latimes--2020-11-22--Hospitals brace for holiday COVID surge, fearing staff shortages and burnout

Since the middle of October , doctors and nurses at Loma Linda University Medical Center had been warily watching news reports of a spike in COVID-19 patients in the Midwest .
They knew that , sooner or later , their own hospital would be hard hit .
They just didn ’ t know when .
Last week , they found out .
Between Tuesday and Wednesday , 15 COVID-19 patients were admitted to Loma Linda , in what Dr. Michael Matus , chief of hospitalist medicine , described as “ a huge rush of patients.
” “ We immediately filled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Matus said .
“ It immediately strained the nursing staff .
And then the physicians .
We try to keep the physicians seeing up to 16 patients .
That day , it was up to 24 ... .
It was our biggest day in the last month.
” A new surge of COVID-19 is battering Southern California , bearing down on exhausted healthcare workers , raising anxiety levels on hospital wards and stoking fears that there might not be enough staff and supplies for the difficult weeks ahead .
The coming holidays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The recent rise in COVID-19 patients in the middle of the country has sapped the nation ’ s reserves of nurses and doctors , as well as masks , gloves and other protective equipment .
Good news about vaccines offers hope for the future , but it ’ s the present that worries those who care for California ’ s sickest patients .
For the week ended Thursday , the most recent statistics available , the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients rose 40 % in Los Angeles County .
In San Bernardino County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number jumped 45 % ; in Riverside County , it was up 34 % .
“ We face one of the most dangerous moments in this pandemic , ” Barbara Ferrer , director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health , noted in a briefing Wednesday .
An exhausted Matus needs no reminder .
“ Each morning , we review our overall resources and how to handle patients , ” he said .
“ Staffing is problematic .
No system is leaving trained physicians or nurses on standby.… There have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ registry [ of available nurses ] is completely empty.
” Although new therapies “ are giving us a fighting shot in the majority of patients , ” Matus said , it is difficult seeing “ the stress in everybody ’ s eyes .
[ Patients ] come to the hospital short of breath .
They meet me fully masked .
Everybody ’ s just petrified.
” Dr. Anil Perumbeti , medical director for the intensive care unit at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage , said the staff has taken pride in being able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high level throughout the pandemic .
But there is a cost .
“ There ’ s definitely [ been ] two-week periods of time where nobody makes it out of the COVID ICU , no one gets better enough to be transferred out , there are multiple deaths , there are no success stories , no one gets better , ” he said .
“ I don ’ t think there ’ s any amount of experience that makes that OK or makes you feel like you did the best you could.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthcare workers had recently talked about reducing the capacity of the COVID-19 unit so there would be more space for other patients if the number of cases began to decline .
Instead , it shot up again .
The Los Angeles teaching hospital is “ without a doubt ” seeing an upward trend in COVID-19 patients , said Dr. Neha Nanda , medical director of infection prevention .
“ I don ’ t have a crystal ball , but I anticipate in the next few weeks , it ’ ll continue to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that hospitals could soon “ run short of beds ” as the number of patients in the region surges .
The matter of capacity is complicated , said Carmela Coyle , president of the California Hospital Assn .
She noted that , during a press briefing in early November , Gov .
Gavin Newsom said the state was using only 4 % of its hospital-bed capacity on COVID-19 patients .
Last week , that number rose to 6 % .
However , she said , in Imperial County , for example , nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 patients , and in Kings County , the rate is 16 % .
“ With outbreaks , you can have zero [ patients ] today and quite a few tomorrow , ” Coyle said .
“ I was on the phone with a [ hospital ] CEO .
They went from seven patients yesterday to 20 COVID patients overnight ... .
We talk about percent of beds with COVID patients .
But this is not about mattresses and pillows and bed frames.
” Dr. Alan Williamson , Eisenhower ’ s chief medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trade-offs hospitals make to deliver care yet keep costs down .
Health systems in the United States have moved toward a “ just in time ” model , so they don ’ t keep a lot of supplies on hand .
And they ’ ve consolidated their buying , because gloves , masks and isolation gowns are cheaper if they give all their business to one supplier .
But if that supplier runs out , there ’ s no backup .
“ It ’ s a constant concern every single day as to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next in the supply chain , ” said Williamson .
“ A hallmark of the pandemic is laying bare that we have tenuous supply chains.
” The Coachella Valley is a snowbird destination , and the population there can double in winter .
Eisenhower is heading into its busiest season while bracing for the next surge of the virus .
The hospital has already seen an increase in patients .
Tina Wallum , director of critical care units and inpatient dialysis , said the latest surge is different from earlier ones at Eisenhower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complications related to the virus , such as respiratory failure .
But the virus has become so “ endemic in the community ” that the unit also has COVID-positive patients who are admitted for non-COVID reasons , such as congestive heart failure or sepsis .
They can ’ t be put among the hospital ’ s general population for fear they ’ ll spread the virus .
“ The entire team is emotionally fatigued from this marathon , ” Wallum said .
“ A lot of it has to do with the fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ones ... .
I have never seen anything like this in my nursing career .
These patients are some of the sickest patients I ’ ve ever seen.
” Eisenhower has instituted virtual counseling and socially distanced debriefing sessions for nurses to address the emotional impact of caring for COVID-19 patients for so long and with no end in sight .
Wallum , who is a nurse , said the session she attended was “ very helpful.
” She said she realized she probably hasn ’ t talked enough with “ people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hardest parts of her job , such as enforcing the no-visitors policy in the ICU , which means she must stand between dying people and their loved ones .
Family members can connect with relatives virtually , but “ it ’ s not the same as coming in and holding someone ’ s hand , ” Wallum said .
“ That ’ s been the most heartbreaking for me.
” Perumbeti said his hospital is prepared for the surge because “ we ’ ve never really had a break ” since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that tremendously.
” He is one of three regularly scheduled intensivists in the Eisenhower ICU .
Times like this , he said , are what he and others in the unit “ have trained for our entire lives ... .
It ’ s where we like to be .
We don ’ t want to be sitting at home when things are busy.
” Still , he said , the challenge of caring for seriously ill patients brings fatigue , and “ everyone ’ s really feeling it.
” Tinny Abogado , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medical Center , worries about not having enough masks to do her job safely and that her hospital is not ready for the coming surge .
“ You don ’ t know what to expect , ” she said .
“ It ’ s coming this way ... .
We ’ re not prepared at all .
Besides being burned out , I ’ m also feeling nervous.
” Patricia Wilson is most worried about bringing the virus home .
She ’ s 33 , has been a nurse for four years and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health System in the middle of the pandemic .
The virus and the havoc it has wrought have taken a toll on her mental health .
Wilson said she anticipated that , with flu season arriving , and the public ’ s quarantine fatigue , work would be busy .
With the coronavirus surging , she said , she believes she ’ ll be on COVID-19 units moving forward .
She has struggled with sleeping problems and anxiety .
She second-guesses herself as she tries to stay healthy while keeping her patients , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She says her heart sinks and her eyes well with tears “ when I see my husband come in for a good-morning kiss when I get home , but then hesitate at the very last second , as I turn my cheek to him to avoid kissing on the mouth directly.
” She sanitizes her car and her eyeglasses after every shift .
She lies to people when they ask what she does .
Being a nurse “ once felt admirable , ” she said .
It “ now feels like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I feel like a pariah .
”

