latimes--2020-03-02--D.A. Jackie Lacey's husband pulls gun on Black Lives Matter protesters at his home

The husband of Los Angeles County Dist .
Atty .
Jackie Lacey pulled a gun on protesters outside the home of the county ’ s top prosecutor early Monday morning , further heightening tension in a heated primary over the district attorney ’ s job .
Video from the scene shows her husband standing in the doorway in Granada Hills pointing a gun and shouting , “ I will shoot you .
Get off of my porch.
” The incident prompted an LAPD response , but no one was hurt or arrested .
Lacey ’ s husband , David , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ district attorney ’ s office , according to spokeswoman Shiara Davila-Morales .
During an emotional news conference downtown Monday morning , Lacey offered an apology on her husband ’ s behalf but also derided protesters for what she said was repeated harassment and threats throughout her two terms in office .
“ His response was in fear , and now that he realizes what happened he wanted me to say to the protesters , the person that he showed the gun to , that he was sorry , that he ’ s profoundly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any harm , ” Lacey said , her voice swelling with emotion .
“ That it was just him and I in that house , and we really didn ’ t know what was about to happen.
” Los Angeles police officers responded to the home in the 17900 block of Mayerling Street about 5:40 a.m. after someone called to report protesters outside , said Officer Lizeth Lomeli , an LAPD spokeswoman .
A group of about 30 protesters arrived before dawn outside Lacey ’ s home , according to Melina Abdullah , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State Los Angeles professor who said she was one of three people at whom the gun was pointed .
The group was at Lacey ’ s home to protest her refusal to meet with black activists and organizers in South L.A. , Abdullah said .
During a contentious October meeting of the Stonewall Democratic Club to discuss her handling of the Ed Buck case , the group said that Lacey promised to arrange a meeting but never delivered .
“ So we decided to have the meeting in front of her house , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chairs and prayed on the sidewalk but did not initially approach Lacey ’ s property — until Abdullah and two others went to the front door .
Then , they said , they heard a gun cock .
“ I thought I was being paranoid , and I said , ‘ That didn ’ t sound good , ’ ” Abdullah said .
“ And then her husband opened the door and pointed a gun and said .
‘ Get off my porch.
’ ” Lacey said she did not know her husband @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the incident happened .
In a statement , the district attorney ’ s office said it would recuse itself from any filing decisions due to the conflict of interest generated by Lacey ’ s involvement .
“ As with any incident , LAPD will first investigate and if appropriate bring to an independent prosecutor ’ s office for review , ” the district attorney ’ s office said in a statement .
“ The California attorney general ’ s office will assist LAPD in this matter.
” Dozens of district attorney ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lacey spoke , interrupting the news conference with applause at least twice .
Lacey said the Monday morning incident was the last in a long line of challenges she ’ s faced from protesters that she claimed included “ death threats.
” A spokeswoman for the district attorney ’ s office declined to comment on the nature of the threats Lacey said she received in the past or confirm if any had been taken seriously enough to be referred to law enforcement .
Lacey referenced recent combative displays from protesters at debates during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and said she did not believe it was acceptable for demonstrators to appear on her doorstep .
“ Our home is our sanctuary , ” she said .
“ I do not believe it is fair or right for protesters to show up at the homes of people who dedicate their lives to public service.
” Protesters remained outside Lacey ’ s home for more than an hour early Monday , holding signs reading `` # ByeJackie ” and “ Honk if you think DA Jackie Lacey should prosecute cops who kill.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ watching the activity .
Abdullah and other demonstrators stage weekly protests of Lacey outside the district attorney ’ s office , usually chanting names of people shot and killed by county law enforcement officers .
They have protested at her home at least once before , Abdullah said .
Asked why her husband reacted the way he did to a group of unarmed protesters who have confronted Lacey before , the district attorney said the event was the totality of rising tensions she ’ s faced from Black Lives Matter and other groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t think you ever get used to anybody coming to your house , ” she continued .
“ It was frightening .
I know that the protests have escalated , even at the last debate , a guy ran toward the stage , I wasn ’ t sure what was going to happen.
” The incident comes a day before Los Angeles County voters are set to cast their ballots in what has become a fierce race for district attorney .
Lacey , a two-term incumbent , is trying to fend off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Francisco Dist .
Atty .
George Gascón and former Los Angeles County public defender Rachel Rossi — who embody a nationwide push to elect more progressive prosecutors .
The three candidates have engaged in a hotly contested campaign that included a combative January debate marked by protests , which Lacey later cited as a reason to turn down further public debates .
Lacey , who has worked at the D.A .
's office since the late 1980s , has long tried to improve treatment for mentally ill defendants and tried to position herself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While she ’ s beloved by the law enforcement community , Lacey ’ s tenure has been marked by a perceived hesitance to charge powerful figures and police officers who use deadly force , earning her the scorn of local activist groups .
Gascón ’ s campaign declined to comment on Monday ’ s incident .
Jasmyne Cannick , who is serving as communications director for Rossi ’ s campaign , posted video of the incident that immediately gained traction on Twitter , and questioned the actions of the man seen in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nervous at the sight of a gun in their face and dropped their cellphone or something else that made a loud noise that then triggered Mr. Lacey ’ s finger causing him to shoot someone for no reason ?
” Cannick wrote on Twitter .
“ There are so many reasons that his actions are just wrong .
”

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey speaks at a news conference at the Hall of Justice in 2015.
The husband of Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey pointed a gun at unarmed protesters during a confrontation outside the couple’s home early Monday, heightening tensions on the eve of her primary election.
Video from the scene shows her husband standing in the doorway of their Granada Hills home pointing a gun and shouting, “I will shoot you. Get off of my porch.”
The incident prompted an LAPD response, but no one was hurt or arrested. Lacey’s husband, David, is a former investigative auditor for the district attorney’s office, according to spokeswoman Shiara Davila-Morales.
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During a news conference downtown Monday, Lacey offered an apology on her husband’s behalf but also derided protesters for what she said was repeated harassment and threats throughout her two terms in office.
“His response was in fear, and now that he realizes what happened he wanted me to say to the protesters, the person that he showed the gun to, that he was sorry, that he’s profoundly sorry, that he meant no one any harm,” Lacey said, her voice swelling with emotion.
Lacey is trying to fend off a pair of challengers — former San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascón and former Los Angeles County public defender Rachel Rossi — who embody a nationwide push to elect more progressive prosecutors.
The three candidates have engaged in a hotly contested campaign that included a combative January debate marked by protesters shouting down Lacey, which she later cited as a reason to turn down further public debates.
A group of about 30 protesters arrived at the Lacey household before dawn Monday, according to Melina Abdullah, a Black Lives Matter organizer and Cal State L.A. professor who said she was one of three people at whom the gun was pointed.
The demonstration was to protest Lacey’s refusal to meet with black activists and organizers in South L.A., Abdullah said. During a contentious October meeting of the Stonewall Democratic Club to discuss her handling of the Ed Buck case, the group said that Lacey promised to arrange a meeting but never delivered.
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“So we decided to have the meeting in front of her house,” Abdullah said.
The group arranged chairs and prayed on the sidewalk but did not initially approach Lacey’s property until Abdullah and two others went to the front door. Then, they said, they heard a gun cock.
“I thought I was being paranoid, and I said, ‘That didn’t sound good,’” Abdullah said. “And then her husband opened the door and pointed a gun and said. ‘Get off my porch.’”
#BREAKING This morning Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s husband pulled a gun out on Black Lives Matter activists who protested his wife in front of their house. @BLMLA pic.twitter.com/wnCFMMvaWV — Jasmyne Cannick (@Jasmyne) March 2, 2020
Lacey said she and her husband were awoken by noises outside and called the police, but she did not know her husband had confronted the protesters at gunpoint until after the incident occurred.
The case is under investigation by the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division, and any charging decisions will be made by the California attorney general’s office, officials said.
Dozens of district attorney’s office employees filled the room when Lacey spoke downtown, interrupting the news conference with applause at least twice. Lacey said the Monday morning incident was the latest in a long line of challenges she’s faced from protesters that she claimed included “death threats.”
Davila-Morales initially declined to provide details about the threats. Late Monday, she said “numerous documented threats” had been made against Lacey in recent weeks. A death threat was also referred to an outside law enforcement agency, she said.
Abdullah and other demonstrators stage weekly protests of Lacey outside the district attorney’s office, usually chanting names of people shot and killed by county law enforcement officers. They have protested at her home at least once before, Abdullah said.
Asked why her husband reacted the way he did to a group of unarmed protesters who have confronted Lacey before, the district attorney said the event was the culmination of rising tensions she’s faced from Black Lives Matter and other groups in recent weeks.
“I don’t think you ever get used to anybody coming to your house,” she continued. “It was frightening. I know that the protests have escalated. Even at the last debate, a guy ran toward the stage. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen.”
The incident comes as Los Angeles County voters are set to cast their ballots in what has become a fierce race for district attorney.
Gascón’s campaign declined to comment. Jasmyne Cannick, who is serving as communications director for Rossi’s campaign, posted video of the incident that immediately gained traction on Twitter, and questioned the actions of the man seen in the clip.
“What if someone got nervous at the sight of a gun in their face and dropped their cellphone or something else that made a loud noise that then triggered Mr. Lacey’s finger causing him to shoot someone for no reason?” Cannick wrote on Twitter. “There are so many reasons that his actions are just wrong.”
Experts were split on how Monday’s fracas might affect voters.
Brian VanRiper, a political consultant who has worked on a number of L.A. City Council campaigns as well as presidential races, said it’s possible some voters will see Lacey as the victim in the ordeal. But others might go to the polls with the lasting image of Lacey’s husband pointing a gun at political enemies on their minds.
“I don’t think this is a great message for Jackie Lacey to close out on,” he said.


