latimes--2020-08-10--Column: California should allow its voters to fill U.S. Senate vacancies — not the governor

Democrats accuse Republicans of trying to suppress voting all across America .
But in California , Democrats actually ban voting to fill a vacancy in one of our most important offices : U.S. senator .
A Republican legislator is trying to fix the autocratic practice .
But he hasn ’ t a prayer with Democrats controlling both the legislative and executive branches of state government .
Of course , the GOP is equally guilty in other states — arguably even more sinful .
Both major parties run elections in their own self-interests , regardless of what might be best for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican strategy , led by President Trump , has been to suppress voting among Democrats .
The GOP does this by discouraging mail voting , claiming without significant evidence that it leads to voter fraud .
Nonsense .
Republicans also push for voter photo IDs .
They seek to reduce the time period for voting and the number of places to cast ballots .
They aggressively challenge people ’ s eligibility to vote .
Anything to hold down voter turnout .
The smaller the turnout , the larger slice of votes for GOP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s because Republican voters tend to turn out more reliably than Democrats .
That ’ s why Democratic lawmakers don ’ t trust voters in special elections to fill Senate vacancies .
Special election turnouts are almost always much lower than in regular state elections .
Democratic politicians are very happy to allow a Democratic governor to fill a Senate vacancy without voter interference .
And Republicans do the same thing in most states they control .
In all , 45 states authorize governors to fill Senate vacancies .
In 36 , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ balance of the Senate term or until the next statewide general election .
But in nine , the gubernatorial appointee must face voters in an expedited special election .
That ’ s the way it should be in California , at least .
Five states — Oregon , North Dakota , Oklahoma , Rhode Island and Wisconsin — require any Senate vacancy to be filled only by voters .
There ’ s good precedent for this .
That ’ s the way it is for the other half of Congress , the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Legislature .
Any vacancy in a statewide elective office , however , can be filled by the governor , subject to legislative confirmation .
A governor is also empowered to fill vacancies on county supervisor boards .
The issue of Senate vacancies arose when California Sen. Kamala Harris essentially began running for president about the time she was sworn into office after her 2016 election .
Her candidacy flopped , but she immediately was placed on Joe Biden ’ s short list of potential running mates .
There also was speculation in 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who won reelection that year , would serve out her term .
She ’ d be 91 when it expires .
My bet is she will .
Republican state Assemblyman Kevin Kiley of Rocklin , near Sacramento , introduced a bill in 2018 that would have required the governor to call a special election to fill a Senate vacancy .
It had one committee hearing and was killed on a party-line vote .
He ’ s back with a similar bill this year and it hasn ’ t even been given a committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our system of government is that the people should have a say in who their senators are , ” Kiley says .
“ With senators , it ’ s especially important because there are six-year terms with no term limits and they can stay in office for decades.
” “ Appointments are an anachronism , ” he adds .
“ It ’ s about time we bring our selection of senators into the 21st century.
” Until 1913 , U.S. senators were appointed by state legislatures .
The 17th Amendment required elections by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vacancy , the governor must call a special election .
But there ’ s a hitch : The Legislature can empower the governor to make a temporary appointment until the next election .
“ The ability of a governor to appoint a senator has been egregiously abused , ” Kiley says , although not in California .
Elsewhere , it has invited corruption and nepotism .
When Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was elected president in 2008 , Democratic Gov .
Rod R. Blagojevich was caught trying to sell the vacant Senate seat .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ years until Trump pardoned him in February .
That ’ s the same Trump who had vowed to “ drain the swamp ” of corruption in Washington .
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was appointed by her father , Frank Murkowski , who had resigned from the Senate in 2002 to become governor .
In fairness , she did have some credentials as a state legislative leader .
In California , governors have appointed five senators to fill vacancies since the 17th Amendment was ratified .
In 1991 , Republican Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( R-Anaheim ) to replace him in the Senate .
Seymour was easily dispatched by Feinstein in the 1992 election .
In 1964 , Democratic Gov .
Pat Brown appointed former White House Press Secretary Pierre Salinger to replace Sen. Clair Engle , who had resigned and was terminally ill. Salinger was beaten that November by actor George Murphy , a Republican .
Republican Gov .
Earl Warren made two Senate appointments : State Controller Thomas Kuchel to replace Sen. Richard Nixon , who was elected vice president in 1952 , and William @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family to fill in for Sen. Hiram Johnson , who died in office .
The fifth appointee was a brief office caretaker in 1938 : Santa Barbara newspaper publisher Thomas Storke .
He served two months and retired .
There ’ s a valid argument for not holding a special election to fill a vacant Senate seat .
It ’ s costly — around $ 100 million .
But democracy isn ’ t free .
California taxpayers send Sacramento enough money to foot the bill .

If California Sen. Kamala Harris is picked to be Joe Biden’s running mate and he wins the election, Gov. Gavin Newsom would appoint Harris’ successor to the U.S. Senate.
Democrats accuse Republicans of trying to suppress voting all across America. But in California, Democrats actually ban voting to fill a vacancy in one of our most important offices: U.S. senator.
That’s hypocrisy, pure and simple.
For the record: A previous version of this column said former Sen. Clair Engle resigned from office. He died while in office.
A Republican legislator is trying to fix the autocratic practice. But he hasn’t a prayer with Democrats controlling both the legislative and executive branches of state government.
Of course, the GOP is equally guilty in other states — arguably even more sinful. Both major parties run elections in their own self-interests, regardless of what might be best for the public. Shock!
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The recent Republican strategy, led by President Trump, has been to suppress voting among Democrats. The GOP does this by discouraging mail voting, claiming without significant evidence that it leads to voter fraud. Nonsense.
Republicans also push for voter photo IDs. They seek to reduce the time period for voting and the number of places to cast ballots. They aggressively challenge people’s eligibility to vote. Anything to hold down voter turnout.
The smaller the turnout, the larger slice of votes for GOP candidates, history shows. That’s because Republican voters tend to turn out more reliably than Democrats.
That’s why Democratic lawmakers don’t trust voters in special elections to fill Senate vacancies. Special election turnouts are almost always much lower than in regular state elections. Democratic politicians are very happy to allow a Democratic governor to fill a Senate vacancy without voter interference.
And Republicans do the same thing in most states they control.
In all, 45 states authorize governors to fill Senate vacancies. In 36, including California, the appointee can serve the balance of the Senate term or until the next statewide general election.
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But in nine, the gubernatorial appointee must face voters in an expedited special election. That’s the way it should be in California, at least.
Five states — Oregon, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Wisconsin — require any Senate vacancy to be filled only by voters. There’s good precedent for this. That’s the way it is for the other half of Congress, the House of Representatives; also in the California Legislature.
Any vacancy in a statewide elective office, however, can be filled by the governor, subject to legislative confirmation. A governor is also empowered to fill vacancies on county supervisor boards.
The issue of Senate vacancies arose when California Sen. Kamala Harris essentially began running for president about the time she was sworn into office after her 2016 election. Her candidacy flopped, but she immediately was placed on Joe Biden’s short list of potential running mates.
There also was speculation in 2018 about whether Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who won reelection that year, would serve out her term. She’d be 91 when it expires. My bet is she will.
Republican state Assemblyman Kevin Kiley of Rocklin, near Sacramento, introduced a bill in 2018 that would have required the governor to call a special election to fill a Senate vacancy. It had one committee hearing and was killed on a party-line vote. He’s back with a similar bill this year and it hasn’t even been given a committee hearing.
“The whole idea of our system of government is that the people should have a say in who their senators are,” Kiley says. “With senators, it’s especially important because there are six-year terms with no term limits and they can stay in office for decades.”
“Appointments are an anachronism,” he adds. “It’s about time we bring our selection of senators into the 21st century.”
Until 1913, U.S. senators were appointed by state legislatures. The 17th Amendment required elections by voters. If there’s a vacancy, the governor must call a special election. But there’s a hitch: The Legislature can empower the governor to make a temporary appointment until the next election.
“The ability of a governor to appoint a senator has been egregiously abused,” Kiley says, although not in California. Elsewhere, it has invited corruption and nepotism.
When Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, Democratic Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich was caught trying to sell the vacant Senate seat. He went to federal prison for eight years until Trump pardoned him in February. That’s the same Trump who had vowed to “drain the swamp” of corruption in Washington.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was appointed by her father, Frank Murkowski, who had resigned from the Senate in 2002 to become governor. In fairness, she did have some credentials as a state legislative leader.
In California, governors have appointed five senators to fill vacancies since the 17th Amendment was ratified.
In 1991, Republican Gov. Pete Wilson chose state Sen. John Seymour (R-Anaheim) to replace him in the Senate. Seymour was easily dispatched by Feinstein in the 1992 election.
In 1964, Democratic Gov. Pat Brown appointed former White House Press Secretary Pierre Salinger to replace Sen. Clair Engle, who died in office. Salinger was beaten that November by actor George Murphy, a Republican.
Republican Gov. Earl Warren made two Senate appointments: State Controller Thomas Kuchel to replace Sen. Richard Nixon, who was elected vice president in 1952, and William F. Knowland of an Oakland newspaper publishing family to fill in for Sen. Hiram Johnson, who died in office.
The fifth appointee was a brief office caretaker in 1938: Santa Barbara newspaper publisher Thomas Storke. He served two months and retired.
There’s a valid argument for not holding a special election to fill a vacant Senate seat. It’s costly — around $100 million.
But democracy isn’t free. California taxpayers send Sacramento enough money to foot the bill.


