latimes--2020-01-06--Bay Area car burglars travel down the coast to snatch belongings from Los Angeles tourists, police s

Bay Area car burglars travel down the coast to snatch belongings from Los Angeles tourists, police say

The thefts began multiplying in the last year : Crooks smashed windows or entered unlocked doors to swipe luggage , shopping bags and other valuables from cars parked at tourist destinations across Los Angeles ’ Westside .
As investigators chased leads , they noticed striking similarities in the heists : The suspects were Bay Area gang members traveling in rental cars to Southern California to commit crimes against unsuspecting tourists at shopping centers , museums and other high-traffic areas .
Scouring parking lots and garages for out-of-state license plates and scoping out windshields for bar codes indicating a rental car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from police agencies in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills and the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department are scrambling to stem a new , audacious crime wave in which hard-to-track out-of-towners are preying on vulnerable sightseers at some of the nation ’ s top tourist destinations .
“ It is a huge problem , ” said Los Angeles Sheriff ’ s Capt .
Ed Ramirez , commanding officer of the West Hollywood area .
“ We have been plagued by this on the Westside .
It is extremely widespread.
” Traditionally , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighborhood problem .
In this case , crews primarily from San Francisco and Oakland , as well as Antioch , Pittsburg and other cities in Contra Costa County , appear to believe that the “ time and distance ” from the Southland provide some shield , police said .
“ It was our No .
1 crime trend in West Bureau in 2019 , ” said LAPD Cmdr .
Cory Palka .
Prosecuting the crimes has been hampered by a loophole in state law that makes it harder to obtain a conviction for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doors were locked .
Many tourists can not easily return to testify .
In many cases resulting in arrests , suspects either have posted bond or have been released after pleading to lesser charges .
The thefts had become an epidemic in the Bay Area and a lucrative endeavor for gang members until residents and businesses bolstered security , said Richmond Police Lt. Matt Stonebraker .
Many repeat offenders are well-known to law enforcement .
“ This has also caused them to hit the road to locations where they can have anonymity in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Los Angeles , police describe brazen crooks breaking windows in crowded parking areas with surveillance cameras rolling , waiting for people to get just far enough away from their vehicle .
Even as arrests are made to halt some crews , additional culprits — police believe multiple gangs are involved — arrive to commit more thefts .
“ We are seeing a shift , ” said LAPD Det .
Brent Hopkins of the Wilshire Division .
“ You have tourist suspects targeting tourist victims .
These are the hallmarks of the Bay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wilshire Division , which includes popular tourist destinations such as the Grove , Beverly Center , the Original Farmers Market and museums along the Miracle Mile , recorded 1,968 car burglaries in 2019 .
The number jumped 29 % from 2018 and 37 % from 2017 , with much of that spike attributed to Bay Area gangs , Hopkins said .
In July , a three-member crew from the Bay Area garnered headlines when they led LAPD officers on a 100-mph chase that ended at a shopping center in Sherman Oaks .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thefts in the Mid-Wilshire area .
Hopkins said he had heard “ heartbreaking stories after heartbreaking stories ” from tourists and others who lost thousands of dollars in valuables .
Police , he said , can warn people not to keep anything in vehicles , but tourists sometimes have no choice but to leave luggage in cars .
“ I feel awful for these people , ” Hopkins said .
“ It makes me angry that these innocent people are being targeted .
It really puts a black eye on our area.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ that enables our security team and law enforcement to assess and respond to suspicious activity in real time , proving to be a deterrent , ” the company said in a statement .
As a result of the crime sprees , Hopkins said auto detectives were working more closely with counterparts in neighboring police agencies and in the Bay Area to share photos , license plates and any other intelligence to curb the volume of crimes .
The Wilshire Division added two additional detectives to the auto squad and conducted surveillance operations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department helicopter will often patrol the skies over trouble spots at night , Hopkins said .
“ We are doing everything we can to stop this , ” he said .
In the LAPD ’ s Hollywood Division , an Oakland gang committed 40 auto thefts in an April spree and used electric scooters to get around .
Surveillance video showed one man smashing an SUV window .
He then grabbed a bag and handed it to a cohort on a scooter .
The stolen goods were being sold in Oakland , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ exploits are showing up on Instagram , Facebook and other social media .
Suspects have exchanged phone messages bragging about the heists and being paid $ 1,000 for each bag of stolen electronics , jewelry and designer clothes , said Det .
Douglas Oldfield of the Hollywood Division .
Surveillance video routinely shows suspects lunging through smashed windows because opening the door would activate the alarm , he said .
“ It ’ s very lucrative for them , ” Oldfield said .
“ They make their rounds.
” The sheriff ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2,000 thefts from vehicles in 2019 , Ramirez said .
Thieves have targeted the Sunset Strip , Design District , Santa Monica Boulevard and other destinations .
Beverly Hills Police Lt. Scott Dowling described the thefts as “ kind of a new crime trend ” for the city , which has more than 1,200 surveillance cameras watching the streets .
The department is aggressively pursuing suspects , traveling to Oakland to make arrests , he added .
Police have also set up bait cars to catch gang members in action .
“ By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a safe business model to follow , ” Dowling said about the gangs .
“ We will go after you if you leave a cookie to follow .
This is a quality-of-life issue for us .
It ’ s quite a burden.
” Recently , the same crew struck two vehicles in Beverly Hills and another 18 in the sheriff ’ s West Hollywood area .
The suspects ’ license plate was flagged for suspicious activity and they were later arrested in Arizona .
On a busy Friday afternoon at the Original @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unaware that thieves could be targeting cars .
Two visitors from Texas and New Mexico left luggage in the back of their SUV but said they had locked the doors .
Several suitcases could be seen through the back window of Jolie Delmon ’ s green Cadillac SUV as she and her relatives headed to shop .
The Broken Arrow , Okla. , resident said she didn ’ t know about the crime problem .
“ That makes sense , ” she said .
“ This is where people shop .
I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locked my door.
” Vehicle thefts are surging across California , with 243,000 incidents recorded in 2018 , well above the annual average of 223,000 for the eight previous years .
Last month , the Los Angeles Times reported that an epidemic of car burglaries in San Francisco over the last few years had led state Sen. Scott Wiener ( D-San Francisco ) to propose changing the law that allows some break-ins to go unpunished .
But the Legislature has balked at expanding criminal liability .
George Gascón , who stepped down as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ October to run for Los Angeles County district attorney , backed closing the loophole .
He said tourists were disproportionately affected because they ’ re likelier to leave valuables in their cars .
“ The loophole in the law means that when an arrest is made justice may not be applied equally when the victim is from out of town , ” Gascón said in a statement .