latimes--2020-03-02--L.A. County district attorney's race is a political and ideological battle. Here's what you need to

L.A. County district attorney's race is a political and ideological battle. Here's what you need to know

Los Angeles County voters will decide Tuesday one of the most pivotal races for district attorney in years , a political and ideological showdown that could bring major changes to the criminal justice system .
Jackie Lacey , the two-term incumbent who oversees the office she ’ s worked in since the late 1980s , has long tried to improve treatment for mentally ill defendants and tried to position herself as a reformer on other issues .
But her reputation is that of a punishment-first prosecutor .
While she ’ s beloved by the law enforcement community , Lacey ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perceived hesitance to charge powerful figures and police officers who use deadly force , earning her the scorn of local activist groups .
George Gascón , the former San Francisco district attorney and assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department , has emerged as one of the leaders of a movement to elect progressive prosecutors , aiming to lower crime while reducing the number of people affected by the criminal justice system .
His ideas have been hailed by some , but a surge of property crimes in San Francisco has led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would endanger public safety .
Rachael Rossi is a former public defender who says her experience allows her to better identify those who need help rather than jail time .
Primer : How Jackie Lacey ’ s and George Gascón ’ s time in office shapes the L.A. County D.A .
's race Lacey and Gascón combine for more than 60 years of experience in law enforcement , yet their visions to run the nation ’ s largest local prosecutor ’ s office couldn ’ t be more different .
The Times reviewed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ metrics to compare their respective terms in Los Angeles and San Francisco Money : Police unions , justice reformers battle for dollars in bitter L.A. County D.A .
race The donations represent the political canyon between Lacey and Gascón — law enforcement unions on one side , progressive donors on the other .
Policy : In Los Angeles County D.A.
’ s race , it ’ s reform vs. tradition .
Where does each candidate stand ?
From homelessness to the death penalty , the three candidates have very different views on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South L.A .
But in a tough D.A .
's race , her opponents are encroaching on her home turf Sandy Banks : For some black Angelenos , the Jackie Lacey glow has dimmed as she seeks reelection as D.A .

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey is trying to keep her office in a race against former San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascon.
Los Angeles County voters will decide Tuesday one of the most pivotal races for district attorney in years, a political and ideological showdown that could bring major changes to the criminal justice system.
Jackie Lacey, the two-term incumbent who oversees the office she’s worked in since the late 1980s, has long tried to improve treatment for mentally ill defendants and tried to position herself as a reformer on other issues. But her reputation is that of a punishment-first prosecutor. While she’s beloved by the law enforcement community, Lacey’s tenure has been marked by a perceived hesitance to charge powerful figures and police officers who use deadly force, earning her the scorn of local activist groups.
George Gascón, the former San Francisco district attorney and assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, has emerged as one of the leaders of a movement to elect progressive prosecutors, aiming to lower crime while reducing the number of people affected by the criminal justice system. His ideas have been hailed by some, but a surge of property crimes in San Francisco has led detractors to claim his election in L.A. would endanger public safety.
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Rachael Rossi is a former public defender who says her experience allows her to better identify those who need help rather than jail time.
Los Angeles Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, left, and challengers former San Francisco D.A. George Gascón and former public defender Rachel Rossi attend a debate at the Aratani Theatre at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 29. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
The issues
Primer: How Jackie Lacey’s and George Gascón’s time in office shapes the L.A. County D.A.’s race
Lacey and Gascón combine for more than 60 years of experience in law enforcement, yet their visions to run the nation’s largest local prosecutor’s office couldn’t be more different. The Times reviewed crime data, filing rates and other metrics to compare their respective terms in Los Angeles and San Francisco
Money: Police unions, justice reformers battle for dollars in bitter L.A. County D.A. race
The donations represent the political canyon between Lacey and Gascón — law enforcement unions on one side, progressive donors on the other.
Policy: In Los Angeles County D.A.’s race, it’s reform vs. tradition. Where does each candidate stand?
From homelessness to the death penalty, the three candidates have very different views on the issues.
More coverage
Jackie Lacey grew up in South L.A. But in a tough D.A.’s race, her opponents are encroaching on her home turf
Advertisement
Candidates trade punches in distruptive debate.
Sandy Banks: For some black Angelenos, the Jackie Lacey glow has dimmed as she seeks reelection as D.A.
Former public defender Rachel Rossi joins the race.
The Los Angeles Times editorial endorsement


latimes--2020-03-02--Coronavirus death toll rises to 6 in U.S.; new cases reported in California