latimes--2020-08-10--California's public health director resigns amid questions about coronavirus test data

Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s director of the California Department of Public Health resigned on Sunday , an abrupt departure of a key advisor in the state ’ s coronavirus battle just days after the discovery of a computer system failure that resulted in the undercounting of COVID-19 cases .
Dr. Sonia Angell , who held the position for less than a year , announced her resignation in an email sent to department staff that was released by the California Health and Human Services Agency .
“ Since January , when we got word of repatriation flights arriving from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been front and center in what has become an all-of-government response of unprecedented proportions to COVID-19 , ” Angell wrote in the email to public health staff members .
“ In the final calculation , all of our work , in aggregate , makes the difference.
” Angell ’ s decision to step aside comes at a crucial moment in California ’ s battle against the spread of the virus .
More than 10,000 Californians have died from the disease and 38 of the state ’ s 58 counties are on a watchlist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that had briefly reopened in the early summer and K-12 schools as the academic year begins .
Angell , who frequently has appeared alongside Newsom in his public briefings on the state ’ s efforts to combat the pandemic , was considered a key player in the coordination with local public health departments across the state .
“ I want to thank Dr. Angell for her service to the state and her work to help steer our public health system during this global pandemic , while never losing sight of the importance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a written statement Sunday night .
Last week , state officials confirmed that as many as 300,000 records had not been processed by the computer clearinghouse system relied upon to provide to local officials the COVID-19 test results reported by labs on a daily basis .
Two separate errors were identified — one related to a computer server outage , the other to the expiration of an electronic certificate for data to be transferred from Quest Laboratories .
Administration officials insisted they did not know the extent of the problem until after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 in which he expressed optimism that current case numbers — lower than some had expected — meant some progress in the state ’ s efforts .
But some local officials were sent communications the week before from the state Department of Public Health acknowledging a problem with the CalREDIE computer system .
Dr. Mark Ghaly , the secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency , said on Friday that a full investigation was underway to determine what happened .
And although he said that he had become aware of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after Newsom ’ s public statements , some state officials had information on the problem earlier .
“ We are aware that individuals there were knowledgeable of some of these challenges , ” Ghaly said in discussing both the state Public Health Department and his agency , which oversees those operations .
A spokeswoman for the state health agency would not comment Sunday on whether Angell ’ s sudden resignation was related to , or prompted by , the database errors .
“ I am grateful to Dr. Angell for her service to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health crisis , ” Ghaly said in a written statement Sunday night .
“ She has worked tirelessly for all Californians , always keeping health equity in mind .
Her leadership was instrumental as Californians flattened the curve once and in setting us on a path to do so again.
” Angell served both as the director of the state Department of Public Health and as the state ’ s public health officer .
Those duties will now be split between two women , state officials said .
Sandra Shewry , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Care Foundation who oversaw the state ’ s Medi-Cal program under then-Gov .
Arnold Schwarzenegger , will serve as acting director of the Department of Public Health .
Dr. Erica Pan , recently brought into the Newsom administration after serving as public health officer in Alameda County , will take over as acting state public health officer .
Newsom is expected to provide an update on the state ’ s coronavirus efforts Monday afternoon .

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s director of the California Department of Public Health resigned on Sunday, an abrupt departure of a key advisor in the state’s coronavirus battle just days after the discovery of a computer system failure that resulted in the undercounting of COVID-19 cases.
Dr. Sonia Angell, who held the position for less than a year, announced her resignation in an email sent to department staff that was released by the California Health and Human Services Agency. On Monday, Newsom refused to say whether he asked for Angell to step down, but seemed to make clear it was related to the database problems.
“I accepted her resignation. We’re all accountable in our respective roles for what happens underneath us,” he said at a Monday afternoon event.
Angell’s departure was immediate and surprised some local health officials who worked closely with her on the state’s response to the pandemic.
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“Since January, when we got word of repatriation flights arriving from Wuhan, China, our department has been front and center in what has become an all-of-government response of unprecedented proportions to COVID-19,” Angell wrote in the email to public health staff members. “In the final calculation, all of our work, in aggregate, makes the difference.”
Angell’s decision to step aside comes at a crucial moment in California’s battle against the spread of the virus. More than 10,000 Californians have died from the disease, and 38 of the state’s 58 counties are on a watchlist that has required the closure of businesses that had briefly reopened in the early summer and K-12 schools as the academic year begins. Angell, who frequently has appeared alongside Newsom in his public briefings on the state’s efforts to combat the pandemic, was considered a key player in the coordination with local public health departments across the state.
Last week, state officials confirmed that as many as 300,000 records had not been processed by the computer clearinghouse system relied upon to provide to local officials the COVID-19 test results reported by labs on a daily basis. Two separate errors were identified — one related to a computer server outage, the other to the expiration of an electronic certificate for data to be transferred from Quest Diagnostics laboratories.
On Monday, the governor said the backlog of computer records had been cleared over the weekend.
Administration officials insisted they did not know the extent of the problem until after Newsom’s public event on Aug. 3 in which he expressed optimism that current case numbers — lower than some had expected — meant some progress in the state’s efforts. But some local officials were sent communications the week before from the state Department of Public Health acknowledging a problem with the CalREDIE computer system.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, the secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said on Friday that a full investigation was underway to determine what happened. And although he said that he had become aware of the “magnitude” of the problem only after Newsom’s public statements, some state officials had information on the problem earlier.
“We are aware that individuals there were knowledgeable of some of these challenges,” Ghaly said in discussing both the state Public Health Department and his agency, which oversees those operations.
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Newsom did not directly answer questions from reporters on Monday about the level of information he had about the database problems prior to early last week, but said his administration will be transparent about what it finds in examining the chain of events leading to the revelation of the problem.
“At the end of the day, the buck stops with me. I’m accountable,” the governor said.
“I am grateful to Dr. Angell for her service to the people of California during this unprecedented public health crisis,” Ghaly said in a written statement Sunday night. “She has worked tirelessly for all Californians, always keeping health equity in mind. Her leadership was instrumental as Californians flattened the curve once and in setting us on a path to do so again.”
Angell served both as the director of the state Department of Public Health and as the state’s public health officer. Those duties will now be split between two women, state officials said. Sandra Shewry, a vice president at the nonprofit California Health Care Foundation who oversaw the state’s Medi-Cal program under then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, will serve as acting director of the Department of Public Health. Dr. Erica Pan, recently brought into the Newsom administration after serving as public health officer in Alameda County, will take over as acting state public health officer.


latimes--2020-08-07--Prepared-food vendors at farmers markets try to battle coronavirus ban

