latimes--2020-01-14--Financier charged in admissions scandal indicted again on new tax fraud allegation

Already charged with resorting to fraud and bribery to get his son into USC , John Wilson was indicted Tuesday on a new count of tax fraud , deepening the Massachusetts financier ’ s legal troubles and suggesting prosecutors have opened a new line of attack to pressure parents who have resisted plea deals .
For help getting his son into college , Wilson paid $ 220,000 in 2013 to William “ Rick ” Singer , a Newport Beach college admissions consultant who has admitted orchestrating a decade-long scheme to defraud some of the country ’ s most elite universities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and bribes .
Prosecutors allege Wilson was aware that Singer would misrepresent his son ’ s athletic prowess and intended to bribe Jovan Vavic , USC ’ s water polo coach .
Wilson ’ s attorneys say the financier ’ s son was a bona fide water polo player and that Singer had led him to believe the payment was a legitimate donation to USC .
Wilson has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud , bribery and money laundering , one of 15 parents who have maintained their innocence in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 16th parent who was arrested in Spain .
Seventeen parents have pleaded guilty to an array of fraud and money laundering charges .
Vavic , fired by the university in March , has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering , fraud and bribery .
Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts unsealed a new indictment Tuesday , alleging Wilson committed tax fraud when he wrote off the payments in 2014 .
The day after his son was admitted to USC as a water polo recruit , Wilson emailed Singer , thanked him for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if he could bill him for “ consulting or whatever ” so he could pay with a corporate account , the indictment says .
“ Yes we can send you an invoice for business consulting fees and you may write off as an expense , ” Singer wrote .
Wilson ’ s reply , according to an affidavit filed in federal court : “ Awesome !
” Singer ’ s accountant , Steven Masera , emailed an invoice to an employee at Wilson ’ s firm , Hyannis Port Capital , requesting $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ professional development program ” and $ 100,000 to Singer ’ s for-profit counseling company for “ business consulting.
” Masera also attached a letter thanking Wilson for a $ 100,000 contribution to Singer ’ s purported charity .
Once Wilson ’ s firm wired the $ 220,000 , the indictment says , Singer sent Vavic a $ 100,000 cashier ’ s check , made out to the USC men ’ s water polo program .
Wilson wrote off the payments as charitable donations and business expenses on his 2014 tax returns , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Wilson ’ s attorney didn ’ t respond to a request for comment .
Masera has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering and is cooperating with the government .
Wilson pursued a similar deal in 2018 for his twin daughters , whom he hoped to see matriculate at Stanford or Harvard , prosecutors say .
Pressed by Singer — who by that point was cooperating with the government — to commit $ 1.2 million , Wilson ’ s firm wired $ 500,000 to Singer ’ s foundation in October 2018 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a $ 500k donation I am going to make this year , ” Wilson wrote to his assistant in an email , according to the indictment .
“ Tax write off and help getting into colleges.
” His firm wired another $ 500,000 two months later .
Several of Singer ’ s clients deducted similar payments from their tax bills , according to charging documents filed in the case .
Elisabeth Kimmel , charged with conspiring to have her children admitted to Georgetown and USC as phony athletes , wrote off $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid to Singer ’ s foundation , according to an affidavit filed in federal court .
The wife of Homayoun Zadeh , a dentistry professor , asked Singer to furnish them with a tax receipt for a $ 25,000 donation , the affidavit says .
Zadeh has been charged with conspiring to commit fraud , bribery and money laundering to have his daughter admitted to USC — where he chaired the periodontology department — as a fake lacrosse player .
Kimmel and Zadeh have pleaded not guilty .
USC , meanwhile , parted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the athletic department : Steve Lopes , its chief operating and financial officer ; Ron Orr , who led fundraising efforts ; and Scott Jacobson , who also worked in fundraising .

John Wilson arrives at federal court in Boston in April 2019 to face charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. A federal grand jury in Boston has returned an additional indictment charging Wilson with filing a false tax return.
Already charged with resorting to fraud and bribery to get his son into USC, John Wilson was indicted Tuesday on a new count of tax fraud, deepening the Massachusetts financier’s legal troubles and suggesting prosecutors have opened a new line of attack to pressure parents who have resisted plea deals.
