latimes--2020-10-15--Brush fire near Redlands prompts mandatory evacuations

Hot , dry weather has helped pave the way for at least two brush fires in Southern California — and the worst may be yet to come .
In San Bernardino , crews with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection are battling a brush fire that broke out Wednesday evening near Redlands .
The blaze , dubbed the Bruder fire , started just before 10 p.m. off Live Oak Canyon Road and prompted the evacuations of nearby homes , according to Cal Fire San Bernardino .
By 2:30 a.m. , 265 firefighters , including six hand crews , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tenders and two bulldozers to battle the fire .
As of Thursday afternoon , the fire had burned more than 170 acres and was 30 % contained , according to Cal Fire San Bernardino spokesman Capt .
Bennet Milloy .
In Los Angeles , a small brush fire in the Eagle Rock neighborhood just south of 134 freeway ignited around 11:30 a.m. Thursday .
It burned through half an acre of light brush and grass before being extinguished by the Los Angeles Fire Department less than 30 minutes later .
A fire in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August .
Both blazes arrived hours ahead of fire weather warnings issued for the region .
The National Weather Service said bone-dry , blustery conditions should begin Thursday evening , when a fire weather watch will go into effect for Santa Clarita Valley and the Los Angeles and Ventura county mountains .
The mountains and coastal slopes of the San Bernardino and Santa Ana ranges , as well as areas of the Inland Empire below the Cajon Pass , will also be under watch .
In Redlands , where the Bruder fire is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordered south of East Sunset Drive South , from Edgemont Drive to Puesta Del Sol , and north of Live Oak Canyon Road from the 10 Freeway to San Timoteo Canyon Road .
Evacuation warnings are also in effect south of Live Oak Canyon between San Timoteo Canyon and Interstate 10 .
As many as 55 homes are threatened , Milloy said Thursday .
A Red Cross evacuation center has been set up at Redlands High School .
Large animals may be taken to El Camino Ranch at 11363 Walnut St. Milloy said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern , particularly since the Bruder fire is primarily burning in steep , grassy terrain in San Timoteo Canyon .
“ There ’ s a lot of work to be done to call this thing fully contained , ” he said , “ but obviously that ’ s a priority to get done today before that weather fully develops by tonight.
” Wind gusts could climb as high as 25 mph , while humidity levels will be at an arid 5 % to 8 % , according to the weather service , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will likely spread rapidly.
” The cause of the blaze is under investigation , Cal Fire spokesman Sean McFadden said .

As of Thursday morning, the Bruder fire near Redlands had burned through 125 acres and was 30% contained.
Hot, dry weather has helped pave the way for at least two brush fires in Southern California — and the worst may be yet to come.
In San Bernardino, crews with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection are battling a brush fire that broke out Wednesday evening near Redlands.
The blaze, dubbed the Bruder fire, started just before 10 p.m. off Live Oak Canyon Road and prompted the evacuations of nearby homes, according to Cal Fire San Bernardino.
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By 2:30 a.m., 265 firefighters, including six hand crews, were using 30 engines, three water tenders and two bulldozers to battle the fire.
As of Thursday afternoon, the fire had burned more than 170 acres and was 30% contained, according to Cal Fire San Bernardino spokesman Capt. Bennet Milloy.
In Los Angeles, a small brush fire in the Eagle Rock neighborhood just south of 134 freeway ignited around 11:30 a.m. Thursday. It burned through half an acre of light brush and grass before being extinguished by the Los Angeles Fire Department less than 30 minutes later.
A fire in the same area scorched 45 acres last August.
Happening now right across the street from this Target I’m at. Hope this isn’t another brush fire. Also hope everyone’s okay pic.twitter.com/NzwpK9bNGd — △ 𝔻.𝕂. 𝕌𝕫𝕠𝕦𝕜𝕨𝕦 ▽ (@DKuzNY) October 15, 2020
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Both blazes arrived hours ahead of fire weather warnings issued for the region.
The National Weather Service said bone-dry, blustery conditions should begin Thursday evening, when a fire weather watch will go into effect for Santa Clarita Valley and the Los Angeles and Ventura county mountains. The mountains and coastal slopes of the San Bernardino and Santa Ana ranges, as well as areas of the Inland Empire below the Cajon Pass, will also be under watch.
In Redlands, where the Bruder fire is still burning, mandatory evacuations have been ordered south of East Sunset Drive South, from Edgemont Drive to Puesta Del Sol, and north of Live Oak Canyon Road from the 10 Freeway to San Timoteo Canyon Road.
Evacuation warnings are also in effect south of Live Oak Canyon between San Timoteo Canyon and Interstate 10.
As many as 55 homes are threatened, Milloy said Thursday.
A Red Cross evacuation center has been set up at Redlands High School. Large animals may be taken to El Camino Ranch at 11363 Walnut St.
For those effected by the #BruderFire in Redlands a temporary evacuation point has been set by Red Cross at Redlands High School
840 E Citrus
Use Parking lot off Redlands Blvd. — American Red Cross Southern California Region (@SoCal_RedCross) October 15, 2020
Milloy said the predicted fire weather is cause for concern, particularly since the Bruder fire is primarily burning in steep, grassy terrain in San Timoteo Canyon.
“There’s a lot of work to be done to call this thing fully contained,” he said, “but obviously that’s a priority to get done today before that weather fully develops by tonight.”
Wind gusts could climb as high as 25 mph, while humidity levels will be at an arid 5% to 8%, according to the weather service, which cautions that “any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly.”
The cause of the blaze is under investigation, Cal Fire spokesman Sean McFadden said.


latimes--2020-10-15--After 30 years, El Gran Burrito prepares for farewell

“ WE SERVE TORTAS BREAKFAST BURRITOS ANYTIME , ” the sign screams in capital letters — and for a long time that proclamation painted in red on the side of El Gran Burrito was true .
“ ¡Treinta años !
” restaurant owner Pedro Davila says , his eyes glimmering , as he continues in Spanish .
“ We had the pride of saying , ‘ 30 years and we ’ ve never closed.
’ ” Then came the pandemic .
Until March , his East Hollywood spot dished out house specialties , including its forte , carne asada tacos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sprawling yellow building near the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Vermont Avenue .
At night , the smell of charred chicken sizzling on an outside spit often wafted through the neighborhood , magnetizing Metro riders as they emerged from underground escalators .
But then people began burrowing indoors , sales shriveled and , to minimize losses , the cash-only spot started closing between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. “ It gave me a deep sadness , ” Davila said , sighing .
“ But we ’ re still here.
” Although Davila @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurant ’ s longtime chef , couldn ’ t have anticipated the pandemic , they ’ ve had a couple of years to prepare for the reality that a big change was coming for their beloved restaurant .
If plans stay on schedule , the building the Davilas have rented since 1990 will be razed to the ground sometime before late 2021 , when construction is slated to begin on an affordable-housing project .
The 187-apartment complex — rentable units reserved exclusively for low-income households as well as some retail space on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonprofit developer Little Tokyo Service Center and Metro , which has said the project will provide new shade and seating options at its busy Vermont/Santa Monica station .
The immediate need for more affordable housing options near the intersection is undeniable : Families live out of their vans parked on side streets , people drag abandoned mattresses into pockets of shade for afternoon naps and a recent tally found nearly 4,000 people in the council district are experiencing homelessness .
Davila , who lives a few blocks west of the restaurant , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on sidewalks in the neighborhood increased drastically four years ago .
So much suffering , he said , even before the pandemic .
“ For many people , there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
” Above all , the 70-year-old businessman , who grew up on a ranch in the Mexican state of Puebla , says he ’ s grateful for the long lives and careers that he and Guadalupe , 61 , have built together over the years , first with a series of taco trucks that traversed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walls .
From his corner-lot restaurant , Davila has watched as the neighborhood has evolved .
He remembers the Armenian families who lived down the street in the 1990s and the countless customers he ’ s served — Los Angeles City College students , nurses from Hollywood Presbyterian , Central American immigrants who endearingly trained him to put the spicy salsa on the side .
He easily ticks off a list of nearby businesses that have since shuttered , including a dentist ’ s office , a pancake shop and a place that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opened in 1999 , he quickly realized that most people weren ’ t going to stop in for a snack but instead would sprint to the bus stop across the street .
Human beings , he learned , are always on the go .
“ The poor are running to try to get ahead , and the rich keep running because they don ’ t want to be passed.
” Davila , who is Catholic , said he and his wife often petitioned God to place into their path people whom they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , he posted a sign offering a plate of free food to anyone in need , but he eventually removed it , noticing a few people seemed to be abusing the offer .
Twelve years ago , Oswar Perez , then 18 , asked Davila for work but explained he didn ’ t know how to cook or even how to sweep the floor .
His now-boss saw potential in him , Perez said , and has since taught him tidbits of wisdom , including , a favorite proverb , “ You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re going to teach you , ” Davila told him that day .
“ You will learn.
” Before the pandemic , the restaurant had an early morning rush , a lunch crush and then another swell around 6 p.m. , as families settled into outside booths , sharing horchata and costillas en salsa verde .
But perhaps the busiest shift of all came after dark .
“ Like most great Los Angeles taco places , ” Jonathan Gold wrote in a 1996 “ El Gran Burrito is less notable for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the food served out back on evenings and on weekends.
” For years , the outside area got especially packed on weekends after closing time at a cluster of gay dance clubs nearby , Davila recalled , saying he created a special menu item called “ el burrito gay ” — essentially a regular burrito with cheese on top — out of gratitude to the loyal LGBTQ customer base .
“ Gay clients are who really made the business a success , ” he said , proudly .
A lot of credit belongs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who perfected many of her recipes over long-distance phone calls to Mexico .
“ How do you make menudo ?
” Guadalupe once asked her mother .
“ Mija , if you make it with love , it will come out well , ” her mother said .
