Warm temperatures should persist through the weekend , with valleys reaching the 90s , said David Sweet , a meteorologist with the National Weather Service .
Locally gusty winds are expected in the mountains and deserts , elevating the fire risk .
A dense layer of fog might sock in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday .
Daylight savings time ends at 2 a.m. , with clocks set back an hour .

A full blue moon will rise in the east at 6:20 p.m. on Saturday.
Expect a balmy, quieter-than-normal Halloween, with the first blue moon on the holiday since 2001.
An offshore wind flow should keep skies mostly clear to see the blue moon, the name for a second full moon in a single calendar month, when it rises at 6:20 pm.
Traditional Halloween celebrations are largely canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and officials have strongly discouraged — or outright banned — trick-or-treating.
Major events, such as West Hollywood’s Halloween Carnaval and the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor haunt in Long Beach, have been scrapped.
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“Treat yourself and your family to a safe Halloween. Don’t trick the community to even higher levels of spread,” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, medical epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
Warm temperatures should persist through the weekend, with valleys reaching the 90s, said David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Locally gusty winds are expected in the mountains and deserts, elevating the fire risk. A dense layer of fog might sock in the coast overnight and in the morning Sunday.
Daylight savings time ends at 2 a.m., with clocks set back an hour.