The scent of freshly prepared food wafting through the Studio City Farmers Market used to entice customers every Sunday .
But that aroma — of grilled hot dogs , stuffed pupusas , smoky barbecue and savory crepes — has disappeared since Los Angeles County health orders shut down vendors who prepare food on-site at farmers markets .
The lines for Mama Musubi ’ s protein-filled , nori-covered rice balls used to be “ crazy , ” owner Carol Kwan said .
But that was before health and safety restrictions were put in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a career in finance to start Mama Musubi with her brother , Phillip — is worried the business could perish because of the pandemic .
Kwan said she is frustrated that other venues , including restaurants that seat customers outside and permitted food trucks and street vendors , can serve food outdoors .
Since Mama Musubi has been barred from operating at the five weekly markets it had usually served , Kwan has had to lay off 13 workers .
She and her brother are hoping to more fully pivot to a delivery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been using to maintain some sales , but they ’ re “ burning through savings , ” she said , and business is down 80 % .
“ We love being with people and serving people food .
… Not being able to do that would be difficult to get over , difficult to swallow , because it ’ s been eight years and we ’ ve thrown everything we ’ ve got into this , ” Kwan said .
Several local farmers markets suspended operations in early March at the beginning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But within a week , the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health deemed certified outdoor farmers markets essential businesses , allowing them to operate under certain guidelines , including the end of samples and a ban on the sale of unpackaged food items .
In July , the health department allowed prepared-food vendors to switch permits so their businesses could sell prepackaged food at markets , but Kwan said that keeping her typically made-to-order rice balls cold would ruin them .
She thinks the restrictions should be lifted .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s super inconsistent , ” Kwan said , pointing out that restaurants have long been allowed to serve takeout amid the pandemic and eateries are now allowed to serve diners outdoors under Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s latest health order .
“ These are very small businesses who have managed to survive and employ a lot of people over the years .
And they are going to lose their homes , going to be evicted , ” Walker said .
“ We don ’ t see the difference between being able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takeout from the farmers market .
It ’ s also an outdoor event .
Everyone is telling us it ’ s safer to be outdoors.
” To adapt to COVID-19 restrictions , the market has placed tape directing mask-wearing customers to walk in only one direction and brought in security guards to ensure compliance .
Vendors have moved into a parking lot and spaced out to allow for greater physical distancing .
The Studio City market eliminated sampling and told the bounce house operator not to come anymore — before those restrictions were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walker said .
“ None of us are going to do anything we don ’ t feel safe doing , ” she said .
Still , as the coalition of small businesses tries to rebound , it faces hurdles .
Sales are down nearly 40 % , Walker said .
She thinks health authorities have singled out prepared-food vendors while allowing similar businesses to reopen because the vendors lack power .
“ Farmers markets don ’ t have a strong lobby group , ” Walker said .
“ They aren ’ t supermarkets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s just kind of being lost.
” Aubrey Yarbrough , the community development manager for Farmer Mark , which operates two farmers markets in L.A. County and two others in Orange County , tried to challenge the policy with a June 22 petition to the health department .
Walker , representing Studio City , signed on alongside managers representing 12 Los Angeles markets and a handful of prepared-food vendors .
In her petition , Yarborough said vendors were struggling and asked that venues with space to physically distance be able to bring back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emailed appeal within hours .
“ We take the COVID threat very seriously , ” Yarbrough said , noting that Farmer Mark ’ s Hermosa Beach market permanently closed because of the pandemic .
“ It just didn ’ t seem to make a whole lot of sense to ban this one type of vendor .
They ’ d be working with masks and gloves behind a screen wall .
… We ’ re already spacing out booths and limiting the number of customers.
” The L.A. County health department defended its policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ While the sale of whole uncut produce and pre-packaged food items is permitted , prepared food sales are not because individuals tend to buy their food and then eat it while walking around the farmers market — doing so without a face covering , ” the department said .
“ With approved food carts and mobile food trucks , the risk of community transmission is lessened due to the smaller numbers of customers being served.
” Walker said the farmers markets are “ way safer than the street vendor who ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who ’ s permitted and been allowed to sell during this entire time.
” She has removed the tables and chairs from the Studio City market .
“ We can control people , ” she said .
“ If our hot dog vendor is selling hot dogs , they ’ re going to be wrapped and handed to someone in a bag to take home .
There ’ s no place to sit and eat a meal.
” Mama Musubi fans have been messaging the business ’ Instagram account , asking when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s having a hard time responding .
She worries that if the rules aren ’ t changed soon , there will be no business to reopen .
“ It ’ s just really hard to see all of this , in a situation where it ’ s out of our control , ” she said .

Siblings Carol and Phillip Kwan walk through the Studio City Farmers Market, where they used to sell their Mama Musubi made-to-order rice balls. Prepared-food sales have been banned.
The scent of freshly prepared food wafting through the Studio City Farmers Market used to entice customers every Sunday.
But that aroma — of grilled hot dogs, stuffed pupusas, smoky barbecue and savory crepes — has disappeared since Los Angeles County health orders shut down vendors who prepare food on-site at farmers markets.
The lines for Mama Musubi’s protein-filled, nori-covered rice balls used to be “crazy,” owner Carol Kwan said. But that was before health and safety restrictions were put in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Now, Kwan — who left a career in finance to start Mama Musubi with her brother, Phillip — is worried the business could perish because of the pandemic.
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Kwan said she is frustrated that other venues, including restaurants that seat customers outside and permitted food trucks and street vendors, can serve food outdoors.
Since Mama Musubi has been barred from operating at the five weekly markets it had usually served, Kwan has had to lay off 13 workers.
She and her brother are hoping to more fully pivot to a delivery service based in Pasadena, which they have been using to maintain some sales, but they’re “burning through savings,” she said, and business is down 80%.
“We love being with people and serving people food. … Not being able to do that would be difficult to get over, difficult to swallow, because it’s been eight years and we’ve thrown everything we’ve got into this,” Kwan said.
Several local farmers markets suspended operations in early March at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in the state. But within a week, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health deemed certified outdoor farmers markets essential businesses, allowing them to operate under certain guidelines, including the end of samples and a ban on the sale of unpackaged food items.
In July, the health department allowed prepared-food vendors to switch permits so their businesses could sell prepackaged food at markets, but Kwan said that keeping her typically made-to-order rice balls cold would ruin them. She thinks the restrictions should be lifted.
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“It’s really unfair. It’s super inconsistent,” Kwan said, pointing out that restaurants have long been allowed to serve takeout amid the pandemic and eateries are now allowed to serve diners outdoors under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest health order.
Esther Walker, director of the Studio City Farmers Market, agrees.
“These are very small businesses who have managed to survive and employ a lot of people over the years. And they are going to lose their homes, going to be evicted,” Walker said.
“We don’t see the difference between being able to order takeout from a restaurant versus ordering takeout from the farmers market. It’s also an outdoor event. Everyone is telling us it’s safer to be outdoors.”
To adapt to COVID-19 restrictions, the market has placed tape directing mask-wearing customers to walk in only one direction and brought in security guards to ensure compliance. Vendors have moved into a parking lot and spaced out to allow for greater physical distancing. The Studio City market eliminated sampling and told the bounce house operator not to come anymore — before those restrictions were put in place by the county, Walker said.
“None of us are going to do anything we don’t feel safe doing,” she said.
Still, as the coalition of small businesses tries to rebound, it faces hurdles. Sales are down nearly 40%, Walker said.
She thinks health authorities have singled out prepared-food vendors while allowing similar businesses to reopen because the vendors lack power.
“Farmers markets don’t have a strong lobby group,” Walker said. “They aren’t supermarkets or anything like that. It’s just kind of being lost.”
Aubrey Yarbrough, the community development manager for Farmer Mark, which operates two farmers markets in L.A. County and two others in Orange County, tried to challenge the policy with a June 22 petition to the health department. Walker, representing Studio City, signed on alongside managers representing 12 Los Angeles markets and a handful of prepared-food vendors.
In her petition, Yarborough said vendors were struggling and asked that venues with space to physically distance be able to bring back food vendors. Health authorities rejected the emailed appeal within hours.
“We take the COVID threat very seriously,” Yarbrough said, noting that Farmer Mark’s Hermosa Beach market permanently closed because of the pandemic. “It just didn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense to ban this one type of vendor. They’d be working with masks and gloves behind a screen wall. … We’re already spacing out booths and limiting the number of customers.”
The L.A. County health department defended its policy in an email to The Times.
“While the sale of whole uncut produce and pre-packaged food items is permitted, prepared food sales are not because individuals tend to buy their food and then eat it while walking around the farmers market — doing so without a face covering,” the department said. “With approved food carts and mobile food trucks, the risk of community transmission is lessened due to the smaller numbers of customers being served.”
Walker said the farmers markets are “way safer than the street vendor who’s selling hot dogs on the corner, who’s permitted and been allowed to sell during this entire time.”
She has removed the tables and chairs from the Studio City market. “We can control people,” she said. “If our hot dog vendor is selling hot dogs, they’re going to be wrapped and handed to someone in a bag to take home. There’s no place to sit and eat a meal.”
Mama Musubi fans have been messaging the business’ Instagram account, asking when it will return.
Kwan said she’s having a hard time responding. She worries that if the rules aren’t changed soon, there will be no business to reopen.
“It’s just really hard to see all of this, in a situation where it’s out of our control,” she said.


latimes--2020-08-10--Black teens who were victims of a knife attack had guns drawn on them by deputies, lawyer says

Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s deputies detained three teenagers at gunpoint last week after bystanders called 911 to report that the teens were being attacked by a man with a knife , an attorney for one of the teen ’ s families said Monday .
“ I just can ’ t believe that the only way to handle this was to approach it with guns drawn , ” said civil rights attorney Robert Brown , who specializes in cases of police misconduct .
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a videotaped statement that he has “ concerns regarding the tactics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under investigation .
The teens , two of them Black , were sitting with their skateboards at a bus stop Friday along Soledad Canyon Road in Santa Clarita when a man approached and asked if they had any crack , Brown said .
When they told the man to leave them alone , he pulled out a knife and began thrusting it at them , prompting the teens to raise their skateboards as shields , Brown said .
Multiple people called 911 to report the incident , but when deputies arrived they treated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Brown is representing the family of Tammi Collins , whose 16-year-old son was one of those detained .
Collins posted an 11-minute video of the tense encounter to Instagram on Saturday .
More than 90,000 people had watched it as of Monday afternoon .
Warning : The video below contains profanity .
In the video , at least three sheriff ’ s deputies can be seen approaching the bus stop with their guns drawn and pointed at the three teens .
They instruct each teen to walk backward toward them ; one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All three teens are handcuffed and put into squad cars .
“ During all of this time , you have bystanders telling them that , in fact , the teens are the victims , ” Brown said .
“ And the deputies don ’ t seem to be quite so responsive.
” As a small crowd gathers on the sidewalk , multiple people can be heard shouting , “ It was the other guy , ” and telling the deputies the suspect had fled down the street .
A woman who identifies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buffalo Wild Wings can be heard saying she called 911 to report that the teens were being chased through the restaurant ’ s parking lot by a man with a knife .
“ I told your sergeant who was the problem and what was going on , ” she tells the deputies .
“ For you guys to act this way is ridiculous.
” She asks at another point : “ Do you understand what this looks like ?
” In response , the deputies can be heard saying they actually detained the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , one reporting someone being assaulted with a skateboard , which they say is considered a deadly weapon .
“ A call for service was received regarding a felony assault , and the deputies detained those alleged to be involved , ” Villanueva said Monday .
“ The matter is currently being investigated.
” It wasn ’ t clear whether the man who allegedly lunged at the teens with a knife was also detained .
The teens were held in the squad cars for about 30 minutes and then released with no charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the incident for a possible lawsuit but said no decision has been made .
He said the teens and their families were deeply shaken , especially by what could have happened .
“ I just thank God that we didn ’ t have a tragic or fatal outcome to this , ” Brown said .
“ If in what was a very highly emotionally charged situation anyway , where you have these gentlemen who had just been attacked by someone with a knife , if they would have panicked or one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be taking a much different turn.
” Collins and her son were still picking up the pieces in the aftermath of the encounter and were not available to comment .
“ This is something my son and his friends will never forget , ” Collins wrote on Instagram .
“ I ’ m still wonder [ ing ] how will I ever help my son recover from this traumatic experience .
”