“ If not , it won ’ t. ” The restaurant is like a second home , Guadalupe says , explaining that when their five children were younger they often hung out in the small office off the kitchen before and after school , napping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running errands over the years , people sometimes recognized her , Guadalupe said , asking if she was “ la señora del Gran Burrito.
” “ I told them , ‘ No , I ’ m la señora de Don Pedro , ’ ” she said , as her husband chuckled .
The couple met in L.A. and married in the mid-1970s .
With a $ 10,000 loan from a friend turned business partner , the Davilas bought cooking supplies and a taco truck they christened “ Tacos El Conquistador.
” With their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a previous restaurant job , the Davilas started selling food along a busy strip in Lincoln Park .
Their business boomed , especially late at night when restaurants were closed , and within a year , Davila paid off the loan .
Then , early one morning in 1977 , a group of men rushed onto the truck , stealing money and slashing Davila ’ s left forearm with one of his cooking knives .
When the truck was targeted again six months later , they knew it was time to move on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then in Pico-Union , where loyal customers told them they enjoyed the food but disliked the drug dealers sorting their stashes on tables Davila set up nearby .
One night , when they had the truck parked outside El Sombrero dance club in North Hollywood , Davila spotted a drunk guy stumbling toward him .
The phrase stuck and , when translated , became “ El Gran Burrito.
” By 1987 , eager for a fixed locale , Davila rented a spot at Santa Monica Boulevard and Virgil Avenue .
Business flourished @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boxing matches .
During a hyped fight between Mexican champion Julio César Chávez and Héctor “ Macho ” Camacho , the Puerto Rican boxer , so many people packed around the restaurant ’ s television that they spilled out onto the sidewalk .
Soon , a red vehicle drove by and made a U-turn .
A fire department employee hopped out and Davila , who said he ’ s prone to confront things head on , introduced himself as the owner .
The man told him he could either shut down voluntarily or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walked over to the loudspeaker he used to announce food orders .
“ Señores , discúlpenme !
” Davila boomed .
Forgive me , but the law is outside , he said , and we have to shut this down .
He still smirks at the image of some 300 people sulking away from the restaurant before the fight ended .
Before long , the building ’ s owner told Davila she intended to sell the property to the city , so he scouted a new location a few blocks west .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who ran a 99-cent store , subleasing the building from them .
It was 1990 and , after some serious renovations , El Gran Burrito officially opened in its current digs .
Through the years , as rent went from $ 3,000 to $ 3,500 and later to $ 10,000 , Davila had hoped to buy the building , but the former landlord didn ’ t want to sell , he said .
For a long time the restaurant had multiyear leases , but for the past few years , he said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , knowing that , at some point , construction on the new project will begin .
It will be painful to say goodbye .
But the couple ’ s children hope to carry on the family restaurant at another location , Davila said , and after decades of work , he and his wife could use a break .
And for now , they ’ re focused on getting through the pandemic .
On a recent morning , Davila reached into his right pocket , pulling out two folded five-dollar bills and two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far that day , he said , when before the pandemic , it would have been closer to $ 400 .
The restaurant has cut back hours and gone from 16 employees to eight , Davila said , adding many former employees told him they couldn ’ t make enough working a reduced schedule and needed to find new jobs .
He understood .
Guadalupe said she worries about how employees will eat with reduced paychecks .
“ We don ’ t know what will happen , ” she said .
“ Whatever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning , a customer peeked up at the television tuned to Univision , which was airing a segment about Latino children who have died from COVID-19 .
The man sighed , before ordering huevos rancheros .
Behind the counter , Rosa Avila , 60 , wiped her hands on her black apron .
“ My first job and my only job , ” Avila said , explaining that she has worked for the Davilas since 1987 , soon after she moved to Los Angeles from the Mexican state of Durango .
Her three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she said , and she has many memories in this building , including years of Christmas parties , when employees and their families gathered for baked ham and macaroni salad .
The Davilas have been exceedingly understanding bosses , she said , and while she knows the pandemic has been deeply discouraging for them , she thanks God El Gran Burrito has managed to stay open .
At a table outside , Jose Sandoval , 65 , popped open his to-go container and watched steam levitate above a heaping mound of eggs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who emigrated from El Salvador in 1973 , lives nearby and started coming to the restaurant decades ago , when it was off Virgil Avenue .
“ I ’ ve always followed him , ” he said , pointing at Davila , “ because the food is good and the prices are reasonable.
” He especially appreciates the free coffee refills .
“ Try getting a refill at 7-Eleven , ” he quipped .
“ Here , they treat us well.
” As Davila wiped down a nearby table , he smiled over @ @ @

“WE SERVE TORTAS BREAKFAST BURRITOS ANYTIME,” the sign screams in capital letters — and for a long time that proclamation painted in red on the side of El Gran Burrito was true.
“¡Treinta años!” restaurant owner Pedro Davila says, his eyes glimmering, as he continues in Spanish. “We had the pride of saying, ‘30 years and we’ve never closed.’”
Then came the pandemic.
Until March, his East Hollywood spot dished out house specialties, including its forte, carne asada tacos, 24 hours a day from the sprawling yellow building near the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Vermont Avenue.
At night, the smell of charred chicken sizzling on an outside spit often wafted through the neighborhood, magnetizing Metro riders as they emerged from underground escalators. But then people began burrowing indoors, sales shriveled and, to minimize losses, the cash-only spot started closing between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
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“It gave me a deep sadness,” Davila said, sighing. “But we’re still here.”
El Gran Burrito owner Pedro Davila and his wife, Guadalupe, the restaurant’s longtime chef, couldn’t anticipate the pandemic but have been preparing for big changes. The building they rent will be razed to make way for an affordable-housing project. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Although Davila and his wife, Guadalupe, the restaurant’s longtime chef, couldn’t have anticipated the pandemic, they’ve had a couple of years to prepare for the reality that a big change was coming for their beloved restaurant. If plans stay on schedule, the building the Davilas have rented since 1990 will be razed to the ground sometime before late 2021, when construction is slated to begin on an affordable-housing project.
The 187-apartment complex — rentable units reserved exclusively for low-income households as well as some retail space on the ground level — is a partnership between nonprofit developer Little Tokyo Service Center and Metro, which has said the project will provide new shade and seating options at its busy Vermont/Santa Monica station.
The immediate need for more affordable housing options near the intersection is undeniable: Families live out of their vans parked on side streets, people drag abandoned mattresses into pockets of shade for afternoon naps and a recent tally found nearly 4,000 people in the council district are experiencing homelessness.
Davila, who lives a few blocks west of the restaurant, said he noticed the number of people sleeping on sidewalks in the neighborhood increased drastically four years ago. So much suffering, he said, even before the pandemic.
“For many people, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.”
Above all, the 70-year-old businessman, who grew up on a ranch in the Mexican state of Puebla, says he’s grateful for the long lives and careers that he and Guadalupe, 61, have built together over the years, first with a series of taco trucks that traversed the Southland and eventually within these yellow walls.
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“Estamos a gusto.”
::
From his corner-lot restaurant, Davila has watched as the neighborhood has evolved.
He remembers the Armenian families who lived down the street in the 1990s and the countless customers he’s served — Los Angeles City College students, nurses from Hollywood Presbyterian, Central American immigrants who endearingly trained him to put the spicy salsa on the side.
He easily ticks off a list of nearby businesses that have since shuttered, including a dentist’s office, a pancake shop and a place that sold windshields. When the Metro stop opened in 1999, he quickly realized that most people weren’t going to stop in for a snack but instead would sprint to the bus stop across the street. Human beings, he learned, are always on the go.
“The poor are running to try to get ahead, and the rich keep running because they don’t want to be passed.”
Davila, who is Catholic, said he and his wife often petitioned God to place into their path people whom they were meant to serve. Early in the pandemic, he posted a sign offering a plate of free food to anyone in need, but he eventually removed it, noticing a few people seemed to be abusing the offer.
Twelve years ago, Oswar Perez, then 18, asked Davila for work but explained he didn’t know how to cook or even how to sweep the floor. His now-boss saw potential in him, Perez said, and has since taught him tidbits of wisdom, including, a favorite proverb, “You reap what you sow.”
Advertisement
“We’re going to teach you,” Davila told him that day. “You will learn.”
::
Before the pandemic, the restaurant had an early morning rush, a lunch crush and then another swell around 6 p.m., as families settled into outside booths, sharing horchata and costillas en salsa verde.
But perhaps the busiest shift of all came after dark.
“Like most great Los Angeles taco places,” Jonathan Gold wrote in a 1996 profile, “El Gran Burrito is less notable for the food served inside the restaurant than for the food served out back on evenings and on weekends.”
For years, the outside area got especially packed on weekends after closing time at a cluster of gay dance clubs nearby, Davila recalled, saying he created a special menu item called “el burrito gay” — essentially a regular burrito with cheese on top — out of gratitude to the loyal LGBTQ customer base.
“Gay clients are who really made the business a success,” he said, proudly.
El Gran Burrito owner Pedro Davila created a special menu item called “el burrito gay” to show his gratitude for his loyal LGBTQ customers. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Advertisement
A lot of credit belongs to his wife, he said, who perfected many of her recipes over long-distance phone calls to Mexico.
“How do you make menudo?” Guadalupe once asked her mother.
“Mija, if you make it with love, it will come out well,” her mother said. “If not, it won’t.”
The restaurant is like a second home, Guadalupe says, explaining that when their five children were younger they often hung out in the small office off the kitchen before and after school, napping under the wooden desk. While out running errands over the years, people sometimes recognized her, Guadalupe said, asking if she was “la señora del Gran Burrito.”
“I told them, ‘No, I’m la señora de Don Pedro,’” she said, as her husband chuckled.
The couple met in L.A. and married in the mid-1970s.
With a $10,000 loan from a friend turned business partner, the Davilas bought cooking supplies and a taco truck they christened “Tacos El Conquistador.” With their friend as well as another colleague from a previous restaurant job, the Davilas started selling food along a busy strip in Lincoln Park.
