latimes--2020-03-14--Millions affected as schools across U.S close to combat spread of coronavirus

Major school districts throughout California , including Los Angeles Unified , announced shutdowns Friday , joining at least ` 12 states that have ordered complete closures amid escalating attempts to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
Los Angeles , the nation ’ s second-largest school system , will shut down its 900 campuses serving more than 670,000 students beginning Monday .
The closure initially is scheduled to last two weeks , but a firm reopen date will depend on the status of the outbreak , which President Trump declared a national emergency on Friday .
“ The public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something any of us could have reasonably expected to happen , and we are in uncharted waters as we work to prevent the spread of the illness , ” LAUSD Supt .
Austin Beutner said Friday while announcing the closures .
California ’ s five largest public school districts , including Fresno , Long Beach and Elk Grove , will pause classes .
Although the state Department of Education does not have an exact number , closures will be in effect Monday at more than 100 districts and will affect more than 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the counties of Marin , Monterey , Sacramento , Santa Barbara , Santa Clara , Solano and Ventura .
This comes on top of widespread actions by most state universities , including most of the University of California , to cancel in-person classes and move to online learning .
Friday afternoon the influential California Teachers Assn .
called on Gov .
Gavin Newsom to close all state schools .
Catholic schools in Los Angeles , Ventura and Santa Barbara counties will close on Tuesday and nearly 75,000 students will shift to remote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced .
At least 12 states — Alabama , Illinois , Louisiana , Maryland , Michigan , New Mexico , Ohio , Oregon , Virginia , Washington , West Virginia , and Wisconsin — ordered all schools closed .
Officials throughout the country have struggled with the monumental decision to upend the routines of millions of families and seriously disrupt the education system at a critical time of instruction as schools give annual achievement tests , older students take Advanced Placement exams , high schoolers visit colleges and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The closures could disproportionately affect children from poor and low-income families , many of whom receive their weekday breakfast and lunch and , in some cases , dinner on campus .
LAUSD enrolls about half a million students in kindergarten through 12th grade , some 80 % of whom rely on free or reduced-price lunches and 18,000 of whom are homeless .
Parents rely on schools to provide childcare while they work — including first responders , nurses , doctors and other emergency personnel who are likely to be needed to deal with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has now entered a critical new phase in the fight to stop the spread of the , ” said a joint statement by Beutner and San Diego County Supt .
Paul Gothold , who also closed his district .
“ There is evidence the virus is already present in the communities we serve , and our efforts now must be aimed at preventing its spread .
We believe closing the state ’ s two largest school districts will make an important contribution to this effort.
” Crystal Ellis , 34 , heard the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her son at Raymond Elementary School in South Los Angeles as a light drizzle came down .
She held a white package and an iPad that the school asked her to pick up for her 11-year-old son .
“ It ’ s a little bit scary because I don ’ t know what ’ s going to happen , ” she said .
School leaders throughout the country say they are acting with an abundance of caution although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised that short-term school closures of two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stem the spread of the disease .
Her head shaking as she spoke Friday , veteran L.A. school board member and former state lawmaker Jackie Goldberg called the closures “ probably the most difficult decision any of us on the board have had to make because it affects so many people , and it affects so many children , and it affects so many people who have jobs that they are fearful of losing if they have childcare issues.
” A key element of the Los Angeles plan for the closures is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vast school system .
The centers , which will open Wednesday , will provide childcare , packaged meals and educational activities .
As a public health precaution , all center visitors will have their temperatures taken with forehead thermometers upon arrival , and all students will be directed to wash their hands .
The centers will be staffed by district employees , who will receive extra pay , on a voluntary basis .
The facilities will operate from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and likely will be located at schools , Beutner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local transit agencies would provide free rides to and from the centers , but nothing has been worked out so far .
Beutner said a list of the centers will be made public before Monday .
In addition , the Los Angeles district will offer televised and online lessons in an attempt to help families .
School district employees will continue to be paid , even if not directly involved in working with students .
The extraordinary closures are the first of this scale since the 1994 Northridge earthquake .
All of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed immediately following the temblor , and most reopened eight days later .
About a dozen campuses were closed for three weeks , and three campuses were closed for six weeks .
The move to close schools amid the coronavirus outbreak came amid mounting pressure for LAUSD to take more aggressive action .
Teachers union president Alex Caputo-Pearl , who called on the district Thursday night to shutter campuses , said schools were being forced to “ choose between two unacceptable alternatives , which is choosing to keep schools open in a dangerous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lack of a social safety net that schools end up having to provide too much.
” A central challenge faced by the district is the continuation of academic work during a shutdown that could last for two weeks or more .
L.A. Unified is trying to address three hurdles : a lack of broadband access for students , a lack of computers at home , and teachers and students who are underprepared to switch to a non-classroom format .
In a Monday letter to Gov .
Gavin Newsom , Beutner said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 480,000 K-12 students .
The district , Beutner said , would “ need an additional 150,000 devices to make sure all students can continue to learn if their schools are closed.
” However , it isn ’ t clear that all these computers could be sent home with students or that they are the correct devices for the task at hand .
An iPad without a keyboard , for example , would work for a student film project , but not so well for an essay .
Beutner has requested $ 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but no immediate relief appears to be in sight .
In the meantime , he has authorized the use of $ 10 million to purchase 50,000 additional devices , which should be available in several days , he said .
Beutner had the power to authorize this purchase , without going through the normal , lengthy bidding process , by virtue of emergency powers granted this week by the Board of Education .
In the meantime , the plan was for schools to distribute computer devices Friday for students who need them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the challenge .
Many families lack the broadband access needed to connect online to lessons and assignments .
Beutner on Monday wrote to local carriers requesting that they place free hotspots in low-income communities .
Charter Communications announced that , beginning Monday , it will offer 60 days of free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access to households with K-12 or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription .
Installation fees will be waived for these households and the company also plans to open Wi-Fi hotspots across its footprint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In Los Angeles , some parents reacted to the news of the closures with apprehension .
At a South L.A. laundromat on Friday , Adela Hernandez , 35 , wondered how she and her husband would manage the education of their 10-year-old son , who attends West Vernon Elementary School , at home , where they don ’ t have the internet .
“ Maybe I ’ ll ask the neighbor if they can give us access , ” she said .
“ I ’ ll have to maybe pay her.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said she ’ s bringing in less money working at a clothing company because her hours at work were recently slashed .
Outside Augustus Hawkins High School in South L.A. , Nancy Ramirez , 34 , said she worries how her 18- and 11-year-old daughters will keep up because they do not have computers at home .
Her older daughter , who declined to give her name , said she planned to use her cellphone to do her school work or go to a relative ’ s house to use the internet .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day , said she will probably stay with her daughters during the day and drive at night .
Her ex-husband helps care for the girls , but she fears he could lose his job because he works for a China-based company .
“ We got ta work , ” she said .
“ We need money to pay rent and bills .
”

