latimes--2020-03-27--Man missing for three days after telling family he was headed to Mt. Baldy

A 72-year-old man who told his family he was going hiking Monday at Mt .
Baldy has been missing ever since .
The Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department is asking for the public ’ s help in locating Kwang Sun Kim , who last contacted his family at 8 a.m. Monday .
A Los Angeles County resident , Kim is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds .
He has brown eyes and short black hair .
Anyone with information about Kim ’ s whereabouts is asked to contact Det .
T. Abraham at the LASD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Those wishing to report anonymously may call ( 800 ) -222-TIPS ( 8477 ) .
The hike to Mt .
Baldy is appealing to many because of its proximity to Los Angeles , but it is also strenuous and , in the winter and early spring , requires technical equipment including microspikes , which help a person ’ s boot better grip the ground in icy conditions .
In December , a member of the San Bernardino County Sheriff ’ s Department search-and-rescue team was found dead in the ice and snow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a missing hiker .
Search crews were combing Mt .
Baldy for any sign of Sreenivas “ Sree ” Mokkapati , a 52-year-old Irvine resident who went missing after getting separated from his group .
Search-and-rescue missions were canceled after the team volunteer , Tim Staples , 32 , a social science and English teacher at Damien High School in La Verne , died .
Mokkapati has not been found .
This past week , a hiker who attempted to reach Mt .
Baldy via the Devil ’ s Backbone Trail wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they did not finish their trek because there was too much snow .
“ Came up about a mile from summit before it got too unsafe to continue , ” the review reads .

A 72-year-old man who told his family he was going hiking Monday at Mt. Baldy has been missing ever since.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in locating Kwang Sun Kim, who last contacted his family at 8 a.m. Monday.
A Los Angeles County resident, Kim is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. He has brown eyes and short black hair.
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Anyone with information about Kim’s whereabouts is asked to contact Det. T. Abraham at the LASD Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to report anonymously may call (800)-222-TIPS (8477).
The hike to Mt. Baldy is appealing to many because of its proximity to Los Angeles, but it is also strenuous and, in the winter and early spring, requires technical equipment including microspikes, which help a person’s boot better grip the ground in icy conditions.
In December, a member of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department search-and-rescue team was found dead in the ice and snow during a search of Mt. Baldy for a missing hiker.
Search crews were combing Mt. Baldy for any sign of Sreenivas “Sree” Mokkapati, a 52-year-old Irvine resident who went missing after getting separated from his group. Search-and-rescue missions were canceled after the team volunteer, Tim Staples, 32, a social science and English teacher at Damien High School in La Verne, died. Mokkapati has not been found.
This past week, a hiker who attempted to reach Mt. Baldy via the Devil’s Backbone Trail wrote on the AllTrails page for that route that they did not finish their trek because there was too much snow.
“Came up about a mile from summit before it got too unsafe to continue,” the review reads.


latimes--2020-03-27--Citing coronavirus risks, L.A. teachers union calls for new limits on charter schools

Citing the coronavirus emergency , the L.A. teachers union on Thursday called for a moratorium on new charter school approvals and a halt to new campus-sharing arrangements with charters .
United Teachers Los Angeles has long wanted to slow or stop the growth of these privately operated public schools , but cast its current opposition in terms of the ongoing health crisis of the COVID-19 outbreak .
Union President Alex Caputo-Pearl , in a letter sent to Los Angeles schools Supt .
Austin Beutner on Thursday , said it would be unfair to approve new charter schools without an opportunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members .
Currently members of the public are unable to gather and it could be difficult for them to participate in scheduled board meetings , which probably would take place by video- or audio-conferencing .
All district campuses have been closed since March 13 and will not open until at least May 1 .
Typically the seven-member school board meets at least twice a month at district headquarters just west of downtown .
It is not known when the board will resume its regular meetings .
It was not clear Thursday night how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have been scheduled for possible board approval in the next several months .
Also in the letter the union said it opposed any first-time agreements that would allow a charter to share space with a district-operated school .
Charters have a right to space on district campuses under state law .
“ Given the seriousness of this COVID-19 outbreak , the complexity of new public health standards to be implemented , and how quickly schools will have to adjust , there is simply not enough time for any new co-location or new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthy and safe way , ” Caputo-Pearl said .
A spokesman for the California Charter Schools Assn .
called the union ’ s position “ shameful and offensive.
” “ UTLA leadership needs to get its priorities straight during this unprecedented health crisis , focus on all students , and apologize to the kids and families they have continuously targeted , ” said Luis Vizcaino , referring to charter school supporters .
“ We are better together , and we need leaders who unite , not divide , our community to meet this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Caputo-Pearl sent the letter to school board members and state officials , including Gov .
Gavin Newsom and state Supt .
of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond .
Halting new sharing arrangements could be difficult for charter operators who were already counting on using district space .
Finding alternative locations could be costly if not impossible , especially during the current public health emergency .
Delaying the approval of new charters also could pose a problem for charter advocates .
Starting July 1 , local school boards will have more authority to reject new @ @ @

Gabriella Charter School, which has a dance-focused program, shares space on an L.A. Unified campus. The teachers union wants to halt new charters and new campus-sharing arrangements, citing the coronavirus crisis.
Citing the coronavirus emergency, the L.A. teachers union on Thursday called for a moratorium on new charter school approvals and a halt to new campus-sharing arrangements with charters.
United Teachers Los Angeles has long wanted to slow or stop the growth of these privately operated public schools, but cast its current opposition in terms of the ongoing health crisis of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Union President Alex Caputo-Pearl, in a letter sent to Los Angeles schools Supt. Austin Beutner on Thursday, said it would be unfair to approve new charter schools without an opportunity for board members to hear from community members. Currently members of the public are unable to gather and it could be difficult for them to participate in scheduled board meetings, which probably would take place by video- or audio-conferencing.
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All district campuses have been closed since March 13 and will not open until at least May 1. Typically the seven-member school board meets at least twice a month at district headquarters just west of downtown. It is not known when the board will resume its regular meetings. It was not clear Thursday night how many charter schools, if any, would have been scheduled for possible board approval in the next several months.
Also in the letter the union said it opposed any first-time agreements that would allow a charter to share space with a district-operated school. Charters have a right to space on district campuses under state law.
“Given the seriousness of this COVID-19 outbreak, the complexity of new public health standards to be implemented, and how quickly schools will have to adjust, there is simply not enough time for any new co-location or new charter approvals to be established in a healthy and safe way,” Caputo-Pearl said.
A spokesman for the California Charter Schools Assn. called the union’s position “shameful and offensive.”
“UTLA leadership needs to get its priorities straight during this unprecedented health crisis, focus on all students, and apologize to the kids and families they have continuously targeted,” said Luis Vizcaino, referring to charter school supporters. “We are better together, and we need leaders who unite, not divide, our community to meet this moment.”
In addition to Beutner, Caputo-Pearl sent the letter to school board members and state officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
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Halting new sharing arrangements could be difficult for charter operators who were already counting on using district space. Finding alternative locations could be costly if not impossible, especially during the current public health emergency.
Delaying the approval of new charters also could pose a problem for charter advocates. Starting July 1, local school boards will have more authority to reject new charter petitions.


latimes--2020-03-27--Coronavirus case prompts health emergency declaration at L.A. Air Force Base

A 30-day public health emergency was declared Thursday for the Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo after an @ @ @ @ @ at Ft. MacArthur in San Pedro tested positive for the coronavirus .
The person , @ @ @ @ @ s family , is in quarantine , according to U.S. Air Force Col. Ann Igl @ @ @ @ @ Group commander .
Military health professionals are conducting an investigation to determine whether any other @ @ @ @ @ contact or exposed , Igl said .
The emergency declaration allows the base commander to @ @ @ @ @ restricting base movement and limiting services .

A 30-day public health emergency was declared Thursday for the Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo after an individual in the housing area at Ft. MacArthur in San Pedro tested positive for the coronavirus.
The person, along with the person’s family, is in quarantine, according to U.S. Air Force Col. Ann Igl, the 61st Air Base Group commander.
Military health professionals are conducting an investigation to determine whether any other personnel may have been in contact or exposed, Igl said.
The emergency declaration allows the base commander to take protective measures, including restricting base movement and limiting services.


latimes--2020-03-26--Redondo Beach will close some public places due to the virus. Here's a list

Redondo Beach announced Thursday that the city would join several other municipalities in shutting down access to public places in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
• The Redondo Beach Pier , International Boardwalk and Parking Structures , except for the purpose of picking up food at city-designated locations from restaurants providing to-go orders and employees of those restaurants still providing service .
• Veteran ’ s Park and parking Lots , including the public parking areas adjacent to the Elks Lodge • All public walkways , stairways , ramps and paths that provide access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between Knob Hill Avenue and George Freeth Way • The pedestrian path adjacent to the beach bike path between the city ’ s southern boundary and the Redondo Beach Pier • All walkways and stairways that provide access from private residential properties to the Redondo Beach Pier and International Boardwalk • George Freeth Way , including the street , sidewalk and parking • Czuleger Park , except for the purpose of enter and leave to residential properties next to the park • The sidewalk , bike path and public parking on the west @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watercraft hand launching facility and the access road behind Seaside Lagoon • The public boat hoist in the Redondo Beach marina • The Redondo Beach marina parking lot , except for the purpose of picking up food from restaurants providing to-go orders and employees of those restaurants still providing service .
The exception is also extended to live-aboard residents in the marina .
• The north Redondo Beach bike path from Robinson Street to Felton Lane It is part of a growing list of closures along Southern California ’ s coast .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the nearby beach parking lots .
Earlier this week , Orange County closed county-owned parking lots at all trails , parks and beaches under OC Parks jurisdiction .
Hermosa Beach city officials announced Wednesday that the city ’ s beach , the Strand and its downtown parking structure would close Saturday morning .
The closures came after throngs of people flocked to the beaches over the weekend , desperate to escape their homes and find a reminder of what normal life looks like .
There have been 20 confirmed cases of coronavirus @ @ @ @

