latimes--2020-08-07--Scammers could be targeting unemployment benefits in California, state warns

Many Californians are anxiously waiting for unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic , but James Myers was not happy when he received a letter from the state notifying him that his application for assistance had been approved .
The Folsom tech engineer has a job and has not applied for financial assistance from the California Employment Development Department , putting him among the thousands of Americans affected each year by unemployment fraud , a crime experts say is on the rise along with job losses across the country in an economy battered by the spread of coronavirus .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got my identity , ” said Myers , who works for Micron Technology , Inc. “ I jumped all over it .
I canceled things and put a credit hold on .
I filed a police report.
” Myers tried to report the error to the EDD by phone , including calling its fraud hotline , but could not reach a live person .
So he submitted the information to the agency online and has not heard back .
“ I have no idea , if I were to lose my job , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collect unemployment , ” Myers said .
“ It ’ s probably going to be all screwed up.
” California ’ s unemployment agency has processed an unprecedented 9.7 million claims from people who lost jobs or work hours since March — more than double the number filed during the worst year of the Great Recession — and has paid out $ 59.8 billion in jobless benefits since the pandemic began .
To accommodate the demand , the Employment Development Department has been forced to dedicate a large portion of its staff to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers are assigned to investigate fraudulent applications .
But scammers across the country are taking advantage of the current economic crisis and the pandemic in committing unemployment fraud , and with limited resources to guard against it , California ’ s jobless claims process is likely at risk for exploitation .
On Thursday , the EDD put out an alert warning Californians of potential fraudulent activity involving unemployment insurance in the state .
“ Because of suspicious claim activity spotted in UI programs in California and across the country , the EDD is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conjunction with our federal law enforcement partners , ” the agency said .
Armen Najarian , chief identity officer at the email security company Agari , said unemployment fraud is skyrocketing across the country .
“ It certainly is at a level that we have never seen before , ” he said .
Fraud schemes recently discovered in Washington and Maryland are estimated to have targeted more than $ 1 billion in benefits , said Jon Coss , an anti-fraud expert and vice president at technology consulting company Thomson Reuters who has done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EDD and currently provides consulting services to other states .
“ If you look at the dollars associated with fraud in the unemployment insurance program , I ’ ve never seen anything like it , and I ’ ve been doing this for over 30 years , ” Coss said .
Eva Velasquez , CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center , a San Diego nonprofit that helps fraud victims throughout the U.S. , said her organization has so far received 400 calls from victims of unemployment insurance fraud — up from 19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for fraudsters when Congress approved an extra $ 600 per week for unemployment benefits that began in April , she said .
“ That $ 600 [ weekly benefit ] actually made this a much more lucrative crime for the thieves , ” Velasquez said .
She also noted that scammers are taking advantage of streamlined unemployment certification processes in many states that allow those who have lost jobs to receive their benefits more quickly .
People who file unemployment claims in California must verify their identity and periodically certify that they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system bogged down in April and jobless Californians flooded the state with complaints , the EDD temporarily suspended a requirement for applicants to certify eligibility .
EDD spokeswoman Loree Levy said she could not provide the number of complaints called into the EDD ’ s fraud hotline this year .
She said details about the national investigation involving her agency were confidential and declined to say if it was related to a fraud ring that security experts have dubbed “ Scattered Canary , ” which involves scammers from West Africa who use personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to flood U.S. employment agencies with hundreds of fraudulent claims .
“ The moment that these unemployment payments became available , this was the great new hunting ground for Scattered Canary , and they very quickly shifted focus to exploiting the billions of dollars that became available , ” Najarian said .
On Wednesday , a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service said authorities “ have identified criminal actors targeting state unemployment insurance program funds ” and noted that stolen personal information was used to file fraudulent claims .
A recent alert by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states including Washington , North Carolina , Massachusetts , Rhode Island , Oklahoma , Wyoming and Florida , according to media reports .
A representative for the Secret Service declined to comment on whether California has been targeted , saying the agency does not discuss matters related to ongoing investigations .
Representatives for the FBI and U.S. Department of Labor also declined to comment .
Unemployment fraud was a problem in California even before the pandemic .
On July 7 , the U.S. Attorney ’ s Office in Los Angeles announced that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a scheme that stole $ 1.1 million in unemployment benefits through sham corporations .
Prosecutors alleged that from 2013 to 2016 , those arrested registered fake cleaning companies and boutiques with the California EDD and submitted claims for phony employees , including prison inmates .
After receiving debit cards from the EDD loaded with unemployment insurance benefit funds in the names of phony employees , the defendants allegedly withdrew money in the name of those other claimants , the indictment alleges .
In a separate scheme , authorities announced on March 19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been sentenced to six years in prison for conspiring with five other people to obtain $ 887,199 in California unemployment benefits based on fraudulent claims .
The former EDD worker obtained personal information on workers that was used to file 269 fraudulent unemployment claims in 2015 and 2016 , according to Quentin Heiden , special agent-in-charge of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General , Los Angeles Region .
Meanwhile , the U.S Department of Labor recently issued an alert on bogus claims , warning that “ fraudsters are perpetrating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The federal agency said in June that it stopped payment on nearly 3,800 fraudulently filed unemployment insurance claims , including 1,300 filed from a series of IP addresses in London , England .
EDD Director Sharon Hilliard told state lawmakers at a hearing last week that her office has been made aware of major fraud schemes on a national level and that steps have been taken to protect California from the fraudulent activity .
She said data breaches by major credit companies and other businesses in recent years “ were likely sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try and file imposter UI claims ” throughout the country , and she assured lawmakers that her agency matches the personal information of claimants with files at the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Social Security Administration .
However , state officials admit the system is vulnerable .
If the EDD is not convinced that an identity has been verified through normal checks , it may require more documentation from the filer .
“ But if identity thieves have a significant amount of personally identifiable information , claims can still be processed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be obtained to shut down the claim , ” the agency said in its alert to consumers Thursday .
In 2018 , the last year for which data is available , the EDD investigated 142 cases of unemployment fraud worth $ 41 million in claims and won convictions in 19 cases , recovering more than $ 7 million .
“ The most common form of fraud is typically someone who returns to work but doesn ’ t notify the EDD but continues to collect UI benefits , ” Levy added .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ establish the overpayment.
” A group of lawmakers , concerned that some 1 million claims have been stalled , suggested Wednesday that many of those people should be provided benefits now with certification to take place retroactively later .
Experts say that , in addition to raising the financial stakes with unemployment fraud , the pandemic has made it easier to carry out scams .
“ Now that we are no longer meeting in person and all of this is being conducted online , while it is necessary to address health concerns , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level of security , and it creates an opportunity for the thieves and the scammers , ” said Velasquez , the head of the Identity Theft Resource Center .
Coss said fraud investigators in some states are not doing field investigations during the pandemic .
In many cases , fraudsters file a claim on behalf of an unknowing victim and then file a change of address so paperwork and debit cards loaded with unemployment benefits are forwarded to another location , he said .
Levy urged the public to also be on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployment insurance forms though an application for benefits was not made .
The EDD operates a fraud tip line , but some who have called the overwhelmed agency say it is hard to get through to investigators .
Jessica Webb , a Murrieta resident , said she was unable to reach a live service representative when she called the EDD to report suspected fraud .
Last month , she received three benefit notices in the mail from EDD in the names of three different people whom she does not know .
She wondered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ file fraudulent claims .
“ You hope it ’ s not fraud because it ’ s really unfair if there are people out there who actually need this , and there are people who are lying and taking advantage of it , ” said Webb , who was briefly unemployed in March but is back to work full time .
Levy said she could not find any record of the complaints by Myers and Webb but urged them to contact the EDD ’ s Investigation Division .
Webb said she was worried that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the notices might indeed be legitimately jobless , and the EDD got their addresses wrong .
“ I ’ m concerned these people are sitting at home wondering , ` 'Oh my gosh , what am I going to do ?
’ because they have not been notified they can get benefits.
” Velasquez said she has talked to many victims of unemployment fraud who are at their wits ’ end after filing claims that ran into trouble .
“ They need these benefits legitimately , and they will finally get through and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already applied and have been receiving benefits.
