latimes--2020-08-24--Skelton: California is too dependent on the rich. Now isn't the time for another millionaires' tax

Democratic legislators want California ’ s richest taxpayers to “ pay their fair share.
” But by any objective measurement , they already do — plus a bunch .
The richest Americans arguably should pay a fairer share of federal taxes .
President Trump and the then-Republican Congress lowered federal income tax rates in 2017 , and the beneficiaries were primarily the wealthy and corporations .
But Trump and Republicans also made it financially harder on homeowners and middle-to-upper income people in high-tax states such as California .
They did that by placing a $ 10,000 cap on the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on federal tax returns .
That was a tax hike for many and should be repealed .
Even lefty senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren should like California ’ s very progressive state income tax .
It has the highest top state rate in the nation .
But liberal Sacramento Democrats want to boost rates still higher .
Put it this way : The top 1 % of California taxpayers kick in nearly half the state income tax .
Specifically , the top 1 % — with 24 % of the earnings — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2018 , the last year for which there ’ s complete data .
The bottom 90 % paid only about 22 % ; the bottom 60 % , 2.4 % .
Bottom line , California is already leaning very heavily on its richest citizens — too heavily for good tax policy .
California ’ s top rate is 13.3 % .
Hawaii has the next highest at 11 % .
New Jersey ’ s is 10.75 % .
Every other state ’ s highest rates are in the single digits .
Seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all , including economic competitors Texas and Florida , and bordering Nevada .
A bill was recently introduced in Sacramento to boost California ’ s highest rate to 16.8 % .
But it would kick in only for people making more than $ 5 million annually .
There ’ d be an added 1 % surcharge on incomes exceeding $ 1 million , increasing to 3 % on earnings above $ 2 million .
At $ 5 million , a 3.5 % surcharge would be triggered .
The so-called millionaires tax would raise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Californians are jobless and struggling to put food on the table , while the rich contemplate which vacation house to stay in , ” the author , Assemblyman Miguel Santiago ( D-Los Angeles ) , said in a statement .
Shortly afterward , the nation ’ s first “ wealth tax ” was proposed by Assemblyman Rob Bonta ( D-Alameda ) .
It would impose a 0.4 % annual levy on net worth of more than $ 30 million , excluding real estate .
That would raise an estimated $ 7.5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are hurting right now .
COVID-19 has only made matters worse , ” Bonta said .
“ In times of crisis , all Californians must step up and contribute their fair share.
” Both measures are being pushed by teachers unions that are seeking more money for schools .
Teachers are also sponsoring a commercial property tax increase — Proposition 15 on the Nov. 3 ballot .
It would raise up to $ 12 billion annually for schools and local governments by taxing most commercial property based on market value rather than the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It would be the first major rollback of the landmark 1978 property tax cut .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom seemed leery of the wealth and millionaires taxes when asked about them at a news conference .
“ Look , I want to see where things go over the next few months , ” he said , referring to the economy , the state ’ s bleeding budget , hoped-for federal help and whether the property tax initiative passes .
The governor appeared to be worried about scaring off potential investors in the California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even at a local level , one has to consider the impacts of these decisions in terms of our competitive environment , ” the governor said .
Santiago and Bonta no sooner introduced their bills than they dropped them , at least for this legislative session .
Time was running out to reach agreement on politically dicey measures that needed to win two-thirds majority votes for passage .
Lawmakers must adjourn by Aug. 31 .
But Bonta was hoping that Newsom would call the Legislature back into a special session to consider the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be nimble and flexible , ” he told me .
“ We can ’ t just wait until January while wildfires are burning and COVID-19 is spreading .
We need more revenue now , not after January.
” And the super-rich could easily afford to dig deeper , both lawmakers insisted .
Sure , California ’ s income tax is the nation ’ s highest , Bonta said , “ but we have the most millionaires and billionaires too .
We have unheard-of wealth in this state… .
We also have the highest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve never seen such vitriolic and vigorous defense of millionaires and billionaires.
” It just seems like a bad look to me : Democrats perpetually seeking tax increases , even in good times .
It feeds the Republican message that Democrats are unbridled tax-and-spenders .
Democrats should focus on finally updating the state ’ s volatile tax system , which floods the treasury with surplus revenue in boom times and slows to a trickle during busts .
That ’ s because it depends too heavily on wealthy people ’ s capital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its tax base by reducing the top rates and extending the sales tax to commercial services .
But that ’ s too politically risky and requires leadership .
It ’ s much easier to harass a relatively few rich people .

Large boxes full of already opened and emptied envelopes sit at the Franchise Tax Board before being recycled in Sacramento.
Democratic legislators want California’s richest taxpayers to “pay their fair share.” But by any objective measurement, they already do — plus a bunch.
We’re talking about state taxes, not federal.
The richest Americans arguably should pay a fairer share of federal taxes. President Trump and the then-Republican Congress lowered federal income tax rates in 2017, and the beneficiaries were primarily the wealthy and corporations.
But Trump and Republicans also made it financially harder on homeowners and middle-to-upper income people in high-tax states such as California. They did that by placing a $10,000 cap on the state and local taxes that could be deducted on federal tax returns. That was a tax hike for many and should be repealed.
Advertisement
Even lefty senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren should like California’s very progressive state income tax. It has the highest top state rate in the nation. But liberal Sacramento Democrats want to boost rates still higher.
Put it this way: The top 1% of California taxpayers kick in nearly half the state income tax.
Specifically, the top 1% — with 24% of the earnings — paid 46% of state income taxes in 2018, the last year for which there’s complete data. The bottom 90% paid only about 22%; the bottom 60%, 2.4%.
Bottom line, California is already leaning very heavily on its richest citizens — too heavily for good tax policy.
California’s top rate is 13.3%. Hawaii has the next highest at 11%. New Jersey’s is 10.75%. Every other state’s highest rates are in the single digits.
Seven states have no personal income tax at all, including economic competitors Texas and Florida, and bordering Nevada.
Advertisement
A bill was recently introduced in Sacramento to boost California’s highest rate to 16.8%. But it would kick in only for people making more than $5 million annually.
There’d be an added 1% surcharge on incomes exceeding $1 million, increasing to 3% on earnings above $2 million. At $5 million, a 3.5% surcharge would be triggered.
The so-called millionaires tax would raise an estimated $6.8 billion a year.
California California Legislature to consider new tax on millionaires for schools, other services Assembly Bill 1253 would impose a new 1% surcharge on adjusted income starting at $1 million, increasing to 3% for those who earn more than $2 million and rising to 3.5% on income above $5 million.
“Californians are jobless and struggling to put food on the table, while the rich contemplate which vacation house to stay in,” the author, Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), said in a statement.
Shortly afterward, the nation’s first “wealth tax” was proposed by Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Alameda). It would impose a 0.4% annual levy on net worth of more than $30 million, excluding real estate. That would raise an estimated $7.5 billion from 30,400 Californians.
“Families are hurting right now. COVID-19 has only made matters worse,” Bonta said. “In times of crisis, all Californians must step up and contribute their fair share.”
Both measures are being pushed by teachers unions that are seeking more money for schools.
Teachers are also sponsoring a commercial property tax increase — Proposition 15 on the Nov. 3 ballot. It would raise up to $12 billion annually for schools and local governments by taxing most commercial property based on market value rather than the tight limits imposed by Proposition 13. It would be the first major rollback of the landmark 1978 property tax cut.
Gov. Gavin Newsom seemed leery of the wealth and millionaires taxes when asked about them at a news conference.
“Look, I want to see where things go over the next few months,” he said, referring to the economy, the state’s bleeding budget, hoped-for federal help and whether the property tax initiative passes.
The governor appeared to be worried about scaring off potential investors in the California economy.
“As a state and even at a local level, one has to consider the impacts of these decisions in terms of our competitive environment,” the governor said.
Santiago and Bonta no sooner introduced their bills than they dropped them, at least for this legislative session. Time was running out to reach agreement on politically dicey measures that needed to win two-thirds majority votes for passage. Lawmakers must adjourn by Aug. 31.
But Bonta was hoping that Newsom would call the Legislature back into a special session to consider the tax hikes.
“We need to be nimble and flexible,” he told me. “We can’t just wait until January while wildfires are burning and COVID-19 is spreading. We need more revenue now, not after January.”
And the super-rich could easily afford to dig deeper, both lawmakers insisted.
Sure, California’s income tax is the nation’s highest, Bonta said, “but we have the most millionaires and billionaires too. We have unheard-of wealth in this state…. We also have the highest levels of poverty in the nation…. I’ve never seen such vitriolic and vigorous defense of millionaires and billionaires.”
It just seems like a bad look to me: Democrats perpetually seeking tax increases, even in good times. It feeds the Republican message that Democrats are unbridled tax-and-spenders.
Democrats should focus on finally updating the state’s volatile tax system, which floods the treasury with surplus revenue in boom times and slows to a trickle during busts. That’s because it depends too heavily on wealthy people’s capital gains.
The state needs to broaden its tax base by reducing the top rates and extending the sales tax to commercial services.
But that’s too politically risky and requires leadership. It’s much easier to harass a relatively few rich people.


latimes--2020-08-22--LAPD fires projectiles during clashes at Tujunga rally

The Los Angeles Police Department fired projectiles as two groups of protesters clashed in Tujunga on Friday afternoon , authorities said .
About 3 p.m. , officers with the LAPD ’ s Foothill division responded to the area by Lowell Avenue and Foothill Boulevard to disperse a crowd of supporters of President Trump and counter-protesters , the department said in a news release .
LAPD spokesman Officer Mike Chan said that about 200 people had arrived to rally against a pro-Trump demonstration often organized in the area .
About 100 Trump supporters had showed up on Friday , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and at one point , a counter-protester hit a Trump supporter with a pipe , according to the department .
While officers tried to take the protester into custody , a second counter-protester tried to prevent the arrest .
Both protesters were then taken into custody .
Police declared an unlawful assembly and told the crowd to leave .
Officials said that the protesters then began throwing objects at officers who were trying to disperse the crowd .
“ Less lethal ” munitions like fired projectiles were used in response , Chan said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how many rounds were fired or by how many officers .
The department , he said , is investigating whether any civilians were injured as a result .
“ The LAPD will continue to provide the necessary resources to ensure the safe and peaceful expression of opinions , ” the department said in a statement .
“ When demonstrators begin to violate the law and create unsafe conditions for the demonstrators , officers , and the public , department personnel will continue to take appropriate enforcement action.
” By about 6 p.m. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities said .