Howard Blume, Hailey Branson-Potts, Ruben Vives, Alex Wigglesworth

Students hug as they are let out of school at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. LAUSD announced that schools will be closed due to the Coronavirus.
Major school districts throughout California, including Los Angeles Unified, announced shutdowns Friday, joining at least `12 states that have ordered complete closures amid escalating attempts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest school system, will shut down its 900 campuses serving more than 670,000 students beginning Monday.
The closure initially is scheduled to last two weeks, but a firm reopen date will depend on the status of the outbreak, which President Trump declared a national emergency on Friday.
Advertisement
“The public health crisis created by the coronavirus is not something any of us could have reasonably expected to happen, and we are in uncharted waters as we work to prevent the spread of the illness,” LAUSD Supt. Austin Beutner said Friday while announcing the closures.
Blake Anderson, left, a freshman, walks with his father Oree Anderson, as school is let out at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. LAUSD announced that schools will be closed due to the Coronavirus. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
California’s five largest public school districts, including Fresno, Long Beach and Elk Grove, will pause classes. Although the state Department of Education does not have an exact number, closures will be in effect Monday at more than 100 districts and will affect more than 2 million students. All schools are closed in the counties of Marin, Monterey, Sacramento, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Solano and Ventura. This comes on top of widespread actions by most state universities, including most of the University of California, to cancel in-person classes and move to online learning.
Friday afternoon the influential California Teachers Assn. called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to close all state schools.
Catholic schools in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties will close on Tuesday and nearly 75,000 students will shift to remote learning through at least March 31, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced.
At least 12 states — Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin — ordered all schools closed.
Advertisement
Officials throughout the country have struggled with the monumental decision to upend the routines of millions of families and seriously disrupt the education system at a critical time of instruction as schools give annual achievement tests, older students take Advanced Placement exams, high schoolers visit colleges and seniors complete credits needed for graduation.
The closures could disproportionately affect children from poor and low-income families, many of whom receive their weekday breakfast and lunch and, in some cases, dinner on campus. LAUSD enrolls about half a million students in kindergarten through 12th grade, some 80% of whom rely on free or reduced-price lunches and 18,000 of whom are homeless.
Students leave John C. Fremont High School in Los Angeles at the end of the school day on Friday, Mar. 13, 2020. LAUSD announced it will shut down beginning Monday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times )
Parents rely on schools to provide childcare while they work — including first responders, nurses, doctors and other emergency personnel who are likely to be needed to deal with the community medical crisis.
“California has now entered a critical new phase in the fight to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic ,” said a joint statement by Beutner and Cindy Marten, superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District. “There is evidence the virus is already present in the communities we serve, and our efforts now must be aimed at preventing its spread. We believe closing the state’s two largest school districts will make an important contribution to this effort.”
Crystal Ellis, 34, heard the news before she went to pick up her son at Raymond Elementary School in South Los Angeles as a light drizzle came down. She held a white package and an iPad that the school asked her to pick up for her 11-year-old son.
“It’s a little bit scary because I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said.
School leaders throughout the country say they are acting with an abundance of caution although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised that short-term school closures of two to four weeks may not do much to stem the spread of the disease.
Her head shaking as she spoke Friday, veteran L.A. school board member and former state lawmaker Jackie Goldberg called the closures “probably the most difficult decision any of us on the board have had to make because it affects so many people, and it affects so many children, and it affects so many people who have jobs that they are fearful of losing if they have childcare issues.”
A key element of the Los Angeles plan for the closures is to open 40 family resource centers throughout the vast school system. The centers, which will open Wednesday, will provide childcare, packaged meals and educational activities.
As a public health precaution, all center visitors will have their temperatures taken with forehead thermometers upon arrival, and all students will be directed to wash their hands. The centers will be staffed by district employees, who will receive extra pay, on a voluntary basis.
The facilities will operate from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and likely will be located at schools, Beutner said. He added that he hoped local transit agencies would provide free rides to and from the centers, but nothing has been worked out so far.
Beutner said a list of the centers will be made public before Monday.
In addition, the Los Angeles district will offer televised and online lessons in an attempt to help families. School district employees will continue to be paid, even if not directly involved in working with students.
The extraordinary closures are the first of this scale since the 1994 Northridge earthquake. All of the district’s then 640 schools were closed immediately following the temblor, and most reopened eight days later. About a dozen campuses were closed for three weeks, and three campuses were closed for six weeks.
The move to close schools amid the coronavirus outbreak came amid mounting pressure for LAUSD to take more aggressive action.
Teachers union president Alex Caputo-Pearl, who called on the district Thursday night to shutter campuses, said schools were being forced to “choose between two unacceptable alternatives, which is choosing to keep schools open in a dangerous situation or close schools and fear for the lack of a social safety net that schools end up having to provide too much.”
A central challenge faced by the district is the continuation of academic work during a shutdown that could last for two weeks or more.
L.A. Unified is trying to address three hurdles: a lack of broadband access for students, a lack of computers at home, and teachers and students who are underprepared to switch to a non-classroom format.
In a Monday letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Beutner said that the district has about 330,000 computers available for 480,000 K-12 students. The district, Beutner said, would “need an additional 150,000 devices to make sure all students can continue to learn if their schools are closed.”
However, it isn’t clear that all these computers could be sent home with students or that they are the correct devices for the task at hand. An iPad without a keyboard, for example, would work for a student film project, but not so well for an essay.
Beutner has requested $50 million from the state for additional computers, but no immediate relief appears to be in sight. In the meantime, he has authorized the use of $10 million to purchase 50,000 additional devices, which should be available in several days, he said.
Beutner had the power to authorize this purchase, without going through the normal, lengthy bidding process, by virtue of emergency powers granted this week by the Board of Education.
In the meantime, the plan was for schools to distribute computer devices Friday for students who need them.
But having computers is only part of the challenge. Many families lack the broadband access needed to connect online to lessons and assignments. Beutner on Monday wrote to local carriers requesting that they place free hotspots in low-income communities.
Charter Communications announced that, beginning Monday, it will offer 60 days of free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access to households with K-12 or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription. Installation fees will be waived for these households and the company also plans to open Wi-Fi hotspots across its footprint for public use, as of Monday.
In Los Angeles, some parents reacted to the news of the closures with apprehension.
At a South L.A. laundromat on Friday, Adela Hernandez, 35, wondered how she and her husband would manage the education of their 10-year-old son, who attends West Vernon Elementary School, at home, where they don’t have the internet.
“Maybe I’ll ask the neighbor if they can give us access,” she said. “I’ll have to maybe pay her.”
Times were already getting hard. Hernandez said she’s bringing in less money working at a clothing company because her hours at work were recently slashed.
Outside Augustus Hawkins High School in South L.A., Nancy Ramirez, 34, said she worries how her 18- and 11-year-old daughters will keep up because they do not have computers at home. Her older daughter, who declined to give her name, said she planned to use her cellphone to do her school work or go to a relative’s house to use the internet.
Ramirez, who drives for Uber during the day, said she will probably stay with her daughters during the day and drive at night. Her ex-husband helps care for the girls, but she fears he could lose his job because he works for a China-based company.
“We gotta work,” she said. “We need money to pay rent and bills.”


latimes--2020-03-14--Justice in a time of coronavirus: Scared jurors, delayed trials, court closures

On the 15th floor of the criminal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles , it was the final day of an attempted murder trial Friday when a request came from the jury : Could they all sit apart ?
The request was granted .
As the panel heard evidence against a homeless woman accused of lighting another transient on fire , 12 jurors and two alternates sat with a vacant seat separating each of them .
Call it an ad hoc social distancing for the legal system .
In the time of coronavirus , welcome to California ’ s legal system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial court in Los Angeles and a network of county courts up and down the state grapple with a widening pandemic , volatile anxiety and a tangle of bureaucracy to keep the wheels of justice moving .
“ You can ’ t just shut down the public safety function in a crisis , ” said Michele Hanisee , president of the union representing Los Angeles County deputy district attorneys .
She acknowledged the balancing act but said , “ We can not deprive those accused of a crime their due process rights .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the face of the growing outbreak , courts have taken a patchwork of measures : months-long delays in trials , excusing jurors over the age of 60 , and temporarily closing courthouses altogether .
Here ’ s a snapshot : Santa Clara County , where the coronavirus outbreak has hit particularly hard , announced delays Friday in many traffic , family , civil and probate trials , as well as some criminal trials .
In San Diego County , all new civil trials were suspended for the next month .
Orange County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May 1 .
In Ventura County , courts will be closed early next week , then reopen on a limited basis for matters such as urgent criminal cases and temporary restraining orders .
Contra Costa Superior Court was closed for two weeks .
Late Friday , the top federal judge in Los Angeles , Chief U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips , issued an order stating that no jurors would be called for criminal or civil trials until April 13 .
Meanwhile , magistrate judges will arraign defendants and sign search warrants , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planned .
Yet no court anywhere matches the sheer size and scope of the L.A. County Superior Court , with more than three dozen courthouses , thousands of pending cases and a regular spate of high-profile trials .
Until Friday morning , administrators said there were no disruptions to court operations .
That changed by the end of the day , when Presiding Judge Kevin Brazile recommended that new civil trials and some criminal trials be pushed back 30 days — a staggering step in a system infamous for long waits for hearings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declined multiple interview requests , but his announcement likened the courts to hospitals and emergency medical facilities , where there ’ s no choice but to remain open .
Ann Donlan , the court spokeswoman , said administrators were focused on slowing down operations responsibly .
“ There ’ s a balance between meeting due process rights and public health and safety , ” Donlan said .
“ We ’ re working on it as fast as we can.
” Lou Shapiro , a criminal defense attorney in Century City , said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week , asking for a swifter and more expansive response .
He thought Brazile should have gone further , ordering delays to trials outright in civil cases and in criminal cases in which a defendant is out of custody , and also mandating certain hearings occur remotely , rather than merely offering recommendations .
“ They are taking a reactive approach .
‘ Let ’ s see how this evolves.
’ What are they waiting for ?
We have the opportunity to get ahead of it and we ’ re not .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Disneyland is closed and the courts are open.
” Several attorneys said they were frustrated by the lackadaisical practices in courthouses this week : Scant hand sanitizer was available to the general public .
Security screenings at courthouse entrances had no wipes to clean surfaces as more people came through .
And elevators were crammed as ever — filled with people coming for jury duty .
Mike Arias , a prominent civil attorney in L.A. , said he was most concerned about jurors .
“ The judge , the staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we all choose to be there .
Jurors don ’ t , ” Arias said .
“ You can imagine if people get that request for a jury summons and walk into a room of 300 or 400 people , they ’ ll say , ‘ What the heck ?
This isn ’ t for me.
’ ” Genie Harrison , an employment attorney in L.A. , said part of the benefit in delaying trials was to afford more space in courthouses for jurors .
“ They have to have enough room to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harrison said .
Court staff and attorneys cited the fear that in such a heavily trafficked place , the coronavirus could spread rapidly and even reach defendants in custody , where it could ravage jail populations .
For the next 30 days , Angel Navarro , a Pasadena defense attorney , can not meet with clients detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center , the federal lockup in downtown L.A. Navarro learned of the interdict on legal visits Friday , with no forewarning , he said .
He was reminded of the Sept. 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prisons were locked down for a few days .
“ But this , this is 9/11 every day , ” he said .
“ This is new territory for all of us.
” A spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons said that no inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 , and that some attorney visits would be granted on a case-by-case basis .
Melissa Weinberger , who represents clients in state and federal court , said she was also concerned about defendants being brought to court from different jails and lockups .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to put off those proceedings and delay their day in court ?
“ There ’ s this balance between people ’ s constitutional rights , to get into court and before a judge , versus this danger that they ’ re facing , ” she said .
Part of the reason for the sluggish response to the pandemic appeared to be confusion on the part of who , exactly , had the authority to shut down or alter court operations .
Many presiding judges in counties have latitude in determining how their courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye can issue emergency orders to extend deadlines — a powerful tactic that can also end up keeping adults and juveniles in custody longer .
If granted , “ the young and the poor will suffer disproportionately because they will not be able to have appropriate oversight and advocacy on their cases in a timely fashion , ” said Mary P. Carey , a criminal defense lawyer in Walnut Creek .
Still , she said , extraordinary measures are needed for extraordinary times .
“ The problem is this : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees are at risk from business as usual.
” Contra Costa County Public Defender Robin Lipetzky said the office ’ s greatest concern is for clients who are in jail because they could not afford bail .
“ Now they are going to sit there in custody while their cases can ’ t progress , ” Lipetzky said .
As the court operations slow down , many feared the economic fallout — from couriers and court reporters to snack bars .
In the fifth-floor snack stand in downtown L.A. ’ s criminal courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her first name , Angela , said business had already dropped .
She labored to keep surfaces clean , wiping down the formica counters and bleaching the floor every night .
She saw no hand sanitizer in the building , so she added some for customers next to the Tapatio hot sauce and other condiments .
And she works with a lingering fear : “ If they shut down the building , how can I pay my rent ?
”