’ ” “ So now they have to unwind this fraud issue before they can receive benefits that clearly they need , ” she added .
“ Those are the most devastating because those are the folks who are calling us crying and saying , ‘ I don ’ t know how I ’ m going to get my basic needs met .
’ ”

Signs are posted in May on the doors of the Orange County One-Stop Center in Garden Grove, which provides employment and training services.
Many Californians are anxiously waiting for unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, but James Myers was not happy when he received a letter from the state notifying him that his application for assistance had been approved.
The Folsom tech engineer has a job and has not applied for financial assistance from the California Employment Development Department, putting him among the thousands of Americans affected each year by unemployment fraud, a crime experts say is on the rise along with job losses across the country in an economy battered by the spread of the coronavirus.
“I freaked out because somebody’s obviously got my identity,” said Myers, who works for Micron Technology, Inc. “I jumped all over it. I canceled things and put a credit hold on. I filed a police report.”
Myers tried to report the error to the EDD by phone, including calling its fraud hotline, but could not reach a person. So he submitted the information to the agency online and has not heard back.
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“I have no idea, if I were to lose my job, if I’d be able to collect unemployment,” Myers said. “It’s probably going to be all screwed up.”
California’s unemployment agency has processed an unprecedented 9.7 million claims from people who lost jobs or work hours since March — more than double the number filed during the worst year of the Great Recession — and has paid out $59.8 billion in jobless benefits since the pandemic began.
California California unemployment agency workers say internal problems are stalling claims process As California grapples with a deluge of requests for unemployment benefits during the pandemic, government workers tasked with processing claims say they are hampered by outdated technology, bureaucratic red tape and a shortage of trained staff.
To accommodate the demand, the Employment Development Department has been forced to dedicate a large portion of its staff to processing claims, and just 27 sworn officers are assigned to investigate fraudulent applications.
But scammers across the country are taking advantage of the current economic crisis and the pandemic in committing unemployment fraud. With limited resources to guard against it, California’s jobless claims process is probably at risk for exploitation.
On Thursday, the EDD put out an alert warning Californians of potential fraudulent activity involving unemployment insurance in the state.
“Because of suspicious claim activity spotted in UI programs in California and across the country, the EDD is actively involved in a nationwide investigation in conjunction with our federal law enforcement partners,” the agency said.
Armen Najarian, chief identity officer at the email security company Agari, said unemployment fraud is skyrocketing across the country.
“It certainly is at a level that we have never seen before,” he said.
Fraud schemes recently discovered in Washington and Maryland are estimated to have targeted more than $1 billion in benefits, said Jon Coss, an anti-fraud expert and vice president at technology consulting company Thomson Reuters who has done work for the California EDD and currently provides consulting services to other states.
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“If you look at the dollars associated with fraud in the unemployment insurance program, I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’ve been doing this for over 30 years,” Coss said.
California California lawmakers ask Newsom to act immediately on unemployment claims A majority of the California Legislature calls on Newsom to immediately begin paying unemployment benefits to more than 1 million jobless workers.
Eva Velasquez, CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a San Diego nonprofit that helps fraud victims throughout the U.S., said her organization has so far received 400 calls from victims of unemployment insurance fraud — up from 19 last year.
The stakes got higher for fraudsters when Congress approved an extra $600 per week for unemployment benefits that began in April, she said.
“That $600 [weekly benefit] actually made this a much more lucrative crime for the thieves,” Velasquez said.
She also noted that scammers are taking advantage of streamlined unemployment certification processes in many states that allow those who have lost jobs to receive their benefits more quickly.
People who file unemployment claims in California must verify their identity and periodically certify that they are still unemployed. However, when the system bogged down in April and jobless Californians flooded the state with complaints, the EDD temporarily suspended a requirement for applicants to certify eligibility.
EDD spokeswoman Loree Levy said she could not provide the number of complaints called into the EDD’s fraud hotline this year. She said details about the national investigation involving her agency were confidential and declined to say if it was related to a fraud ring that security experts have dubbed “Scattered Canary,” which involves scammers from West Africa who use personal information leaked in major corporate data breaches to flood U.S. employment agencies with hundreds of fraudulent claims.
“The moment that these unemployment payments became available, this was the great new hunting ground for Scattered Canary, and they very quickly shifted focus to exploiting the billions of dollars that became available,” Najarian said.
On Wednesday, a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service said authorities “have identified criminal actors targeting state unemployment insurance program funds” and noted that stolen personal information was used to file fraudulent claims.
California Lawmakers and jobless workers lash out at California’s unemployment agency California lawmakers dismissed a plan by Gov. Gavin Newsom that would take two months to resolve a backlog of nearly 1 million unemployment benefit claims, warning at a legislative hearing that many jobless people are already struggling to pay for food and rent.
A recent alert by the agency warned of fraudulent activity in states including Washington, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Florida, according to media reports.
A representative for the Secret Service declined to comment on whether California has been targeted, saying the agency does not discuss matters related to ongoing investigations. Representatives for the FBI and U.S. Department of Labor also declined to comment.
Unemployment fraud was a problem in California even before the pandemic. On July 7, the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles announced that a federal grand jury had indicted eight people in a scheme that stole $1.1 million in unemployment benefits through sham corporations. Prosecutors alleged that from 2013 to 2016, those arrested registered fake cleaning companies and boutiques with the California EDD and submitted claims for phony employees, including prison inmates.
After receiving debit cards from the EDD loaded with unemployment insurance benefit funds in the names of phony employees, the defendants allegedly withdrew money in the name of those other claimants, the indictment alleges.
In a separate scheme, authorities announced on March 19 that a former EDD tax compliance representative had been sentenced to six years in prison for conspiring with five other people to obtain $887,199 in California unemployment benefits based on fraudulent claims.
The former EDD worker obtained personal information on workers that was used to file 269 fraudulent unemployment claims in 2015 and 2016, according to Quentin Heiden, special agent-in-charge of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Los Angeles Region.
Meanwhile, the U.S Department of Labor recently issued an alert on bogus claims, warning that “fraudsters are perpetrating numerous schemes related to the COVID-19 pandemic.” The federal agency said in June that it stopped payment on nearly 3,800 fraudulently filed unemployment insurance claims, including 1,300 filed from a series of IP addresses in London.
EDD Director Sharon Hilliard told state lawmakers at a hearing last week that her office has been made aware of major fraud schemes on a national level and that steps have been taken to protect California from the fraudulent activity.
She said data breaches by major credit companies and other businesses in recent years “were likely sources of people’s identities being used to try and file imposter UI claims” throughout the country, and she assured lawmakers that her agency matches the personal information of claimants with files at the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Social Security Administration.
However, state officials admit the system is vulnerable. If the EDD is not convinced that an identity has been verified through normal checks, it may require more documentation from the filer.
“But if identity thieves have a significant amount of personally identifiable information, claims can still be processed and initial payment made before additional information can be obtained to shut down the claim,” the agency said in its alert to consumers Thursday.
In 2018, the last year for which data are available, the EDD investigated 142 cases of unemployment fraud worth $41 million in claims and won convictions in 19 cases, recovering more than $7 million.
“The most common form of fraud is typically someone who returns to work but doesn’t notify the EDD but continues to collect UI benefits,” Levy added. “We capture that in new employee records and establish the overpayment.”
A group of lawmakers, concerned that some 1 million claims have been stalled, suggested Wednesday that many of those people should be provided benefits now with certification to take place retroactively later.
Experts say that, in addition to raising the financial stakes with unemployment fraud, the pandemic has made it easier to carry out scams.
“Now that we are no longer meeting in person and all of this is being conducted online, while it is necessary to address health concerns, we have to admit it removes that level of security, and it creates an opportunity for the thieves and the scammers,” said Velasquez, the head of the Identity Theft Resource Center.
Coss said fraud investigators in some states are not doing field investigations during the pandemic.
In many cases, fraudsters file a claim on behalf of an unknowing victim and then file a change of address so that paperwork and debit cards loaded with unemployment benefits are forwarded to another location, he said.