The Redondo Beach Pier will close at midnight Friday along with several other public locations in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Redondo Beach announced Thursday that the city would join several other municipalities in shutting down access to public places in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Effective at midnight Friday, Redondo Beach will close:
The Redondo Beach Pier, International Boardwalk and Parking Structures, except for the purpose of picking up food at city-designated locations from restaurants providing to-go orders and employees of those restaurants still providing service.
The Esplanade
Veteran’s Park and parking Lots, including the public parking areas adjacent to the Elks Lodge
All public walkways, stairways, ramps and paths that provide access to the beach
The coastal bluff trail between Knob Hill Avenue and George Freeth Way
The pedestrian path adjacent to the beach bike path between the city’s southern boundary and the Redondo Beach Pier
All walkways and stairways that provide access from private residential properties to the Redondo Beach Pier and International Boardwalk
George Freeth Way, including the street, sidewalk and parking
Czuleger Park, except for the purpose of enter and leave to residential properties next to the park
Redondo Bike Path parkette and parking lot
Moonstone Park
The sidewalk, bike path and public parking on the west side of Harbor Drive
The personal watercraft hand launching facility and the access road behind Seaside Lagoon
The public boat hoist in the Redondo Beach marina
The Redondo Beach marina parking lot, except for the purpose of picking up food from restaurants providing to-go orders and employees of those restaurants still providing service. The exception is also extended to live-aboard residents in the marina.
Aviation Park
The north Redondo Beach bike path from Robinson Street to Felton Lane
The dog park at Dominguez Park
City Park basketball courts
City park tennis courts
It is part of a growing list of closures along Southern California’s coast.
The Santa Monica Pier is closed, as are the nearby beach parking lots. Earlier this week, Orange County closed county-owned parking lots at all trails, parks and beaches under OC Parks jurisdiction.
Hermosa Beach city officials announced Wednesday that the city’s beach, the Strand and its downtown parking structure would close Saturday morning.
The closures came after throngs of people flocked to the beaches over the weekend, desperate to escape their homes and find a reminder of what normal life looks like.
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There have been 20 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Redondo Beach.


latimes--2020-03-26--L.A. County supervisors and sheriff in standoff over coronavirus emergency response

In recent weeks , Los Angeles County supervisors and other local leaders have gathered most days at the Hall of Administration to give virtual updates about how the coronavirus outbreak is unfolding .
Sheriff Alex Villanueva has held his own virtual briefings at the county emergency operations center in East Los Angeles , taking questions about law enforcement operations and efforts to reduce the jail population .
The parallel actions have created confusion about who is in charge of the crisis response , and as a result , some disjointed public messaging .
For example , Villanueva said the Sheriff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rollout of the county ’ s stay-at-home order .
Supervisor Kathryn Barger disputed that and said she found out from a news segment that Villanueva planned to close gun shops because he viewed them as nonessential businesses .
The long-running power struggle ramped up this week when the Board of Supervisors took steps to change the structure of the emergency center , which in effect would remove Villanueva from the helm in the middle of a pandemic .
The proposal , which they are scheduled to take up next week , would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in charge of coordinating disaster preparedness as well as the activation and operation of the emergency center .
Three supervisors told The Times in interviews that the proposed change is months in the making and stems from the need to centralize disaster operations after a fragmented response during the deadly Woolsey fire , which killed three people and burned nearly 97,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties in 2018 .
Barger pointed to a November board motion that sought the change .
“ The irony is , in November , the sheriff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said , adding that the item was originally scheduled for last Tuesday ’ s meeting but it was canceled .
“ The allegations he ’ s making are disappointing because I don ’ t know where it ’ s coming from.
” But Villanueva called the proposed change a “ pure power grab at the worst time possible ” and said the timing suggests retaliation for announcing the gun store closures .
“ This is pretty much a silent coup , what they ’ re trying to orchestrate , ” Villanueva @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be worried about masks , about test kits , and I have Kathryn Barger worried about guns and ammunition.
” Barger and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said the proposal would change little about how things are running now .
Kuehl said the Office of Emergency Management has existed for quite some time , and in this crisis has been the hub in terms of allocating resources and making decisions such as whether to close parking lots at beaches .
Others are keeping track of the county ’ s intensive care beds in case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I think the sheriff erroneously believes that centering the response to this crisis to the Office of Emergency Management is somehow a dis to him , ” Kuehl said .
“ And yet I can ’ t imagine that anyone would say that the sheriff should be coordinating all the health departments and the homelessness outreach and placement in housing — these are all different areas of the county that have grown up since we first had that old ordinance.
” Barger said that “ based on his conduct the last two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now than I ever have been that he should not be leading.
” The controversy highlights the ongoing tensions between the sheriff and the board that began soon after he took office in December 2018 .
They have clashed over a variety of issues , including hiring decisions and spending .
“ The idea that the county ’ s top cop should not be the person in charge of this emergency situation is basically as strong of a rebuke and vote of no confidence as I can imagine , ” said Jessica Levinson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It ’ s hard to read it as anything other than ‘ we don ’ t trust you , we don ’ t trust your judgment , we don ’ t think you can run things.
’ ” Ron Hernandez , president of the Assn .
for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs , said the public and deputies are “ sick and tired ” of the political tussles between the sheriff and the board .
“ I believe the community is focused on keeping their families safe during this pandemic , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ petty squabbles over power during a crisis are exactly what we don ’ t need , ” he said .
“ To the sheriff and the Board of Supervisors , we say : Try acting like adults and focus on the emergency.
” After Villanueva announced this week that gun shops needed to close their doors , he said he learned that the county ’ s legal counsel had issued an opinion that such stores were essential businesses .
Early Wednesday , Villanueva tweeted that the Sheriff ’ s Department ’ s “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspended ” and that Gov .
Gavin Newsom would “ determine what qualifies ” as nonessential .
When asked about the back-and-forth during a news conference later Wednesday , Newsom said he would defer to the sheriff on the issue .
Villanueva then announced that he was moving forward with the closures , which he said he had sought to minimize the threat posed by first-time gun buyers panic-purchasing weapons at a time when homes are crowded , raising the possibility of suicides and domestic violence .
“ We ’ ll have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
Villanueva said he has invited other county officials to his virtual briefings and helped organize a training session Thursday night focused on emergency management for the supervisors and police chiefs across the county .
“ I ’ ve been working hard to bring everyone together , ” Villanueva said .

The Board of Supervisors is considering a proposal to change Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s role in the county’s emergency response to the coronavirus outbreak.
In recent weeks, Los Angeles County supervisors and other local leaders have gathered most days at the Hall of Administration to give virtual updates about how the coronavirus outbreak is unfolding.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva has held his own virtual briefings at the county emergency operations center in East Los Angeles, taking questions about law enforcement operations and efforts to reduce the jail population.
The parallel actions have created confusion about who is in charge of the crisis response, and as a result, some disjointed public messaging.
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For example, Villanueva said the Sheriff’s Department was left out of the rollout of the county’s stay-at-home order. Supervisor Kathryn Barger disputed that and said she found out from a news segment that Villanueva planned to close gun shops because he viewed them as nonessential businesses.
The long-running power struggle ramped up this week when the Board of Supervisors took steps to change the structure of the emergency center, which in effect would remove Villanueva from the helm in the middle of a pandemic. The proposal, which they are scheduled to take up next week, would place the county’s chief executive in charge of coordinating disaster preparedness as well as the activation and operation of the emergency center.
Three supervisors told The Times in interviews that the proposed change is months in the making and stems from the need to centralize disaster operations after a fragmented response during the deadly Woolsey fire, which killed three people and burned nearly 97,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties in 2018. Barger pointed to a November board motion that sought the change.
“The irony is, in November, the sheriff was engaged and made some edits,” she said, adding that the item was originally scheduled for last Tuesday’s meeting but it was canceled. “The allegations he’s making are disappointing because I don’t know where it’s coming from.”
But Villanueva called the proposed change a “pure power grab at the worst time possible” and said the timing suggests retaliation for announcing the gun store closures.
“This is pretty much a silent coup, what they’re trying to orchestrate,” Villanueva said in an interview. “We should be worried about masks, about test kits, and I have Kathryn Barger worried about guns and ammunition.”
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Barger and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said the proposal would change little about how things are running now. Kuehl said the Office of Emergency Management has existed for quite some time, and in this crisis has been the hub in terms of allocating resources and making decisions such as whether to close parking lots at beaches. Others are keeping track of the county’s intensive care beds in case hospitals see a surge of cases.
“I think the sheriff erroneously believes that centering the response to this crisis to the Office of Emergency Management is somehow a dis to him,” Kuehl said. “And yet I can’t imagine that anyone would say that the sheriff should be coordinating all the health departments and the homelessness outreach and placement in housing — these are all different areas of the county that have grown up since we first had that old ordinance.”
Barger said that “based on his conduct the last two days, I’m more convinced now than I ever have been that he should not be leading.”
The controversy highlights the ongoing tensions between the sheriff and the board that began soon after he took office in December 2018. They have clashed over a variety of issues, including hiring decisions and spending.
“The idea that the county’s top cop should not be the person in charge of this emergency situation is basically as strong of a rebuke and vote of no confidence as I can imagine,” said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School. “It’s hard to read it as anything other than ‘we don’t trust you, we don’t trust your judgment, we don’t think you can run things.’”
Ron Hernandez, president of the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, said the public and deputies are “sick and tired” of the political tussles between the sheriff and the board.
“I believe the community is focused on keeping their families safe during this pandemic, and our deputies share that sentiment. These petty squabbles over power during a crisis are exactly what we don’t need,” he said. “To the sheriff and the Board of Supervisors, we say: Try acting like adults and focus on the emergency.”
After Villanueva announced this week that gun shops needed to close their doors, he said he learned that the county’s legal counsel had issued an opinion that such stores were essential businesses.
Early Wednesday, Villanueva tweeted that the Sheriff’s Department’s “efforts to close nonessential businesses have been suspended” and that Gov. Gavin Newsom would “determine what qualifies” as nonessential.
When asked about the back-and-forth during a news conference later Wednesday, Newsom said he would defer to the sheriff on the issue.
Villanueva then announced that he was moving forward with the closures, which he said he had sought to minimize the threat posed by first-time gun buyers panic-purchasing weapons at a time when homes are crowded, raising the possibility of suicides and domestic violence. “We’ll have to mop up the mess left behind,” he said.
Villanueva said he has invited other county officials to his virtual briefings and helped organize a training session Thursday night focused on emergency management for the supervisors and police chiefs across the county.
“I’ve been working hard to bring everyone together,” Villanueva said.