For help getting his son into college, Wilson paid $220,000 in 2013 to William “Rick” Singer, a Newport Beach college admissions consultant who has admitted orchestrating a decade-long scheme to defraud some of the country’s most elite universities through doctored exams, fake athletic credentials and bribes.
Prosecutors allege Wilson was aware that Singer would misrepresent his son’s athletic prowess and intended to bribe Jovan Vavic, USC’s water polo coach. Wilson’s attorneys say the financier’s son was a bona fide water polo player and that Singer had led him to believe the payment was a legitimate donation to USC.
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Wilson has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud, bribery and money laundering, one of 15 parents who have maintained their innocence in the scandal. Prosecutors are trying to extradite a 16th parent who was arrested in Spain.
Seventeen parents have pleaded guilty to an array of fraud and money laundering charges. Vavic, fired by the university in March, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering, fraud and bribery.
Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts unsealed a new indictment Tuesday, alleging Wilson committed tax fraud when he wrote off the payments in 2014. The day after his son was admitted to USC as a water polo recruit, Wilson emailed Singer, thanked him for “making this happen” and asked if he could bill him for “consulting or whatever” so he could pay with a corporate account, the indictment says.
“Yes we can send you an invoice for business consulting fees and you may write off as an expense,” Singer wrote.
Wilson’s reply, according to an affidavit filed in federal court: “Awesome!”
Singer’s accountant, Steven Masera, emailed an invoice to an employee at Wilson’s firm, Hyannis Port Capital, requesting $20,000 be paid to Singer for a “professional development program” and $100,000 to Singer’s for-profit counseling company for “business consulting.” Masera also attached a letter thanking Wilson for a $100,000 contribution to Singer’s purported charity.
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Once Wilson’s firm wired the $220,000, the indictment says, Singer sent Vavic a $100,000 cashier’s check, made out to the USC men’s water polo program. Wilson wrote off the payments as charitable donations and business expenses on his 2014 tax returns, underreporting his taxable income, prosecutors allege. Wilson’s attorney didn’t respond to a request for comment. Masera has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering and is cooperating with the government.
Wilson pursued a similar deal in 2018 for his twin daughters, whom he hoped to see matriculate at Stanford or Harvard, prosecutors say. Pressed by Singer — who by that point was cooperating with the government — to commit $1.2 million, Wilson’s firm wired $500,000 to Singer’s foundation in October 2018, the indictment says.
“It’s a $500k donation I am going to make this year,” Wilson wrote to his assistant in an email, according to the indictment. “Tax write off and help getting into colleges.”
His firm wired another $500,000 two months later.
Several of Singer’s clients deducted similar payments from their tax bills, according to charging documents filed in the case. Elisabeth Kimmel, charged with conspiring to have her children admitted to Georgetown and USC as phony athletes, wrote off $275,000 that her family’s charity paid to Singer’s foundation, according to an affidavit filed in federal court. The wife of Homayoun Zadeh, a dentistry professor, asked Singer to furnish them with a tax receipt for a $25,000 donation, the affidavit says.
Zadeh has been charged with conspiring to commit fraud, bribery and money laundering to have his daughter admitted to USC — where he chaired the periodontology department — as a fake lacrosse player. Kimmel and Zadeh have pleaded not guilty.
USC, meanwhile, parted ways Tuesday with three top officials in the athletic department: Steve Lopes, its chief operating and financial officer; Ron Orr, who led fundraising efforts; and Scott Jacobson, who also worked in fundraising.


latimes--2020-01-14--L.A. council president: It's time to reexamine how we're handling homelessness

Nury Martinez outlined a “ families first ” agenda Tuesday as the new president of the Los Angeles City Council , vowing to reassess how homeless services are provided to needy residents , help struggling families and foster youth , and clean up city streets sullied with trash and encampments .
“ I am a child of the working poor , ” said Martinez , the daughter of a dishwasher and a factory worker who emigrated from the Mexican state of Zacatecas .
“ And this is why I champion issues of the working poor.