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies detained three teenagers at gunpoint Friday, an attorney for one of the teen’s families said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies detained three teenagers at gunpoint last week after bystanders called 911 to report that the teens were being attacked by a man with a knife, an attorney for one of the teen’s families said Monday.
“I just can’t believe that the only way to handle this was to approach it with guns drawn,” said civil rights attorney Robert Brown, who specializes in cases of police misconduct.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a videotaped statement on Monday that he had “concerns regarding the tactics employed” and that the incident was under investigation. On Tuesday, the department wrote on Twitter that it would be conducting an in-depth review of its patrol rifle deployment policy and training.
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The teens, two of them Black, were sitting with their skateboards at a bus stop Friday along Soledad Canyon Road in Santa Clarita when a man approached and asked if they had any crack, Brown said. When they told the man to leave them alone, he pulled out a knife and began thrusting it at them, prompting the teens to raise their skateboards as shields, Brown said.
Multiple people called 911 to report the incident, but when deputies arrived they treated the teens as criminals, Brown said.
Brown is representing the family of Tammi Collins, whose 16-year-old son was one of those detained. Collins posted an 11-minute video of the tense encounter to Instagram on Saturday. More than 260,000 people had watched it as of Tuesday night.
Warning: The video below contains profanity.
In the video, at least three sheriff’s deputies can be seen approaching the bus stop with their guns drawn and pointed at the three teens. They instruct each teen to walk backward toward them; one is made to kneel on the ground. All three teens are handcuffed and put into squad cars.
“During all of this time, you have bystanders telling them that, in fact, the teens are the victims,” Brown said. “And the deputies don’t seem to be quite so responsive.”
As a small crowd gathers on the sidewalk, multiple people can be heard shouting, “It was the other guy,” and telling the deputies the suspect had fled down the street. A woman who identifies herself as the manager of a nearby Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant can be heard saying she called 911 to report that the teens were being chased through the restaurant’s parking lot by a man with a knife.
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“I told your sergeant who was the problem and what was going on,” she tells the deputies. “For you guys to act this way is ridiculous.”
She asks at another point: “Do you understand what this looks like?”
In response, the deputies can be heard saying they actually detained the teens in response to a different call, one reporting someone being assaulted with a skateboard, which they say is considered a deadly weapon.
“A call for service was received regarding a felony assault, and the deputies detained those alleged to be involved,” Villanueva said Monday. “The matter is currently being investigated.”
It wasn’t clear whether the man who allegedly lunged at the teens with a knife was also detained.
The teens were held in the squad cars for about 30 minutes and then released with no charges, Brown said. He is investigating the incident for a possible lawsuit but says no decision has been made. He said the teens and their families were deeply shaken, especially by what could have happened.
“I just thank God that we didn’t have a tragic or fatal outcome to this,” Brown said. “If in what was a very highly emotionally charged situation anyway, where you have these gentlemen who had just been attacked by someone with a knife, if they would have panicked or one of the officers would have panicked, this discussion could be taking a much different turn.”
Collins and her son were not available to comment.
“This is something my son and his friends will never forget,” Collins wrote on Instagram. “I’m still wonder[ing] how will I ever help my son recover from this traumatic experience.”


latimes--2020-08-10--Vicky Lindsey, Compton's passionate advocate for mothers of homicide victims, dies

Vicky Denise Lindsey had a saying : Get involved by choice , not by force .
Lindsey lived by her own mantra .
Even before her 19-year-old son , Lionel E.L. Whiteside Jr. , was killed in November 1995 after attending a high school football game , she was involved in anti-violence efforts in her Compton neighborhood .
Over the years , Lindsey could be seen at candlelight vigils , crime scenes or huddled with support groups , offering solace to bereaved mothers of homicide victims .
Lindsey also became a respected advocate for survivors of violence , often working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the community about the toll a homicide can take on a mother .
“ She was an advocate for victims no matter what the circumstances were , ” said Ben Owens , a longtime gang intervention worker .
Lindsey , 62 , died at Torrance Memorial Hospital on Aug. 2 after a prolonged battle with breast cancer , said longtime friend and Compton activist Pamela Carolina .
Lindsey had also contracted COVID-19 .
Lindsey is survived by her son , Lijuan Stephens and his wife DeNika , grandchildren Lijuan Stephens Jr. and Lionel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Edward Lindsey .
A former bus driver , Lindsey ’ s journey into activism began in 1988 , when , along with Carolina , she started the group Mothers Against Gangs in Communities .
In addition to conducting support groups , the two would meet with teenagers at a youth correctional facility in Whittier to talk about the consequences of gang life .
“ We were tired of hearing about young kids getting murdered on a daily basis , ” Carolina said .
Lindsey also wrote poetry inspired by what she saw in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : homelessness , gangs and unemployment .
She wrote eulogies for funerals , for friends and for friend of friends .
When Lorna Hawkins ’ son was killed in 1988 , Lindsey and Carolina invited her to a support group for mothers .
“ That was back in the days when no one wanted to talk about it , ” said Hawkins , who lived through the killing of a second son years later .
“ You were supposed to grieve in silence.
” The meeting inspired Hawkins to get involved .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Drive-by Agony.
” After Lindsey ’ s son was killed , she was disheartened by the bureaucracy of the police investigation .
She came to see law enforcement as being insensitive , vague and thought detectives failed to prioritize her son ’ s case , Carolina said .
Lindsey began working to make sure the voices of others were heard .
And she often got up in the middle of the night to go to crime scenes with the goal of consoling yet another heartbroken mother .
She became involved with a multitude @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group , Project Cry No More .
Lindsey also worked to make sure that clergy , law enforcement and intervention workers understood how a killing affects a mother .
She worked to help perpetrators understand the far-reaching impacts of violence .
At a 2005 meeting of former and current gang members working for peace in the streets , Lindsey wasn ’ t invited , but she came anyway .
“ I believe she was the only female there , ” Owens said .
The meetings would evolve into the Southern California Cease Fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ You couldn ’ t tell her no , ” said Skipp Townsend , a gang intervention worker .
Townsend recalled a series of peace breakfasts that the two organized in Compton .
Lindsey would share her experience as a mother of a child lost to violence .
“ She would get everybody crying , ” Townsend said .
Lindsey often corrected those who said they were sorry for a person ’ s loss .
She would say : My child isn ’ t lost , he can ’ t come back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became passionate about making sure nobody experienced what she had to experience during the death of her son , ” Carolina said .