The Stanley Mosk Courthouse, the main civil courthouse of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, in downtown Los Angeles.
On the 15th floor of the criminal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, it was the final day of an attempted murder trial Friday when a request came from the jury: Could they all sit apart?
The request was granted. As the panel heard evidence against a homeless woman accused of lighting another transient on fire, 12 jurors and two alternates sat with a vacant seat separating each of them. Call it an ad hoc social distancing for the legal system.
In the time of coronavirus, welcome to California’s legal system, where the nation’s busiest trial court in Los Angeles and a network of county courts up and down the state grapple with a widening pandemic, volatile anxiety and a tangle of bureaucracy to keep the wheels of justice moving.
“You can’t just shut down the public safety function in a crisis,” said Michele Hanisee, president of the union representing Los Angeles County deputy district attorneys. She acknowledged the balancing act but said, “We cannot deprive those accused of a crime their due process rights. The courts have to keep working.”
In the face of the growing outbreak, courts have taken a patchwork of measures: months-long delays in trials, excusing jurors over the age of 60, and temporarily closing courthouses altogether.
Advertisement
Here’s a snapshot: Santa Clara County, where the coronavirus outbreak has hit particularly hard, announced delays Friday in many traffic, family, civil and probate trials, as well as some criminal trials. In San Diego County, all new civil trials were suspended for the next month. Orange County will not start new civil trials until May 1. In Ventura County, courts will be closed early next week, then reopen on a limited basis for matters such as urgent criminal cases and temporary restraining orders. Contra Costa Superior Court was closed for two weeks.
Late Friday, the top federal judge in Los Angeles, Chief U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips, issued an order stating that no jurors would be called for criminal or civil trials until April 13. Meanwhile, magistrate judges will arraign defendants and sign search warrants, and other hearings will be proceeding as planned.
Yet no court anywhere matches the sheer size and scope of the L.A. County Superior Court, with more than three dozen courthouses, thousands of pending cases and a regular spate of high-profile trials. Until Friday morning, administrators said there were no disruptions to court operations.
That changed by the end of the day, when Presiding Judge Kevin Brazile recommended that new civil trials and some criminal trials be pushed back 30 days — a staggering step in a system infamous for long waits for hearings and trials.
A spokeswoman for Brazile declined multiple interview requests, but his announcement likened the courts to hospitals and emergency medical facilities, where there’s no choice but to remain open. Ann Donlan, the court spokeswoman, said administrators were focused on slowing down operations responsibly.
“There’s a balance between meeting due process rights and public health and safety,” Donlan said. “We’re working on it as fast as we can.”
Lou Shapiro, a criminal defense attorney in Century City, said he was among several attorneys who approached Brazile this week, asking for a swifter and more expansive response. He thought Brazile should have gone further, ordering delays to trials outright in civil cases and in criminal cases in which a defendant is out of custody, and also mandating certain hearings occur remotely, rather than merely offering recommendations.
Advertisement
“They are taking a reactive approach. ‘Let’s see how this evolves.’ What are they waiting for? We have the opportunity to get ahead of it and we’re not. It’s outrageous,” Shapiro said. “Disneyland is closed and the courts are open.”
Several attorneys said they were frustrated by the lackadaisical practices in courthouses this week: Scant hand sanitizer was available to the general public. Security screenings at courthouse entrances had no wipes to clean surfaces as more people came through. And elevators were crammed as ever — filled with people coming for jury duty.
Mike Arias, a prominent civil attorney in L.A., said he was most concerned about jurors.
“The judge, the staff, the lawyers, the clients — we all choose to be there. Jurors don’t,” Arias said. “You can imagine if people get that request for a jury summons and walk into a room of 300 or 400 people, they’ll say, ‘What the heck? This isn’t for me.’”
Genie Harrison, an employment attorney in L.A., said part of the benefit in delaying trials was to afford more space in courthouses for jurors.
“They have to have enough room to meet the social distancing requirements,” Harrison said.
Court staff and attorneys cited the fear that in such a heavily trafficked place, the coronavirus could spread rapidly and even reach defendants in custody, where it could ravage jail populations.
For the next 30 days, Angel Navarro, a Pasadena defense attorney, cannot meet with clients detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center, the federal lockup in downtown L.A. Navarro learned of the interdict on legal visits Friday, with no forewarning, he said.
He was reminded of the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, when jails and prisons were locked down for a few days. “But this, this is 9/11 every day,” he said. “This is new territory for all of us.”
A spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons said that no inmates had tested positive for COVID-19, and that some attorney visits would be granted on a case-by-case basis.
Melissa Weinberger, who represents clients in state and federal court, said she was also concerned about defendants being brought to court from different jails and lockups. But was it fair, she asked, to put off those proceedings and delay their day in court?
“There’s this balance between people’s constitutional rights, to get into court and before a judge, versus this danger that they’re facing,” she said.
Part of the reason for the sluggish response to the pandemic appeared to be confusion on the part of who, exactly, had the authority to shut down or alter court operations.
Many presiding judges in counties have latitude in determining how their courts are run, but California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye can issue emergency orders to extend deadlines — a powerful tactic that can also end up keeping adults and juveniles in custody longer.
If granted, “the young and the poor will suffer disproportionately because they will not be able to have appropriate oversight and advocacy on their cases in a timely fashion,” said Mary P. Carey, a criminal defense lawyer in Walnut Creek.
Still, she said, extraordinary measures are needed for extraordinary times. “The problem is this: The users of the court system and the employees are at risk from business as usual.”
Contra Costa County Public Defender Robin Lipetzky said the office’s greatest concern is for clients who are in jail because they could not afford bail.
“Now they are going to sit there in custody while their cases can’t progress,” Lipetzky said.
As the court operations slow down, many feared the economic fallout — from couriers and court reporters to snack bars.
In the fifth-floor snack stand in downtown L.A.’s criminal courts building, a clerk who provided only her first name, Angela, said business had already dropped. She labored to keep surfaces clean, wiping down the formica counters and bleaching the floor every night.
She saw no hand sanitizer in the building, so she added some for customers next to the Tapatio hot sauce and other condiments.
And she works with a lingering fear: “If they shut down the building, how can I pay my rent?”
Times staff writer Maura Dolan contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-13--Santa Clarita declares coronavirus emergency; Magic Mountain closes through March

Santa Clarita declared a state of emergency Friday to deal with the coronavirus .
Under the order , all non-essential city services will be suspended for 14 days and all municipal facilities will be closed to the public .
The move comes as Six Flags Magic Mountain , located in the city , announced it was suspending operations through the end of March .
L.A. County Public Health Department officials confirmed eight new cases of the novel coronavirus Friday , bringing the local total to 40 .
Three of those cases are likely the result of community transmission , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Two of the individuals are hospitalized , public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said at a news conference .
Children ’ s Hospital Los Angeles said in a news release Friday that it was treating a child between the ages of 6 and 9 with COVID-19 .
The child , who had no history of travel and has an unrelated underlying medical condition , was in isolation , as were the parents , the hospital said .
Officials said they expect cases to expand significantly as more people get tested .
Ferrer said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , and noted that initial testing limitations have made estimates difficult to gather .
“ Its very hard to know how many cases we have , ” she said .
On Monday L.A. County officials will release geographic locations and age groups of the known cases .
Those who may be close contacts of individuals who test positive for the virus may start receiving “ blanket quarantines , ” rather than being interviewed first , Ferrer said .