The death toll from coronavirus in the United States rose to six as Washington state officials announced four new deaths .
The new figure comes as health officials worked to contain the virus and officials urged people to remain calm and stressed there is still time to limit the spread in the United States .
The new deaths — all elderly people who died at the EvergreenHealth hospital — were from a nursing home in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland , Wash. Health officials said Monday that there is still time to contain the coronavirus as the death toll in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California .
“ I think we have a common enemy , ” said World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus .
“ We have to stand together in unison to fight it , and these early signs are very encouraging.
” WHO officials declined to declare COVID-19 a pandemic , saying 90 % of the cases have been in China .
Of the 3,000 deaths from the virus , 2,803 have been in China ’ s Hubei province , where the outbreak began .
“ Our message to all countries is this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ push this back , ” Tedros said .
“ Our actions now will determine the course of this outbreak.
” he added .
“ Containment is possible in all countries that are affected , and that should be No .
1.
” In the United States , there have been about 101 confirmed cases of the virus .
Of the 62 countries affected by COVID-19 , 55 have fewer than 100 cases .
Only four countries have more than 1,000 cases , Tedros said .
WHO officials said it is rare to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that can spread widely in the community but can also be contained .
The flu can not be as easily contained , officials said .
“ That offers us a glimmer , a chink of life that this virus can be suppressed and contained , ” Mike Ryan , who runs the agency ’ s emergencies program , said in a briefing Monday .
Officials in Santa Clara , San Mateo , Placer and Sonoma counties reported new cases of coronavirus Monday morning .
In Santa Clara County , health officials said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” of a previously confirmed case tested positive .
Both are in isolation at their respective residences .
The new cases bring the total in the county to nine .
In San Mateo County , officials reported a case of the virus , pending testing confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
That person has been hospitalized and remains under isolation .
The source of their exposure is currently unknown , as the person has no known exposure to the virus through travel or through contact with a confirmed case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case in the county — the first was a person who had been repatriated to the U.S .
In Placer County , officials said that a healthcare worker at NorthView VacaValley Hospital came into close contact with an individual who had previously tested positive for the virus after leaving the hospital .
In Sonoma County , officials confirmed its second case of coronavirus , pending CDC confirmation , and declared a local health emergency .
Officials said that the individual had recently traveled internationally , unrelated to the Diamond Princess cruise ship .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ California , many under quarantine for the illness at Travis Air Force Base got some good news Monday : They were being allowed to go home .
Roughly 140 Americans from the Diamond Princess cruise ship who had been under a mandated quarantine at the Northern California base were being released after showing no symptoms , health officials confirmed .
Scott Pauley , a CDC spokesman , did not have further information about whether anyone under quarantine remained at the base .
According to the CDC , at least 45 cruise ship passengers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Base and Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have tested positive for the virus .
Twenty-one people had previously tested positive at Travis and were transported to hospitals .
Video showed two buses taking the evacuees from the base to either San Francisco International Airport or Sacramento International Airport before heading to their respective homes .
Last week , officials in Costa Mesa successfully fought a federal plan to have those at the Travis base moved to the Fairview Developmental Center .
As more cases of COVID-19 were reported around the country over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington state and Northern California , where health officials say the virus has spread through community contact .
Officials are continuing to search for people who came in contact with the original patients to isolate them and get them tested .
Alameda County reported its first case Sunday , prompting the declaration of a local public health emergency .
Still , officials urged residents to stay calm .
“ This news is not unexpected in the Bay Area , and we are ready for cases here , ” Dr. Erica Pan , health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department , said in a statement .
“ This is not the time to panic ; now is the time for all of us to work together.
” In Washington state , officials have reported 19 cases of coronavirus — 14 of which are from King County .
Eight of those cases have been linked to Life Care of Kirkland , including four of the six deaths .
The deaths include a man in his 50s with no known exposures , two women in their 80s , and a man and woman in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported in Washington , two involved men in their 60s with underlying health conditions .
One was in critical but stable condition at Valley Medical Center in Renton ; the second was in critical condition at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle .
Experts warn the rising case counts in the U.S. do not necessarily reveal the virus is spreading rapidly across the country .
So far , testing in the U.S. has been very low , said Harvard epidemiology professor Marc Lipsitch .
“ Some of the numbers are changing because new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the numbers are changing because we ’ re discovering things that have already happened , ” Lipsitch said in a forum Monday hosted by Harvard ’ s public health school .
“ It ’ s really important to distinguish ‘ Oh , goodness , there ’ s a new cluster ’ from ‘ Oh , goodness , we just discovered that there ’ s a cluster that ’ s been there for some time.
” In Solano County , two healthcare workers at a hospital were reported to have contracted COVID-19 after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initially admitted there , and three more people were diagnosed with the virus in Santa Clara County , officials announced Sunday .
The two healthcare workers were exposed to the virus from a patient who was being treated at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville , officials said .
The female patient has since been transferred to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and is considered the nation ’ s first announced case of “ community spread , ” meaning the source of infection is unknown .
That woman was not immediately tested for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal testing criteria at the time .
Officials had already expressed concern that she could have infected others .
The case led to 124 nurses and healthcare workers being asked to self-quarantine , according to the California Nurses Assn .
“ Our two healthcare workers who tested positive have been in isolation at home since the day we learned they had contact with the patient who had contracted the virus , ” Aimee Brewer , president of NorthBay Healthcare Group , said in a statement .
“ We took immediate and comprehensive measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus , including working with public health officials to trace the contacts the two workers may have had.
” One of the infected healthcare workers is a Solano County resident , and the other lives in Alameda County , officials said .
They are both in isolation at home .
Meanwhile , three more people were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Santa Clara County on Sunday , health officials said .
One is a woman with chronic health conditions .
An investigation into how she acquired the infection was just launched , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday evening .
The other two patients are a husband and wife who had recently traveled to Egypt .
All three are hospitalized , officials said .
Additional information about their condition was not immediately available .
The Public Health Department was working to identify all those who had come into contact with the three patients and said it would also conduct community surveillance “ to determine the extent of possible disease spread in our community.
” In California , at least 40 cases have been reported .
Twenty-four people who have caught @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Princess cruise ship or in Wuhan , China , where the outbreak was first reported , and were then repatriated to the U.S. and quarantined at California military bases .
An additional 16 cases have been discovered in returning travelers or , in at least five instances , people who contracted the virus in their community .
Senior public health officials continued to stress that coronavirus does not represent a serious threat to most people .
“ The risk is low , ” said Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director Dr. Robert Redfield added that there are no travel advisories for travel within the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence , who is leading the administration ’ s coronavirus response and joined Trump at a meeting with pharmaceutical executives Thursday , acknowledged that any vaccine for the disease would not be available until later this year , at the earliest .
But Pence said medications to treat the disease could be available by late summer or early fall .
Pence added that the administration may consider more travel advisories , adding to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to regions of Italy and South Korea .
Pence did not identify any specific additional countries , though he indicated that authorities are monitoring what is happening in the European Union , whose open borders allow relatively free travel across the continent .
During a meeting with pharmaceutical executives at the White House on Monday , President Trump said it ’ s “ likely that therapies will be available before a vaccine is actually ready and we will seek to bring all effective treatments to market as soon as possible.
” Health and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration ’ s emphasis would be on speeding the development of vaccines , therapies and fixing any supply chain challenges .
“ We want to know how can we not get in the way , but rather speed that development process along , ” Azar said .