Vicky Denise Lindsey had a saying: Get involved by choice, not by force.
Lindsey lived by her own mantra. Even before her 19-year-old son, Lionel E.L. Whiteside Jr., was killed in November 1995 after attending a high school football game, she was involved in anti-violence efforts in her Compton neighborhood.
Over the years, Lindsey could be seen at candlelight vigils, crime scenes or huddled with support groups, offering solace to bereaved mothers of homicide victims. Lindsey also became a respected advocate for survivors of violence, often working to connect families to resources while educating the community about the toll a homicide can take on a mother.
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“She was an advocate for victims no matter what the circumstances were,” said Ben Owens, a longtime gang intervention worker.
Lindsey, 62, died at Torrance Memorial Hospital on Aug. 2 after a prolonged battle with breast cancer, said longtime friend and Compton activist Pamela Carolina. Lindsey had also contracted COVID-19.
Lindsey is survived by her son, Lijuan Stephens and his wife DeNika, grandchildren Lijuan Stephens Jr. and Lionel Whiteside III, and siblings Deborah and Edward Lindsey.
So sad to hear about the passing of a soldier Vicky Lindsey. She took some kid from philly under her wing, put me to work in Watts and Compton, and raised me in the movement. I opened my scrapbook and took a trip down memory lane. Rest in power pic.twitter.com/DaBTXghTPD — Andi Perez (@AndiPerez) August 8, 2020
A former bus driver, Lindsey’s journey into activism began in 1988, when, along with Carolina, she started the group Mothers Against Gangs in Communities. In addition to conducting support groups, the two would meet with teenagers at a youth correctional facility in Whittier to talk about the consequences of gang life.
“We were tired of hearing about young kids getting murdered on a daily basis,” Carolina said.
Lindsey also wrote poetry inspired by what she saw in her life and on her bus route: homelessness, gangs and unemployment. She wrote eulogies for funerals, for friends and for friend of friends.
When Lorna Hawkins’ son was killed in 1988, Lindsey and Carolina invited her to a support group for mothers.
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“That was back in the days when no one wanted to talk about it,” said Hawkins, who lived through the killing of a second son years later. “You were supposed to grieve in silence.”
The meeting inspired Hawkins to get involved. She started a cable TV show called “Drive-by Agony.”
After Lindsey’s son was killed, she was disheartened by the bureaucracy of the police investigation. She came to see law enforcement as being insensitive, vague and thought detectives failed to prioritize her son’s case, Carolina said.
Lindsey began working to make sure the voices of others were heard. And she often got up in the middle of the night to go to crime scenes with the goal of consoling yet another heartbroken mother. She became involved with a multitude of community organizations and started her own group, Project Cry No More.
Lindsey also worked to make sure that clergy, law enforcement and intervention workers understood how a killing affects a mother. She worked to help perpetrators understand the far-reaching impacts of violence.
At a 2005 meeting of former and current gang members working for peace in the streets, Lindsey wasn’t invited, but she came anyway.
“I believe she was the only female there,” Owens said.
The meetings would evolve into the Southern California Cease Fire Committee. Lindsey became a board member.
“You couldn’t tell her no,” said Skipp Townsend, a gang intervention worker. Townsend recalled a series of peace breakfasts that the two organized in Compton. Lindsey would share her experience as a mother of a child lost to violence.
“She would get everybody crying,” Townsend said.
Lindsey often corrected those who said they were sorry for a person’s loss. She would say: My child isn’t lost, he can’t come back. He was murdered.
“Vicky became passionate about making sure nobody experienced what she had to experience during the death of her son,” Carolina said.


latimes--2020-08-10--Newsom tries to quell furor over data errors after administration shakeup

Responding to one of California ’ s biggest setbacks since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic , Gov .
Gavin Newsom on Monday said his administration has fixed a public health computer database failure that distorted test results across the state and raised doubts about actions taken to stem the spread of coronavirus .
Newsom faced reporters for the first time since he touted the inaccurate data as a positive sign of fewer infections a day before the glitches became public .
The governor said he was unaware of the problem , even though state health officials warned counties about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the state announced the abrupt departure of Dr. Sonia Angell , the director of the California Department of Public Health , the agency in charge of collecting the electronic test results .
“ These things are unfortunate , but we are moving forward , ” Newsom told reporters during a news briefing Monday in Sacramento .
“ I ’ m governor .
The buck stops with me.
” Newsom declined to say whether he asked Angell to resign and sidestepped a question about her leadership of the agency during the pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to accept her resignation .
“ She resigned .
She wrote a resignation letter , and I accepted her resignation , ” Newsom said .
“ We ’ re all accountable in our respective roles for what happens underneath us.
” Newsom blamed the issues with the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange , or CalREDIE , on the state ’ s archaic technology systems and cited similar processing delays and problems at the Department of Motor Vehicles and the state Employment Development Department , which has faced sharp criticism for failing to process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out-of-work Californians .
The governor said replacing those systems is one of this administration ’ s top priorities .
Rob Stutzman , a Republican consultant and former communications director to Gov .
Arnold Schwarzenegger , said Newsom ’ s explanation Monday on the data failure and Angell ’ s departure fell far short of the public accountability Californians deserve .
“ It took him a week to stand in front of Californians and address this issue , ” Stutzman said .
“ …He owes a better explanation of the Sunday night massacre that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ghaly , California ’ s health and human services director , said between 250,000 and 300,000 test results had not been uploaded to the database , and that the malfunction began on July 25 .
Ghaly said all of those problems have been fixed , all backlogged data have been processed , and that the information had been shared with county health officials across the state .
To ensure that the state doesn ’ t experience similar breakdowns , computing capacity was increased fourfold at CalREDIE , the electronic disease reporting and surveillance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public Health , Ghaly said .
Still , the Newsom administration ’ s decisions on which counties would be allowed to resume activities and reopen schools and businesses , including restaurants , were based in part on positive coronavirus test data .
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti last week said it was his understanding the data had been problematic for some time .
“ We don ’ t believe that it ’ s something that just happened in the last two or three weeks .
The state has told us that these reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic ] , ” Garcetti told reporters Wednesday .
“ So it would be , I think , wrong to conclude that somehow numbers have come down because the reporting system just in the last two weeks has changed .
This is something that they ’ ve uncovered that probably has been with us since months ago.
” On Friday , Ghaly said that a server outage caused a delay in health records flowing into CalREDIE and that mistakes by the administration exacerbated the problem .
“ The governor has directed a full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold people accountable , ” Ghaly said last week .
After the July 25 server outage caused a delay in processing data , the state implemented “ technical changes that allowed the records to flow into the system more quickly , ” Ghaly said .
The changes needed to be disabled later , but weren ’ t , which caused “ further delays in our reporting of lab data and creating an extensive backlog , ” he said .
Officials also discovered that Quest Diagnostics , one of the biggest labs in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data to the system for five days from July 31 through Aug. 4 , further skewing the data .
Ghaly said the state failed to renew a certificate that allowed Quest to transmit information into the system .
The California Department of Public Health told counties of a data problem in a July 31 email and referenced an earlier notice about the issue .
Newsom said he was not aware of the data inaccuracies when he described a steep drop in positive test results as a good sign three days later .
County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data for months .
Ghaly said on Friday that he ’ s working to understand communication issues at California Health and Human Services and the California Department of Public Health .
Without an accurate picture of confirmed cases , many local officials who rely on the CalREDIE system had to conduct their own tallies to understand how the virus spread in their communities .
Several counties throughout the state are applying for waivers to reopen schools .
That allowance , like state permission for counties to reopen certain businesses , relies heavily on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After officials discovered the data backlog , the state stopped adding and removing counties from its watchlist of areas experiencing higher rates of transmission , which subjects them to more restrictions than parts of California with lower caseloads .
Thirty-eight counties , representing 97 % of the state ’ s population , are on the list .
Newsom said he is confident that the updated statewide data on the rate of positive coronavirus tests will “ look favorable , ” and cited other public health indicators showing a decline in COVID-19-related hospitalizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from COVID-19 , and 560,000 have been diagnosed with the virus .
The pandemic has put millions of Californians out of work , devastated the economy and is forcing most California schools to shut down classrooms and begin the academic year using distance learning programs .
The Dodgers and other professional sports teams are playing games in stadiums and arenas without fans and , to lessen the risks of the virus spreading on election day , all registered California voters will receive a mail-in ballot .
Angell , the state ’ s departing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newsom in his public briefings on the state ’ s efforts to combat the pandemic .
She was considered a key player in the state ’ s coordination with local public health departments across California and , as the state ’ s top public health officer , was responsible for issuing the statewide mask mandate .
Appointed department director and state public health officer by Newsom in October , she was the first Latina to serve in the role .
Angell announced her departure , effective immediately , in an email to staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give a reason for her resignation in the letter .
Her salary in the position was $ 275,650 , more than Newsom makes as governor .
Before taking the job in California , Angell was deputy commissioner at the New York City Department of Public Health and Mental Hygiene and previously worked as a senior advisor for the global noncommunicable disease unit at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Her job responsibilities will be split between two women , state officials said : Sandra Shewry will take over as acting director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Dr. Erica Pan will shift to become the acting state public health officer after having joined the state ’ s public health department in June as the state ’ s epidemiologist .
Shewry , who is vice president at the nonprofit California Health Care Foundation , previously oversaw the state ’ s Medi-Cal program under Schwarzenegger .
Pan , who previously was Alameda County ’ s health officer , notably clashed with Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk in May over his electric car factory ’ s decision to restart production despite shelter-at-home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pan ( D-Sacramento ) , who is not related to Dr. Erica Pan , said he understands the need to temporarily split Angell ’ s job into two positions , but that the roles should not be separated for long .
“ You need to have one voice , a person who is speaking as the state ’ s public health officer who oversees the state ’ s public health department , ” said Pan , a pediatrician .
“ Otherwise , it reduces the authority of the state ’ s public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top ranks of the state ’ s public health department is significant .
“ It ’ s a loss to suddenly have the director and state ’ s public health officer leave during a pandemic , ” Pan said .
“ It ’ s critical for the governor and administration to ensure there is confidence in the public health leadership … The data issue has undermined confidence and you suddenly have the director leaving , which raises questions as to why .
The administration needs to explain the issue that led to this.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dakota Smith contributed to this report .

