latimes--2020-03-03--PG&E tells judge it can't commit to more tree trimmers to prevent wildfires

Lawyers for Pacific Gas & Electric said the utility can ’ t commit to hiring hundreds more tree trimmers in the way that a federal judge wants to cut the risk of starting more catastrophic wildfires in California .
U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the utility last month to add at least 1,100 more tree trimmers to help prevent trees and branches from falling onto its power lines and igniting .
The judge is overseeing PG & E ’ s criminal probation imposed after its natural gas lines blew up a San Francisco Bay Area neighborhood and killed eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong interest in PG & E ’ s safety record after the company ’ s power lines started a series of wildfires that killed 130 people and destroyed thousands of homes .
Attorneys for PG & E said in court filings Monday that the company is unable to provide a deadline by which it will hire a set number of new contracted workers to cut trees and branches around power lines .
They argued they shouldn ’ t be forced into hiring a set number of people for “ a single part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PG & E ’ s filing said the company has about 5,500 tree trimmers and plans to train about 2,800 more next year .
But the company wants to use that pool of newly trained workers partly to replace out-of-state contractors who were hired at a premium .
The workforce more than tripled in 2019 when PG & E needed to finish a high amount of trimming in the last few months of the year .
The company doesn ’ t think it is necessary or financially wise to retain that level of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the work throughout the year .

A judge wants PG&E to hire more tree trimmers to prevent deadly blazes, such as the Camp fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise.
Lawyers for Pacific Gas & Electric said the utility can’t commit to hiring hundreds more tree trimmers in the way that a federal judge wants to cut the risk of starting more catastrophic wildfires in California.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the utility last month to add at least 1,100 more tree trimmers to help prevent trees and branches from falling onto its power lines and igniting. The judge is overseeing PG&E’s criminal probation imposed after its natural gas lines blew up a San Francisco Bay Area neighborhood and killed eight people in 2010.
He has taken a strong interest in PG&E’s safety record after the company’s power lines started a series of wildfires that killed 130 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
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Attorneys for PG&E said in court filings Monday that the company is unable to provide a deadline by which it will hire a set number of new contracted workers to cut trees and branches around power lines. They argued they shouldn’t be forced into hiring a set number of people for “a single part of its multi-faceted wildfire safety efforts.”
PG&E’s filing said the company has about 5,500 tree trimmers and plans to train about 2,800 more next year. But the company wants to use that pool of newly trained workers partly to replace out-of-state contractors who were hired at a premium.
The workforce more than tripled in 2019 when PG&E needed to finish a high amount of trimming in the last few months of the year. The company doesn’t think it is necessary or financially wise to retain that level of contractors constantly when it could instead spread the work throughout the year.


latimes--2020-03-03--Fast-moving brush fire in dry riverbed forces evacuations in Norco

A brush fire that broke out in the Santa Ana River bottom in Norco on Tuesday morning quickly grew to 100 acres , forcing nearby residents to evacuate .
The blaze , dubbed the Mann fire , was reported at 9:51 a.m. along a section of riverbed near California Avenue and Grulla Court .
The fire , which was initially reported to be about 10 acres , quickly chewed through heavy , dry brush in the area and swelled to 100 acres in less than two hours , according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
Residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pedley Avenue , south of the Santa Ana River and north of North Drive from Crestview Drive to California Avenue are under mandatory evacuation orders .
The swath encompasses several hundred homes in a region known for its equestrian trails and properties , officials said .
Evacuation centers have been set up at Corona High School and Corona Jurupa Valley High School .
Residents with large animals are being told to go to the George Ingalls Equestrian Event Center .
Students from nearby Riverview Elementary School were evacuated from the campus shortly after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Norco High School , school officials wrote in a message to parents .
The Jurupa Valley Unified School District said several of its schools were being put on an “ inclement weather schedule ” because of smoke from the fire .
Norco High School and Roosevelt High School in Eastvale canceled outdoor sports for the day .
More than 200 firefighters responded to battle the blaze amid winds gusting up to 25 mph .
The cause of the fire has not been determined .
Television images showed firefighters spraying down trees and homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the area .
A helicopter made water drops , and smoke was visible across Riverside County .
A high-wind warning , which expired at noon , was in effect for the Norco area at the time the fire broke out .
Northeast winds were gusting between 15 and 25 mph in the area shortly after noon as temperatures climbed to the high 70s .
“ The winds are starting to die down , ” said Jimmy Taeger , a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego .
“ Hopefully , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon for firefighters.
” Large swaths of California are facing the driest combined January and February on record , and many areas of the state already have relatively dry vegetation .
Corona Municipal Airport , roughly five miles from Norco , saw only a trace amount of precipitation during the first two months of the year .
Officials with the weather service in Los Angeles wrote on Twitter that the fire is “ an indication of how dry it is getting in SoCal without significant rainfall in the past two months .
”

Fire crews get a handle on a brush fire, dubbed the Mann fire, that broke out in Norco on Tuesday,
A brush fire that broke out in the Santa Ana River bottom in Norco on Tuesday morning has stopped growing after tearing through 175 acres and temporarily forcing nearby residents to evacuate.
The blaze, dubbed the Mann fire, was reported at 9:51 a.m. along a section of riverbed near California Avenue and Grulla Court. The fire, which was initially reported to be about 10 acres, quickly chewed through heavy, dry brush in the area and swelled to 100 acres in less than two hours, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
It stopped growing by midafternoon, and authorities lifted evacuation orders west of California Avenue and north of 8th Street. As of 6:45 p.m., residents north of North Drive and east of California Avenue remained under an evacuation warning.
Two people suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. Five properties sustained minor damage to fencing and outbuildings, authorities said.
(Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times)
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The homes sit in a city known for its equestrian trails and properties, officials said.
Evacuation centers have been set up at Corona High School and Corona Jurupa Valley High School. Residents with large animals are being told to go to the George Ingalls Equestrian Event Center.
Students from nearby Riverview Elementary School were evacuated from the campus shortly after noon and were taken by bus to Norco High School, school officials wrote in a message to parents.
The Jurupa Valley Unified School District said several of its schools were put on an “inclement weather schedule” because of smoke from the fire. Norco High School and Roosevelt High School in Eastvale canceled outdoor sports for the day.
More than 200 firefighters responded to battle the blaze amid winds gusting up to 25 mph. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
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Television images showed firefighters spraying down trees and homes near the fire as strong winds whipped through the area. A helicopter made water drops, and smoke was visible across Riverside County.
A high-wind warning, which expired at noon, was in effect for the Norco area at the time the fire broke out. Northeast winds were gusting between 15 and 25 mph in the area shortly after noon as temperatures climbed to the high 70s.
“The winds are starting to die down,” said Jimmy Taeger, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego. “Hopefully, this means things will be getting better soon for firefighters.”
Large swaths of California are facing the driest combined January and February on record, and many areas of the state already have relatively dry vegetation. Corona Municipal Airport, roughly five miles from Norco, saw only a trace amount of precipitation during the first two months of the year.
Officials with the weather service in Los Angeles wrote on Twitter that the fire is “an indication of how dry it is getting in SoCal without significant rainfall in the past two months.”


latimes--2020-03-03--Long lines and lots of questions as L.A. County voters cast ballots on brand-new system