Alex Wigglesworth, Soumya Karlamangla, Colleen Shalby, Richard Read

A video monitor at the California Department of Public Health shows the number of coronavirus cases around the world on Feb. 27.
The death toll from coronavirus in the United States rose to six as Washington state officials announced four new deaths.
The new figure comes as health officials worked to contain the virus and officials urged people to remain calm and stressed there is still time to limit the spread in the United States.
Three of the new deaths — all people in their 70s and 80s who died at the EvergreenHealth hospital — were from a nursing home in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, Wash.
Health officials said Monday that there is still time to contain the coronavirus as the death toll in America rose and the virus spread in California.
“I think we have a common enemy,” said World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We have to stand together in unison to fight it, and these early signs are very encouraging.”
Advertisement
WHO officials declined to declare COVID-19 a pandemic, saying 90% of the cases have been in China.
Of the 3,000 deaths from the virus, 2,803 have been in China’s Hubei province, where the outbreak began. “Our message to all countries is this is not a one-way street — we can push this back,” Tedros said.
“Our actions now will determine the course of this outbreak.” he added. “Containment is possible in all countries that are affected, and that should be No. 1.”
In the United States, there have been about 103 confirmed cases of the virus, with Georgia’s governor announcing the state’s first two cases on Monday evening.
Of the 62 countries affected by COVID-19, 55 have fewer than 100 cases. Only four countries have more than 1,000 cases, Tedros said.
WHO officials said it is rare to see a respiratory pathogen such as this virus that can spread widely in the community but can also be contained. The flu cannot be as easily contained, officials said.
“That offers us a glimmer, a chink of life that this virus can be suppressed and contained,” Mike Ryan, who runs the agency’s emergencies program, said in a briefing Monday.
Advertisement
Officials in Santa Clara, San Mateo, Placer and Sonoma counties reported new cases of coronavirus Monday morning. In Santa Clara County, health officials said that two men who were “household contacts” of a previously confirmed case tested positive. Both are in isolation at their respective residences.
The new cases bring the total in the county to nine.
In San Mateo County, officials reported a case of the virus, pending testing confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That person has been hospitalized and remains under isolation. The source of their exposure is currently unknown, as the person has no known exposure to the virus through travel or through contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
This marks the second case in the county — the first was a person who had been repatriated to the U.S.
In Placer County, officials said that a healthcare worker at NorthView VacaValley Hospital came into close contact with an individual who had previously tested positive for the virus after leaving the hospital.
In Sonoma County, officials confirmed its second case of coronavirus, pending CDC confirmation, and declared a local health emergency. Officials said that the individual had recently traveled internationally, unrelated to the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
As coronavirus cases continue to spread across California, many under quarantine for the illness at Travis Air Force Base got some good news Monday: They were being allowed to go home.
Roughly 140 Americans from the Diamond Princess cruise ship who had been under a mandated quarantine at the Northern California base were being released after showing no symptoms, health officials confirmed. Scott Pauley, a CDC spokesman, did not have further information about whether anyone under quarantine remained at the base.
According to the CDC, at least 45 cruise ship passengers who were taken to Travis Air Force Base and Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have tested positive for the virus. Twenty-one people had previously tested positive at Travis and were transported to hospitals.
Video showed two buses taking the evacuees from the base to either San Francisco International Airport or Sacramento International Airport before heading to their respective homes.
Last week, officials in Costa Mesa successfully fought a federal plan to have those at the Travis base moved to the Fairview Developmental Center.
As more cases of COVID-19 were reported around the country over the weekend, the focus remained on Washington state and Northern California, where health officials say the virus has spread through community contact. Officials are continuing to search for people who came in contact with the original patients to isolate them and get them tested.
Alameda County reported its first case Sunday, prompting the declaration of a local public health emergency. Still, officials urged residents to stay calm.
“This news is not unexpected in the Bay Area, and we are ready for cases here,” Dr. Erica Pan, health officer for the Alameda County Public Health Department, said in a statement. “This is not the time to panic; now is the time for all of us to work together.”
In Washington state, officials have reported 19 cases of coronavirus — 14 of which are from King County. Eight of those cases have been linked to Life Care of Kirkland, including four of the six deaths.
The deaths include a man in his 50s with no known exposures, two women in their 80s, and a man and woman in their 70s.
Science & Medicine How this coronavirus kills its victims The new coronavirus spreading rapidly around the globe can be deadly because it targets a very vulnerable and essential part of the body — the lungs.
Of the new cases reported in Washington, two involved men in their 60s with underlying health conditions. One was in critical but stable condition at Valley Medical Center in Renton; the second was in critical condition at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle.
Experts warn the rising case counts in the U.S. do not necessarily reveal the virus is spreading rapidly across the country. So far, testing in the U.S. has been very low, said Harvard epidemiology professor Marc Lipsitch.
“Some of the numbers are changing because new things are happening, but a lot of the numbers are changing because we’re discovering things that have already happened,” Lipsitch said in a forum Monday hosted by Harvard’s public health school.
“It’s really important to distinguish ‘Oh, goodness, there’s a new cluster’ from ‘Oh, goodness, we just discovered that there’s a cluster that’s been there for some time.”
In Solano County, two healthcare workers at a hospital were reported to have contracted COVID-19 after being exposed to a patient who was initially admitted there, and three more people were diagnosed with the virus in Santa Clara County, officials announced Sunday.
The two healthcare workers were exposed to the virus from a patient who was being treated at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, officials said. The female patient has since been transferred to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and is considered the nation’s first announced case of “community spread,” meaning the source of infection is unknown.
That woman was not immediately tested for the virus because she did not fit federal testing criteria at the time. Officials had already expressed concern that she could have infected others.
The case led to 124 nurses and healthcare workers being asked to self-quarantine, according to the California Nurses Assn.
“Our two healthcare workers who tested positive have been in isolation at home since the day we learned they had contact with the patient who had contracted the virus,” Aimee Brewer, president of NorthBay Healthcare Group, said in a statement. “We took immediate and comprehensive measures intended to stop any further spread of the virus, including working with public health officials to trace the contacts the two workers may have had.”
One of the infected healthcare workers is a Solano County resident, and the other lives in Alameda County, officials said. They are both in isolation at home.
Meanwhile, three more people were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Santa Clara County on Sunday, health officials said.
One is a woman with chronic health conditions. An investigation into how she acquired the infection was just launched, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department said Sunday evening.
The other two patients are a husband and wife who had recently traveled to Egypt.
All three are hospitalized, officials said. Additional information about their condition was not immediately available.
The Public Health Department was working to identify all those who had come into contact with the three patients and said it would also conduct community surveillance “to determine the extent of possible disease spread in our community.”
In California, at least 40 cases have been reported. Twenty-four people who have caught the virus either were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship or in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak was first reported, and were then repatriated to the U.S. and quarantined at California military bases. An additional 16 cases have been discovered in returning travelers or, in at least five instances, people who contracted the virus in their community.
Senior public health officials continued to stress that coronavirus does not represent a serious threat to most people.
“The risk is low,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield added that there are no travel advisories for travel within the U.S.
Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the administration’s coronavirus response and joined Trump at a meeting with pharmaceutical executives Thursday, acknowledged that any vaccine for the disease would not be available until later this year, at the earliest.
But Pence said medications to treat the disease could be available by late summer or early fall.
Pence added that the administration may consider more travel advisories, adding to the warnings issued over the weekend about travel to regions of Italy and South Korea. Pence did not identify any specific additional countries, though he indicated that authorities are monitoring what is happening in the European Union, whose open borders allow relatively free travel across the continent.
During a meeting with pharmaceutical executives at the White House on Monday, President Trump said it’s “likely that therapies will be available before a vaccine is actually ready and we will seek to bring all effective treatments to market as soon as possible.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the administration’s emphasis would be on speeding the development of vaccines, therapies and fixing any supply chain challenges.
“We want to know how can we not get in the way, but rather speed that development process along,” Azar said.


latimes--2020-03-02--Chinatown businesses begin to feel sting of coronavirus scare

The traditional archway that welcomes all to Chinatown ’ s Central Plaza on North Broadway in downtown Los Angeles greeted few visitors last week .
The usually vibrant hub for Chinese culture , food and souvenirs more closely resembled a ghost town .
Street parking and restaurant seating were readily available in the historic neighborhood known for its colorful pagoda-style buildings , art galleries and plazas strewn with bright red lanterns and neon-lined rooftops .
“ It ’ s kind of spooky around here , ” said Robert Hernandez , 39 , of Echo Park .
“ I found parking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is always a problem .
I guess I didn ’ t expect this place to be so empty.
” Though there has yet to be a single documented case of the new coronavirus connected to Chinatown , the popular gathering spot has seen growing fear drive away customers in recent weeks , jeopardizing long-established businesses .
As the lunch hour approached on Friday afternoon , the smell of herbs and spice wafted from the narrow entryway of Pho Hoa noodle restaurant .
Cook Luu Ha , 70 , said business has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m still waiting for it to pick up , ” said Ha , who also buses tables , whatever the workday demands .
“ When it picks up , I ’ ll end my break and go back in , ” he said , as he lounged in front of the restaurant and surveyed the scene across North Spring Street .
Only a few customers occupied chairs at the neighborhood hair salon , while no one entered or exited from the Metro at Chinatown Senior Lofts .
Typically , a line of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parking along the thoroughfare , but on this day , there were plenty of open spaces .
“ I expected to hear bargaining or to see a lot more tourists than this , ” said Wendi Li , visiting from Washington , as she guided her retired aunt and uncle in and out of Wonder Bakery , where they stopped for coconut bread and steaming cups of green tea .
“ It ’ s so quiet , like a cemetery , ” said the 41-year-old , who is considering moving from the Pacific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worried about the higher costs of housing .
Her relatives have been suffering from allergies lately , so she flew down to spend time with them .
She was surprised to see the decline in business at familiar haunts — from the family dentist along North Broadway to the snack spots at Central Plaza .
The trio walked toward the popular Bruce Lee statue along Sun Mun Way , created by a Chinese artist and installed in 2013 as a tribute to the late martial artist .
The 7-foot-tall bronze statue of Lee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for picture-snapping tourists , but not on this day .
“ Even here , no one , ” said Li , an accounting clerk .
“ When I was little , it was always crowded around this plaza with pretty lanterns hanging and people capturing the scene for their photo albums .
“ What ’ s happening around the world is that people are freaking out about the virus when all they have to do is be more careful , ” he said .
“ They should not react this way and avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of seven children , agreed .
“ One rumor gives birth to dozens ” of rumors and false scenarios multiply , he said .
“ I totally don ’ t believe there ’ s a health crisis .
We just need to keep the situation in perspective.
” Sue Li , Wendi Li ’ s aunt , said it ’ s “ disappointing ” that the public would “ willingly believe that everyone is at risk ” if they step into an area populated by hard-working immigrants from parts of Asia .
People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what ’ s best to protect themselves from infection , she said .
“ Chinatown , Koreatown , wherever , all these communities have a special spirit , ” said Sue Li , 66 , who points to the low prices advertised at some of the best dim sum eateries in the nation .
“ We should be grateful they exist because they are what form the beauty and delicious menu of all of California .
We should support each other in times of trouble.
” It ’ s common to wait 45 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Yang Chow , a Mandarin and Szechuan eatery , whose large number of entrees is outmatched perhaps only by the quantity of signed celebrity photos on display in the restaurant .
There was no line on Friday afternoon , though manager Benny Yun ’ s restaurant was about 70 % full .
“ We ’ ve had a drop in business the last couple of months like a lot of other places in Chinatown , ” Yun , 38 , said .
“ It could be worse .
I ’ ve heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gabriel Valley that have closed in the last month.
” Yun estimates Yang Chow , which has been in business for 43 years , has seen sales fall 30 % from the same time last year .
“ There are people worried about the coronavirus , ” Yun said .
“ All we can do is continue to serve quality food.
” A block away on North Hill Street , another 43-year-old business was also showing signs of strain .
Foo Chow restaurant enjoyed monster crowds and attention after Chinese superstar Jackie Chan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in “ Rush Hour , ” an action , comedy and buddy film released in 1998 .
On Friday , nine people dined in the temperature-controlled two-story restaurant , which has started to feel the coronavirus ’ squeeze .
“ We were OK up until a month ago , ” said cashier Eason Liu , 28 .
“ Now it ’ s kind of slowed down .
We just don ’ t see the big crowds , even on the weekends .
People are staying home .
”