Registered nurse Tinny Abogado stands outside Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, where she has worked for more than 20 years.
Since the middle of October, doctors and nurses at Loma Linda University Medical Center had been warily watching news reports of a spike in COVID-19 patients in the Midwest. They knew that, sooner or later, their own hospital would be hard hit. They just didn’t know when.
Last week, they found out. In one 24-hour period, 15 COVID-19 patients were admitted to Loma Linda in what Dr. Michael Matus, chief of hospitalist medicine, described as “a huge rush of patients.”
“We immediately filled one ward and half of another,” Matus said. “It immediately strained the nursing staff. And then the physicians. We try to keep the physicians seeing up to 16 patients. That day, it was up to 24.... It was our biggest day in the last month.”
A new surge of COVID-19 is battering Southern California, bearing down on exhausted healthcare workers, raising anxiety levels on hospital wards and stoking fears that there might not be enough staff and supplies for the difficult weeks ahead. The coming holidays only make the situation more dire.
The recent rise in COVID-19 patients in the middle of the country has sapped the nation’s reserves of nurses and doctors, as well as masks, gloves and other protective equipment. Good news about vaccines offers hope for the future, but it’s the present that worries those who care for California’s sickest patients.
For the week ended Thursday, the most recent statistics available, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients rose 40% in Los Angeles County. In San Bernardino County, home to Loma Linda, the number jumped 45%; in Riverside County, it was up 34%.
“We face one of the most dangerous moments in this pandemic,” Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, noted in a briefing Wednesday.
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California Daily California coronavirus cases triple as pandemic dramatically worsens The coronavirus is infecting more Californians daily than at any other point in the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about a peak in deaths by Christmas.
An exhausted Matus needs no reminder.
“Each morning, we review our overall resources and how to handle patients,” he said. “Staffing is problematic. No system is leaving trained physicians or nurses on standby.… There have been multiple days in the morning where the registry [of available nurses] is completely empty.”
Although new therapies “are giving us a fighting shot in the majority of patients,” Matus said, it is difficult seeing “the stress in everybody’s eyes. [Patients] come to the hospital short of breath. They meet me fully masked. Everybody’s just petrified.”
Dr. Anil Perumbeti, medical director for the intensive care unit at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, says the staff has taken pride in being able to work at a fast pace and high level throughout the pandemic. But there is a cost.
“There’s definitely [been] two-week periods of time where nobody makes it out of the COVID ICU, no one gets better enough to be transferred out, there are multiple deaths, there are no success stories, no one gets better,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any amount of experience that makes that OK or makes you feel like you did the best you could.”
At Keck Medicine of USC, healthcare workers had recently talked about reducing the capacity of the COVID-19 unit so there would be more space for other patients if the number of cases began to decline. Instead, it shot up again.
The Los Angeles teaching hospital is “without a doubt” seeing an upward trend in COVID-19 patients, said Dr. Neha Nanda, medical director of infection prevention. “I don’t have a crystal ball, but I anticipate in the next few weeks, it’ll continue to go up.”
Nanda said she was concerned that hospitals could soon “run short of beds” as the number of patients in the region surged.
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The matter of capacity is complicated, said Carmela Coyle, president of the California Hospital Assn. She noted that, during a news briefing in early November, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state was using only 4% of its hospital-bed capacity on COVID-19 patients. Last week, that number rose to 6%.
She said, however, that in Imperial County, for example, nearly a quarter of all hospital beds had COVID-19 patients, and in Kings County, the rate is 16%.
“With outbreaks, you can have zero [patients] today and quite a few tomorrow,” Coyle said. “I was on the phone with a [hospital] CEO. They went from seven patients yesterday to 20 COVID patients overnight.... We talk about percent of beds with COVID patients. But this is not about mattresses and pillows and bed frames.”
Dr. Alan Williamson, Eisenhower’s chief medical officer, says the pandemic underscores the trade-offs hospitals make to deliver care yet keep costs down. Health systems in the United States have moved toward a “just in time” model, so they don’t keep a lot of supplies on hand. And they’ve consolidated their buying, because gloves, masks and isolation gowns are cheaper if they give all their business to one supplier. But if that supplier runs out, there’s no backup.
“It’s a constant concern every single day as to what’s going to break down next in the supply chain,” said Williamson. “A hallmark of the pandemic is laying bare that we have tenuous supply chains.”
California L.A. County on brink of additional restrictions with more than 4,500 new coronavirus cases Another round of distressing COVID-19 case numbers has Los Angeles teetering on the brink of further restrictions to slow the spread of the virus — including the likely shutdown of outdoor restaurant dining.
The Coachella Valley is a snowbird destination, and the population there can double in winter. Eisenhower is heading into its busiest season while bracing for the next surge of the virus. The hospital has already seen an increase in patients.
Tina Wallum, director of critical care units and inpatient dialysis, says the latest surge is different from earlier ones at Eisenhower. Patients are being admitted because of complications related to the virus, such as respiratory failure. But the virus has become so “endemic in the community” that the unit also has coronavirus-positive patients who are admitted for non-COVID reasons, such as congestive heart failure or sepsis. They can’t be put among the hospital’s general population for fear they’ll spread the virus.
“The entire team is emotionally fatigued from this marathon,” Wallum said. “A lot of it has to do with the fact that families are distant from their loved ones.... I have never seen anything like this in my nursing career. These patients are some of the sickest patients I’ve ever seen.”
Eisenhower has instituted virtual counseling and socially distanced debriefing sessions for nurses to address the emotional impact of caring for COVID-19 patients for so long and with no end in sight.
Wallum, who is a nurse, said the session she attended was “very helpful.” She said she realized she probably hadn’t talked enough with “people who could be helpful to me” about the hardest parts of her job, such as enforcing the no-visitors policy in the ICU, which means she must stand between dying people and their loved ones.
Family members can connect with relatives virtually, but “it’s not the same as coming in and holding someone’s hand,” Wallum said. “That’s been the most heartbreaking for me.”
Perumbeti said his hospital was prepared for the surge because “we’ve never really had a break” since the pandemic began. “The nurses feel that tremendously.”
He is one of three regularly scheduled intensivists in the Eisenhower ICU. Times like this, he said, are what he and others in the unit “have trained for our entire lives.... It’s where we like to be. We don’t want to be sitting at home when things are busy.”
Still, he said, the challenge of caring for seriously ill patients brings fatigue, and “everyone’s really feeling it.”
Tinny Abogado, a nurse at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, worries about not having enough masks to do her job safely and that her hospital is not ready for the coming surge.
“You don’t know what to expect,” she said. “It’s coming this way.... We’re not prepared at all. Besides being burned out, I’m also feeling nervous.”
Patricia Wilson is most worried about bringing the virus home. She’s 33, has been a nurse for four years, and started a job at the Riverside University Health System in the middle of the pandemic. The virus and the havoc it has wrought have taken a toll on her mental health.
Wilson said she anticipated that, with flu season arriving, and the public’s quarantine fatigue, work would be busy. With the coronavirus surging, she said, she believes she’ll be on COVID-19 units moving forward.
She has struggled with sleeping problems and anxiety. She second-guesses herself as she tries to stay healthy while keeping her patients, her husband and her 20-month-old daughter safe. She says her heart sinks and her eyes well with tears “when I see my husband come in for a good-morning kiss when I get home, but then hesitate at the very last second, as I turn my cheek to him to avoid kissing on the mouth directly.”
She sanitizes her car and her eyeglasses after every shift. She lies to people when they ask what she does. Being a nurse “once felt admirable,” she said. It “now feels like a risk. I hate this.... I feel like a pariah.”


latimes--2020-11-21--L.A. County on brink of additional restrictions with more than 4,500 new coronavirus cases

Another round of distressing case numbers has Los Angeles teetering on the brink of further restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus — including the likely shutdown of outdoor restaurant dining .
County data released Saturday evening revealed 4,522 new cases ; the average daily count over the last four days is 4,442 .
If the average remains higher than 4,000 on Sunday — which seems all but certain — the outdoor dining restriction is set to be reinstated for the first time since May .
And Los Angeles public health officials have set another threshold if the five-day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new stay-at-home order that would generally allow only essential workers and people securing essential services to leave their homes .
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 also continued to climb Saturday , with 1,391 people admitted at facilities around the county , nearly double the average daily number in early October .
About a quarter of those COVID-19 patients are in intensive care units .
Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer renewed her call for the county ’ s 10 million residents to remain home as much as possible , maintain social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We have to change the alarming increases in cases and hospitalizations , ” Ferrer said in a statement , “ and get back to slowing the spread to avoid overwhelming our hospitals and save lives.
” The county health chief also acknowledged the fatigue people are feeling , as restrictions on businesses and public gatherings stretch into a ninth month .
“ Although this pandemic seems like it will never end , I assure you that it will , ” she said , thanking the public for staying the course .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Young people are driving the increased community transmission across the sprawling county , and older people are dying at much higher rates .
More than 72 % of the new cases reported Saturday were in people under 50 , while 91 % of the deaths were those older than 50 .
Of the 34 county residents who died of COVID-19 on Saturday , 15 were over 80 , according to the new report .
County officials have warned about the interventions that would come with spiking case counts and hospitalizations .
Coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sending officials scrambling to get the rise under control .
The county has already ordered restaurants and nonessential stores to close their doors to the public at 10 p.m. and to limit capacity during business hours .
The rest of California mirrored the unhappy trajectory , with an unprecedented increase in new coronavirus cases .
For the first time , the state saw three days over the last week with more than 13,000 new daily infections .
Hospitalizations statewide also spiraled upward .
The uptick prompted Gov .
Gavin Newsom to issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonessential activity outside the home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in counties that are in the most restrictive , purple , tier of the state ’ s four-phase reopening plan .
Roughly 94 % of the state ’ s population lives in purple counties , including all of Southern California .
The governor ’ s order was slated to take effect Saturday at 10 p.m. and remain in place through Dec. 21 .
A protest against the restrictions was set to take place Saturday at 10:01 p.m. at Huntington Beach Pier .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,169 new coronavirus cases — its highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic .
On Saturday , Orange County reported 806 new cases and 11 related deaths , bringing its total to 69,142 cases and 1,551 deaths .
Officials cautioned that lower case counts over the weekend could reflect maintenance of the state ’ s reporting system , not a true decline .
There were 365 confirmed coronavirus patients in Orange County hospitals on Friday .
The three-day average number of hospitalized patients is up 54.1 % , the county said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one-day total of new cases on Saturday , with 2,873 .
There were two deaths .
Hospitalizations were also on the rise there , with 509 patients on Friday , an increase of 157 % from a month before .
Times staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II , Luke Money and Sean Greene contributed to this report .