latimes--2020-03-26--Citing the coronavirus, ex-L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca asks for release from prison

Citing the threat of the novel coronavirus , former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has asked a federal judge to release him from a Texas prison while he fights to have his conviction tossed out .
Baca , who was found guilty of thwarting a federal investigation into his department ’ s scandal-plagued jail system , is less than two months into a three-year prison term .
“ Mr .
Baca is nearly 78 years old and has Alzheimer ’ s disease .
He is part of the population most vulnerable to the virus , ” the motion filed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Benjamin L. Coleman , said .
The filing notes that President Trump said earlier this month that the government was considering releasing “ nonviolent prisoners due to the grave risk of the virus spreading in a prison environment.
” “ Mr .
Baca clearly fits the type of offender who should be released under the circumstances , ” the motion states .
Coleman declined to comment further .
Thom Mrozek , a spokesman for the U.S. attorney ’ s office in L.A. , said prosecutors will respond “ in coming days.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Federal Correctional Institution La Tuna , a low-security prison outside El Paso , is among a spate of elderly inmates seeking release amid the global coronavirus pandemic .
Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela , 81 , the former Colombian drug kingpin , has asked a federal judge in Miami to let him out of prison , arguing that if the virus spreads among inmates , it “ will be a death sentence.
” Michael Cohen , 53 , Trump ’ s former personal attorney , sought early release from a three-year prison sentence , citing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the request and denied it , saying it “ appears to be just another effort to inject himself into the news cycle.
” In 2017 , U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson sentenced Baca to three years in federal custody after a jury found he oversaw the plan to interfere with the federal probe into inmate abuses in the county jail system , then lied to prosecutors about his role .
The once-respected law enforcement leader had remained free while his appeals were pending , which Coleman notes in the motion .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having self-surrendered to his designated institution a day early .
He was convicted on nonviolent offenses and has no prior convictions or history of violence , ” the filing said .
Last year , the 9th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Baca ’ s conviction , and in January the Supreme Court denied his request to review the case .
Anderson , the federal judge , will decide whether to grant Baca ’ s request for release .
His filing was made in connection with a pending motion to have his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last in a group of Sheriff ’ s Department employees — from low-level deputies to Baca ’ s second-in-command — to be accused of playing a role in the scandal , which involved hiding an inmate who was an FBI informant and threatening to arrest the federal agent who was leading the investigation .
All 10 of those who faced charges in the case either pleaded guilty or were convicted , including former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka , who was sentenced to five years in prison after a jury found he helped lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found guilty of civil rights violations for beatings of inmates and jail visitors .
In 2014 , as the department was engulfed in the jail scandal , Baca stepped down .
His attorneys have argued that Baca never authorized the wrongdoing alleged by prosecutors , and that there was no hard evidence directly linking him to the obstruction scheme .

Citing the threat of the novel coronavirus, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has asked a federal judge to release him from a Texas prison while he fights to have his conviction tossed out.
Baca, who was found guilty of thwarting a federal investigation into his department’s scandal-plagued jail system, is less than two months into a three-year prison term.
“Mr. Baca is nearly 78 years old and has Alzheimer’s disease. He is part of the population most vulnerable to the virus,” the motion filed by Baca’s San Diego-based attorney, Benjamin L. Coleman, said.
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The filing notes that President Trump said earlier this month that the government was considering releasing “nonviolent prisoners due to the grave risk of the virus spreading in a prison environment.”
“Mr. Baca clearly fits the type of offender who should be released under the circumstances,” the motion states. Coleman declined to comment further.
Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in L.A., said prosecutors will respond “in coming days.”
Baca, who is being housed at the Federal Correctional Institution La Tuna, a low-security prison outside El Paso, is among a spate of elderly inmates seeking release amid the global coronavirus pandemic. Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela, 81, the former Colombian drug kingpin, has asked a federal judge in Miami to let him out of prison, arguing that if the virus spreads among inmates, it “will be a death sentence.”
Michael Cohen, 53, Trump’s former personal attorney, sought early release from a three-year prison sentence, citing the coronavirus. A federal judge scoffed at the request and denied it, saying it “appears to be just another effort to inject himself into the news cycle.”
In 2017, U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson sentenced Baca to three years in federal custody after a jury found he oversaw the plan to interfere with the federal probe into inmate abuses in the county jail system, then lied to prosecutors about his role. The once-respected law enforcement leader had remained free while his appeals were pending, which Coleman notes in the motion.
“He is absolutely no flight risk, having self-surrendered to his designated institution a day early. He was convicted on nonviolent offenses and has no prior convictions or history of violence,” the filing said.
Last year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Baca’s conviction, and in January the Supreme Court denied his request to review the case.
Anderson, the federal judge, will decide whether to grant Baca’s request for release. His filing was made in connection with a pending motion to have his conviction and sentence vacated.
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Baca was the last in a group of Sheriff’s Department employees — from low-level deputies to Baca’s second-in-command — to be accused of playing a role in the scandal, which involved hiding an inmate who was an FBI informant and threatening to arrest the federal agent who was leading the investigation.
All 10 of those who faced charges in the case either pleaded guilty or were convicted, including former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, who was sentenced to five years in prison after a jury found he helped lead the scheme. Several other deputies were found guilty of civil rights violations for beatings of inmates and jail visitors.
In 2014, as the department was engulfed in the jail scandal, Baca stepped down. His attorneys have argued that Baca never authorized the wrongdoing alleged by prosecutors, and that there was no hard evidence directly linking him to the obstruction scheme.


latimes--2020-03-30--California launches Health Corps, loosens rules for medical professionals amid coronavirus