Some Chinatown merchants in downtown Los Angeles said business has slowed in recent days, which they attribute in part to concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus.
The traditional archway that welcomes all to Chinatown’s Central Plaza on North Broadway in downtown Los Angeles greeted few visitors last week.
The usually vibrant hub for Chinese culture, food and souvenirs more closely resembled a ghost town. Street parking and restaurant seating were readily available in the historic neighborhood known for its colorful pagoda-style buildings, art galleries and plazas strewn with bright red lanterns and neon-lined rooftops.
“It’s kind of spooky around here,” said Robert Hernandez, 39, of Echo Park. “I found parking kind of easy on the street, which is always a problem. I guess I didn’t expect this place to be so empty.”
Advertisement
Though there has yet to be a single documented case of the new coronavirus connected to Chinatown, the popular gathering spot has seen growing fear drive away customers in recent weeks, jeopardizing long-established businesses.
As the lunch hour approached on Friday afternoon, the smell of herbs and spice wafted from the narrow entryway of Pho Hoa noodle restaurant. Cook Luu Ha, 70, said business has been slow. Too slow.
“I’m still waiting for it to pick up,” said Ha, who also buses tables, whatever the workday demands. “When it picks up, I’ll end my break and go back in,” he said, as he lounged in front of the restaurant and surveyed the scene across North Spring Street.
Only a few customers occupied chairs at the neighborhood hair salon, while no one entered or exited from the Metro at Chinatown Senior Lofts. Typically, a line of cars takes up most of the metered parking along the thoroughfare, but on this day, there were plenty of open spaces.
“I expected to hear bargaining or to see a lot more tourists than this,” said Wendi Li, visiting from Washington, as she guided her retired aunt and uncle in and out of Wonder Bakery, where they stopped for coconut bread and steaming cups of green tea.
“It’s so quiet, like a cemetery,” said the 41-year-old, who is considering moving from the Pacific Northwest to California but so far is worried about the higher costs of housing.
Her relatives have been suffering from allergies lately, so she flew down to spend time with them. She was surprised to see the decline in business at familiar haunts — from the family dentist along North Broadway to the snack spots at Central Plaza.
Advertisement
The trio walked toward the popular Bruce Lee statue along Sun Mun Way, created by a Chinese artist and installed in 2013 as a tribute to the late martial artist. The 7-foot-tall bronze statue of Lee in fighting stance is usually a magnet for picture-snapping tourists, but not on this day.
“Even here, no one,” said Li, an accounting clerk. “When I was little, it was always crowded around this plaza with pretty lanterns hanging and people capturing the scene for their photo albums.
“What’s happening around the world is that people are freaking out about the virus when all they have to do is be more careful,” he said. “They should not react this way and avoid special places.”
Ha, a father of seven children, agreed. “One rumor gives birth to dozens” of rumors and false scenarios multiply, he said. “I totally don’t believe there’s a health crisis. We just need to keep the situation in perspective.”
Sue Li, Wendi Li’s aunt, said it’s “disappointing” that the public would “willingly believe that everyone is at risk” if they step into an area populated by hard-working immigrants from parts of Asia. People need to consult their doctors and do what’s best to protect themselves from infection, she said.
“Chinatown, Koreatown, wherever, all these communities have a special spirit,” said Sue Li, 66, who points to the low prices advertised at some of the best dim sum eateries in the nation. “We should be grateful they exist because they are what form the beauty and delicious menu of all of California. We should support each other in times of trouble.”
It’s common to wait 45 minutes or longer to grab a table at Yang Chow, a Mandarin and Szechuan eatery, whose large number of entrees is outmatched perhaps only by the quantity of signed celebrity photos on display in the restaurant.
There was no line on Friday afternoon, though manager Benny Yun’s restaurant was about 70% full.
“We’ve had a drop in business the last couple of months like a lot of other places in Chinatown,” Yun, 38, said. “It could be worse. I’ve heard of about five restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley that have closed in the last month.”
Yun estimates Yang Chow, which has been in business for 43 years, has seen sales fall 30% from the same time last year.
“There are people worried about the coronavirus,” Yun said. “All we can do is continue to serve quality food.”
A block away on North Hill Street, another 43-year-old business was also showing signs of strain.
Foo Chow restaurant enjoyed monster crowds and attention after Chinese superstar Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker burst through its doors in “Rush Hour,” an action, comedy and buddy film released in 1998.
On Friday, nine people dined in the temperature-controlled two-story restaurant, which has started to feel the coronavirus’ squeeze.
“We were OK up until a month ago,” said cashier Eason Liu, 28. “Now it’s kind of slowed down. We just don’t see the big crowds, even on the weekends. People are staying home.”


latimes--2020-03-02--L.A. officials are getting serious about overhauling this top homeless services agency

Given its name , it ’ s not surprising that many view the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority as a one-stop shop for solving the county ’ s homelessness crisis .
Yet it ’ s the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services that tends to people on the streets with physical ailments and the Department of Mental Health that serves mentally ill homeless people .
And it ’ s the city that has taken the responsibility of building permanent supportive housing , and it ’ s the county that funds the services .
And the U.S. Department of Veterans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The reality is , the agency known as LAHSA doesn ’ t control many of tools that help people get off the streets and into housing .
Created in 1993 , it was given limited powers and an even more limited mission of stopping the city and county from bickering over federal dollars for homeless housing and services .
Yet its inability to live up to the public ’ s lofty expectations — coupled with the county ’ s skyrocketing homeless population — has led to a growing consensus that the agency needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what LAHSA should become or how it should get there , though .
“ Is this the best system ?
” asked Miguel Santana , the former Los Angeles City administrative officer who crafted the city ’ s homeless plan .
“ What are the outcomes that we ’ re collectively monitoring and trying to achieve ?
” But the overarching question , Santana said , is , “ Who is in charge ?
” The answer is complicated — and the resignation of longtime executive director Peter Lynn in late 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the agency continues its search for a successor .
By design , LAHSA sits at the center of a diffused , countywide homeless system .
It has six political bosses — the five members of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and Mayor Eric Garcetti — who rarely seek guidance from the agency on how to implement homeless initiatives .
LAHSA ’ s power also overlaps with that of city and county departments that have their own mandates to deal with the effects of homelessness , and with activist groups and nonprofits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While LAHSA ’ s staff has more than quadrupled along with its budget , driven by an infusion of hundreds of millions in local tax dollars , it remains steeped in a rigid culture of federal compliance and saddled with a structure that gives it little power to guide local policy .
Internally , LAHSA ’ s governance is fractured with multiple commissions and boards and councils in charge of various and sometimes competing tasks .
Besides the 10-member commission that is nominally in charge , there is a 17-member board required by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies for federal funding .
That board was created in 2017 by the 56-member Los Angeles Regional Homeless Advisory Council , which LAHSA and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles set up to provide a forum for “ collaborative and strategic leadership on homelessness.
” “ We ’ re trying to solve homelessness by committee , ” said Mike Arnold , who led LAHSA for nearly nine years before Lynn took over and looks back on his time there as the most trying of his career .
“ There is everyone and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goes on as it relates to homelessness in L.A. County.
” What does change look like ?
To make changes at LAHSA , both the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and the L.A. City Council would have to agree on the specifics to restructure it , as the agency was created through a joint-powers agreement between the two elective bodies .
Already the supervisors have moved to review the agency ’ s governance structure .
In January , City Council President Nury Martinez introduced a motion to start a similar process .
Separately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created to spend the next several months examining LAHSA ’ s mission .
In an interview , LAHSA ’ s chairwoman , Sarah Dusseault , said that the committee ’ s agenda is to more clearly define the agency ’ s role in the larger local homelessness system of government agencies and nonprofits , and then figure out what changes are needed to give it the authority needed to do its job .
Any reorganization , she said , should be aimed at improving communication among service providers and at supplying better data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and accountable .
Other ideas are more radical .
Santana , for example , has floated the idea of reconfiguring LAHSA ’ s governing commission to be more like L.A. 's Metropolitan Transportation Authority to improve performance .
The MTA is made up primarily of elected officials , including from several smaller cities in addition to L.A. city and county .
LAHSA ’ s commission consists only of appointees — one each by each member of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and five by the mayor of Los Angeles .
Supervisors Kathryn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vote earlier this month to review LAHSA , say Santana ’ s suggestion is one way to address complaints they hear from constituents that LAHSA is unresponsive to smaller cities .
However , Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said she is wary of proposals that could amount to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic .
“ I do not believe that LAHSA needs to significantly change its structure , ” Kuehl said .
For others , the solution is not to fix LAHSA but to replace it with a muscular new agency .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ play a central role in setting homeless policy , raising funds , building shelters and housing , and possibly even assuming some control over zoning laws .
Such a change would require a heavy political lift , as it would depend on the supervisors and mayor agreeing to cede a degree of power and possibly on the passage of new state legislation .
There also likely would be opposition .
The United Way of Greater Los Angeles , the mega charity that has taken a lead in driving local homeless policy , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creating a new agency .
But it has as yet to announce any specifics .
Meanwhile , Dusseault said she is encouraged that members of both the Board of Supervisors and the City Council have said they want to work together to find a comprehensive solution .
“ That is fantastic because it just means even more support for really taking a hard look at where the problems are , ” she said .
In the coming months , Dusseault ’ s committee will build on a year-long assessment conducted by Clutch Accounting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Outlining the findings in December , Clutch managing partner Mandy Chapman Semple proposed that LAHSA stick to what it does best — administering street outreach , getting homeless people into shelters and permanent housing , and collecting data to evaluate how well the system is running .
Broader issues of providing housing and addressing the economic causes of homelessness should be left to political leaders , she said .
Though the thrust of Clutch ’ s plan would define LAHSA ’ s role more narrowly — as an operational rather than policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easy to achieve .
It would require LAHSA to gain some new measure of control over the current homeless outreach system , which is made up of agencies from all levels of government and dozens of nonprofits .
Wendy Greuel , a former City Council member who is on LAHSA ’ s internal committee , has urged the agency “ to assume that role and for other people to allow us to assume that role.
” A test of how that might work has been under way since December , when managers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ housing authorities , and the Department of Veterans Affairs assembled in LAHSA ’ s downtown headquarters — dubbed the Central Command — to tackle a backlog of housing vacancies .
Apartments in subsidized housing developments can inadvertently remain vacant when the homeless person selected to move in goes missing or loses crucial documents .
Other times , poor communication can complicate matters , when outreach workers from one agency aren ’ t made aware of an open apartment that ’ s listed in another agency ’ s system .
“ There ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not sharing , ” Dusseault said .
“ There are vacancies that need to be filled .
It ’ s taking too long.
” The Central Command has evolved into daily meetings of staff from several agencies — modeled after the multi-jurisdictional “ emergency response ” meetings that typically happen after hurricanes and other natural disasters .
Together , they are designing a new system to collect data each day on each agency ’ s list of vacant apartments and homeless clients , all in the hope of tracking and eliminating bottlenecks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month , will be to assemble the agencies ’ field teams to conduct an on-the-ground test .
But the Central Command and its meetings are based only on goodwill .
The other agencies can stop cooperating with each other and LAHSA at any time .
Garcetti said he is not averse to ceding some authority , with LAHSA in a new , more operational role .
But he predicted there could be complications with local police departments , and large city and county departments having to take direction from LAHSA .
“ So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foremost what we ’ re willing to demand of our agency heads , ” Garcetti said .
Garcetti said he thinks it ’ s important for LAHSA to get a strong leader who can act as a “ kind of a field marshal.
” And soon .
“ Right leaders can sometimes solve these problems , ” he said .
“ So I do think it ’ s the most important hire for Los Angeles in 2020 by far.
” The commission ’ s executive search committee is not acting in haste .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a search firm before formally defining the job .
Greuel said she is looking for someone who would be more assertive than Lynn , a lifetime bureaucrat .
“ Everyone , electeds and others , are looking for someone to tell them what to do and give them that direction and kind of say , ‘ OK , LAHSA says this is the way we need to go , ’ ” she said .