The Los Angeles Police Department fired projectiles as two groups of protesters clashed in Tujunga on Friday afternoon, authorities said.
About 3 p.m., officers with the LAPD’s Foothill division responded to the area by Lowell Avenue and Foothill Boulevard to disperse a crowd of supporters of President Trump and counter-protesters, the department said in a news release.
LAPD spokesman Officer Mike Chan said that about 200 people had arrived to rally against a pro-Trump demonstration often organized in the area. About 100 Trump supporters had showed up on Friday, he said.
Advertisement
The groups began to clash, and at one point, a counter-protester hit a Trump supporter with a pipe, according to the department. While officers tried to take the protester into custody, a second counter-protester tried to prevent the arrest. Both protesters were then taken into custody.
Police declared an unlawful assembly and told the crowd to leave. Officials said that the protesters then began throwing objects at officers who were trying to disperse the crowd. “Less lethal” munitions like fired projectiles were used in response, Chan said.
Chan said he did not know how many rounds were fired or by how many officers. The department, he said, is investigating whether any civilians were injured as a result.
“The LAPD will continue to provide the necessary resources to ensure the safe and peaceful expression of opinions,” the department said in a statement. “When demonstrators begin to violate the law and create unsafe conditions for the demonstrators, officers, and the public, department personnel will continue to take appropriate enforcement action.”
By about 6 p.m., both groups of protesters had dispersed, authorities said.


latimes--2020-08-25--California counties stuck in limbo as they wait for Newsom's reopening rules

Gov .
Gavin Newsom appeared to deliver welcome news on Monday to counties that have slowed the spread of coronavirus and been removed from the state ’ s watchlist only to find themselves in limbo as they await his long-promised reopening rules .
The governor said counties must wait two weeks to reopen businesses after they come off the state ’ s list , a timeline that would allow Santa Cruz to open later this week and Placer and San Diego to follow the week after .
“ There has to be a 14-day period between the application [ and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopening any sector of the economy , ” Newsom said Monday .
“ So , there ’ s no delay in that respect for these counties moving forward.
” But later an aide sought to recast Newsom ’ s comment and it became clear that he misspoke .
The fumble only added to the confusion county officials across California are feeling about the directives — or lack thereof — coming from Sacramento since the pandemic began .
While Newsom has preached the importance of local control , the state has taken the lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health guidelines with little notice and less explanation for how counties should interpret the rules .
“ I know these are unprecedented times , ” said Placer County Supervisor Bonnie Gore .
“ I know they are busy , but we have residents who are very concerned and I don ’ t have answers .
We don ’ t have the freedom to make our own decisions so we have to ask the state for direction .
I want to be sympathetic to the state , but we have residents asking us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tied.
” Under a system developed by the state , counties are added to the monitoring list and must shutter additional businesses if they experience three days of elevated disease transmission , increased hospitalizations or limited hospital capacity .
Counties drop off the list if those trends reverse and they meet the state standards for another three days .
Eight counties in California have been removed from the list and are waiting for state guidelines to instruct them on how and when they can begin reopening some of the businesses and sectors they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as indoor church services , gyms and malls .
Though the governor said Monday that the process would begin two weeks after a county falls off the list , he meant that no counties had been off the list for more than two weeks , the length of time they must wait before opening schools , said Kate Folmar , a spokeswoman for California Health and Human Services .
“ Our revised framework to be released later this week will give more clarity on how long of a pause is required between tightening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Folmar said .
By most measures , California ’ s first reopening didn ’ t go as well as Newsom had hoped .
The state ultimately allowed counties to reopen before they met state thresholds for contact-tracing staff and daily targets for testing .
Newsom also loosened rules that had barred counties with COVID-19 deaths in the previous two weeks from reopening , one of several changes he said in mid-May would have allowed 53 of 58 counties to begin that process .
The virus surged and by July , the state began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around , the governor has said the state will keep tighter controls on county reopenings .
As the state develops a new process , the Newsom administration has also been grappling with record-setting wildfires , a historic heat wave , power outages and lightning strikes .
Santa Cruz became the first county removed from the watchlist following data issues that forced the state to freeze the list , much to the dismay of local officials .
The county dropped off the list days before major wildfires ignited in the region .
“ Unfortunately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the fires , ” Santa Cruz County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty said .
“ There hasn ’ t been a lot of time to work through the implications of coming off the watchlist .
This crisis has surpassed our previous crisis .
But as things stabilize , we will try to figure these things out going forward.
” Since Santa Cruz County was removed , Coonerty and fellow Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend said there has been no communication from the state about what that means .
“ The county has not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neither has any other county I ’ ve talked to , ” Friend said .
The lack of clarity from the governor ’ s office predates the most recent round of disasters .
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said the governor ’ s announcements and orders have lacked detail and been difficult to implement .
She also said that counties have not been given enough notice before the state announces major decisions .
Barger cited a recent example of contradictory messaging from the state public health department and the state Board of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hair salons to operate outdoors .
The board and the department disagreed about whether outdoor salon services were allowed and Newsom was forced to publicly clarify that they were allowed days after he shut down businesses .
“ It causes confusion , ” Barger said .
“ When you ’ ve got industries that are already frustrated , that becomes even more exacerbated.
” San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and County Supervisor Greg Cox joined a chorus of county health officials seeking more information earlier this month .
In a letter to Newsom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear and consistent ” reopening guidance for counties that are now in compliance with the state ’ s metrics .
“ The lack of a consistent process for these businesses , with logical , data-driven triggers , exacerbates an increasingly difficult economic situation , and undermines the credibility of and compliance with the state ’ s public health order , ” they wrote .
As county officials await more information , Gore said that every day the state does not release the rules is another day cash-strapped businesses are unable to plan for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hear this now , ” she said .
“ Businesses need time to adjust .
They are just waiting .
”

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday more counties came off California’s COVID-19 watchlist over the weekend after posting declines in cases, transmission rates and hospitalizations for three consecutive days and that guidance was expected to be released this week.
Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared to deliver welcome news on Monday to counties that have slowed the spread of coronavirus and been removed from the state’s watchlist only to find themselves in limbo as they await his long-promised reopening rules.
The governor said counties must wait two weeks to reopen businesses after they come off the state’s list, a timeline that would allow Santa Cruz to open later this week and Placer and San Diego to follow the week after.
“There has to be a 14-day period between the application [and] implementation of not only schools but reopening any sector of the economy,” Newsom said Monday. “So, there’s no delay in that respect for these counties moving forward.”
Advertisement
But later an aide sought to recast Newsom’s comment and it became clear that he misspoke. The fumble only added to the confusion county officials across California are feeling about the directives — or lack thereof — coming from Sacramento since the pandemic began. While Newsom has preached the importance of local control, the state has taken the lead on California’s response and announced public health guidelines with little notice and less explanation for how counties should interpret the rules.
“I know these are unprecedented times,” said Placer County Supervisor Bonnie Gore. “I know they are busy, but we have residents who are very concerned and I don’t have answers. We don’t have the freedom to make our own decisions so we have to ask the state for direction. I want to be sympathetic to the state, but we have residents asking us and we feel like our hands are tied.”
Under a system developed by the state, counties are added to the monitoring list and must shutter additional businesses if they experience three days of elevated disease transmission, increased hospitalizations or limited hospital capacity. Counties drop off the list if those trends reverse and they meet the state standards for another three days.
Eight counties in California have been removed from the list and are waiting for state guidelines to instruct them on how and when they can begin reopening some of the businesses and sectors they had been forced to close, such as indoor church services, gyms and malls.
Though the governor said Monday that the process would begin two weeks after a county falls off the list, he meant that no counties had been off the list for more than two weeks, the length of time they must wait before opening schools, said Kate Folmar, a spokeswoman for California Health and Human Services.
“Our revised framework to be released later this week will give more clarity on how long of a pause is required between tightening and loosening restrictions on sectors,” Folmar said.
By most measures, California’s first reopening didn’t go as well as Newsom had hoped.
Advertisement
The state ultimately allowed counties to reopen before they met state thresholds for contact-tracing staff and daily targets for testing. Newsom also loosened rules that had barred counties with COVID-19 deaths in the previous two weeks from reopening, one of several changes he said in mid-May would have allowed 53 of 58 counties to begin that process.
The virus surged and by July, the state began implementing business restrictions again.
This time around, the governor has said the state will keep tighter controls on county reopenings. As the state develops a new process, the Newsom administration has also been grappling with record-setting wildfires, a historic heat wave, power outages and lightning strikes.
Santa Cruz became the first county removed from the watchlist following data issues that forced the state to freeze the list, much to the dismay of local officials. The county dropped off the list days before major wildfires ignited in the region.
“Unfortunately, us coming off the watchlist coincides with the fires,” Santa Cruz County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty said. “There hasn’t been a lot of time to work through the implications of coming off the watchlist. This crisis has surpassed our previous crisis. But as things stabilize, we will try to figure these things out going forward.”
Since Santa Cruz County was removed, Coonerty and fellow Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend said there has been no communication from the state about what that means.
“The county has not received a timeline or metrics, and neither has any other county I’ve talked to,” Friend said.
The lack of clarity from the governor’s office predates the most recent round of disasters.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said the governor’s announcements and orders have lacked detail and been difficult to implement. She also said that counties have not been given enough notice before the state announces major decisions.
Barger cited a recent example of contradictory messaging from the state public health department and the state Board of Barbering & Cosmetology over the ability of hair salons to operate outdoors. The board and the department disagreed about whether outdoor salon services were allowed and Newsom was forced to publicly clarify that they were allowed days after he shut down businesses.
“It causes confusion,” Barger said. “When you’ve got industries that are already frustrated, that becomes even more exacerbated.”
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and County Supervisor Greg Cox joined the chorus of county officials seeking more information earlier this month. In a letter to Newsom on Aug. 14, they requested “clear and consistent” reopening guidance for counties that are now in compliance with the state’s metrics.
“The lack of a consistent process for these businesses, with logical, data-driven triggers, exacerbates an increasingly difficult economic situation, and undermines the credibility of and compliance with the state’s public health order,” they wrote.
As county officials await more information, Gore said that every day the state does not release the rules is another day cash-strapped businesses are unable to plan for their future.
“Our businesses want to hear this now,” she said. “Businesses need time to adjust. They are just waiting.”