Los Angeles voters who showed up to cast ballots in person on Tuesday reported long wait times and operational errors at a number of the county ’ s newly designed vote centers , experiences adding up to an inauspicious beginning for L.A. 's first fully redesigned election system in more than half a century .
While some Angelenos had a different experience — giving the new voting machines high marks and applauding the extended hours of operation — a number of the in-person locations were unprepared to handle the throngs of voters who wanted to participate in the most talked-about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generation .
“ This is absurd , ” said Jefferson Stewart , a software designer who left the vote center at the Westchester Family YMCA frustrated after waiting 90 minutes to cast his ballot .
“ If the idea is to make this simpler , it ’ s gotten much worse.
” L.A. County voting officials couldn ’ t confirm exactly what stymied their operations on Tuesday , though voters relayed a number of problems : locations that didn ’ t open on time or were hard to find ; ballot-marking devices that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and electronic voter registration devices that didn ’ t work , requiring them to cast provisional ballots that would be counted after their eligibility is confirmed by election workers .
When Arcadia resident Omar Noureldin arrived at the vote center at the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday morning , the queue of people waiting to cast ballots stretched down two flights of stairs .
By the time he left , there was a line out the door , he said .
“ Those people that are in line around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for three hours — if they wait , ” he said .
Noureldin took advantage of an election shortcut offered under the new system : Ballot selections can be filled out on a smartphone ahead of time and then transferred to the touchscreen machines with a QR code .
The biggest issue he experienced , he said , was the lack of staff and voting machines at the center .
He said there were only two volunteers and four functional machines by the time he cast his ballot .
His post on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county elections officials that they would send help to that location .
Two of the six voting machines at the Eagle Rock Recreation Center were out of order by the time Christian Donovan arrived to vote early Tuesday .
“ That was a little disconcerting , ” he said .
“ And , at the time , it didn ’ t really cause a huge issue for me because there weren ’ t that many people there , but I can see how if there was a large crowd the line could stack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stress test for the county ’ s new $ 300-million voting system .
L.A. officials have spent months trying to raise awareness about two of the biggest changes : the elimination of neighborhood polling places and the debut of ballot-marking touchscreen devices in regional vote centers , available to everyone and spread throughout the county .
The task was made that much more daunting by its scale .
With 5.5 million voters , L.A. County is the largest voting bloc in California and larger than the electorate in all but 11 states .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ when they worked .
The machine allows choices to be made on a touchscreen and then prints a paper ballot .
Once the selections are reviewed , a voter feeds the paper ballot back into the machine where it ’ s deposited in a sealed ballot box .
Some 22,000 machines were deployed at 978 vote centers scattered across L.A. County .
Another 6,000 were ready to be deployed as replacements .
Elections officials did not respond to inquiries from The Times on Tuesday afternoon about how many machines had failed and were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a number of machines out of service at vote centers in Arcadia , the Carthay Square neighborhood in Los Angeles and Rancho Palos Verdes .
In these locations and elsewhere , the result was a long line stretching outside and into nearby parking lots .
At the vote center inside UCLA ’ s Hammer Museum , voters were reporting inoperable machines and wait times of as long as three hours .
Nearby , in the campus ’ hectic Ackerman Grand Ballroom , students searched for the beginning of the line , asking volunteers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tables in the center of the room to fill out their provisional ballots .
Kat Castro , 18 , stood near the front of the line .
In her approximate two hours in line , she did homework , chatted with friends on Snapchat and listened to music .
“ I ’ m a very patient person , ” she said .
“ I ’ m OK with waiting .
It ’ s all to elect a president.
” Students also reported waiting nearly two hours to vote on USC ’ s campus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the school , was frustrated that poll workers didn ’ t tell her about nearby voting centers that had shorter waits until she was at the front of the line .
“ You ’ d hope that voting would be quick and easy experience to encourage young people to vote , ” Wagner said .
USC researchers queried L.A. voters last month about the rollout of the new voting system : Only 38 % of L.A. County respondents even knew of its existence .
Among those who didn ’ t know were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholic church in Palmdale on Tuesday , where she had just cast her vote .
She let out a long sigh .
“ Más trabajo y bien complicado , ” the 80-year-old Palmdale resident said , explaining that she wasn ’ t a fan of the new voting system , which she found harder and more complicated to use .
Espinoza , a retired hairdresser , said she and her husband spent all morning trying to figure out how to cast their ballots .
Early Tuesday , the couple had arrived at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traditional go-to polling place — and found closed doors .
They then headed to St. Mary ’ s Catholic Church , where after more than an hour of adjusting to the new system , Espinoza finally finished voting .
Other voters reported paper jams in the new machines and confusion over the need to press the “ more ” button on the screen to view additional candidates in certain races .
Ken Proctor , a retired teacher , said election workers at his Northridge polling place over the weekend couldn ’ t tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his paper ballot after the machine printed it — even though it needs to be reinserted into the machine .
“ When it printed out , I was looking for a ballot box to put it in and they didn ’ t have one and they didn ’ t know what else to do with it , ” he said .
“ And they said just to keep it , so I did and brought it home.
” Proctor said his wife later shredded the document .
“ I think we both were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Not that all of the challenges in California ’ s closely watched presidential election were confined to Los Angeles .
State elections officials reported that 15 counties had experienced problems in the morning with their computer systems connecting to California ’ s statewide voter database .
While voters could still cast ballots , the problem meant there was no way to update registration records or show that a citizen had voted .
To avoid any chance of someone voting more than once , some locations were asking voters to cast provisional ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which eligibility is confirmed after election day and before the vote is counted .
Los Angeles was not reported to be one of the counties , though voters said electronic voter database devices were not working in some locations .
The lack of online connectivity at polling places and vote centers would pose a problem for one of California ’ s most talked-about election changes : election day registration , designed to ensure that any eligible citizen can still vote before polls close at 8 p.m. “ There is no evidence of malicious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connectivity at this time , ” said Sam Mahood , a spokesman for Secretary of State Alex Padilla .
“ This should not prevent any voters from casting a ballot , as counties have contingency procedures in place to check in voters.
” Some L.A. voters reported general satisfaction with the county ’ s new system .
Mary Wood , who responded to The Times ’ online request for voters to share their stories , said the experience “ was such a breeze ” when she cast her ballot last week at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles .
“ The new system was easy to use , ” she said .
“ I loved that you could review your ballot before submitting it.
” But few voters had actually cast ballots by the time election day arrived .
L.A. County elections officials reported a total of almost 249,000 ballots were cast at vote centers in the 11 days leading up to Tuesday .
By comparison , there were 2 million people who were not mailed a ballot and can only participate in the primary by voting in person .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , tried to vote Tuesday afternoon at Beverly Hills City Hall when , seeing a long line , he then searched for an alternative .
He found the Beverly Hilton and came upon a line of people waiting to vote near the bar .
It also looked like a long wait , so he decided to put it off until later .
“ It was not unlike the Southern California experience of trying to get on Space Mountain at Disneyland on the Fourth of July , ” Little said .