People wait in line for food distribution by Los Angeles Restoration Church on Thursday at MacArthur Park.
Another round of distressing case numbers has Los Angeles teetering on the brink of further restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus — including the likely shutdown of outdoor restaurant dining.
County data released Saturday evening revealed 4,522 new cases; the average daily count over the last four days is 4,442. If the average remains higher than 4,000 on Sunday — which seems all but certain — the outdoor dining restriction is set to be reinstated for the first time since May.
Advertisement
And Los Angeles public health officials have set another threshold if the five-day average reaches 4,500: It will trigger a new stay-at-home order that would generally allow only essential workers and people securing essential services to leave their homes.
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 also continued to climb Saturday, with 1,391 people admitted at facilities around the county, nearly double the average daily number in early October. About a quarter of those COVID-19 patients are in intensive care units.
Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer renewed her call for the county’s 10 million residents to remain home as much as possible, maintain social distancing and follow other safety protocols.
“We have to change the alarming increases in cases and hospitalizations,” Ferrer said in a statement, “and get back to slowing the spread to avoid overwhelming our hospitals and save lives.”
The county health chief also acknowledged the fatigue people are feeling, as restrictions on businesses and public gatherings stretch into a ninth month.
“Although this pandemic seems like it will never end, I assure you that it will,” she said, thanking the public for staying the course.
Advertisement
The latest COVID numbers confirmed another grim trend: Young people are driving the increased community transmission across the sprawling county, and older people are dying at much higher rates.
More than 72% of the new cases reported Saturday were in people under 50, while 91% of the deaths were those older than 50. Of the 34 county residents who died of COVID-19 on Saturday, 15 were over 80, according to the new report.
County officials have warned about the interventions that would come with spiking case counts and hospitalizations. Coronavirus cases began to surge in late October, sending officials scrambling to get the rise under control. The county has already ordered restaurants and nonessential stores to close their doors to the public at 10 p.m. and to limit capacity during business hours.
The rest of California mirrored the unhappy trajectory, with an unprecedented increase in new coronavirus cases. For the first time, the state saw three days over the last week with more than 13,000 new daily infections. Hospitalizations statewide also spiraled upward.
The uptick prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to issue a modified stay-at-home order that prohibits most nonessential activity outside the home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in counties that are in the most restrictive, purple, tier of the state’s four-phase reopening plan.
Roughly 94% of the state’s population lives in purple counties, including all of Southern California. The governor’s order was slated to take effect Saturday at 10 p.m. and remain in place through Dec. 21.
A protest against the restrictions was set to take place Saturday at 10:01 p.m. at Huntington Beach Pier. The day before, Orange County reported 1,169 new coronavirus cases — its highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic.
On Saturday, Orange County reported 806 new cases and 11 related deaths, bringing its total to 69,142 cases and 1,551 deaths. Officials cautioned that lower case counts over the weekend could reflect maintenance of the state’s reporting system, not a true decline.
There were 365 confirmed coronavirus patients in Orange County hospitals on Friday. The three-day average number of hospitalized patients is up 54.1%, the county said.
San Bernardino County reported its highest one-day total of new cases on Saturday, with 2,873. There were two deaths. Hospitalizations were also on the rise there, with 509 patients on Friday, an increase of 157% from a month before.
Times staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money and Sean Greene contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-11-21--After the Bobcat fire, a century-old community hopes to rebuild its storied past

It was one of the hottest weekends ever recorded in Southern California , but Greg Vanni ’ s mind was elsewhere .
All day Sunday , Sept. 6 , his phone received one ominous message after another : ALERT .
EVACUATION .
FIRE .
From the safety of a friend ’ s house in Newport Beach , Vanni , 67 , watched on TV as the Bobcat fire raged out of control in the Angeles National Forest .
No one knew at the time that it would grow into one of the largest wildfires in Los Angeles County history , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homes and structures .
But when Vanni saw the alerts and aerial footage from the scene , he realized that dozens of historic cabins located in the forest ’ s Big Santa Anita Canyon , just north of Sierra Madre , were in serious danger .
One of those cabins was his own .
Weeks went by without word — the Forest Service was too busy fighting the fire to take inventory of the canyon — but Vanni finally received a text from his friend and fellow cabin owner , John Wood .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greg , ” the text said .
Vanni knew then that his fears had been realized .
The Bobcat fire had destroyed his cabin , along with 15 others tucked deep in the canyon .
Only 64 of 80 structures , which are privately owned within the U.S. Forest Service Recreational Residence Program , remain .
Now , just over two months later , this small but resilient community is taking stock of its losses and wondering whether — and how — to rebuild in order to preserve its storied past .
More @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the area ’ s woody oaks and bay laurels between 1906 and 1936 .
But over the last century , many of those structures were lost — some to fire , some to flood and some to disrepair .
Though dwindling in size , the community remains fiercely proud of its history and determined to preserve what ’ s left .
“ It ’ s more like stewardship than ownership , ” said Ben Fitzsimmons , president of the Big Santa Anita Canyon Permittees Assn .
“ By losing a cabin , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outposts hark back to the “ Great Hiking Era ” of California history , Fitzsimmons said , when early Angelenos relied on the Big Santa Anita Canyon as a portal from the city into the great outdoors .
To this day , most of the cabins in the canyon have no electricity or running water .
Many have been in the same family for decades , thanks in part to a unique real estate arrangement that allows people to own the cabins while leasing the land from the Forest Service for 20 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cabins can not legally be used as primary residences , many owners spend every weekend there .
Vanni , who lives in Arcadia , has made the mile-and-a-half hike to his cabin almost every Friday or Saturday since he first purchased it for $ 15,000 three decades ago .
The result of all that history and hard labor is a close-knit community of nature-lovers from all walks of life : Democrats and Republicans , lawyers and PhDs , blue-collar workers and young families , and even a Nobel Prize winner and a retired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the Bobcat fire ravaged a large swath of forestland stretching between the San Gabriel Mountains to the Antelope Valley .
Once-green hillsides are now chalked with ash , and oak trees are twisted like knots of iron .
The smell of smoke hangs over the blackened landscape .
“ These cabins have the bones of history in them , ” Vanni said as he kicked through the pile of metal , glass , rebar and rubble where his cabin once stood .
“ A lot of that is permanently lost , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a profoundly personal loss , but it ’ s also a public one .
Hikers and owners alike took joy in the cabins , and people passing through often stopped to marvel at the homes , or even play a game of croquet with the neighbors .
The whole community watched with horror as the fire encroached on the canyon .
Despite the loss — and the ever-increasing threat of wildfire in California — almost everyone in the canyon is determined to rebuild .
But the Forest Service hasn ’ t yet determined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be permitted to do so .
“ Nobody ’ s against rebuilding , but what we need to do is be smart about it , ” Forest Service spokesman John Clearwater said .
“ A lot of the cabins are built low in the valley , and one of the things that needs to be assessed is the long-term effects of runoff , and how the terrain is going to be affected by drainage following the fire.
” Rockslides and mudslides are a strong possibility , Clearwater said , and a complete @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not years .
But even if safety weren ’ t an issue , there are a number of other hurdles to rebuilding : The owners must follow strict guidelines for historical buildings and navigate miles of bureaucratic red tape , including city permits , county codes and federal forest rules .
“ It ’ s a bittersweet feeling , ” said Ali Jeevanjee , who , along with his wife Poonam Sharma , became the newest members of the canyon this year .
They lost their outhouse in the blaze , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this cabin for generations , ” Jeevanjee said .
“ You ’ re getting a cabin in the woods , but you ’ re also getting a great community.
” Their two children , Noor , 11 , and Surya , 7 , spent what they called a “ pandemic summer ” in the canyon , reading books , drawing pictures and splashing in the nearby creek .
Now , the couple , both architects , wants to do whatever they can to help the community get through this difficult period .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are looking forward to helping everybody rebuild , ” Sharma said .
But goodwill alone can ’ t account for logistics .
Because there is no electricity in the canyon , any power tools would have to run on generators .
There are also no roads , so construction supplies and building materials must be carried in by foot or via donkeys , just as it was a century ago , from the Adam ’ s Pack Station at the top of the hill .
Maggie Moran , who owns and lives at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the weeks after the fire wondering how long she could hang on : With 20 % of the cabins destroyed and the park closed for safety reasons , the usual flow of people has almost entirely diminished .
“ I thought , ‘ what good am I without the cabins , the cabin owners ?
’ ” Moran said .
“ It ’ s not a pack station without them .
No matter how much you try to prepare for something , you just don ’ t know what ’ s going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it intends to keep the area closed to the public until at least April 2022 , which will also eliminate Moran ’ s profits from sales of food , drinks and park passes to visitors .
After the fire , a friend encouraged Moran to start a GoFundMe page .
She hesitated , citing all the other hardships that people are going through this year , but donations were quick to pour in .
To date , the pack station has received more than $ 40,000 in contributions , she said — a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Santa Anita community .
“ I ’ m pretty grateful for it , and I ’ m so humbled by the amount ” Moran said .
“ But I don ’ t think it has anything to do with me , ” she added .
“ It ’ s more so that people love the community and they love the canyon .
They find that this place becomes their home too .
”