latimes--2020-08-25--In Bonny Doon, a 'ragtag outfit' stays behind to save homes from wildfires

This town northwest of Santa Cruz is known for its wineries , rugged redwood canyons and a Scottish name said to originate from a Robert Burns song .
Many of its 2,600 residents prefer that the world leave them alone — except when an explosive wildfire is raging through their unincorporated community .
Getting little initial help from outside fire agencies , about 50 Bonny Doon residents decided to stay behind in a bid to save homes from the CZU Lighting Complex fire .
“ We ’ ve been battling it , kind of a ragtag outfit , ” Mike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He said many residents were used to living under the threat of fire and were prepared with water tanks and hydrants .
“ They basically created their own small fire department , ” said Zucker ’ s nephew Joel Kauffman , 44 , who owns a house in Davenport and currently lives in Hawaii .
“ They ’ ve got Google Docs , they ’ re paying attention to weather forecasts and exit routes — they ’ re extremely well organized .
If they hadn ’ t done this , countless more homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a drive up Alba Road from Ben Lomond to Empire Grade , in Bonny Doon , revealed a post-apocalyptic scene , with the skeletons of trees curled down toward the ashy , wind-swept ground , black and charred .
Blown-out shells of water tanks and propane tanks dotted the landscape .
It is not known how many Bonny Doon homes burned last week , but residents were ordered to evacuate — critical since the community is known for its narrow canyon roads , where people and firefighters could easily be trapped in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the fire would continue to rage south into nearby UC Santa Cruz , prompting authorities to evacuate the campus .
Nonetheless , some people stayed , and some stayed to fight flames .
Several in Kauffman ’ s family were working as members of the improvised crew , and have been toiling for days straight without a break .
“ They ’ ve got squads , scouters on motorbikes , chainsaws , bulldozers , ” he said .
“ They ’ re creating their own fire lines with very little to no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there were some Cal Fire crews in the area working hard to fight the blaze , there simply haven ’ t been enough of them , ” Zucker said .
But things appeared to shift Sunday afternoon , when multiple strike teams arrived and helicopters started dumping water from a nearby pond on the community , he said .
Stacie Brownlee , fire chief from the nearby town of Ben Lomond , said that after news stories publicized the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ‘ s lack of support in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minimal reinforcements .
“ That ’ s really turned things around , ” Zucker said over the crackle of walkie talkies , which he and other residents have been using to coordinate .
As the fire pushed up from the east , the improvised crew had focused their effort on keeping it from going down into the steep , overgrown Laguna Canyon to the west , which would have funneled the flames toward more homes , including his own , he said .
“ That would have been a disaster , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much fuel it would have burnt considerably further and jeopardized our house.
” They were successful in digging a containment line that stopped the fire before it reached the canyon .
“ Everybody was kind of armed with a chainsaw , ” Zucker said .
“ Lots of shovels .
The bulldozers being able to make fire breaks.
” Once the fire line was bulldozed through , residents monitored the area to put out small spot fires that kept creeping over , he said .
They put out flames on one of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
It was still standing Sunday .
As word spread of their fight , people snuck through roadblocks to deliver supplies or to lend a hand .
“ There are supply chains ; there ’ s people delivering food , ” Kauffman said , noting two of his in-laws were headed up there Sunday afternoon .
“ It ’ s far from an unorganized group.
” For firefighters in Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek , the residents ’ presence is concerning , and also confusing .
Stories of people on motorbikes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to loot abandoned homes has made it hard for the firefighters to know who are residents — or thieves .
“ It just adds to the mess up here , ” said Todd Ellis , a captain with Ben Lomond ’ s fire district , as he pointed to two motorbikes speeding down Empire Grade .
By the time the added professional help arrived Sunday , it had been nearly a week since the fire raged into Bonny Doon , sparked by a siege of dry lightning strikes that lit up swaths of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said it had crews in the community throughout the week but that the agency has also been forced to contend with serious resource shortages due to the multitude of fires burning .
The number of firefighters assigned to the CZU fire had increased to 1,349 by Sunday morning after hovering at about 600 for several days earlier in the week , said Daniel Potter , a Cal Fire a public information officer .
“ So in the past few days we have more than doubled the initial firefighting force that was originally on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Still , when units get here , we ’ ll gladly take them , but there ’ s no saying when they ’ ll get here.
” Firefighters have also been hampered by a shortage of hand crews due in part to a lack of inmate firefighters , he said .
“ That ’ s always been a problem lately especially now that the whole COVID thing is going and the early release to help minimize the chance of people spreading it in the camp system , ” he said .
Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Zucker said he planned to remain behind .
He was apprehensive about a storm system forecast to hit the area starting Sunday night , but fortunately , the weather system proved mild .
“ We know that of course the professionals don ’ t want amateurs in their way , ” Zucker said .
“ But when there weren ’ t any professionals up here , we really had no choice .
”

Firefighters Cody Nordstrom, Kyle Harp and Robert Gonzalez, from left, of the North Central Fire station out of Kerman, Calif., look up at a water-dropping helicopter while fighting the CZU Lightning Complex Fire on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020, in Bonny Doon.
This town northwest of Santa Cruz is known for its wineries, rugged redwood canyons and a Scottish name said to originate from a Robert Burns song.
Many of its 2,600 residents prefer that the world leave them alone — except when an explosive wildfire is raging through their unincorporated community.
Getting little initial help from outside fire agencies, about 50 Bonny Doon residents decided to stay behind in a bid to save homes from the CZU Lighting Complex fire.
Advertisement
“We’ve been battling it, kind of a ragtag outfit,” Mike Zucker, 70, said Sunday. He said many residents were used to living under the threat of fire and were prepared with water tanks and hydrants.
Peter Koleckar sees home burned in his neighborhood in Bonny Doon, Calif. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
“They basically created their own small fire department,” said Zucker’s nephew Joel Kauffman, 44, who owns a house in Davenport and currently lives in Hawaii. “They’ve got Google Docs, they’re paying attention to weather forecasts and exit routes — they’re extremely well organized. If they hadn’t done this, countless more homes would have burned.”
On Friday, a drive up Alba Road from Ben Lomond to Empire Grade, in Bonny Doon, revealed a post-apocalyptic scene, with the skeletons of trees curled down toward the ashy, wind-swept ground, black and charred. Blown-out shells of water tanks and propane tanks dotted the landscape.
It is not known how many Bonny Doon homes burned last week, but residents were ordered to evacuate — critical since the community is known for its narrow canyon roads, where people and firefighters could easily be trapped in a firestorm. Last Thursday, authorities feared that the fire would continue to rage south into nearby UC Santa Cruz, prompting authorities to evacuate the campus.
Nonetheless, some people stayed, and some stayed to fight flames. Several in Kauffman’s family were working as members of the improvised crew, and have been toiling for days straight without a break.
“They’ve got squads, scouters on motorbikes, chainsaws, bulldozers,” he said. “They’re creating their own fire lines with very little to no support from Cal Fire.
Advertisement
A fire-damaged home is seen in the Pineridge subdivision in Bonny Doon. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press)
“While there were some Cal Fire crews in the area working hard to fight the blaze, there simply haven’t been enough of them,” Zucker said.
But things appeared to shift Sunday afternoon, when multiple strike teams arrived and helicopters started dumping water from a nearby pond on the community, he said.
Stacie Brownlee, fire chief from the nearby town of Ben Lomond, said that after news stories publicized the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection‘s lack of support in the area, the agency began sending in minimal reinforcements.
“That’s really turned things around,” Zucker said over the crackle of walkie talkies, which he and other residents have been using to coordinate.
As the fire pushed up from the east, the improvised crew had focused their effort on keeping it from going down into the steep, overgrown Laguna Canyon to the west, which would have funneled the flames toward more homes, including his own, he said.
A fire burns near a structure along Pine Flat road in Bonny Doon. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
“That would have been a disaster,” he said. “There’s so much fuel it would have burnt considerably further and jeopardized our house.”
They were successful in digging a containment line that stopped the fire before it reached the canyon.
“Everybody was kind of armed with a chainsaw,” Zucker said. “Lots of shovels. The bulldozers being able to make firebreaks.”
Once the fire line was bulldozed through, residents monitored the area to put out small spot fires that kept creeping over, he said. They put out flames on one of his neighbor’s houses three times, he said. It was still standing Sunday.
As word spread of their fight, people snuck through roadblocks to deliver supplies or to lend a hand.
“There are supply chains; there’s people delivering food,” Kauffman said, noting two of his in-laws were headed up there Sunday afternoon. “It’s far from an unorganized group.”
A firefighter walks along a smoke-filled road in Bonny Doon. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
For firefighters in Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek, the residents’ presence is concerning, and also confusing. Stories of people on motorbikes and vans entering the evacuated area to loot abandoned homes have made it hard for the firefighters to know who are residents — or thieves.
“It just adds to the mess up here,” said Todd Ellis, a captain with Ben Lomond’s fire district, as he pointed to two motorbikes speeding down Empire Grade.
By the time the added professional help arrived Sunday, it had been nearly a week since the fire raged into Bonny Doon, sparked by a siege of dry lightning strikes that lit up swaths of Northern and Central California.
Cal Fire said it had crews in the community throughout the week but that the agency has also been forced to contend with serious resource shortages due to the multitude of fires burning.
The number of firefighters assigned to the CZU fire had increased to 1,349 by Sunday morning after hovering at about 600 for several days earlier in the week, said Daniel Potter, a Cal Fire a public information officer.
“So in the past few days we have more than doubled the initial firefighting force that was originally on this fire,” he said. “Still, when units get here, we’ll gladly take them, but there’s no saying when they’ll get here.”
Firefighters have also been hampered by a shortage of hand crews due in part to a lack of inmate firefighters, he said.
“That’s always been a problem lately especially now that the whole COVID thing is going and the early release to help minimize the chance of people spreading it in the camp system,” he said.
Even with the added resources that arrived Sunday, Zucker said he planned to remain behind. He was apprehensive about a storm system forecast to hit the area starting Sunday night, but fortunately, the weather system proved mild.
“We know that of course the professionals don’t want amateurs in their way,” Zucker said. “But when there weren’t any professionals up here, we really had no choice.”