Given its name, it’s not surprising that many view the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority as a one-stop shop for solving the county’s homelessness crisis.
Yet it’s the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services that tends to people on the streets with physical ailments and the Department of Mental Health that serves mentally ill homeless people. And it’s the city that has taken the responsibility of building permanent supportive housing, and it’s the county that funds the services. And the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that works with homeless veterans.
The reality is, the agency known as LAHSA doesn’t control many of tools that help people get off the streets and into housing.
Advertisement
Created in 1993, it was given limited powers and an even more limited mission of stopping the city and county from bickering over federal dollars for homeless housing and services. Yet its inability to live up to the public’s lofty expectations — coupled with the county’s skyrocketing homeless population — has led to a growing consensus that the agency needs to be retooled.
Few can say what LAHSA should become or how it should get there, though.
“Is this the best system?” asked Miguel Santana, the former Los Angeles City administrative officer who crafted the city’s homeless plan. “What are the outcomes that we’re collectively monitoring and trying to achieve?”
But the overarching question, Santana said, is, “Who is in charge?”
The answer is complicated — and the resignation of longtime executive director Peter Lynn in late 2019, has only added urgency to the question as the agency continues its search for a successor.
By design, LAHSA sits at the center of a diffused, countywide homeless system. It has six political bosses — the five members of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and Mayor Eric Garcetti — who rarely seek guidance from the agency on how to implement homeless initiatives.
Advertisement
LAHSA’s power also overlaps with that of city and county departments that have their own mandates to deal with the effects of homelessness, and with activist groups and nonprofits that carry influence over homeless policy.
While LAHSA’s staff has more than quadrupled along with its budget, driven by an infusion of hundreds of millions in local tax dollars, it remains steeped in a rigid culture of federal compliance and saddled with a structure that gives it little power to guide local policy. Internally, LAHSA’s governance is fractured with multiple commissions and boards and councils in charge of various and sometimes competing tasks.
Besides the 10-member commission that is nominally in charge, there is a 17-member board required by the federal government to evaluate and recommend policies for federal funding. That board was created in 2017 by the 56-member Los Angeles Regional Homeless Advisory Council, which LAHSA and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles set up to provide a forum for “collaborative and strategic leadership on homelessness.”
“We’re trying to solve homelessness by committee,” said Mike Arnold, who led LAHSA for nearly nine years before Lynn took over and looks back on his time there as the most trying of his career. “There is everyone and no one who is responsible for what goes on as it relates to homelessness in L.A. County.”
What does change look like?
To make changes at LAHSA, both the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and the L.A. City Council would have to agree on the specifics to restructure it, as the agency was created through a joint-powers agreement between the two elective bodies.
Already the supervisors have moved to review the agency’s governance structure. In January, City Council President Nury Martinez introduced a motion to start a similar process.
Separately, a five-member internal committee has been created to spend the next several months examining LAHSA’s mission. In an interview, LAHSA’s chairwoman, Sarah Dusseault, said that the committee’s agenda is to more clearly define the agency’s role in the larger local homelessness system of government agencies and nonprofits, and then figure out what changes are needed to give it the authority needed to do its job. Any reorganization, she said, should be aimed at improving communication among service providers and at supplying better data to make the whole system more transparent and accountable.
Other ideas are more radical.
Santana, for example, has floated the idea of reconfiguring LAHSA’s governing commission to be more like L.A.’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority to improve performance. The MTA is made up primarily of elected officials, including from several smaller cities in addition to L.A. city and county. LAHSA’s commission consists only of appointees — one each by each member of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and five by the mayor of Los Angeles.
Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Hilda Solis, who led a vote earlier this month to review LAHSA, say Santana’s suggestion is one way to address complaints they hear from constituents that LAHSA is unresponsive to smaller cities.
However, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said she is wary of proposals that could amount to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
“I do not believe that LAHSA needs to significantly change its structure,” Kuehl said.
For others, the solution is not to fix LAHSA but to replace it with a muscular new agency. It would be designed from scratch to play a central role in setting homeless policy, raising funds, building shelters and housing, and possibly even assuming some control over zoning laws.
Such a change would require a heavy political lift, as it would depend on the supervisors and mayor agreeing to cede a degree of power and possibly on the passage of new state legislation. There also likely would be opposition.
The United Way of Greater Los Angeles, the mega charity that has taken a lead in driving local homeless policy, has put out feelers to gauge support for creating a new agency. But it has as yet to announce any specifics.
Meanwhile, Dusseault said she is encouraged that members of both the Board of Supervisors and the City Council have said they want to work together to find a comprehensive solution.
“That is fantastic because it just means even more support for really taking a hard look at where the problems are,” she said.
The path forward
In the coming months, Dusseault’s committee will build on a year-long assessment conducted by Clutch Accounting Group, a Houston-based homeless consulting firm.
Outlining the findings in December, Clutch managing partner Mandy Chapman Semple proposed that LAHSA stick to what it does best — administering street outreach, getting homeless people into shelters and permanent housing, and collecting data to evaluate how well the system is running. Broader issues of providing housing and addressing the economic causes of homelessness should be left to political leaders, she said.
Though the thrust of Clutch’s plan would define LAHSA’s role more narrowly — as an operational rather than policy agency — that won’t be easy to achieve. It would require LAHSA to gain some new measure of control over the current homeless outreach system, which is made up of agencies from all levels of government and dozens of nonprofits.
Wendy Greuel, a former City Council member who is on LAHSA’s internal committee, has urged the agency “to assume that role and for other people to allow us to assume that role.”
A test of how that might work has been under way since December, when managers from several county departments, city and county housing authorities, and the Department of Veterans Affairs assembled in LAHSA’s downtown headquarters — dubbed the Central Command — to tackle a backlog of housing vacancies.
Apartments in subsidized housing developments can inadvertently remain vacant when the homeless person selected to move in goes missing or loses crucial documents. Other times, poor communication can complicate matters, when outreach workers from one agency aren’t made aware of an open apartment that’s listed in another agency’s system.
“There’s data that they have that they’re not sharing,” Dusseault said. “There are vacancies that need to be filled. It’s taking too long.”
The Central Command has evolved into daily meetings of staff from several agencies — modeled after the multi-jurisdictional “emergency response” meetings that typically happen after hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Together, they are designing a new system to collect data each day on each agency’s list of vacant apartments and homeless clients, all in the hope of tracking and eliminating bottlenecks. The next step, starting this month, will be to assemble the agencies’ field teams to conduct an on-the-ground test.
But the Central Command and its meetings are based only on goodwill. The other agencies can stop cooperating with each other and LAHSA at any time.
Garcetti said he is not averse to ceding some authority, with LAHSA in a new, more operational role. But he predicted there could be complications with local police departments, and large city and county departments having to take direction from LAHSA.
“So we have to figure out first and foremost what we’re willing to demand of our agency heads,” Garcetti said.
Garcetti said he thinks it’s important for LAHSA to get a strong leader who can act as a “kind of a field marshal.” And soon.
“Right leaders can sometimes solve these problems,” he said. “So I do think it’s the most important hire for Los Angeles in 2020 by far.”
The commission’s executive search committee is not acting in haste. They’ve spent two months selecting a search firm before formally defining the job. Greuel said she is looking for someone who would be more assertive than Lynn, a lifetime bureaucrat.
“Everyone, electeds and others, are looking for someone to tell them what to do and give them that direction and kind of say, ‘OK, LAHSA says this is the way we need to go,’” she said.