A person burglarizes a vehicle in broad daylight and is caught on video at La Jolla and Melrose avenues in Los Angeles.
The thefts began multiplying in the last year: Crooks smashed windows or entered unlocked doors to swipe luggage, shopping bags and other valuables from cars parked at tourist destinations across Los Angeles’ Westside.
As investigators chased leads, they noticed striking similarities in the heists: The suspects were Bay Area gang members traveling in rental cars to Southern California to commit crimes against unsuspecting tourists at shopping centers, museums and other high-traffic areas.
Scouring parking lots and garages for out-of-state license plates and scoping out windshields for bar codes indicating a rental car was their MO.
Advertisement
Now, detectives from police agencies in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are scrambling to stem a new, audacious crime wave in which hard-to-track out-of-towners are preying on vulnerable sightseers at some of the nation’s top tourist destinations.
“It is a huge problem,” said Los Angeles Sheriff’s Capt. Ed Ramirez, commanding officer of the West Hollywood area. “We have been plagued by this on the Westside. It is extremely widespread.”
Traditionally, automobile smash-and-grabs have been home-grown and a neighborhood problem. In this case, crews primarily from San Francisco and Oakland, as well as Antioch, Pittsburg and other cities in Contra Costa County, appear to believe that the “time and distance” from the Southland provide some shield, police said.
“It was our No. 1 crime trend in West Bureau in 2019,” said LAPD Cmdr. Cory Palka.
Prosecuting the crimes has been hampered by a loophole in state law that makes it harder to obtain a conviction for auto burglary without proof that the car doors were locked. Many tourists cannot easily return to testify.
In many cases resulting in arrests, suspects either have posted bond or have been released after pleading to lesser charges.
The thefts had become an epidemic in the Bay Area and a lucrative endeavor for gang members until residents and businesses bolstered security, said Richmond Police Lt. Matt Stonebraker. Many repeat offenders are well-known to law enforcement.
“This has also caused them to hit the road to locations where they can have anonymity in other jurisdictions,” Stonebraker said.
Advertisement
LAPD Detectives Brent Hopkins, left, and Douglas Oldfield, standing in front of a poster of vehicle burglary suspects from the Bay Area, talk about crimes committed across West Los Angeles. The thieves smash windows and grab items in the cars. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
In Los Angeles, police describe brazen crooks breaking windows in crowded parking areas with surveillance cameras rolling, waiting for people to get just far enough away from their vehicle. Even as arrests are made to halt some crews, additional culprits — police believe multiple gangs are involved — arrive to commit more thefts.
“We are seeing a shift,” said LAPD Det. Brent Hopkins of the Wilshire Division. “You have tourist suspects targeting tourist victims. These are the hallmarks of the Bay Area groups.”
The LAPD’s Wilshire Division, which includes popular tourist destinations such as the Grove, Beverly Center, the Original Farmers Market and museums along the Miracle Mile, recorded 1,968 car burglaries in 2019. The number jumped 29% from 2018 and 37% from 2017, with much of that spike attributed to Bay Area gangs, Hopkins said.
In July, a three-member crew from the Bay Area garnered headlines when they led LAPD officers on a 100-mph chase that ended at a shopping center in Sherman Oaks. The trio, police said, were committing thefts in the Mid-Wilshire area.
Hopkins said he had heard “heartbreaking stories after heartbreaking stories” from tourists and others who lost thousands of dollars in valuables. Police, he said, can warn people not to keep anything in vehicles, but tourists sometimes have no choice but to leave luggage in cars.
“I feel awful for these people,” Hopkins said. “It makes me angry that these innocent people are being targeted. It really puts a black eye on our area.”
The Grove has invested in state-of-the-art technology “that enables our security team and law enforcement to assess and respond to suspicious activity in real time, proving to be a deterrent,” the company said in a statement.
As a result of the crime sprees, Hopkins said auto detectives were working more closely with counterparts in neighboring police agencies and in the Bay Area to share photos, license plates and any other intelligence to curb the volume of crimes. The Wilshire Division added two additional detectives to the auto squad and conducted surveillance operations to nab suspects. Additionally, a department helicopter will often patrol the skies over trouble spots at night, Hopkins said.
“We are doing everything we can to stop this,” he said.
In the LAPD’s Hollywood Division, an Oakland gang committed 40 auto thefts in an April spree and used electric scooters to get around. Surveillance video showed one man smashing an SUV window. He then grabbed a bag and handed it to a cohort on a scooter. The stolen goods were being sold in Oakland, and five people were arrested.
Gang members’ exploits are showing up on Instagram, Facebook and other social media. Suspects have exchanged phone messages bragging about the heists and being paid $1,000 for each bag of stolen electronics, jewelry and designer clothes, said Det. Douglas Oldfield of the Hollywood Division. Surveillance video routinely shows suspects lunging through smashed windows because opening the door would activate the alarm, he said.
“It’s very lucrative for them,” Oldfield said. “They make their rounds.”
The sheriff’s West Hollywood station recorded more than 2,000 thefts from vehicles in 2019, Ramirez said. Thieves have targeted the Sunset Strip, Design District, Santa Monica Boulevard and other destinations.
Beverly Hills Police Lt. Scott Dowling described the thefts as “kind of a new crime trend” for the city, which has more than 1,200 surveillance cameras watching the streets. The department is aggressively pursuing suspects, traveling to Oakland to make arrests, he added.
Police have also set up bait cars to catch gang members in action.
“By living up there, they feel this is a safe business model to follow,” Dowling said about the gangs. “We will go after you if you leave a cookie to follow. This is a quality-of-life issue for us. It’s quite a burden.”
Recently, the same crew struck two vehicles in Beverly Hills and another 18 in the sheriff’s West Hollywood area. The suspects’ license plate was flagged for suspicious activity and they were later arrested in Arizona.
On a busy Friday afternoon at the Original Farmers Market, shoppers poured into stores unaware that thieves could be targeting cars. Two visitors from Texas and New Mexico left luggage in the back of their SUV but said they had locked the doors.
Several suitcases could be seen through the back window of Jolie Delmon’s green Cadillac SUV as she and her relatives headed to shop. The Broken Arrow, Okla., resident said she didn’t know about the crime problem.
“That makes sense,” she said. “This is where people shop. I’m glad I just went back and locked my door.”
Vehicle thefts are surging across California, with 243,000 incidents recorded in 2018, well above the annual average of 223,000 for the eight previous years.
Last month, the Los Angeles Times reported that an epidemic of car burglaries in San Francisco over the last few years had led state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) to propose changing the law that allows some break-ins to go unpunished. But the Legislature has balked at expanding criminal liability.
George Gascón, who stepped down as San Francisco’s top prosecutor in October to run for Los Angeles County district attorney, backed closing the loophole. He said tourists were disproportionately affected because they’re likelier to leave valuables in their cars.
“The loophole in the law means that when an arrest is made justice may not be applied equally when the victim is from out of town,” Gascón said in a statement.


latimes--2020-01-06--In a church of their own, Latino atheists fear no God. But Mom? That's another matter