Their business boomed, especially late at night when restaurants were closed, and within a year, Davila paid off the loan. Then, early one morning in 1977, a group of men rushed onto the truck, stealing money and slashing Davila’s left forearm with one of his cooking knives. When the truck was targeted again six months later, they knew it was time to move on.
They did stints in Santa Monica and then in Pico-Union, where loyal customers told them they enjoyed the food but disliked the drug dealers sorting their stashes on tables Davila set up nearby. One night, when they had the truck parked outside El Sombrero dance club in North Hollywood, Davila spotted a drunk guy stumbling toward him.
Advertisement
“Hey!” the man shouted. “Gimme my big burrito!”
The phrase stuck and, when translated, became “El Gran Burrito.”
By 1987, eager for a fixed locale, Davila rented a spot at Santa Monica Boulevard and Virgil Avenue. Business flourished, especially on nights of soccer or boxing matches. During a hyped fight between Mexican champion Julio César Chávez and Héctor “Macho” Camacho, the Puerto Rican boxer, so many people packed around the restaurant’s television that they spilled out onto the sidewalk.
Soon, a red vehicle drove by and made a U-turn. A fire department employee hopped out and Davila, who said he’s prone to confront things head on, introduced himself as the owner. The man told him he could either shut down voluntarily or get shut down, so Davila immediately walked over to the loudspeaker he used to announce food orders.
“Señores, discúlpenme!” Davila boomed. Forgive me, but the law is outside, he said, and we have to shut this down.
“Nooooo!” they pleaded. “Just wait. It’s almost over.”
He still smirks at the image of some 300 people sulking away from the restaurant before the fight ended.
Before long, the building’s owner told Davila she intended to sell the property to the city, so he scouted a new location a few blocks west. He cut a deal with two Pakistani immigrants who ran a 99-cent store, subleasing the building from them.
Advertisement
It was 1990 and, after some serious renovations, El Gran Burrito officially opened in its current digs.
Through the years, as rent went from $3,000 to $3,500 and later to $10,000, Davila had hoped to buy the building, but the former landlord didn’t want to sell, he said. For a long time the restaurant had multiyear leases, but for the past few years, he said, it has operated on a month-to-month agreement, knowing that, at some point, construction on the new project will begin.
The poor are running to try to get ahead, and the rich keep running because they don’t want to be passed. — Pedro Davila
It will be painful to say goodbye. But the couple’s children hope to carry on the family restaurant at another location, Davila said, and after decades of work, he and his wife could use a break.
And for now, they’re focused on getting through the pandemic.
On a recent morning, Davila reached into his right pocket, pulling out two folded five-dollar bills and two singles — $12 in sales so far that day, he said, when before the pandemic, it would have been closer to $400.
The restaurant has cut back hours and gone from 16 employees to eight, Davila said, adding many former employees told him they couldn’t make enough working a reduced schedule and needed to find new jobs. He understood. Guadalupe said she worries about how employees will eat with reduced paychecks.
“We don’t know what will happen,” she said. “Whatever God wills.”
On a recent Thursday morning, a customer peeked up at the television tuned to Univision, which was airing a segment about Latino children who have died from COVID-19. The man sighed, before ordering huevos rancheros. Behind the counter, Rosa Avila, 60, wiped her hands on her black apron.
“My first job and my only job,” Avila said, explaining that she has worked for the Davilas since 1987, soon after she moved to Los Angeles from the Mexican state of Durango.
Her three children grew up with the Davila children, she said, and she has many memories in this building, including years of Christmas parties, when employees and their families gathered for baked ham and macaroni salad. The Davilas have been exceedingly understanding bosses, she said, and while she knows the pandemic has been deeply discouraging for them, she thanks God El Gran Burrito has managed to stay open.
A customer waits to order inside El Gran Burrito. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
At a table outside, Jose Sandoval, 65, popped open his to-go container and watched steam levitate above a heaping mound of eggs and chorizo. The now-retired valet, who emigrated from El Salvador in 1973, lives nearby and started coming to the restaurant decades ago, when it was off Virgil Avenue.
“I’ve always followed him,” he said, pointing at Davila, “because the food is good and the prices are reasonable.”
He especially appreciates the free coffee refills.
“Try getting a refill at 7-Eleven,” he quipped. “Here, they treat us well.”
As Davila wiped down a nearby table, he smiled over at Sandoval.
“Buen provecho.”
“Gracias, amigo.”


latimes--2020-10-13--Students are creating free tutoring services to help during COVID-19

Alex Yan and Arvin Ding , seniors at Irvine ’ s Portola High School , have held free weekly in-person tutoring sessions for elementary and middle school students since they started their organization Math at the Library in 2017 .
When COVID-19 hit , their team of high schoolers quickly transitioned to online tutoring and later banded together with two other student volunteer organizations — Girls Empowering Girls , founded by Annette Yuan , a junior at Irvine High School , which offers one-on-one English conversation practice with language learners , and Code Champion , a coding class Ding started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to form the nonprofit .
While the teens previously served their local community , now they tutor students from Seattle to Toronto .
The Irvine youths are part of a growing number of advantaged high school and college students across the country who have stepped up during campus shutdowns and mandated distance learning , hoping to help narrow the educational gap between students who can and those who can ’ t and are quickly falling behind .
Emme Shaffer , a senior at the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks , and her team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 500 students since she started Tutor Together in the spring .
Recent high school graduate Dana Lin , from South Pasadena , was a volunteer instructor teaching stem cell biology at the , a student-run educational platform that was founded in May by undergraduates from universities like Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania .
Triplets Sonia , Esha and Nikhil Mathur , high school juniors in Tucson , started Peer 2 Peer Tutoring to help high school students who were missing school because of health reasons .
But since the pandemic , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all students , and since May , P2P Tutoring has expanded from Arizona to five other states , including a branch in Granite Bay that serves all of California .
These teen volunteers hope to help fill an exponentially growing demand .
In August , the Los Angeles Unified School District partnered with the startup to offer free one-on-one tutoring , though they currently only serve the communities of Huntington Park , Fremont and Taft .
Even if the pilot is successful , Step Up co-founder Nati Rodriguez told the L.A. Times it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make the services available for all students in the district .
Other organizations around Southern California and beyond are adapting their tutoring programs to distance learning .
Eddie D. Tafoya , the CEO and executive director of The Southeast Community Foundation , said the tutors at their Enrichment Tutoring Academy are hired credentialed teachers , supported by grants and donations .
The Enrichment Tutoring Academy has been serving the neighborhoods of Southeast Los Angeles , from Montebello to Compton and from Huntington Park to La Mirada since 2015 .
He anticipates it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meet the high demand this year .
Here is a list of some free virtual tutoring resources Many of these websites have detailed information about their staff and partners , tutor vetting process , platforms used , privacy and safety precautions , testimonials , languages available and any restrictions .
Parents should familiarize themselves with the procedures of any tutoring service they choose and monitor all their children ’ s online interactions .
About : Started by 17-year-olds Sarah Shapiro and Skye Loventhal from Granada Hills Charter School , the COVID nineTEEN project @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They also offer other teen-led activities .
Activities available for the week are updated on the website the Friday morning prior .
Age : First to fifth grade Subjects : English , math , science , history Contact : Register ; volunteer El Nido Family Centers About : A social service nonprofit agency , El Nido Family Centers provide counseling and family support services to disadvantaged communities in L.A. El Nido started offering tutoring during the pandemic , when many of its clients requested extra support for their children struggling with distance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college students Subjects : Reading and math Contact : ( 323 ) 998-0093 ; ; About : Founded in 2018 by Steven Luo , a junior at Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose , the Evergreen Initiative provided free in-person tutoring to locals in the Bay Area pre-pandemic , in addition to online tutoring for anyone with internet access .
It has continued its virtual tutoring during shelter-in-place orders .
Age : Kindergarten to 12th grade Subjects : Math , English , history , biology , Chinese , physics , computer science @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; About : Founded by Mackenzie Lowenstein and led by fellow UCLA students and recent graduates , Front Lines Tutoring offers free 50-minute virtual tutoring with tutors who are college students from UCLA , Carnegie Mellon , Yale and elsewhere .
Limited to : Kids of healthcare professionals .
Subjects : Chemistry , biology , English , history , algebra , geometry , pre-calculus , calculus , Spanish , college prep and more Age : Kindergarten to 12th grade Contact : ; ; Joseph Learning Lab Joseph Learning Lab supports school districts across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other services to close the learning gap and reduce the dropout rate .
Students meet with volunteers via Google Classroom and Meet sessions for 90 minutes a day during the following time periods : Monday to Thursday , from 3:10 p.m. to 6:10 p.m .
Volunteers are coordinated by L.A. Works .
Age : Third to sixth grade Subjects : Core subjects , such as English and math Contact : Enroll , Volunteer : Donate About : Founded by Drew Soshensky in 2019 , Jumpstart Tutoring started with Soshensky tutoring a few students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 40 high school and college students who offer free one-on-one tutoring .
Soshensky is based in New York , though tutors are based all around the world .
Age : Fifth to 12th grade Subjects : Math , history , test prep and FAFSA applications ( coming soon ) Contact : ; About : Founded in 2018 , Kara Tutoring is a student-led organization that has more 250 tutors in over 45 countries .
Tutors are required to score at least 1500 on their SATs .
Limited to : Students who receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or a foster home or are homeless ; receive financial aid or have other financial disadvantages Subjects : U.S. and international test prep and general subject tutoring Contact : ; ; Learn To Be About : Learn To Be is a nonprofit that brings free one-on-one online tutoring to underserved youth around the United States .
Since 2008 , they ’ ve paired K-12 students with volunteer tutors in an online classroom .
Sessions are one to two times per week on anything the student needs help with .
To date , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tutoring .
Ages : 5 to 18 Subjects : Math , science , reading , writing and social science Contact : Register ; Volunteer ; Donate About : The Los Angeles Public Library provides free online tutoring through Tutor.com , powered by the Princeton Review .
Students just need to enter a library card barcode and password , and it ’ s available daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m .