latimes--2020-08-25--Commentary: Why Grand Avenue and Frank Gehry are L.A.'s path out of the pandemic

Go ahead and put your crystal ball away .
You don ’ t need it .
We know that Los Angeles already had its intractable problems — homelessness , affordable housing , traffic , fires , earthquakes , drought , pollution , income inequality , long-standing systemic racism .
There is little doubt that the financial fallout from the nasty novel coronavirus has made matters only worse .
We also mercifully know one certain way to help : Build and renovate concert halls .
On the surface , that no doubt sounds idiotic — economically , socially and in just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not .
It is the simplest , surest , most affordable means of turning this town around .
Better still , we ’ re already nearly there .
So please , bear with me .
Let ’ s take a short stroll downtown along Grand Avenue between 1st and 3rd streets .
If you haven ’ t been there for a while — and there is a good chance you haven ’ t , what with the Music Center , the Broad , the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Colburn School @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be prepared to be startled .
A hulking skeleton of the Grand is fast rising across the street from Walt Disney Concert Hall .
When completed at the end of the next year , this monumental complex , designed by Frank Gehry , will provide the urban foundation for a world-class , world-destination arts avenue .
A mixed-use project , it will contain a hotel , housing ( including affordable units ) , shops , restaurants , movie theaters and public open spaces .
Done right , the Grand has the potential to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a city without a center , a place that stands for and is for all of L.A .
Done right , Grand Avenue becomes the Grand motivator , elevating a city ’ s spirit and inspiring it to deal with pressing needs .
Done right means building the concert hall complex that Gehry has designed for the Colburn School too .
The Colburn has purchased a parking lot at 2nd and Olive streets .
Gehry ’ s proposal is a stunning crystalline glass structure that immediately catches the eye and holds a hall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dance and opera .
The building also would house a smaller cabaret for experimental and late-night performances , plus dance studios and a restaurant .
Much of what goes on inside , particularly in the studios , would be visible to the street .
Lighted at night , it promises to be stunning .
What would truly enliven the venue is a proposed plaza that Gehry has designed across the street , where another parking lot stands .
That site would have a state-of-the-art sound system for free outdoor concerts .
A large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ projections of selected events in the new venues , just like the famed Wallcast concerts that have proved such a sensation at the New World Center , the concert hall and conservatory in Miami Beach that Gehry designed .
Gehry calls this the foundation of the foundation of the Grand .
It humanizes all around it .
Were the block of 2nd Street between Olive and Grand to be made pedestrian , we ’ d gain a grand connection with MOCA , the Broad and Disney Hall .
The new Colburn venues promise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that not only would complement his Disney Hall but also greatly enhance it , especially if we keep our think-big hats on .
In a recent Zoom conversation with the ever-feisty Gehry , just out of the pool from his daily mile swim , he described how he envisions Disney as an evolving structure taking its place in this new environment .
Along with proposals for restoring items cost-cut from the original plans — nightly projections of concerts on Disney Hall ’ s steel skin , an orchestra pit inside , an indoor-outdoor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the rear — the architect has a host of arresting new ideas .
Gehry has re-imagined BP Hall ( the space inside Disney where preconcert talks are held ) as an in-the-round chamber music venue , in the style of the miraculous Pierre Boulez Saal he designed for Berlin .
He has plans to convert the little-used Keck Amphitheater into an enclosed jazz club and to replace the little-used staircase on 1st Street with a hip glass-enclosed bar that he would like to be called the Fleischmann , in honor of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , responsible for Disney .
Do all this .
Close too a short stretch of Grand Avenue to car traffic .
Voilà , a scene .
More than that , a kind of arts polis , a democratic gathering place for arts and ideas .
Imagine people spilling out of the Grand to concert halls , theaters , clubs , museums and the plaza , with an illuminated Disney as spectacular , cubist movie screen lighting up the sky with the concerts inside .
No place in the world has such an indoor-outdoor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the L.A. character .
We ’ ve got the year-round weather , and it ’ s unfortunately going to get only warmer and drier .
Grand takes on more and more life , the more you think about it .
Accessibility has to be the key , and the new Metro Regional Connector Project will provide new stations on Spring and Hope streets .
MOCA and the Broad are free to the public , as will be the events in the plaza .
Already a world leader in diverse programming , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this needs to be an art center available to , and representative of , L.A. A center needs radii .
The Metro Purple Line Extension will run west to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and , farther down Wilshire Boulevard , to the new venue that UCLA ’ s Center for the Art of Performance is making out of the old Crest movie theater in Westwood .
But the real beauty is how the Grand Avenue projects can connect aspiring diverse young artists with communities in other parts of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ add public transportation from the YOLA Center in Inglewood ( scheduled for completion in December ) that Gehry has designed for the L.A. Phil ’ s youth orchestra and education programs .
In our discussion , Gehry announced that he ’ s designing a community arts training center in South Gate that he envisions as part of his massive L.A. River project .
Wooden bungalows could house community arts training facilities for YOLA , LACMA , the Colburn School , L.A. Dance Project and others , all of which Gehry said are eager @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , L.A. Dance Project and LACMA have all confirmed their interest in the South Gate project . )
We pride ourselves on being the most diverse major city in the world .
Grand Avenue is well poised to be our exalted multicultural meeting place .
For just one example , bring the Street Symphony from Skid Row to a sparkling new Colburn concert hall , and let ’ s see how quickly we start to think about potential , not problems .
The last thing we need the Grand to be is another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a West Coast replica of the much-criticized Hudson Yards in New York City .
Gehry says the project is having difficulty finding high-end retail to move in .
Perhaps that ’ s a silver lining to the dark financial storm clouds seeded by the COVID-19 pandemic .
Could the Grand be locally sourced instead ?
Were it to be a 21st century L.A. bazaar , who wouldn ’ t want to go there ?
After a year or two of pandemic separation , just think of how badly people will need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a city in recession will need a place like Grand Avenue to avoid the economically elitist trappings of sterile , corporate places like L.A. Live .
Once you start to look for it , opportunity exists around every corner .
The U.S. is the only major country without a major international arts festival .
Grand Avenue , anyone ?
There is nothing like a festival to bring a city back to life — or to take on a new life .
Just ask Edinburgh what an international arts festival did for its spirit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paris , London , Berlin , Vienna , Prague , Warsaw , Salzburg , Lucerne , Tokyo , Hong Kong — all used postwar arts festivals to rebuild public confidence and coffers .
For that , we need to do something else .
For a quarter of a century , the Music Center has put off its promised renovation of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion .
It ’ s too big .
Its acoustics are too dull .
It ’ s dowdy and needs updated stage facilities .
Opera these days is the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form everywhere but in the U.S. Los Angeles Opera could change that if had the right facilities .
A great city needs a great opera house , and a great modern city needs a great modern one .
It is no coincidence that many of China ’ s latest architectural wonders are opera houses .
Who ’ s going to pay for it ?
That should be the easiest question of all to answer .
The city and county obviously should take the lead .
They have an enormous amount to gain .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this investment would pay for itself over and over again .
Gehry ’ s $ 100-million Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao brought what was a backwater Spanish city into the limelight and billions in economic activity for the region over the last two decades .
Government should lead , but let ’ s face it , government won ’ t lead .
I ran this vision of Grand Avenue past former country Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky , a champion of the arts .
He loved it .
But for later , he insisted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ else on our plate .
But now is exactly when we need to act .
Think what is at stake .
In 2026 , we celebrate America ’ s 250th birthday .
In an era of profound reexamination of American history , the arts tell that story with the most nuance , emotion and self-awareness .
In 2028 , L.A. hosts the Summer Olympics and its accompanying arts festival .
Here , we show the world something worth watching .
As the nation frets about its old monuments and worries about its future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the celebration of who we are , monuments capable of generating optimism .
Build is what this country did during the Great Depression in the 1930s with the New Deal , including federal programs like the Works Progress Administration .
San Francisco ’ s War Memorial Opera House was a WPA project .
There was incredible pressure to abandon building Disney Hall in the 1990s .
L.A. was dispirited by an earthquake , riots and recession .
The L.A. Phil had a crushing debt , but it persevered .
Now L.A. has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ L.A. Phil is the model of success .
Alas , the short-sighted hand-wringing has begun anew .
Somewhere along the line , the Colburn School lost its moxie ; fundraising appears somewhere between never begun and stopped for good .
Gehry said the school is treating him like he doesn ’ t exist and will not make public his models , which I saw a year ago .
They are dazzling .
That ’ s crazy , considering what the school has to gain , especially were it to operate the venues with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Gehry ’ s price tag for the Colburn venues , including revenue-producing underground parking , is $ 310 million .
That is $ 5 million less than the combined selling prices of the mansions that Lachlan Murdoch and Jeff Bezos have bought here in the last year .
The Disney Hall renovations do not yet have a budget , although they do not appear to be particularly expensive .
There aren ’ t yet proposals for the Chandler .
But if we can ’ t do something this important , why should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other terribly important things ?
This town is home to great wealth .
During the Great Depression , Hollywood flourished , and it will again .
The tech world is doing very well , thank you very much .
It was been reported that U.S. billionaires have profited to the tune of $ 685 billion during lockdown .
The real bottom line : If any city has resources like ours but is not civic-minded enough to afford a life-affirming core , it ’ s doomed .