A pair of wooden chairs remain unscathed near the ruins of one of 17 historic cabins destroyed by the Bobcat fire in Big Santa Anita Canyon in the Angeles National Forest.
It was one of the hottest weekends ever recorded in Southern California, but Greg Vanni’s mind was elsewhere. All day Sunday, Sept. 6, his phone received one ominous message after another: ALERT. EVACUATION. FIRE.
From the safety of a friend’s house in Newport Beach, Vanni, 67, watched on TV as the Bobcat fire raged out of control in the Angeles National Forest. No one knew at the time that it would grow into one of the largest wildfires in Los Angeles County history, scorching 115,000 acres and destroying dozens of homes and structures.
But when Vanni saw the alerts and aerial footage from the scene, he realized that dozens of historic cabins located in the forest’s Big Santa Anita Canyon, just north of Sierra Madre, were in serious danger. One of those cabins was his own.
Weeks went by without word — the Forest Service was too busy fighting the fire to take inventory of the canyon — but Vanni finally received a text from his friend and fellow cabin owner, John Wood.
The remains of a cabin destroyed by the Bobcat fire. More than 200 cabins were originally built between 1906 and 1936, but many of them were lost over time to fire, flood and disrepair. (Nick Agro / For The Times)
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“I’m so sorry, Greg,” the text said.
Vanni knew then that his fears had been realized. The Bobcat fire had destroyed his cabin, along with 16 others tucked deep in the canyon. Only 63 of 80 structures, which are privately owned within the U.S. Forest Service Recreational Residence Program, remain.
Now, just over two months later, this small but resilient community is taking stock of its losses and wondering whether — and how — to rebuild in order to preserve its storied past. More than 200 cabins were originally built within the area’s woody oaks and bay laurels between 1906 and 1936.
But over the last century, many of those structures were lost — some to fire, some to flood and some to disrepair.
Though dwindling in size, the community remains fiercely proud of its history and determined to preserve what’s left.
“It’s more like stewardship than ownership,” said Ben Fitzsimmons, president of the Big Santa Anita Canyon Permittees Assn. “By losing a cabin, you lose so much more.”
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The rugged outposts hark back to the “Great Hiking Era” of California history, Fitzsimmons said, when early Angelenos relied on the Big Santa Anita Canyon as a portal from the city into the great outdoors.
To this day, most of the cabins in the canyon have no electricity or running water. Many have been in the same family for decades, thanks in part to a unique real estate arrangement that allows people to own the cabins while leasing the land from the Forest Service for 20 years at a time.
And although the cabins cannot legally be used as primary residences, many owners spend every weekend there. Vanni, who lives in Arcadia, has made the mile-and-a-half hike to his cabin almost every Friday or Saturday since he first purchased it for $15,000 three decades ago.
The result of all that history and hard labor is a close-knit community of nature-lovers from all walks of life: Democrats and Republicans, lawyers and PhDs, blue-collar workers and young families, and even a Nobel Prize winner and a retired judge.
Firefighters battle the Bobcat fire along Angeles Crest Highway in September. The blaze became one of the largest wildfires in Los Angeles County history. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
But all that was interrupted when the Bobcat fire ravaged a large swath of forestland stretching between the San Gabriel Mountains to the Antelope Valley. Once-green hillsides are now chalked with ash, and oak trees are twisted like knots of iron. The smell of smoke hangs over the blackened landscape.
“These cabins have the bones of history in them,” Vanni said as he kicked through the pile of metal, glass, rebar and rubble where his cabin once stood. “A lot of that is permanently lost, I’m afraid.”
It’s a profoundly personal loss, but it’s also a public one. Hikers and owners alike took joy in the cabins, and people passing through often stopped to marvel at the homes, or even play a game of croquet with the neighbors. The whole community watched with horror as the fire encroached on the canyon.
Despite the loss — and the ever-increasing threat of wildfire in California — almost everyone in the canyon is determined to rebuild. But the Forest Service hasn’t yet determined which cabin owners, if any, will be permitted to do so.
“Nobody’s against rebuilding, but what we need to do is be smart about it,” Forest Service spokesman John Clearwater said. “A lot of the cabins are built low in the valley, and one of the things that needs to be assessed is the long-term effects of runoff, and how the terrain is going to be affected by drainage following the fire.”
Rockslides and mudslides are a strong possibility, Clearwater said, and a complete environmental assessment could take months, if not years.
But even if safety weren’t an issue, there are a number of other hurdles to rebuilding: The owners must follow strict guidelines for historical buildings and navigate miles of bureaucratic red tape, including city permits, county codes and federal forest rules.
Members of the Jeevanjee family walk up to their cabin in Big Santa Anita Canyon. They lost their outhouse in the Bobcat blaze, but the main cabin survived. (Nick Agro / For The Times )
“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” said Ali Jeevanjee, who, along with his wife Poonam Sharma, became the newest members of the canyon this year. They lost their outhouse in the blaze, but the main cabin survived.
“We bought this cabin for generations,” Jeevanjee said. “You’re getting a cabin in the woods, but you’re also getting a great community.”
Their two children, Noor, 11, and Surya, 7, spent what they called a “pandemic summer” in the canyon, reading books, drawing pictures and splashing in the nearby creek. Now, the couple, both architects, wants to do whatever they can to help the community get through this difficult period.
“We were very fortunate, and we are looking forward to helping everybody rebuild,” Sharma said.
But goodwill alone can’t account for logistics. Because there is no electricity in the canyon, any power tools would have to run on generators. There are also no roads, so construction supplies and building materials must be carried in by foot or via donkeys, just as it was a century ago, from the Adam’s Pack Station at the top of the hill.
Maggie Moran owns and lives at Adam’s Pack Station, which sells food, drinks and park passes to visitors of the Angeles National Forest. (Nick Agro / For The Times )
Maggie Moran, who owns and lives at that pack station, said she spent the weeks after the fire wondering how long she could hang on: With 20% of the cabins destroyed and the park closed for safety reasons, the usual flow of people has almost entirely diminished.
“I thought, ‘what good am I without the cabins, the cabin owners?’” Moran said. “It’s not a pack station without them. No matter how much you try to prepare for something, you just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The Forest Service has said it intends to keep the area closed to the public until at least April 2022, which will also eliminate Moran’s profits from sales of food, drinks and park passes to visitors.
After the fire, a friend encouraged Moran to start a GoFundMe page. She hesitated, citing all the other hardships that people are going through this year, but donations were quick to pour in. To date, the pack station has received more than $40,000 in contributions, she said — a testament to the strength of the Big Santa Anita community.
“I’m pretty grateful for it, and I’m so humbled by the amount” Moran said.
“But I don’t think it has anything to do with me,” she added. “It’s more so that people love the community and they love the canyon. They find that this place becomes their home too.”


latimes--2020-11-22--L.A. County suspends outdoor dining at restaurants as coronavirus surges

In a devastating blow to Los Angeles ’ struggling restaurant industry , L.A. County public health officials on Sunday announced they will suspend outdoor dining at restaurants amid a surge of new coronavirus cases .
Few segments of the L.A. retail economy have been hit harder by the pandemic than the once-booming dining world , with many landmark names closing in recent months and many more on the brink .
After they were forced to close indoor dining rooms in the spring , many eateries got a lifeline when officials allowed them to serve outdoors , often in patios and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sidewalks and streets .
The new rule takes effect at 10 p.m. Wednesday and restricts restaurants — along with breweries , wineries and bars — to takeout and delivery only for the first time since May .
It will remain in place for at least three weeks , officials said .
“ The persistent high number of cases requires additional safety measures that limit mixing in settings where people are not wearing masks , ” Barbara Ferrer , the L.A. County health director , said in a statement .
Officials had warned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be imposed if the five-day average of new cases reached 4,000 , or if hospitalizations topped 1,750 per day .
The five-day average had reached 4,097 by Sunday , the Public Health Department said .
There were 1,473 confirmed coronavirus patients in L.A. County hospitals as of Saturday , an increase of about 92 % from a month before .
Officials on Sunday reported 2,718 new cases of the virus and nine deaths , bringing the toll in L.A. County to 364,520 cases and 7,438 deaths .
“ While I know our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have rather discussed this measure openly during our Board of Supervisors meeting so that the public could understand the rationale behind it , ” County Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement .
“ Some of these restaurants are barely hanging on .
I hope this isn ’ t the last nail in their coffins .
I wish we could have figured out a way to put in more restrictions rather than completely shutting down dining.
” As expected , restaurateurs greeted the news with dismay .
“ What do I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s another punch , ” said Michael Simhai , the owner of Della Terra , an Italian restaurant in the Fairfax district , in a brief telephone interview Sunday , about 10 minutes after learning of the new restrictions .
“ It will be horrible for my staff .
They can ’ t get unemployment… .
They work paycheck to paycheck .
What are we going to do ?
” Simhai said that he had just spent money on heaters and awnings so that he could provide outdoor dining as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back patio .
We spent money reinforcing it , putting heaters in , thinking that in the holiday season , we ’ d make money , ” said Simhai , who opened his restaurant in 2009 .
“ All that money I spent , I can ’ t recover it.
” “ I ’ m more worried about my staff .
That ’ s who I worry about .
After three weeks , who knows ?
How much more after that ?
How are they going to pay rent ?
What will they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ What does it mean when you have no means to put food on the table ?
” He couldn ’ t help but feel the restaurant industry was being targeted and not being provided the aid to keep business afloat .
“ I guarantee the people making these decisions make the same salary regardless of whether there is a shutdown or not.
” The pace of new coronavirus cases began to increase late last month .
They ’ re now accelerating even more rapidly than they did in July , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ L.A. County , officials said .
Health officials have blamed a variety of factors , including holidays , sports championships , protest demonstrations , an increase in both social gatherings and workplace outbreaks and an overall sense of fatigue when it comes to following the rules .
They are urging everyone to stay home as much as possible for the next two to three weeks to stem the rising tide of infections and avoid overwhelming the healthcare system with a spike in hospitalizations .
An employee at the Semi-Tropic , an Echo Park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seating in a parking lot next door , said Sunday that it had been surprisingly busy of late .
“ Since everybody knows a shutdown was impending , a lot of people were trying to get their time out drinking while they can , ” said the employee , who declined to give his name .
This will be the second stretch of the pandemic he ’ s found himself out of work .
The first time , it took his unemployment 10 weeks to come through .
“ Somebody said what we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our addiction to certainty , ” he said .
“ That ’ s the way I ’ ve been trying to think about it .
I ’ ve been talking to a therapist , taking medication and learning techniques to cope with it.
” L.A. County could face even stricter rules to stem the spread of the virus if the five-day average number of cases continues to rise and tops 4,500 , or if hospitalizations grow to more than 2,000 per day , officials said .
In that event , officials plan to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permit only essential workers and those procuring essential services to leave their homes .
“ I am afraid that the way the numbers have been climbing , that ’ s a possibility , ” County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said Sunday .
Kuehl said she understands that the move to suspend outdoor dining comes as another blow to businesses that are already suffering , but that it ’ s necessary to take a step backward to get a handle on the rising rate of infection .
“ The more we opened up , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
“ It ’ s particularly difficult at restaurants and wineries and breweries because people sit for a long time without masks .
And even outdoors , the virus still carries through the air.
” She urged people to redouble their efforts to follow public health directives : Wear face coverings .
Stay six feet from others .
Avoid gatherings .
“ Clearly , as the case rates went up , it was an indicator that everyone was not being compliant , ” she said .
“ I believe everyone really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down again when we reached a certain rate.
” Earlier this week , L.A. County announced that nonessential businesses must close at 10 p.m. and further limit their maximum capacity during business hours , and capped the size of outdoor gatherings at 15 people .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom also imposed a modified stay-at-home order that took effect Saturday and remains in place through Dec. 21 .
The order prohibits most nonessential activity outside the home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in counties that are in the strictest , purple , tier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan .
Roughly 94 % of the state ’ s population lives in purple counties , including all of Southern California .
Some residents have chafed at the new statewide restrictions — even though most law enforcement agencies in Southern California said they don ’ t plan on enforcing them .
One minute after the governor ’ s order took effect Saturday night , about 200 protesters , many donning bright red caps and waving American flags , gathered at the Huntington Beach Pier .
That came a day after Orange County reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases , logging 1,169 new cases Friday .
On Sunday , Orange County reported 552 new cases of the virus and three deaths , bringing its total to 69,694 cases and 1,554 deaths .
Hospitalizations continued to rise , reaching 380 patients , an increase of about 126 % from a month before .
Protesters have also gathered in L.A. County .
A protest Friday outside Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ’ s official residence was billed as “ Curfew Protest Block Party : No More Lockdowns.
” Another took place Sunday afternoon @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Alex Wigglesworth, Matt Hamilton, Gale Holland