Six Flags Magic Mountain will suspend operations for the rest of the month.
Santa Clarita declared a state of emergency Friday to deal with the coronavirus.
Under the order, all non-essential city services will be suspended for 14 days and all municipal facilities will be closed to the public.
The move comes as Six Flags Magic Mountain, located in the city, announced it was suspending operations through the end of March.
Advertisement
L.A. County Public Health Department officials confirmed eight new cases of the novel coronavirus Friday, bringing the local total to 40.
Three of those cases are likely the result of community transmission, as the source of exposure is unknown. Two of the individuals are hospitalized, public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said at a news conference.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles said in a news release Friday that it was treating a child between the ages of 6 and 9 with COVID-19. The child, who had no history of travel and has an unrelated underlying medical condition, was in isolation, as were the parents, the hospital said.
Officials said they expect cases to expand significantly as more people get tested. Ferrer said L.A. County got more test kits this week, and noted that initial testing limitations have made estimates difficult to gather.
“Its very hard to know how many cases we have,” she said.
On Monday L.A. County officials will release geographic locations and age groups of the known cases. Those who may be close contacts of individuals who test positive for the virus may start receiving “blanket quarantines,” rather than being interviewed first, Ferrer said.


latimes--2020-03-13--'We've never sold out of pork butt before': Inside 22 L.A. grocery stores

Long lines .
Crowded parking lots .
Barren shelves .
And of course , no toilet paper .
This is grocery shopping in the age of the coronavirus outbreak .
As the number of cases continues to increase , shoppers have flocked to stores to stock up on shelf-stable items ranging from frozen foods and canned goods to rice and bread .
Hand sanitizer and face masks are also in short supply .
The reason for much of this stockpiling ?
Fears of future shortages or quarantines that would prevent people from getting what they need .
The Los Angeles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the L.A. area on Friday between noon and 3 p.m.
Here ’ s what we found .
The parking lot at the east Long Beach Pavilions was jammed .
Shelves were emptying , but supplies remained ample , as long as you weren ’ t looking for toilet paper , water or hand sanitizer .
“ We haven ’ t had those things for a week , ” said Gwynne Gregory , a home shopper for Pavilions , who fulfills online delivery orders .
Out of stock : hand sanitizer , toilet paper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frozen foods , baked goods and alcohol Cars filled every spot in the El Super parking lot , including the no-parking zone at the entrance , where some shoppers abandoned their vehicles with only their hazards on .
Inside , the deli line was nearly as long as the checkout line .
Out of stock : toilet paper , rice In stock : beans , bread , frozen foods , meat , cakes and Purell wipes As the 1964 hit “ Dancing in the Street ” played softly over the store ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perused barren shelves .
While scouring the scant selection of dried nuts , one shopper remarked to another that the experience reminded her of hurricane season in Hawaii .
Out of stock : toilet paper , rice , beans In stock : bread , frozen foods , pre-made meals like salads and wraps , canned tuna Aisles were crowded , but customers didn ’ t seem panicked .
Shoppers were there with their families ; couples cracked jokes to each other .
Only one loaf of bread was left , and it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ canned goods .
Out of stock : hand sanitizer , toilet paper , rice , beans In stock : frozen food , canned fruits and vegetables , juice , fresh fruit and vegetables Several customers covered their mouths with scarves .
A few wore medical face masks .
One food item that was still plentiful : cheese .
Those looking for toilet paper , beans or bread were out of luck .
Though lines snaked down the aisles from all five checkout stations , the store was surprisingly hushed , as shoppers studiously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s crazy busy , ” said one employee .
“ Everybody is panicking ... And they don ’ t have enough information so they are just going out and erring on the side of caution.
” Lines were 15 to 20 customers deep , but moved briskly .
Employees continued to offer free samples .
A few cashiers wore masks .
The store imposed a two-item limit on high-demand items .
“ We ’ ve been good about keeping items in stock , but rice , noodles and water have been hard because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said employee Ryan Cifuentes .
The Pavilions parking lot was nearly full and culinary staples were hard to find .
In the pasta and bean aisle , an employee broke it to a customer that there were no beans left .
“ No beans !
” the customer said .
“ This is like Russia !
” Out of stock : hand sanitizer , toilet paper , rice , beans , gallon jugs of water In stock : bread , frozen foods , cheese , fruits and vegetables Shopping carts were packed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the aisles where toilet paper and water were once stocked .
The tortilleria has been running nonstop for days .
Out of stock : hand sanitizer , toilet paper , rice , ramen , cans of hominy In stock : chilis , canned beans An empty dispenser of disinfectant wipes greeted shoppers .
Many aisles were fully stocked , but long lines snaked through the stores .
The mood was tense as shoppers reached for the remaining stash of laundry detergent , frozen peas and frozen pizza , along with a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hurried to restock fresh chicken and yogurt .
The soup aisle was ravaged , in particular Campbell ’ s .
“ No good rice !
” a customer on the phone said .
And indeed there was no rice , no bread , no meat , no matzoh .
Staffers and shoppers said it was only somewhat busier than a normal Friday .
Out of stock : rice , bread In stock : Whole red trout and other fish , beans and frozen food Just a handful of customers roamed this small Oaxacan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stockpiling .
Staffers were busy restocking rice and pasta .
A sign by the toilet paper shelves read : “ Panda Limit 2 Scott Single limit 4.
” The cashier said business picked up two days ago : “ I guess after the big stores ran out people started coming to us.
” Parking overflowed into the Chase lot next door .
There were no shopping carts available at either entrance .
Customers were restricted to just two gallons of water , two rolls of paper towels and two rolls of toilet paper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything like this , ” said one employee .
“ People are coming in here and filling up their shopping carts like they ’ re trying out for Supermarket Sweep.
” People seemed frustrated and a little tense .
Most shoppers were avoiding close contact .
Shelves were empty in the toilet paper aisle and almost all the beans , pasta and soup were gone .
One customer said she had been waiting more than 20 minutes .
“ It ’ s been like this all day , ” a staffer replied .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ frozen vegetables , potatoes , fresh beef at the meat counter In stock : beer , soda , bread , cheese , hummus and ice cream All of the 45- and 50-pound sacks of rice that usually line the shelves next to the produce were gone , leaving only a paper sign declaring a limit of two per customer .
A few more items were in short supply , including ramen , sardines and all the brand-name Spam that wasn ’ t jalapeno-flavored .
Out of stock : toilet paper , rice , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potatoes and onions In stock : beans , frozen food , fresh meat and fish Cleaning products were in short supply .
As were most varieties or rice , ramen and noodles .
“ We ’ ve never sold out of pork butt before , ” said butcher John Casidsid .
Out of stock : hand sanitizer , toilet paper , pork butt In stock : cookies , wafers , some frozen food Most areas were well-stocked , and a sense of determined calm hovered over shoppers .
“ Limit 2 '' signs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where only one four-roll pack remained .
“ Don ’ t worry about a thing , miss , ” an older man said in Spanish , letting a woman in a check-out line use his cart for her four packs of napkins and four packets of Maseca tortilla flour .
“ It ’ s all just a scare , and in two weeks everything will be back to normal.
” Out of stock : water , toilet paper , paper towels In stock : pretty much everything else Cars circled around the parking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drivers jockeyed for position as cars pulled out .
Inside , it was a calm chaos .
Aisles were full of people , but no one was rushing or shoving .
Shelves were empty and people were grabbing whatever they could , mostly the expensive versions of items that were left .
Checkout lines snaked down multiple aisles , halfway to the back of the store .
The line began forming outside Northgate Market before its doors opened at 6 a.m. , and since then , the stream had been constant , one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the check-out line curved around a corner until additional checkout stations were opened .
One woman raced to push her cart forward , “ or else we ’ ll never get out , ” she said in Spanish to her companion .
Out of stock : hand sanitizer , toilet paper , rice , beans In stock : frozen foods , bread , baby food , a variety of Hot Cheetos and candles with saints ’ pictures A mom with two young kids in the marshmallow section swatted her child ’ s hand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eyes !
” Checkout lines only had about five or six people in the queue — about as busy as it normally gets during the holidays , a security guard said .
Toilet paper and bread were out of stock , but meat , produce and frozen items were still available .
After shoppers cleared out the ramen soup , workers brought in two new pallets Friday afternoon .
Those were half empty within five minutes .
Rice , cauliflower rice , tuna , frozen pizza and canned beans were nearly depleted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Times staff writers Ben Poston , Jack Flemming , Glenn Whipp , Samantha Masunaga , Melissa Gomez , Daniel Hernandez , Christie D ’ Zurilla , Nathan Fenno , Garrett Snyder , Makeda Easter , Laurence Darmiento , Julia Turner , Emmanuel Morgan , Mark Potts , Terry Castleman , Jessica Roy , Anousha Sakoui , Arash Markazi , Sam Schulz , Matt Brennan , Sean Greene , Genevieve Ko , Alison Brower , Ben Mims , Roger Vincent , Helene Elliott , Thomas Suh Lauder , Mark Olsen and Jeanette Marantos @ @ @ @ @