A rendering of the Grand, now under construction, with Grand Avenue closed and projections on Walt Disney Concert Hall. Gehry has designed another concert hall for the Colburn School nearby.
Go ahead and put your crystal ball away. You don’t need it. We know that Los Angeles already had its intractable problems — homelessness, affordable housing, traffic, fires, earthquakes, drought, pollution, income inequality, long-standing systemic racism. There is little doubt that the financial fallout from the nasty novel coronavirus has made matters only worse.
We also mercifully know one certain way to help: Build and renovate concert halls.
On the surface, that no doubt sounds idiotic — economically, socially and in just about every other way. It’s not. It is the simplest, surest, most affordable means of turning this town around. Better still, we’re already nearly there. So please, bear with me.
Let’s take a short stroll downtown along Grand Avenue between 1st and 3rd streets. If you haven’t been there for a while — and there is a good chance you haven’t, what with the Music Center, the Broad, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Colburn School closed since the middle of March — be prepared to be startled. A hulking skeleton of the Grand is fast rising across the street from Walt Disney Concert Hall.
When completed at the end of the next year, this monumental complex, designed by Frank Gehry, will provide the urban foundation for a world-class, world-destination arts avenue. A mixed-use project, it will contain a hotel, housing (including affordable units), shops, restaurants, movie theaters and public open spaces.
Advertisement
Done right, the Grand has the potential to make Grand Avenue the cultural beacon for a city without a center, a place that stands for and is for all of L.A. Done right, Grand Avenue becomes the Grand motivator, elevating a city’s spirit and inspiring it to deal with pressing needs.
Done right means building the concert hall complex that Gehry has designed for the Colburn School too. The Colburn has purchased a parking lot at 2nd and Olive streets. Gehry’s proposal is a stunning crystalline glass structure that immediately catches the eye and holds a hall of about 1,000 seats for concerts, dance and opera. The building also would house a smaller cabaret for experimental and late-night performances, plus dance studios and a restaurant. Much of what goes on inside, particularly in the studios, would be visible to the street. Lighted at night, it promises to be stunning.
A 3-D map showing where the proposed new Colburn School concert hall would rise. (The Colburn School)
What would truly enliven the venue is a proposed plaza that Gehry has designed across the street, where another parking lot stands. That site would have a state-of-the-art sound system for free outdoor concerts. A large wall at one end is designed for projections of selected events in the new venues, just like the famed Wallcast concerts that have proved such a sensation at the New World Center, the concert hall and conservatory in Miami Beach that Gehry designed.
Gehry calls this the foundation of the foundation of the Grand. It humanizes all around it. Were the block of 2nd Street between Olive and Grand to be made pedestrian, we’d gain a grand connection with MOCA, the Broad and Disney Hall.
The new Colburn venues promise a late masterpiece by the 91-year-old architect that not only would complement his Disney Hall but also greatly enhance it, especially if we keep our think-big hats on. In a recent Zoom conversation with the ever-feisty Gehry, just out of the pool from his daily mile swim, he described how he envisions Disney as an evolving structure taking its place in this new environment. Along with proposals for restoring items cost-cut from the original plans — nightly projections of concerts on Disney Hall’s steel skin, an orchestra pit inside, an indoor-outdoor café in front and the store moved to the rear — the architect has a host of arresting new ideas.
Advertisement
Gehry has re-imagined BP Hall (the space inside Disney where preconcert talks are held) as an in-the-round chamber music venue, in the style of the miraculous Pierre Boulez Saal he designed for Berlin. He has plans to convert the little-used Keck Amphitheater into an enclosed jazz club and to replace the little-used staircase on 1st Street with a hip glass-enclosed bar that he would like to be called the Fleischmann, in honor of the late Los Angeles Philharmonic manager Ernest Fleischmann, responsible for Disney.
Do all this. Close too a short stretch of Grand Avenue to car traffic. Voilà, a scene. More than that, a kind of arts polis, a democratic gathering place for arts and ideas.
Imagine people spilling out of the Grand to concert halls, theaters, clubs, museums and the plaza, with an illuminated Disney as spectacular, cubist movie screen lighting up the sky with the concerts inside. No place in the world has such an indoor-outdoor arts epicenter. Nothing could be more in the L.A. character. We’ve got the year-round weather, and it’s unfortunately going to get only warmer and drier.
Grand takes on more and more life, the more you think about it. Accessibility has to be the key, and the new Metro Regional Connector Project will provide new stations on Spring and Hope streets. MOCA and the Broad are free to the public, as will be the events in the plaza. Already a world leader in diverse programming, the L.A. Phil can help set the tone that this needs to be an art center available to, and representative of, L.A.
A center needs radii. The Metro Purple Line Extension will run west to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and, farther down Wilshire Boulevard, to the new venue that UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance is making out of the old Crest movie theater in Westwood.
But the real beauty is how the Grand Avenue projects can connect aspiring diverse young artists with communities in other parts of the city. The Crenshaw/LAX Transit project will add public transportation from the YOLA Center in Inglewood (scheduled for completion in December) that Gehry has designed for the L.A. Phil’s youth orchestra and education programs.
In our discussion, Gehry announced that he’s designing a community arts training center in South Gate that he envisions as part of his massive L.A. River project. Wooden bungalows could house community arts training facilities for YOLA, LACMA , the Colburn School, L.A. Dance Project and others, all of which Gehry said are eager to get aboard. (The Colburn, L.A. Dance Project and LACMA have all confirmed their interest in the South Gate project.)
Architect Frank Gehry, photographed with a model of the Grand at his offices in Los Angeles. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
We pride ourselves on being the most diverse major city in the world. Grand Avenue is well poised to be our exalted multicultural meeting place. For just one example, bring the Street Symphony from Skid Row to a sparkling new Colburn concert hall, and let’s see how quickly we start to think about potential, not problems.
The last thing we need the Grand to be is another fancy-schmancy mall full of the same-old chains, a West Coast replica of the much-criticized Hudson Yards in New York City. Gehry says the project is having difficulty finding high-end retail to move in. Perhaps that’s a silver lining to the dark financial storm clouds seeded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Could the Grand be locally sourced instead? Were it to be a 21st century L.A. bazaar, who wouldn’t want to go there? After a year or two of pandemic separation, just think of how badly people will need to congregate. Just think of how badly a city in recession will need a place like Grand Avenue to avoid the economically elitist trappings of sterile, corporate places like L.A. Live.
Once you start to look for it, opportunity exists around every corner. The U.S. is the only major country without a major international arts festival. Grand Avenue, anyone? There is nothing like a festival to bring a city back to life — or to take on a new life. Just ask Edinburgh what an international arts festival did for its spirit and economy after World War II. Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Warsaw, Salzburg, Lucerne, Tokyo, Hong Kong — all used postwar arts festivals to rebuild public confidence and coffers.
Artist rendering of Frank Gehry’s project the Grand, across the street from Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Related / CORE )
For that, we need to do something else. For a quarter of a century, the Music Center has put off its promised renovation of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. It’s too big. Its acoustics are too dull. It’s dowdy and needs updated stage facilities. Opera these days is the most exciting, revolutionary, probing theatrical art form everywhere but in the U.S. Los Angeles Opera could change that if had the right facilities. A great city needs a great opera house, and a great modern city needs a great modern one. It is no coincidence that many of China’s latest architectural wonders are opera houses.
Who’s going to pay for it? That should be the easiest question of all to answer. The city and county obviously should take the lead. They have an enormous amount to gain. As a generator of income and tourism, this investment would pay for itself over and over again. Gehry’s $100-million Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao brought what was a backwater Spanish city into the limelight and billions in economic activity for the region over the last two decades.
Government should lead, but let’s face it, government won’t lead. I ran this vision of Grand Avenue past former country Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, a champion of the arts. He loved it. But for later, he insisted. Not now. There is too much else on our plate.
But now is exactly when we need to act. Think what is at stake. In 2026, we celebrate America’s 250th birthday. In an era of profound reexamination of American history, the arts tell that story with the most nuance, emotion and self-awareness. In 2028, L.A. hosts the Summer Olympics and its accompanying arts festival. Here, we show the world something worth watching.
As the nation frets about its old monuments and worries about its future, we must build new monuments genuine in the celebration of who we are, monuments capable of generating optimism. Build is what this country did during the Great Depression in the 1930s with the New Deal, including federal programs like the Works Progress Administration. San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House was a WPA project.
There was incredible pressure to abandon building Disney Hall in the 1990s. L.A. was dispirited by an earthquake, riots and recession. The L.A. Phil had a crushing debt, but it persevered. Now L.A. has a 21st century icon, and the L.A. Phil is the model of success.
Alas, the short-sighted hand-wringing has begun anew. Somewhere along the line, the Colburn School lost its moxie; fundraising appears somewhere between never begun and stopped for good. Gehry said the school is treating him like he doesn’t exist and will not make public his models, which I saw a year ago. They are dazzling. That’s crazy, considering what the school has to gain, especially were it to operate the venues with a sense of civic and artistic generosity.
Gehry’s price tag for the Colburn venues, including revenue-producing underground parking, is $310 million. That is $5 million less than the combined selling prices of the mansions that Lachlan Murdoch and Jeff Bezos have bought here in the last year.
The Disney Hall renovations do not yet have a budget, although they do not appear to be particularly expensive. There aren’t yet proposals for the Chandler. But if we can’t do something this important, why should we have faith that we can do other terribly important things?
This town is home to great wealth. During the Great Depression, Hollywood flourished, and it will again. The tech world is doing very well, thank you very much. It was been reported that U.S. billionaires have profited to the tune of $685 billion during lockdown. The real bottom line: If any city has resources like ours but is not civic-minded enough to afford a life-affirming core, it’s doomed.