Levy urged the public to also be on the lookout for suspicious activity, including receiving unemployment insurance forms though an application for benefits was not made. The EDD operates a fraud tip line, but some who have called the overwhelmed agency say it is hard to get through to investigators.
Jessica Webb, a Murrieta resident, said she was unable to reach a service representative when she called the EDD to report suspected fraud.
Last month, she received three benefit notices in the mail from EDD in the names of three people whom she does not know. She wondered if someone was using her address to file fraudulent claims.
“You hope it’s not fraud because it’s really unfair if there are people out there who actually need this, and there are people who are lying and taking advantage of it,” said Webb, who was briefly unemployed in March but is back to work full time.
Levy said she could not find any record of the complaints by Myers and Webb but urged them to contact the EDD’s Investigation Division.
Webb said she was worried that the three people whose names were on the notices might indeed be legitimately jobless, and the EDD got their addresses wrong.
“I’m concerned these people are sitting at home wondering, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I going to do?’ because they have not been notified they can get benefits.”
Velasquez said she has talked to many victims of unemployment fraud who are at their wits’ end after filing claims that ran into trouble.
“They need these benefits legitimately, and they will finally get through and they are told ‘Oh, you already applied and have been receiving benefits.’
“So now they have to unwind this fraud issue before they can receive benefits that clearly they need,” she added. “Those are the most devastating because those are the folks who are calling us crying and saying, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to get my basic needs met.’”


latimes--2020-08-07--Eviction protections are expiring. What does this mean for struggling California tenants?

Almost 40 million renters across the country could be at risk of eviction over the next several months as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the nation ’ s economy .
In California , tenants have largely been protected so far by a combination of federal , state and local eviction moratoriums and financial assistance programs .
But many of those programs are now expiring , leaving millions in jeopardy .
Here ’ s a guide to how renters are faring and what elected officials may do to assist struggling tenants and landlords .
How are renters doing right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for unemployment benefits since March and the national unemployment rate remains in the double digits — higher than its peak during the Great Recession .
Yet , by some statistics , many tenants have been holding on .
At least 93 % of tenants have been paying at least part of their rent monthly during the pandemic , according to the National Multifamily Housing Council , a Washington-based landlord trade group that surveys owners of 11.4 million apartments , or about a quarter of the nation ’ s rental market .
Those figures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what renters paid from April through July in 2019 , according to the survey .
In California , more than 84 % of adults living in rental homes reported paying their rent in the previous month in a U.S. Census Bureau survey conducted July 16-21 .
To be sure , certain groups have faced major financial hardships that have affected their ability to stay current on housing payments .
People living in the country illegally can not receive unemployment benefits , for instance , and in California more than 1 million jobless workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state ’ s unemployment system .
Many government assistance programs helping tenants have gone away or are about to In March , Congress passed an expansion to unemployment benefits , giving those who have lost their jobs an additional $ 600 a week on top of regular state unemployment payments .
Housing advocates and researchers credit that money with helping to keep tenants afloat .
But the expanded unemployment benefits expired at the end of July .
So did a limited federal eviction moratorium that covered tenants living in apartments whose landlords have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In California , nearly all evictions have been on hold because the state court system is not processing cases except for those deemed urgent .
But state Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has said she plans to lift those restrictions as early as Aug. 14 , arguing that it ’ s the job of the governor and state Legislature to mandate any eviction protections .
Just this week , the L.A. County Sheriff ’ s Department resumed processing eviction cases that had been approved prior to the March government stay-at-home orders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other Southern California sheriff ’ s departments .
Now that these protections are expiring , what ’ s the risk to tenants and landlords ?
The estimate of as many as 40 million people in America at risk of eviction comes from a new study by the Aspen Institute , a Washington-based think tank , and a group of housing advocates and academics .
The study takes into account massive job losses among renter households , U.S. Census Bureau surveys of tenants ’ ability to pay and the crushing housing cost burdens faced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In California , between 4.1 million and 5.4 million renters could be facing eviction , the study concludes .
“ You ’ re talking about a Great Depression level of suffering , ” said Zach Neumann , a senior project manager at the Aspen Institute and a coauthor of the study .
“ That ’ s scary .
It ’ s something we haven ’ t seen in our lifetime.
” Those evictions also are likely to disproportionately affect Black , Latino and other nonwhite Californians .
About three-quarters of nearly 1 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state include at least one Black , Latino , Asian or other person of color , according to a new estimate by UC Berkeley ’ s Terner Center for Housing Innovation .
From the beginning of the pandemic , landlord groups have encouraged their members to refrain from raising rents , work out repayment plans with affected tenants and waive late payment fees among other forms of financial relief .
“ It would not be to our benefit to see a whole host of evictions , ” said Deb Carlton , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Assn .
“ It ’ s not good for anybody.
” Some landlords , especially those who own few properties , are facing financial hardships of their own .
A recent survey of the National Assn .
of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals found that more than half of owners and managers had at least one tenant who hadn ’ t paid rent in the previous month .
In its initial coronavirus relief plan , Congress allowed many landlords to defer their mortgage payments .
But those bills will eventually come due .
Landlords @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only so long without rental income , Carlton said .
“ If reporters want to say there ’ s a wave of evictions coming , they should also say there ’ s a wave of foreclosures coming , ” she said .
What is happening with more relief programs ?
While House Democrats and the Trump administration are negotiating further coronavirus-related financial help , there is no deal yet .
In May , the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed legislation that would continue the extra $ 600 a month in unemployment benefits and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as add $ 100 billion for rental assistance programs .
The Senate , which has a Republican majority , has not taken up the bill .
Trump administration officials have said they are interested in continuing expanded unemployment benefits , though at amounts lower than $ 600 a week , as well as implementing some eviction protections .
At the state Capitol , Gov .
Gavin Newsom and legislators say they ’ re trying to figure out a plan .
Legislative leaders have asked Cantil-Sakauye to hold off on allowing courts to process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the year at the end of August .
Currently , there are two pending bills that would halt evictions during the pandemic and give tenants more time to repay overdue rent .
One , Assembly Bill 1436 , would bar landlords from evicting tenants over coronavirus-related missed rent , and it aims to provide property owners mortgage relief .
The second , Senate Bill 1410 , would provide tax breaks to landlords if their tenants can not pay .
Both bills could have committee hearings next week .
If the federal and state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s left ?
Roughly a quarter of local governments in California have passed some sort of eviction protections during the pandemic , though some have already expired , according to a list compiled by the California Apartment Assn .
The protections vary widely , and many could require tenants to go to court to remain in their homes .
That ’ s the situation in the city of Los Angeles .
Landlords are not allowed to remove tenants who have lost income due to the pandemic , but they can still file @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prove they qualify for relief at trial .
The vast majority of tenants in eviction cases aren ’ t represented by attorneys , and renter advocates worry that the city ’ s protections are insufficient .
The city ’ s rules also say that affected tenants have a year after the expiration of the state of emergency to repay past due rent .
That provision frustrates landlords who won ’ t be able to enforce collecting rent payments from this spring at least until well into 2021 .
Additionally , the city is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistance funds to low-income Angelenos , but it ’ s not nearly enough to meet the need .
The city received more than 221,000 applications for the program , but expects to be able to help only 50,000 households .
Times staff writers Melody Gutierrez , Phil Willon and Sarah D. Wire contributed to this report .

Members of the Los Angeles Tenants Union and their supporters hold a demonstration at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights in April to demand rent forgiveness due to the coronavirus pandemic’s economic fallout.
Almost 40 million renters across the country could be at risk of eviction over the next several months as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the nation’s economy.
In California, tenants have largely been protected so far by a combination of federal, state and local eviction moratoriums and financial assistance programs. But many of those programs are now expiring, leaving millions in jeopardy.
Here’s a guide to how renters are faring and what elected officials may do to assist struggling tenants and landlords.
Advertisement
How are renters doing right now?
The U.S. economy has shed tens of millions of jobs since March and the national unemployment rate remains in the double digits — higher than its peak during the Great Recession. Yet, by some statistics, many tenants have been holding on.
At least 93% of tenants have been paying at least part of their rent monthly during the pandemic, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council, a Washington-based landlord trade group that surveys owners of 11.4 million apartments, or about a quarter of the nation’s rental market. Those figures are only a few percentage points behind what renters paid from April through July in 2019, according to the survey.