Gov .
Gavin Newsom issued an urgent call for healthcare workers to join the state in caring for an expected surge of COVID-19 patients while announcing an executive order to expand the services medical professionals can perform in their jobs .
Newsom said he believes the state can add 37,000 healthcare workers by asking recently retired providers , those in the process of getting a medical license in the state and students enrolled in medical or nursing schools to apply to the newly created California Health Corps .
“ We need you , ” Newsom repeatedly said , aiming his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll help you with your relicensing , we ’ ll help you with the protocol and processes to get you up and running and get you out the door so that you can support the needs of people in California .
New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo announced a similar effort calling on retired healthcare workers , medical students and mental health workers to sign up to help care for residents , with that initiative drawing 40,000 volunteers last week .
Newsom said Monday he is hopeful that “ with this effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” who can help in California .
“ The next few weeks are going to be critical , ” Newsom said .
Dr. Mark Ghaly , California ’ s secretary of health and human services , said the state ’ s modeling suggests California will need 50,000 new hospital beds by mid-May .
“ We project that we will need that towards the second half of the month of May , ” Ghaly said .
“ So we are very busy trying to build towards that.
” Newsom declined to say how many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus based on the state ’ s existing models .
“ It ’ s a dynamic model and it ’ s radically different , I can assure you , than it was just four or five days ago , ” Newsom said .
“ And if we had a model that I could more confidently say , based on all of these conditions and everything being static , then we would provide it to you , but I can assure you we are running those models in real time.
” The urgent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death toll from the coronavirus in California rose to 142 and the number of confirmed cases surged to more than 6,800 .
Experts say the number of confirmed cases is expected to rise in the coming weeks , the result of the highly contagious nature of the virus as well as expanded testing efforts .
Between Friday and Monday , the number of California patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in intensive-care beds nearly tripled to 597 from 200 .
The number of hospitalizations has nearly doubled , from 746 to 1,432 .
On Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Port of Los Angeles , began receiving patients who do not have COVID-19 in an effort to reduce the strain on hospitals treating those who do have the disease .
Newsom ’ s executive order allows the state Department of Consumer Affairs to waive licensing requirements and change the scope of practice of healthcare professions through June 30 .
The department is ordered to work with each licensing board to determine what those changes will look like .
The few details available as to what scope of practice changes will be made left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other states have issued more specific executive orders regarding extension of license expirations and expanded scope of practice for clinical staff , ” said Joanne Spetz , an associate director of research at Healthforce Center at UC San Francisco , which produces supply and demand forecasts on registered nurses in the state .
“ Until we have more details on which specific requirements are waived by the state agencies , it ’ s hard to say how much of an impact the executive order will have.
” California was facing shortages of healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the California Future Health Workforce Commission urging the state to invest in doctor training programs and grant nurse practitioners more autonomy .
The commission , created by healthcare , education and business leaders and co-chaired by UC President Janet Napolitano , wrote in a report last year that the state needs to invest $ 3 billion over the next decade to increase the number of nurses , doctors and in-home caregivers to meet the needs of the state ’ s aging baby boomer population .
In addition , more than one-third of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are reaching retirement age .
Among the recommendations from the commission was allowing nurse practitioners to work independently of doctors .
California is one of 28 states that require nurse practitioners to work under a doctor ’ s oversight , with previous legislative efforts to ease those restrictions failing amid concerns from the powerful doctor ’ s lobby , the California Medical Assn .
Newsom acknowledged the complicated history behind the scope of practice changes , particularly with nurse practitioners , and said the administration would provide “ temporary flex in that space.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ also calls for the California Emergency Medical Services Authority to ease restrictions on paramedics in the state .
Dr. Sandra R. Hernández , a physician and president of the California Health Care Foundation , said those changes could allow paramedics to use their respiratory training outside of an ambulance .
Hernández said that while the details of the executive order are still unclear , the changes to expand the scope of practice of medical professions can increase the state ’ s ability to care for the sick .
“ It ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do what they are training to do , ” Hernández said .
“ Full scope is absolutely the right thing to do.
” Newsom said that the state hopes to tap nursing school students to help with the crisis , but details about that process were unclear .
Nursing students were encouraged to apply to the state ’ s newly created California Health Corps to begin working in hospitals , but one of the most pressing questions for those students has yet to be answered .
Nursing schools across the state have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Board of Registered Nursing to change licensing requirements so that an estimated 10,000 nursing students could graduate in the coming months .
California requires nursing students to spend most of their clinical education in hospitals providing supervised care for patients , but the coronavirus outbreak has caused hospitals to restrict access to prevent the spread of COVID-19 .
That meant thousands of nurses across the state were no longer able to complete hospital rotations required to graduate .
While the schools asked for graduation leniency , other states have already begun awarding temporary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Board of Nursing announced an apprentice program this month to move nursing students into hospitals and a temporary emergency license for students who are nearing graduation .
The Texas Board of Nursing also relaxed its rules on how many hours nursing students must work in hospital training rotations .
On Monday , California nursing schools said they were left wondering what changes will ultimately be made to help their students .
“ We applaud Governor Newsom ’ s efforts to add to the healthcare workforce and absolutely agree that time is of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Dr. Robyn Nelson , the dean of nursing at West Coast University , in a statement .
“ This urgency is why we are left disappointed that there is still no clear pathway forward for the thousands of nursing students who can no longer move forward with their education .
”