In a devastating blow to Los Angeles’ struggling restaurant and hospitality industry, L.A. County public health officials on Sunday announced they will suspend outdoor dining at restaurants amid a surge of new coronavirus cases.
Few segments of Southern California’s economy have been hit harder by the pandemic than the once-booming dining world, with many landmark establishments closing in recent months and many more on the brink. After they were forced to shut indoor dining rooms in the spring, many eateries got a lifeline when officials allowed them to serve outdoors, often in patio areas and makeshift dining halls set up in parking lots, sidewalks and streets.
The new rule takes effect at 10 p.m. Wednesday and restricts restaurants — along with breweries, wineries and bars — to takeout and delivery only for the first time since May. It will remain in place for at least three weeks, officials said. Wineries and breweries can continue retail operations.
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“The persistent high number of cases requires additional safety measures that limit mixing in settings where people are not wearing masks,” Barbara Ferrer, the Los Angeles County public health director, said in a statement.
As expected, restaurateurs greeted the news with frustration and dismay, expressing particular concern for their employees.
“What do I think of it? It’s horrible. It’s another punch,” said Michael Simhai, the owner of Della Terra, an Italian restaurant in the Fairfax district, about 10 minutes after learning of the moratorium on outdoor dining.
“It will be horrible for my staff,” said Simhai, noting that his takeout business would not offset the loss from patrons dining on his restaurant’s patios. “All the busboys, food runners, servers — they are not needed…. They work paycheck to paycheck. What we are going to do?”
Officials had warned last week that the rule would be imposed if the five-day average of new cases hit 4,000, or if hospitalizations topped 1,750 per day.
The five-day average had reached 4,097 by Sunday, the Department of Public Health said, and hospitalizations stood at 1,473 on Saturday, an increase of 92% from a month before.
Officials on Sunday reported 2,718 new cases of the virus and nine deaths, bringing the toll in L.A. County to 364,583 cases and 7,438 deaths.
“While I know our case counts are growing rapidly, I would have rather discussed this measure openly during our Board of Supervisors meeting so that the public could understand the rationale behind it,” county Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement.
“Some of these restaurants are barely hanging on. I hope this isn’t the last nail in their coffins,” Hahn said.
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Jacob Shaw, an owner of Beaches, a restaurant and lounge on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, said he was tracking the rising coronavirus case numbers on the L.A. County website as he girded for another closure.
“It’s not good, but there’s nothing we can do,” said Shaw, who feared the ban on outdoor dining would extend beyond three weeks. “Usually the holidays are a nice little bump for us, but it looks like that’s not going to happen this year.
“Last time we shut down, we had some federal packages at least pending. This time, we don’t know what will happen,” Shaw said. “It’s a little bit scarier.”
Diners eat at a restaurant in Redondo Beach. L.A. County will suspend dining at restaurants, even outdoors, starting Wednesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
For many restaurateurs and bar owners, the restrictions come just as they have been investing in patio furniture, extra cleaning supplies, heaters and awnings to safely — and comfortably — seat customers outside.
Casa Vega owner Christy Vega Fowler said she spent $30,000 to set up two tents behind her family’s Mexican restaurant in Sherman Oaks. The tent rentals cost an additional $10,000 per month on top of her restaurant’s regular rent.
“They told us we could operate with outdoor dining, we did it safely, we made the investment, and then they take it away from us,” Vega Fowler said. “It’s devastating.”
She said she planned to drastically reduce the hours of many of her employees after running her costs Monday.
Simhai said he had just spent money boarding up Della Terra in case there was postelection unrest, on top of the added costs of outdoor dining equipment.
“We opened a back patio. We spent money reinforcing it, putting heaters in, thinking that in the holiday season, we’d make money,” said Simhai, who opened his restaurant in 2009. “All that money I spent, I can’t recover it.
“I’m more worried about my staff. After three weeks, who knows? How much more after that? How are they going to pay rent?” Simhai said.
He felt that government officials did not grasp the consequences of the dining shutdown for his business and staff.
“I guarantee the people making these decisions make the same salary regardless of whether there is a shutdown or not,” he said.
California Hospitals brace for holiday COVID surge, fearing staff shortages and burnout A new surge of COVID-19 is battering Southern California, bearing down on exhausted healthcare workers, raising anxiety levels on hospital wards and stoking fears that there might not be enough staff and supplies for the difficult weeks ahead.
Health officials have blamed the rise in new cases — which has been even more rapid than the July peak — on a variety of factors, including holidays, sports championships, protest demonstrations, an increase in both social gatherings and workplace outbreaks and an overall sense of fatigue when it comes to following rules.
Officials have urged residents to stay home as much as possible for the next two to three weeks to curb the rising tide of infections and avoid overwhelming the healthcare system.
L.A. County could face even stricter rules to stem the spread of the virus if the average number of new daily coronavirus cases over a five-day period continues to rise and tops 4,500, or if hospitalizations grow to more than 2,000, officials said.
In that event, officials plan to impose a three-week stay-at-home order that would permit only essential workers and those procuring essential services to leave their homes.
Doug Rankin, chef at Bar Restaurant in Silver Lake, said that outdoor dining had helped the restaurant break even over the last few months, generating enough to carry it through the year and ensure staffers kept their jobs.
Rankin planned to pivot entirely to takeout. He said that the entire service staff had already been laid off and that kitchen staff would be scaled down immediately.
“We’re holding on for dear life,” he said. “It’s frustrating because we’ve done everything that has been asked of us, healthwise. We’ve been on top of it. And now they want to point the finger at restaurants. Where is the data?”
Many in the hospitality industry shared the sense that their businesses were being scapegoated, and they worried that the closure of outdoor dining would push L.A. County residents to gather at homes, where adherence to safety measures would be inconsistent or absent.
“We’ve been operating for many weeks while the number of cases were in decline. Outdoor dining is not the reason the caseloads are going up,” contended Caroline Styne, a restaurateur and sommelier and co-owner of AOC, Tavern and the Larder. “What people are doing at home is the problem.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said she understands that businesses are already suffering, but she asserted that it was necessary to take a step backward to get a handle on the rising rate of infection.
“The more we opened up, the higher the case rate became,” said Kuehl, whose district includes the Westside, Malibu, and much of the San Fernando Valley. “It’s particularly difficult at restaurants and wineries and breweries because people sit for a long time without masks. And even outdoors, the virus still carries through the air.
“Clearly, as the case rates went up, it was an indicator that everyone was not being compliant,” she added.
Last week, L.A. County announced that nonessential businesses must close at 10 p.m. and further limit their maximum capacity during business hours, and capped the size of outdoor gatherings at 15 people. Such businesses, however, can still offer pickup and delivery services in the late-night hours.
Gov. Gavin Newsom also imposed a modified stay-at-home order that took effect Saturday and remains in place through Dec. 21. The order prohibits most nonessential activity outside the home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in counties that are in the strictest, purple tier of the state’s four-phase color-coded reopening plan. Roughly 94% of the state’s population lives in purple counties, including all of Southern California.
For Shirley Chung, chef-owner of Ms Chi restaurant in Culver City, Sunday’s shutdown on outdoor dining was not unexpected, but has forced her to turn her attention to building more business concepts out of her single restaurant kitchen.
She now sells her mochi doughnuts under the name Mo-Chi Donuts on Grubhub, and with this latest shutdown, she’s thinking about starting another one called Lu Rou Fantastic, focusing on the braised pork belly dish.
“If this stay-at-home order continues, I might do a burger concept or fried food — something easy that I can turn out with quality from the Ms Chi kitchen,” Chung said. “All I can think of is how can I increase my revenue based on one location.”
Times staff writers Rosanna Xia and Garrett Snyder contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-11-22--Protesters demonstrate in Huntington Beach in defiance of coronavirus curfew