” Martinez is the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which gives her the authority to decide when new proposals are vetted at council meetings and choose who sits on committees that oversee crucial matters such as homelessness and the budget .
In a speech at City Hall , she announced new proposals to reexamine Los Angeles ’ strategy on homelessness and scrutinize the structure of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority , a joint agency created by the city and county .
In a motion , she questioned whether LAHSA was still an effective model for tackling the crisis as the number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has soared .
Following the speech , Martinez told reporters she had raised those concerns before at City Hall : “ Is this governing structure working for the city of Los Angeles ?
And how do we ensure that we ’ re actually getting our fair share in terms of services ?
” The council president , who represents San Fernando Valley neighborhoods including Arleta , Panorama City and Sun Valley , also said that in the face of frustration with homeless encampments on city streets , the city owed residents a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some residents “ can ’ t use their parks , can ’ t even access their sidewalks to take their kids to school.
” “ We need to ensure that decency and compassion is something that we lead with when making sure these cleanups are taking place , ” Martinez said in her speech .
“ But we also have to restore order in our streets.
” When asked how the city was falling short of that balance — and on which side — Martinez said it depended on the part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have raised concerns about a revamped system for cleanups that was rolled out last year , which Mayor Eric Garcetti had heralded as a “ more nimble , flexible , targeted and sensitive approach to our streets.
” Councilman Joe Buscaino , who was chosen last month as president pro tempore , praised Martinez as “ a leader who is going to be tough on these issues , who is going to speak the truth about the quality of life in our city.
” “ If we ’ re going to be compassionate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buscaino told reporters , “ we have to be compassionate about everyone.
” UCLA professor emeritus of law Gary Blasi , who specializes in homelessness issues , said that whenever a politician talks about a “ balanced ” approach to homelessness , “ it ’ s pretty easy to tell who ’ s going to come out on the short end.
” “ She ’ s very much on one side of that balance , ” Blasi said , pointing to recent cleanups that ejected homeless people from the Sepulveda Basin , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hadn ’ t been “ any serious effort ” to find somewhere else to live for those who were displaced .
“ There is this strong desire to have people disappear.
” Lake Balboa resident Bill Haller , who is running against Martinez in the upcoming March elections , complained that Martinez ’ s approach on homelessness had been reactive and inconsistent .
He questioned why she had not taken swifter action on issues like the effectiveness of LAHSA , remarking that “ she ’ s been in office for six years.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ housing units for homeless people approved in her district under Proposition HHH , a $ 1.2-billion bond measure for housing .
She called the Sepulveda Basin cleanups a matter of public safety and said they had included outreach , declaring in a statement that “ I am not going to wait for someone to die there under my watch because we turned a blind eye.
” In her Tuesday speech , Martinez said she also wanted to launch a revolving loan program to help working families pay for necessities , push to expand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incentives for businesses to hire foster youth , and work to protect board and care facilities that provide shelter , meals and other assistance to indigent residents .
She tied those plans to personal experiences : Martinez recounted hearing from her young daughter that she was worried about a friend whose father was injured and unable to work , who feared he would lose his job and be unable to pay his medical bills .
“ My daughter asked me that night , ‘ Is my friend going to be OK ?
’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daughter that her best friend was going to be OK , ” Martinez said .
Martinez said she would also push to recruit more women into city departments that fix and light city streets and launch an internship program to introduce disadvantaged teens to city jobs .
And she vowed to hold the heads of city departments accountable , complaining that too often , council members had voted for new policies only to later find they were never enacted .
Martinez replaces Herb Wesson , who is running for a seat on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ council president .
As the head of the council , Wesson frequently oversaw unanimous votes at City Hall and often minimized debate on the council floor .
When asked how her leadership would be different , Martinez suggested that might change .
“ I ’ m not afraid of having an 8-to-7 vote on any given Tuesday , Wednesday or Friday , ” she told reporters .

Nury Martinez receives flowers from her 10-year-old daughter Isabelle Guzman after she addressed the crowded city council chambers Tuesday for the first time as President of the City Council.
Nury Martinez outlined a “families first” agenda Tuesday as the new president of the Los Angeles City Council, vowing to reassess how homeless services are provided to needy residents, help struggling families and foster youth, and clean up city streets sullied with trash and encampments.