Long lines. Crowded parking lots. Barren shelves. And of course, no toilet paper.
This is grocery shopping in the age of the coronavirus outbreak. As the number of cases continues to increase, shoppers have flocked to stores to stock up on shelf-stable items ranging from frozen foods and canned goods to rice and bread. Hand sanitizer and face masks are also in short supply.
The reason for much of this stockpiling? Fears of future shortages or quarantines that would prevent people from getting what they need.
Advertisement
The Los Angeles Times visited grocery stores and supermarkets throughout the L.A. area on Friday between noon and 3 p.m. Here’s what we found.
Pavilions, Long Beach
The parking lot at the east Long Beach Pavilions was jammed. Shelves were emptying, but supplies remained ample, as long as you weren’t looking for toilet paper, water or hand sanitizer. “We haven’t had those things for a week,” said Gwynne Gregory, a home shopper for Pavilions, who fulfills online delivery orders.
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, toilet paper
In stock: beans, rice, frozen foods, baked goods and alcohol
Meat counter at El Super. (Jack Flemming / Los Angeles Times)
El Super, Highland Park
Cars filled every spot in the El Super parking lot, including the no-parking zone at the entrance, where some shoppers abandoned their vehicles with only their hazards on. Inside, the deli line was nearly as long as the checkout line.
Out of stock: toilet paper, rice
In stock: beans, bread, frozen foods, meat, cakes and Purell wipes
Trader Joe’s in Silver Lake. (Makeda Easter / Los Angeles Times)
Trader Joe’s, Silver Lake
As the 1964 hit “Dancing in the Street” played softly over the store’s speakers, shoppers in gloves and masks perused barren shelves. While scouring the scant selection of dried nuts, one shopper remarked to another that the experience reminded her of hurricane season in Hawaii.
Advertisement
Out of stock: toilet paper, rice, beans
In stock: bread, frozen foods, pre-made meals like salads and wraps, canned tuna
99 Cents Only store in Inglewood. (Emmanuel Morgan / Los Angeles Times)
99 Cents Only, Inglewood
Aisles were crowded, but customers didn’t seem panicked. Shoppers were there with their families; couples cracked jokes to each other. Only one loaf of bread was left, and it was in the wrong aisle, near the canned goods.
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, toilet paper, rice, beans
In stock: frozen food, canned fruits and vegetables, juice, fresh fruit and vegetables
Cheese at Trader Joe’s in Culver City. (Matthew Brennan / Los Angeles Times)
Trader Joe’s, Culver City
Several customers covered their mouths with scarves. A few wore medical face masks. One food item that was still plentiful: cheese. Those looking for toilet paper, beans or bread were out of luck.
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, toilet paper, beans, bread
In stock: cheese, frozen prepared foods, alcohol
Grocery Outlet in Burbank. (Laurence Darmiento / Los Angeles Times)
Grocery Outlet, Burbank
Though lines snaked down the aisles from all five checkout stations, the store was surprisingly hushed, as shoppers studiously picked at shelves. “It’s crazy busy,” said one employee. “Everybody is panicking ... And they don’t have enough information so they are just going out and erring on the side of caution.”
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, beans, rice, eggs, fresh meats
In stock: alcohol, milk, ice cream, pastries
Tokyo Central in Gardena. (Garrett Snyder / Los Angeles Times)
Tokyo Central, Gardena
Lines were 15 to 20 customers deep, but moved briskly. Employees continued to offer free samples. A few cashiers wore masks. The store imposed a two-item limit on high-demand items. “We’ve been good about keeping items in stock, but rice, noodles and water have been hard because people are buying so much,” said employee Ryan Cifuentes.
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, toilet paper
In stock: beans, bread, prepared foods, meat, snacks, canned goods, produce, bottled water
Pasta aisle at Pavilions in Malibu. (Ben Poston / Los Angeles Times)
Pavilions, Malibu
The Pavilions parking lot was nearly full and culinary staples were hard to find. In the pasta and bean aisle, an employee broke it to a customer that there were no beans left. “No beans!” the customer said. “This is like Russia!”
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, toilet paper, rice, beans, gallon jugs of water
In stock: bread, frozen foods, cheese, fruits and vegetables
Rice went quick at Northgate Gonzalez Market. (Christie D’Zurilla / Los Angeles Times)
Northgate González, Long Beach
Shopping carts were packed to the brim and checkout lines ran deep into the aisles where toilet paper and water were once stocked. The tortilleria has been running nonstop for days.
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, toilet paper, rice, ramen, cans of hominy
In stock: chilis, canned beans
Pavilions, Marina Del Rey
An empty dispenser of disinfectant wipes greeted shoppers. Many aisles were fully stocked, but long lines snaked through the stores. The mood was tense as shoppers reached for the remaining stash of laundry detergent, frozen peas and frozen pizza, along with a few dented cans of pinto beans. Workers hurried to restock fresh chicken and yogurt. The soup aisle was ravaged, in particular Campbell’s.
Out of stock: Hand sanitizer, toilet paper, pasta
In stock: Produce, bread, beer, alcohol, pistachios
The baked good selection at Pico Glatt Mart in Pico-Robertson. (Alison Brower / Los Angeles Times)
Pico Glatt Mart, Pico-Robertson
“No good rice!” a customer on the phone said. And indeed there was no rice, no bread, no meat, no matzoh. Staffers and shoppers said it was only somewhat busier than a normal Friday.
Out of stock: rice, bread
In stock: Whole red trout and other fish, beans and frozen food
Eden L Market in West Los Angeles (Julia Turner / Los Angeles Times)
Eden L Market, West Los Angeles
Just a handful of customers roamed this small Oaxacan market, but there were signs of stockpiling. Staffers were busy restocking rice and pasta. A sign by the toilet paper shelves read: “Panda Limit 2 Scott Single limit 4.” The cashier said business picked up two days ago: “I guess after the big stores ran out people started coming to us.”
Out of stock: Hand sanitizer
In stock: Rice, beans, tortillas, mango, dried fish, produce
Gelson’s Market in Calabasas (Arash Markazi / Los Angeles Times)
Gelson’s Market, Calabasas
Parking overflowed into the Chase lot next door. There were no shopping carts available at either entrance. Customers were restricted to just two gallons of water, two rolls of paper towels and two rolls of toilet paper. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” said one employee. “People are coming in here and filling up their shopping carts like they’re trying out for Supermarket Sweep.”
Out of stock: toilet paper, hand sanitizer, canned beans, bread, eggs, organic vegetables
In stock: water, paper towels, alcohol, frozen food
The paper towel aisle at the Ralphs in Malibu. (Ben Poston / Los Angeles Times)
Ralphs, Malibu
People seemed frustrated and a little tense. Most shoppers were avoiding close contact. Shelves were empty in the toilet paper aisle and almost all the beans, pasta and soup were gone. One customer said she had been waiting more than 20 minutes. “It’s been like this all day,” a staffer replied.
Out of stock: toilet paper, frozen vegetables, potatoes, fresh beef at the meat counter
In stock: beer, soda, bread, cheese, hummus and ice cream
Island Pacific Seafood Market, Long Beach
All of the 45- and 50-pound sacks of rice that usually line the shelves next to the produce were gone, leaving only a paper sign declaring a limit of two per customer. A few more items were in short supply, including ramen, sardines and all the brand-name Spam that wasn’t jalapeno-flavored.
Out of stock: toilet paper, rice, Breyer’s ice cream, bagged potatoes and onions
In stock: beans, frozen food, fresh meat and fish
99 Ranch Market, Corona
Cleaning products were in short supply. As were most varieties or rice, ramen and noodles. “We’ve never sold out of pork butt before,” said butcher John Casidsid.
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, toilet paper, pork butt
In stock: cookies, wafers, some frozen food
Numero Uno in Lennox. (Daniel Hernandez / Los Angeles Times)
Numero Uno Market, Lennox
Most areas were well-stocked, and a sense of determined calm hovered over shoppers. “Limit 2” signs hung over the toilet paper shelves, where only one four-roll pack remained. “Don’t worry about a thing, miss,” an older man said in Spanish, letting a woman in a check-out line use his cart for her four packs of napkins and four packets of Maseca tortilla flour. “It’s all just a scare, and in two weeks everything will be back to normal.”
Out of stock: water, toilet paper, paper towels
In stock: pretty much everything else
Ralphs, Redondo Beach
Cars circled around the parking lot looking for an empty spot while drivers jockeyed for position as cars pulled out. Inside, it was a calm chaos. Aisles were full of people, but no one was rushing or shoving. Shelves were empty and people were grabbing whatever they could, mostly the expensive versions of items that were left. Checkout lines snaked down multiple aisles, halfway to the back of the store.
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, toilet paper
In stock: lunch meat, cheese, beans, chips
Shelves are picked over in the Northgate Market in Culver City. (Melissa Gomez / Los Angeles Times)
Northgate Market, Culver City
The line began forming outside Northgate Market before its doors opened at 6 a.m., and since then, the stream had been constant, one employee said. By 2 p.m., the check-out line curved around a corner until additional checkout stations were opened. One woman raced to push her cart forward, “or else we’ll never get out,” she said in Spanish to her companion.
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, toilet paper, rice, beans
In stock: frozen foods, bread, baby food, a variety of Hot Cheetos and candles with saints’ pictures
Pasta is going quick in Mid-Wilshire. (Samantha Schulz / Los Angeles Times)
Ralphs, Mid-Wilshire
A mom with two young kids in the marshmallow section swatted her child’s hand: “Don’t touch your eyes!”
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, toilet paper, rice, pasta
In stock: candy, coffee, canned beans
Bristol Farms, Westchester
Checkout lines only had about five or six people in the queue — about as busy as it normally gets during the holidays, a security guard said. Toilet paper and bread were out of stock, but meat, produce and frozen items were still available.
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, toilet paper, bread
In stock: rice, beans, frozen foods, produce
Bread is popular at the Costco in Corona. (Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Costco, Corona
After shoppers cleared out the ramen soup, workers brought in two new pallets Friday afternoon. Those were half empty within five minutes. Rice, cauliflower rice, tuna, frozen pizza and canned beans were nearly depleted. Protein drinks were running low, too.
Out of stock: hand sanitizer, toilet paper, water, wipes, paper towels
In stock: vitamins
Times staff writers Ben Poston, Jack Flemming, Glenn Whipp, Samantha Masunaga, Melissa Gomez, Daniel Hernandez, Christie D’Zurilla, Nathan Fenno, Garrett Snyder, Makeda Easter, Laurence Darmiento, Julia Turner, Emmanuel Morgan, Mark Potts, Terry Castleman, Jessica Roy, Anousha Sakoui, Arash Markazi, Sam Schulz, Matt Brennan, Sean Greene, Genevieve Ko, Alison Brower, Ben Mims, Roger Vincent, Helene Elliott, Thomas Suh Lauder, Mark Olsen and Jeanette Marantos contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-14--Newsom orders more aid to California campuses shuttered by coronavirus, opting not to close schools