latimes--2020-03-02--Anxiety mounts among U.S. health workers on the front lines of coronavirus outbreak

Doctors and nurses say they are alarmed by reports that multiple health workers in the United States have been sickened by a deadly coronavirus and that hospitals and other healthcare facilities appear to have become hot spots for the spread of infections .
On Sunday , health officials announced that two staff members at a Northern California hospital had contracted COVID-19 from a patient .
A day earlier , officials said that a health worker at a Seattle nursing home had been hospitalized with the disease and that several more staff members would probably test positive in the coming days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an epidemic often make up a disproportionate number of cases because of their close contact with sick patients and repeated exposure to a virus .
Some hospital staffers say they fear delays in testing for COVID-19 in the U.S. have exposed them to the virus already .
In the United States , the conversations taking place in hospital hallways and clinic break rooms are heightened by the specter of China ’ s death toll , which includes several medical workers who have died not only of COVID-19 infection but of ailments caused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most publicized deaths from the global outbreak has been that of Dr. Li Wenliang , a 34-year-old physician who sounded the alarm about sick patients in Wuhan , China , the outbreak ’ s epicenter .
There are more than 80 reported cases in the United States .
Sunday night , officials in Washington state announced that a second person infected with the virus had died : a man in his 70s who lived at a nursing home .
They also reported four new cases , bringing the total in King County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to spread within the United States , doctors and nurses say they are nervously watching as stockpiles of masks and other protective gear in hospitals dwindle amid an equipment shortage .
The flu season has further complicated efforts to identify suspected COVID-19 cases because the two infections have similar symptoms .
Physicians say it has become increasingly challenging to monitor the shifting recommendations for treating and testing for COVID-19 while also trying to care for anxious patients and prevent exposure to the virus among themselves and their colleagues .
“ I have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worry about my family and what I could be carrying back to them , ” said Dr. Suman Radhakrishna , an infectious disease specialist at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles .
“ There are no martyrs here.
” The novel coronavirus originated in China late last year and has since infected more than 89,000 people in dozens of countries .
The first evidence that the virus was circulating in the United States came last week when a patient at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento was diagnosed with the virus and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country or had close contact with anyone who did .
That patient has exposed dozens , if not hundreds , of health workers to COVID-19 and provides a glimpse into the consequences of insufficient safety measures .
The patient was not treated with the recommended COVID-19 precautions because for several days the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would not allow her to be tested .
At UC Davis Medical Center , 124 nurses and other staff members have been asked to stay home because of possible exposure to the patient , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being transferred to UC Davis , the patient had been admitted to NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville .
On Sunday , officials announced that two workers at the Solano County facility had COVID-19 .
“ This underscores the challenging environment that health care workers everywhere face to stem the spread of communicable diseases , including COVID-19 , ” Dr. Bela Matyas , health officer for Solano County , said in a statement .
One of the infected healthcare workers is a Solano County resident and the other lives in Alameda County , officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Alameda County , which has declared a local public health emergency in response .
For most people , COVID-19 causes a mild sickness , and some who are infected do not even know they are ill .
The virus has been estimated to kill two of every 100 people who contract it , though the risk is lower for younger people and higher for the elderly , experts said .
But medical professionals can be in more danger than others .
Being exposed to multiple people who are very sick — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be — typically makes someone sicker than if they were exposed to only one person who was mildly ill. Plus , hospital procedures , such as intubating a patient , may release large amounts of the virus that can easily infect workers in the room .
When SARS , another coronavirus , was spreading around the world in 2003 , a single patient at a hospital in Hong Kong is believed to have infected 138 people with the disease .
It is unclear whether this coronavirus will be that transmissible in a hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients hospitalized with pneumonia in Wuhan found that 41 % of cases appeared to be hospital-acquired .
A much larger analysis , evaluating 45,000 COVID-19 patients in mainland China , found that 3.8 % were healthcare workers .
In outbreaks in other countries , the virus has shown rapid spread in high-density settings , including hospitals , said Lawrence Gostin , the director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law .
If the virus sweeps the U.S. the way it has other countries , healthcare facilities could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Not only will we see many deaths , but we ’ ll see anywhere from 5 % to 20 % of people infected needing hospitalization , ” Gostin said .
“ How will America cope with that ?
” At Hollywood Presbyterian hospital , panic among the staff began to escalate last week as federal officials began discussing the possibility of closing schools and said the virus was expected to spread within U.S. communities , Radhakrishna said .
When a patient showed up at the hospital with a cough , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the patient may have COVID-19 , she said .
The news spread swiftly across the hospital .
“ All of a sudden , in a matter of minutes , it became a big thing , ” she said .
“ It brings back memories of when we didn ’ t know what HIV was up to and everyone was so afraid.
” The fear is stoked by the constant stream of new and sometimes conflicting information about the virus .
Officials regularly change protocols around testing and treatment as they learn more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the words ‘ rapidly evolving ’ more times than I have in the past three weeks , ” said Adam Blackstone , spokesman for the Hospital Assn .
of Southern California .
Though the number of cases in the country remains relatively low , increasing concerns involving healthcare and other front-line workers have surfaced in recent days .
On Thursday , a whistleblower complaint alleged that federal health workers were not provided adequate training and protective gear when dealing with quarantined people at two California military bases .
The whistleblower has also alleged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In a Seattle suburb , a nursing home called Life Care Center has become a focal point of the virus scare .
There , more than 50 residents and staffers have symptoms , officials said .
Twenty-five firefighters who visited the nursing home while people were ill have also been asked to self-quarantine , according to the International Assn .
of Fire Fighters .
On Sunday night , Washington officials announced that the state ’ s second person to die of the COVID-19 virus was a resident of Life Care .
He was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions .
The first man who died was in his 50s and had no apparent connection to the nursing home .
Some healthcare workers are questioning the recommended precautions as cases mount nationwide .
The CDC advises that all healthcare personnel who interact with infected patients wear gowns , gloves , goggles and masks .
But UC San Francisco nurse Maureen Dugan worries that level of protection is not sufficient given how little is known about this new virus .
“ That leaves parts of our face potentially and our neck and feet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We believe in the precautionary principle … you use the highest level of personal protective equipment.
” Similarly , UC Davis nurse Melissa Johnson-Camacho , the chief nurse representative for the California Nurses Assn.
, said she is pushing for the hospital to adopt a protocol developed for the Ebola virus to use for COVID-19 patients .
She said relying on CDC recommendations isn ’ t enough .
“ There ’ s definitely alarm there in that area , ” she said .
At many hospitals , the flu season has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diseases have identical symptoms , including cough and fever , so physicians can ’ t rely on how a patient is feeling to determine the cause .
USC infectious disease specialist Dr. Neha Nanda said physicians still consider a patient ’ s travel history when deciding whether a COVID-19 test is needed .
So far , there has been only one confirmed case of COVID-19 in L.A. County .
Without a history of travel to China , Italy or another country with a large outbreak , doctors assume the patient probably has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevalence of influenza is way higher than COVID-19 in our community , ” Nanda said .
“ But it ’ s not as foolproof as it was two weeks back.
” Times staff writers Alex Wigglesworth in Los Angeles and Richard Read in Seattle contributed to this report .