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an urgent call for healthcare workers to join the state in caring for an expected surge of COVID-19 patients while announcing an executive order to expand the services medical professionals can perform in their jobs.
Newsom said he believes the state can add 37,000 healthcare workers by asking recently retired providers, those in the process of getting a medical license in the state and students enrolled in medical or nursing schools to apply to the newly created California Health Corps.
“We need you,” Newsom repeatedly said, aiming his comments at healthcare workers. “We’ll help you with your relicensing, we’ll help you with the protocol and processes to get you up and running and get you out the door so that you can support the needs of people in California.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a similar effort calling on retired healthcare workers, medical students and mental health workers to sign up to help care for residents, with that initiative drawing 40,000 volunteers last week.
1 / 83 Socially distanced bikers and walkers, against a backdrop of the Queen Mary, make their way along pedestrian and beach bike path on the first day that Long Beach reopened the path on Monday May 11, 2020. The city of Long Beach eased a few of its public health restrictions, allowing under certain guidelines the reopening of pedestrian and beach bike paths, tennis centers and courts. Beach bathrooms are also reopening, but the parking lots and beaches still remain closed. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 83 Traffic remains light on the southbound 110 Freeway headed toward downtown Los Angeles on April 28. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 83 Dominique Barrett, center, known as “King Vader” to his 2.4 million TikTok followers, prepares to shoot a video on April 30 in Glendora. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 83 Cody Purcell of Redondo Beach rides a wave, glowing from the bioluminescence, in Hermosa Beach, CA, after midnight Friday morning, May 8. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 83 Friends play spikeball, a game perfect for social distancing on an open but restricted San Buenaventura State Beach. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 83 The majority of golfers are wearing masks while hitting balls on the driving range at Van Buren Executive Golf Course in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 83 Beaches including Harbor Cove Beach were open but beachgoers were not supposed to be sitting on the sand. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 83 Tango instructor Yelizaveta Nersesova leads a Zoom tango event from her Los Angeles home April 27 that brought together hundreds of dancers from around the world. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 83 Grocery store workers, joined by United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 770 representatives and community members, hold a rally in support of strict social distancing on May 1 at a Ralphs store in Hollywood where 19 employees have tested positive for COVID-19. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 83 Mostly masked commuters keep their distance from one another on a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles on April 29. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 83 Gregory Kuhl, 69, heads home after a shopping trip in Hollywood on April 28. Big cracks in the street, cars parked in driveways blocking sidewalks and uneven pavement levels make navigating his route difficult. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 83 Tenants and their supporters from across Los Angeles gather at city hall to call on L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, the L.A. City Council and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to cancel rent and mortgage payments during the COVID-19 crisis. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 83 Aerial view of over 100 vehicles lined up at the West Valley COVID-19 testing center at Warner Center in Woodland Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 83 Senior Mason Wise, left, helps his sister, Mackenzie, a sophomore, clean out her PE locker at El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills. School officials were allowing no more than five students at a time on campus to take home their belongings. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 83 Shuttered storefront businesses in the garment district of Los Angeles. California’s unemployment rate has skyrocketed since the statewide coronavirus shutdown took effect. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 83 Healthcare workers celebrate as Claudia Martinez is discharged from the ICU after she recovered from COVID-19 at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Chula Vista. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 83 Carson residents Kaeli Burks, 3, left, and her cousin Bailey Watson, 5, look out the window of their car after their mothers helped them with self-testing at a new drive-up testing site for COVID-19 in Carson. Free COVID-19 testing is available to all city residents thanks to a partnership between the city and US Health Fairs. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 83 Norm and Tracy Kahn enjoy eating dinner outside on a small cafe table sitting in blue chairs on their side yard during the coronavirus pandemic on April 27 in Riverside. “During this pandemic, eating outside offers us an opportunity to change surrounding and appreciate the calmness of being outdoors among trees, scents from nature and the sounds of birds,” she said. Also adding, “Mixing up where we eat puts variety into our days and takes away the sameness of feeling trapped at home.” (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 83 Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center nurses carry supplies outside the hospital. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 83 Tom Sean Foley pauses on a walk with his kids, Cathelen Claire, “C.C.,” 3, and Timothy Joseph, 4, to take a photo in front of the “Love Wall,” mural by artist Curtis Kulig, outside of Smashbox Studios in Culver City. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 83 Protesters stand along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on April 26. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) 22 / 83 People make orders at a food truck along Shoreline Avenue in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 83 Medical staff, wearing protective gear, work inside a COVID-19 isolation area inside the emergency department at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, where patients with the virus are being treated. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 83 Neighbors practice social distancing while enjoying the nice weather near The Strand in Hermosa Beach. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 83 Counter-protesters attend a protest to call on state and local officials to reopen the economy in downtown Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 83 A group of protesters cheer on cars during a vehicle caravan protest to call on state and local officials to reopen the economy in downtown Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 83 Cedar Mountain Post Acute Rehabilitation staff member Navi Cavaltera waters a flower pot put up by the community to show their support for the nursing staff of the facility in Yucaipa. Eighteen of 20 coronavirus-related deaths in Yucaipa were residents of the skilled nursing facility. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 83 A pedestrian wearing a protective mask passes a mural on a store on Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 83 Jonte Florence, a freestyle dancer, does a handstand on a mostly empty Hollywood Walk of Fame. Florence said he normally performs for hundreds of tourists along the busy street. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 83 The Tyrannosaurus rex overlooking the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue wears a protective mask while practicing social distancing. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 83 Businesses are shuttered and pedestrians are few and far between on Hollywood Boulevard. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 83 Daniel Rogerson wears a vintage military gas mask while riding a bike along the beach path in Santa Monica, which is closed to enforce social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 83 A face mask seller in colorful dress appears to be part of a mural behind a bus stop on Soto Street in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 83 Life around Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Soto Street has slowed down as California officials extended stay-at-home orders into May and residents entered Easter weekend with unprecedented limits on their movements. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 83 UC Irvine Medical Center health care workers return their gratitude as about 25 Orange County first responder vehicles participate in a drive-by parade of gratitude as they battle COVID-19 at the hospital. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 83 Billy Budd, 55, of Hollywood, walks along Hollywood Boulevard with a protective face covering. Budd is a scenic artist for movies and television who is currently out of work due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 83 Stuart Reyes and his sister, Stephanie, sell masks for $5 each on the 3000 block of West Century Boulevard in Inglewood. Stuart Reyes said he is selling masks to support his mother. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 83 A jogger runs on a closed trail past dozens of pieces of caution tape, torn off by hikers and mountain bikers at El Escorpion Canyon Park in West Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 83 Alex Herron and nurse Mercy Pineda at a blood drive sponsored by USC athletics and the American Red Cross at USC’s Galen Center. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 83 Los Angeles City Hall displays blue lights to show support for healthcare workers and first responders. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 83 After being indoors for several days because of rainy weather and coronavirus stay-at-home orders, Olivia Jacobs, 4, and her mom, Cia Jacobs, enjoy a warm and sunny afternoon making chalk drawings on the sidewalk in front of their home in West Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 83 An Oceanview Plaza security guard sports a whimsical mask while on patrol. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 83 Jacob De Wilde, left, and Lesli Lytle load a car with food during a food distribution organized to mark Good Friday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 83 As a late season storm continues to make its way across the Southland, a young basketball player dribbles along an alley through an Elysian Park neighborhood in Los Angeles. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 83 People are silhouetted in a window of an apartment building in Hollywood, where a stay-at-home order remains in effect to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 83 The Wilshire Grand Center display blue lights and a heart to show support for healthcare workers and first responders. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 83 Women wear masks as they stroll along Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Wearing masks while outdoors is mandatory in the city of Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 83 Patients are removed from Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center after 39 tested positive for the coronavirus and nursing staff was not showing up to work. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 83 A specimen is turned in at the new mobile testing site for people with symptoms of the coronavirus at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 83 Hippie Kitchen in Los Angeles hands out food, water and toiletries to homeless people and residents of skid row. Additionally, masks were offered to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 83 Nurses pose for a fun photo during a break in drive-through public testing for the coronavirus at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 83 A woman shows a notice from her doctor that allows her to obtain a test for coronavirus at a new drive-up testing site in a parking lot at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 83 A person who wishes to remain anonymous strikes from her car to support McDonald’s employees who are demanding the company cover healthcare costs of any worker or immediate family member who gets sick from COVID-19 in Los Angeles. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 83 Cassidy Roosen, with Beach Cities Health District, holds up a sign that says, “We’re All in This Together,” while waiting to direct cars at a drive-through, appointment-only coronavirus testing location at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 83 Juliann Hartman, center, and her husband, Butch, wave signs they created to cheer up people on Calabasas Road in Calabasas during the pandemic. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 83 Grace Carter, 15, of Riverside, practices a dance routine at home after dance classes and school were canceled. She has to use the Zoom app on her iPhone to practice with her dance group. “It’s hard,” she said. “My bedroom is a smaller space. I miss all my friends at the studio.” (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 83 A man works from his home in Long Beach. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 83 A San Bernardino County healthcare worker takes a sample at a coronavirus drive-through testing site at the county fairgrounds in Victorville. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 83 A Metro general service employee disinfects a bench in Boyle Heights. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 83 A runner jogs past the Pottery Barn in Pasadena. Some businesses in the area have boarded up their stores. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 83 Raquel Lezama and daughter Monica Ramos collect meals for their family at Manual Arts High School. Lezama was laid off from her $17.76-an-hour job at a Beverly Hills hotel. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 83 The Iron City Tavern in San Pedro tries an incentive to lure takeout customers. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 83 Healthcare workers gather outside UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center to call for further action from the federal government in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 64 / 83 Kristen Edgerle, of Victorville, collects information from a blood donor before drawing blood at The Richard Nixon Presidential Library blood drive during the coronavirus pandemic in Yorba Linda. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 83 Shauna Jin, of Los Angeles, with her dog, Bodhi, practices social distancing with John Kiss, of Los Angeles, at the entrance of Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 66 / 83 A lending library had some additional useful items, including a roll of toilet paper and cans of beans and corn, in a Hermosa Beach neighborhood. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 83 Protesters drive by the Getty House, the home of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, in Hancock Park. Tenant advocates are demanding a total moratorium on evictions during the coronavirus crisis. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 83 Venice residents Emily Berry and Gavin Kelley take a break at Venice Beach. Berry, a cocktail waitress at Enterprise Fish Co., lost her job due to the coronavirus outbreak. Kelley, a manager at a performing arts school with a focus on music, said that he still has a job and that classes at the school will resume online this coming Monday. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 83 The JW Marriott at L.A. Live is sharing a message of hope with red lights in 34 windows, creating a 19-story display on the hotel’s north side. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 83 Juan Diaz Jr., a lifelong Dodgers fan, prays that the season will start by May in front of Dodger Stadium on what would have been opening day. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 71 / 83 Hayley, CEO and founder of Love My Neighbor Foundation, right, dances with Crystal Armster, 51, while she and her colleagues continue to feed the homeless on skid row amid the pandemic. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 83 A masked passenger on a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 73 / 83 Dede Oneal waits for a coronavirus test at the Crenshaw Christian Center in South Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 74 / 83 A man in a mask passes a closed restaurant along Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 75 / 83 Artist Corie Mattie paints a mural on the side of a pop-up store as a man takes a picture in West Hollywood. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 76 / 83 Medical assistant Zoila Villalta works with Rosie Boston, 32, of Glendale, who is donating blood for her first time at L.A. Care Health Plan downtown. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 77 / 83 A couple wait for a bus outside the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 78 / 83 With all Los Angeles schools closed until further notice, LAUSD buses sit idle in Gardena. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 79 / 83 A lone traveler makes his way to catch a flight in Tom Bradley International Terminal. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 80 / 83 Denise Young looks on as her daughter, Allison, 9, a fourth-grader at EARThS (Environmental Academy of Research Technology and Earth Sciences) Magnet School in Newbury Park, receives a Chromebook. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 81 / 83 Hollywood Boulevard is devoid of the usual crowds. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 82 / 83 Michael Ray, 11, plays before a movie at the Paramount Drive-In. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 83 / 83 Isabella Leader, 15, counts how many flags have been left for World War II veteran Lt. Col. Sam Sachs who was celebrating his 105th birthday at the Mom & Dad’s House, an assisted living facility, in Lakewood. Lt. Col. Sachs appealed to the public for birthday cards after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of a big celebration and wound up receiving thousands, including a letter and photo from President Trump. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Newsom said Monday he is hopeful that “with this effort we will see a surge of individuals” who can help in California.
“The next few weeks are going to be critical,” Newsom said.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s secretary of health and human services, said the state’s modeling suggests California will need 50,000 new hospital beds by mid-May.
“We project that we will need that towards the second half of the month of May,” Ghaly said. “So we are very busy trying to build towards that.”
Newsom declined to say how many people his administration believes are infected with the virus based on the state’s existing models.
“It’s a dynamic model and it’s radically different, I can assure you, than it was just four or five days ago,” Newsom said. “And if we had a model that I could more confidently say, based on all of these conditions and everything being static, then we would provide it to you, but I can assure you we are running those models in real time.”
The urgent need for healthcare workers comes as the death toll from the coronavirus in California rose to 142 and the number of confirmed cases surged to more than 6,800. Experts say the number of confirmed cases is expected to rise in the coming weeks, the result of the highly contagious nature of the virus as well as expanded testing efforts.
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Between Friday and Monday, the number of California patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in intensive-care beds nearly tripled to 597 from 200. The number of hospitalizations has nearly doubled, from 746 to 1,432. On Sunday, the Navy hospital ship Mercy, which is docked at the Port of Los Angeles, began receiving patients who do not have COVID-19 in an effort to reduce the strain on hospitals treating those who do have the disease.
Newsom’s executive order allows the state Department of Consumer Affairs to waive licensing requirements and change the scope of practice of healthcare professions through June 30. The department is ordered to work with each licensing board to determine what those changes will look like. The few details available as to what scope of practice changes will be made left many unsure of the effect.
“Other states have issued more specific executive orders regarding extension of license expirations and expanded scope of practice for clinical staff,” said Joanne Spetz, an associate director of research at Healthforce Center at UC San Francisco, which produces supply and demand forecasts on registered nurses in the state. “Until we have more details on which specific requirements are waived by the state agencies, it’s hard to say how much of an impact the executive order will have.”
California was facing shortages of healthcare workers even before the pandemic, with the California Future Health Workforce Commission urging the state to invest in doctor training programs and grant nurse practitioners more autonomy.
The commission, created by healthcare, education and business leaders and co-chaired by UC President Janet Napolitano, wrote in a report last year that the state needs to invest $3 billion over the next decade to increase the number of nurses, doctors and in-home caregivers to meet the needs of the state’s aging baby boomer population. In addition, more than one-third of the state’s doctors and nurse practitioners are reaching retirement age.
Among the recommendations from the commission was allowing nurse practitioners to work independently of doctors. California is one of 28 states that require nurse practitioners to work under a doctor’s oversight, with previous legislative efforts to ease those restrictions failing amid concerns from the powerful doctor’s lobby, the California Medical Assn.
Newsom acknowledged the complicated history behind the scope of practice changes, particularly with nurse practitioners, and said the administration would provide “temporary flex in that space.”
The governor’s executive order also calls for the California Emergency Medical Services Authority to ease restrictions on paramedics in the state. Dr. Sandra R. Hernández, a physician and president of the California Health Care Foundation, said those changes could allow paramedics to use their respiratory training outside of an ambulance.
Hernández said that while the details of the executive order are still unclear, the changes to expand the scope of practice of medical professions can increase the state’s ability to care for the sick.
“It’s a very important step to allow health workers to do what they are training to do,” Hernández said. “Full scope is absolutely the right thing to do.”
Newsom said the state hopes to tap nursing school students to help with the crisis, but details about that process were unclear. Nursing students were encouraged to apply to the California Health Corps to begin working in hospitals, but one of the most pressing questions for those students has yet to be answered.
Nursing schools across the state have pleaded for weeks with Newsom and the Board of Registered Nursing to change licensing requirements so that an estimated 10,000 nursing students could graduate in the coming months. California requires nursing students to spend most of their clinical education in hospitals providing supervised care for patients, but the coronavirus outbreak has caused hospitals to restrict access to prevent the spread of COVID-19. That meant thousands of nurses across the state were no longer able to complete hospital rotations required to graduate.
While the schools asked for graduation leniency, other states have already begun awarding temporary emergency licenses to nurses.
The Idaho Board of Nursing announced an apprentice program this month to move nursing students into hospitals and a temporary emergency license for students who are nearing graduation. The Texas Board of Nursing also relaxed its rules on how many hours nursing students must work in hospital training rotations.
On Monday, California nursing schools said they were left wondering what changes will ultimately be made to help their students.
“We applaud Governor Newsom’s efforts to add to the healthcare workforce and absolutely agree that time is of the essence in taking action against COVID-19,” said Dr. Robyn Nelson, the dean of nursing at West Coast University, in a statement. “This urgency is why we are left disappointed that there is still no clear pathway forward for the thousands of nursing students who can no longer move forward with their education.”
Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-30--Coronavirus outbreaks at nursing homes rise sharply in L.A. County