Phil Willon, Taryn Luna, Melody Gutierrez

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that he is confident that the updated statewide data on the rate of positive coronavirus tests will “look favorable.”
Responding to one of California’s biggest setbacks since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday said his administration has fixed a public health computer database failure that distorted test results across the state and raised doubts about actions taken to stem the spread of coronavirus.
Newsom faced reporters for the first time since he touted the inaccurate data as a positive sign of fewer infections a day before the glitches became public. The governor said he was unaware of the problem, even though state health officials warned counties about data issues days earlier.
On Sunday, the state announced the abrupt departure of Dr. Sonia Angell, the director of the California Department of Public Health, the agency in charge of collecting the electronic test results.
California Coronavirus surge turns the Southland inside out Second wave of coronavirus has businesses and the public moving from indoors to the great outdoors
“These things are unfortunate, but we are moving forward,” Newsom told reporters during a news briefing Monday in Sacramento. “I’m governor. The buck stops with me.”
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Newsom declined to say whether he asked Angell to resign and sidestepped a question about her leadership of the agency during the pandemic. He said he felt it was appropriate to accept her resignation.
“She resigned. She wrote a resignation letter, and I accepted her resignation,” Newsom said. “We’re all accountable in our respective roles for what happens underneath us.”
Newsom blamed the issues with the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange, or CalREDIE, on the state’s archaic technology systems and cited similar processing delays and problems at the Department of Motor Vehicles and the state Employment Development Department, which has faced sharp criticism for failing to process unemployment insurance applications filed by millions of out-of-work Californians. The governor said replacing those systems is one of this administration’s top priorities.
1 / 18 Sharon Chavez, 26, use the oral swab on her 7-year-old daughter Melany Garcia to test for Coronavirus the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 18 Thomas Aleman Jr. 9, and sister Hailey Aleman, 7, use the oral swab for their first coronavirus test in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 18 Tuntipumiamorin Thawat, 60, gets instruction from lead tester Daniela Burza as he uses the oral swab for Coronavirus testing in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 18 Michael Lewis Childress Sr. waits for coronavirus testing in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 18 Carlos Miranda deposits his test for Coronavirus in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 6 / 18 Gerardo Garibay, 75, uses the oral swab to test for coronavirus in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 7 / 18 Cynthia Leonard helps her son Messi McDaniel, 6, with an oral swab test outside the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 8 / 18 A worker registers a driver who is celebrating a birthday with a test for coronavirus infection at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area testing site. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 18 Cars wait in line at the free COVID-19 testing site at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 10 / 18 A worker checks the coronavirus test registration of a driver at the Hansen Dam site. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 11 / 18 Motorists line up for COVID-19 testing at Dodger Stadium. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 12 / 18 Mari Cruz takes a COVID-19 test from Tiffany Im at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 13 / 18 Hundreds of motorists wait for COVID-19 tests in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 14 / 18 Maritza Perez, a registered nurse, puts on her personal protective equipment before administering COVID tests to some 50 to 65 patients at AltaMed Health Services in Anaheim. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 15 / 18 Wilma Thomas, a registered nurse, left, and Viviana Robles, a licensed practical nurse, stand near a mister on a hot day of coronavirus testing at AltaMed Health Services in Anaheim. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 16 / 18 Gregory Williams helps daughter Althea, 7, with an oral swab COVID-19 test at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South L.A. His wife, Zulema Cuevas, holds their 2-year-old. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 17 / 18 Walk-ins wait at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science testing site. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 18 / 18 Dalton Caputo delivers his family’s test samples at the Charles R. Drew site. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Rob Stutzman, a Republican consultant and former communications director to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said Newsom’s explanation Monday on the data failure and Angell’s departure fell far short of the public accountability Californians deserve.
“It took him a week to stand in front of Californians and address this issue,” Stutzman said. “…He owes a better explanation of the Sunday night massacre that led to her departure.”
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s health and human services director, said between 250,000 and 300,000 test results had not been uploaded to the database, and that the malfunction began on July 25. Ghaly said all of those problems have been fixed, all backlogged data have been processed, and that the information had been shared with county health officials across the state.
To ensure that the state doesn’t experience similar breakdowns, computing capacity was increased fourfold at CalREDIE, the electronic disease reporting and surveillance system overseen by the California Department of Public Health, Ghaly said.
Still, the Newsom administration’s decisions on which counties would be allowed to resume activities and reopen schools and businesses, including restaurants, were based in part on positive coronavirus test data.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti last week said it was his understanding the data had been problematic for some time.
“We don’t believe that it’s something that just happened in the last two or three weeks. The state has told us that these reporting problems may have been throughout [the pandemic],” Garcetti told reporters Wednesday. “So it would be, I think, wrong to conclude that somehow numbers have come down because the reporting system just in the last two weeks has changed. This is something that they’ve uncovered that probably has been with us since months ago.”
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On Friday, Ghaly said that a server outage caused a delay in health records flowing into CalREDIE and that mistakes by the administration exacerbated the problem.
“The governor has directed a full investigation of what happened and we will hold people accountable,” Ghaly said last week.
After the July 25 server outage caused a delay in processing data, the state implemented “technical changes that allowed the records to flow into the system more quickly,” Ghaly said. The changes needed to be disabled later, but weren’t, which caused “further delays in our reporting of lab data and creating an extensive backlog,” he said.
Officials also discovered that Quest Diagnostics, one of the biggest labs in the state, was unable to report lab data to the system for five days from July 31 through Aug. 4, further skewing the data. Ghaly said the state failed to renew a certificate that allowed Quest to transmit information into the system.
The California Department of Public Health told counties of a data problem in a July 31 email and referenced an earlier notice about the issue. Newsom said he was not aware of the data inaccuracies when he described a steep drop in positive test results as a good sign three days later.
County officials had also raised questions about the data for months. Ghaly said on Friday that he’s working to understand communication issues at California Health and Human Services and the California Department of Public Health.
Without an accurate picture of confirmed cases, many local officials who rely on the CalREDIE system had to conduct their own tallies to understand how the virus spread in their communities. Several counties throughout the state are applying for waivers to reopen schools. That allowance, like state permission for counties to reopen certain businesses, relies heavily on data tied to case counts and hospitalizations.
After officials discovered the data backlog, the state stopped adding and removing counties from its watchlist of areas experiencing higher rates of transmission, which subjects them to more restrictions than parts of California with lower caseloads. Thirty-eight counties, representing 97% of the state’s population, are on the list.
Newsom said he is confident that the updated statewide data on the rate of positive coronavirus tests will “look favorable,” and cited other public health indicators showing a decline in COVID-19-related hospitalizations.
More than 10,000 Californians have died from COVID-19, and 560,000 have been diagnosed with the virus. The pandemic has put millions of Californians out of work, devastated the economy and is forcing most California schools to shut down classrooms and begin the academic year using distance learning programs. The Dodgers and other professional sports teams are playing games in stadiums and arenas without fans and, to lessen the risks of the virus spreading on election day, all registered California voters will receive a mail-in ballot.
Angell, the state’s departing director of public health, appeared alongside Newsom in his public briefings on the state’s efforts to combat the pandemic. She was considered a key player in the state’s coordination with local public health departments across California and, as the state’s top public health officer, was responsible for issuing the statewide mask mandate.
Appointed department director and state public health officer by Newsom in October, she was the first Latina to serve in the role. Angell announced her departure, effective immediately, in an email to staff on Sunday night. She did not give a reason for her resignation in the letter. Her salary in the position was $275,650, more than Newsom makes as governor.
Before taking the job in California, Angell was deputy commissioner at the New York City Department of Public Health and Mental Hygiene and previously worked as a senior advisor for the global noncommunicable disease unit at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Her job responsibilities will be split between two women, state officials said: Sandra Shewry will take over as acting director of the Department of Public Health, and Dr. Erica Pan will shift to become the acting state public health officer after having joined the state’s public health department in June as the state’s epidemiologist.
Shewry, who is vice president at the nonprofit California Health Care Foundation, previously oversaw the state’s Medi-Cal program under Schwarzenegger. Pan, who previously was Alameda County’s health officer, notably clashed with Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk in May over his electric car factory’s decision to restart production despite shelter-at-home orders at the time.
Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), who is not related to Dr. Erica Pan, said he understands the need to temporarily split Angell’s job into two positions, but that the roles should not be separated for long.
“You need to have one voice, a person who is speaking as the state’s public health officer who oversees the state’s public health department,” said Pan, a pediatrician. “Otherwise, it reduces the authority of the state’s public health officer.”
He said turnover in the top ranks of the state’s public health department is significant.
“It’s a loss to suddenly have the director and state’s public health officer leave during a pandemic,” Pan said. “It’s critical for the governor and administration to ensure there is confidence in the public health leadership … The data issue has undermined confidence and you suddenly have the director leaving, which raises questions as to why. The administration needs to explain the issue that led to this.”
Times staff writers John Myers and Dakota Smith contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-08-10--Coronavirus surging among children, teenagers in California