Doctors and nurses say they are alarmed by reports that multiple health workers in the United States have been sickened by a deadly coronavirus and that hospitals and other healthcare facilities appear to have become hot spots for the spread of infections.
On Sunday, health officials announced that two staff members at a Northern California hospital had contracted COVID-19 from a patient. A day earlier, officials said that a health worker at a Seattle nursing home had been hospitalized with the disease and that several more staff members would probably test positive in the coming days.
Medical workers on the front lines of an epidemic often make up a disproportionate number of cases because of their close contact with sick patients and repeated exposure to a virus. Some hospital staffers say they fear delays in testing for COVID-19 in the U.S. have exposed them to the virus already.
In the United States, the conversations taking place in hospital hallways and clinic break rooms are heightened by the specter of China’s death toll, which includes several medical workers who have died not only of COVID-19 infection but of ailments caused by overwork and fatigue.
One of the most publicized deaths from the global outbreak has been that of Dr. Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old physician who sounded the alarm about sick patients in Wuhan, China, the outbreak’s epicenter.
There are more than 80 reported cases in the United States. Sunday night, officials in Washington state announced that a second person infected with the virus had died: a man in his 70s who lived at a nursing home. They also reported four new cases, bringing the total in King County to 10.
With the coronavirus expected to spread within the United States, doctors and nurses say they are nervously watching as stockpiles of masks and other protective gear in hospitals dwindle amid an equipment shortage. The flu season has further complicated efforts to identify suspected COVID-19 cases because the two infections have similar symptoms.
Physicians say it has become increasingly challenging to monitor the shifting recommendations for treating and testing for COVID-19 while also trying to care for anxious patients and prevent exposure to the virus among themselves and their colleagues.
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“I have to go back home and I have to worry about my family and what I could be carrying back to them,” said Dr. Suman Radhakrishna, an infectious disease specialist at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles. “There are no martyrs here.”
The novel coronavirus originated in China late last year and has since infected more than 89,000 people in dozens of countries. The first evidence that the virus was circulating in the United States came last week when a patient at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento was diagnosed with the virus and hadn’t traveled to an affected country or had close contact with anyone who did.
That patient has exposed dozens, if not hundreds, of health workers to COVID-19 and provides a glimpse into the consequences of insufficient safety measures. The patient was not treated with the recommended COVID-19 precautions because for several days the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would not allow her to be tested.
At UC Davis Medical Center, 124 nurses and other staff members have been asked to stay home because of possible exposure to the patient, according to the state nurses union.
Before being transferred to UC Davis, the patient had been admitted to NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville. On Sunday, officials announced that two workers at the Solano County facility had COVID-19.
“This underscores the challenging environment that health care workers everywhere face to stem the spread of communicable diseases, including COVID-19,” Dr. Bela Matyas, health officer for Solano County, said in a statement.
One of the infected healthcare workers is a Solano County resident and the other lives in Alameda County, officials said. The case is the first for Alameda County, which has declared a local public health emergency in response.
For most people, COVID-19 causes a mild sickness, and some who are infected do not even know they are ill. The virus has been estimated to kill two of every 100 people who contract it, though the risk is lower for younger people and higher for the elderly, experts said.
But medical professionals can be in more danger than others. Being exposed to multiple people who are very sick — the way someone working in a hospital would be — typically makes someone sicker than if they were exposed to only one person who was mildly ill.
Plus, hospital procedures, such as intubating a patient, may release large amounts of the virus that can easily infect workers in the room. When SARS, another coronavirus, was spreading around the world in 2003, a single patient at a hospital in Hong Kong is believed to have infected 138 people with the disease.
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It is unclear whether this coronavirus will be that transmissible in a hospital setting. One small study of COVID-19 patients hospitalized with pneumonia in Wuhan found that 41% of cases appeared to be hospital-acquired. A much larger analysis, evaluating 45,000 COVID-19 patients in mainland China, found that 3.8% were healthcare workers.
In outbreaks in other countries, the virus has shown rapid spread in high-density settings, including hospitals, said Lawrence Gostin, the director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law. If the virus sweeps the U.S. the way it has other countries, healthcare facilities could be filled with COVID-19 patients, he said.
“Not only will we see many deaths, but we’ll see anywhere from 5% to 20% of people infected needing hospitalization,” Gostin said. “How will America cope with that?”
At Hollywood Presbyterian hospital, panic among the staff began to escalate last week as federal officials began discussing the possibility of closing schools and said the virus was expected to spread within U.S. communities, Radhakrishna said.
When a patient showed up at the hospital with a cough, staffers initially jumped to a false conclusion that the patient may have COVID-19, she said. The news spread swiftly across the hospital.
“All of a sudden, in a matter of minutes, it became a big thing,” she said. “It brings back memories of when we didn’t know what HIV was up to and everyone was so afraid.”
The fear is stoked by the constant stream of new and sometimes conflicting information about the virus. Officials regularly change protocols around testing and treatment as they learn more.
“I’ve never heard the words ‘rapidly evolving’ more times than I have in the past three weeks,” said Adam Blackstone, spokesman for the Hospital Assn. of Southern California.
Though the number of cases in the country remains relatively low, increasing concerns involving healthcare and other front-line workers have surfaced in recent days.
On Thursday, a whistleblower complaint alleged that federal health workers were not provided adequate training and protective gear when dealing with quarantined people at two California military bases. The whistleblower has also alleged retaliation by superiors for speaking up.
In a Seattle suburb, a nursing home called Life Care Center has become a focal point of the virus scare.
There, more than 50 residents and staffers have symptoms, officials said. Twenty-five firefighters who visited the nursing home while people were ill have also been asked to self-quarantine, according to the International Assn. of Fire Fighters.
On Sunday night, Washington officials announced that the state’s second person to die of the COVID-19 virus was a resident of Life Care. He was in his 70s and had underlying health conditions. The first man who died was in his 50s and had no apparent connection to the nursing home.
Some healthcare workers are questioning the recommended precautions as cases mount nationwide. The CDC advises that all healthcare personnel who interact with infected patients wear gowns, gloves, goggles and masks. But UC San Francisco nurse Maureen Dugan worries that level of protection is not sufficient given how little is known about this new virus.
“That leaves parts of our face potentially and our neck and feet available for exposure,” she said. “We believe in the precautionary principle … you use the highest level of personal protective equipment.”
Similarly, UC Davis nurse Melissa Johnson-Camacho, the chief nurse representative for the California Nurses Assn., said she is pushing for the hospital to adopt a protocol developed for the Ebola virus to use for COVID-19 patients. She said relying on CDC recommendations isn’t enough.
“There’s definitely alarm there in that area,” she said.
At many hospitals, the flu season has muddled the COVID-19 picture. The two diseases have identical symptoms, including cough and fever, so physicians can’t rely on how a patient is feeling to determine the cause.
USC infectious disease specialist Dr. Neha Nanda said physicians still consider a patient’s travel history when deciding whether a COVID-19 test is needed. So far, there has been only one confirmed case of COVID-19 in L.A. County.
Without a history of travel to China, Italy or another country with a large outbreak, doctors assume the patient probably has the flu, she said.
“The prevalence of influenza is way higher than COVID-19 in our community,” Nanda said. “But it’s not as foolproof as it was two weeks back.”
Times staff writers Alex Wigglesworth in Los Angeles and Richard Read in Seattle contributed to this report.