Once a month , a very particular Sunday service unfolds on a patio outside a Starbucks in El Monte .
When jets fly overhead , members of the congregation have to shout across the table at one another .
Some days , there ’ s a small crowd , and the conversation lasts for hours .
On other days , Arlene Rios waits alone .
It ’ s not easy being an atheist raised in a devoutly Catholic culture .
But here in the San Gabriel Valley , you don ’ t have to doubt God ’ s existence all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monthly meetup of secular Latinos and share a latte with Rios .
There are no Communion wafers at this service , just coffee and pastries , support and understanding from Atheists United Secular Latinos of San Gabriel Valley .
“ Some people are afraid to RSVP , because they ’ re afraid their family members might know they ’ re questioning religion , ” said Rios , who started organizing this unusual convocation in Fresno three years ago .
“ I still show up just in case.
” She is up against centuries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American homes , saints abound .
Pope bobblehead dolls adorn bookshelves .
Palm Sunday branches are tacked up on walls .
Paintings of the Last Supper hang in dining rooms .
Abuelas give rosaries to hang on the rearview mirror of the family car .
Moms say “ persignate ” — make the sign of the cross — when you get on the freeway or there ’ s turbulence on the plane .
In Mexican culture , there is no greater icon than the Virgen de Guadalupe .
In Spanish , goodbye literally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A Dios .
Even though identification with the Catholic Church , or any church for that matter , has dwindled some among Latinos in the United States over the last decade , Latinos do not hold atheists in high regard .
Some 47 % of Latinos describe themselves as Catholic , down from 57 % a decade ago , according to a Pew Research Center survey on America ’ s changing religious landscape released in October .
At the same time , 23 % of Latinos say they are religiously unaffiliated , up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survey from the Pew Research Center indicated that “ Latinos feel more unfavorably toward atheists than they do toward any other group.
” “ Religion for Latinos overwhelmingly for the longest time has been Catholic .
It ’ s so embedded and imbued in the culture , ” said Arlene Sánchez-Walsh , a professor of religious studies at Azusa Pacific University .
“ Becoming completely nonbelieving , that ’ s a major rupture.
” Which is something the members of this meetup know all too well .
Alex Flores ’ mother discussed his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If the 37-year-old wanted to convert back to Catholicism , she told her son , he could get rebaptized “ in one hour.
” Tomas Rodriguez Jr. 's family thinks the 54-year-old is going through a phase .
His mother jokingly blames herself for his “ disbelief in God.
” At Alfredo Beltran ’ s job in Commerce , a co-worker announced that she thought atheists were “ devil worshipers.
” Another asked Beltran if he even mourned death .
Beltran , 44 , grew up Catholic and recalls the guilt that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rain , his family told him it was because he had “ been bad and Diosito is mad.
” At confession , he wondered why he needed to repent for forgetting to do the dishes or not taking out the trash .
He attended Mass with everyone in his family except for his grandfather .
“ He would always stay home , and I would hear little comments [ from him ] here and there like , ‘ Oh God didn ’ t give me that meat .
I got that meat ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ” said Beltran , who became an atheist when he was in his 30s .
Beltran met Rios while the two stood in line in L.A. to listen to a talk with atheist activist Matt Dillahunty , host of the live internet show “ The Atheist Experience.
” When Rios told Beltran she wanted to start the group , he was immediately supportive .
Rios , a Navy veteran , grew up Catholic but walked away from religion when she was in her 30s because “ it just didn ’ t make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 43-year-old said she missed one important function that church provided , “ the community aspect of it.
” She started Fresno Latino Atheists after hearing about secular Latino meetups across the country .
Six people came to her first gathering .
The group now boasts hundreds of members online .
After Rios moved to the San Gabriel Valley , she held her first meetup there in June 2018 .
Her parents were supportive , she said , although at times her mother — who grew up in Mexico — still references the Bible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maria Elena Avila ’ s “ natural being tells me to believe , ” she respects her daughter ’ s nonbelief .
“ This is a free country , and you can become whatever you want to become , ” she said .
“ My purpose as a mother was to raise my kids being good citizens , and I think I did.
” But other family members dismiss Rios ’ beliefs — or lack thereof — altogether .
“ Ay mija , ” her aunt tells her , “ you were baptized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be Catholic.
” In the U.S. , a decreasing number of adults identify as Catholic , while the number of people who answer the religion question with the word “ none ” has steadily grown .
The religiously unaffiliated share of the population , which consists of people who identify as atheist , agnostic or “ nothing in particular , ” went up from 17 % in 2009 to 26 % in 2018-19 , according to Pew Research Center .
Those numbers have grown across multiple demographic groups .
Around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook groups and Reddit threads to share their secret — or not-so-secret — lack of faith .
One Reddit user said he became disillusioned with religion around the time he went through confirmation in high school .
His mother , who he described as “ still very Catholic , ” attends Mass every Sunday and prays before bed and at every meal .
His father has always seemed “ to just kind of tolerate it.
” “ Though he grew up Catholic , too , I get the feeling he just kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of keeping the peace with my mom , ” he wrote .
“ I guess I do the same thing when I ’ m home visiting.
” Another Reddit user emphasized “ how deep-rooted our cultures are in superstition.
” “ In a nutshell , if you ’ re not Catholic , you ’ re not one of the ‘ normal ’ ones , so it can be very tough to fit in , ” the user said .
“ My hope is that other atheist Latinos will help normalize atheism in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second Sunday of November for the meetup , oblivious to the churchgoers heading into the Starbucks after services .
Rios rooted through a Lotería wallet for cash so she could grab coffee to keep herself warm in the chilly air , as she handed out Atheists United newsletters .
They are open about their nonbelief .
Rios ’ black T-shirt read “ Secular Latinas.
” Beltran has an atheist tattoo on his wrist and a sticker on his truck promoting Atheists United Secular Latinos of San Gabriel Valley .
The majority of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public Works Department are Latino , and all are religious , making him the “ butt of all jokes , ” he said .
Often , he questions their faith .
After a co-worker explained that his own daughter was disabled because of all the bad stuff he did in the past , Beltran questioned believing in something that would punish an innocent 4-year-old for a grown man ’ s alleged sins .
When a friend died , Beltran said he called another co-worker to tell him about his pain .
That colleague @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually mourn death ?
“ We don ’ t correlate it to religion , ” Beltran said .
But when “ we lose someone , our hearts are broken.
” Although some friends worry about him being a nonbeliever , he stands by his moral code .
“ I don ’ t know about you guys , but when I finally decided to say I was atheist I felt like this huge weight just fell off my back , ” Beltran told the assembled nonbelievers .
A murmur of agreement ran through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and tell everybody , ” he said .
At times , though , being a nonbeliever has come at a cost .
After Flores ’ sister gave birth to a son and it was time for the baby ’ s baptism , she told Flores she wanted him to be the child ’ s godfather .
“ But you being an atheist , ” she told him , “ I had to go with someone else.
” Leticia Flores-Mejia considered Flores , she said , but “ the church that we went to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholic.
” Beltran ran into a similar roadblock .
When friends wanted him to be their son ’ s godfather , it was the priest who said no .
“ Apparently I couldn ’ t because , how am I supposed to teach their son about God and the Bible if I ’ m not a believer , ” Beltran said .
“ Technically you can teach it , ” Flores said , “ just not the things they want.
” That Sunday morning , the group of seven talked about hobbies — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dance workshop .
And recent European vacations — including a visit to a church that urged tourists not to help the false poor but to “ help the real ones ” with an offer to the parish .
They cite evolution to disprove Genesis and the story of Adam and Eve and their immediate descendants , asking if God is OK with incest .
There is comfort in swapping stories about people who don ’ t understand who atheists are .
“ You don ’ t believe in God ?
But you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heard .
“ You can ’ t be an atheist , because you ’ re such a sweet guy , ” said Beltran ’ s friend , who asked him not to talk to her children about religion .
When these atheists go to church , it ’ s for weddings , baptisms , or funerals .
Beltran and his wife were married in their backyard .
Rodriguez Jr. and his wife were married at City Hall .
Still , remnants of their past lives remain .
At times they say “ bless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ oh my God ” when something surprises them .
The Last Supper hangs on Rios ’ wall , reminding her of her childhood ; Beltran still has rosaries ; and Rodriguez Jr. has a packet of “ Bible stuff ” from his first Communion that his grandmother sent when he moved to California .
There ’ s only one Virgen de Guadalupe in Rios ’ home — a print of the Virgin Mary depicted as Princess Leia holding a gun .