Newsom orders more aid to California campuses shuttered by coronavirus, opting not to close schools statewide

California schools that close their doors due to the novel coronavirus outbreak will continue to receive funding under an executive order issued on Friday by Gov .
Gavin Newsom , with a directive to direct more dollars toward remote learning opportunities and child care options during workday hours .
The executive order did not , however , go as far as some educators had wanted .
There had been expectations that Newsom would instead require all California schools — not just public but even private schools — to temporarily cease operations in response to the global pandemic .
Hours before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles Unified School District and other schools in the state ’ s largest cities made the difficult decision to close their doors .
Some two-thirds of the state ’ s students now face days or weeks away from the classroom .
But some 2 million more will be expected to be back in class on Monday .
In the end , Newsom chose instead to focus the state ’ s response on easing the financial blow felt by the suspension of classes in dozens of communities .
“ Closing schools has a massive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their families — especially those least equipped financially to deal with them , ” Newsom said in an emailed statement .
“ The needs of California kids must be met regardless of whether their school is open or closed .
School districts that choose to close must use state educational dollars to quickly meet the needs of children and families .
The State of California is working around the clock to help those districts and provide best practices to ensure no kid is left behind.
” The executive order calls on schools to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look for ways to continue educational coursework at a distance and to provide ways to keep school meals and for “ supervision for students during ordinary school hours.
” About 90 minutes before Newsom issued his directive , the California Teachers Assn .
urged him to go further .
“ To protect students and educators , we believe closing all public schools and community colleges would be one of the safest measures to help mitigate further spreading of the virus right now , ” said E. Toby Boyd , the president of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Times why Newsom chose not to order a statewide school closure , the governor ’ s office said he was directing his attention to the necessities of students .
“ A week ago , state public health officials made detailed recommendations on when local school districts should close schools based on community conditions and the spread of COVID-19 , ” the governor ’ s spokesman , Jesse Melgar , said in a statement .
“ Now that school districts are closing , the Governor ’ s focus is on ensuring students ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their school is physically open.
” The decision came after a day full of far-reaching actions in response to the coronavirus crisis .
President Trump declared a national emergency to expedite the flow of federal dollars to local communities , and state officials extended until June 15 the deadline for those affected by the virus to file their California income tax returns .
But by day ’ s end , at least 16 states and the District of Columbia had fully shuttered their schools , including neighboring states Oregon and Washington and high-population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the decisions were piecemeal .
All but one of the state ’ s 10 largest school districts ordered temporary school closures by Friday afternoon and the one outlier , the Capistrano Unified School District in Orange County , scheduled a vote on school closures for Friday evening .
Newsom may have stopped short of closing all schools due to concerns over the widespread financial , workforce and household disruptions such a decision could cause .
Among the parents forced to miss work to care for their children at home will be healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other medical facilities , places that could be overwhelmed by coronavirus patients .
Roughly 80 % of students at California ’ s public schools receive free or reduced-price meals .
Last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a request by the Newsom administration to allow meal service during school closures , permitting families to pick up those meals at libraries , parks or other off-site locations .
“ That ’ s why , again , we have to be very thoughtful and consider it as it relates to our education system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor said Thursday .
The guarantees announced on Friday are key for local education leaders .
Unlike other states , California primarily pays for K-12 education based on the number of children who actually show up , not the overall student enrollment .
The “ average daily attendance ” formula means less funding when students are absent — a policy that often has a disproportionate effect on schools in low-income communities where attendance can be more inconsistent .
California taxpayers are expected to spend more than $ 85 billion on K-12 schools in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June and more than $ 87 billion in the year after that under budget plans offered by Newsom .
While some of that money comes from local property taxes , the vast majority of it is allocated by the state .
The action by the governor ensures those dollars continue to flow even if schools remain closed .
Even so , the funding impact of closing schools could require expedited action by the Legislature .
On Thursday , as individual schools and districts around the state were closing their doors , Senate President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) said lawmakers would consider all options as soon as possible .
“ Fiscally , it is critically important for the school districts , ” she said .
Less clear on the long-term impact on students is whether lawmakers will revisit the length of the school year , which is set in current law as at least 175 days .
Lawmakers first allowed schools to reduce the number of days of instruction down from 180 days back in 2008 , driven then by steep budget cuts in response to the global recession .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ too early to determine whether the school year would need to be extended into the summer months and , along with that , whether upcoming state-mandated standardized tests will be postponed or canceled altogether .
Elk Grove Unified School District , south of Sacramento and the largest district in Northern California , was the first in the state to shut down .
Since then , schools have been temporarily closed by Los Angeles Unified School District , San Francisco Unified School District and several districts in Ventura County including Simi Valley , Moorpark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including California schools such as UCLA , USC , UC San Diego and Stanford — have transitioned to providing online learning options , electing to shut down classroom instruction .
Earlier this week Newsom called for the cancellation of all gatherings of over 250 people and on Thursday he announced that the state , if needed , will commandeer hotels and medical facilities to help care of coronavirus patients .
California health officials reported five coronavirus related deaths and 247 confirmed cases in the state as of Friday morning .
That does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ship currently docked in Oakland .

Some two-thirds of the state’s students now face days or weeks away from the classroom.
California schools that close their doors due to the novel coronavirus outbreak will continue to receive funding under an executive order issued on Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, with a directive to direct more dollars toward remote learning opportunities and child care options during workday hours.
The executive order did not, however, go as far as some educators had wanted.
There had been expectations that Newsom would instead require all California schools — not just public but even private schools — to temporarily cease operations in response to the global pandemic. Hours before he acted, trustees of the Los Angeles Unified School District and other schools in the state’s largest cities made the difficult decision to close their doors. Some two-thirds of the state’s students now face days or weeks away from the classroom. But some 2 million more will be expected to be back in class on Monday.
Advertisement
In the end, Newsom chose instead to focus the state’s response on easing the financial blow felt by the suspension of classes in dozens of communities.
“Closing schools has a massive, cascading effect for our kids and their families — especially those least equipped financially to deal with them,” Newsom said in an emailed statement. “The needs of California kids must be met regardless of whether their school is open or closed. School districts that choose to close must use state educational dollars to quickly meet the needs of children and families. The State of California is working around the clock to help those districts and provide best practices to ensure no kid is left behind.”
The executive order calls on schools to use the guarantee of continued funding to look for ways to continue educational coursework at a distance and to provide ways to keep school meals and for “supervision for students during ordinary school hours.”
About 90 minutes before Newsom issued his directive, the California Teachers Assn. urged him to go further.
“To protect students and educators, we believe closing all public schools and community colleges would be one of the safest measures to help mitigate further spreading of the virus right now,” said E. Toby Boyd, the president of the teachers’ union.
When asked by The Times why Newsom chose not to order a statewide school closure, the governor’s office said he was directing his attention to the necessities of students.
“A week ago, state public health officials made detailed recommendations on when local school districts should close schools based on community conditions and the spread of COVID-19,” the governor’s spokesman, Jesse Melgar, said in a statement. “Now that school districts are closing, the Governor’s focus is on ensuring students’ needs are met — whether or not their school is physically open.”
Advertisement
The decision came after a day full of far-reaching actions in response to the coronavirus crisis. President Trump declared a national emergency to expedite the flow of federal dollars to local communities, and state officials extended until June 15 the deadline for those affected by the virus to file their California income tax returns.
But by day’s end, at least 16 states and the District of Columbia had fully shuttered their schools, including neighboring states Oregon and Washington and high-population states such as Florida.
In California, the decisions were piecemeal. All but one of the state’s 10 largest school districts ordered temporary school closures by Friday afternoon and the one outlier, the Capistrano Unified School District in Orange County, scheduled a vote on school closures for Friday evening.
Newsom may have stopped short of closing all schools due to concerns over the widespread financial, workforce and household disruptions such a decision could cause. Among the parents forced to miss work to care for their children at home will be healthcare providers who are desperately needed at hospitals and other medical facilities, places that could be overwhelmed by coronavirus patients.
Roughly 80% of students at California’s public schools receive free or reduced-price meals. Last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a request by the Newsom administration to allow meal service during school closures, permitting families to pick up those meals at libraries, parks or other off-site locations.
“That’s why, again, we have to be very thoughtful and consider it as it relates to our education system and the broader impacts,” the governor said Thursday.
The guarantees announced on Friday are key for local education leaders. Unlike other states, California primarily pays for K-12 education based on the number of children who actually show up, not the overall student enrollment. The “average daily attendance” formula means less funding when students are absent — a policy that often has a disproportionate effect on schools in low-income communities where attendance can be more inconsistent.
California taxpayers are expected to spend more than $85 billion on K-12 schools in the state fiscal year that ends in June and more than $87 billion in the year after that under budget plans offered by Newsom. While some of that money comes from local property taxes, the vast majority of it is allocated by the state. The action by the governor ensures those dollars continue to flow even if schools remain closed.
Even so, the funding impact of closing schools could require expedited action by the Legislature. On Thursday, as individual schools and districts around the state were closing their doors, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) said lawmakers would consider all options as soon as possible.
“Fiscally, it is critically important for the school districts,” she said.
Less clear on the long-term impact on students is whether lawmakers will revisit the length of the school year, which is set in current law as at least 175 days. Lawmakers first allowed schools to reduce the number of days of instruction down from 180 days back in 2008, driven then by steep budget cuts in response to the global recession.
Education advocates said it’s still too early to determine whether the school year would need to be extended into the summer months and, along with that, whether upcoming state-mandated standardized tests will be postponed or canceled altogether.
Elk Grove Unified School District, south of Sacramento and the largest district in Northern California, was the first in the state to shut down. Since then, schools have been temporarily closed by Los Angeles Unified School District, San Francisco Unified School District and several districts in Ventura County including Simi Valley, Moorpark and Oak Park.
Universities nationwide — including California schools such as UCLA, USC, UC San Diego and Stanford — have transitioned to providing online learning options, electing to shut down classroom instruction.
Earlier this week Newsom called for the cancellation of all gatherings of over 250 people and on Thursday he announced that the state, if needed, will commandeer hotels and medical facilities to help care of coronavirus patients.
California health officials reported five coronavirus related deaths and 247 confirmed cases in the state as of Friday morning. That does not count passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship currently docked in Oakland.