In California, more than 84% of adults living in rental homes reported paying their rent in the previous month in a U.S. Census Bureau survey conducted July 16-21.
To be sure, certain groups have faced major financial hardships that have affected their ability to stay current on housing payments. People living in the country illegally cannot receive unemployment benefits, for instance, and in California more than 1 million jobless workers still have their claims backlogged in the state’s unemployment system.
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Many government assistance programs helping tenants have gone away or are about to
In March, Congress passed an expansion to unemployment benefits, giving those who have lost their jobs an additional $600 a week on top of regular state unemployment payments. Housing advocates and researchers credit that money with helping to keep tenants afloat.
But the expanded unemployment benefits expired at the end of July. So did a limited federal eviction moratorium that covered tenants living in apartments whose landlords have mortgages backed by the federal government.
In California, nearly all evictions have been on hold because the state court system is not processing cases except for those deemed urgent. But state Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has said she plans to lift those restrictions as early as Aug. 14, arguing that it’s the job of the governor and state Legislature to mandate any eviction protections.
Just this week, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department resumed processing eviction cases that had been approved prior to the March government stay-at-home orders, a move that follows similar decisions by other Southern California sheriff’s departments.
Now that these protections are expiring, what’s the risk to tenants and landlords?
One word: immense.
The estimate of as many as 40 million people in America at risk of eviction comes from a new study by the Aspen Institute, a Washington-based think tank, and a group of housing advocates and academics. The study takes into account massive job losses among renter households, U.S. Census Bureau surveys of tenants’ ability to pay and the crushing housing cost burdens faced by renters prior to the pandemic. In California, between 4.1 million and 5.4 million renters could be facing eviction, the study concludes.
“You’re talking about a Great Depression level of suffering,” said Zach Neumann, a senior project manager at the Aspen Institute and a coauthor of the study. “That’s scary. It’s something we haven’t seen in our lifetime.”
Those evictions also are likely to disproportionately affect Black, Latino and other nonwhite Californians. About three-quarters of nearly 1 million renter households affected by coronavirus-related job losses in the state include at least one Black, Latino, Asian or other person of color, according to a new estimate by UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation.
From the beginning of the pandemic, landlord groups have encouraged their members to refrain from raising rents, work out repayment plans with affected tenants and waive late payment fees among other forms of financial relief.
“It would not be to our benefit to see a whole host of evictions,” said Deb Carlton, executive vice president with the California Apartment Assn. “It’s not good for anybody.”
Some landlords, especially those who own few properties, are facing financial hardships of their own. A recent survey of the National Assn. of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals found that more than half of owners and managers had at least one tenant who hadn’t paid rent in the previous month.
In its initial coronavirus relief plan, Congress allowed many landlords to defer their mortgage payments. But those bills will eventually come due. Landlords can hold on to their properties for only so long without rental income, Carlton said.
“If reporters want to say there’s a wave of evictions coming, they should also say there’s a wave of foreclosures coming,” she said.
What is happening with more relief programs?
While House Democrats and the Trump administration are negotiating further coronavirus-related financial help, there is no deal yet.
In May, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed legislation that would continue the extra $600 a month in unemployment benefits and the limited federal eviction moratorium as well as add $100 billion for rental assistance programs. The Senate, which has a Republican majority, has not taken up the bill. Trump administration officials have said they are interested in continuing expanded unemployment benefits, though at amounts lower than $600 a week, as well as implementing some eviction protections.
At the state Capitol, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators say they’re trying to figure out a plan.
“We deeply recognize people’s anxiety,” Newsom told reporters on Monday. “We deeply recognize what’s at stake.”
Legislative leaders have asked Cantil-Sakauye to hold off on allowing courts to process cases until after the Legislature recesses for the year at the end of August.
Currently, there are two pending bills that would halt evictions during the pandemic and give tenants more time to repay overdue rent. One, Assembly Bill 1436, would bar landlords from evicting tenants over coronavirus-related missed rent, and it aims to provide property owners mortgage relief. The second, Senate Bill 1410, would provide tax breaks to landlords if their tenants cannot pay. Both bills could have committee hearings next week.
If the federal and state governments don’t act, what’s left?
Roughly a quarter of local governments in California have passed some sort of eviction protections during the pandemic, though some have already expired, according to a list compiled by the California Apartment Assn. The protections vary widely, and many could require tenants to go to court to remain in their homes.
That’s the situation in the city of Los Angeles. Landlords are not allowed to remove tenants who have lost income due to the pandemic, but they can still file eviction cases and renters would have to prove they qualify for relief at trial. The vast majority of tenants in eviction cases aren’t represented by attorneys, and renter advocates worry that the city’s protections are insufficient.
The city’s rules also say that affected tenants have a year after the expiration of the state of emergency to repay past due rent. That provision frustrates landlords who won’t be able to enforce collecting rent payments from this spring at least until well into 2021.
Additionally, the city is handing out $100 million in rental assistance funds to low-income Angelenos, but it’s not nearly enough to meet the need. The city received more than 221,000 applications for the program, but expects to be able to help only 50,000 households.
Times staff writers Melody Gutierrez, Phil Willon and Sarah D. Wire contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-08-07--California's agency for protecting workers can't protect its own — even amid a pandemic, officials s

California's agency for protecting workers can't protect its own — even amid a pandemic, officials say

Staffers at California ’ s have been frantically trying to keep up with an avalanche of workplace safety complaints ushered in by the pandemic .
But even answering phones hasn ’ t been easy .
In one office with no bilingual speakers on staff , an employee has had to use Google Translate to try to decipher complaints in Spanish .
Six current and two former employees at the division , better known as Cal/OSHA , described a workforce rankled by years of vacancies and dysfunction that have compromised its mission to keep California workers safe .
A former employee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ February , said vacancies kept him and others inside the office instead of in the field investigating reports of amputated fingers and falls .
Depleted ranks , the staff members say , have caused the agency to largely abandon in-person inspections in favor of remote investigations by letter and phone .
Staffers throughout the agency spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity , citing fears of retaliation .
Several shared internal emails suggesting the agency was failing to implement the very COVID-19 guidelines it recommends to employers , such as requiring employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and notify staff promptly of positive cases .
They said the agency is also not providing testing for staffers , leaving them to wonder if they are spreading infection while carrying out inspections of workplaces stricken by outbreaks .
A spokesperson confirmed the agency does not provide testing , but said officials encourage employees to promptly notify management of pending or positive test results .
On July 20 , Cal/OSHA told employees it had temporarily shuttered its Monrovia office after at least one staffer tested positive for COVID-19 .
The office has eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workplaces and responding to reports of job-related injuries , illnesses and deaths .
It is one of four offices covering the southwest region that stretches from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles .
The closure came weeks after staff members had visited thousands of businesses statewide as part of a task force blitz led by Gov .
Gavin Newsom .
Cal/OSHA said the infected employee did not participate in the blitz .
As the pandemic unfolded , Cristopher Casteel , who worked as a safety inspector for three years , resigned in March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to telework due to health concerns for himself and his wife .
“ To have all those roadblocks and lack of support systems and failures at multiple layers all the way up to the top , it just becomes frustrating , ” Casteel said .
In an email , spokeswoman Erika Monterroza disputed claims that the agency is not taking sufficient COVID-19 precautions for its staff .
The agency , she wrote , is helping staffers connect with medical services as needed and making “ reasonable ” accommodations for those in high-risk groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on how much telework is available for certain positions , particularly enforcement personnel , ” she wrote .
In a May public meeting , Chief Doug Parker said that his agency was dealing with a surge in complaints , which would be handled under a new “ triage system , ” with most concerns addressed remotely by communication with employers via letter or phone .
Monterroza said the agency ’ s ability to fulfill its mission has not been compromised by vacancies , noting that it has been processing thousands of complaints as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brown , a former veteran inspector who has been tracking the agency ’ s staffing decline since he retired in 2014 , said he couldn ’ t see how the vacancies could be anything but “ crippling.