She put it away , after her grandmother visited , took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Alfredo Beltran and his wife, Catalina, at their home in Pico Rivera.
Once a month, a very particular Sunday service unfolds on a patio outside a Starbucks in El Monte. When jets fly overhead, members of the congregation have to shout across the table at one another.
Some days, there’s a small crowd, and the conversation lasts for hours. On other days, Arlene Rios waits alone.
It’s not easy being an atheist raised in a devoutly Catholic culture. But here in the San Gabriel Valley, you don’t have to doubt God’s existence all alone. You can head to the monthly meetup of secular Latinos and share a latte with Rios.
There are no Communion wafers at this service, just coffee and pastries, support and understanding from Atheists United Secular Latinos of San Gabriel Valley.
“Some people are afraid to RSVP, because they’re afraid their family members might know they’re questioning religion,” said Rios, who started organizing this unusual convocation in Fresno three years ago. “I still show up just in case.”
She is up against centuries of tradition.
In Mexican and Latin American homes, saints abound. Pope bobblehead dolls adorn bookshelves. Palm Sunday branches are tacked up on walls. Paintings of the Last Supper hang in dining rooms. Abuelas give rosaries to hang on the rearview mirror of the family car. Moms say “persignate” — make the sign of the cross — when you get on the freeway or there’s turbulence on the plane.
Advertisement
In Mexican culture, there is no greater icon than the Virgen de Guadalupe. In Spanish, goodbye literally means “to God.” Adiós. A Dios.
Even though identification with the Catholic Church, or any church for that matter, has dwindled some among Latinos in the United States over the last decade, Latinos do not hold atheists in high regard.
Some 47% of Latinos describe themselves as Catholic, down from 57% a decade ago, according to a Pew Research Center survey on America’s changing religious landscape released in October. At the same time, 23% of Latinos say they are religiously unaffiliated, up from 15% in 2009.
Another survey from the Pew Research Center indicated that “Latinos feel more unfavorably toward atheists than they do toward any other group.”
“Religion for Latinos overwhelmingly for the longest time has been Catholic. It’s so embedded and imbued in the culture,” said Arlene Sánchez-Walsh, a professor of religious studies at Azusa Pacific University. “Becoming completely nonbelieving, that’s a major rupture.”
Which is something the members of this meetup know all too well.
Alex Flores’ mother discussed his loss of faith with the local priest. If the 37-year-old wanted to convert back to Catholicism, she told her son, he could get rebaptized “in one hour.”
Tomas Rodriguez Jr.’s family thinks the 54-year-old is going through a phase. His mother jokingly blames herself for his “disbelief in God.”
At Alfredo Beltran’s job in Commerce, a co-worker announced that she thought atheists were “devil worshipers.” Another asked Beltran if he even mourned death.
Beltran, 44, grew up Catholic and recalls the guilt that came with it. When it would rain, his family told him it was because he had “been bad and Diosito is mad.” At confession, he wondered why he needed to repent for forgetting to do the dishes or not taking out the trash.
He attended Mass with everyone in his family except for his grandfather.
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“He would always stay home, and I would hear little comments [from him] here and there like, ‘Oh God didn’t give me that meat. I got that meat; I made the money for that,’” said Beltran, who became an atheist when he was in his 30s.
Alfredo and Catalina Beltran near the rear window of Alfredo’s truck with stickers of Atheist group. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Beltran met Rios while the two stood in line in L.A. to listen to a talk with atheist activist Matt Dillahunty, host of the live internet show “The Atheist Experience.” When Rios told Beltran she wanted to start the group, he was immediately supportive.
Rios, a Navy veteran, grew up Catholic but walked away from religion when she was in her 30s because “it just didn’t make any sense to me.” But the 43-year-old said she missed one important function that church provided, “the community aspect of it.”
She started Fresno Latino Atheists after hearing about secular Latino meetups across the country. Six people came to her first gathering. The group now boasts hundreds of members online. After Rios moved to the San Gabriel Valley, she held her first meetup there in June 2018.
Her parents were supportive, she said, although at times her mother — who grew up in Mexico — still references the Bible when speaking to her daughter. Although Maria Elena Avila’s “natural being tells me to believe,” she respects her daughter’s nonbelief.
“This is a free country, and you can become whatever you want to become,” she said. “My purpose as a mother was to raise my kids being good citizens, and I think I did.”
Alfredo Beltran with rosaries he gives away in Pico Rivera. Beltran and his wife, Catalina, are atheists. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
But other family members dismiss Rios’ beliefs — or lack thereof — altogether.
“Ay mija,” her aunt tells her, “you were baptized Catholic, so you’re always going to be Catholic.”
In the U.S., a decreasing number of adults identify as Catholic, while the number of people who answer the religion question with the word “none” has steadily grown.
The religiously unaffiliated share of the population, which consists of people who identify as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” went up from 17% in 2009 to 26% in 2018-19, according to Pew Research Center. Those numbers have grown across multiple demographic groups.
Around the country, Latinos have banded together in Facebook groups and Reddit threads to share their secret — or not-so-secret — lack of faith.
One Reddit user said he became disillusioned with religion around the time he went through confirmation in high school. His mother, who he described as “still very Catholic,” attends Mass every Sunday and prays before bed and at every meal. His father has always seemed “to just kind of tolerate it.”
“Though he grew up Catholic, too, I get the feeling he just kind of goes through the motions for the sake of keeping the peace with my mom,” he wrote. “I guess I do the same thing when I’m home visiting.”
Another Reddit user emphasized “how deep-rooted our cultures are in superstition.”
“In a nutshell, if you’re not Catholic, you’re not one of the ‘normal’ ones, so it can be very tough to fit in,” the user said. “My hope is that other atheist Latinos will help normalize atheism in their respective communities.”
Seven people gathered on the second Sunday of November for the meetup, oblivious to the churchgoers heading into the Starbucks after services. Rios rooted through a Lotería wallet for cash so she could grab coffee to keep herself warm in the chilly air, as she handed out Atheists United newsletters.
They are open about their nonbelief. Rios’ black T-shirt read “Secular Latinas.” Beltran has an atheist tattoo on his wrist and a sticker on his truck promoting Atheists United Secular Latinos of San Gabriel Valley.
The majority of Beltran’s co-workers in the Commerce Public Works Department are Latino, and all are religious, making him the “butt of all jokes,” he said. Often, he questions their faith.
After a co-worker explained that his own daughter was disabled because of all the bad stuff he did in the past, Beltran questioned believing in something that would punish an innocent 4-year-old for a grown man’s alleged sins.
When a friend died, Beltran said he called another co-worker to tell him about his pain. That colleague had once asked him: Do atheists actually mourn death?
“We don’t correlate it to religion,” Beltran said. But when “we lose someone, our hearts are broken.”
Although some friends worry about him being a nonbeliever, he stands by his moral code.
“I don’t know about you guys, but when I finally decided to say I was atheist I felt like this huge weight just fell off my back,” Beltran told the assembled nonbelievers. A murmur of agreement ran through the circle.
“I wanted to scream and tell everybody,” he said.
I don’t know about you guys, but when I finally decided to say I was atheist I felt like this huge weight just fell off my back. — Alfredo Beltran
At times, though, being a nonbeliever has come at a cost. After Flores’ sister gave birth to a son and it was time for the baby’s baptism, she told Flores she wanted him to be the child’s godfather.
“But you being an atheist,” she told him, “I had to go with someone else.”
Leticia Flores-Mejia considered Flores, she said, but “the church that we went to, the godparents did have to be Catholic.”
Beltran ran into a similar roadblock. When friends wanted him to be their son’s godfather, it was the priest who said no.
“Apparently I couldn’t because, how am I supposed to teach their son about God and the Bible if I’m not a believer,” Beltran said.
“Technically you can teach it,” Flores said, “just not the things they want.”
That Sunday morning, the group of seven talked about hobbies — including running an atheist and agnostic Latin dance workshop. And recent European vacations — including a visit to a church that urged tourists not to help the false poor but to “help the real ones” with an offer to the parish.
They cite evolution to disprove Genesis and the story of Adam and Eve and their immediate descendants, asking if God is OK with incest. There is comfort in swapping stories about people who don’t understand who atheists are.
“You don’t believe in God? But you’re so nice,” Rios has heard.
“You can’t be an atheist, because you’re such a sweet guy,” said Beltran’s friend, who asked him not to talk to her children about religion.
When these atheists go to church, it’s for weddings, baptisms, or funerals. Beltran and his wife were married in their backyard. Rodriguez Jr. and his wife were married at City Hall.
Still, remnants of their past lives remain. At times they say “bless you” when someone sneezes, or “oh my God” when something surprises them.
The Last Supper hangs on Rios’ wall, reminding her of her childhood; Beltran still has rosaries; and Rodriguez Jr. has a packet of “Bible stuff” from his first Communion that his grandmother sent when he moved to California.
There’s only one Virgen de Guadalupe in Rios’ home — a print of the Virgin Mary depicted as Princess Leia holding a gun.
She put it away, after her grandmother visited, took one look — and called it blasphemy.