The student and tutor work in a virtual classroom with chat and two-way white boards .
Age : Kindergarten to 12th grade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science , English , social studies and writing , career resources and SAT/ACT essentials Contact : About : In April , Harley Simpson founded Pandemic Professors alongside a group of fellow UC Berkeley graduates to connect low-income students with free tutors .
Age : Kindergarten to 12th grade Subjects : Homework help , language , math , science , reading , coding , college application and financial aid , fitness , career guidance and more Contact : ; ; About : Peer 2 Peer Tutoring ( P2P Tutoring ) was founded by high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mathur in 2018 to help students who were missing school due to sick days .
The nonprofit expanded during the pandemic to help any student in need .
They work with principals and teachers to try and find tutors in the student in need ’ s school or class , so they can teach the same material .
Age : High school , elementary and middle school Subjects : All Contact : ; ; About : Pre-COVID-19 , the Enrichment Tutoring Academy offered 90-minute after-school sessions in its Vernon classroom .
It has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two 50-minute sessions , one for English , one for math , with a 10-minute break , work best for its students .
Locations served : Cities in southeast Los Angeles County , including Bell , Bell Gardens , Bellflower , Cerritos , Commerce , Compton , Cudahy , Downey , Huntington Park , La Mirada , Lynwood , Maywood , Montebello , Norwalk , Paramount , Pico Rivera , Santa Fe Springs , South Gate , Vernon and Whittier Ages : Kindergarten through high school Subjects : English and math Contact : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ School on Wheels volunteers provide in Los Angeles .
During the pandemic , the organization has been matching each student with their own tutor , as well as offering backpacks , school supplies and technology .
Homeless children are nine times more likely to repeat a grade and four times more likely to drop out of school .
Location : Los Angeles , Ventura , San Bernardino , Santa Barbara , Orange and Riverside counties Age : Kindergarten to 12th grade Contact : ; ( temporarily not training new tutors , but people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a virtual supply drive ) ; About : Started by Irvine high school students , StudySmart is a fusion of the organizations Math at the Library , started by Alex Yan and Arvin Ding ; Girls Empowering Girls , started by Annette Yuan ; and Code Champion , started by Arvin and Cindy Ding .
Fall 2020 math sessions are held every Monday , Wednesday and Friday from 4 to 5 p.m. Pacific time .
English-language students are paired with tutors .
Coding sessions take place on Saturdays in five-week sessions .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and age : Math ( grades K-8 ) ; English as second language ( all ages ) ; coding ( recommended grades 5 and 6 ) Contact : About : Started by Emme Shaffer , a high school senior at the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks , Tutor Together offers one-hour one-on-one tutoring sessions with high school students through Zoom .
Weekdays 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. , and weekends 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Age : Kindergarten to 8th grade Subjects : Language and math Contact : About : Started by Aly Murray @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provides free tutoring-on-demand 24/7 to low-income students whose families can not afford a private tutor or admissions consultant .
The average wait time for a tutor is under 5 minutes , and most are college students or young professionals who have prior tutoring experience and have passed certification quizzes in the topics requested .
Age : 13 and over Subjects : Math ( pre-algebra through calculus ) , science ( biology , chemistry , physics and environmental science ) , and college counseling Contact : ; ; About : The Wave Learning Festival @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that provides tutoring and over 300 live classes .
Volunteers include over 400 college and high school students , and they ’ ve been able to reach students in 47 states and 59 countries since they started in May .
Age : Sixth to eighth grade Subjects : English and math tutoring , plus unique classes Contact : ; ; These services are expected to be available soon About : Communities in Schools of Los Angeles is a .
In the last school year , 99 % of its case-managed high school seniors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said they felt supported during school closures .
The nonprofit is planning to launch its first virtual tutoring program with volunteer teachers , private tutors and college students .
Contact : About : Though the name is a nod to its beginnings , founded during the COVID-19 pandemic , its tagline is “ We ’ ve got you COV-ered.
” The virtual tutors are high school and college students , and they provide one- to two hour Zoom sessions per week .
Age : Kindergarten to 12th grade Subjects : Biology , chemistry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , economics , English/grammar , math , physics and statistics Contact : ( currently accepting waitlist ) About : Started in 2011 by , Young Leaders of Orange County provides tutoring for low-income elementary and middle school students in Buena Park , La Palma , Fullerton , Stanton , La Mirada and Anaheim .
During the pandemic , it ’ s been uploading .
Their first Zoom tutoring session starts Oct. 17 , and they are planning more sessions for the future .
Age : Kindergarten to eighth grade Subjects : Math , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; ; To submit other free tutoring resources that should be on this list , email ada.tseng @ latimes.com .

A group that includes Annette Yuan, a junior at Irvine High, has expanded beyond Southern California and now tutors students from Seattle to Toronto.
Alex Yan and Arvin Ding, seniors at Irvine’s Portola High School, have held free weekly in-person tutoring sessions for elementary and middle school students since they started their organization Math at the Library in 2017.
When COVID-19 hit, their team of high schoolers quickly transitioned to online tutoring and later banded together with two other student volunteer organizations — Girls Empowering Girls, founded by Annette Yuan, a junior at Irvine High School, which offers one-on-one English conversation practice with language learners, and Code Champion, a coding class Ding started with his sophomore sister Cindy Ding — to form the nonprofit StudySmart Youth Services .
For the record: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Dana Lin as being from Pasadena. Lin is from South Pasadena.
While the teens previously served their local community, now they tutor students from Seattle to Toronto.
The Irvine youths are part of a growing number of advantaged high school and college students across the country who have stepped up during campus shutdowns and mandated distance learning, hoping to help narrow the educational gap between students who can afford to hire private tutors and those who can’t and are quickly falling behind .
Emme Shaffer, a senior at the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, and her team of high school students have tutored over 500 students since she started Tutor Together in the spring.
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Recent high school graduate Dana Lin, from South Pasadena, was a volunteer instructor teaching stem cell biology at the Wave Learning Festival , a student-run educational platform that was founded in May by undergraduates from universities like Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania.
Triplets Sonia, Esha and Nikhil Mathur, high school juniors in Tucson, started Peer 2 Peer Tutoring to help high school students who were missing school because of health reasons.
But since the pandemic, they’ve opened up their services to all students, and since May, P2P Tutoring has expanded from Arizona to five other states, including a branch in Granite Bay that serves all of California.
Alex Yan, left, Annette Yuan, Cindy Ding and Arvin Ding are the co-founders of StudySmart Youth Services. (StudySmart Youth Services)
These teen volunteers hope to help fill an exponentially growing demand.
In August, the Los Angeles Unified School District partnered with the startup Step Up Tutoring to offer free one-on-one tutoring, though they currently only serve the communities of Huntington Park, Fremont and Taft. Even if the pilot is successful, Step Up co-founder Nati Rodriguez told the L.A. Times it’d likely take two years to make the services available for all students in the district.
Other organizations around Southern California and beyond are adapting their tutoring programs to distance learning.
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Eddie D. Tafoya, the CEO and executive director of The Southeast Community Foundation, said the tutors at their Enrichment Tutoring Academy are hired credentialed teachers, supported by grants and donations.
The Enrichment Tutoring Academy has been serving the neighborhoods of Southeast Los Angeles, from Montebello to Compton and from Huntington Park to La Mirada since 2015.
He anticipates it’ll be a challenge for them to meet the high demand this year.
Here is a list of some free virtual tutoring resources
Many of these websites have detailed information about their staff and partners, tutor vetting process, platforms used, privacy and safety precautions, testimonials, languages available and any restrictions. Parents should familiarize themselves with the procedures of any tutoring service they choose and monitor all their children’s online interactions.
The COVID nineTEEN Project
About: Started by 17-year-olds Sarah Shapiro and Skye Loventhal from Granada Hills Charter School, the COVID nineTEEN project offers one-on-one tutoring in 15 languages through 30-minute sessions. They also offer other teen-led activities. Activities available for the week are updated on the website the Friday morning prior.
Age: First to fifth grade
Subjects: English, math, science, history
Contact: Register; volunteer
EdRise Tutoring
About: Started by North Hollywood High School students, EdRise Tutoring serves students in a variety of subjects through weekday video calls. The tutors are trained and verified high school and college students. The program is geared toward students struggling with school, but tutors can also offer resources for students who want additional materials.
Age: Third- to eighth-grade
Subjects: Math, science, social studies, Spanish, computer science, English and more
Contact: Register, Volunteer
El Nido Family Centers
About: A social service nonprofit agency, El Nido Family Centers provide counseling and family support services to disadvantaged communities in L.A. El Nido started offering tutoring during the pandemic, when many of its clients requested extra support for their children struggling with distance learning.
Age: Elementary school to college students
Subjects: Reading and math
Contact: (323) 998-0093; volunteer ; donate
Evergreen Initiative
About: Founded in 2018 by Steven Luo, a junior at Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose, the Evergreen Initiative provided free in-person tutoring to locals in the Bay Area pre-pandemic, in addition to online tutoring for anyone with internet access. It has continued its virtual tutoring during shelter-in-place orders.
Age: Kindergarten to 12th grade
Subjects: Math, English, history, biology, Chinese, physics, computer science and other elementary school subjects
Contact: Register ; volunteer
Front Lines Tutoring
About: Founded by Mackenzie Lowenstein and led by fellow UCLA students and recent graduates, Front Lines Tutoring offers free 50-minute virtual tutoring with tutors who are college students from UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, Yale and elsewhere.
Limited to: Kids of healthcare professionals.
Subjects: Chemistry, biology, English, history, algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, calculus, Spanish, college prep and more
Age: Kindergarten to 12th grade
Contact: Register ; volunteer ; donate
Joseph Learning Lab
Joseph Learning Lab supports school districts across California by providing tutoring, mentoring and other services to close the learning gap and reduce the dropout rate. Students meet with volunteers via Google Classroom and Meet sessions for 90 minutes a day during the following time periods: Monday to Thursday, from 3:10 p.m. to 6:10 p.m. Volunteers are coordinated by L.A. Works.