Los Angeles County officials are investigating coronavirus outbreaks at 11 area nursing homes , where elderly residents with underlying health conditions are among the most vulnerable to the deadly new pathogen .
That ’ s nearly quadruple the number of nursing home outbreaks county officials had announced on Friday .
The county defines an outbreak as three or more cases involving residents or staff at a facility .
The county ’ s Department of Public Health was also investigating reports of at least one suspected coronavirus infection at seven additional nursing homes as of Monday afternoon .
Of the county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six were nursing home residents .
The county released the names of all 11 homes with outbreaks , including Kensington Assisted Living in Redondo Beach , Alameda Care Center in Burbank and Silverado Beverly Place in Los Angeles .
“ Our investigation teams work with managers at each site to review implementation of infection control , quarantine and isolation protocols , ” a Department of Public Health spokesperson said in an email to The Times .
COVID-19 outbreaks are occurring in nursing homes with terrifying speed across the country , with catastrophic potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. was at the Life Care Center nursing home in Kirkland , Wash. , where two-thirds of the residents and 47 workers fell ill , and 37 people died .
Families with loved ones in nursing homes should seriously consider pulling them out if it ’ s at all feasible to care for them at home , said Charlene Harrington , professor emeritus at UC San Francisco ’ s School of Nursing .
“ The risk of exposure is so overwhelming , ” said Harrington , who has studied nursing homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a terrible concern.
” Also concerning to nursing home administrators and physicians is guidance from federal and some state regulators to accept new residents and those returning from hospitals without proof that they are virus-free .
Hospitals in New York are so burdened for space that regulators there ordered nursing homes to take in discharged patients even if they are COVID-19 positive .
Those nursing homes will “ do their best , they ’ ll try to contain it , but people will run out of [ protective equipment ] , caregivers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ die , ” said David A. Nace , clinical chief of geriatric medicine for University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine .
“ New York will have killed people .
There ’ s no way to soften that statement .
It ’ s such a vulnerable population.
” Dr. Michael Wasserman , a geriatrician for more than 30 years and president of the California Assn .
of Long Term Medicine , is lobbying California regulators not to follow a similar policy as the number of patients in hospitals rises here .
“ If a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives by sending a 90-year-old to a nursing home so they can get a 20-year-old on a ventilator , they ’ re right , they will save a life .
But in three weeks they are going to get 30 patients back from the nursing home , ” Wasserman said .
Current guidance from the California Department of Public Health advises nursing homes to be prepared to accept patients with the coronavirus from hospitals , and advises the homes to quarantine those patients and make sure staff members have access to protective equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everywhere — and that they are trained in using it .
But that is going to be hard to enforce .
Even before the recent outbreak , Harrington said , there were less-than-ideal conditions at many facilities across the state .
Much of the work is done by certified nurse assistants , who have extremely limited training in infection control and are paid minimum wage , Harrington said .
To make ends meet , workers often patch together shifts at two or three different facilities and work even when they don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have sick leave , they don ’ t have health insurance , ” she said .
“ They ’ re going to come to work.
” And because there isn ’ t yet widespread testing of all employees across the state , Harrington said , a single , asymptomatic worker could carry the virus into several different facilities , creating an exponential jump in infections .
“ It ’ s a huge , huge problem , ” she said , stressing that , even before the outbreak , 75 % of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Even high-end homes with no reported cases so far are bracing for the worst .
At the 250-resident Motion Picture & Television Fund home in Woodland Hills , no residents or employees have tested positive , said CEO Bob Beitcher .
“ But that could change at any time .
I could get a call in the next hour , ” said Beitcher .
“ We all feel like we are living on the knife ’ s edge .
Every time I hear one of these stories it gives me a gut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people with local families and the means to hire in-home care .
Still , he said , no one has pulled a relative out of his facility .
“ I think someone is more vulnerable at home than in a place like this , ” he said .

A worker at a Los Angeles-area nursing home screening arrivals for symptoms of the novel coronavirus.
Los Angeles County officials are investigating coronavirus outbreaks at 11 area nursing homes, where elderly residents with underlying health conditions are among the most vulnerable to the deadly new pathogen.
That’s nearly quadruple the number of nursing home outbreaks county officials had announced on Friday. The county defines an outbreak as three or more cases involving residents or staff at a facility.
The county’s Department of Public Health was also investigating reports of at least one suspected coronavirus infection at seven additional nursing homes as of Monday afternoon. Of the county’s 44 deaths from coronavirus, six were nursing home residents.
The county released the names of all 11 homes with outbreaks, including Kensington Assisted Living in Redondo Beach, Alameda Care Center in Burbank and Silverado Beverly Place in Los Angeles.
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“Our investigation teams work with managers at each site to review implementation of infection control, quarantine and isolation protocols,” a Department of Public Health spokesperson said in an email to The Times.
COVID-19 outbreaks are occurring in nursing homes with terrifying speed across the country, with catastrophic potential. One of the first hot spots in the U.S. was at the Life Care Center nursing home in Kirkland, Wash., where two-thirds of the residents and 47 workers fell ill, and 37 people died.
Families with loved ones in nursing homes should seriously consider pulling them out if it’s at all feasible to care for them at home, said Charlene Harrington, professor emeritus at UC San Francisco’s School of Nursing.
“The risk of exposure is so overwhelming,” said Harrington, who has studied nursing homes since the 1980s. “It’s a terrible concern.”
Also concerning to nursing home administrators and physicians is guidance from federal and some state regulators to accept new residents and those returning from hospitals without proof that they are virus-free.
Hospitals in New York are so burdened for space that regulators there ordered nursing homes to take in discharged patients even if they are COVID-19 positive.
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Those nursing homes will “do their best, they’ll try to contain it, but people will run out of [protective equipment], caregivers will get sick, and people will die,” said David A. Nace, clinical chief of geriatric medicine for University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “New York will have killed people. There’s no way to soften that statement. It’s such a vulnerable population.”
Dr. Michael Wasserman, a geriatrician for more than 30 years and president of the California Assn. of Long Term Medicine, is lobbying California regulators not to follow a similar policy as the number of patients in hospitals rises here.
“If a hospital thinks they are going to save lives by sending a 90-year-old to a nursing home so they can get a 20-year-old on a ventilator, they’re right, they will save a life. But in three weeks they are going to get 30 patients back from the nursing home,” Wasserman said.
Current guidance from the California Department of Public Health advises nursing homes to be prepared to accept patients with the coronavirus from hospitals, and advises the homes to quarantine those patients and make sure staff members have access to protective equipment — which has been in short supply everywhere — and that they are trained in using it.
But that is going to be hard to enforce.
Even before the recent outbreak, Harrington said, there were less-than-ideal conditions at many facilities across the state. Much of the work is done by certified nurse assistants, who have extremely limited training in infection control and are paid minimum wage, Harrington said.
To make ends meet, workers often patch together shifts at two or three different facilities and work even when they don’t feel well.
“They don’t have sick leave, they don’t have health insurance,” she said. “They’re going to come to work.”
And because there isn’t yet widespread testing of all employees across the state, Harrington said, a single, asymptomatic worker could carry the virus into several different facilities, creating an exponential jump in infections.
“It’s a huge, huge problem,” she said, stressing that, even before the outbreak, 75% of the state’s nursing homes were understaffed.
Even high-end homes with no reported cases so far are bracing for the worst.
At the 250-resident Motion Picture & Television Fund home in Woodland Hills, no residents or employees have tested positive, said CEO Bob Beitcher.
“But that could change at any time. I could get a call in the next hour,” said Beitcher. “We all feel like we are living on the knife’s edge. Every time I hear one of these stories it gives me a gut punch.”
He said his residents include people with local families and the means to hire in-home care. Still, he said, no one has pulled a relative out of his facility.
“I think someone is more vulnerable at home than in a place like this,” he said.