John Myers , Luke Money, Liam Dillon, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders and his wife, Jane, arrive to vote in the Vermont primary near his home in Burlington. (Charles Krupa/Associated Press)
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren walks from her home to a nearby polling location with husband Bruce Mann in Cambridge, Mass., on Tuesday morning. (Steven Senne/Associated Press)
A German shepherd named Dust waits patiently as Enrique Davalos navigates the electronic voting machine at a polling station set up in Iglesia Bautista Una Iglesia Familiar in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
A lone voter casts his ballot at a vote center at the Boys & Girls Club of Ramona Gardens in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
People make their way to the polls at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday morning. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti waits with other voters before casting his ballot at Wilshire Park Elementary School. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
A voter in a mask at Wilshire Park Elementary School serves as a reminder of the coronavirus outbreak. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Voters use the new voting machines at a polling station inside Wilshire Park Elementary School in Los Angeles. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Sophia Criswell waits for her partner in the second floor elevator lobby after casting her ballot at the Ace Hotel on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
A broken touchscreen is set aside at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
The line extends out the door at the UCLA Hammer Museum polling place. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Election official Zahra Katimi, left, answers questions about filling out provisional ballots from voters as Matthew Tetreault, right, looks over his ballot before turning it in at the polling place at Santa Monica Place Mall. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Men linger on the sidewalk outside the polling place at the Union Rescue Mission on skid row in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Voters at Second AME Church in Los Angeles look for other voting locations in the area as the wait time reaches over an hour. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Sarah Woodard, center, waits to vote as the line builds at the UCLA Hammer Museum. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Election official Zahra Katimi, second from right, directs a voter to another polling place due to long lines at the polling place at Santa Monica Place Mall. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
The line outside the Ace Hotel vote center in downtown L.A. stacked up at certain times on Super Tuesday. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Voters wait in line to cast their ballots inside the Ace Hotel, on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Alicia Tamstorf holds her 5-month-old while casting her ballot at the UCLA Hammer Museum, where the line to vote was long. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Ramona Tolliver joins elated supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden at a rally at the Baldwin Hills Recreation Center after news that Biden won in North Carolina and Virginia. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Mia Lim, 3, accompanied her grandmother Bertha Leon to vote at the Community Resource Center in south Whittier. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
A mariachi band is on hand near the polling station at the Community Resource Center in south Whittier. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Carrying signs that say “Voting for the first time,” women make their way to a Whittier voting location. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Sarah Woodard, center, is almost to the check-in desk as the line of voters grows on Super Tuesday at the UCLA Hammer Museum. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles voters who showed up to cast ballots in person on Tuesday reported long wait times and operational errors at a number of the county’s newly designed vote centers, experiences that suggested an inauspicious beginning for L.A.’s first fully redesigned election system in more than half a century.
While some Angelenos gave high marks to the new voting machines and applauded the extended hours of operation, a number of the in-person locations were overwhelmed by the throngs of voters looking to participate in the most talked-about California presidential primary in at least a generation. The flow of voters had hardly ebbed by the official end of voting at 8 p.m. Those in line at that time were allowed to stay there until they had a chance to vote.
“This is absurd,” said Jefferson Stewart, a software designer who left the vote center at the Westchester Family YMCA frustrated after waiting 90 minutes to cast his ballot. “If the idea is to make this simpler, it’s gotten much worse.”
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Brentwood resident Myles Berkowitz found himself in a state of perpetual motion. He stopped by UCLA’s Hammer Museum around 4 p.m. but left after being told that it would be a three-hour wait. Three more locations, three more long lines. He ended up at the Felicia Mahood Multipurpose Center in West L.A.
“They’re telling me, after waiting here for another hour and a half, that it’s another two hours,” Berkowitz said Tuesday evening as he stood in line. “This is like gridlock on the 405,” he said.
At Northridge Academy High School, the last voters of the night were Steve Gold and Dina Blandón, who emerged at 11 p.m. after waiting for almost two hours — they were able to join the line around 9 p.m. despite polls closing an hour earlier.
Gold said he hadn’t been aware of the 11-day voting window in L.A. County. He’d been sick with the flu and was worried about standing in a cold gym for an extended period.
“I was terrified we weren’t gonna vote,” he said.
Local voting officials blamed the delays on a combination of high turnout and glitches affecting the new election equipment. But they couldn’t provide information on how many of the county’s 978 vote centers were affected. Official returns trickled in as the night wore on.
“This was a challenging day for a lot of voters in L.A. County and I certainly apologize for that,” said Dean Logan, the county’s registrar of voters. “That’s something that has to be better.”
Voters were quick to sound off on social media about the blunders: locations that didn’t open on time or were hard to find; ballot-marking devices that jammed or otherwise failed to operate; and electronic voter registration devices that didn’t work, requiring them to cast provisional ballots to be counted after eligibility is confirmed by election workers.
By the time Arcadia resident Omar Noureldin left the vote center at the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, the queue of people waiting to cast ballots stretched out the door.
“Those people that are in line around the corner are probably going to be there for three hours — if they wait,” he said.
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Noureldin used an election shortcut offered under the new system: Ballot selections could be filled out on a smartphone ahead of time and transferred to the touchscreen machines with a QR code. The biggest issue he experienced, he said, was the lack of staff and voting machines at the center.
At Castlebay Lane Charter School in Porter Ranch, scores of people remained in a line when polls statewide closed at 8 p.m. Elections workers estimated they would wait anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to cast their ballots.
“There was never a line the last several years,” said Craig Meier, a Porter Ranch resident who works as an executive assistant. At his old polling place at a church “we were in and out within 10 minutes.”
Election day ended up as the ultimate stress test for the county’s new $300-million voting system. L.A. officials spent months trying to raise awareness about two big changes: the elimination of neighborhood polling places and the debut of ballot-marking touchscreen devices in regional vote centers, available to everyone and spread throughout the county.
The task was daunting. With 5.5 million voters, L.A. County is the largest voting bloc in California and larger than the electorate in all but 11 states.
Voters seemed to like the ballot-marking devices when they worked. The machine allows choices to be made on a touchscreen and then prints a paper ballot. Once the selections are reviewed, a voter feeds the paper ballot back into the machine where it’s deposited in a sealed ballot box.
Some 22,000 machines were deployed across L.A. County. Elections officials did not say how many machines failed and were taken out of operation.
Representatives of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign attempted to get a federal court to intervene to force L.A.’s vote centers to stay open until 10 p.m.
Voters reported machines out of service at vote centers in Arcadia, L.A.’s Carthay Square , Los Feliz and Rancho Palos Verdes.
A full day of problems plagued voting inside the Hammer Museum. By nightfall, a line snaked around the second floor as voters fiddled with phones, read books and propped up computers to do homework. By around 8:30 p.m., the last person in line had been told the wait would be up to 3½ hours.
“I always go to a place late on election day,” Sandra Kielgass said as she waited. “I guess it’s a good thing it’s so crowded. People are voting.”
Photos: Super Tuesday | 14 states hold primaries with 1,357 delegates at stake
Waits of nearly two hours were reported on USC’s campus. Sarah Wagner, a 21-year-old student, was frustrated that poll workers didn’t tell her about nearby voting centers that had shorter waits until she was at the front of the line.
“You’d hope that voting would be a quick and easy experience to encourage young people to vote,” Wagner said.
USC researchers queried L.A. voters last month about the new voting system: Only 38% of respondents even knew of its existence.
Among those who didn’t know were Antonieta Espinoza, who stood outside a Catholic church in Palmdale on Tuesday, where she had just cast her vote.
“Más trabajo y bien complicado,” the 80-year-old Palmdale resident said, explaining that she wasn’t a fan of the new voting system, which she found harder and more complicated to use.
Espinoza said she and her husband arrived at the elementary school near their home — their traditional go-to polling place — and found closed doors. They then headed to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, where after more than an hour of adjusting to the new system, Espinoza finally finished voting.
Other voters reported paper jams in the new machines and confusion over the need to press the “more” button on the screen to view additional candidates in certain races.
Ken Proctor, a retired teacher, said election workers at his Northridge polling place over the weekend couldn’t tell him what to do with his paper ballot after the machine printed it — even though it needed to be reinserted into the machine.
“When it printed out, I was looking for a ballot box to put it in and they didn’t have one and they didn’t know what else to do with it,” he said. “And they said just to keep it, so I did and brought it home.” Proctor said his wife later shredded the document.
“I think we both were kind of disenfranchised,” he said.
Not that all of the challenges in California’s closely watched election were confined to Los Angeles. State elections officials reported that 15 counties had experienced problems in the morning with connecting to California’s statewide voter database. Even with all of its problems, Los Angeles was not reported to be one of the counties.
The lack of online connectivity at polling places and vote centers would pose a problem for one of California’s most talked-about election changes: election day registration, designed to ensure that any eligible citizen can still vote before polls closed.
Some L.A. voters reported general satisfaction with the county’s new system.
Mary Wood, who responded to The Times’ online request for voters to share their stories, said the experience “was such a breeze” when she cast her ballot last week at the Pan Pacific Senior Activity Center in Los Angeles.
“The new system was easy to use,” she said. “I loved that you could review your ballot before submitting it.”
But few voters had actually cast ballots by the time election day arrived. L.A. County elections officials reported a total of almost 249,000 ballots were cast at vote centers in the 11 days leading up to Tuesday. By comparison, there were 2 million people who were not mailed a ballot and can only participate in the primary by voting in person.
Robert Little, a Beverly Hills attorney, tried to vote Tuesday afternoon at Beverly Hills City Hall when, seeing a long line, he then searched for an alternative. He found the Beverly Hilton and it, too, looked like a long wait, so he decided to put it off until later.
“It was not unlike the Southern California experience of trying to get on Space Mountain at Disneyland on the Fourth of July,” Little said.
Times staff writers Marisa Gerber, Emily Alpert Reyes, Dakota Smith, Benjamin Oreskes and Andrea Castillo contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-03--Magnitude 3.6 earthquake registered near Ukiah, Calif.

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake was reported Tuesday morning at 10:21 a.m. Pacific time in a remote area six miles from Ukiah in Northern California , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
The earthquake occurred 33 miles from Clearlake , 45 miles from Healdsburg , 52 miles from Windsor and 58 miles from Santa Rosa at a depth of 3.7 miles .
The USGS originally measured the quake ’ s magnitude as 3.9 , but later revised its report .
In the past 10 days , there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby .
An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada , according to a recent three year data sample .
Did you feel this earthquake ?
Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS .
Even if you didn ’ t feel this small earthquake , you never know when the Big One is going to strike .
Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit .
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post before it was published .
If you ’ re interested in learning more about the system , visit our list of frequently asked questions .