latimes--2020-01-06--Newsletter: What we're watching as lawmakers return to Sacramento

Sacramento long ago shed its reputation as a quiet place where politics was the only game in town .
Yet there ’ s still something that changes in the capital city when lawmakers reconvene for another year of tackling the problems large and small that face California .
This new year of work for the California Legislature promises to be notable for two things in particular : a large number of topics left over from 2019 and a lack of any real window of opportunity to avoid electoral politics .
When the state Senate and Assembly convene on Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work left from the first half of the two-year session .
More than 1,100 proposals introduced in 2019 were designated “ two-year ” bills and still have a narrow window to be acted upon .
But those bills die if they aren ’ t approved in their house of origin by the end of the month .
None are likely to generate more interest or debate than Senate Bill 50 , the effort to require more high-density housing near mass transit and in some communities now dominated by single-family housing .
SB 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suburban neighborhoods , handing a significant setback to pro-housing groups and the bill ’ s author , state Sen. Scott Wiener ( D-San Francisco ) .
So what can Wiener do to mollify critics of his bill ?
He ’ s expected to unveil amendments to the bill on Tuesday .
While not a two-year bill , look for substantial discussion about the effects of Assembly Bill 5 , the state ’ s blockbuster new law limiting the use of independent contractors in the workplace .
The author of AB 5 , Assemblywoman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says she ’ s ready to look at ways to improve the bill — which to critics means excluding more professions from the strict rules regarding worker classification — and that she always thought the law was just the first step .
But she insists there are limits .
“ I ’ ll continue to do that , to try to get it right and to make sure that this big , transformative change isn ’ t just gutted , ” Gonzalez said in a recent interview .
By week ’ s end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new state budget proposal from Gov .
Gavin Newsom .
The key question seems to be whether Newsom can continue to rally his fellow Democrats toward short-term uses of money that could disappear in the next recession .
Expect , too , a lot of attention to be paid to the governor ’ s latest ideas on the growing homelessness crisis ( and whether he will embrace some requests from local officials for more help ) and on any budget-related proposals inspired by the looming threat of wildfires and calls for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required by dangerous fire conditions .
Then there ’ s the calendar .
Fifty-seven days span the time between the convening of the Legislature and California ’ s statewide primary election .
While the primary was moved from June to March to boost the state ’ s relevance in choosing the next president , the legislative election calendar was also shifted .
It ’ s hard to put a fine point on just how much impact that will have on public policy conversations at the state Capitol , but an early primary leaves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost everyone .
Some lawmakers hail from swing districts across the state , others are seeking posts in the state Senate , Congress or local government .
The work of legislators in 2019 and years past is now making its way to the lives of millions of Californians .
We ’ ve put together a brief look at some of the most consequential , from expanded rights to seek gun violence restraining orders to an effort to end the practice of “ lunch shaming ” schoolchildren from low-income families .
A few readers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ annual list of new laws .
To be honest , there ’ s no recipe other than seeking to highlight both laws that have a sweeping effect and those that are targeted to address noteworthy issues .
One of the most interesting developments in recent years is that a number of laws are now written to fully take effect a year or more into the future — often to allow for additional time for affected residents or industries to prepare .
This week marks the end of Newsom ’ s first year in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his policy achievements and style of governing .
Interviews of more than two dozen people deeply involved in Sacramento debates this year revealed a more complicated picture than the one that might be viewed just by news headlines .
While Newsom undoubtedly had a number of victories on policy efforts and took decisive executive action on the death penalty in California , Capitol watchers interviewed by The Times found the behind-the-scenes process to be uneven and often chaotic .
-- Hundreds of U.S. soldiers deployed over the weekend to Kuwait to serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rising tensions following the U.S. killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Suleimani .
-- Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo on Sunday defended last week ’ s killing of Suleimani and pushed back against reports that some senior Trump administration officials had privately voiced concerns before the strike that it could have deadly repercussions across the already volatile Middle East .
-- Iran ’ s announcement Sunday that it will no longer abide by the most important limits in the landmark 2015 nuclear deal could place Tehran back on the headlong pursuit of nuclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that offers workers ’ compensation insurance coverage to employers has recruited a high-priced team of former executives from the private sector to turn it around after years of scandal and financial problems .
-- The California Democratic Party has reached settlements in three lawsuits alleging sexual harassment and workplace retaliation involving its former leader , Eric Bauman .
-- Black drivers in some of California ’ s largest cities are stopped and searched by police at higher rates than white and Latino motorists , according to a new state analysis .
-- Real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approved at Los Angeles City Hall will be banned , under a new law , from giving campaign contributions to the council members vetting their projects .
But L.A. leaders have held off on another change that critics say is needed .
-- California is poised to lose a congressional seat for the first time in its history as a state , based on new U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released that showed the nation ’ s growth continued to slow in 2019 .
Essential Politics is written by Sacramento bureau chief John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ David Lauter on Fridays .
You can keep up with breaking news throughout the day .
And are you following us on Twitter at ?
Please send thoughts , concerns and news tips to .
Did someone forward you this ?
to get Essential Politics in your inbox .

Sacramento long ago shed its reputation as a quiet place where politics was the only game in town. Yet there’s still something that changes in the capital city when lawmakers reconvene for another year of tackling the problems large and small that face California.
This new year of work for the California Legislature promises to be notable for two things in particular: a large number of topics left over from 2019 and a lack of any real window of opportunity to avoid electoral politics.
UNFINISHED WORK, THE BUDGET, THE PRIMARY
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When the state Senate and Assembly convene on Monday, legislators will face a large stack of work left from the first half of the two-year session. More than 1,100 proposals introduced in 2019 were designated “two-year” bills and still have a narrow window to be acted upon. But those bills die if they aren’t approved in their house of origin by the end of the month.
None are likely to generate more interest or debate than Senate Bill 50, the effort to require more high-density housing near mass transit and in some communities now dominated by single-family housing. SB 50 was sidelined last May by lawmakers representing suburban neighborhoods, handing a significant setback to pro-housing groups and the bill’s author, state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). So what can Wiener do to mollify critics of his bill? He’s expected to unveil amendments to the bill on Tuesday.
While not a two-year bill, look for substantial discussion about the effects of Assembly Bill 5, the state’s blockbuster new law limiting the use of independent contractors in the workplace. The author of AB 5, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), says she’s ready to look at ways to improve the bill — which to critics means excluding more professions from the strict rules regarding worker classification — and that she always thought the law was just the first step. But she insists there are limits.
“I’ll continue to do that, to try to get it right and to make sure that this big, transformative change isn’t just gutted,” Gonzalez said in a recent interview.
By week’s end, lawmakers will turn their eyes toward a new state budget proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom. The key question seems to be whether Newsom can continue to rally his fellow Democrats toward short-term uses of money that could disappear in the next recession. Expect, too, a lot of attention to be paid to the governor’s latest ideas on the growing homelessness crisis (and whether he will embrace some requests from local officials for more help) and on any budget-related proposals inspired by the looming threat of wildfires and calls for a more comprehensive approach to power shutoffs when required by dangerous fire conditions.
Then there’s the calendar. Fifty-seven days span the time between the convening of the Legislature and California’s statewide primary election. While the primary was moved from June to March to boost the state’s relevance in choosing the next president, the legislative election calendar was also shifted. It’s hard to put a fine point on just how much impact that will have on public policy conversations at the state Capitol, but an early primary leaves a lot less time for governing for almost everyone. Some lawmakers hail from swing districts across the state, others are seeking posts in the state Senate, Congress or local government.
Advertisement
CALIFORNIA’S NEW LAWS
The work of legislators in 2019 and years past is now making its way to the lives of millions of Californians. We’ve put together a brief look at some of the most consequential, from expanded rights to seek gun violence restraining orders to an effort to end the practice of “lunch shaming” schoolchildren from low-income families.
A few readers have asked how we put together the annual list of new laws. To be honest, there’s no recipe other than seeking to highlight both laws that have a sweeping effect and those that are targeted to address noteworthy issues. One of the most interesting developments in recent years is that a number of laws are now written to fully take effect a year or more into the future — often to allow for additional time for affected residents or industries to prepare.
NEWSOM’S FIRST YEAR
This week marks the end of Newsom’s first year in office and a chance to take stock of his policy achievements and style of governing. Interviews of more than two dozen people deeply involved in Sacramento debates this year revealed a more complicated picture than the one that might be viewed just by news headlines.
While Newsom undoubtedly had a number of victories on policy efforts and took decisive executive action on the death penalty in California, Capitol watchers interviewed by The Times found the behind-the-scenes process to be uneven and often chaotic.
NATIONAL POLITICS ROUNDUP
-- Hundreds of U.S. soldiers deployed over the weekend to Kuwait to serve as reinforcements in the Middle East amid rising tensions following the U.S. killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Suleimani.
-- Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo on Sunday defended last week’s killing of Suleimani and pushed back against reports that some senior Trump administration officials had privately voiced concerns before the strike that it could have deadly repercussions across the already volatile Middle East.
-- Iran’s announcement Sunday that it will no longer abide by the most important limits in the landmark 2015 nuclear deal could place Tehran back on the headlong pursuit of nuclear weapons.
TODAY’S ESSENTIALS
-- A California public agency that offers workers’ compensation insurance coverage to employers has recruited a high-priced team of former executives from the private sector to turn it around after years of scandal and financial problems.
-- The California Democratic Party has reached settlements in three lawsuits alleging sexual harassment and workplace retaliation involving its former leader, Eric Bauman.
-- Black drivers in some of California’s largest cities are stopped and searched by police at higher rates than white and Latino motorists, according to a new state analysis.
-- Real estate developers pushing to get new projects approved at Los Angeles City Hall will be banned, under a new law, from giving campaign contributions to the council members vetting their projects. But L.A. leaders have held off on another change that critics say is needed.
-- California is poised to lose a congressional seat for the first time in its history as a state, based on new U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released that showed the nation’s growth continued to slow in 2019.
LOGISTICS
Essential Politics is written by Sacramento bureau chief John Myers on Mondays and Washington bureau chief David Lauter on Fridays.
You can keep up with breaking news on our politics page throughout the day. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics ?
Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com .