latimes--2020-03-13--L.A. County courts call for 30-day delay in many trials amid coronavirus spread

Reacting to the spread of the novel coronavirus , the Los Angeles County Superior Court is recommending a 30-day delay on new civil trials and some criminal jury trials in the nation ’ s largest trial court .
It joins other counties in trying to adjust judicial functions amid the health crisis .
The guidance came from Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile of the Superior Court , who said he lacked the authority to shut down courts without the approval of the state chief justice .
Asked whether Brazile had sought permission for modifications to court operations , a spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To my knowledge , not yet.
” The move comes as other counties are struggling with what do about courts as the coronavirus spreads and officials put limits on group meetings and activities .
Santa Clara County , where the coronavirus outbreak has hit particularly hard , announced delays Friday in many traffic , small-claims , family , civil and probate trials , as well as some criminal trials .
Other counties have been discussing similar actions .
And late Friday , the top federal judge in Los Angeles said no jurors would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until April 13 .
In a written order , Chief U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips cited the recommendations of public health authorities to limit exposure to the virus .
The suspension applied to courthouses in Los Angeles , Santa Ana and Riverside .
A majority of the district ’ s judges backed the decision , she wrote , which was made to cut back the size of public gatherings and reduce travel .
Grand juries , however , will continue to meet , magistrate judges will continue to arraign defendants and sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proceedings — apart from jury trials — will continue as planned , Phillips said .
California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said in a statement Friday that the Supreme Court and appeals courts are working with the rest of the judicial agencies to deal with the health crisis .
“ Although the extent of the pandemic is unknown at this time , California ’ s courts will continue to do what they do best : balancing public safety and health while protecting liberty and due process .
Court users should check with their local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how a court is responding to the crisis , ” she wrote .
Brazile ’ s recommendations include delaying new civil jury trials at least 30 days and delaying criminal jury trials at least 30 days in cases in which defendants have agreed to “ waive time , ” or allow for a slower legal process than the law calls for .
Attorneys who practice in Los Angeles County say they have been disappointed by the slow response to the coronavirus pandemic .
Up until Friday morning , the county court system had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operations .
“ I ’ m disappointed , ” said defense attorney Lou Shapiro , who was part of a team of legal leaders that held a conference call Friday afternoon with Judge Brazile .
Shapiro says the changes should go further , beyond “ recommendations ” to the point of ordering delays in trials and remote court appearances .
“ They are taking a reactive approach : ‘ Let ’ s see how this evolves.
’ What are we waiting for ?
” he said .
“ We have the opportunity to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re not .
”

Matt Hamilton, Maura Dolan, Matthew Ormseth

The Stanley Mosk Courthouse, the main civil courthouse of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, in downtown Los Angeles.
Reacting to the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Los Angeles County Superior Court is recommending a 30-day delay on new civil trials and some criminal jury trials in the nation’s largest trial court.
It joins other counties in trying to adjust judicial functions amid the health crisis.
The guidance came from Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile of the Superior Court, who said he lacked the authority to shut down courts without the approval of the state chief justice. Asked whether Brazile had sought permission for modifications to court operations, a spokesperson for the Supreme Court said, “To my knowledge, not yet.”
Advertisement
Los Angeles County Superior Court encompasses dozens of courthouses.
The move comes as other counties are struggling with what do about courts as the coronavirus spreads and officials put limits on group meetings and activities.
Santa Clara County, where the coronavirus outbreak has hit particularly hard, announced delays Friday in many traffic, small-claims, family, civil and probate trials, as well as some criminal trials.
Other counties have been discussing similar actions.
And late Friday, the top federal judge in Los Angeles said no jurors would be called for criminal or civil trials until April 13. In a written order, Chief U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips cited the recommendations of public health authorities to limit exposure to the virus.
The suspension applied to courthouses in Los Angeles, Santa Ana and Riverside.
A majority of the district’s judges backed the decision, she wrote, which was made to cut back the size of public gatherings and reduce travel.
Advertisement
Grand juries, however, will continue to meet, magistrate judges will continue to arraign defendants and sign warrants, and all courtroom deadlines and proceedings — apart from jury trials — will continue as planned, Phillips said.
California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said in a statement Friday that the Supreme Court and appeals courts are working with the rest of the judicial agencies to deal with the health crisis.
“Although the extent of the pandemic is unknown at this time, California’s courts will continue to do what they do best: balancing public safety and health while protecting liberty and due process. Court users should check with their local courts or court websites for updates on how a court is responding to the crisis,” she wrote.
Brazile’s recommendations include delaying new civil jury trials at least 30 days and delaying criminal jury trials at least 30 days in cases in which defendants have agreed to “waive time,” or allow for a slower legal process than the law calls for.
Attorneys who practice in Los Angeles County say they have been disappointed by the slow response to the coronavirus pandemic. Up until Friday morning, the county court system had said there were no impacts to court operations.
“I’m disappointed,” said defense attorney Lou Shapiro, who was part of a team of legal leaders that held a conference call Friday afternoon with Judge Brazile. Shapiro says the changes should go further, beyond “recommendations” to the point of ordering delays in trials and remote court appearances.
“They are taking a reactive approach: ‘Let’s see how this evolves.’ What are we waiting for?” he said. “We have the opportunity to get ahead of it, and we’re not.”


latimes--2020-03-13--California coronavirus: 5 deaths, 247 cases: Here is what you need to know

With schools closing , people staying home and supermarkets mobbed , the coronavirus is dramatically changing life in California .
The state now reports 247 confirmed cases and five deaths .
But officials say many more have the virus but have not yet been tested .
There is now a concerted effort across the state toward social distancing — staying at least 6 feet apart to help avoid transmission .
LOS ANGELES : County Public Health Department officials confirmed eight new cases of the virus , bringing the total to 40 , as community spread intensified .
Three of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of community transmission , as the source of exposure is unknown .
Two of the individuals are hospitalized , public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said .
Officials say they expect those cases to expand significantly as more people get tested .
Ferrer said L.A. County got more test kits this week , and noted that initial testing limitations have made estimates difficult to gather .
SANTA CLARA COUNTY : Calling the outbreak “ one of the most historic public health challenges of our time , ” the health officer for Silicon Valley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public gatherings — restricting gatherings of 35 or more unless organizers warn attendees that it poses a heightened risk of infection and banning all public and private gatherings of 100 or more .
The number of cases approached 100 .
SAN FRANCISCO : The city ’ s health officer has issued a public health order banning all non-essential events of 100 or more people .
Restaurants that have a capacity of more than 100 people can continue operating if they reduce their occupancy in half .
For instance , a restaurant with an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it reduces its occupancy in half to 75 .
ORANGE COUNTY : Orange County on Friday reported three suspected coronavirus cases , bringing its total to nine .
The new tally came as the Orange County superintendent of schools said he supported suspending all school operations for at least two weeks .
5 Deaths ( including one non-California resident ) 247 Positive cases ( not including the Grand Princess cruise ship ) 24 Cases of positive tests related to federal repatriation flights 223 Cases not related to repatriation flights 65 Travel related 52 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under investigation 11,400+ Number of people self-monitoring who returned to the U.S. through SFO or LAX

Alex Wigglesworth, Colleen Shalby, Rong-Gong Lin II, Richard Winton

A shopper is among the first to exit Costco in Burbank after hundreds of customers lined up before doors opened, most looking for water, toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning supplies on Friday. Water and other necessities were out of stock within 20 minutes after the store opened.
With schools closing, people staying home and supermarkets mobbed, the coronavirus is dramatically changing life in California.
The state now reports 247 confirmed cases and five deaths. But officials say many more have the virus but have not yet been tested.
There is now a concerted effort across the state toward social distancing — staying at least 6 feet apart to help avoid transmission.
Advertisement
Regional view
LOS ANGELES: County Public Health Department officials confirmed eight new cases of the virus, bringing the total to 40, as community spread intensified. Three of those cases are thought to be the result of community transmission, as the source of exposure is unknown. Two of the individuals are hospitalized, public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said. Officials say they expect those cases to expand significantly as more people get tested. Ferrer said L.A. County got more test kits this week, and noted that initial testing limitations have made estimates difficult to gather.
SANTA CLARA COUNTY: Calling the outbreak “one of the most historic public health challenges of our time,” the health officer for Silicon Valley has issued a new aggressive ban on public gatherings — restricting gatherings of 35 or more unless organizers warn attendees that it poses a heightened risk of infection and banning all public and private gatherings of 100 or more. The number of cases approached 100.
SAN FRANCISCO: The city’s health officer has issued a public health order banning all non-essential events of 100 or more people. Restaurants that have a capacity of more than 100 people can continue operating if they reduce their occupancy in half. For instance, a restaurant with an occupancy of 150 can continue operating if it reduces its occupancy in half to 75.
ORANGE COUNTY: Orange County on Friday reported three suspected coronavirus cases, bringing its total to nine. The new tally came as the Orange County superintendent of schools said he supported suspending all school operations for at least two weeks.
Cases
5 Deaths (including one non-California resident)
247 Positive cases (not including the Grand Princess cruise ship)
Age breakdown
0- 17 4
18-64 143
65+ 98
Unknown: 2
Advertisement
Details
24 Cases of positive tests related to federal repatriation flights
223 Cases not related to repatriation flights
65 Travel related
52 Person to person
56 Community transmission
50 Under investigation
11,400+ Number of people self-monitoring who returned to the U.S. through SFO or LAX


latimes--2020-03-13--We text and order food on apps. Why does coronavirus social distancing feel different?