Age: Third to sixth grade
Subjects: Core subjects, such as English and math
Contact: Enroll, Volunteer: Donate
Jumpstart Tutoring
About: Founded by Drew Soshensky in 2019, Jumpstart Tutoring started with Soshensky tutoring a few students in person, and now there are about 40 high school and college students who offer free one-on-one tutoring. Soshensky is based in New York, though tutors are based all around the world.
Age: Fifth to 12th grade
Subjects: Math, history, test prep and FAFSA applications (coming soon)
Contact: Register ; volunteer
Kara Tutoring
About: Founded in 2018, Kara Tutoring is a student-led organization that has more 250 tutors in over 45 countries. Tutors are required to score at least 1500 on their SATs.
Limited to: Students who receive public assistance; live in public housing or a foster home or are homeless; receive financial aid or have other financial disadvantages
Subjects: U.S. and international test prep and general subject tutoring
Contact: Register ; volunteer ; donate
Learn To Be
About: Learn To Be is a nonprofit that brings free one-on-one online tutoring to underserved youth around the United States. Since 2008, they’ve paired K-12 students with volunteer tutors in an online classroom. Sessions are one to two times per week on anything the student needs help with. To date, they’ve hosted over 30,000 hours of tutoring.
Ages: 5 to 18
Subjects: Math, science, reading, writing and social science
Contact: Register; Volunteer; Donate
Los Angeles Public Library
About: The Los Angeles Public Library provides free online tutoring through Tutor.com, powered by the Princeton Review. Students just need to enter a library card barcode and password, and it’s available daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The student and tutor work in a virtual classroom with chat and two-way white boards.
Age: Kindergarten to 12th grade
Subjects: Homework help in math, science, English, social studies and writing, career resources and SAT/ACT essentials
Contact: Register
Pandemic Professors
About: In April, Harley Simpson founded Pandemic Professors alongside a group of fellow UC Berkeley graduates to connect low-income students with free tutors.
Age: Kindergarten to 12th grade
Subjects: Homework help, language, math, science, reading, coding, college application and financial aid, fitness, career guidance and more
Contact: Register ; volunteer ; donate
Siblings Sonia, Nikhil and Esha Mathur are the founders of Peer 2 Peer Tutoring.
(Peer 2 Peer Tutoring)
Peer 2 Peer Tutoring
About: Peer 2 Peer Tutoring (P2P Tutoring) was founded by high school students Sonia, Esha and Nikhil Mathur in 2018 to help students who were missing school due to sick days. The nonprofit expanded during the pandemic to help any student in need. They work with principals and teachers to try and find tutors in the student in need’s school or class, so they can teach the same material.
Age: High school, elementary and middle school
Subjects: All
Contact: Register ; volunteer ; donate
Southeast Community Foundation’s Enrichment Tutoring Academy
About: Pre-COVID-19, the Enrichment Tutoring Academy offered 90-minute after-school sessions in its Vernon classroom. It has transitioned to online tutoring and found that two 50-minute sessions, one for English, one for math, with a 10-minute break, work best for its students.
Locations served: Cities in southeast Los Angeles County, including Bell, Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Cerritos, Commerce, Compton, Cudahy, Downey, Huntington Park, La Mirada, Lynwood, Maywood, Montebello, Norwalk, Paramount, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, South Gate, Vernon and Whittier
Ages: Kindergarten through high school
Subjects: English and math
Contact: Register ; donate
School on Wheels
About: Founded in 1993, School on Wheels volunteers provide one-on-one weekly tutoring services and mentorship to students experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. During the pandemic, the organization has been matching each student with their own tutor, as well as offering backpacks, school supplies and technology. Homeless children are nine times more likely to repeat a grade and four times more likely to drop out of school.
Location: Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Orange and Riverside counties
Age: Kindergarten to 12th grade
Contact: Register ; volunteer (temporarily not training new tutors, but people can sign up for updates or start a virtual supply drive); donate
StudySmart Youth Services
About: Started by Irvine high school students, StudySmart is a fusion of the organizations Math at the Library, started by Alex Yan and Arvin Ding; Girls Empowering Girls, started by Annette Yuan; and Code Champion, started by Arvin and Cindy Ding. Fall 2020 math sessions are held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4 to 5 p.m. Pacific time. English-language students are paired with tutors. Coding sessions take place on Saturdays in five-week sessions. The next session starts Oct. 18.
Subjects and age: Math (grades K-8); English as second language (all ages); coding (recommended grades 5 and 6)
Contact: Register or volunteer
Tutor Together
About: Started by Emme Shaffer, a high school senior at the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, Tutor Together offers one-hour one-on-one tutoring sessions with high school students through Zoom. Weekdays 3:30 to 8:30 p.m., and weekends 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Age: Kindergarten to 8th grade
Subjects: Language and math
Contact: Register
Upchieve
About: Started by Aly Murray and Katie Sgarro in 2016, Upchieve provides free tutoring-on-demand 24/7 to low-income students whose families cannot afford a private tutor or admissions consultant. The average wait time for a tutor is under 5 minutes, and most are college students or young professionals who have prior tutoring experience and have passed certification quizzes in the topics requested.
Age: 13 and over
Subjects: Math (pre-algebra through calculus), science (biology, chemistry, physics and environmental science), and college counseling
Contact: Register ; volunteer ; donate
Wave Learning Festival
About: The Wave Learning Festival is a college-led, free educational platform that provides tutoring and over 300 live classes. Volunteers include over 400 college and high school students, and they’ve been able to reach students in 47 states and 59 countries since they started in May.
Age: Sixth to eighth grade
Subjects: English and math tutoring, plus unique classes
Contact: Register ; volunteer ; donate
These services are expected to be available soon
Communities in Schools of Los Angeles
About: Communities in Schools of Los Angeles is a dropout prevention organization that supports students in Los Angeles’ public schools . In the last school year, 99% of its case-managed high school seniors graduated on time, and 97% said they felt supported during school closures. The nonprofit is planning to launch its first virtual tutoring program with volunteer teachers, private tutors and college students.
Contact: Donate
COV-Tutors
About: Though the name is a nod to its beginnings, founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, its tagline is “We’ve got you COV-ered.” The virtual tutors are high school and college students, and they provide one- to two hour Zoom sessions per week.
Age: Kindergarten to 12th grade
Subjects: Biology, chemistry, college essay writing, computer science, economics, English/grammar, math, physics and statistics
Contact: Register (currently accepting waitlist)
Young Leaders of Orange County
About: Started in 2011 by Helen Youn and her then-teenage daughter , Young Leaders of Orange County provides tutoring for low-income elementary and middle school students in Buena Park, La Palma, Fullerton, Stanton, La Mirada and Anaheim. During the pandemic, it’s been uploading YouTube lessons . Their first Zoom tutoring session starts Oct. 17, and they are planning more sessions for the future.
Age: Kindergarten to eighth grade
Subjects: Math, reading, art, music
Contact: Register ; volunteer ; donate
To submit other free tutoring resources that should be on this list, email ada.tseng@latimes.com.


latimes--2020-10-16--State teacher unions push back against calls to reopen campuses; parents torn

As parents express widespread dissatisfaction with distance learning , two influential California teachers unions are pushing against growing momentum to reopen schools in many communities , saying that campuses are not yet safe enough amid the pandemic .
Leaders with the California Teachers Assn.
, with 300,000 members , and United Teachers Los Angeles , representing 30,000 in the state ’ s largest school district , said that districts do not have the resources to provide the level of protection they say is needed to bring teachers and children together in classrooms .
“ Our teachers want to be in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ E. Toby Boyd , president of the California Teachers Assn .
“ We can ’ t do it unless it ’ s safe.
” Their stance carries weight in the coming weeks and months as teachers ’ working conditions are part of union-negotiated contracts .
Unions and districts need to return to bargaining tables to work out new schedules , classroom arrangements and workloads under the safety guidelines for operating in-person classes during the pandemic .
Boyd acknowledged that 100 % safety is impossible , while suggesting that teachers and their union leaders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what is safe enough .
In Los Angeles , union participants in a news conference Thursday at Dorsey High School in South L.A. spoke out against calls to speed up the pace of reopening because the district ’ s high-poverty communities have been hard-hit by COVID-19 and because infection rates remain high .
About 80 % of district students are from low-income families .
“ We can not allow a rushed or careless reopening of schools that will once again disproportionately impact students and families of color because of unsafe conditions at their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an English teacher at Dorsey .
Union organizers also opposed a piecemeal , school-by-school reopening , especially because that would favor more prosperous neighborhoods , where COVID-19 is less prevalent .
“ We need to know that students in East L.A. will be just as safe returning to school as students in West L.A. ” Hapuarachy said .
Critics of the unions point to research that suggests the unions ’ positions are too extreme .
“ More and more research is showing that reopening schools will not overly endanger students and staff , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Center for Education at the Pacific Research Institute .
Izumi cited research from Brown University suggesting that “ schools are not super spreaders and school infection rates are low even in places with high community rates.
” Separately , researchers at Yale concluded that child care could be offered with relative safety .
Currently , no schools can fully reopen in Los Angeles County because of widespread virus transmission , according to state guidelines .
But school systems can offer in-person , one-on-one tutoring and assessments and bring back small groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students with disabilities and students learning English .
United Teachers Los Angeles has reached an agreement over one-on-one tutoring that allows teachers to volunteer for the work .
But the union opposes the return of small groups of students until further safety protocols can be negotiated .
Some other nearby school systems are moving more swiftly to bring back small groups .
A campus is allowed to bring in up to 10 % of enrollment at a time for services to these students .
The timing of the union response Thursday signals the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gaining the upper hand amid the push and pull of politics , evolving science , incomplete data and frustration over distance learning .
On Tuesday , L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger questioned a senior health official about why it was taking so long for schools to open in L.A. County .
Some school and district officials also have pressed the issue , noting that infection rates in their communities are low .