latimes--2020-01-06--One person shot at Yard House in Northridge

One person was wounded Sunday night in a shooting at the Yard House restaurant at the Northridge Fashion Center .
@ @ @ @ @ 8 p.m. and grew out of an argument , said Officer D. Orris of the @ @ @ @ @ s Operations Center .
The victim ’ s age , gender and condition were not @ @ @ @ @ 20 to 35 years old and wearing a gray jacket .
He ran out of @ @ @ @ @ , Orris said .

Los Angeles police officers shot and wounded a woman after they allegedly found her stabbing another person to death.
One person was wounded Sunday night in a shooting at the Yard House restaurant at the Northridge Fashion Center.
The shooting occurred shortly after 8 p.m. and grew out of an argument, said Officer D. Orris of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center.
The victim’s age, gender and condition were not available.
The gunman was 20 to 35 years old and wearing a gray jacket. He ran out of the restaurant after the shooting, Orris said.


latimes--2020-01-05--Orange County schedules forums about hate incidents in schools

The Orange County Human Relations Commission will join the county Department of Education in presenting two public forums this month exploring the impact of hate-driven incidents among students , schools and their communities .
The first meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the department ’ s headquarters at 200 Kalmus Drive in Costa Mesa and will focus on discussions by parents and students on their experiences with hate on school campuses .
Information gathered at the forum will then be used at a second meeting for teachers , counselors and school administrators scheduled for 8 a.m. Jan. 22 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says the purpose of the forums is to help establish a safer school community .
The effort follows the release of the Human Relations Commission ’ s 2018 Hate Crimes Report , which indicated a 12 % increase in reported hate crimes in Orange County , compared with 2017 .
A total of 165 hate incidents were reported in 2018 , a 37 % increase from the 2017 Hate Crimes Report , punctuating a continuing growth trend since 2015 .
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District was rocked in March when photos surfaced on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Costa Mesa where several students from local high schools were seen making Nazi salutes over a swastika made of red plastic cups .
The incident , which drew extensive media coverage , led to several community forums and the formation of the district ’ s Human Relations Task Force .
Marina High School in Huntington Beach was embroiled in controversy in October over signs with racial overtones at a football game between Marina and Segerstrom High School .
Marina also made headlines in April after a phony petition was circulated on campus asking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the n-word .
Two students were disciplined in the incident that one school official described as “ a bad joke gone wrong on April Fool ’ s Day.
” In May , students from Newport Harbor High School reportedly were involved in “ overtly racist ” messages in a private Instagram group chat .
Similar incidents involving high school students were reported elsewhere in the county last year .

The Orange County Human Relations Commission will join the county Department of Education in presenting two public forums this month exploring the impact of hate-driven incidents among students, schools and their communities.
The first meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the department’s headquarters at 200 Kalmus Drive in Costa Mesa and will focus on discussions by parents and students on their experiences with hate on school campuses. Information gathered at the forum will then be used at a second meeting for teachers, counselors and school administrators scheduled for 8 a.m. Jan. 22 at the same location.
The county says the purpose of the forums is to help establish a safer school community.
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The effort follows the release of the Human Relations Commission’s 2018 Hate Crimes Report, which indicated a 12% increase in reported hate crimes in Orange County, compared with 2017. A total of 165 hate incidents were reported in 2018, a 37% increase from the 2017 Hate Crimes Report, punctuating a continuing growth trend since 2015.
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District was rocked in March when photos surfaced on social media of an off-campus party in Costa Mesa where several students from local high schools were seen making Nazi salutes over a swastika made of red plastic cups. The incident, which drew extensive media coverage, led to several community forums and the formation of the district’s Human Relations Task Force.
Marina High School in Huntington Beach was embroiled in controversy in October over signs with racial overtones at a football game between Marina and Segerstrom High School. Marina also made headlines in April after a phony petition was circulated on campus asking students of color for permission to use the n-word. Two students were disciplined in the incident that one school official described as “a bad joke gone wrong on April Fool’s Day.”
In May, students from Newport Harbor High School reportedly were involved in “overtly racist” messages in a private Instagram group chat.
Similar incidents involving high school students were reported elsewhere in the county last year.
Nguyen writes for Times Community News


latimes--2020-01-05--Cliff Hall, an inventor who photographed Los Angeles high society, dies at 94

When Cliff Hall wasn ’ t documenting lavish parties in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills , the society photographer dreamed of ways to solve Los Angeles ’ most stubborn problems .
He believed that his most famous invention , a sports car , could have addressed two issues in L.A. — making driving more fun , and building wealth for black residents — had it only been mass produced .
Hall , an inveterate inventor and ideas man who documented black and white society in mid-century Los Angeles , died Sunday in Loma Linda , said his friend Ed Boyer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Hall was a fixture on the Southern California social circuit .
He documented glitzy dinners , bar mitzvahs and weddings in L.A. 's toniest neighborhoods — including some with housing covenants that barred black people from buying homes .
On many nights , Boyer said , Hall “ might have been the only African American guy in the room , along with the other hired help.
” Hall worked for more than a quarter-century at the Los Angeles Sentinel , documenting the successes of the black community during an era of racial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ middle class .
One edition of the Sentinel from October 1955 featured stories on Emmett Till , who had been lynched in Mississippi two months earlier ; a lawsuit seeking to block the racial integration of the Los Angeles Fire Department ; and Hall ’ s photos of an award ceremony at the jet-age Statler Hotel in downtown , honoring a post office clerk as the city ’ s “ leading citizen.
” Hall hired and mentored Howard Bingham , later known for his intimate photos of Muhammad Ali .
Hall also opened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avenues with Lamonte McLemore , one of the founding members of The 5th Dimension .
Hall dreamed of replicating the wealth of Bel-Air and Beverly Hills in L.A. 's black neighborhoods , driven by stable , high-paying jobs .
He envisioned a factory that would produce a car of his own design , “ made by black hands in the black community , ” his website said .
“ I wanted to build industry so I could have control , ” including hiring more black and Latino workers and paying them a living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documentary .
His goal , he told The Times in 1994 , was to become the “ Martin Luther King Jr. of industry.
” Louis Corwin , a Beverly Hills businessman , invested $ 100,000 in Hall ’ s idea : a fun , zippy car that the average worker could afford .
Hall named the sports car the Corwin Getaway .
Finished in 1969 , the prototype was 43 inches high .
The mid-engine layout , twin seats and square headlights looked radically different from the boxy sedans on the market , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pontiac Fiero and the Fiat X1/9 — that were produced more than a decade later .
After appearing at the 1970 Los Angeles auto show , the Getaway was photographed with Ali and Sidney Poitier , next to the Wilshire Colonnade building , and in front of USC ’ s Tommy Trojan .
Hall never found the money to move the car into mass production .
He recalled one bank manager who rejected his business plan in the lobby , next to the teller window , rather than invite him into an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too , that didn ’ t help a thing , ” Hall said .
If the manager had taken the meeting seriously , he later said , “ he ’ d be a billionaire today , and I ’ d be a multi-billionaire.
” The Getaway prototype languished in storage until the Petersen Automotive Museum acquired it in the 1990s .
The car was restored last year and is part of the Petersen ’ s permanent collection .