Coronavirus cases among children and teenagers are surging in California , up 150 % last month , a rate that outpaces COVID-19 cases overall and establishes minors as a small but growing share of the state ’ s COVID-19 cases .
The increase also appears to outpace the number of coronavirus cases among children nationally , which grew 40 % in the second half of July , according to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children ’ s Hospital Assn .
Nationally , children with COVID-19 represented about 8.8 % of all U.S. cases at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % in California , the analysis found .
That number is continuing to climb , with more than 50,000 cases among children and teenagers in California this week , representing about 9.5 % of total cases , according to data from the California Department of Public Health .
The number is still dwarfed by new cases among adults ages 18 to 50 , who represent the majority of cases statewide .
The data comes among heated debate over when and how schools will be allowed to reopen , and what life will look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom said Monday that the state has seen “ encouraging signs ” in some key metrics , but “ not the kind of stability ... that we ultimately need.
” That progress includes a 19 % decline in coronavirus hospitalizations over the last two weeks , and a 13 % decline in admissions to intensive-care units , Newsom said .
About 8 % of statewide hospital patients are being treated for COVID-19 , down from 9 % last week .
A new California system could allow local public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some elementary schools if the surrounding counties meet some state standards .
Officials have said that counties with coronavirus transmission rates higher than 200 cases per 100,000 residents should not apply .
As hospitalization rates and ICU admissions fall , “ more and more counties will have an opportunity to consider the waiver process and determine if it is the right thing ” for local school districts , said Mark Ghaly , California ’ s Health and Human Services Secretary .
Officials in Los Angeles County , where the rate is 335 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no elementary schools will be allowed to reopen immediately .
Teachers , administrators and other staff will still be allowed to return to school buildings if they observe social distancing and wear face coverings , officials said .
“ We do need to prepare for the high possibility that once schools do reopen , there will be cases , ” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said .
Although cases among children are growing , young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 continue to represent an outsize share of new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have linked a number of outbreaks to younger adults and college campuses , including at least 45 people linked to , a group of who returned to campus and tested positive , and dozens of cases at UC Berkeley linked to fraternity parties .
Younger people may feel that precautions such as social distancing and face coverings are unimportant because they are at a low risk of becoming seriously ill or dying of the virus .
But experts say that the young can become “ super spreaders , ” transmitting the illness to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people with underlying health conditions .
“ They ’ re cumbersome , they get sweaty , ” Ferrer said , referring to face coverings .
“ But they do protect all of us.
” Competitions and other youth sporting events are still banned in California , but officials have allowed limited training and conditioning activities to resume .
All players and coaches need to maintain a physical distance of at least six feet and avoid physical contact .
Everyone must wear a face covering unless they are swimming , eating , drinking or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also discouraged athletes from sharing equipment or water bottles .
Children younger than 2 should not wear face masks , Ferrer said .
Neither should anyone who has trouble breathing , is unconscious or is “ otherwise unable to remove the mask without some help , ” she said .

Gregory Williams helps daughter Althea, 7, with an oral swab COVID-19 test at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South L.A. His wife, Zulema Cuevas, holds their 2-year-old. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Wilma Thomas, a registered nurse, left, and Viviana Robles, a licensed practical nurse, stand near a mister on a hot day of coronavirus testing at AltaMed Health Services in Anaheim. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Maritza Perez, a registered nurse, puts on her personal protective equipment before administering COVID tests to some 50 to 65 patients at AltaMed Health Services in Anaheim. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Cars wait in line at the free COVID-19 testing site at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
A worker registers a driver who is celebrating a birthday with a test for coronavirus infection at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area testing site. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Cynthia Leonard helps her son Messi McDaniel, 6, with an oral swab test outside the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Gerardo Garibay, 75, uses the oral swab to test for coronavirus in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Carlos Miranda deposits his test for Coronavirus in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Michael Lewis Childress Sr. waits for coronavirus testing in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Tuntipumiamorin Thawat, 60, gets instruction from lead tester Daniela Burza as he uses the oral swab for Coronavirus testing in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Thomas Aleman Jr. 9, and sister Hailey Aleman, 7, use the oral swab for their first coronavirus test in the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Sharon Chavez, 26, use the oral swab on her 7-year-old daughter Melany Garcia to test for Coronavirus the parking lot of a Food4Less Grocery in the Westlake area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Coronavirus cases among children and teenagers are surging in California, up 150% last month, a rate that outpaces COVID-19 cases overall and establishes minors as a small but growing share of the state’s COVID-19 cases.
The increase also appears to outpace the number of coronavirus cases among children nationally, which grew 40% in the second half of July, according to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Assn.
Nationally, children with COVID-19 represented about 8.8% of all U.S. cases at the end of July, compared to 9% in California, the analysis found.
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That number is continuing to climb, with more than 50,000 cases among children and teenagers in California this week, representing about 9.5% of total cases, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. The number is still dwarfed by new cases among adults ages 18 to 50, who represent the majority of cases statewide.
The data comes among heated debate over when and how schools will be allowed to reopen, and what life will look like for students and teachers when they do.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the state has seen “encouraging signs” in some key metrics, but “not the kind of stability ... that we ultimately need.”
That progress includes a 19% decline in coronavirus hospitalizations over the last two weeks, and a 13% decline in admissions to intensive-care units, Newsom said. About 8% of statewide hospital patients are being treated for COVID-19, down from 9% last week.
A new California system could allow local public health officials to grant waivers to reopen some elementary schools if the surrounding counties meet some state standards. Officials have said that counties with coronavirus transmission rates higher than 200 cases per 100,000 residents should not apply.
As hospitalization rates and ICU admissions fall, “more and more counties will have an opportunity to consider the waiver process and determine if it is the right thing” for local school districts, said Mark Ghaly, California’s Health and Human Services Secretary.
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Officials in Los Angeles County, where the rate is 335 cases per 100,000 people, have said that no elementary schools will be allowed to reopen immediately. Teachers, administrators and other staff will still be allowed to return to school buildings if they observe social distancing and wear face coverings, officials said.
“We do need to prepare for the high possibility that once schools do reopen, there will be cases,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.
Although cases among children are growing, young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 continue to represent an outsize share of new coronavirus cases in California.
Health officials have linked a number of outbreaks to younger adults and college campuses, including at least 45 people linked to three USC fraternities , a group of UCLA football players who returned to campus and tested positive, and dozens of cases at UC Berkeley linked to fraternity parties.
Younger people may feel that precautions such as social distancing and face coverings are unimportant because they are at a low risk of becoming seriously ill or dying of the virus. But experts say that the young can become “super spreaders,” transmitting the illness to the vulnerable, including older relatives and people with underlying health conditions.
“They’re cumbersome, they get sweaty,” Ferrer said, referring to face coverings. “But they do protect all of us.”
Competitions and other youth sporting events are still banned in California, but officials have allowed limited training and conditioning activities to resume.
All players and coaches need to maintain a physical distance of at least six feet and avoid physical contact. Everyone must wear a face covering unless they are swimming, eating, drinking or exercising heavily, Ferrer said. She also discouraged athletes from sharing equipment or water bottles.
Children younger than 2 should not wear face masks, Ferrer said. Neither should anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious or is “otherwise unable to remove the mask without some help,” she said.
Times staff writer Ben Welsh contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-08-10--Swarm of Salton Sea earthquakes sparks worry about the San Andreas fault