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake was reported March 3 at 10:21 a.m. six miles from Ukiah, Calif.
A magnitude 3.6 earthquake was reported Tuesday morning at 10:21 a.m. Pacific time in a remote area six miles from Ukiah in Northern California, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake occurred 33 miles from Clearlake, 45 miles from Healdsburg, 52 miles from Windsor and 58 miles from Santa Rosa at a depth of 3.7 miles.
The USGS originally measured the quake’s magnitude as 3.9, but later revised its report.
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In the past 10 days, there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three year data sample.
Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Even if you didn’t feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.


latimes--2020-03-03--Officials decry anti-Asian bigotry, misinformation amid coronavirus outbreak

As the coronavirus has spread across the United States , officials are trying to push back against Asian American bias and misinformation surrounding the outbreak .
There are already signs that some are staying away from Chinatowns and other Asian communities in the U.S. , sparking concern about bias .
Sen. Dianne Feinstein ( D-San Francisco ) issued a statement this week urging residents not to spread false information or give in to fears .
“ We ’ ve also seen a rise in racism toward Asian Americans because the virus is associated with China , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not the American way .
People of all ages , races and ethnicities are susceptible to this disease .
Bigotry toward any one group for a virus they have nothing to do with makes no sense.
” In San Francisco , merchants , residents and leaders held a march Sunday through the city ’ s historic Chinatown to denounce racism and bias fueled by COVID-19 .
They carried banners that read , “ Fight the Virus — Not the People !
” Merchants say San Francisco ’ s Chinatown has been hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disappearing .
“ Standing in solidarity with our Chinese American community & against racism & xenophobia .
Coronavirus is a serious public health threat .
It ’ s not an invitation to racial stereotyping , ” wrote state Sen. Scott Wiener ( D-San Francisco ) , who attended the event .
“ We are here to fight two viruses .
Coronavirus .
But we are also here to fight bigotry , ” Vincent Pan , the co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action , told KGO-TV .
“ Part of the root cause @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which leads to hate.
” Last week , San Francisco public health officials sent out a coronavirus alert that noted “ at this time , there are no recommendations to cancel social gatherings or avoid restaurants .
However , if you are sick , you should stay home and not attend.
” Merchants have said Los Angeles ’ Chinatown has seen a big drop in visitors .
Street parking and restaurant seating were readily available in the historic neighborhood known for its colorful pagoda-style buildings , art galleries and plazas strewn with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinatown merchants remain perplexed that people are staying away , as there has yet to be a single documented case of the novel coronavirus connected to either L.A. or San Francisco ’ s historic districts .
“ We ’ ve had a drop in business the last couple of months like a lot of other places in Chinatown , ” restaurant owner Benny Yun , 38 , told The Times last week .
“ It could be worse .
I ’ ve heard of about five restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meanwhile , coronavirus cases are continuing to spread across the state .
At least five Northern California counties reported new cases of COVID-19 on Monday , bringing the total in California to nearly 50 .
Sonoma County joined several other areas in the state in declaring a local emergency in response to the outbreak .

As the coronavirus has spread across the United States, officials are trying to push back against Asian American bias and misinformation surrounding the outbreak.
There are already signs that some are staying away from Chinatowns and other Asian communities in the U.S., sparking concern about bias.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-San Francisco) issued a statement this week urging residents not to spread false information or give in to fears.
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“We’ve also seen a rise in racism toward Asian Americans because the virus is associated with China,” she said. “This is unconscionable and it’s not the American way. People of all ages, races and ethnicities are susceptible to this disease. Bigotry toward any one group for a virus they have nothing to do with makes no sense.”
California Fear of coronavirus fuels racist sentiment targeting Asians Viruses often spark panic. But the coronavirus has spread something else besides misinformation and false rumors: xenophobia and anti-China sentiment.
In San Francisco, merchants, residents and leaders held a march Sunday through the city’s historic Chinatown to denounce racism and bias fueled by COVID-19. They carried banners that read, “Fight the Virus — Not the People!”
Merchants say San Francisco’s Chinatown has been hit hard by the virus, with customers disappearing.
“Standing in solidarity with our Chinese American community & against racism & xenophobia. Coronavirus is a serious public health threat. It’s not an invitation to racial stereotyping,” wrote state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who attended the event.
“We are here to fight two viruses. Coronavirus. But we are also here to fight bigotry,” Vincent Pan, the co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, told KGO-TV. “Part of the root cause is misunderstanding, which leads to fear, which leads to hate.”
As coronavirus fears have intensified, incidents of violence & discrimination against Chinese Americans have increased.
Joined hundreds of San Franciscans marching in Chinatown today to protest prejudice and racial profiling. #TogetherWeStand #StandWithChinatown pic.twitter.com/fRp4MBgYiX — David Chiu (@DavidChiu) February 29, 2020
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Last week, San Francisco public health officials sent out a coronavirus alert that noted “at this time, there are no recommendations to cancel social gatherings or avoid restaurants. However, if you are sick, you should stay home and not attend.”
Merchants have said Los Angeles’ Chinatown has seen a big drop in visitors. Street parking and restaurant seating were readily available in the historic neighborhood known for its colorful pagoda-style buildings, art galleries and plazas strewn with bright red lanterns and neon-lined rooftops.
Chinatown merchants remain perplexed that people are staying away, as there has yet to be a single documented case of the novel coronavirus connected to either L.A. or San Francisco’s historic districts.
“We’ve had a drop in business the last couple of months like a lot of other places in Chinatown,” restaurant owner Benny Yun, 38, told The Times last week. “It could be worse. I’ve heard of about five restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley that have closed in the last month.”
Meanwhile, coronavirus cases are continuing to spread across the state. At least five Northern California counties reported new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total in California to nearly 50. Sonoma County joined several other areas in the state in declaring a local emergency in response to the outbreak.


latimes--2020-03-03--Mercedes split in half after crash during 100-mph police pursuit in Newport Beach

A man was killed when the luxury sports car he was driving slammed into a palm tree — splitting the vehicle in half — during a pursuit by police in Newport Beach that reached speeds up to 100 mph early Tuesday .
Newport Beach police began pursuing the 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG as it was traveling south on Balboa Boulevard on the Balboa Peninsula shortly after 1 a.m .
It is not clear why officers began following the vehicle .
The driver , a man in his late 20s , had been involved in an argument with someone at a nearby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Officer Florentino Olivera , a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol .
The pursuit lasted about 10 minutes and ended when the car failed to navigate a turn and crashed into a palm tree on Balboa Boulevard near 24th Street , Olivera said .
The crash left a large debris field scattered across the road .
Photographs from the scene show the car mangled near the tree with the vehicle ’ s engine lying about 100 feet away .
“ That shows you he was going at a high rate of speed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Olivera said .
It was not immediately clear whether alcohol was a factor in the crash .
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene .
A female passenger who has not been identified was taken to a hospital with major injuries , Olivera said .

A man was killed when the luxury sports car he was driving slammed into a palm tree — splitting the vehicle in half — during a pursuit by police in Newport Beach that reached speeds up to 100 mph early Tuesday.
Newport Beach police began pursuing the 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG as it was traveling south on Balboa Boulevard on the Balboa Peninsula shortly after 1 a.m.
It is not clear why officers began following the vehicle. The driver, a man in his late 20s, had been involved in an argument with someone at a nearby bar before the pursuit began, said Officer Florentino Olivera, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.
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The pursuit lasted about 10 minutes and ended when the car failed to navigate a turn and crashed into a palm tree on Balboa Boulevard near 24th Street, Olivera said.
The crash left a large debris field scattered across the road. Photographs from the scene show the car mangled near the tree with the vehicle’s engine lying about 100 feet away.
“That shows you he was going at a high rate of speed and the impact was very, very hard,” Olivera said.
It was not immediately clear whether alcohol was a factor in the crash. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. A female passenger who has not been identified was taken to a hospital with major injuries, Olivera said.


latimes--2020-03-03--Coronavirus has schools preparing for the last resort: closures