A couple hundred protesters , many donning bright red caps and waving American flags , gathered Saturday night at Huntington Beach Pier in defiance of the state ’ s coronavirus curfew that went into effect at 10 p.m .
Under the new stay-at-home order issued by Gov .
Gavin Newsom , most nonessential activity is prohibited outside the home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m .
Many protesters said this restriction goes against their civil liberties .
“ I think there are too many restrictions , as is , ” one protester told KCAL/CBS-TV .
“ Obviously , a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what our governor and city officials are doing , but I ’ d prefer to see something done a little bit different but curfews are just a little too far.
” Most law enforcement officials in Southern California have said they would not be enforcing the curfew , which will remain in place through Dec. 21 .
“ There were no issues with the crowd , ” said Huntington Beach Police Lt. Mendez , who said approximately “ a couple hundred people ” gathered by the pier Saturday evening .
“ The protest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a crime we ’ re not dispersing anybody.
” Health officials had warned about the interventions that would come with spiking case counts and hospitalizations .
Coronavirus cases began to surge in late October , sending officials scrambling to get the rise under control .
As of Saturday night , California was averaging more than 11,500 new coronavirus cases a day over the last seven days , more than triple the number a month earlier , according to a Times analysis .
On Saturday , Orange County reported 806 new cases and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 69,142 cases and 1,551 deaths .
Officials cautioned that lower case counts over the weekend could reflect maintenance of the state ’ s reporting system , not a true decline .
Protesters have also gathered in Los Angeles County , where the average daily case count over the last four days has been 4,442 .
A protest Friday outside Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ’ s official residence was billed as “ Curfew Protest Block Party : No More Lockdowns.
’ ' Another is expected Sunday afternoon outside the mayor ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on people to please just stay home when possible .
“ This is a different kind of moment , a new level of danger , ” he said .
“ If we don ’ t make these decisions now , there really is only one outcome : We will almost certainly have to shut things down again .
And more people will get sick and die .
“ We must stay at home as much as possible for the next two to three weeks , except for accessing essential services , food and @ @ @ @

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters at a news conference earlier this year at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services in Rancho Cordova.
A couple hundred protesters, many donning bright red caps and waving American flags, gathered Saturday night at Huntington Beach Pier in defiance of the state’s coronavirus curfew that went into effect at 10 p.m.
Under the new stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom, most nonessential activity is prohibited outside the home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Many protesters said this restriction goes against their civil liberties.
“I think there are too many restrictions, as is,” one protester told KCAL/CBS-TV. “Obviously, a lot of people don’t agree with what our governor and city officials are doing, but I’d prefer to see something done a little bit different but curfews are just a little too far.”
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Most law enforcement officials in Southern California have said they would not be enforcing the curfew, which will remain in place through Dec. 21.
“There were no issues with the crowd,” said Huntington Beach Police Lt. Mendez, who said approximately “a couple hundred people” gathered by the pier Saturday evening. “The protest itself was peaceful, and unless there is a crime we’re not dispersing anybody.”
Health officials had warned about the interventions that would come with spiking case counts and hospitalizations. Coronavirus cases began to surge in late October, sending officials scrambling to get the rise under control. As of Saturday night, California was averaging more than 11,500 new coronavirus cases a day over the last seven days, more than triple the number a month earlier, according to a Times analysis.
On Saturday, Orange County reported 806 new cases and 11 related deaths, bringing its total to 69,142 cases and 1,551 deaths. Officials cautioned that lower case counts over the weekend could reflect maintenance of the state’s reporting system, not a true decline.
California Daily California coronavirus cases triple as pandemic dramatically worsens The coronavirus is infecting more Californians daily than at any other point in the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about a peak in deaths by Christmas.
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Protesters have also gathered in Los Angeles County, where the average daily case count over the last four days has been 4,442. A protest Friday outside Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s official residence was billed as “Curfew Protest Block Party: No More Lockdowns.’’ Another is expected Sunday afternoon outside the mayor’s home.
Garcetti last week had called on people to please just stay home when possible.
“This is a different kind of moment, a new level of danger,” he said. “If we don’t make these decisions now, there really is only one outcome: We will almost certainly have to shut things down again. And more people will get sick and die.
“We must stay at home as much as possible for the next two to three weeks, except for accessing essential services, food and outdoor exercise.”
Times staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-11-22--L.A. hits 300 homicides for first time in a decade

Amid a rash of weekend gun violence , Los Angeles early Sunday reached a bloody benchmark not seen in a decade : 300 homicides .
The milestone comes amid growing concerns about spikes in violence this year , not just in Los Angeles but also other big cities across the nation .
From Saturday into Sunday morning , there were four killings , among other shootings , the Los Angeles Police Department said .
Much of the violence occurred in South L.A. One victim was a 17-year-old boy riding a bicycle , another a 50-year-old homeless man .
A 20-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 41-year-old woman .
In past decades , L.A. experienced far more violence , with more than 1,000 homicides in some years in the 1980s and 1990s .
The city , however , has not surpassed 300 killings since 2009 .
Now , with a surge in homicides happening in other cities across the country , Los Angeles has seen a 25 % increase in killings over last year , hitting the 300 mark with more than a month left in 2020 .
Shootings are up more than 32 % .
Official figures in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stood at 299 homicides for the year Sunday morning , though the latest violence will push the figure higher once final confirmations are made , including with the Los Angeles County coroner ’ s office , said Capt .
Stacy Spell , a department spokesman .
“ The reality is there are 300 , ” Spell said .
“ It ’ s tragic.
” Much of this weekend ’ s violence occurred on the street — including drive-by shootings .
Shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday , a 50-year-old man was found with multiple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beach Avenue and East 25th Street and pronounced dead at the scene , according to Officer Melissa Podany , a police spokeswoman .
Preliminary information indicated that both the victim and a suspect in the case were experiencing homelessness , police officials said .
About 8:23 p.m. , officers were called to the 1700 block of Imperial Highway for reports of another shooting and found a 17-year-old boy suffering from gunshot wounds .
Preliminary information indicated the boy “ was riding his bicycle in that general area when an unknown suspect approached in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Podany said .
The boy was pronounced dead on the way to a local hospital , she said .
Police have no suspect information , only that a dark-colored vehicle fled the scene .
Just before 9 p.m. , police responded to another shooting near West 75th Street and South Broadway — just a block north of the 77th Street police station .
There , officers found a 20-year-old man fatally wounded by gunfire .
He was pronounced dead at the scene .
Preliminary information indicated the shooting occurred after an argument @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into custody , Podany said .
About 9:20 p.m. , a double shooting occurred near Vermont Avenue and West 93rd Street , in which unknown suspects approached and opened fire , wounding a 37-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman , Podany said .
Both victims were transported to a local hospital in critical condition , Podany said .
Just after midnight , the woman died .
In addition to the fatal shootings , weekend gun violence left several others injured — including teenagers .
On Friday evening , a 19-year-old told police he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pedro and East 99th streets when he heard gunfire , pulled over and realized he had been hit .
He was transferred to a hospital in critical condition , Podany said .
A 27-year-old man told police he was sitting in his vehicle Saturday about 11:30 a.m. in the area of Vermont Avenue and West 55th Street when a group of four people approached and “ demanded to know where he was from , ” Podany said .
One of the suspects then fired two shots into the man ’ s car , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scene , Podany said .
He was transported to a local hospital and was in stable condition , she said .
About 6 p.m. Saturday , two 30-year-old men were shot by four people who rolled past in a vehicle in the 1200 block of Innes Avenue , near Dodger Stadium , Podany said .
Both were transported to a local hospital .
Just before 7 a.m. Sunday , a 19-year-old man was found suffering from a gunshot wound on the sidewalk in the 4500 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with police , who have no suspect information , she said .