latimes--2020-03-30--Here are the Orange County communities with coronavirus cases

The number of coronavirus infections in Orange County hit 464 Monday , continuing a steady upward trend .
Four people @ @ @ @ @ 5,522 have been tested for COVID-19 , according to the Orange County Health Care Agency @ @ @ @ @ 42 Brea 3 Buena Park 15 Costa Mesa 11 Cypress 10 Dana Point 7 Fountain @ @ @ @ @ Grove 8 Huntington Beach 33 Irvine 43 La Habra 2 La Palma 6 Laguna Beach @ @ @ @ @ Niguel 15 Laguna Woods Fewer than 5* Lake Forest 9 Los Alamitos Fewer than 5* @ @ @ @ @ 41 Orange 13 Placentia 6 Rancho Santa Margarita 5 San Clemente 16 San Juan Capistrano @ @ @ @ @ Beach 1 Stanton 1 Tustin 7 Villa Park Fewer than 5* Westminster 7 Yorba Linda @ @ @ @ @ *The county does not provide exact counts for cities that have fewer than 25,000 residents @ @ @ @ @ .
Those , as well as results from unincorporated areas , are reflected in the @ @ @ @ @

A man walks past Las Brisas in Laguna Beach at dusk on March 18.
The number of coronavirus infections in Orange County hit 464 Monday, continuing a steady upward trend.
Four people have died so far and 5,522 have been tested for COVID-19, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Age breakdown of cases:
0-17 — 2
18-24 — 48
25-34 — 79
35-44 — 77
45-64 — 173
65+ — 83
Unknown — 2
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Cases by community:
Aliso Viejo 3
Anaheim 42
Brea 3
Buena Park 15
Costa Mesa 11
Cypress 10
Dana Point 7
Fountain Valley 8
Fullerton 12
Garden Grove 8
Huntington Beach 33
Irvine 43
La Habra 2
La Palma 6
Laguna Beach 22
Laguna Hills 1
Laguna Niguel 15
Laguna Woods Fewer than 5*
Lake Forest 9
Los Alamitos Fewer than 5*
Mission Viejo 9
Newport Beach 41
Orange 13
Placentia 6
Rancho Santa Margarita 5
San Clemente 16
San Juan Capistrano 9
Santa Ana 22
Seal Beach 1
Stanton 1
Tustin 7
Villa Park Fewer than 5*
Westminster 7
Yorba Linda 13
Other 15
Unknown 49
*The county does not provide exact counts for cities that have fewer than 25,000 residents and fewer than five cases. Those, as well as results from unincorporated areas, are reflected in the “other” category.


latimes--2020-03-30--Orange County preparing for patient surge, releases inmates early as coronavirus cases continue to c

Orange County preparing for patient surge, releases inmates early as coronavirus cases continue to climb

Coronavirus infections continue to climb in Orange County — and reached 464 Monday .
Since the start of last week , the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county has more than tripled .
The cities of Anaheim , Irvine and Newport Beach alone now have 126 confirmed cases among them — one more than the entire county had only a week ago .
Four deaths — two men and two women — have been reported .
Three of those individuals were at least 65 years old , and one was between 45 and 64 years old , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So far , 5,522 people have been tested countywide .
The coronavirus outbreak has also reached the county ’ s jail system .
As of Monday , nine individuals “ who are showing symptomology consistent with COVID-19 '' were being isolated within the jail , according to county Sheriff Don Barnes .
Five inmates have tested positive , and roughly 150 are “ being quarantined under observation , ” he added .
Over the weekend , 130 people were released from custody early — including 43 who were considered medically at risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years old or had preexisting health conditions , according to Barnes .
Overall , Barnes said the county ’ s jail population has shrunk by 838 inmates since March 1 , about a 15 % reduction .
Much of that is due to natural attrition — fewer people entering the jail to replace those who are released as scheduled .
As the number of cases continues to grow in California , officials at all levels of government are preparing for an anticipated crush of coronavirus patients .
“ All hospitals with emergency departments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services and are actively preparing for patient surge , ” said David Souleles , the county ’ s director of public health services .
Officials , he added , are “ actively working with the state to site a large regional alternate care site here in Orange County.
” In the city of Costa Mesa — which generated headlines as it fiercely contested a proposal last month to move coronavirus patients to the local Fairview Developmental Center — officials are now singing a different tune , given the anticipated need for tens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Much has changed since the Fairview Developmental Center was being considered as a site for COVID-19 patients several weeks ago , ” City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison said in a statement Monday .
“ The federal , state and local governments are now all actively engaged on the COVID-19 response in a coordinated , collaborative effort.
” Given the sharp uptick in cases countywide , she added , “ it is imperative that we have the resources to care for those needing medical treatment , including our loved ones .
No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As of Monday , there were 11 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Costa Mesa , according to county health officials .
Along with Fairview , a state-owned facility that had long housed adults with developmental and behavioral disabilities , Costa Mesa officials said the state is also looking into whether other surplus properties — such as the Orange County fairgrounds — could be used to house coronavirus or other hospital patients .
Such efforts would supplement the recent arrival of the Navy hospital ship Mercy , which docked at the Port of Los Angeles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s COVID-19 case growth has been slower in recent days — with 65 cases reported on Sunday and Monday combined , compared with 83 on Saturday — health officials say it ’ s far too early to draw big-picture conclusions from the data .
“ A single day , or even two days , doesn ’ t necessarily mean a whole lot , ” said County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick .
“ So , we want people to continue to follow what our cases are over a period of time.
” She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important for everybody to follow the governor ’ s , state and local health officer orders to remain at home unless you are leaving for essential business.
” Orange County officials also released tips last week on how to stay mentally resilient in the midst of the public health crisis — urging residents to establish an emotional support system by maintaining daily routines to the extent possible and keeping in touch with family and friends , tapping into reliable sources of information to better understand COVID-19 and taking steps to stem its spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impacts of COVID-19 dominate the world news , we have all witnessed and experienced the parallel spread of worry , anxiety and uncertainty , ” county officials said .
“ The way to overcome this natural tendency is to build our mental resilience , the ability to refocus , clear our minds and discard negative thoughts .
”

A man peers into the Sugar Shack Cafe in downtown Huntington Beach on March 18. Orange County bars, breweries and wineries were ordered to close, restaurants were told to offer take-out or delivery only, and people were told not to gather to curb transmission of the coronavirus.
Coronavirus infections continue to climb in Orange County — and reached 464 Monday.
Since the start of last week, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county has more than tripled. The cities of Anaheim, Irvine and Newport Beach alone now have 126 confirmed cases among them — one more than the entire county had only a week ago.
Four deaths — two men and two women — have been reported. Three of those individuals were at least 65 years old, and one was between 45 and 64 years old, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
So far, 5,522 people have been tested countywide.
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The coronavirus outbreak has also reached the county’s jail system.
As of Monday, nine individuals “who are showing symptomology consistent with COVID-19” were being isolated within the jail, according to county Sheriff Don Barnes.
Five inmates have tested positive, and roughly 150 are “being quarantined under observation,” he added.
Over the weekend, 130 people were released from custody early — including 43 who were considered medically at risk, meaning they were at least 65 years old or had preexisting health conditions, according to Barnes.
Overall, Barnes said the county’s jail population has shrunk by 838 inmates since March 1, about a 15% reduction. Much of that is due to natural attrition — fewer people entering the jail to replace those who are released as scheduled.
As the number of cases continues to grow in California, officials at all levels of government are preparing for an anticipated crush of coronavirus patients.
“All hospitals with emergency departments are operational and have canceled all nonessential services and are actively preparing for patient surge,” said David Souleles, the county’s director of public health services.
Officials, he added, are “actively working with the state to site a large regional alternate care site here in Orange County.”
In the city of Costa Mesa — which generated headlines as it fiercely contested a proposal last month to move coronavirus patients to the local Fairview Developmental Center — officials are now singing a different tune, given the anticipated need for tens of thousands of additional hospital beds statewide.
“Much has changed since the Fairview Developmental Center was being considered as a site for COVID-19 patients several weeks ago,” City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison said in a statement Monday. “The federal, state and local governments are now all actively engaged on the COVID-19 response in a coordinated, collaborative effort.”
Given the sharp uptick in cases countywide, she added, “it is imperative that we have the resources to care for those needing medical treatment, including our loved ones. No one is immune from this disease.”
As of Monday, there were 11 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Costa Mesa, according to county health officials.
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Along with Fairview, a state-owned facility that had long housed adults with developmental and behavioral disabilities, Costa Mesa officials said the state is also looking into whether other surplus properties — such as the Orange County fairgrounds — could be used to house coronavirus or other hospital patients.
Such efforts would supplement the recent arrival of the Navy hospital ship Mercy, which docked at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday.
While Orange County’s COVID-19 case growth has been slower in recent days — with 65 cases reported on Sunday and Monday combined, compared with 83 on Saturday — health officials say it’s far too early to draw big-picture conclusions from the data.
“A single day, or even two days, doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot,” said County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick. “So, we want people to continue to follow what our cases are over a period of time.”
She added, “It’s very important for everybody to follow the governor’s, state and local health officer orders to remain at home unless you are leaving for essential business.”
Orange County officials also released tips last week on how to stay mentally resilient in the midst of the public health crisis — urging residents to establish an emotional support system by maintaining daily routines to the extent possible and keeping in touch with family and friends, tapping into reliable sources of information to better understand COVID-19 and taking steps to stem its spread.
“As the spread and far-reaching impacts of COVID-19 dominate the world news, we have all witnessed and experienced the parallel spread of worry, anxiety and uncertainty,” county officials said. “The way to overcome this natural tendency is to build our mental resilience, the ability to refocus, clear our minds and discard negative thoughts.”