” Brown regularly publishes staffing charts he receives through public records requests on his website , Inside Cal/OSHA .
Among the hardest-hit offices is the one in Fremont , which oversees the sprawling Tesla automotive factory and has just four inspectors despite being fully funded for 11 , according to Brown .
The Santa Ana office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half-staffed with 6 out of 12 positions filled .
A Times review of staffing charts shows vacancies have been particularly severe across Southern California , with top leadership roles unfilled in the Santa Ana , San Bernandino , Van Nuys and Long Beach offices .
Some of those vacancies have lasted years , employees said , causing enforcement cases to languish .
Cal/OSHA acknowledged “ a high attrition rate ” in a federal last year and said getting “ adequately staffed is a top priority.
” A staffing chart published that month showed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later , a July staffing chart provided by Brown showed 135 vacancies agency-wide .
Alice Berliner , coordinator for the , said she was recently helping a group of workers file complaints against their employer to various Cal/OSHA offices with vacant leadership positions .
“ I don ’ t know how in practice the agency can really function and respond to complaints when there ’ s not clear leadership on the ground , ” she said .
Berliner and others who spoke to The Times all said Cal/OSHA ’ s problems go beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly released the findings of a long-running investigation into the Department of Industrial Relations — the parent agency of Cal/OSHA — which detailed a culture of nepotism , fraud and gross misconduct dating to 2011 .
Despite reforms , dysfunction has continued to beset agency ranks , said Casteel , the former employee .
In 2018 , Casteel ’ s district manager in Santa Ana was involving a construction company facing safety violations .
Then in November , an inspector in the same office was in a case unrelated to his work for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment on why the agency hired someone with criminal charges as an inspector .
Casteel worries that Cal/OSHA ’ s depleted ranks and mismanagement may embolden employers to disobey laws and endanger workers , especially vulnerable immigrant workforces in areas such as Southern California .
“ That ’ s the part that grinds me to the core , ” said Casteel .
“ I ’ ve worked with these employees firsthand who are compromised on so many levels and struggling to survive , and one of the very few enforcement agencies whose sole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ignoring them .
”

A crew with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power works in Encino.
Staffers at California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health have been frantically trying to keep up with an avalanche of workplace safety complaints ushered in by the pandemic.
But even answering phones hasn’t been easy. In one office with no bilingual speakers on staff, an employee has had to use Google Translate to try to decipher complaints in Spanish.
Six current and two former employees at the division, better known as Cal/OSHA, described a workforce rankled by years of vacancies and dysfunction that have compromised its mission to keep California workers safe.
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A former employee, who resigned from the agency in February, said vacancies kept him and others inside the office instead of in the field investigating reports of amputated fingers and falls.
Depleted ranks, the staff members say, have caused the agency to largely abandon in-person inspections in favor of remote investigations by letter and phone.
Staffers throughout the agency spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity, citing fears of retaliation. Several shared internal emails suggesting the agency was failing to implement the very COVID-19 guidelines it recommends to employers, such as requiring employees to wear face coverings, social distance and notify staff promptly of positive cases.
They said the agency is also not providing testing for staffers, leaving them to wonder if they are spreading infection while carrying out inspections of workplaces stricken by outbreaks.
A spokesperson confirmed the agency does not provide testing, but said officials encourage employees to promptly notify management of pending or positive test results.
On July 20, Cal/OSHA told employees it had temporarily shuttered its Monrovia office after at least one staffer tested positive for COVID-19. The office has eight inspectors responsible for investigating complaints, inspecting workplaces and responding to reports of job-related injuries, illnesses and deaths. It is one of four offices covering the southwest region that stretches from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles.
The closure came weeks after staff members had visited thousands of businesses statewide as part of a task force blitz led by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Cal/OSHA said the infected employee did not participate in the blitz.
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As the pandemic unfolded, Cristopher Casteel, who worked as a safety inspector for three years, resigned in March after he said management ignored his request to telework due to health concerns for himself and his wife.
“To have all those roadblocks and lack of support systems and failures at multiple layers all the way up to the top, it just becomes frustrating,” Casteel said.
In an email, spokeswoman Erika Monterroza disputed claims that the agency is not taking sufficient COVID-19 precautions for its staff. The agency, she wrote, is helping staffers connect with medical services as needed and making “reasonable” accommodations for those in high-risk groups. However, there are “limitations on how much telework is available for certain positions, particularly enforcement personnel,” she wrote.
In a May public meeting, Chief Doug Parker said that his agency was dealing with a surge in complaints, which would be handled under a new “triage system,” with most concerns addressed remotely by communication with employers via letter or phone.
Monterroza said the agency’s ability to fulfill its mission has not been compromised by vacancies, noting that it has been processing thousands of complaints as “expeditiously as possible.”
But Garrett Brown, a former veteran inspector who has been tracking the agency’s staffing decline since he retired in 2014, said he couldn’t see how the vacancies could be anything but “crippling.”
Brown regularly publishes staffing charts he receives through public records requests on his website, Inside Cal/OSHA. Among the hardest-hit offices is the one in Fremont, which oversees the sprawling Tesla automotive factory and has just four inspectors despite being fully funded for 11, according to Brown. The Santa Ana office, which covers Orange County, is half-staffed with 6 out of 12 positions filled.
A Times review of staffing charts shows vacancies have been particularly severe across Southern California, with top leadership roles unfilled in the Santa Ana, San Bernandino, Van Nuys and Long Beach offices. Some of those vacancies have lasted years, employees said, causing enforcement cases to languish.
Cal/OSHA acknowledged “a high attrition rate” in a federal report last year and said getting “adequately staffed is a top priority.” A staffing chart published that month showed 91 vacancies agency-wide. Nearly a year later, a July staffing chart provided by Brown showed 135 vacancies agency-wide.
Alice Berliner, coordinator for the Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health , said she was recently helping a group of workers file complaints against their employer to various Cal/OSHA offices with vacant leadership positions.
“I don’t know how in practice the agency can really function and respond to complaints when there’s not clear leadership on the ground,” she said.
Berliner and others who spoke to The Times all said Cal/OSHA’s problems go beyond understaffing.
Last year, state auditors publicly released the findings of a long-running investigation into the Department of Industrial Relations — the parent agency of Cal/OSHA — which detailed a culture of nepotism, fraud and gross misconduct dating to 2011.
Despite reforms, dysfunction has continued to beset agency ranks, said Casteel, the former employee. In 2018, Casteel’s district manager in Santa Ana was arrested on bribery charges involving a construction company facing safety violations. Then in November, an inspector in the same office was convicted of embezzlement and fraud in a case unrelated to his work for the agency.
Spokeswoman Monterroza declined to comment on why the agency hired someone with pending criminal charges as an inspector.
Casteel worries that Cal/OSHA’s depleted ranks and mismanagement may embolden employers to disobey laws and endanger workers, especially vulnerable immigrant workforces in areas such as Southern California.
“That’s the part that grinds me to the core,” said Casteel. “I’ve worked with these employees firsthand who are compromised on so many levels and struggling to survive, and one of the very few enforcement agencies whose sole damn function is to protect them is ignoring them.”


latimes--2020-08-07--Children with disabilities are regressing. How much is distance learning to blame?

Olivia Tan is regressing .
She ’ s lost much of her curiosity , is unwilling to explore her home or flip through books as much as she used to — and her father feels helpless .
The 6-year-old is deaf , blind in one eye and has cognitive delays , heart issues and other physical difficulties that are part of CHARGE syndrome , a disorder caused by a gene mutation .
At her Bay Area elementary school , she had a one-on-one aide .
At home she has three siblings and two parents trying desperately to offer some semblance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t feel comfortable doing this , ” Simon Tan said of trying to follow the directions of her professional therapists and teachers through a computer .
“ If somebody asked me just from a standpoint of — are the special education services sufficient ?
The answer is blatantly no , in no way are they sufficient.
” And Tan knows about these issues .
He is a clinical neuropsychologist at Stanford Hospital .
Yet like so many California parents , he is overwhelmed by the daily responsibility of carrying out his child ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The education of some 760,000 California children with disabilities has been inconsistent at best since campuses shut down in March .