Advocacy groups , including some newly formed by parents , also have called for campuses to reopen — or to at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A poll commissioned by the research and advocacy group Education Trust — West found that parents think less of distance learning than they did in March , even though most students are now connected online and most experts agree that districts have upped their online game .
Still , 35 % of parents rated online learning as successful compared with 57 % in March .
Low-income parents are more likely to rate online learning as unsuccessful .
The survey was conducted among 800 parents of children in California public schools from Oct. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interval of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points and adjusted for geographic and demographic accuracy .
The poll also found that more than two-thirds of parents report higher stress levels for their children in school .
And just over half of parents say they would like more in-person learning for their child than what is currently planned .
But the flip side is that many parents are not so eager to rush their children back to campus , which was a focus of a CTA poll .
The CTA poll also found widespread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of opinions on whether district officials are moving too fast or too slow to reopen campuses : 46 % of parents said their local district was moving at about the right pace ; 25 % too fast ; 22 % too slow ; 7 % were not sure .
In this poll , 62 % of parents said they were not comfortable with sending their children back to school when surveyed from Sept. 18 to 25 .
Four in 10 voters and parents said campuses should not reopen for in-person instruction until there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ registered voters in California with a sample that allowed for breaking out the views of parents with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points .
All but 10 of California ’ s 58 counties can now reopen campuses provided that they follow extensive protocols , according to the California Department of Education .
These 10 counties , which have 35.6 % of California students , include Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties in Southern California and Monterey and Sonoma counties to the north .
However , not all eligible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Santa Ana Unified in Orange County and San Diego Unified , the state ’ s second-largest school system .
Long Beach Unified , the second-largest district in L.A. County , has announced that it won ’ t fully open campuses before January .
L.A. Unified , the nation ’ s second-largest school system , hasn ’ t ruled out reopening sooner but has trailed some nearby school systems in bringing back small groups of students with special needs , which is allowed in any county — in part because of union resistance .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ child with special needs prompted parent Erica Meyrich-Pinciss to move from an L.A. Unified school to one in Hermosa Beach .
Because L.A. Unified is offering no in-class instruction , Meyrich-Pinciss ’ son attended his first few weeks of transitional kindergarten through Zoom .
But there were constant technical problems , Meyrich-Pinciss said , and the teacher spent most of the day playing YouTube videos for the class of students with multiple disabilities .
She said her son was bored and seemed to be regressing .
Alicia Baltazar , a single parent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said she doesn ’ t believe L.A. Unified has enough financial resources to carry out necessary safety precautions .
As someone who is immunocompromised , Baltazar feels like her life is in LAUSD ’ s hands .
“ Our campuses don ’ t even have a nurse every day of the week , ” she said .
“ So how can you tell me it ’ s safe to send my kid to school during a pandemic ?
” At Dorsey High School , groups allied with UTLA presented “ minimum conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The demands included a call for additional cleaning staff and a maximum classroom size of 12 students at a time .
State rules require physical distancing or barriers when this is impossible but do not specify the class size once schools are allowed to fully reopen .
Some of the demands are in accord with what L.A. Unified officials insist they are trying to accomplish — including comprehensive testing and contract tracing , but points of difference are expected to emerge at the negotiating table .
One clear point at both events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Current funding levels for schools were based on the presumption that more federal aid would be forthcoming .
Without it , funding cuts are looming .
“ Our response to this unprecedented pandemic can not be budget cuts and business as usual .
There is no plan in Sacramento to increase funding for our schools , ” said Lester Garcia , political director for Local 99 of Service Employees International Union , which represents most non-teaching workers in L.A. Unified .

Teachers participate this month in a car caravan protest, asserting that the Compton Unified School District is not doing enough to keep them safe. District officials insist otherwise.
As parents express widespread dissatisfaction with distance learning, two influential California teachers unions are pushing against growing momentum to reopen schools in many communities, saying that campuses are not yet safe enough amid the pandemic.
Leaders with the California Teachers Assn., with 300,000 members, and United Teachers Los Angeles, representing 30,000 in the state’s largest school district, said that districts do not have the resources to provide the level of protection they say is needed to bring teachers and children together in classrooms.
“Our teachers want to be in front of the students,” said E. Toby Boyd, president of the California Teachers Assn. “We can’t do it unless it’s safe.”
Their stance carries weight in the coming weeks and months as teachers’ working conditions are part of union-negotiated contracts. Unions and districts need to return to bargaining tables to work out new schedules, classroom arrangements and workloads under the safety guidelines for operating in-person classes during the pandemic.
Boyd acknowledged that 100% safety is impossible, while suggesting that teachers and their union leaders are in the best position to determine what is safe enough.
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In Los Angeles, union participants in a news conference Thursday at Dorsey High School in South L.A. spoke out against calls to speed up the pace of reopening because the district’s high-poverty communities have been hard-hit by COVID-19 and because infection rates remain high. About 80% of district students are from low-income families.
“We cannot allow a rushed or careless reopening of schools that will once again disproportionately impact students and families of color because of unsafe conditions at their schools,” said Sharonne Hapuarachy, an English teacher at Dorsey.
Union organizers also opposed a piecemeal, school-by-school reopening, especially because that would favor more prosperous neighborhoods, where COVID-19 is less prevalent.
“We need to know that students in East L.A. will be just as safe returning to school as students in West L.A.” Hapuarachy said.
Critics of the unions point to research that suggests the unions’ positions are too extreme.
“More and more research is showing that reopening schools will not overly endanger students and staff,” said Lance Izumi, senior director of the Center for Education at the Pacific Research Institute. Izumi cited research from Brown University suggesting that “schools are not super spreaders and school infection rates are low even in places with high community rates.”
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Separately, researchers at Yale concluded that child care could be offered with relative safety.
Currently, no schools can fully reopen in Los Angeles County because of widespread virus transmission, according to state guidelines. But school systems can offer in-person, one-on-one tutoring and assessments and bring back small groups of students with special needs, including students with disabilities and students learning English.
United Teachers Los Angeles has reached an agreement over one-on-one tutoring that allows teachers to volunteer for the work. But the union opposes the return of small groups of students until further safety protocols can be negotiated. Some other nearby school systems are moving more swiftly to bring back small groups. A campus is allowed to bring in up to 10% of enrollment at a time for services to these students.
The timing of the union response Thursday signals the teachers’ concern that reopening momentum is gaining the upper hand amid the push and pull of politics, evolving science, incomplete data and frustration over distance learning.
On Tuesday, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger questioned a senior health official about why it was taking so long for schools to open in L.A. County. Some school and district officials also have pressed the issue, noting that infection rates in their communities are low. Advocacy groups, including some newly formed by parents, also have called for campuses to reopen — or to at least serve more students with special needs.
A poll commissioned by the research and advocacy group Education Trust — West found that parents think less of distance learning than they did in March, even though most students are now connected online and most experts agree that districts have upped their online game. Still, 35% of parents rated online learning as successful compared with 57% in March. Low-income parents are more likely to rate online learning as unsuccessful.
The survey was conducted among 800 parents of children in California public schools from Oct. 1 through 7, with a confidence interval of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points and adjusted for geographic and demographic accuracy.
The poll also found that more than two-thirds of parents report higher stress levels for their children in school. And just over half of parents say they would like more in-person learning for their child than what is currently planned.
But the flip side is that many parents are not so eager to rush their children back to campus, which was a focus of a CTA poll.
The CTA poll also found widespread discontent with distance learning and an array of opinions on whether district officials are moving too fast or too slow to reopen campuses: 46% of parents said their local district was moving at about the right pace; 25% too fast; 22% too slow; 7% were not sure.
In this poll, 62% of parents said they were not comfortable with sending their children back to school when surveyed from Sept. 18 to 25. Four in 10 voters and parents said campuses should not reopen for in-person instruction until there is a vaccine. Pollsters interviewed 1,296 registered voters in California with a sample that allowed for breaking out the views of parents with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
All but 10 of California’s 58 counties can now reopen campuses provided that they follow extensive protocols, according to the California Department of Education. These 10 counties, which have 35.6% of California students, include Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties in Southern California and Monterey and Sonoma counties to the north.
However, not all eligible districts have chosen to reopen, including Santa Ana Unified in Orange County and San Diego Unified, the state’s second-largest school system. Long Beach Unified, the second-largest district in L.A. County, has announced that it won’t fully open campuses before January.
L.A. Unified, the nation’s second-largest school system, hasn’t ruled out reopening sooner but has trailed some nearby school systems in bringing back small groups of students with special needs, which is allowed in any county — in part because of union resistance.
Frustration over lack of services for her child with special needs prompted parent Erica Meyrich-Pinciss to move from an L.A. Unified school to one in Hermosa Beach.
Because L.A. Unified is offering no in-class instruction, Meyrich-Pinciss’ son attended his first few weeks of transitional kindergarten through Zoom. But there were constant technical problems, Meyrich-Pinciss said, and the teacher spent most of the day playing YouTube videos for the class of students with multiple disabilities.
She said her son was bored and seemed to be regressing.
Alicia Baltazar, a single parent of a fifth-grader at Friese Avenue Elementary School, said she doesn’t believe L.A. Unified has enough financial resources to carry out necessary safety precautions.
As someone who is immunocompromised, Baltazar feels like her life is in LAUSD’s hands.
“Our campuses don’t even have a nurse every day of the week,” she said. “So how can you tell me it’s safe to send my kid to school during a pandemic?”
At Dorsey High School, groups allied with UTLA presented “minimum conditions for reopening ... centered on racial justice.”
The demands included a call for additional cleaning staff and a maximum classroom size of 12 students at a time. State rules require physical distancing or barriers when this is impossible but do not specify the class size once schools are allowed to fully reopen.
Some of the demands are in accord with what L.A. Unified officials insist they are trying to accomplish — including comprehensive testing and contract tracing, but points of difference are expected to emerge at the negotiating table.
One clear point at both events was a call for more funding.
Current funding levels for schools were based on the presumption that more federal aid would be forthcoming. Without it, funding cuts are looming.