Cliff Hall with the prototype of his Corwin Getaway sports car at the Petersen Automotive Museum in 1994.
When Cliff Hall wasn’t documenting lavish parties in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills, the society photographer dreamed of ways to solve Los Angeles’ most stubborn problems.
He believed that his most famous invention, a sports car, could have addressed two issues in L.A. — making driving more fun, and building wealth for black residents — had it only been mass produced.
Hall, an inveterate inventor and ideas man who documented black and white society in mid-century Los Angeles, died Sunday in Loma Linda, said his friend Ed Boyer. Hall was 94.
A native Angeleno, Hall was a fixture on the Southern California social circuit. He documented glitzy dinners, bar mitzvahs and weddings in L.A.’s toniest neighborhoods — including some with housing covenants that barred black people from buying homes.
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On many nights, Boyer said, Hall “might have been the only African American guy in the room, along with the other hired help.”
Hall worked for more than a quarter-century at the Los Angeles Sentinel, documenting the successes of the black community during an era of racial tensions and the rise of the black middle class.
One edition of the Sentinel from October 1955 featured stories on Emmett Till, who had been lynched in Mississippi two months earlier; a lawsuit seeking to block the racial integration of the Los Angeles Fire Department; and Hall’s photos of an award ceremony at the jet-age Statler Hotel in downtown, honoring a post office clerk as the city’s “leading citizen.”
1 / 33 Notable deaths 2019 2 / 33 Pioneering shock jock Don Imus was one of radio’s most popular and polarizing figures. Born in Riverside, he became a top broadcaster in New York, but he also sparked a national firestorm in 2007 with a racist remark about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. He was 79. (Richard Drew / Associated Press) 3 / 33 Cokie Roberts covered Washington from Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump for NPR and ABC News. A co-anchor of the ABC Sunday political show “This Week” from 1996 to 2002, Roberts devoted most of her attention to Congress, where her father Hale Boggs was a House majority leader until his death in 1972. She was 75. (Donna Svennevik / Walt Disney Television via Getty) 4 / 33 T. Boone Pickens followed his father into the oil and gas business and built a reputation as a maverick, unafraid to compete against industry giants. In the 1980s, Pickens sought riches on Wall Street by leading bids to take over big oil companies including Gulf, Phillips and Unocal. Even when he failed to gain control of his targets, he scored huge payoffs by selling shares back to the company and dropping the hostile takeover bid. He was 91. (Riccardo Savi / Getty Images) 5 / 33 When Robert Mugabe took over as Zimbabwean president in 1980, he was celebrated as a hero in the liberation war against Britain. But after international sanctions, a series of fraudulent elections and an economic collapse sparked by the seizure of white-owned farms, Mugabe become a pariah and retired in 2017 rather than face impeachment. He was 95. (Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi / Associated Press) 6 / 33 David Koch was the aide de camp to Charles, his older brother, as the two leveraged the family fortune to push American politics to the right. The Koch brothers pushed the boundaries of dark money in politics and fueled a backlash against environmental regulations and government programs such as healthcare and mass transit. He was 79. (Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press) 7 / 33 Peter Fonda was the son of a classic Hollywood star and a key player in the 1969 countercultural road trip saga “Easy Rider,” which he co-wrote and produced. The screenplay earned Fonda his first Academy Award nomination; his second came in the lead actor category for the 1997 independent film “Ulee’s Gold.” He was 79. (AP) 8 / 33 Hard-line Chinese premier Li Peng was best-known for ending the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests with a bloody crackdown by troops. A keen political infighter, he spent two decades at the pinnacle of power before retiring in 2002, leaving a legacy of prolonged economic growth and authoritarian control. He was 90. (AP) 9 / 33 Chris Kraft, shown with President Reagan in 1981, never flew in space but was the creator and longtime leader of NASA’s Mission Control. The legendary engineer served as flight director for all Mercury flights and seven of the Gemini flights, helped design the Apollo missions and later oversaw the beginning of the shuttle era at Johnson Space Center. He died just two days after the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon landing. He was 95. (AP) 10 / 33 Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens joined the court as a centrist Republican but emerged in his later years as the leading voice of its liberal bloc. Appointed by President Ford, Stevens played a key role in decisions that preserved a woman’s right to abortion, maintained a strict separation of church and state, and put limits on the death penalty. He was 99. (AP) 11 / 33 Billionaire Ross Perot blazed across America in the 1990s as a third-party presidential candidate and won nearly 19% of the popular vote in the 1992 election, finishing third behind Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican President George H.W. Bush. The diminutive Texan was an early tech entrepreneur who founded Electronic Data Systems, a computer services company, in 1962 with $1,000 in savings. He was 89. (Peter Muhly / AFP/Getty Images) 12 / 33 Pitcher Tyler Skaggs grew up an Angels fan in Santa Monica and joined the organization as a first-round draft pick. He battled injuries throughout his career but started 24 games last season and showed signs of dominance this year. He was 27. (Charlie Riedel / AP) 13 / 33 Judith Krantz wrote blockbuster romance novels including “Scruples” and “Princess Daisy” that sold more than 80 million copies worldwide. Her books have been translated into more than 50 languages, and seven have been adapted as TV miniseries, with her late husband, Steve Krantz, serving as executive producer for most. She was 91. (Aaron Rapoport / Getty Images) 14 / 33 Italian director Franco Zeffirelli was best-known for his films, including the 1968 critical and box office hit “Romeo and Juliet” and a 1990 “Hamlet” with Mel Gibson. His massive opera productions included a version of Puccini’s “La Boheme” that became the most-often presented production in the Metropolitan Opera’s history. He was 96. (Paolo Cocco / AFP/Getty Images) 15 / 33 Danish-born socialite Claus von Bulow, left, shown with attorney Alan Dershowitz in April 1985, was convicted in 1982 and then acquitted three years later on two counts of attempting to murder his American heiress wife, Sunny, with injections of insulin. The high-profile case has been called one of the most sensational courtroom dramas in modern U.S. history. He was 92. (Charles Krupa / AP) 16 / 33 Herman Wouk explored the moral fallout of World War II in the Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Caine Mutiny” (1951) and other widely read books. Determined to produce a “great war book,” Wouk wrote “The Winds of War” and its sequel, “War and Remembrance,” in the 1970s, and the two sweeping novels became the basis for a pair of television miniseries. He was 103. (Douglas L Benc Jr / AP) 17 / 33 Architect I.M. Pei had a client list that included French President Francois Mitterrand for the Louvre and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library in Boston. Among several Pei projects in the Los Angeles area are the former Creative Artists Agency headquarters in Beverly Hills and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He was 102. (Pierre Gleizes / AP Photo) 18 / 33 Tim Conway came to prominence on television as a bumbling ensign in “McHale’s Navy” opposite Ernest Borgnine from 1962 to 1966, then became a regular on “The Carol Burnett Show,” where he famously developed a knack for making costar Harvey Korman crack up. He also starred in the “Apple Dumpling Gang” movies in the 1970s and gained fame with a new generation as the voice of Barnacle Boy on “SpongeBob SquarePants.” He was 85. (George Brich / AP) 19 / 33 John Singleton’s 1991 debut, “Boyz n the Hood,” was an inner-city coming-of-age story that earned two Oscar nominations and put the young filmmaker in the company of emerging black moviemakers such as Spike Lee and Mario Van Peebles. Singleton went on to direct “Poetic Justice” (1993), “Higher Learning” (1995) and “Baby Boy” (2001), which featured Taraji P. Henson at the start of her career. He was 51. (Christopher Polk / AFP/Getty Images) 20 / 33 Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle was gunned down outside his Marathon Clothing store in the same South L.A. neighborhood where he was known as much for his civic work as he was for his hip-hop music. He was 33. (Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images for Warner Music) 21 / 33 Sidney Sheinberg, right, with Steven Spielberg and Lea Adler, Spielberg’s mother, at a 1994 Beverly Hilton gala. (Shepler, Lori / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 33 Jan-Michael Vincent was a golden boy of 1970s Hollywood action films and went on to star in the mid-1980s TV adventure series “Airwolf.” But his erratic behavior and cocaine consumption was a major reason “Airwolf” was canceled. He was 74 by most accounts, but the death certificate listed him as 73. (Alex Garcia / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 33 Sitcom star Katherine Helmond had memorable roles as ditzy matriarchs in “Soap,” “Who’s the Boss?” and “Coach.” Her work as Jessica Tate on the 1970s parody “Soap” earned her seven Emmy nominations, and she was nominated again in 2002 for her guest role in “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Helmond also starred in director Terry Gilliam’s films “Brazil” and “Time Bandits.” She was 89. (Chuck Burton / AP) 24 / 33 André Previn conquered L.A. with his artistic genius twice: first as an Academy Award winning composer of Hollywood movie music, then as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A conductor and pianist who toggled between classical, pop and jazz, Previn won Oscars for “My Fair Lady” (1964), “Irma la Douce” (1963), “Gigi” (1958) and “Porgy and Bess” (1959). He was 89. (Patrick Downs/ Los Angeles Times) 25 / 33 Dodgers right-hander Don Newcombe was the first outstanding African American pitcher in the major leagues and in 1949 became the first to start a World Series game. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound hurler was also the first player in major league history to have won the rookie of the year, Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards. He was 92. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 33 Michigan Democrat John Dingell Jr. used his considerable power in the House of Representatives to uncover government fraud and defend the interests of the automobile industry. Known as “Big John” and “The Truck” for his forceful nature and 6-foot-3-inch frame, Dingell was the longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history. He was 92. (Win McNamee / Getty Images) 27 / 33 Albert Finney starred in films as diverse as “Tom Jones,” “Annie” and “Skyfall.” One of the most versatile actors of his generation, he played an array of roles, including Winston Churchill, Pope John Paul II, a southern American lawyer and an Irish gangster. He was 82. (Graham Barclay / For The Times) 28 / 33 Michelle King was the first African American woman to lead Los Angeles Unified School District. Her major accomplishment was pushing the graduation rate to record levels by allowing students to quickly make up credits for failed classes. She was 57. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 33 Grammy-winning singer and songwriter James Ingram topped the charts in the ‘80s with hits like “Baby, Come to Me” and “Somewhere Out There.” He also co-wrote the Michael Jackson hit “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing).” He was 66. (Stefano Paltera / AP) 30 / 33 Emmy Award-winning writer Bob Einstein was best known as stuntman Super Dave Osborne, whose feats always went wrong. The comedy veteran got his start writing for 1970s variety shows such as “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” and he later played Larry David’s devout friend Marty Funkhouser on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” He was 76. (Archive Photos / Getty Images) 31 / 33 Carol Channing was a Broadway star best known for her enduring portrayal of the title character in the musical “Hello, Dolly!” A winner of three Tony Awards, including one for lifetime achievement, she appeared in the play at least 5,000 times. She was 97. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images / Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) 32 / 33 Mary Oliver, one of the country’s most popular poets, focused on spirituality, nature and New England. Her poems won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and the National Book Award in 1992. She was 83. (Josh Reynolds / For the Times) 33 / 33 Herb Kelleher built Southwest Airlines into the biggest discount carrier and set the standard for budget air travel for more than three decades. He and co-founder Rollin King used a formula of short, no-frills trips that spawned dozens of imitators. He was 87. (Ed Betz / AP)
Hall hired and mentored Howard Bingham, later known for his intimate photos of Muhammad Ali. Hall also opened a photo studio on 48th and Western avenues with Lamonte McLemore, one of the founding members of The 5th Dimension.
Hall dreamed of replicating the wealth of Bel-Air and Beverly Hills in L.A.’s black neighborhoods, driven by stable, high-paying jobs. He envisioned a factory that would produce a car of his own design, “made by black hands in the black community,” his website said.
“I wanted to build industry so I could have control,” including hiring more black and Latino workers and paying them a living wage, said Hall in a 2015 documentary. His goal, he told The Times in 1994, was to become the “Martin Luther King Jr. of industry.”
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Louis Corwin, a Beverly Hills businessman, invested $100,000 in Hall’s idea: a fun, zippy car that the average worker could afford. Hall named the sports car the Corwin Getaway.
Finished in 1969, the prototype was 43 inches high. The mid-engine layout, twin seats and square headlights looked radically different from the boxy sedans on the market, but resembled other sports cars — including the Pontiac Fiero and the Fiat X1/9 — that were produced more than a decade later.
After appearing at the 1970 Los Angeles auto show, the Getaway was photographed with Ali and Sidney Poitier, next to the Wilshire Colonnade building, and in front of USC’s Tommy Trojan.
Hall never found the money to move the car into mass production. He recalled one bank manager who rejected his business plan in the lobby, next to the teller window, rather than invite him into an office.
“Me being a brother, too, that didn’t help a thing,” Hall said. If the manager had taken the meeting seriously, he later said, “he’d be a billionaire today, and I’d be a multi-billionaire.”
The Getaway prototype languished in storage until the Petersen Automotive Museum acquired it in the 1990s. The car was restored last year and is part of the Petersen’s permanent collection.