Parents ’ worries have intensified as they see their children ’ s hard-fought advances diminishing — and fear that losses will be compounded with more distance learning ahead , said educators , parents and student advocates .
The state has mandated that school districts continue to provide special education to students with disabilities as required by federal laws , but has waived timelines that allow students to receive assessments and services quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of clients , especially economically disadvantaged students and foster youths , overwhelmingly are not receiving the education or services they are entitled to , nor are students who need assessments to receive appropriate care .
“ It would be a mistake for anyone to say , ‘ Well , we ’ ve never done this in distance learning before and we ’ re just not going to do anything at all.
’ That goes against everything that we know about the guarantees that students have to receive a free and appropriate education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tony Thurmond said .
Yet the personal stories of parents and educators grappling with these responsibilities reveal overwhelming challenges , failed attempts to secure help and , ultimately , the realization that in many cases , the direly needed hands-on services of therapists are not performed well through a computer screen .
“ I have spent most of the summer rethinking ... how do we take these evidence-based practices in an online environment ?
How do we provide equitable access to the families that need it the most ?
” said Paul Luelmo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Diego State .
“ I wish I had the answers , but I really don ’ t. ” ‘ They should pay me for doing the teachers ’ job ’ In the absence of one-on-one help , parents have become teachers , occupational therapists and speech therapists .
The spring version of Victoria Criswell was optimistic , grateful she had the financial resources and flexibility to be home to support her 16-year-old son Tyler .
Well-versed in his needs , she figured a few months of this would be fine .
Tyler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He is deaf-blind and has had about 26 procedures to address health and physical challenges .
“ I think the district should pay me .
They should pay me for doing the teachers ’ job because online learning does not work for students with special needs , ” Criswell said .
For the last four months Criswell has done little but guide her son via distance learning through all of his therapies — learning how to use his cane , speech therapy , occupational therapy for holding pencils or using the screen , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of which she has formal training to carry out .
“ You ’ ve lost the student in that moment that they might be engaged because you ’ re sitting there looking up how to sign the word , ” she said .
San Ramon Valley Unified School District , where Criswell ’ s son is a student , is continuing remote learning and remote special education services in the fall for all students but is trying to work with families to address problems , spokesman Christopher George said .
Albert Ruvalcaba was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he was assigned to a special education teacher at Andrews Elementary School in Whittier .
For kindergarten through second grade , Mateo would learn from this instructor , who “ really believes in Mateo , she recognizes his potential and how much progress he made throughout the school year and she ... pushes him to get better , ” Albert said .
Mateo , 6 , has Phelan-McDermid syndrome , a rare genetic condition that for him causes developmental delays and limited fine motor skills .
He has difficulty walking and is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ device to communicate his needs .
He progressed well during the school year with his teacher and speech , occupational and physical therapists .
Then COVID-19 hit .
Mateo ’ s progress stalled .
He hasn ’ t learned much new vocabulary or tasks , and is not learning new forms of communication , Ruvalcaba said .
The services were inconsistent , his father said .
One new online physical therapist seemed unprepared for Mateo ’ s needs , and made him do lunges and yoga positions that could put him in danger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ruvalcaba said .
After a few virtual meetings , the parents stopped the sessions , afraid that Mateo would be injured .
His speech therapy , which he ’ s entitled to have three times a week for half an hour , was cut to once a week for about 15 minutes , Ruvalcaba said .
It improved only in the summer , when a different therapist took over .
Whittier City School District did not respond to a request for comment .
For their part , therapists have had less time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undergo training to deliver online services and find new ways to creatively deliver lessons online , said Carol Higa , director of special education for the L.A. County Office of Education .
Educators , too , worry for this class of students .
“ We ’ re so nervous about students coming back and having huge regression , ” Higa said.
`` How do you recoup that ?
” Janette Duran is a counselor at Marlton School in L.A. Unified , which serves deaf students .
She understands how cut off some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ herself .
The district took weeks to provide captions and sign-language translation for essential online training for teachers , and still not all are available , she said .
Meanwhile , some of her students are homeless and many of their family members are not fluent in sign language , leaving them more isolated , she said .
“ They become at high risk for becoming depressed and having huge social-emotional impacts , ” Duran said .
“ That ’ s where some of them are starting to lash out and they start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not able to communicate with their families.
” Data from the Los Angeles Unified School District , which has 64,000 students who require special education services , show that they were disproportionately absent from online learning platforms last spring .
Only about half of L.A. Unified ’ s middle and high school students with disabilities were active once a week on Schoology , one of the district ’ s primary learning platforms , by late May , according to a district report .
That ’ s about 15 percentage points lower than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LAUSD spokeswoman Barbara Jones declined to answer questions about how the nation ’ s second-largest school district is addressing the needs of its special education students .
In a recorded briefing Monday , Supt .
Austin Beutner said students with differences and disabilities are among those “ most impacted by the absence of schools and the challenges online learning present.
” He said the district is working to improve teacher-student interaction and will move to conduct online assessments when possible .
Myla Mann was scheduled for an in-person assessment on March 18 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Her mother , Andrea Villalobos , has yet to secure an assessment for her 5-year-old , who has trouble expressing her thoughts and communicating .
By the time school starts , her child will have gone without help for six months with no plan in place for her educational needs .
Villalobos can ’ t afford a private assessment .
“ It ’ s just very frustrating , ” Villalobos said .
“ I ’ m advocating for my daughter ’ s rights.
” Lynwood Unified School District did not respond to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ districts , at the direction of their public health agencies , have postponed assessments .
L.A. County ’ s 80 districts are not performing in-person assessments , Higa said .
“ There ’ s going to be a backlog , ” Luelmo said .
But federal law still requires schools to complete assessments , and test makers are working on adjusting them to be done remotely , he said .
“ I also understand the point of view of the school district because these assessments must include a variety of tools ... .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ do in an online environment.
” Luelmo said .
“ Really at this point we don ’ t have a good alternative .
”

Myla Mann, 5, and her mother, Andrea Villalobos, at their home in Lynwood. Villalobos is trying to get a special education assessment for her daughter to receive special education services, but the assessments are being delayed indefinitely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Olivia Tan is regressing. She’s lost much of her curiosity, is unwilling to explore her home or flip through books as much as she used to — and her father feels helpless.
The 6-year-old is deaf, blind in one eye and has cognitive delays, heart issues and other physical difficulties that are part of CHARGE syndrome, a disorder caused by a gene mutation. At her Bay Area elementary school, she had a one-on-one aide. At home she has three siblings and two parents trying desperately to offer some semblance of education.
“I don’t feel comfortable doing this,” Simon Tan said of trying to follow the directions of her professional therapists and teachers through a computer. “If somebody asked me just from a standpoint of — are the special education services sufficient? The answer is blatantly no, in no way are they sufficient.”
Advertisement
And Tan knows about these issues. He is a clinical neuropsychologist at Stanford Hospital. Yet like so many California parents, he is overwhelmed by the daily responsibility of carrying out his child’s therapies amid coronavirus-forced school closures.
The education of some 760,000 California children with disabilities has been inconsistent at best since campuses shut down in March. Parents’ worries have intensified as they see their children’s hard-fought advances diminishing — and fear that losses will be compounded with more distance learning ahead, said educators, parents and student advocates.
The state has mandated that school districts continue to provide special education to students with disabilities as required by federal laws, but has waived timelines that allow students to receive assessments and services quickly.
Special education attorneys in California say hundreds of clients, especially economically disadvantaged students and foster youths, overwhelmingly are not receiving the education or services they are entitled to, nor are students who need assessments to receive appropriate care.
“It would be a mistake for anyone to say, ‘Well, we’ve never done this in distance learning before and we’re just not going to do anything at all.’ That goes against everything that we know about the guarantees that students have to receive a free and appropriate education,” State Supt. of Schools Tony Thurmond said.
Yet the personal stories of parents and educators grappling with these responsibilities reveal overwhelming challenges, failed attempts to secure help and, ultimately, the realization that in many cases, the direly needed hands-on services of therapists are not performed well through a computer screen.