School districts across Southern California are sending out message blasts to parents , urging calm and good hygiene practices .
Many schools are bulk ordering hand sanitizers , deep cleaning classrooms and scrubbing “ high touch ” areas , such as drinking fountains and bathroom sinks .
Several are considering using online lessons to keep students learning in the event of closures .
As the number of coronavirus cases reported in California have increased , school officials are racing to educate students and families about the epidemic and slow the spread of germs among so many children , while also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to shut their doors — as several schools have already done in Washington , Oregon and Northern California .
There have been nearly 50 coronavirus cases reported in the state , most of which involve people who contracted the virus abroad and were then repatriated to the U.S. and quarantined on military bases .
In at least five cases , people contracted the virus in their community .
Health experts have said that an increase in the number of cases in the nation does not necessarily mean that the virus is spreading rapidly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state are doing their best to prepare in an anxious environment .
At L.A. Unified School District , an official checks in every day with the county health department and asks three questions : Is anyone sick in L.A. County ?
Are there any exposures affecting schools ?
Can we go about things normally ?
So far the answers have been : no , no , yes .
Schools are operating as usual , with algebra tests , lunch lines and basketball games in the gym .
But officials know that could change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best we can be , recognizing this as uncharted waters for all of us , ” said L.A. schools Supt .
Austin Beutner .
That preparation included a 90-minute meeting Monday at district headquarters with labor groups .
The union representing teachers , counselors , librarians and nurses was represented by Alex Orozco .
Orozco wanted reassurance that district employees would not be penalized “ when it comes to having to miss work ” related to the coronavirus .
And as far as hygiene goes , “ we want to make sure students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” within the regimented schedule of the school day , said Orozco , who is the designated disaster-response liaison for United Teachers Los Angeles .
Beutner seemed sympathetic on both points , Orozco said .
Beutner said that Deputy Supt .
Megan Reilly is in charge of the district ’ s response and that teams are at work in every facet of operations in the nation ’ s second-largest school system .
At the school level , overtime pay is available to allow for deeper and more thorough cleaning of “ high-touch ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staircase railings , computer keyboards , toys in a kindergarten classroom , seats on buses , the coffee pot handle in the faculty lounge .
The list goes on .
District planners have been asked to plan for a myriad of scenarios : What would happen if most of the payroll department called in sick ?
What if the IT department needed to be quarantined or if there was a break in the supply chain of the vast food-services operation ?
Like some other school systems , including those in Long Beach and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reach parents and staff by phone or email through automated systems .
These districts and others also have set up a web page for bulletins , general information and links .
A key task is providing accurate information and tamping down premature alarm , Glendale Supt .
Vivian Ekchian said .
She has directed that every inquiry be answered individually , although often that answer is simply a referral to an L.A. County or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention online answer sheet .
L.A. Unified has an information video and a telephone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 5 p.m .
The number is : ( 213 ) 443-1300 .
Preparing for the possibility of closures The most difficult scenario is one or multiple school closures .
School districts said they would rely on public health officials to decide if and when schools should shut their doors .
That could happen if , for example , a student or staff member is diagnosed with coronavirus , said Debra Duardo , the L.A. County superintendent of schools .
But she said , “ we ’ re not there yet.
” Still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to districts to make sure they have ways to keep students learning if a campus is closed , Duardo said .
School districts are discussing online learning .
Some schools have laptops and other devices that students can take home , while some districts are exploring additional possibilities .
In the Pasadena Unified School District officials are thinking about tapping into the district ’ s TV station to help supplement learning , spokeswoman Hilda Ramirez Horvath said .
But these strategies become especially tricky in districts that serve low-income families .
Many lack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the only family computer is a shared smartphone .
Duardo said that even without technology , teachers can find ways to be effective .
“ I don ’ t think it really matters the form you ’ re using for instruction , even if it ’ s the old-fashioned providing an instructional packet , with some good back-and-forth communication , a lot of learning can continue to take place , ” she said .
At Paramount Unified School District in Southeast L.A. , where officials recently ordered alcohol-based hand sanitizer for their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thinking about the heavy burden of possible school closures on families with few childcare options .
The district of about 15,000 students is about 90 % Latino and 94 % low income .
“ All students in grades three through 12 have Chromebooks , ” Pérez said .
Although not all families have their own internet access , at least several hundred have access to hotspots provided as a public service by Sprint .
“ We also have materials and textbooks on Chromebooks that you don ’ t need internet access for.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a possibility but there are parents who work and leaving a third- or fourth-grader at home by themselves is something we would want to avoid , ” Pérez said .
When it comes to closures , L.A. Unified at least has one painfully earned planning advantage : They ’ ve dealt with shutdowns before .
In the last several years , a hoax terrorist threat shut down the entire school system for a day ; fires shut down campuses across the San Fernando Valley , and a teachers ’ strike virtually brought instruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During those crises , L.A. Unified ’ s responses earned a mix of praise and criticism .
During recent wildfires , for example , some faulted the school system for waiting too long to cancel classes .
Yet officials carried out the widespread school closures in potentially hazardous conditions without incident .
What colleges are doing University officials are also preparing and responding to the virus .
Four students in the Los Rios Community College District — two at Sacramento City College and one each at American River College and Cosumnes River College @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have COVID-19 .
All of the exposures happened while the students were working off campus as medical professionals , the district said on its website .
They were told to self-quarantine for 14 days and report any symptoms to county health officials .
The district has had no confirmed infections so far .
County health officials directed all three colleges to proceed normally with class and work schedules .
“ Out of an abundance of caution , all campuses have implemented enhanced cleaning practices in high-traffic areas , ” the district said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communications and marketing at the California Community Colleges Chancellor ’ s Office , said no colleges have closed as a result of the outbreak , and he was not aware of any community college students with confirmed cases of COVID-19 .
Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley directed colleges to review their emergency operations plans , Feist said , and a web page is available to keep colleges up to date .
Mike Uhlenkamp , spokesman for Cal State ’ s chancellor ’ s office , said that before last week , the university had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ensuring students who were oversees were safe .
But on Friday , two days after the CDC announced it was investigating the first possible case of “ community spread ” of coronavirus in the U.S. , the university activated its “ emergency operations center , ” a virtual forum where the chancellor ’ s office and university campuses can share updates about the virus and community responses .
No cases of COVID-19 have been reported among Cal State students or staff to date , Uhlenkamp said .
It will be up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close their campuses .
Uhlenkamp said all Cal State campuses have pandemic and continuity of operations plans .
“ We ’ ve encouraged them to review those , ” he said .
“ Get your decision makers on the same page so you can move swiftly.
” At the University of California , the Office of the President put out guidelines for all locations .
The 19-page document includes information about distributing masks , taking family and medical leave , quarantining students , and reporting cases to local or state health authorities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students had previously been placed in isolation but were released after one tested negative for the virus .
As they make their preparations , many school officials say that for now the biggest concern is calming worried families .
“ We need to be prepared so there ’ s the least amount of disruption in learning , ” said Duardo , the L.A. County schools superintendent .
But she added , “ there ’ s a lot of fear and I think unfortunately , some of it is unnecessary anxiety among children .
@