latimes--2020-08-25--Handcuffed Black suspect said, 'I can't breathe,' as L.A. firefighter allegedly struck him

A white Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter allegedly struck and tightened a towel around the head of a Black detainee who was handcuffed on an ambulance gurney , causing the man to yell , “ I can ’ t breathe , ” according to internal city records reviewed by The Times .
The incident occurred about 17 months ago and came to light after recent inquiries by The Times .
The episode was described in a letter prepared by the Fire Department ’ s top medical director , who said the firefighter might have violated a state law prohibiting abuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excessive force , the records show .
Dr. Marc Eckstein , commander of the Fire Department ’ s emergency medical services , expressed his concerns about the March 20 , 2019 , actions of firefighter Derek Farrow in a letter to a county health director , Dr. Marianne Gausche-Hill .
In a second document , he said that he reviewed Los Angeles Police Department video footage of the incident .
After an internal review , L.A. Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas sought a 12-day suspension for Farrow , who is now appealing that judgment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a department spokesman confirmed Monday .
Eckstein wrote in the Oct. 7 , 2019 , letter that Farrow “ appears to strike the patient twice in the head while the patient was restrained to the gurney by handcuffs and hobble restraints , ” and could be seen holding “ a towel over the patient ’ s head and forcefully tightening the towel to pin the patient ’ s head down to the gurney.
” “ During the audio portion of the video , the patient is yelling , ‘ I can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eckstein ’ s correspondence does not describe any actions that occurred before Farrow allegedly striking the patient .
Terrazas said Friday in a text message that the department handled Farrow ’ s case “ following all established protocols and procedures.
” “ The incident was referred to the LAFD by law enforcement and no criminal complaint was filed , ” Terrazas said , referring to the LAPD .
Farrow didn ’ t respond to requests for comment .
Freddy Escobar , president of the L.A. firefighters union , confirmed that Farrow asked for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to discuss the facts of the case .
“ I ’ m sure there ’ s a lot of stuff that ’ s not being told , and that ’ s not fair , ” he said .
A complete account of the 2019 incident has not been made available .
A police officer ’ s body camera captured the incident , and The Times filed a public records request last week for the footage , which has not yet been provided .
Police officials declined to provide other documents related to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detained suspect , Earl Hatton , 24 , was being moved on the gurney from the ambulance entrance to the jail ward at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center , according to the records .
The ambulance had picked him up at the Los Angeles Police Department ’ s 77th Street station , the records say .
It could not be immediately determined why he needed medical treatment .
Hatton had been arrested that morning on suspicion of assaulting a woman with a brick and resisting arrest , according to LAPD officials and court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a deadly weapon and resisting a police officer and is now serving a four-year term in state prison at San Luis Obispo .
Eckstein wrote that Farrow was already the subject of an internal investigation , but that he was notifying Gausche-Hill because “ his actions may constitute a violation ” of the state law .
Farrow has remained on duty since the incident , officials said .
News of the incident comes at a time of nationwide anger over policing and the in-custody treatment of Black people .
George Floyd repeatedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” as he was detained by Minneapolis police officers , one of whom knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes .
The phrase has become a rallying cry against police abuse and excessive force .
Floyd ’ s May 25 death was followed by massive protests around the country , including in L.A. , where officials proposed new limits on the types of force that police can use to detain people .
Farrow ’ s hearing will be conducted by a Board of Rights , which is a panel of Fire Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the appropriate discipline , if any .
Domingo Albarran Jr. , Farrow ’ s representative in the union , declined to comment .
Hatton could not immediately be reached for comment .
The public defender ’ s office , which represented him in his criminal case , declined to comment .
Terrazas said they would not discuss the case in detail because it is a personnel matter .
Open-government advocates , however , noted that California courts have lifted such privacy protections in cases in which significant wrongdoing is alleged .
“ Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the public complaints about their fitness for office if the complaints allege serious misconduct and appear to be ‘ well founded , ’ even if not conclusively established , ” said Terry Francke , a founder of Californians Aware .
In another internal document reviewed by The Times , Eckstein stated that he viewed videos of the incident and understood “ that what can be seen on the video may constitute physical abuse of the patient.
” He wrote that Farrow “ appears to strike the patient twice in the head while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limbs.
” “ The patient ’ s head and face are wrapped in a towel at the time , ” Eckstein wrote .
He said in the document that Farrow “ takes no actions to facilitate the patient ’ s breathing or otherwise address his concerns.
” It was not immediately clear from the records when the incident was first brought to the attention of Fire Department officials .
However , an LAPD source familiar with the incident said LAPD officers reported a use of force by Farrow in a police report about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same day .
Josh Rubenstein , a police spokesman , said officers had arrested Hatton early that morning after Hatton had assaulted a woman with a brick the night before .
They also charged him with resisting arrest , as he was “ very erratic and aggressive ” with officers , kicking and threatening to spit on them , Rubenstein said .
He said officers reported using “ non-categorical ” force on Hatton , which the LAPD reviewed .
Such force can be minor , and does not by definition lead to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strikes or neck restraints .
Rubenstein declined to describe the outcome of that review , or what led to Hatton requiring a medic that day .
Gausche-Hill , the county emergency medical services director who was alerted to the allegations against Farrow in October , did not respond to requests for comment on the case , including what actions she took , if any , in response to Eckstein ’ s letter .
Asked about the case Monday , Mayor Eric Garcetti said he wasn ’ t aware of it .
A spokeswoman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office expects a thorough review of the incident .
Representatives for L.A. County Dist .
Atty .
Jackie Lacey and City Atty .
Mike Feuer said no case involving Farrow had been presented to their offices .
Times staff writers Matt Hamilton and Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report .