“I have spent most of the summer rethinking ... how do we take these evidence-based practices in an online environment? How do we provide equitable access to the families that need it the most?” said Paul Luelmo, a professor of special education at San Diego State. “I wish I had the answers, but I really don’t.”
‘They should pay me for doing the teachers’ job’
In the absence of one-on-one help, parents have become teachers, occupational therapists and speech therapists.
Advertisement
The spring version of Victoria Criswell was optimistic, grateful she had the financial resources and flexibility to be home to support her 16-year-old son Tyler. Well-versed in his needs, she figured a few months of this would be fine. Tyler has CHARGE syndrome and is autistic. He is deaf-blind and has had about 26 procedures to address health and physical challenges.
“I think the district should pay me. They should pay me for doing the teachers’ job because online learning does not work for students with special needs,” Criswell said.
For the last four months Criswell has done little but guide her son via distance learning through all of his therapies — learning how to use his cane, speech therapy, occupational therapy for holding pencils or using the screen, acting as a one-on-one translator — none of which she has formal training to carry out.
“You’ve lost the student in that moment that they might be engaged because you’re sitting there looking up how to sign the word,” she said.
San Ramon Valley Unified School District, where Criswell’s son is a student, is continuing remote learning and remote special education services in the fall for all students but is trying to work with families to address problems, spokesman Christopher George said.
Going backward
Albert Ruvalcaba was excited for his son, Mateo, when he was assigned to a special education teacher at Andrews Elementary School in Whittier. For kindergarten through second grade, Mateo would learn from this instructor, who “really believes in Mateo, she recognizes his potential and how much progress he made throughout the school year and she ... pushes him to get better,” Albert said.
Mateo, 6, has Phelan-McDermid syndrome, a rare genetic condition that for him causes developmental delays and limited fine motor skills. He has difficulty walking and is nonverbal, so he mostly uses a device to communicate his needs. He progressed well during the school year with his teacher and speech, occupational and physical therapists.
Then COVID-19 hit. Mateo’s progress stalled. He hasn’t learned much new vocabulary or tasks, and is not learning new forms of communication, Ruvalcaba said.
The services were inconsistent, his father said. One new online physical therapist seemed unprepared for Mateo’s needs, and made him do lunges and yoga positions that could put him in danger because of his issues with balance, Ruvalcaba said. After a few virtual meetings, the parents stopped the sessions, afraid that Mateo would be injured.
His speech therapy, which he’s entitled to have three times a week for half an hour, was cut to once a week for about 15 minutes, Ruvalcaba said. It improved only in the summer, when a different therapist took over.
Whittier City School District did not respond to a request for comment.
For their part, therapists have had less time to serve children because they had to both undergo training to deliver online services and find new ways to creatively deliver lessons online, said Carol Higa, director of special education for the L.A. County Office of Education.
Educators, too, worry for this class of students.
“We’re so nervous about students coming back and having huge regression,” Higa said. “ How do you recoup that?”
Finding connections
Janette Duran is a counselor at Marlton School in L.A. Unified, which serves deaf students. She understands how cut off some of her students feel — she is deaf herself. The district took weeks to provide captions and sign-language translation for essential online training for teachers, and still not all are available, she said. Meanwhile, some of her students are homeless and many of their family members are not fluent in sign language, leaving them more isolated, she said.
“They become at high risk for becoming depressed and having huge social-emotional impacts,” Duran said. “That’s where some of them are starting to lash out and they start getting frustrated or upset because they’re not able to communicate with their families.”
Data from the Los Angeles Unified School District, which has 64,000 students who require special education services, show that they were disproportionately absent from online learning platforms last spring. Only about half of L.A. Unified’s middle and high school students with disabilities were active once a week on Schoology, one of the district’s primary learning platforms, by late May, according to a district report. That’s about 15 percentage points lower than the rates for students without disabilities.
LAUSD spokeswoman Barbara Jones declined to answer questions about how the nation’s second-largest school district is addressing the needs of its special education students.
In a recorded briefing Monday, Supt. Austin Beutner said students with differences and disabilities are among those “most impacted by the absence of schools and the challenges online learning present.” He said the district is working to improve teacher-student interaction and will move to conduct online assessments when possible.
Never got a chance
Myla Mann, 5, has trouble expressing her thoughts and communicating. Her special education assessments have been delayed indefinitely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
Myla Mann was scheduled for an in-person assessment on March 18, days after her Lynwood school closed. Her mother, Andrea Villalobos, has yet to secure an assessment for her 5-year-old, who has trouble expressing her thoughts and communicating.
By the time school starts, her child will have gone without help for six months with no plan in place for her educational needs. Villalobos can’t afford a private assessment.
“It’s just very frustrating,” Villalobos said. “I’m advocating for my daughter’s rights.”
Lynwood Unified School District did not respond to a request for comment.
Many California school districts, at the direction of their public health agencies, have postponed assessments. L.A. County’s 80 districts are not performing in-person assessments, Higa said.
“There’s going to be a backlog,” Luelmo said. But federal law still requires schools to complete assessments, and test makers are working on adjusting them to be done remotely, he said.
“I also understand the point of view of the school district because these assessments must include a variety of tools .... and some of these are hard to do in an online environment.” Luelmo said. “Really at this point we don’t have a good alternative.”


latimes--2020-08-07--How California is preparing for in-person voting this year due to coronavirus

Even as California elections officials prepare to mail ballots to all of the state ’ s 21 million voters this fall , they do so with the expectation that some portion of the electorate will still choose to participate in person during the pandemic , requiring a delicate balance between voting rights and public health .
“ We are preparing for , I think , the most unprecedented election in modern history , ” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said .
“ This is an all hands on deck moment.
” After Gov .
Gavin Newsom issued an executive order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — a plan ratified on Thursday by the Legislature — county officials have scrambled to determine how many in-person locations they can muster and how many days they can keep them open .
Added to that is uncertainty over whether there will be enough short-term workers who are willing to work more than a single day and also enforce strict coronavirus safety measures .
“ I think all counties have struggled a bit , ” said Brandi Orth , registrar of voters in Fresno County and president of the state association of elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , additional lift.
” Few problems are more pressing than finding locations that meet strict guidelines for physical distancing .
The tradition of cramming ballot-marking booths into a neighbor ’ s garage or a room at a senior care facility is , at least for this election , a nonstarter .
A detailed set of instructions written by state officials last month urges at least six feet of space between voting equipment and voter check-in locations .
In some tight spots , the guide urges the use of plexiglass partitions .
And marked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those in retail and grocery stores , should be used for voters waiting to cast a ballot .
“ There will be lines because you just can ’ t physically put all of those people together , ” Orth said .
To lessen the chance of long lines , state officials have encouraged counties to offer four days of in-person voting , from Saturday , Oct. 31 through election day .
But this too presents problems for communities that have traditionally relied on places of worship or a variety of public buildings for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extra time as the primary requirements , some counties are far from securing what they need .
Janna Hayes , a spokesperson for Sacramento County , said elections officials have so far found fewer than half the number of voting locations used in the March presidential primary .
“ We continue to need community partners , businesses — both public and private locations — school districts , to step up and offer services and locations , ” Hayes said .
Fifteen California counties , including Sacramento , Los Angeles and Orange , had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus .
Voters in those counties can use in-person sites for a variety of elections services .
But most are unlikely to offer 15 days of in-person voting and focus time and resources on the final leg of the election cycle instead .
“ When you look at the data , voters ’ habits do not change , ” said Neal Kelley , the registrar of voters in Orange County .
“ They wait until the weekend before and they go out.
” Kelly says his voting centers will be open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to limit the potential coronavirus risks to election workers .
“ It doesn ’ t make sense to expose my staff , ” he said .
Election workers will be expected to follow strict public health rules , including sanitizing voting equipment at each site and wearing gloves and other protective equipment .
But that won ’ t be required of voters .
“ Election workers must not turn a voter away for lack of face covering , ” says the 52-page guide compiled by Padilla ’ s office for local officials .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Voters who arrive without a mask will be offered one along with those wearing masks with a slogan of support for a candidate , a violation of rules banning electioneering at the polls .
And for those who refuse a mask , election officials are expected to designate at least one voting booth far from the others .