Paloma Esquivel, Howard Blume, Nina Agrawal

School districts across Southern California are sending out message blasts to parents, urging calm and good hygiene practices. Many schools are bulk ordering hand sanitizers, deep cleaning classrooms and scrubbing “high touch” areas, such as drinking fountains and bathroom sinks. Several are considering using online lessons to keep students learning in the event of closures.
As the number of coronavirus cases reported in California have increased, school officials are racing to educate students and families about the epidemic and slow the spread of germs among so many children, while also preparing contingency plans if they are forced to shut their doors — as several schools have already done in Washington, Oregon and Northern California.
There have been nearly 50 coronavirus cases reported in the state, most of which involve people who contracted the virus abroad and were then repatriated to the U.S. and quarantined on military bases. In at least five cases, people contracted the virus in their community. Health experts have said that an increase in the number of cases in the nation does not necessarily mean that the virus is spreading rapidly.
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Bless Patawaran, left, and Cody Holmes make a video on proper hand-washing technique at Burroughs Middle School. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Nevertheless, school officials across the state are doing their best to prepare in an anxious environment.
At L.A. Unified School District, an official checks in every day with the county health department and asks three questions: Is anyone sick in L.A. County? Are there any exposures affecting schools? Can we go about things normally?
So far the answers have been: no, no, yes.
Schools are operating as usual, with algebra tests, lunch lines and basketball games in the gym. But officials know that could change.
“We’re prepared as best we can be, recognizing this as uncharted waters for all of us,” said L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner.
That preparation included a 90-minute meeting Monday at district headquarters with labor groups. The union representing teachers, counselors, librarians and nurses was represented by Alex Orozco.
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Martin Nevarez, plant manager at Burroughs Middle School, wipes down sinks. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Orozco wanted reassurance that district employees would not be penalized “when it comes to having to miss work” related to the coronavirus. And as far as hygiene goes, “we want to make sure students have enough time to wash their hands” within the regimented schedule of the school day, said Orozco, who is the designated disaster-response liaison for United Teachers Los Angeles.
Beutner seemed sympathetic on both points, Orozco said.
Scrubbing classrooms, washing hands
Beutner said that Deputy Supt. Megan Reilly is in charge of the district’s response and that teams are at work in every facet of operations in the nation’s second-largest school system. At the school level, overtime pay is available to allow for deeper and more thorough cleaning of “high-touch” areas.
Towel dispensers, doorknobs, staircase railings, computer keyboards, toys in a kindergarten classroom, seats on buses, the coffee pot handle in the faculty lounge. The list goes on.
District planners have been asked to plan for a myriad of scenarios: What would happen if most of the payroll department called in sick? What if the IT department needed to be quarantined or if there was a break in the supply chain of the vast food-services operation?
Like some other school systems, including those in Long Beach and Glendale, L.A. Unified is able to reach parents and staff by phone or email through automated systems. These districts and others also have set up a web page for bulletins, general information and links.
A key task is providing accurate information and tamping down premature alarm, Glendale Supt. Vivian Ekchian said.
She has directed that every inquiry be answered individually, although often that answer is simply a referral to an L.A. County or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention online answer sheet.
L.A. Unified has an information video and a telephone hotline that is staffed from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. The number is: (213) 443-1300.
Preparing for the possibility of closures
The most difficult scenario is one or multiple school closures.
School districts said they would rely on public health officials to decide if and when schools should shut their doors. That could happen if, for example, a student or staff member is diagnosed with coronavirus, said Debra Duardo, the L.A. County superintendent of schools.
But she said, “we’re not there yet.”
Still, the county office is reaching out to districts to make sure they have ways to keep students learning if a campus is closed, Duardo said.
School districts are discussing online learning. Some schools have laptops and other devices that students can take home, while some districts are exploring additional possibilities. In the Pasadena Unified School District officials are thinking about tapping into the district’s TV station to help supplement learning, spokeswoman Hilda Ramirez Horvath said.
But these strategies become especially tricky in districts that serve low-income families. Many lack internet access at home; for many, the only family computer is a shared smartphone.
Duardo said that even without technology, teachers can find ways to be effective.
“I don’t think it really matters the form you’re using for instruction, even if it’s the old-fashioned providing an instructional packet, with some good back-and-forth communication, a lot of learning can continue to take place,” she said.
At Paramount Unified School District in Southeast L.A., where officials recently ordered alcohol-based hand sanitizer for their classrooms, Supt. Ruth Pérez is thinking about the heavy burden of possible school closures on families with few childcare options.
The district of about 15,000 students is about 90% Latino and 94% low income.
“All students in grades three through 12 have Chromebooks,” Pérez said. Although not all families have their own internet access, at least several hundred have access to hotspots provided as a public service by Sprint. “We also have materials and textbooks on Chromebooks that you don’t need internet access for.”
Doing schoolwork at home “is always a possibility but there are parents who work and leaving a third- or fourth-grader at home by themselves is something we would want to avoid,” Pérez said.
When it comes to closures, L.A. Unified at least has one painfully earned planning advantage: It has dealt with shutdowns before. In the last several years, a hoax terrorist threat shut down the entire school system for a day; fires shut down campuses across the San Fernando Valley, and a teachers’ strike virtually brought instruction to a halt for six days.
During those crises, L.A. Unified’s responses earned a mix of praise and criticism. During recent wildfires, for example, some faulted the school system for waiting too long to cancel classes. Yet officials carried out the widespread school closures in potentially hazardous conditions without incident.
What colleges are doing
University officials are also preparing and responding to the virus.
Four students in the Los Rios Community College District — two at Sacramento City College and one each at American River College and Cosumnes River College — reported exposure to an individual confirmed to have COVID-19.
All of the exposures happened while the students were working off campus as medical professionals, the district said on its website. They were told to self-quarantine for 14 days and report any symptoms to county health officials.
The district has had no confirmed infections so far. County health officials directed all three colleges to proceed normally with class and work schedules.
“Out of an abundance of caution, all campuses have implemented enhanced cleaning practices in high-traffic areas,” the district said.
Paul Feist, vice chancellor for communications and marketing at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, said no colleges have closed as a result of the outbreak, and he was not aware of any community college students with confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley directed colleges to review their emergency operations plans, Feist said, and a web page is available to keep colleges up to date.
Mike Uhlenkamp, spokesman for Cal State’s chancellor’s office, said that before last week, the university had focused on restricting travel to affected countries and ensuring students who were overseas were safe.
But on Friday, two days after the CDC announced it was investigating the first possible case of “community spread” of coronavirus in the U.S., the university activated its “emergency operations center,” a virtual forum where the chancellor’s office and university campuses can share updates about the virus and community responses.
No cases of COVID-19 have been reported among Cal State students or staff to date, Uhlenkamp said. It will be up to individual college presidents to decide whether to close their campuses.
Uhlenkamp said all Cal State campuses have pandemic and continuity of operations plans.
“We’ve encouraged them to review those,” he said. “Get your decision makers on the same page so you can move swiftly.”
At the University of California, the Office of the President put out guidelines for all locations. The 19-page document includes information about distributing masks, taking family and medical leave, quarantining students, and reporting cases to local or state health authorities, among other questions.
Three UC Davis students had been placed in isolation but were released after one tested negative for the virus.
As they make their preparations, many school officials say that for now the biggest concern is calming worried families.
“We need to be prepared so there’s the least amount of disruption in learning,” said Duardo, the L.A. County schools superintendent. But, she added, “there’s a lot of fear and I think, unfortunately, some of it is unnecessary anxiety among children.”


latimes--2020-03-03--Coronavirus fears in O.C. ease: Firefighters out of isolation after patient tests negative

Four Orange County firefighters who had been placed in isolation at an Irvine fire station after treating a patient with symptoms similar to those of coronavirus were sent home Monday evening after the patient tested negative for the virus .
The Orange County Fire Authority crew was placed in isolation at the station Saturday night after responding to a medical call during which they encountered a patient who had traveled internationally and was showing symptoms similar to coronavirus .
The person was taken to a hospital and has since tested negative for the virus , said Colleen Windsor , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There has not been any outbreak of the coronavirus in the county so far , although one resident has tested positive for the illness .
That individual has since fully recovered , according to health officials .
This isn ’ t the first time first responders have potentially been exposed to the disease .
In Seattle , more than 25 firefighters have been quarantined after visiting a nursing home that is at the center of a coronavirus outbreak there , according to the International Assn .
of Fire Fighters .
Paul Biddinger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health , said that first responders such as firefighters need to remember to take basic measures such as washing their hands and avoiding touching their face .
“ I understand when you ’ re out on an ambulance how hard it is to talk about hand hygiene or protection , but it ’ s extremely important , ” Biddinger said in a forum Monday hosted by Harvard ’ s public health school and broadcast online .
Last week , Orange County declared a local health emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a move that was largely in response to a proposal to move coronavirus patients to Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa .
That plan has since been abandoned .