“Our response to this unprecedented pandemic cannot be budget cuts and business as usual. There is no plan in Sacramento to increase funding for our schools,” said Lester Garcia, political director for Local 99 of Service Employees International Union, which represents most non-teaching workers in L.A. Unified.


latimes--2020-10-16--Cops killed Dijon Kizzee after a minor bike stop. We found 15 similar police shootings, many fatal

Noel Aguilar was riding his bicycle on a sidewalk when he stole a glance at a couple of Los Angeles County sheriff ’ s deputies and quickly pedaled away .
Within minutes of what began as a routine encounter , the 23-year-old was dead with three rounds in his back .
When Christian Cobian was stopped by deputies because his bike didn ’ t have lights , he ran from them with his hand underneath his shirt .
Deputies said they thought Cobian , 26 , was going to shoot them and fired 13 rounds , killing him .
No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dijon Kizzee , 29 , was shot 16 times and killed by deputies who tried to stop him for riding his bike on the wrong side of the street in South L.A. , spurring weeks of protests .
Kizzee ’ s death and the others highlight how deadly violence can erupt from minor infractions and has sparked criticism of law enforcement ’ s failure to deescalate such incidents .
The Times identified 16 cases since 2005 where a stop for bike violations in Los Angeles County resulted in a police shooting , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records from the district attorney , coroner and various court cases .
Most of the stops occurred in communities made up largely of Black and Latino residents .
In 11 incidents , including Kizzee ’ s , the bicyclists — all male and Black or Latino — were killed .
Among those 16 cases , violations ranged from riding on the sidewalk to biking without a light or on the wrong side of the road .
In 11 cases , authorities said they found a firearm .
In one shooting , deputies found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a semiautomatic handgun .
Traffic stops have long been a source of controversy in policing , even more so now amid calls for police reform sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
The aggressive enforcement of minor infractions that law enforcement has long touted as effective under the “ broken windows ” theory of policing has been criticized for resulting in racial disparities and alienating residents without lowering crime .
A Times analysis in 2019 found that LAPD officers searched Black and Latino drivers far more often than white people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people were more likely to be found with illegal items .
There has been much debate about who police pull over in a vehicle for traffic violations , but much less examination of how those laws are enforced for bicyclists .
Bike stops are under particular scrutiny as cycling has become a safe alternative during the coronavirus outbreak for many people in poor communities who would normally rely on public transportation to get around .
It is difficult to find data on bike stops because many departments aren ’ t required to collect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use of force .
In Tampa , one study found that Black cyclists were nearly three times more likely to be stopped than white cyclists , said Ojmarrh Mitchell , a criminology professor at Arizona State University who conducted the research .
New York Atty .
Gen. Letitia James recently recommended that police cease conducting routine traffic stops because they too often escalate into violence .
The guidance came as her office reviewed the death of Allan Feliz , who was shot and killed after he was stopped for allegedly not wearing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York City Police Department ’ s response to protests against Floyd ’ s death .
“ Laws with a history of alleged disparate and discriminatory enforcement , such as bicycle operation on the sidewalk , ‘ jaywalking , ’ loitering , and fare evasion , should be repealed or removed from police enforcement , ” her office said in a July report .
Seizing a gun or uncovering criminal activity during a stop for a minor traffic violation is considered good police work , and can boost an officer ’ s statistics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jody Armour , a professor at USC who studies racial disparities in the legal system , said such interactions create a “ reservoir of resentment.
” “ It really robs people of their full participation in core community activities , ” Armour said .
“ It starts to make second-class citizens out of people in stereotyped groups.
” Civil rights attorneys said countless more bicycle stops have resulted in the use of force by police or an arrest , sometimes only for resisting an officer , and criticized the use of petty violations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ color .
Cycling advocates said such encounters have led them to rethink their push to get people on bikes in those communities .
“ How often do we hear of those — white guy on a bike in Encino , shot dead , ” said Humberto Guizar , an attorney who represented the family of Aguilar , who was killed in Long Beach in 2014 .
During that encounter , one of the deputies was accidentally shot by his partner .
“ That ’ s just a cop-out , a pretext to justify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mistreatment of communities of color in inner cities.
” The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1996 that pretext stops are legal as long as someone breaks a traffic law .
They are unlawful , the high court said , only when the officer ’ s true motives for a search hinges on a person ’ s race .
Experts said that ’ s difficult to prove , though an argument could be bolstered with an analysis of an officer ’ s stops or a review of their social media activity .
“ In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say their motivations are racist , ” said Ed Obayashi , a deputy sheriff in Plumas County and national use-of-force expert .
When two Inglewood police officers in an unmarked car said they recognized Richard Tyson as a gang member and tried to stop him for biking on a sidewalk , he kept riding , according to the district attorney ’ s review of the May 2007 case .
“ Why are you always messing with me ?
” Tyson , 20 , said , according to the review .
“ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The officers said he then adjusted a bulge in his waistband .
Tyson biked away , and the officers , who said they thought he had a gun , followed with lights and sirens .
An officer chased Tyson to the backyard of an apartment complex , where he found Tyson crawling out of bushes .
Tyson reached for his waistband and the officer fired six rounds , killing him .
Paramedics found a packaged T-shirt in his sweatshirt pocket .
There was no gun .
Prosecutors concluded that the deadly force was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actions were consistent with a person who was armed and dangerous.
” Tyson ’ s family sued the city of Inglewood and settled for $ 375,000 .
Vershell Hall , Tyson ’ s mother , said she believes her son was “ executed.
” “ He was scared , that ’ s why he was hiding , ” she said .
“ It ’ s almost as if he knew they were going to kill him.
” Like Tyson , Kizzee also ran after deputies tried to stop him for a bike violation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he dropped a jacket with a gun inside , the Sheriff ’ s Department said .
Deputies later said they shot at Kizzee when he picked up the gun and pointed it at them .
His family ’ s attorneys dispute that account and said witnesses reported that Kizzee did not have anything in his hands when he was shot .
Sheriff Alex Villanueva has portrayed the neighborhood where Kizzee was killed as crime-riddled and said budget cuts have eliminated youth programs and special enforcement teams .
Through mid-September of this year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homicides and 115 arrests of individuals with firearms — the “ overwhelming majority ” of whom are gang members — within a one-mile radius .
“ We ’ re not out there terrorizing , we ’ re not there racially profiling , we ’ re not engaged in systemic racism of any kind , ” Villanueva said at a recent news conference .
“ We ’ re trying to keep people alive .
And it ’ s a very tough job.
” He sought to justify deputies ’ stopping Kizzee , saying : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s out of place or wrong , that ’ s what elevates peoples ’ curiosity , deputies ’ curiosity — they ’ re trained to be proactive in the right way .
They don ’ t racial-profile , but they will criminally profile.
” Asst .
Los Angeles Police Chief Robert Arcos said that his department is focused on building trust within communities that feel racially profiled and pushing officers to defuse tense situations .
The department is also using body-worn video to help train officers on best practices during routine stops .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ crime is reported , but they ’ re also responsible for ensuring people are educated about traffic safety and enforcement .
In some cases , a stop for a minor infraction “ can escalate very quickly without knowing what was in that person ’ s mind at the time , ” he said .
The Sheriff ’ s Department and LAPD both said that information on how often bike violations result in an arrest or use of force was not readily available .
Several more cases reviewed by The Times escalated into an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not a shooting .
In one from October 2012 , Alfonso Cerda , 44 , was run over and killed by a patrol car that had pulled into a driveway to block his path as deputies attempted to detain him for biking without proper lights .
The district attorney ’ s office declined to file a vehicular manslaughter charge against the deputy who was driving , but the county settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Cerda ’ s three children and parents for $ 1.3 million .
“ I ’ m still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cerda , said recently .
Kevin Shin , the senior director of public policy and partnerships for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition , works with a variety of groups to educate cyclists on equipment and rules of the road , in part , to minimize the possibility of interacting with law enforcement .
Shin said people are simply looking for a safe way to get around .
“ It ’ s hard for them to do that when one of the greatest fears that they have is running into a law enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Williams , 38 , kept riding when police lights flashed on a trip to a doctor ’ s appointment in March .
Williams teaches bike safety for the nonprofit People for Mobility Justice and knows the laws .
Williams was never given a ticket nor told why the stopped occurred .
“ What am I doing wrong ?
” Williams thought .
“ Why , as a Black person , does my day have to be interrupted ?
Why do I have to be late for my doctor ’ s appointment ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is reconsidering what it means to encourage people to ride bikes .
“ It feels like , at this time , telling people to get on bikes is a death sentence , ” Williams said .
Jose Beltran , who works in the nonprofit sector , said he was stopped on his bike at least nine times between 2009 and 2010 .
During one trip , from Cal State Los Angeles to his home in the Florence-Graham neighborhood , officers bombarded him with questions : Why are you out on your bike at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that might get you in trouble ?
When was the last time you did drugs ?
Another time , Beltran said a utility pouch he wears while cycling was searched for weapons , then tossed back at him .
He decided to change his appearance , shearing his waist-length hair to a buzz cut , donning a reflective vest and wearing more athletic clothing , figuring officers would not think he was up to something .
But Beltran , 35 , quit riding two years ago , in part because he still felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a cyclist , I became kind of the go-to person to vent on , ” he said .
It ’ s been 13 years since Tyson was killed in Inglewood , but his mother , Hall , 61 , still keeps a file filled with documents related to his shooting .
Each time she moves , the file comes with her .
In June , Hall , inspired by the activism surrounding the killing of Floyd , took to the streets to protest .
Despite the arthritis in her feet that makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she “ just had to ” go out .
“ I ’ m not done fighting for my son , ” she said .
Staff writers Phi Do , Paul Duginski , Swetha Kannan , Iris Lee , Jennifer Lu , Maloy Moore , Ryan Menezes , Andrea Roberson and Aida Ylanan contributed to this report .