latimes--2020-01-05--Reality meets reality TV: Ferrari crashes into Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant; 1 hurt

Reality collided with reality TV Sunday when a Ferrari crashed into television personality Lisa Vanderpump ’ s restaurant .
The @ @ @ @ @ on Santa Monica Boulevard .
The silver Ferrari veered into the eatery and came to @ @ @ @ @ area facing the boulevard .
Videos posted by Vanderpump ’ s fan site showed glass @ @ @ @ @ .
The Los Angeles County Fire Department told KTLA that one person was hurt in @ @ @ @ @ under investigation .
Vanderpump gained fame on “ The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ” @ @ @ @ @ Vanderpump Rules.
” Vanderpump and her husband , Ken Todd , have opened about 45 @ @ @ @ @ in their native London .

A Ferrari plowed into the patio of West Hollywood restaurant Pump
Reality collided with reality TV Sunday when a Ferrari crashed into television personality Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant.
The accident occurred at Pump restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard. The silver Ferrari veered into the eatery and came to rest in the front patio area facing the boulevard.
Videos posted by Vanderpump’s fan site showed glass shattered and several trees down.
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The Los Angeles County Fire Department told KTLA that one person was hurt in the crash, which is under investigation.
Vanderpump gained fame on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and now stars in “Vanderpump Rules.”
Vanderpump and her husband, Ken Todd, have opened about 45 restaurants, many of them in their native London.