An Orange County Fire Authority station is seen in Buena Park. An OCFA crew at a station in Irvine has been removed from isolation amid coronavirus fears.
Four Orange County firefighters who had been placed in isolation at an Irvine fire station after treating a patient with symptoms similar to those of coronavirus were sent home Monday evening after the patient tested negative for the virus.
The Orange County Fire Authority crew was placed in isolation at the station Saturday night after responding to a medical call during which they encountered a patient who had traveled internationally and was showing symptoms similar to coronavirus.
The person was taken to a hospital and has since tested negative for the virus, said Colleen Windsor, the Fire Authority’s director of communications.
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There has not been any outbreak of the coronavirus in the county so far, although one resident has tested positive for the illness. That individual has since fully recovered, according to health officials.
This isn’t the first time first responders have potentially been exposed to the disease. In Seattle, more than 25 firefighters have been quarantined after visiting a nursing home that is at the center of a coronavirus outbreak there, according to the International Assn. of Fire Fighters.
Paul Biddinger, director of emergency preparedness research at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said that first responders such as firefighters need to remember to take basic measures such as washing their hands and avoiding touching their face.
“I understand when you’re out on an ambulance how hard it is to talk about hand hygiene or protection, but it’s extremely important,” Biddinger said in a forum Monday hosted by Harvard’s public health school and broadcast online.
Last week, Orange County declared a local health emergency in response to the novel coronavirus, a move that was largely in response to a proposal to move coronavirus patients to Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa. That plan has since been abandoned.
Times staff writer Soumya Karlamangla contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-03--3.9 earthquake shakes near Mendota, Calif.

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake was reported Tuesday at 7:01 a.m. PST 20 miles from Mendota , Calif. , according to @ @ @ @ @ The earthquake occurred 25 miles from Coalinga , 33 miles from Kerman , 33 miles @ @ @ @ @ miles from Greenfield .
In the last 10 days , there has been one earthquake @ @ @ @ @ centered nearby .
An average of 25 earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0 and 5.0 occur @ @ @ @ @ Nevada , according to a recent three-year data sample .
The earthquake occurred at a @ @ @ @ @ Did you feel this earthquake ?
Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS .
@ @ @ @ @ before , and during , an earthquake near you by reading our five-step earthquake preparedness @ @ @ @ @ automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by @ @ @ @ @ editor reviewed the post before it was published .

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake was reported Tuesday at 7:01 a.m. 20 miles from Mendota, Calif.
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake was reported Tuesday at 7:01 a.m. PST 20 miles from Mendota, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake occurred 25 miles from Coalinga, 33 miles from Kerman, 33 miles from King City and 36 miles from Greenfield.
In the last 10 days, there has been one earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
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An average of 25 earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0 and 5.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 5.6 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Find out what to do before, and during, an earthquake near you by reading our five-step earthquake preparedness guide.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published.


latimes--2020-03-03--Taking a long time to count California votes is OK with voters, poll finds

Learning the final outcome in a California election can take weeks but the reason for that delay — laws that offer more time and methods to vote — outweighs the frustration , according to a new statewide poll .
The survey , conducted for the Los Angeles Times by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies , found that 64 % of voters surveyed want to keep offering additional ways to cast a ballot even if it takes longer to finalize election results .
“ Californians are actually OK with that , ” said Mark DiCamillo , director of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a much higher priority on giving voters maximum opportunities.
” Over the span of two decades , lawmakers and elections officials have revamped voting laws to allow more time and more places for the state ’ s eligible citizens to vote .
In 2002 , Californians were allowed to permanently register for voting by mail , erasing the traditional rules that required an excuse like travel or illness for casting an absentee ballot .
Almost two-thirds of the state ’ s 20.6 million voters now receive a ballot in the mail for every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in at the last minute .
In 2015 , a state law allowed any mailed ballot to be counted as long as it is postmarked by election day and arrives by the following Friday .
Because local elections officials usually stop sorting mailed ballots the weekend before election day , they must start from scratch with millions more after the polls close at 8 p.m. on election day .
The Times/Berkeley poll found 89 % of voters approve the three-day law for counting ballots .
Ballots are also easier to turn in than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer dozens of drop boxes and vote centers and one designated person can turn in multiple ballots of family members and acquaintances .
Elections officials also now offer an absentee voter who forgot to sign the ballot envelope , or whose election signature doesn ’ t closely match the one on a file , a chance to clear up the confusion .
One of the most impactful laws is new to this week ’ s statewide primary , requiring all election sites to offer voter registration until the polls close on Tuesday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Californians who become motivated to participate in the waning hours of the campaign season .
In the poll , the 2019 law was supported by 83 % of those surveyed .
The only notable disagreement over the new laws was found by political party affiliation .
While 76 % of Democrats saw increased voter opportunity as more important than a fast count , only 39 % of Republicans agreed .
Sixty percent of GOP voters in the poll favored a speedy tally of votes more than the laws designed to boost access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largely agreed with Democrats in the survey , with 65 % favoring expanded voter choices over how long it takes to count ballots .
Secretary of State Alex Padilla , who has championed several of the laws expanding the rights of voters , said he hoped Californians would continue to gradually change their expectations of what used to be a one-day election process .
“ The poll certainly reaffirms what we ’ ve believed for a long time , ” he said .
“ Given the spotlight on elections in the last four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surprise that most people appreciate the value of these laws .
”

Learning the final outcome in a California election can take weeks but the reason for that delay — laws that offer more time and methods to vote — outweighs the frustration, according to a new statewide poll.
The survey, conducted for the Los Angeles Times by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, found that 64% of voters surveyed want to keep offering additional ways to cast a ballot even if it takes longer to finalize election results.
“Californians are actually OK with that,” said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Berkeley IGS poll. “They put a much higher priority on giving voters maximum opportunities.”
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Over the span of two decades, lawmakers and elections officials have revamped voting laws to allow more time and more places for the state’s eligible citizens to vote. In 2002, Californians were allowed to permanently register for voting by mail, erasing the traditional rules that required an excuse like travel or illness for casting an absentee ballot. Almost two-thirds of the state’s 20.6 million voters now receive a ballot in the mail for every election.
And they often turn them in at the last minute. In 2015, a state law allowed any mailed ballot to be counted as long as it is postmarked by election day and arrives by the following Friday. Because local elections officials usually stop sorting mailed ballots the weekend before election day, they must start from scratch with millions more after the polls close at 8 p.m. on election day.
The Times/Berkeley poll found 89% of voters approve the three-day law for counting ballots.
Ballots are also easier to turn in than they once were, as some counties offer dozens of drop boxes and vote centers and one designated person can turn in multiple ballots of family members and acquaintances. Elections officials also now offer an absentee voter who forgot to sign the ballot envelope, or whose election signature doesn’t closely match the one on a file, a chance to clear up the confusion.
One of the most impactful laws is new to this week’s statewide primary, requiring all election sites to offer voter registration until the polls close on Tuesday. So-called same-day registration offers one more chance for Californians who become motivated to participate in the waning hours of the campaign season. In the poll, the 2019 law was supported by 83% of those surveyed.
The only notable disagreement over the new laws was found by political party affiliation. While 76% of Democrats saw increased voter opportunity as more important than a fast count, only 39% of Republicans agreed. Sixty percent of GOP voters in the poll favored a speedy tally of votes more than the laws designed to boost access. Voters unaffiliated with a political party largely agreed with Democrats in the survey, with 65% favoring expanded voter choices over how long it takes to count ballots.
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Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who has championed several of the laws expanding the rights of voters, said he hoped Californians would continue to gradually change their expectations of what used to be a one-day election process.
“The poll certainly reaffirms what we’ve believed for a long time,” he said. “Given the spotlight on elections in the last four years, it’s not a surprise that most people appreciate the value of these laws.”


latimes--2020-03-03--A  deputy allegedly showed off gruesome Kobe Bryant crash photos at bar. A cover-up scandal ensued