Crime tape surrounds the scene where a 17-year-old boy was fatally shot in South L.A. on Saturday night.
Amid a rash of weekend gun violence, Los Angeles early Sunday reached a bloody benchmark not seen in a decade: 300 homicides.
The milestone comes amid growing concerns about spikes in violence this year, not just in Los Angeles but also other big cities across the nation.
From Saturday into Sunday morning, there were four killings, among other shootings, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Much of the violence occurred in South L.A.
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One victim was a 17-year-old boy riding a bicycle, another a 50-year-old homeless man. A 20-year-old man was killed, as was a 41-year-old woman.
In past decades, L.A. experienced far more violence, with more than 1,000 homicides in some years in the 1980s and 1990s. The city, however, has not surpassed 300 killings since 2009.
Now, with a surge in homicides happening in other cities across the country, Los Angeles has seen a 25% increase in killings over last year, hitting the 300 mark with more than a month left in 2020. Shootings are up more than 32%.
Official figures in the LAPD’s data-driven Compstat unit stood at 299 homicides for the year Sunday morning, though the latest violence will push the figure higher once final confirmations are made, including with the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, said Capt. Stacy Spell, a department spokesman.
“The reality is there are 300,” Spell said. “It’s tragic.”
Much of this weekend’s violence occurred on the street — including drive-by shootings.
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Shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday, a 50-year-old man was found with multiple gunshot wounds near the intersection of Long Beach Avenue and East 25th Street and pronounced dead at the scene, according to Officer Melissa Podany, a police spokeswoman.
Preliminary information indicated that both the victim and a suspect in the case were experiencing homelessness, police officials said.
About 8:23 p.m., officers were called to the 1700 block of Imperial Highway for reports of another shooting and found a 17-year-old boy suffering from gunshot wounds.
Preliminary information indicated the boy “was riding his bicycle in that general area when an unknown suspect approached in a vehicle and fired multiple shots,” Podany said.
The boy was pronounced dead on the way to a local hospital, she said. Police have no suspect information, only that a dark-colored vehicle fled the scene.
Just before 9 p.m., police responded to another shooting near West 75th Street and South Broadway — just a block north of the 77th Street police station.
There, officers found a 20-year-old man fatally wounded by gunfire. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary information indicated the shooting occurred after an argument with another man, who was taken into custody, Podany said.
About 9:20 p.m., a double shooting occurred near Vermont Avenue and West 93rd Street, in which unknown suspects approached and opened fire, wounding a 37-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman, Podany said.
Both victims were transported to a local hospital in critical condition, Podany said. Just after midnight, the woman died.
In addition to the fatal shootings, weekend gun violence left several others injured — including teenagers.
On Friday evening, a 19-year-old told police he was driving in the area of San Pedro and East 99th streets when he heard gunfire, pulled over and realized he had been hit. He was transferred to a hospital in critical condition, Podany said.
A 27-year-old man told police he was sitting in his vehicle Saturday about 11:30 a.m. in the area of Vermont Avenue and West 55th Street when a group of four people approached and “demanded to know where he was from,” Podany said.
One of the suspects then fired two shots into the man’s car, before he pulled away and fled the scene, Podany said. He was transported to a local hospital and was in stable condition, she said.
About 6 p.m. Saturday, two 30-year-old men were shot by four people who rolled past in a vehicle in the 1200 block of Innes Avenue, near Dodger Stadium, Podany said. Both were transported to a local hospital.
Just before 7 a.m. Sunday, a 19-year-old man was found suffering from a gunshot wound on the sidewalk in the 4500 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Podany said. The teen was uncooperative with police, who have no suspect information, she said.
Los Angeles Times reporter Richard Winton contributed to this article.


latimes--2020-11-22--Three bodies found in San Fernando Valley home

Three people were found dead in a home in a San Fernando Valley neighborhood Sunday morning , authorities said .
@ @ @ @ @ the home in the 7400 block of Kraft Avenue in the North Hollywood area after @ @ @ @ @ 6:05 a.m. , said Nicholas Prange , a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department @ @ @ @ @ pronounced dead at the scene .
Their bodies showed no obvious signs of trauma , @ @ @ @ @ police were still on the scene investigating Sunday morning and could not yet say how @ @ @ @ @ , but the call was initially reported to be a possible drug overdose , said @ @ @ @ @ police spokesman .
Information on their ages and genders wasn ’ t available .

Firefighters and paramedics responded to a home in the 7400 block of Kraft Avenue in Valley Village, according to a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman.
Three people were found dead in a home in a San Fernando Valley neighborhood Sunday morning, authorities said.
Firefighters and paramedics responded to the home in the 7400 block of Kraft Avenue in the North Hollywood area after receiving a 911 call around 6:05 a.m., said Nicholas Prange, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
All three people were pronounced dead at the scene. Their bodies showed no obvious signs of trauma, Prange said.
Los Angeles police were still on the scene investigating Sunday morning and could not yet say how the people might have died, but the call was initially reported to be a possible drug overdose, said Officer William Cooper, a police spokesman. Information on their ages and genders wasn’t available.


latimes--2020-11-22--Daily California coronavirus cases triple as pandemic dramatically worsens

California ’ s average daily number of coronavirus cases has tripled in the last month , a Times analysis has found , as pandemic conditions deteriorated dramatically around the state .
The coronavirus is now infecting more Californians daily than at any previous point in the COVID-19 pandemic , raising concerns about a new peak in coronavirus-related deaths by Christmas .
As of Saturday night , California was averaging more than 11,500 new coronavirus cases a day over the last seven days , more than triple the number a month earlier , on Oct. 21 , which was nearly 3,200 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even during the summertime surge , which led to the season with California ’ s worst COVID-19 death toll , the average daily number of coronavirus cases over a seven-day period never exceeded 10,000 .
COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled in the last month , the analysis found .
And COVID-19 deaths have suddenly begun to climb in recent days .
In the last week , an average of 65 Californian deaths have been reported daily , a more than 50 % increase from two weeks ago , when 43 fatalities were reported daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Californians are testing positive for the coronavirus was up dramatically in the last week — a troubling indication of the rapid spread of the highly contagious virus .
On Saturday , the coronavirus positivity rate hit 6.1 % , double the percentage it was on Nov. 1 , when the rate was 2.98 % .
On Saturday , San Diego and San Bernardino counties both recorded their highest single-day coronavirus case totals in the history of the pandemic , according to health officials .
Los Angeles County on Sunday crossed a grim marker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to shut down starting Wednesday at 10 p.m. , officials said , for at least three weeks .
The new rule restricts eateries to serving food only by takeout and delivery for the first time since May .
“ New COVID-19 cases remain at alarming levels and the number of people hospitalized continue to increase , ” the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a statement .
As of Sunday , county officials said L.A. County was averaging more than 4,000 cases a day over the last five days — more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks ago .
Officials had said that exceeding that number would force authorities to close outdoor dining areas at restaurants .
Should L.A. County average 4,500 cases daily over a five-day period , officials have warned that they will impose a springtime style stay-at-home order .
Daily deaths are also starting to climb in L.A. County .
On Saturday , an average of 23 deaths a day were reported in Los Angeles County from COVID-19 over the previous seven days ; that ’ s double the figure from early November , when about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There are a number of reasons for the sudden increase in coronavirus cases in California , where a surge began in late October .
They include the colder weather , which encourages people to stay indoors ; increased travel from other harder-hit states ; gatherings to watch the NBA Finals and the World Series , won by the Lakers and Dodgers , respectively ; Halloween ; protests and celebrations related to the election ; a general increase in social gatherings ; an increase in workplace outbreaks ; a premature feeling that the danger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fatigue and even resentment of continuing with COVID-19 safety precautions , according to state and local health officials .
Though outdoor events are relatively less risky than indoor events , they can still result in superspreading events , especially if people do not wear masks and do not stay six feet away from each other .
An outdoor event that resulted in a large number of people being infected was a Rose Garden ceremony at the White House in September formally introducing President Trump ’ s nominee to the Supreme Court .
Cumulatively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases and more than 18,700 deaths .
Nationally , more than 12 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed and more than 255,000 people in the U.S. have died .
Federal , state and local authorities are urging people to stay home for Thanksgiving and abandon Thanksgiving travel plans , whether it be a cross-country plane flight or a drive across town , to avoid spreading the virus at celebrations .
The virus can be transmitted by people who seem perfectly healthy and never fall sick .
A travel advisory issued by California in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel and asks those who arrive from outside of the state to quarantine for 14 days , meaning they should stay at home or other lodging as much as possible during that time and order food by delivery .
L.A. County ’ s director of public health , Barbara Ferrer , urged college students living on campus to not return home just for the Thanksgiving holiday .
Students who do end up returning home for a month or more , she said , should quarantine in separate rooms for as much as possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ haven ’ t yet returned home , she advised that it ’ s too late for them to partake in communal Thanksgiving celebrations , which risks spreading the virus to the rest of the family and friends .
Officials say it ’ s safest to keep Thanksgiving celebrations just among people in the household .
For people who do intend to invite others from outside their household to gatherings , a state health order says such gatherings in most areas of the state must be held outside , with the host and guests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , people from different households kept six feet apart from another , and everyone asked to wear masks when not eating or drinking .
In L.A. County , those gatherings are capped at no more than 15 people .
COVID-19 has already killed more than double the number of people in L.A. County than died from the flu in the last cold-and-flu season .
“ This should serve as a severe demonstration of how much more dangerous COVID-19 is than the flu , ” L.A. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued an advisory urging people to stay home as much as possible for the next two to three weeks .
On Friday , a new health order went into effect that ordered nonessential businesses to shut their doors to the public between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. ; although takeout and delivery services may continue during those overnight hours .
On Saturday , California ’ s new limited overnight stay-at-home order went into effect in counties in the most restrictive COVID-19 tier , which covers 94 % of California ’ s population .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ less intrusive than the statewide stay-at-home order implemented in the spring , and designed to curb late-night drinking and group gatherings , where inhibitions are lowered , masks are taken off and the virus can easily spread .
The order prohibits all gatherings between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. among people from different households and all nonessential activities outside the home with people from other households .
The order does allow people to leave their homes in the overnight hours to go grocery shopping , pick up takeout food , walk the dog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which includes working for restaurants serving food for takeout and delivery .
Experts say similar government-ordered limits on late-night activity in Europe have helped drive down surges in the coronavirus there .
The surge in cases has been seen across the state .
Here is an analysis by region among selected counties in California ’ s most populated areas as of Saturday night .
More detailed analysis for all of California ’ s 58 counties can be found on The Times ’ California coronavirus tracker website .
San Diego County : More than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ average over the last seven days , nearly quadruple the figure from a month ago .
On Saturday , 1,478 coronavirus cases were reported , the highest number recorded in any single day thus far in the pandemic in San Diego County .
Orange County : About 650 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days , roughly quadruple the figure from six weeks ago .
On Friday , 1,169 cases were reported , the highest single-day figure since early July .
Riverside County : More than 600 coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last seven days , about double the figure from a month ago .
San Bernardino County : More than 1,460 new coronavirus cases have been reported daily on average over the last seven days .
That figure is six times worse than the rate roughly a month ago , when San Bernardino County averaged more than 235 coronavirus cases daily over a seven-day period .
On Saturday , 2,873 coronavirus cases were recorded , the highest number recorded of any single day thus far in the pandemic in San Bernardino County .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days , roughly quadruple the figure from a month ago .
More than 400 new infections were reported Friday .
San Francisco : More than 115 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days , quadruple the figure from mid-October .
On Friday , 210 cases were reported , the third highest single-day tally so far in the pandemic , and the worst since July .
Santa Clara County : More than 340 coronavirus cases were reported daily on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ triple the rate from a month ago .
On Friday , nearly 400 cases were reported , the fourth-worst single-day total of the pandemic , and the worst since August .
Alameda County : More than 230 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days , roughly triple the rate from a month ago .
Contra Costa County : Nearly 200 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days , roughly triple the rate from a month ago .
San Mateo County : More than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ average over the last seven days , more than double the rate from the beginning of November .
Sacramento County : More than 430 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days , more than triple the rate from the beginning of November .
Fresno County : More than 275 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days , more than double the rate from two weeks ago .
Kern County : More than 260 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate from six weeks ago .