With mask mandates sparking angry outbursts in a number of California communities , election workers will be trained in how to limit conflict and ensure safety at the voting site .
“ Election workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the county elections office if they feel threatened or intimidated , if voters feel threatened or intimidated , or if a disturbance of any kind occurs , ” the state guide says .
“ Election workers should be instructed to call local law enforcement first if they believe the safety of any person in the polling place is in jeopardy.
” In Orange County , a hotbed of anti-mask sentiment , Kelley says he has ordered some 300,000 masks for voting locations and is producing training videos for election workers with detailed instructions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The last thing I want is our staff having to get into a conflict , ” he said .
Coronavirus precautions will also require a new focus on protecting paper ballots .
State officials are asking local workers to post a reminder on signs inside voting locations : “ Your ballot is fragile ; make sure your hands are dry and your sanitizer has evaporated.
” In-person voting is not the only challenge for local election officials who expect high turnout and a deluge of absentee ballots dropped off at local drop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mail .
A special provision has been made for the November election allowing ballots postmarked by election day to be counted even if they arrive 17 days late .
Election workers , who often work in pairs to retrieve ballots from drop boxes as a security measure , will be asked not to travel together and instead follow each other in their own cars .
Those paired workers should be kept together to avoid additional mixing , the state guide says , and the keys that open the drop boxes should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ count ballots is also needed , state officials said .
In Fresno County , Orth said she ’ s already secured more warehouse space to spread her staff out for the ballot counting process .
There are also fears that election workers might contract COVID-19 either right before or after the election , leading to a slowdown in work or the need for well-trained backup employees .
Orth ’ s team got a preview of what that could look like late last month , after three Fresno County government employees who assist with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home for up to two weeks after possible virus exposure .
“ We worked long hours to make up for their absence , ” she said .
The challenges in planning for in-person voting have received little attention , overshadowed by California ’ s high-profile push to encourage as many voters as possible to cast their ballots from home .
But some , particularly those who speak a language other than English and those with physical limitations , are still likely to seek out an in-person voting location .
“ I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change just because we ’ re mailing them a ballot , ” said John Gardner , the assistant registrar of voters in Solano County .
“ Some people like normal .
And you don ’ t like making a lot of changes [ to election rules ] in a presidential election year.
” Padilla , whose office championed the effort to mail a ballot to all registered voters , said it ’ s important to make sure everyone finds the manner of voting that suits them best .
“ Out of respect to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we know that in-person options are necessary .
They ’ re not optional .
”

People waited almost two hours to vote at UCLA Hammer Museum in March 3, 2020. Almost all California counties will offer in-person voting locations on Nov. 3 but with very different rules in response to COVID-19 fears.
Even as California elections officials prepare to mail ballots to all of the state’s 21 million voters this fall, they do so with the expectation that some portion of the electorate will still choose to participate in person during the pandemic, requiring a delicate balance between voting rights and public health.
“We are preparing for, I think, the most unprecedented election in modern history,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “This is an all hands on deck moment.”
After Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order in June outlining new voting location rules — a plan ratified on Thursday by the Legislature — county officials have scrambled to determine how many in-person locations they can muster and how many days they can keep them open. Added to that is uncertainty over whether there will be enough short-term workers who are willing to work more than a single day and also enforce strict coronavirus safety measures.
“I think all counties have struggled a bit,” said Brandi Orth, registrar of voters in Fresno County and president of the state association of elections officials. “It is an extreme, additional lift.”
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Few problems are more pressing than finding locations that meet strict guidelines for physical distancing. The tradition of cramming ballot-marking booths into a neighbor’s garage or a room at a senior care facility is, at least for this election, a nonstarter.
A detailed set of instructions written by state officials last month urges at least six feet of space between voting equipment and voter check-in locations. In some tight spots, the guide urges the use of plexiglass partitions. And marked spaces on the floor, similar to those in retail and grocery stores, should be used for voters waiting to cast a ballot.
“There will be lines because you just can’t physically put all of those people together,” Orth said.
To lessen the chance of long lines, state officials have encouraged counties to offer four days of in-person voting, from Saturday, Oct. 31 through election day. But this too presents problems for communities that have traditionally relied on places of worship or a variety of public buildings for voting locations.
With physical space and extra time as the primary requirements, some counties are far from securing what they need. Janna Hayes, a spokesperson for Sacramento County, said elections officials have so far found fewer than half the number of voting locations used in the March presidential primary.
“We continue to need community partners, businesses — both public and private locations — school districts, to step up and offer services and locations,” Hayes said.
Fifteen California counties, including Sacramento, Los Angeles and Orange, had opted for multi-day voting before the outbreak of the coronavirus. Voters in those counties can use in-person sites for a variety of elections services. But most are unlikely to offer 15 days of in-person voting and focus time and resources on the final leg of the election cycle instead.
“When you look at the data, voters’ habits do not change,” said Neal Kelley, the registrar of voters in Orange County. “They wait until the weekend before and they go out.”
Kelley says his voting centers will be open for five days — in part, to limit the potential coronavirus risks to election workers.
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“It doesn’t make sense to expose my staff,” he said.
Election workers will be expected to follow strict public health rules, including sanitizing voting equipment at each site and wearing gloves and other protective equipment.
But that won’t be required of voters.
“Election workers must not turn a voter away for lack of face covering,” says the 52-page guide compiled by Padilla’s office for local officials. “The right to vote takes precedence.”
Voters who arrive without a mask will be offered one, as will anyone wearing a mask with a slogan of support for a candidate, a violation of rules banning electioneering at the polls. And for those who refuse a mask, election officials are expected to designate at least one voting booth far from the others.
With mask mandates sparking angry outbursts in a number of California communities, election workers will be trained in how to limit conflict and ensure safety at the voting site.
“Election workers should be provided with instructions to call the county elections office if they feel threatened or intimidated, if voters feel threatened or intimidated, or if a disturbance of any kind occurs,” the state guide says. “Election workers should be instructed to call local law enforcement first if they believe the safety of any person in the polling place is in jeopardy.”
In Orange County, a hotbed of anti-mask sentiment, Kelley says he has ordered some 300,000 masks for voting locations and is producing training videos for election workers with detailed instructions on easing any tensions that arise.
“The last thing I want is our staff having to get into a conflict,” he said.
Coronavirus precautions will also require a new focus on protecting paper ballots. State officials are asking local workers to post a reminder on signs inside voting locations: “Your ballot is fragile; make sure your hands are dry and your sanitizer has evaporated.”
In-person voting is not the only challenge for local election officials who expect high turnout and a deluge of absentee ballots dropped off at local drop boxes and election offices or sent in the mail. A special provision has been made for the November election allowing ballots postmarked by election day to be counted even if they arrive 17 days late.
Election workers, who often work in pairs to retrieve ballots from drop boxes as a security measure, will be asked not to travel together and instead follow one another in their own cars. Those paired workers should be kept together to avoid additional mixing, the state guide says, and the keys that open the drop boxes should be disinfected.
Additional space to process and count ballots is also needed, state officials said. In Fresno County, Orth said she’s already secured more warehouse space to spread her staff out for the ballot counting process.
There are also fears that election workers might contract COVID-19 either right before or after the election, leading to a slowdown in work or the need for well-trained backup employees.
Orth’s team got a preview of what that could look like late last month, after three Fresno County government employees who assist with candidate campaign documents had to quarantine at home for up to two weeks after possible virus exposure.
“We worked long hours to make up for their absence,” she said.
The challenges in planning for in-person voting have received little attention, overshadowed by California’s high-profile push to encourage as many voters as possible to cast their ballots from home. But some, particularly those who speak a language other than English and those with physical limitations, are still likely to seek out an in-person voting location.
“I don’t think those people are going to change just because we’re mailing them a ballot,” said John Gardner, the assistant registrar of voters in Solano County. “Some people like normal. And you don’t like making a lot of changes [to election rules] in a presidential election year.”
Padilla, whose office championed the effort to mail a ballot to all registered voters, said it’s important to make sure everyone finds the manner of voting that suits them best.
“Out of respect to California’s large, diverse electorate, we know that in-person options are necessary. They’re not optional.”