Noel Aguilar was riding his bicycle on a sidewalk when he stole a glance at a couple of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and quickly pedaled away.
Within minutes of what began as a routine encounter, the 23-year-old was dead with three rounds in his back.
When Christian Cobian was stopped by deputies because his bike didn’t have lights, he ran from them with his hand underneath his shirt. Deputies said they thought Cobian, 26, was going to shoot them and fired 13 rounds, killing him. No gun was found.
In August, Dijon Kizzee, 29, was shot 16 times and killed by deputies who tried to stop him for riding his bike on the wrong side of the street in South L.A., spurring weeks of protests.
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Kizzee’s death and the others highlight how deadly violence can erupt from minor infractions and has sparked criticism of law enforcement’s failure to deescalate such incidents.
The Times identified 16 cases since 2005 where a stop for bike violations in Los Angeles County resulted in a police shooting, according to interviews and a review of public records from the district attorney, coroner and various court cases. Most of the stops occurred in communities made up largely of Black and Latino residents. In 11 incidents, including Kizzee’s, the bicyclists — all male and Black or Latino — were killed.
Among those 16 cases, violations ranged from riding on the sidewalk to biking without a light or on the wrong side of the road. In 11 cases, authorities said they found a firearm. In one shooting, deputies found an airsoft gun they said looked like a semiautomatic handgun.
Traffic stops have long been a source of controversy in policing, even more so now amid calls for police reform sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The aggressive enforcement of minor infractions that law enforcement has long touted as effective under the “broken windows” theory of policing has been criticized for resulting in racial disparities and alienating residents without lowering crime.
Seated at her dining room table Vershell Hall holds the autopsy report related to the death of her son Richard Tyson, 20, who was killed by Inglewood police officers in 2007 on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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A Times analysis in 2019 found that LAPD officers searched Black and Latino drivers far more often than white people during traffic stops, even though white people were more likely to be found with illegal items.
There has been much debate about who police pull over in a vehicle for traffic violations, but much less examination of how those laws are enforced for bicyclists. Bike stops are under particular scrutiny as cycling has become a safe alternative during the coronavirus outbreak for many people in poor communities who would normally rely on public transportation to get around.
It is difficult to find data on bike stops because many departments aren’t required to collect such information unless it results in a use of force.
In Tampa, one study found that Black cyclists were nearly three times more likely to be stopped than white cyclists, said Ojmarrh Mitchell, a criminology professor at Arizona State University who conducted the research.
New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James recently recommended that police cease conducting routine traffic stops because they too often escalate into violence. The guidance came as her office reviewed the death of Allan Feliz, who was shot and killed after he was stopped for allegedly not wearing a seat belt, as well as the New York City Police Department’s response to protests against Floyd’s death.
Advertisement
“Laws with a history of alleged disparate and discriminatory enforcement, such as bicycle operation on the sidewalk, ‘jaywalking,’ loitering, and fare evasion, should be repealed or removed from police enforcement,” her office said in a July report.
Seizing a gun or uncovering criminal activity during a stop for a minor traffic violation is considered good police work, and can boost an officer’s statistics and stature within a department.
But Jody Armour, a professor at USC who studies racial disparities in the legal system, said such interactions create a “reservoir of resentment.”
“It really robs people of their full participation in core community activities,” Armour said. “It starts to make second-class citizens out of people in stereotyped groups.”
Civil rights attorneys said countless more bicycle stops have resulted in the use of force by police or an arrest, sometimes only for resisting an officer, and criticized the use of petty violations as a way to profile people of color. Cycling advocates said such encounters have led them to rethink their push to get people on bikes in those communities.
“How often do we hear of those — white guy on a bike in Encino, shot dead,” said Humberto Guizar, an attorney who represented the family of Aguilar, who was killed in Long Beach in 2014. During that encounter, one of the deputies was accidentally shot by his partner. “That’s just a cop-out, a pretext to justify the misconduct … to justify the continuing mistreatment of communities of color in inner cities.”
Advertisement
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1996 that pretext stops are legal as long as someone breaks a traffic law. They are unlawful, the high court said, only when the officer’s true motives for a search hinges on a person’s race. Experts said that’s difficult to prove, though an argument could be bolstered with an analysis of an officer’s stops or a review of their social media activity.
“In reality, no one is going to say their motivations are racist,” said Ed Obayashi, a deputy sheriff in Plumas County and national use-of-force expert.
When two Inglewood police officers in an unmarked car said they recognized Richard Tyson as a gang member and tried to stop him for biking on a sidewalk, he kept riding, according to the district attorney’s review of the May 2007 case.
“Why are you always messing with me?” Tyson, 20, said, according to the review. “I’m just coming from the store.” The officers said he then adjusted a bulge in his waistband.
Vershell Hall keeps the personal belonging that were found on her son Richard Tyson, 20, when he was killed by Inglewood police officers in 2007. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Tyson biked away, and the officers, who said they thought he had a gun, followed with lights and sirens. An officer chased Tyson to the backyard of an apartment complex, where he found Tyson crawling out of bushes. Tyson reached for his waistband and the officer fired six rounds, killing him. Paramedics found a packaged T-shirt in his sweatshirt pocket. There was no gun.
Prosecutors concluded that the deadly force was reasonable, saying “Tyson’s actions were consistent with a person who was armed and dangerous.” Tyson’s family sued the city of Inglewood and settled for $375,000.
Advertisement
Vershell Hall, Tyson’s mother, said she believes her son was “executed.”
“He was scared, that’s why he was hiding,” she said. “It’s almost as if he knew they were going to kill him.”
Like Tyson, Kizzee also ran after deputies tried to stop him for a bike violation. During a struggle with deputies, he dropped a jacket with a gun inside, the Sheriff’s Department said. Deputies later said they shot at Kizzee when he picked up the gun and pointed it at them. His family’s attorneys dispute that account and said witnesses reported that Kizzee did not have anything in his hands when he was shot.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva has portrayed the neighborhood where Kizzee was killed as crime-riddled and said budget cuts have eliminated youth programs and special enforcement teams. Through mid-September of this year, he said, there were a dozen homicides and 115 arrests of individuals with firearms — the “overwhelming majority” of whom are gang members — within a one-mile radius.
“We’re not out there terrorizing, we’re not there racially profiling, we’re not engaged in systemic racism of any kind,” Villanueva said at a recent news conference. “We’re trying to keep people alive. And it’s a very tough job.”
He sought to justify deputies’ stopping Kizzee, saying: “If something looks like it’s out of place or wrong, that’s what elevates peoples’ curiosity, deputies’ curiosity — they’re trained to be proactive in the right way. They don’t racial-profile, but they will criminally profile.”
Advertisement
Asst. Los Angeles Police Chief Robert Arcos said that his department is focused on building trust within communities that feel racially profiled and pushing officers to defuse tense situations. The department is also using body-worn video to help train officers on best practices during routine stops.
Arcos said officers respond to areas where crime is reported, but they’re also responsible for ensuring people are educated about traffic safety and enforcement. In some cases, a stop for a minor infraction “can escalate very quickly without knowing what was in that person’s mind at the time,” he said.
The Sheriff’s Department and LAPD both said that information on how often bike violations result in an arrest or use of force was not readily available.
Several more cases reviewed by The Times escalated into an arrest or allegations of officer misconduct, not a shooting. In one from October 2012, Alfonso Cerda, 44, was run over and killed by a patrol car that had pulled into a driveway to block his path as deputies attempted to detain him for biking without proper lights.
The district attorney’s office declined to file a vehicular manslaughter charge against the deputy who was driving, but the county settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Cerda’s three children and parents for $1.3 million.
“I’m still grieving,” his brother, Alvaro Cerda, said recently.
Advertisement
Kevin Shin, the senior director of public policy and partnerships for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, works with a variety of groups to educate cyclists on equipment and rules of the road, in part, to minimize the possibility of interacting with law enforcement. Shin said people are simply looking for a safe way to get around.
“It’s hard for them to do that when one of the greatest fears that they have is running into a law enforcement officer,” Shin said.
Lena Williams teaches bike safety classes for People for Mobility Justice and in March was pulled over on their bike but still is not sure why. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Lena Williams, 38, kept riding when police lights flashed on a trip to a doctor’s appointment in March. Williams teaches bike safety for the nonprofit People for Mobility Justice and knows the laws.
Williams was never given a ticket or told why the stop occurred.
“What am I doing wrong?” Williams thought. “Why, as a Black person, does my day have to be interrupted? Why do I have to be late for my doctor’s appointment?”
Advertisement
And after Kizzee was killed, Williams is reconsidering what it means to encourage people to ride bikes.
“It feels like, at this time, telling people to get on bikes is a death sentence,” Williams said.
Jose Beltran, who works in the nonprofit sector, said he was stopped on his bike at least nine times between 2009 and 2010. During one trip, from Cal State Los Angeles to his home in the Florence-Graham neighborhood, officers bombarded him with questions: Why are you out on your bike at this time? Did you do anything that might get you in trouble? When was the last time you did drugs?
Another time, Beltran said a utility pouch he wears while cycling was searched for weapons, then tossed back at him.
He decided to change his appearance, shearing his waist-length hair to a buzz cut, donning a reflective vest and wearing more athletic clothing, figuring officers would not think he was up to something.
But Beltran, 35, quit riding two years ago, in part because he still felt targeted by police.
“When I was a cyclist, I became kind of the go-to person to vent on,” he said.
Advertisement
It’s been 13 years since Tyson was killed in Inglewood, but his mother, Hall, 61, still keeps a file filled with documents related to his shooting. Each time she moves, the file comes with her.
In June, Hall, inspired by the activism surrounding the killing of Floyd, took to the streets to protest. Despite the arthritis in her feet that makes it difficult to walk, she said she “just had to” go out.
“I’m not done fighting for my son,” she said.
Staff writers Phi Do, Paul Duginski, Swetha Kannan, Iris Lee, Jennifer Lu, Maloy Moore, Ryan Menezes, Andrea Roberson and Aida Ylanan contributed to this report.