“I am a child of the working poor,” said Martinez, the daughter of a dishwasher and a factory worker who emigrated from the Mexican state of Zacatecas. “And this is why I champion issues of the working poor.”
Martinez is the first Latina to hold the powerful position, which gives her the authority to decide when new proposals are vetted at council meetings and choose who sits on committees that oversee crucial matters such as homelessness and the budget.
In a speech at City Hall, she announced new proposals to reexamine Los Angeles’ strategy on homelessness and scrutinize the structure of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a joint agency created by the city and county. In a motion, she questioned whether LAHSA was still an effective model for tackling the crisis as the number of people bedding down on city streets has soared.
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Following the speech, Martinez told reporters she had raised those concerns before at City Hall: “Is this governing structure working for the city of Los Angeles? And how do we ensure that we’re actually getting our fair share in terms of services?”
The council president, who represents San Fernando Valley neighborhoods including Arleta, Panorama City and Sun Valley, also said that in the face of frustration with homeless encampments on city streets, the city owed residents a “balanced approach.” Martinez told reporters that some residents “can’t use their parks, can’t even access their sidewalks to take their kids to school.”
“We need to ensure that decency and compassion is something that we lead with when making sure these cleanups are taking place,” Martinez said in her speech. “But we also have to restore order in our streets.”
Los Angeles City Council 6th district representative Nury Martinez talks with Councilmember Joe Buscaino after she addressed the city council chambers. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
When asked how the city was falling short of that balance — and on which side — Martinez said it depended on the part of the city. She and other council members have raised concerns about a revamped system for cleanups that was rolled out last year, which Mayor Eric Garcetti had heralded as a “more nimble, flexible, targeted and sensitive approach to our streets.”
Councilman Joe Buscaino, who was chosen last month as president pro tempore, praised Martinez as “a leader who is going to be tough on these issues, who is going to speak the truth about the quality of life in our city.”
“If we’re going to be compassionate about solving the homelessness issue,” Buscaino told reporters, “we have to be compassionate about everyone.”
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UCLA professor emeritus of law Gary Blasi, who specializes in homelessness issues, said that whenever a politician talks about a “balanced” approach to homelessness, “it’s pretty easy to tell who’s going to come out on the short end.”
“She’s very much on one side of that balance,” Blasi said, pointing to recent cleanups that ejected homeless people from the Sepulveda Basin, which Martinez represents. Blasi complained that there hadn’t been “any serious effort” to find somewhere else to live for those who were displaced. “There is this strong desire to have people disappear.”
Lake Balboa resident Bill Haller, who is running against Martinez in the upcoming March elections, complained that Martinez’s approach on homelessness had been reactive and inconsistent. He questioned why she had not taken swifter action on issues like the effectiveness of LAHSA, remarking that “she’s been in office for six years.”
Martinez pointed back to more than 300 housing units for homeless people approved in her district under Proposition HHH, a $1.2-billion bond measure for housing. She called the Sepulveda Basin cleanups a matter of public safety and said they had included outreach, declaring in a statement that “I am not going to wait for someone to die there under my watch because we turned a blind eye.”
In her Tuesday speech, Martinez said she also wanted to launch a revolving loan program to help working families pay for necessities, push to expand paid leave for new parents, offer incentives for businesses to hire foster youth, and work to protect board and care facilities that provide shelter, meals and other assistance to indigent residents.
She tied those plans to personal experiences: Martinez recounted hearing from her young daughter that she was worried about a friend whose father was injured and unable to work, who feared he would lose his job and be unable to pay his medical bills.
Husband Gerry Guzman, 10-year-old daughter Isabelle Guzman and Los Angeles City Council 6th district representative Nury Martinez walk out of Council Chambers to an outdoor reception following an address by Martinez to a crowded city council chambers. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
“My daughter asked me that night, ‘Is my friend going to be OK?’ ... I could not reassure my 10-year-old daughter that her best friend was going to be OK,” Martinez said.