Paul Pringle, Kevin Rector, Dakota Smith

A complete account of the 2019 incident where a white Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter allegedly struck and tightened a towel around the head of a Black detainee who was handcuffed has not been made available. A police officer’s body camera captured the incident.
A white Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter allegedly struck and tightened a towel around the head of a Black detainee who was handcuffed on an ambulance gurney, causing the man to yell, “I can’t breathe,” according to internal city records reviewed by The Times.
The incident occurred about 17 months ago and came to light after recent inquiries by The Times. The episode was described in a letter prepared by the Fire Department’s top medical director, who said the firefighter might have violated a state law prohibiting abuse of a patient through the use of excessive force, the records show.
Dr. Marc Eckstein, commander of the Fire Department’s emergency medical services, expressed his concerns about the March 20, 2019, actions of firefighter Derek Farrow in a letter to a county health director, Dr. Marianne Gausche-Hill. In a second document, he said that he reviewed Los Angeles Police Department video footage of the incident.
Advertisement
After an internal review, L.A. Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas sought a 12-day suspension for Farrow, who is now appealing that judgment and is awaiting a discipline hearing, a department spokesman confirmed Monday.
Eckstein wrote in the Oct. 7, 2019, letter that Farrow “appears to strike the patient twice in the head while the patient was restrained to the gurney by handcuffs and hobble restraints,” and could be seen holding “a towel over the patient’s head and forcefully tightening the towel to pin the patient’s head down to the gurney.”
“During the audio portion of the video, the patient is yelling, ‘I can’t breathe,’” Eckstein wrote.
Eckstein’s correspondence does not describe any actions that occurred before Farrow allegedly striking the patient.
Terrazas said Friday in a text message that the department handled Farrow’s case “following all established protocols and procedures.”
“The incident was referred to the LAFD by law enforcement and no criminal complaint was filed,” Terrazas said, referring to the LAPD.
Farrow didn’t respond to requests for comment. Freddy Escobar, president of the L.A. firefighters union, confirmed that Farrow asked for a Board of Rights hearing but declined to discuss the facts of the case.
“I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff that’s not being told, and that’s not fair,” he said.
Advertisement
A complete account of the 2019 incident has not been made available. A police officer’s body camera captured the incident, and The Times filed a public records request last week for the footage, which has not yet been provided. Police officials declined to provide other documents related to the case.
Fire Department officials declined to provide more details, calling Farrow’s case a personnel issue.
The incident occurred while the detained suspect, Earl Hatton, 24, was being moved on the gurney from the ambulance entrance to the jail ward at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, according to the records.
The ambulance had picked him up at the Los Angeles Police Department’s 77th Street station, the records say. It could not be immediately determined why he needed medical treatment.
Hatton had been arrested that morning on suspicion of assaulting a woman with a brick and resisting arrest, according to LAPD officials and court records. He was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and resisting a police officer and is now serving a four-year term in state prison at San Luis Obispo.
Eckstein wrote that Farrow was already the subject of an internal investigation, but that he was notifying Gausche-Hill because “his actions may constitute a violation” of the state law.
Eckstein referred interview requests to a department spokesman.
Farrow has remained on duty since the incident, officials said.
News of the incident comes at a time of nationwide anger over policing and the in-custody treatment of Black people.
George Floyd repeatedly said “I can’t breathe” as he was detained by Minneapolis police officers, one of whom knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes. The phrase has become a rallying cry against police abuse and excessive force.
Floyd’s May 25 death was followed by massive protests around the country, including in L.A., where officials proposed new limits on the types of force that police can use to detain people.
Farrow’s hearing will be conducted by a Board of Rights, which is a panel of Fire Department supervisors that hear personnel cases and determine the appropriate discipline, if any.
Domingo Albarran Jr., Farrow’s representative in the union, declined to comment.
Hatton could not immediately be reached for comment. The public defender’s office, which represented him in his criminal case, declined to comment.
Terrazas said they would not discuss the case in detail because it is a personnel matter. Open-government advocates, however, noted that California courts have lifted such privacy protections in cases in which significant wrongdoing is alleged.
“Public employees’ personnel files do not shield from the public complaints about their fitness for office if the complaints allege serious misconduct and appear to be ‘well founded,’ even if not conclusively established,” said Terry Francke, a founder of Californians Aware.
In another internal document reviewed by The Times, Eckstein stated that he viewed videos of the incident and understood “that what can be seen on the video may constitute physical abuse of the patient.”
He wrote that Farrow “appears to strike the patient twice in the head while the patient is restrained by all four limbs.”
“The patient’s head and face are wrapped in a towel at the time,” Eckstein wrote.
He said in the document that Farrow “takes no actions to facilitate the patient’s breathing or otherwise address his concerns.”
It was not immediately clear from the records when the incident was first brought to the attention of Fire Department officials.
However, an LAPD source familiar with the incident said LAPD officers reported a use of force by Farrow in a police report about Hatton’s arrest and transfer the same day.
Josh Rubenstein, a police spokesman, said officers had arrested Hatton early that morning after Hatton had assaulted a woman with a brick the night before. They also charged him with resisting arrest, as he was “very erratic and aggressive” with officers, kicking and threatening to spit on them, Rubenstein said.
He said officers reported using “non-categorical” force on Hatton, which the LAPD reviewed. Such force can be minor, and does not by definition lead to a person’s hospitalization or involve head strikes or neck restraints.
Rubenstein declined to describe the outcome of that review, or what led to Hatton requiring a medic that day.
Gausche-Hill, the county emergency medical services director who was alerted to the allegations against Farrow in October, did not respond to requests for comment on the case, including what actions she took, if any, in response to Eckstein’s letter.
Asked about the case Monday, Mayor Eric Garcetti said he wasn’t aware of it. A spokeswoman for Garcetti said the mayor’s office expects a thorough review of the incident.
Representatives for L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey and City Atty. Mike Feuer said no case involving Farrow had been presented to their offices.
Times staff writers Matt Hamilton and Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-08-25--7 dead, multiple structures destroyed as 625 fires burn in California

The death toll from the historic firestorms hitting Northern California rose to seven Monday as officials used a small break in the weather to make progress against a series of lightning-sparked blazes that have been burning for a week .
Crews are battling 625 fires throughout the state , according to Gov .
Gavin Newsom .
So far this year , firefighters have responded to 7,002 fires that have scorched a combined 1.4 million acres , the governor said .
By this time last year , there had been 4,292 fires that had consumed about 56,000 acres .
Newsom called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fires , adding that crews continue to flow into the area to help overstretched firefighters .
The state ’ s commitment includes more than 2,400 fire engines , he said .
More have been pledged from other agencies both in and out of California — including 91 from Arizona , Idaho , New Mexico , Texas , Oregon , Utah and Washington .
As two of the three largest fires in California history burned simultaneously in an area that extends close to the eastern edge of San Jose and in wine country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw a welcome respite in dangerous fire weather with the cancellation of a red-flag warning for the Bay Area .
Forecasters , however , continued to warn about dry lightning in the Sacramento Valley ’ s foothills and mountains through Monday evening .
Red-flag warnings — which indicate that dangerous fire weather conditions are expected — were also in effect for parts of the North Coast , northeast California and the Tahoe Basin through Monday evening .
The National Weather Service initially issued warnings covering large swaths of Northern and Central California through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to more than two dozen major fires , it was feared the storms could ignite even more blazes and cause existing ones to spread more rapidly , pushing crews into a triage situation .
The red-flag warning covering the Bay Area and northern Central Coast was canceled shortly after 9:30 a.m. Monday .
The local National Weather Service office said that “ weak cells are still over the North Bay ; however , most moisture has moved north of our area and instability has decreased , giving us confidence to let the warning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use a respite in the wind over the weekend to build containment lines .
Crews battling the CZU Lightning Complex fire in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties got some additional help from Mother Nature in the form of rain showers Sunday evening .
“ The weather hasn ’ t been as significant as we were expecting , which is good , ” Mark Brunton , operations chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection , said at a briefing Monday morning .
“ And that has given us an opportunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of great progress throughout this fire.
” The sheer magnitude of what has burned is sobering , and there are about four more months of potential fire season to go .
Only 2018 saw more land scorched in California — over an entire year .
Seven people have died so far in this year ’ s fires , including five — three in Napa County and two in Solano County — as a result of the LNU Lightning Complex fire , and one in the CZU Lightning Complex fire .
The death toll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a helicopter crash in Fresno County while on a water-dropping mission for the Hills fire .
The LNU Lightning Complex fire , at more than 351,000 acres , is the third-largest fire in California history .
With modestly more acreage burned — over 360,000 acres — the SCU Lightning Complex fire is the second largest .
Combined , they dwarf the Thomas fire , which at 281,893 acres shattered the records just three years ago .

The death toll from the historic firestorms hitting Northern California rose to seven Monday as officials used a small break in the weather to make progress against a series of lightning-sparked blazes that have been burning for a week.
Crews are battling 625 fires throughout the state, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom. So far this year, firefighters have responded to 7,002 fires that have scorched a combined 1.4 million acres, the governor said. By this time last year, there had been 4,292 fires that had consumed about 56,000 acres.
Newsom called this week critical in trying to fight the fires, adding that crews continue to flow into the area to help overstretched firefighters.
Advertisement
The state’s commitment includes more than 2,400 fire engines, he said. More have been pledged from other agencies both in and out of California — including 91 from Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
As two of the three largest fires in California history burned simultaneously in an area that extends close to the eastern edge of San Jose and in wine country north of San Francisco Bay, firefighters saw a welcome respite in dangerous fire weather with the cancellation of a red-flag warning for the Bay Area.
Forecasters, however, continued to warn about dry lightning in the Sacramento Valley’s foothills and mountains through Monday evening. Red-flag warnings — which indicate that dangerous fire weather conditions are expected — were also in effect for parts of the North Coast, northeast California and the Tahoe Basin through Monday evening.
The National Weather Service initially issued warnings covering large swaths of Northern and Central California through Monday afternoon. With firefighters already responding to more than two dozen major fires, it was feared the storms could ignite even more blazes and cause existing ones to spread more rapidly, pushing crews into a triage situation.
The red-flag warning covering the Bay Area and northern Central Coast was canceled shortly after 9:30 a.m. Monday. The local National Weather Service office said that “weak cells are still over the North Bay; however, most moisture has moved north of our area and instability has decreased, giving us confidence to let the warning expire early.”
Firefighters were able to use a respite in the wind over the weekend to build containment lines. Crews battling the CZU Lightning Complex fire in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties got some additional help from Mother Nature in the form of rain showers Sunday evening.
Advertisement
“The weather hasn’t been as significant as we were expecting, which is good,” Mark Brunton, operations chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said at a briefing Monday morning. “And that has given us an opportunity for our crews to make a lot of great progress throughout this fire.”
The sheer magnitude of what has burned is sobering, and there are about four more months of potential fire season to go. Only 2018 saw more land scorched in California — over an entire year.
Seven people have died so far in this year’s fires, including five — three in Napa County and two in Solano County — as a result of the LNU Lightning Complex fire, and one in the CZU Lightning Complex fire. The death toll also includes a pilot who died in a helicopter crash in Fresno County while on a water-dropping mission for the Hills fire.
The LNU Lightning Complex fire, at more than 351,000 acres, is the third-largest fire in California history. With modestly more acreage burned — over 360,000 acres — the SCU Lightning Complex fire is the second largest. Combined, they dwarf the Thomas fire, which at 281,893 acres shattered the records just three years ago.