The written complaint came in three days after the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant , his daughter and seven others : At the Baja California Bar and Grill in Norwalk , a young Los Angeles County sheriff ’ s deputy was showing gruesome photos taken at the scene of the tragedy .
“ He was working the day the helicopter went down and took pictures of the crash site and bodies , ” the author wrote .
The report , filed just after midnight on a contact form on the Sheriff ’ s Department ’ s website , generated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Information Bureau , a team that handles media requests .
From that point on , for nearly five weeks , the leadership of the Sheriff ’ s Department tried to keep a lid on the episode instead of following the normal investigative protocols — even after determining that several more deputies had obtained photos , according to interviews .
The efforts to avoid public disclosure of the deputies ’ actions began in earnest with an order from Sheriff Alex Villanueva to have them quietly delete the photos , a move that some inside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said could amount to destruction of evidence .
After The Times disclosed last week that the deputies shared the photos , Villanueva said he would launch an investigation .
But now there are mounting demands for an independent inquiry into the matter , the latest in a series of scandals to afflict the nation ’ s largest sheriff ’ s department in recent years .
Patti Giggans , chair of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission , said she expects Villanueva to find out what happened in a timely way , but that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cover-up of misconduct.
” She added , “ I ’ m hoping that that ’ s not the case.
” Joseph Giacalone , who teaches police procedures at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York , said the Sheriff ’ s Department mishandled the complaint .
For starters , he said , the department should have preserved the photos , confiscated any cellphones used to take them and made certain no images were sent electronically to anyone outside the agency .
“ It ’ s now blossomed into a real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and others said the public would only have confidence in an outside investigation .
“ We should be having outside people investigating what ’ s happening inside the department that ’ s been riddled with corruption , ” said Patrisse Cullors , co-founder of Black Lives Matter , who has long advocated for more accountability and transparency within the agency .
Cullors spearheaded the campaign for Measure R , an initiative on Tuesday ’ s ballot that would secure subpoena power for the oversight commission .
There ’ s an “ inherent conflict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ itself , said Jessica Levinson , professor at Loyola Law School .
“ And let ’ s be honest , especially this department , ” she said , while also criticizing how the allegations were handled initially .
“ The idea that sheriff ’ s [ deputies ] could get to keep their phones and pinky-swear to delete evidence is not how you go about this.
” An attorney representing Vanessa Bryant requested a sheriff ’ s internal affairs investigation into the allegations and the “ harshest possible discipline ” for those responsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behavior “ inexcusable and deplorable.
” “ This is an unspeakable violation of human decency , respect , and of the privacy rights of the victims and their families , ” he said in a statement .
Villanueva has provided scant details on the scope of his investigation or who within the department is conducting it .
Giacolone and other legal observers said the probe should be turned over to the county Office of Inspector General , which does not report to the sheriff .
Villanueva did not respond to repeated requests for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brief telephone conversation Wednesday , he likened the newspaper ’ s queries to tabloid journalism .
“ I got nothing to say to you , ” he said , before hanging up .
On Monday , Villanueva gave interviews to several broadcast outlets .
KNBC-TV reported that Villanueva said he focused on containing the dissemination of the photos rather than punishing the deputies .
He said eight deputies were involved , but he did not identify any of them .
“ Had we done the original , usual routine , which was relieve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and all that , that would increase the odds tenfold that those photos would have somehow made their way into the public domain .
And that ’ s definitely what we do not want , ” he told the station .
According to KNBC , Villanueva said no department policy specifically addresses deputies photographing such crash scenes on their personal cellphones , and that he plans to change that .
However , according to the Sheriff ’ s Department ’ s Manual of Policies and Procedures , members shall not use a personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ document , catalog , transmit , and/or forward any image , document , scene , or environment captured as a result of their employment and/or while performing official Department business that is not available or accessible to the general public.
” Villanueva has faced scrutiny on a number of decisions since he took office late in 2018 , including attempts to pull back on deputy discipline reforms imposed after a jail abuse scandal that brought down longtime Sheriff Lee Baca and other top leaders , along with hiring decisions and a failure to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general and other watchdogs , the public and the news media .
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the Jan. 26 crash near Calabasas .
Spokesman Peter Knudson said he knows of no formal language in the board ’ s policies that would require local agencies to surrender photos that might be helpful to an inquiry .
However , he said , “ if there are images of an investigative value , we do ask local authorities for those images.
” Although the citizen ’ s report was sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the captain who heads that office , Jorge Valdez , told The Times last week that he was “ unaware of any complaint ” and that “ there was no order given to delete any photographs.
” He has not responded to follow-up questions .
Five employees at the Baja California Bar and Grill working on Sunday night said they had no knowledge of a deputy sharing photos there .
The person who filed the complaint did not respond to multiple interview requests .

This image taken from video on Jan. 27 and provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows part of the wreckage of a helicopter crash near Calabasas that killed Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.
The written complaint came in three days after the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others: At the Baja California Bar and Grill in Norwalk, a young Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was showing gruesome photos taken at the scene of the tragedy.
“He was working the day the helicopter went down and took pictures of the crash site and bodies,” the author wrote.
The report, filed just after midnight on a contact form on the Sheriff’s Department’s website, generated an email to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau, a team that handles media requests.
From that point on, for nearly five weeks, the leadership of the Sheriff’s Department tried to keep a lid on the episode instead of following the normal investigative protocols — even after determining that several more deputies had obtained photos, according to interviews.
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The efforts to avoid public disclosure of the deputies’ actions began in earnest with an order from Sheriff Alex Villanueva to have them quietly delete the photos, a move that some inside the department as well as legal experts said could amount to destruction of evidence.
After The Times disclosed last week that the deputies shared the photos, Villanueva said he would launch an investigation. But now there are mounting demands for an independent inquiry into the matter, the latest in a series of scandals to afflict the nation’s largest sheriff’s department in recent years.
Patti Giggans, chair of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, said she expects Villanueva to find out what happened in a timely way, but that the destruction of photos “looks like a cover-up of misconduct.” She added, “I’m hoping that that’s not the case.”
Joseph Giacalone, who teaches police procedures at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said the Sheriff’s Department mishandled the complaint.
For starters, he said, the department should have preserved the photos, confiscated any cellphones used to take them and made certain no images were sent electronically to anyone outside the agency.
“It’s now blossomed into a real mess,” Giacolone said.
He and others said the public would only have confidence in an outside investigation.
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“We should be having outside people investigating what’s happening inside the department that’s been riddled with corruption,” said Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, who has long advocated for more accountability and transparency within the agency. Cullors spearheaded the campaign for Measure R, an initiative on Tuesday’s ballot that would secure subpoena power for the oversight commission.
There’s an “inherent conflict of interest” when a department investigates itself, said Jessica Levinson, professor at Loyola Law School.
“And let’s be honest, especially this department,” she said, while also criticizing how the allegations were handled initially. “The idea that sheriff’s [deputies] could get to keep their phones and pinky-swear to delete evidence is not how you go about this.”
An attorney representing Vanessa Bryant requested a sheriff’s internal affairs investigation into the allegations and the “harshest possible discipline” for those responsible.
Gary C. Robb called the alleged behavior “inexcusable and deplorable.”
“This is an unspeakable violation of human decency, respect, and of the privacy rights of the victims and their families,” he said in a statement.
Villanueva has provided scant details on the scope of his investigation or who within the department is conducting it. Giacolone and other legal observers said the probe should be turned over to the county Office of Inspector General, which does not report to the sheriff.
Villanueva did not respond to repeated requests for comments by The Times. In a brief telephone conversation Wednesday, he likened the newspaper’s queries to tabloid journalism.
“I got nothing to say to you,” he said, before hanging up.
On Monday, Villanueva gave interviews to several broadcast outlets. KNBC-TV reported that Villanueva said he focused on containing the dissemination of the photos rather than punishing the deputies. He said eight deputies were involved, but he did not identify any of them.
“Had we done the original, usual routine, which was relieve everybody of duty and everybody lawyers up and all that, that would increase the odds tenfold that those photos would have somehow made their way into the public domain. And that’s definitely what we do not want,” he told the station.
According to KNBC, Villanueva said no department policy specifically addresses deputies photographing such crash scenes on their personal cellphones, and that he plans to change that.
However, according to the Sheriff’s Department’s Manual of Policies and Procedures, members shall not use a personal cellphone “to record, store, document, catalog, transmit, and/or forward any image, document, scene, or environment captured as a result of their employment and/or while performing official Department business that is not available or accessible to the general public.”
Villanueva has faced scrutiny on a number of decisions since he took office late in 2018, including attempts to pull back on deputy discipline reforms imposed after a jail abuse scandal that brought down longtime Sheriff Lee Baca and other top leaders, along with hiring decisions and a failure to comply with information requests from the inspector general and other watchdogs, the public and the news media.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the Jan. 26 crash near Calabasas. Spokesman Peter Knudson said he knows of no formal language in the board’s policies that would require local agencies to surrender photos that might be helpful to an inquiry. However, he said, “if there are images of an investigative value, we do ask local authorities for those images.”
Although the citizen’s report was sent to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau, the captain who heads that office, Jorge Valdez, told The Times last week that he was “unaware of any complaint” and that “there was no order given to delete any photographs.”
He has not responded to follow-up questions.
Five employees at the Baja California Bar and Grill working on Sunday night said they had no knowledge of a deputy sharing photos there. The person who filed the complaint did not respond to multiple interview requests.