Just the other day , I walked out in the sun and observed people mingling en masse .
I watched a crowd of tourists in the forecourt of what I still call place their hands , as they ’ ve always done , into the handprints of stars .
I watched shoppers crowd around tables at the Apple Store at The Grove .
I watched families squeeze in next to other families to admire the mall ’ s dancing fountain .
I saw only the odd mask .
I saw strangers walk side by side .
If coronavirus social distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for me .
Still , I felt an intense wave of loss and nostalgia , which has been growing ever since .
Since the rain began to fall .
Since Southern California grew cold and gray .
Since coronavirus so quickly closed in .
Lately I ’ ve been mourning not just the physical community we ’ re now giving up of necessity , but also a togetherness we ’ ve so casually been letting slip away — since Amazon , since Netflix , since Postmates .
Since giant home TVs with surround @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrival of virtual reality .
We have to practice social distancing now for everyone ’ s sake .
We are in the midst of a pandemic .
People are falling sick .
They are dying .
But haven ’ t we been distancing ourselves from each other more and more for years ?
Hasn ’ t being apart become more and more our norm ?
Maybe we ’ re about to start seeing the downside .
In the modern age , even in ordinary circumstances , a lot of us increasingly choose to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s become so very easy and convenient .
Why go to a restaurant when you can have exactly what you would have ordered there delivered to you in the comfort of your home ?
Why go to a theater when you can watch a newly released movie on TV ?
Why go see a friend when you can Facetime and text ?
Why go to the office when you can do your job on your own in your pajamas ?
Why go to the store and see people — except perhaps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toilet paper — when you can shop on Amazon or Instacart ?
Why is it that all these conveniences that we ’ ve been embracing for years now feel so different when a pandemic requires them ?
Why does cozy and comfy on the couch now suddenly feel claustrophobic ?
In California , we ’ re used to our earthquakes and our fires making us come together , not come apart .
In the rubble , in the ash , we quickly cross our own property lines and comfort zones and reach out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re just a few days in , and already coronavirus feels like the loneliest of crises .
Now I go out to walk my dog and strangers see me and cross the street , even when there ’ s still half a block between us .
Everything that brings us together is being canceled or postponed or turned remote : concerts , conferences , festivals , tournaments , classes , church services , campaign rallies .
Social distance is no longer theoretical , isolation no longer optional .
I ’ ve stated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in which more and more people are working at jobs without offices , going whole days without real human contact .
Now we ’ re all in that boat .
We all will feel how that feels .
I ’ m hoping will do the trick and slow down the community spread of coronavirus .
I ’ m willing to do anything to help make that happen .
I think we all have to be all in to do that .
Still , many things I often choose to do immediately feel constricting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All our modern conveniences — our screens and our apps , our online shopping , our delivery services — can provide us with so much coziness and ease when we ’ re feeling overstimulated and worn out and need to retreat from the big world outside .
But we also have the big world to plunge back into .
Now suddenly we don ’ t .
It ’ s one thing to work from home because you feel like it and you can .
It ’ s another to be told that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with your co-workers in the office .
It ’ s one thing to stream a movie by choice or to choose to watch a basketball game on TV .
It ’ s another to be told that you should not go to a movie theater , that you can ’ t go to a basketball game , that concerts have been called off .
It ’ s one thing to order in food because you want to put on your comfy clothes and curl up on the couch .
It ’ s another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it might be best not even to see or greet your delivery person but to have your order left at the front door .
It ’ s so different to know that you can step out into a crowd again whenever you ’ re tired of the couch and of texting .
Now that crowds are canceled , I am longing for them .
Right now , already , I want nothing more than to go out to eat with friends , to hug a neighbor , to hold a hand .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I stay on the porch and we wish each other well from a safe distance .
I ’ m hoping we get to the other side of this without large-scale tragedy .
There ’ s no way of knowing yet if we will .
But if we do , I ’ m hoping that the experience of social distancing gives us pause and makes us realize how much we have missed company , not just the company of those we know and love but of strangers .
We live in a world that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people fire into crowds , where stock markets crash , where the gap between the haves and the have-nots keeps growing , along with the anger and division .
But I ’ m hoping that if we get through this , we don ’ t let fear take over , that we come together again in full appreciation of how good that can feel .
Just the other day , I watched people mingling en masse .
I hope I ’ ll get to do so again before long .

Just the other day, I walked out in the sun and observed people mingling en masse.
I watched a crowd of tourists in the forecourt of what I still call Mann’s Chinese place their hands, as they’ve always done, into the handprints of stars.
I watched shoppers crowd around tables at the Apple Store at The Grove. I watched families squeeze in next to other families to admire the mall’s dancing fountain.
Advertisement
I saw only the odd mask. I saw strangers walk side by side. If coronavirus social distancing was happening, it was too subtle for me.
Still, I felt an intense wave of loss and nostalgia, which has been growing ever since. Since the rain began to fall. Since Southern California grew cold and gray. Since coronavirus so quickly closed in.
Lately I’ve been mourning not just the physical community we’re now giving up of necessity, but also a togetherness we’ve so casually been letting slip away — since Amazon, since Netflix, since Postmates. Since giant home TVs with surround sound and streaming services, since the arrival of virtual reality.
We have to practice social distancing now for everyone’s sake. We are in the midst of a pandemic. People are falling sick. They are dying.
But haven’t we been distancing ourselves from each other more and more for years? Hasn’t being apart become more and more our norm? Maybe we’re about to start seeing the downside.
In the modern age, even in ordinary circumstances, a lot of us increasingly choose to keep to ourselves. After all, it’s become so very easy and convenient.
Advertisement
Why go to a restaurant when you can have exactly what you would have ordered there delivered to you in the comfort of your home? Why go to a theater when you can watch a newly released movie on TV?
Why go see a friend when you can Facetime and text?
Why go to the office when you can do your job on your own in your pajamas?
Why go to the store and see people — except perhaps to fight for the last rolls of toilet paper — when you can shop on Amazon or Instacart?
Why is it that all these conveniences that we’ve been embracing for years now feel so different when a pandemic requires them? Why does cozy and comfy on the couch now suddenly feel claustrophobic?
In California, we’re used to our earthquakes and our fires making us come together, not come apart. In the rubble, in the ash, we quickly cross our own property lines and comfort zones and reach out to anyone who needs help.
We’re just a few days in, and already coronavirus feels like the loneliest of crises.
Now I go out to walk my dog and strangers see me and cross the street, even when there’s still half a block between us.
Everything that brings us together is being canceled or postponed or turned remote: concerts, conferences, festivals, tournaments, classes, church services, campaign rallies.
Social distance is no longer theoretical, isolation no longer optional.
I’ve stated my worries before about a modern-day world in which more and more people are isolated and lonely, working at jobs without offices, going whole days without real human contact. Now we’re all in that boat. We all will feel how that feels.
I’m hoping forced separation will do the trick and slow down the community spread of coronavirus. I’m willing to do anything to help make that happen. I think we all have to be all in to do that.
Still, many things I often choose to do immediately feel constricting when they are no longer by choice.
All our modern conveniences — our screens and our apps, our online shopping, our delivery services — can provide us with so much coziness and ease when we’re feeling overstimulated and worn out and need to retreat from the big world outside. But we also have the big world to plunge back into. Now suddenly we don’t.
It’s one thing to work from home because you feel like it and you can. It’s another to be told that you cannot go spend the day with your co-workers in the office. It’s one thing to stream a movie by choice or to choose to watch a basketball game on TV. It’s another to be told that you should not go to a movie theater, that you can’t go to a basketball game, that concerts have been called off.
It’s one thing to order in food because you want to put on your comfy clothes and curl up on the couch. It’s another to be told by the experts that it might be best not even to see or greet your delivery person but to have your order left at the front door.
It’s so different to know that you can step out into a crowd again whenever you’re tired of the couch and of texting. Now that crowds are canceled, I am longing for them.
Right now, already, I want nothing more than to go out to eat with friends, to hug a neighbor, to hold a hand. Instead my neighbor stands on the sidewalk and I stay on the porch and we wish each other well from a safe distance.
I’m hoping we get to the other side of this without large-scale tragedy. There’s no way of knowing yet if we will.
But if we do, I’m hoping that the experience of social distancing gives us pause and makes us realize how much we have missed company, not just the company of those we know and love but of strangers.
We live in a world that can be scary, a world where people fire into crowds, where stock markets crash, where the gap between the haves and the have-nots keeps growing, along with the anger and division. But I’m hoping that if we get through this, we don’t let fear take over, that we come together again in full appreciation of how good that can feel.
Just the other day, I watched people mingling en masse. I hope I’ll get to do so again before long.