latimes--2020-08-25--Protesters in downtown L.A. decry police shootings

A group of protesters marched through downtown Los Angeles on Monday night in response to the recent police shootings of two Black men in Pasadena and in Wisconsin .
The nature of the protest was reported by KCAL 9 .
Video broadcast by KCAL-TV showed dozens of people walking near City Hall shortly after 10 p.m. Anthony McClain , 32 , was fatally shot Aug. 15 during a traffic stop in Pasadena .
Police have said that McClain pulled out a handgun while running from officers .
Video footage released by authorities shows McClain fleeing on foot with what appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Police have said that it was a handgun .
Caree Harper , the McClain family ’ s attorney , has disputed that account and held that it was a large metal belt buckle .
Wisconsin ’ s governor called in the National Guard on Monday in anticipation of further protests in response to the police shooting Sunday of Jacob Blake , 29 , in the city of Kenosha .
Cellphone footage shows him being shot as he leaned into his car with his children inside .
Blake was hospitalized in serious condition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responding to a call about a domestic dispute and did not immediately say why they opened fire .
The governor has said that the state ’ s Justice Department is investigating the case .
Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Mike Lopez said close to 11 p.m. that protesters gathered by the department ’ s downtown headquarters were peaceful .
“ They are exercising their rights to protest , and we are there monitoring , ” he said .
The Associated Press and Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report .

LAPD officers in riot gear stand watch in front of LAPD headquarters late Monday night as protesters rally against two recent police shootings: the Aug. 15 death of Anthony McClain in Pasadena and Sunday’s shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.
A group of protesters marched through downtown Los Angeles late Monday in response to the recent police shootings of two Black men in Pasadena and in Wisconsin.
Videos from the scene showed a group of about 200 protesters moving along Spring Street near the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters around 10 p.m.
Demonstrators at times chanted, “Whose streets? Our streets,” “No justice, no peace” and “How do you spell ‘racist’? LAPD,” according to videos posted on social media.
Advertisement
The crowd eventually stopped in front of police headquarters on 1st Street and chanted while police in riot gear stood a few feet away. Protesters at one point moved a metal barricade that had been set up at the department’s perimeter, video from the scene showed.
Police declared the protest an unlawful assembly about 11:20 p.m., and officers began moving the group away from LAPD headquarters after midnight.
Video showed some officers pushing protesters back. There were also reports of police firing less-lethal munitions into the crowd.
LAPD Officer Mike Chance said no arrests had been made as of Tuesday morning. He said the department was still examining whether there were any injuries.
Anthony McClain, 32, was fatally shot Aug. 15 during a traffic stop in Pasadena. Police have said that McClain pulled out a handgun while running from officers. Video released by authorities shows McClain fleeing on foot with what appears to be something shiny at his waistband. Police have said that it was a handgun.
Caree Harper, the McClain family’s attorney, has disputed that account and held that it was a large metal belt buckle.
Wisconsin’s governor called in the National Guard on Monday in anticipation of further protests in response to the police shooting Sunday of Jacob Blake, 29, in the city of Kenosha. Cellphone video shows him being shot as he leaned into his car with his children inside. Blake was hospitalized in serious condition.
Police officials have said they were responding to a call about a domestic dispute and did not immediately say why they opened fire. The governor has said that the state’s Justice Department is investigating the case.
Advertisement
The Associated Press, City News Service and Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-08-24--Garcetti says new appointee to Police Commission 'meets the moment'

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has appointed Lou Calanche , a youth advocate and nonprofit executive from Ramona Gardens , to the city ’ s five-member Police Commission , pending approval by the City Council .
Calanche , founder and executive director of the organization Legacy LA , will replace Commissioner Sandra Figueroa-Villa , who has not attended commission meetings in months because of an illness and recently told Garcetti that she wished to step down from the unpaid board .
Garcetti said Figueroa-Villa is “ irreplaceable , ” but Calanche “ is somebody who meets the moment ” in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a challenge and has a track record of working as a “ bridge builder ” between officers and community members .
“ She is somebody who knows how to go up to a beat cop and work with her closer and get her to integrate in the community , and she knows how to get a young person headed in the wrong direction to come back ” into the community fold and choose a better path , Garcetti said .
“ What I want is good , committed , smart , experienced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them , ” he said .
“ It really takes an exceptional person to step up in this moment.
” Calanche , 51 , who grew up in the Ramona Gardens public housing community in Boyle Heights and still works with youths there , said she is eager to amplify and center the voices of L.A. 's young people in the conversation about how policing should look moving forward — at a time when activists , community members , elected officials and law enforcement officers all see a need for change .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ make a change , it ’ s right now , ” the Montecito Heights resident said .
“ I really see this opportunity to be a part of an effort to change not only how we serve our communities through policing , but also to improve the relationships we have between community and law enforcement.
” The civilian Police Commission is responsible for a range of issues involving the Los Angeles Police Department , including shaping policy , approving budget expenditures and reviewing police shootings , operations and special programs .
The City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled to take up Calanche ’ s appointment Tuesday , before the full council considers it .
If approved , Calanche would would join a commission that has ushered in significant reforms in recent years , but has also come under intense scrutiny from activists in the wake of protests against police killings of Black people , including George Floyd in Minneapolis .
Demonstrators have accused the commission of being too cozy with — and little more than a rubber stamp for — LAPD Chief Michel Moore and other police commanders , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which the department is now being sued , and in cases in which officers have used force and injured people .
The virtual Zoom meetings that the commission has held since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have showcased a deep anger at police among some members of the public , and at times have devolved into personal attacks on the commissioners themselves .
Garcetti said Calanche will “ bring a perspective of on-the-ground neighborhood activism ” to the commission that will help her weather criticism .
“ She has the sort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ She ’ s in the trenches every single day.
” Growing up in Ramona Gardens , there was always distrust between cops and community members , Calanche said .
As a kid , she was taught that you never wanted to call the police .
Today , she knows that “ that ’ s not the type of service we want for our city , ” she said , and she hopes she can help ensure that no kids feel that way moving forward .
“ Some people will throw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but I ’ ve worked so hard my entire life to change conditions in my community , never left my community and work every day to make things better for young people , ” she wrote on Twitter .
“ I ’ m here to do the work and speak up when I need to speak up.
” The commission ’ s other members did not respond Monday to a request for comment on Calanche ’ s pending appointment .
Calanche holds a bachelor ’ s degree in political science from Loyola Marymount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in public administration from USC .

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has appointed Lou Calanche, a youth advocate and nonprofit executive from Ramona Gardens, to the city’s five-member Police Commission, pending approval by the City Council.
Calanche, founder and executive director of the organization Legacy LA, will replace Commissioner Sandra Figueroa-Villa, who has not attended commission meetings in months because of an illness and recently told Garcetti that she wished to step down from the unpaid board.
Garcetti said Figueroa-Villa is “irreplaceable,” but Calanche “is somebody who meets the moment” in that she doesn’t shy away from a challenge and has a track record of working as a “bridge builder” between officers and community members.
Advertisement
“She is somebody who knows how to go up to a beat cop and work with her closer and get her to integrate in the community, and she knows how to get a young person headed in the wrong direction to come back” into the community fold and choose a better path, Garcetti said.
“What I want is good, committed, smart, experienced human beings — and she is one of them,” he said. “It really takes an exceptional person to step up in this moment.”
Calanche, 51, who grew up in the Ramona Gardens public housing community in Boyle Heights and still works with youths there, said she is eager to amplify and center the voices of L.A.’s young people in the conversation about how policing should look moving forward — at a time when activists, community members, elected officials and law enforcement officers all see a need for change.
“If there is any opportunity to make a change, it’s right now,” the Montecito Heights resident said. “I really see this opportunity to be a part of an effort to change not only how we serve our communities through policing, but also to improve the relationships we have between community and law enforcement.”
The civilian Police Commission is responsible for a range of issues involving the Los Angeles Police Department, including shaping policy, approving budget expenditures and reviewing police shootings, operations and special programs.
The City Council’s public safety committee is scheduled to take up Calanche’s appointment Tuesday, before the full council considers it.
Advertisement
If approved, Calanche would would join a commission that has ushered in significant reforms in recent years, but has also come under intense scrutiny from activists in the wake of protests against police killings of Black people, including George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Demonstrators have accused the commission of being too cozy with — and little more than a rubber stamp for — LAPD Chief Michel Moore and other police commanders, including on matters of protest control, for which the department is now being sued, and in cases in which officers have used force and injured people.
The virtual Zoom meetings that the commission has held since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have showcased a deep anger at police among some members of the public, and at times have devolved into personal attacks on the commissioners themselves.
Garcetti said Calanche will “bring a perspective of on-the-ground neighborhood activism” to the commission that will help her weather criticism.
“She has the sort of authority that is unimpeachable,” Garcetti said. “She’s in the trenches every single day.”
Growing up in Ramona Gardens, there was always distrust between cops and community members, Calanche said. As a kid, she was taught that you never wanted to call the police.
Today, she knows that “that’s not the type of service we want for our city,” she said, and she hopes she can help ensure that no kids feel that way moving forward.
“Some people will throw rocks and say I sold out, but I’ve worked so hard my entire life to change conditions in my community, never left my community and work every day to make things better for young people,” she wrote on Twitter. “I’m here to do the work and speak up when I need to speak up.”
The commission’s other members did not respond Monday to a request for comment on Calanche’s pending appointment.
Calanche holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Loyola Marymount University and a master’s degree in public administration from USC.