California’s average daily number of new coronavirus cases has tripled in the last month, a Times analysis has found, as pandemic conditions deteriorated dramatically around the state.
The coronavirus is now infecting more Californians daily than at any previous point in the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about a new peak in coronavirus-related deaths by Christmas.
As of Saturday night, California was averaging more than 11,500 new coronavirus cases a day over the last seven days, more than triple the number a month earlier, on Oct. 21, which was nearly 3,200, according to a Times analysis.
Even during the summertime surge, which led to the season with California’s worst COVID-19 death toll, the average daily number of coronavirus cases over a seven-day period never exceeded 10,000.
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COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled in the last month, the analysis found. And COVID-19 deaths have suddenly begun to climb in recent days. In the last week, an average of 65 Californian deaths have been reported daily, a more than 50% increase from two weeks ago, when 43 fatalities were reported daily on average.
The rate at which coronavirus tests in California are coming back positive was up dramatically in the last week — a troubling indication of the rapid spread of the highly contagious virus. On Saturday, the coronavirus positivity rate hit 6.1%, double the percentage it was Nov. 1, when the rate was 2.98%.
California L.A. County suspends outdoor dining at restaurants as coronavirus surges L.A. County public health officials on Saturday announced they will issue an order suspending outdoor dining at restaurants amid a surge of new coronavirus cases.
On Saturday, San Diego and San Bernardino counties both recorded their highest single-day coronavirus case totals in the history of the pandemic, according to health officials.
Los Angeles County on Sunday crossed a grim marker that will require outdoor restaurant dining areas to shut down starting Wednesday at 10 p.m., officials said, for at least three weeks.
The new rule restricts eateries to serving food only by takeout and delivery for the first time since May. “New COVID-19 cases remain at alarming levels and the number of people hospitalized continue to increase,” the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a statement.
California Hospitals brace for holiday COVID surge, fearing staff shortages and burnout A new surge of COVID-19 is battering Southern California, bearing down on exhausted healthcare workers, raising anxiety levels on hospital wards and stoking fears that there might not be enough staff and supplies for the difficult weeks ahead.
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As of Sunday, officials said L.A. County was averaging more than 4,000 cases a day over the last five days — more than double the number from just two weeks ago. Officials had previously said exceeding that number would force authorities to close outdoor dining areas at restaurants.
Should L.A. County average 4,500 cases daily over a five-day period, officials have warned that they will impose a springtime style stay-at-home order.
Daily deaths are also starting to climb in L.A. County. On Saturday, an average of 23 COVID-19 deaths a day were reported in Los Angeles County over the previous seven days; that’s double the figure from early November, when about 11 people were dying a day.
There are a number of reasons for the sudden increase in coronavirus cases in California, where a surge began in late October.
They include the colder weather, which encourages people to stay indoors; increased travel from other harder-hit states; gatherings to watch the NBA Finals and the World Series, won by the Lakers and Dodgers, respectively; Halloween; protests and celebrations related to the election; a general increase in social gatherings; an increase in workplace outbreaks; a premature feeling that the danger of the pandemic had passed; and fatigue and even resentment of continuing with COVID-19 safety precautions, according to state and local health officials.
Though outdoor events are relatively less risky than indoor events, they can still result in superspreading events, especially if people do not wear masks and do not stay six feet from one another. A White House Rose Garden ceremony in September formally introducing Amy Coney Barrett as President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court resulted in several infections despite taking place outdoors.
Cumulatively, California has recorded 1.1 million coronavirus cases and more than 18,700 deaths. Nationally, more than 12 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed and more than 256,000 people in the U.S. have died.
Federal, state and local authorities are urging people to stay home for Thanksgiving and abandon travel plans, whether it be a cross-country plane flight or a drive across town, to avoid spreading the virus at celebrations. The virus can be transmitted by people who seem perfectly healthy and never fall sick.
A travel advisory issued by California in mid-November implored residents to avoid nonessential out-of-state travel and asks those who arrive from outside of the state to quarantine for 14 days, meaning they should stay at home or other lodging as much as possible during that time and order food by delivery.
L.A. County’s director of public health, Barbara Ferrer, urged college students living on campus to not return home just for the Thanksgiving holiday. Students who do end up returning home for a month or more, she said, should quarantine in separate rooms for as much as possible for a 14-day period. If they haven’t yet returned home, she advised that it’s too late for them to partake in communal Thanksgiving celebrations, which risks spreading the virus to the rest of the family and friends.
Officials say it’s safest to keep Thanksgiving celebrations just among people in the household. For people who do intend to invite others from outside their household to gatherings, a state health order says such gatherings in most areas of the state must be held outside, with the host and guests coming from no more than three households, people from different households kept six feet apart from another, and everyone asked to wear masks when not eating or drinking. In L.A. County, those gatherings are capped at no more than 15 people.
COVID-19 has already killed more than double the number of people in L.A. County than died of the flu in the last cold-and-flu season. “This should serve as a severe demonstration of how much more dangerous COVID-19 is than the flu,” L.A. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said Thursday.
California L.A. County on brink of additional restrictions with more than 4,500 new coronavirus cases Another round of distressing COVID-19 case numbers has Los Angeles teetering on the brink of further restrictions to slow the spread of the virus — including the likely shutdown of outdoor restaurant dining.
Last week, Los Angeles County issued an advisory urging people to stay home as much as possible for the next two to three weeks. On Friday, a new health order went into effect that ordered nonessential businesses to shut their doors to the public between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.; although takeout and delivery services may continue during those overnight hours.
On Saturday, California’s new limited overnight stay-at-home order went into effect in counties in the most restrictive COVID-19 tier, which covers 94% of California’s population. It’s aimed at being far less intrusive than the statewide stay-at-home order implemented in the spring, and designed to curb late-night drinking and group gatherings, where inhibitions are lowered, masks are taken off and the virus can easily spread.
The order prohibits all gatherings between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. among people from different households and all nonessential activities outside the home with people from other households.
The order does allow people to leave their homes in the overnight hours to go grocery shopping, pick up takeout food, walk the dog, and work for essential businesses, which includes working for restaurants serving food for takeout and delivery.
Experts say similar government-ordered limits on late-night activity in Europe have helped drive down surges in the coronavirus there.
The surge in cases has been seen across the state. Here is an analysis by region among selected counties in California’s most populated areas as of Saturday night. More detailed analysis for all of California’s 58 counties can be found on The Times’ California coronavirus tracker website.
Southern California
San Diego County: More than 1,000 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, nearly quadruple the figure from a month ago. On Saturday, 1,478 coronavirus cases were reported, the highest number recorded in any single day thus far in the pandemic in San Diego County.
Orange County: About 650 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, roughly quadruple the figure from six weeks ago. On Friday, 1,169 cases were reported, the highest single-day figure since early July.
Riverside County: More than 600 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, about double the figure from a month ago.
San Bernardino County: More than 1,460 new coronavirus cases have been reported daily on average over the last seven days. That figure is six times worse than the rate roughly a month ago, when San Bernardino County averaged more than 235 coronavirus cases daily over a seven-day period. On Saturday, 2,873 coronavirus cases were recorded, the highest number recorded of any single day thus far in the pandemic in San Bernardino County.
Ventura County: More than 220 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, roughly quadruple the figure from a month ago. More than 400 new infections were reported Friday.
Bay Area
San Francisco: More than 115 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, quadruple the figure from mid-October. On Friday, 210 cases were reported, the third highest single-day tally so far in the pandemic, and the worst since July.
Santa Clara County: More than 340 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, triple the rate from a month ago. On Friday, nearly 400 cases were reported, the fourth-worst single-day total of the pandemic, and the worst since August.
Alameda County: More than 230 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, roughly triple the rate from a month ago.
Contra Costa County: Nearly 200 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, roughly triple the rate from a month ago.
San Mateo County: More than 100 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, more than double the rate from the beginning of November.
Central Valley
Sacramento County: More than 430 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, more than triple the rate from the beginning of November.
Fresno County: More than 275 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, more than double the rate from two weeks ago.
Kern County: More than 260 coronavirus cases were reported daily on average over the last seven days, more than quadruple the rate from six weeks ago.