latimes--2020-03-30--San Francisco Bay Area to extend coronavirus shelter-in-place order through at least May 1

Health officers in six counties of the the San Francisco Bay Area will soon extend the shelter-in-place order until at @ @ @ @ @ counties — Alameda , Contra Costa , Marin , San Francisco , San Mateo , @ @ @ @ @ the first in California to issue sweeping restrictions on social movements to slow the spread @ @ @ @ @ then , the state of California have followed suit .
The news underscores that the @ @ @ @ @ be in place for some time .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom has said he doubts @ @ @ @ @ end of the academic year .
The California death toll from the coronavirus has risen @ @ @ @ @ warning of tough weeks ahead as the of the virus continues RELATED : This is @ @ @ @ @ There are currently more than 6,800 confirmed cases of the virus in the state .
@ @ @ @ @ Unified School District Supt .
Austin Beutner announced the first confirmed case of the virus @ @ @ @ @ The infection was reported to officials last week .

Health officers in six counties of the San Francisco Bay Area will soon extend the shelter-in-place order until at least May 1.
Those counties — Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara — were the first in California to issue sweeping restrictions on social movements to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and since then, the state of California has followed suit.
An official announcement is expected Tuesday.
The news underscores that the restrictions are likely going to be in place for some time. Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he doubts schools will reopen before the end of the academic year.
The California death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 142, with officials warning of tough weeks ahead as the number of confirmed cases of the virus continues to surge.
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San Francisco Mayor London Breed said it seemed as if more residents stayed closer to home than last weekend, when too many people streamed into beaches and parks to socialize during the pandemic, and did not keep a distance of 6 feet from others.
Officials across the state responded by closing parks, beaches and parking lots to recreational facilities. The plan seemed to work, apart from a few hot spots. “Definitely an improvement from last weekend. The streets were pretty clear,” Breed said at a news conference. “We may not realize the impacts of this until this is all over, but eventually we will learn, I’m sure, that because of what we have done and how we all have participated in complying with social distancing, it truly has saved lives.”
San Mateo County officials also saw fewer people outside this weekend after authorities closed all county parks. The rain helped too.
“A lot more people did shelter in place,” said San Mateo County Manager Mike Callagy. “People really are grasping the severity of this issue and how the best way to protect yourself and your family is to shelter in place.”
Two weekends ago, some parks were seeing triple the number of usual guests, with people driving from all around and outside the county to visit. Some used the parks to relieve themselves when they found the park restrooms closed, Callagy said at a news conference.
Callagy urged people to stay in their own neighborhoods when seeking outdoor exercise, and keeping 6 feet apart from other people.
RELATED: This is the Bay Area shelter-in-place order
There are currently more than 6,800 confirmed cases of the virus in the state.
On Monday, Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Austin Beutner announced the first confirmed case of the virus in a district employee. The infection was reported to officials last week.


latimes--2020-03-30--Conditions at San Francisco medical facility deteriorate rapidly amid coronavirus outbreak

Conditions are deteriorating at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center , a long-term-care facility in San Francisco , amid a coronavirus outbreak there , city officials said Monday .
The mayor said nine employees of the large facility had tested positive as well as two patients .
Infection control nurses from the state and infection control physicians and epidemiologists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been sent to San Francisco to help deal with the outbreak , officials said .
“ I am saddened to report Laguna Honda hospital has a growing outbreak of coronavirus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of public health for San Francisco .
Because long-term-care facilities around the world have been at greater risk in the COVID-19 pandemic , “ we expect the situation to unfortunately get worse , ” Colfax said .
Laguna Honda is operated by the San Francisco Department of Public Health and is a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center with space for about 780 residents .
“ The situation will escalate in Laguna Honda , ” said Mayor London Breed at a news conference Monday , adding , “ The situation will escalate in San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in the city seemed to be adhering to a shelter-in-place order over the weekend .
There are 374 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in San Francisco , and six people have died .
The situation at Laguna Honda underscores larger concerns about hospitals in California in general as coronavirus cases spike .
The number of COVID-19 patients in California ’ s intensive-care beds doubled overnight , from 200 on Friday to 410 on Saturday , Gov .
Gavin Newsom said .
And the number of hospitalized patients testing positive for COVID-19 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rose by 38.6 % — from 746 on Friday to 1,034 on Saturday , he said .
“ We ’ re blessed that we ’ re just at 410 , devastating for the individuals there and their family members and loved ones , ” Newsom said at a news conference in Sunnyvale on Saturday .
“ But by comparison and contrast to other parts of this country , that number seems relatively modest.
” To prepare for a surge in coronavirus patients , medical cots and equipment are being delivered to the San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Deliveries began Sunday , and the National Guard is expected be at the center through Tuesday to set up the equipment .
The federal treatment site can house 250 patients with mild symptoms .
“ The latest projections estimate that a medical surge could push the hospitals in our county to capacity and we ’ ll need another location to house patients requiring particular levels of care , ” County Manager Mike Callagy said .
“ We can ’ t just wait to see if this will happen .
”

Conditions are deteriorating at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center facility in San Francisco, amid a coronavirus outbreak there, city officials said Monday.
Mayor London Breed said nine employees of the large facility had tested positive as well as two patients. Infection control nurses from the state and infectious disease physicians and epidemiologists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been sent to San Francisco to help deal with the outbreak, officials said.
“I am saddened to report to the San Francisco community the Laguna Honda hospital has a growing outbreak of coronavirus,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of public health for San Francisco. Because long-term-care facilities around the world have been at greater risk in the COVID-19 pandemic, “we expect the situation to unfortunately get worse,” Colfax said.
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Laguna Honda is operated by the San Francisco Department of Public Health and is a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center with space for about 780 residents.
“The situation will escalate in Laguna Honda,” Breed said at a news conference Monday, adding, “It escalate here in San Francisco.”
The nine Laguna Honda workers and two patients infected with the coronavirus are in good condition, Colfax said Monday. Since March 26, 158 workers and 54 patients were tested for the virus. Of the patients, 51 tested negative and one result is still pending. Among staff, 156 have tested negative and 25 tests are underway.
Colfax said he expected for infections to be reported in both staff and the residents. Managers are working to train staff on proper wearing of personal protective equipment and thorough cleaning of resident rooms and common spaces.
The two units where coronavirus cases have been diagnosed are under an extensive quarantine order; each unit houses about 60 residents. Doors have been secured and sheriff’s deputies are monitoring the exits to prevent residents from leaving, and are only allowing appropriate staff to enter. Residents are being monitored for illness during every shift, and staff are screened twice for symptoms at every shift.
Laguna Honda is also setting up a field care clinic as a precaution in case there’s a need to separate groups of patients, Colfax said.
Tracking the coronavirus in California The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.
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Breed said that more people in the city seemed to be adhering to a shelter-in-place order over the weekend. There are 374 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in San Francisco, and six people have died.
There are still challenges San Francisco is facing. The city still doesn’t have a good estimate what percentage of San Francisco residents likely have the coronavirus, Colfax said. They also are short of testing swabs. “We are struggling to get swabs in order to test,” Colfax said. There are multiple items that are in short supply — from items needed to capture a specimen to test to the chemicals needing to process the tests.
The situation at Laguna Honda underscores larger concerns about hospitals in California in general as coronavirus cases spike.
Hospitals risk being overwhelmed by a growing number of sick patients.
The number of COVID-19 patients in California’s intensive-care beds doubled overnight, from 200 on Friday to 410 on Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. And the number of hospitalized patients testing positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, rose by 38.6% — from 746 on Friday to 1,034 on Saturday, he said.
“We’re blessed that we’re just at 410, devastating for the individuals there and their family members and loved ones,” Newsom said at a news conference in Sunnyvale on Saturday. “But by comparison and contrast to other parts of this country, that number seems relatively modest.”
To prepare for a surge in coronavirus patients, medical cots and equipment are being delivered to the San Mateo Event Center in the Bay Area.
Deliveries began Sunday, and the National Guard is expected be at the center through Tuesday to set up the equipment. The federal treatment site can house 250 patients with mild symptoms.
“The latest projections estimate that a medical surge could push the hospitals in our county to capacity and we’ll need another location to house patients requiring particular levels of care,” County Manager Mike Callagy said. “We can’t just wait to see if this will happen.”