A swarm of small earthquakes in California , close to the Mexican border , is being closely monitored as to whether it might raise the chance of a much larger event on the San Andreas fault .
The largest earthquake on Monday was a magnitude 4.6 , reported at 8:56 a.m. under the southeastern part of the Salton Sea , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
It was among a series that began at 6:33 a.m. with a magnitude 3.2 earthquake .
Magnitude 4 quakes struck at 9:03 a.m. and 12:29 p.m.
It ’ s only the fourth time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that such a swarm has occurred in this part of California — a region that raises concern among seismologists for the chance that it can trigger a significant earthquake on the San Andreas fault .
The San Andreas fault ’ s southernmost stretch has not ruptured since 1680 to 1690 .
Big earthquakes on this section of the southern San Andreas fault rupture on average every 250 years — although there can be wide variations as to how often they actually do occur .
In general , there ’ s a 20 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quake on this part of the San Andreas fault over the next 30 years .
The last time a similar swarm happened was nearly four years ago .
That series of moderate quakes — the worst of which were two at magnitude 4.3 and one at magnitude 4.1 — increased the chance of a magnitude 7 or larger quake from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 100 and prompted a rare warning by the U.S. Geological Survey .
The warning convinced San Bernardino officials to close City Hall for two days in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being vacated over longstanding worries about its seismic safety .
No bigger quake occurred .
Monday ’ s swarm “ does increase the chance of a big earthquake on the San Andreas somewhat , ” said USGS research geophysicist Morgan Page .
“ So it ’ s definitely something to watch.
” Still , “ it ’ s not necessarily doom and gloom , ” given that the last three similar swarms — in 2001 , 2009 and 2016 — did not result in larger , catastrophic quakes , Page said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do worry that this could be the time that it triggers something.
” Computer simulations were underway Monday to calculate what the increased risk of a major quake on the San Andreas fault might be .
Monday ’ s swarm is farther from the San Andreas fault than the 2016 swarm was , said seismologist Lucy Jones .
Scientists have not seen a foreshock that has triggered a larger earthquake more than 6.2 miles away , and Monday ’ s quake sequence so far is about 7.5 miles from the San Andreas fault @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is probably too far away , ” she said , for Monday ’ s quakes to trigger a large one on the San Andreas .
“ It ’ s not so much too far away that you say it ’ s impossible .
But probably too far away.
” The situation , however , would become more concerning if the swarm starts moving north , toward the fault , she said .
The San Andreas is one of the state ’ s most dangerous faults and , in the worst-case scenario , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along a stretch from close to the Mexican border through Palm Springs , San Bernardino and into the mountains of Los Angeles County , all the way up to Monterey County .
A less-powerful Big One on the San Andreas , a magnitude 7.8 earthquake from near the Mexican border to the San Gabriel Mountains of L.A. County , could hypothetically kill 1,800 people ; injure 5,000 ; displace 500,000 to 1 million ; and hobble the region economically for a generation , according to a USGS simulation called ShakeOut .
Such a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into Los Angeles , Orange , Riverside , San Bernardino , Kern and Ventura counties .
The prospect has fueled efforts by California ’ s local governments to strengthen earthquake retrofit laws .
In recent years , Los Angeles and other cities have passed sweeping laws requiring wooden apartment buildings and brittle concrete buildings to be strengthened in efforts to avoid catastrophic collapses .
But there remain vulnerabilities .
Most cities , including Los Angeles , have not required sweeping inspections or retrofits of possibly vulnerable steel-frame buildings .
And a Los Angeles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aging brick buildings in Riverside and San Bernardino counties that have been marked as dangerous and have not been retrofit , despite decades of warnings of the risk to human lives in an earthquake .
Large quakes can easily happen with no detectable foreshocks beforehand .
But California has a history of smaller earthquakes preceding large and catastrophic events .
Southern California ’ s last megaquake , a magnitude 7.8 in 1857 , was on the San Andreas fault and was preceded by smaller quakes on the northern terminus of the southern San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The first quakes came about nine hours before the magnitude 7.8 .
Then , two hours before the Big One hit , a magnitude 6.1 quake struck , and an hour before the main event , a magnitude 5.6 quake hit .
It started in Monterey County but rushed down to Los Angeles County in about two minutes , sinking trees in Sacramento and uprooting trees near the Grapevine section of Interstate 5 .
In 1987 , a magnitude 6.2 earthquake was followed more than 11 hours later by a magnitude 6.6 quake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one caused $ 4 million in damage and injured 94 people in Imperial County , while leaving 3,000 people temporarily homeless in the Mexicali area of Baja California .
Perhaps the most famous example of triggered earthquakes in California occurred in 1992 .
An April 22 magnitude 6.1 earthquake in Joshua Tree National Park began a sequence that migrated north in the following months .
On June 28 , an earthquake 63 times stronger ruptured — the magnitude 7.3 Landers quake , with an epicenter more than 25 miles northeast of Palm Springs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being struck by a collapsing chimney .
Three hours later , a magnitude 6.3 quake struck about 20 miles west , just a few miles from Big Bear .
And just last year , the magnitude 6.4 Ridgecrest earthquake on July 4 in the Mojave Desert was followed less than 34 hours later by a magnitude 7.1 quake .
That second quake on July 5 was the most powerful one to hit California in 20 years and caused billions of dollars in damage , especially in the town of Trona and the China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Navy ’ s largest base for developing and testing weapons of warfare .

Earthquakes up to magnitude 4.6 under the Salton Sea are raising concern that a larger quake could be unleashed on the San Andreas fault, shown as the red line. The southernmost section of the fault has not ruptured since about 1680.
A swarm of small earthquakes in California, close to the Mexican border, is being closely monitored as to whether it might raise the chance of a much larger event on the San Andreas fault.
The largest earthquake on Monday was a magnitude 4.6, reported at 8:56 a.m. under the southeastern part of the Salton Sea, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was among a series that began at 6:33 a.m. with a magnitude 3.2 earthquake. Magnitude 4 quakes struck at 9:03 a.m. and 12:29 p.m.
It’s only the fourth time in the 88 years of modern records that such a swarm has occurred in this part of California — a region that raises concern among seismologists for the chance that it can trigger a significant earthquake on the San Andreas fault.
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The San Andreas fault’s southernmost stretch has not ruptured since 1680 to 1690. Big earthquakes on this section of the southern San Andreas fault rupture on average every 250 years — although there can be wide variations as to how often they actually do occur.
In general, there’s a 20% chance of a magnitude 7 or larger quake on this part of the San Andreas fault over the next 30 years.
The last time a similar swarm happened was nearly four years ago. That series of moderate quakes — the worst of which were two at magnitude 4.3 and one at magnitude 4.1 — prompted a rare warning by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The warning convinced San Bernardino officials to close City Hall for two days in 2016; the building was months away from being vacated over longstanding worries about its seismic safety. No bigger quake occurred.
Monday’s swarm “does increase the chance of a big earthquake on the San Andreas somewhat,” said USGS research geophysicist Morgan Page. “So it’s definitely something to watch.”
Still, “it’s not necessarily doom and gloom,” given that the last three similar swarms — in 2001, 2009 and 2016 — did not result in larger, catastrophic quakes, Page said. “But every time it happens, we do worry that this could be the time that it triggers something.”
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In any given week, there’s a 1 in 10,000 chance of a magnitude 7 earthquake on the San Andreas fault. USGS calculations released Monday night said there’s now a 1 in 100 chance of such a quake in the next week. It’s the same increase in risk that was calculated during the 2016 swarm.
Monday’s swarm is farther from the San Andreas fault than the 2016 swarm was, said seismologist Lucy Jones. Scientists have not seen a foreshock that has triggered a larger earthquake more than 6.2 miles away, and Monday’s quake sequence so far is about 7.5 miles from the San Andreas fault, Jones said.
“So this is probably too far away,” she said, for Monday’s quakes to trigger a large one on the San Andreas. “It’s not so much too far away that you say it’s impossible. But probably too far away.”
The situation, however, would become more concerning if the swarm starts moving north, toward the fault, she said.
The San Andreas is one of the state’s most dangerous faults and, in the worst-case scenario, is capable of unleashing a magnitude 8.2 earthquake along a stretch from close to the Mexican border through Palm Springs, San Bernardino and into the mountains of Los Angeles County, all the way up to Monterey County.
A less-powerful Big One on the San Andreas, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake from near the Mexican border to the San Gabriel Mountains of L.A. County, could hypothetically kill 1,800 people; injure 5,000; displace 500,000 to 1 million; and hobble the region economically for a generation, according to a USGS simulation called ShakeOut. Such a quake would send strong shaking almost simultaneously into Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern and Ventura counties.
The prospect has fueled efforts by California’s local governments to strengthen earthquake retrofit laws. In recent years, Los Angeles and other cities have passed sweeping laws requiring wooden apartment buildings and brittle concrete buildings to be strengthened in efforts to avoid catastrophic collapses.
But there remain vulnerabilities. Most cities, including Los Angeles, have not required sweeping inspections or retrofits of possibly vulnerable steel-frame buildings. And a Los Angeles Times analysis in 2018 identified hundreds of aging brick buildings in Riverside and San Bernardino counties that have been marked as dangerous and have not been retrofit, despite decades of warnings of the risk to human lives in an earthquake.
Large quakes can easily happen with no detectable foreshocks beforehand. But California has a history of smaller earthquakes preceding large and catastrophic events.
Southern California’s last megaquake, a magnitude 7.8 in 1857, was on the San Andreas fault and was preceded by smaller quakes on the northern terminus of the southern San Andreas fault, in Monterey County.
The first quakes came about nine hours before the magnitude 7.8. Then, two hours before the Big One hit, a magnitude 6.1 quake struck, and an hour before the main event, a magnitude 5.6 quake hit. It started in Monterey County but rushed down to Los Angeles County in about two minutes, sinking trees in Sacramento and uprooting trees near the Grapevine section of Interstate 5.
In 1987, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake was followed more than 11 hours later by a magnitude 6.6 quake on the Superstition Hills fault. That one caused $4 million in damage and injured 94 people in Imperial County, while leaving 3,000 people temporarily homeless in the Mexicali area of Baja California.
Perhaps the most famous example of triggered earthquakes in California occurred in 1992.
An April 22 magnitude 6.1 earthquake in Joshua Tree National Park began a sequence that migrated north in the following months. On June 28, an earthquake 63 times stronger ruptured — the magnitude 7.3 Landers quake, with an epicenter more than 25 miles northeast of Palm Springs. A sleeping 3-year-old boy died after being struck by a collapsing chimney.
Three hours later, a magnitude 6.3 quake struck about 20 miles west, just a few miles from Big Bear.
And just last year, the magnitude 6.4 Ridgecrest earthquake on July 4 in the Mojave Desert was followed less than 34 hours later by a magnitude 7.1 quake. That second quake on July 5 was the most powerful one to hit California in 20 years and caused billions of dollars in damage, especially in the town of Trona and the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, the Navy’s largest base for developing and testing weapons of warfare.