Martinez said she would also push to recruit more women into city departments that fix and light city streets and launch an internship program to introduce disadvantaged teens to city jobs. And she vowed to hold the heads of city departments accountable, complaining that too often, council members had voted for new policies only to later find they were never enacted.
Martinez replaces Herb Wesson, who is running for a seat on the county Board of Supervisors, as the council president. As the head of the council, Wesson frequently oversaw unanimous votes at City Hall and often minimized debate on the council floor.
When asked how her leadership would be different, Martinez suggested that might change. “I’m not afraid of having an 8-to-7 vote on any given Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday,” she told reporters.


latimes--2020-01-15--Elementary school kids doused as jet dumps fuel before LAX emergency landing

An airplane returning to Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday morning dropped jet fuel onto a school playground , dousing several students at Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy , officials said .
Delta Flight 89 — a Boeing 777 — had taken off from LAX with more than 140 passengers on board and was en route to Shanghai when it turned around and headed back to the L.A. airport .
“ Shortly after takeoff , Flight 89 from LAX to Shanghai experienced an engine issue requiring the aircraft to return quickly to LAX , ” Delta said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aircraft landed safely after a release of fuel , which was required as part of normal procedure to reach a safe landing weight .
Delta is in touch with Los Angeles World Airports and the L.A. County Fire Department as well as community leaders , and shares concerns regarding reports of minor injuries to adults and children at schools in the area.
” The plane is 20 years old and makes daily flights from Los Angeles to Shanghai .
In recent weeks , the plane had also made trips out of L.A. to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Tuesday ’ s flight never got above 8,000 feet , and was at about 2,300 feet when it passed over the school at 11:53 a.m .
The flight is typically a 13-hour nonstop .
This one lasted about 25 minutes .
At 11:47 a.m. , an LAFD firefighter radioed that they were responding to a call at LAX .
“ We have a Boeing triple 7 , call sign Delta 89 , reporting a compressor stall , 181 souls on board , 12 hours of fuel , ETA less than five minutes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When the compressor of a plane ’ s engine stalls , it can cause the loss of airflow through an engine , which can cause the engine to fail .
Passenger Tim Lefebvre , a bass guitarist headed to China for gigs , was sitting at the front of the plane when he heard loud popping sounds .
“ It was kind of right next to me , ” Lefebvre said .
“ I knew that wasn ’ t good .
The pilot came on a couple minutes later and said we were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was that.
” The pilot told passengers that there had been an engine problem and that they shouldn ’ t be alarmed if , when the plane landed , they saw firetrucks on the runway , Lefebvre said .
Everyone on board remained calm , although the flight attendant seated near Lefebvre looked concerned , he said .
“ Just imagine if we had been over the Pacific a good distance , ” Lefebvre said .
“ That would not have been good.
” A total of 60 patients were treated , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles County Fire Department said more than 70 firefighters and paramedics headed to Park School Elementary , where 20 children and 11 adults were treated for minor injuries .
No one was taken to the hospital .
Additionally , six people at Tweedy Elementary School and six at San Gabriel Elementary in South Gate were affected , as was one adult at Graham Elementary School .
L.A. City Fire treated 16 patients at Jordan High School in Long Beach and 93rd Street Elementary in Green Meadows .
LAFD spokesperson Nicholas Prange said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the liquid rained down shortly before noon .
Students and staff were instructed to go indoors and remain there for the time being .
Park Avenue Elementary School sixth grader Josue Burgos was participating in physical education outside when he was surprised to feel the sensation of rain .
The 11-year-old in Mariana de la Torre ’ s class looked up to see a plane barreling down on his campus .
“ We came out and we were playing , and the airplane was outside and we thought it was rain , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas on us , and everybody started to run , ” Josue said .
“ We went to the auditorium and we knew what happened .
We went back to class .
We stayed for one hour and then we went home.
” Josue said fuel landed on his sweater , shirt and shorts , and the odor was immediately noticeable .
“ Yeah , it smelled bad , ” he said .
“ It wasn ’ t water.
” Parent Freddie Contreras , who lives about a block away from campus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his apartment .
Contreras raced out of the complex to find an overwhelming odor emanating not just from the roof and surrounding pavement , but from his white 2016 Honda Civic , which had been doused in fuel .
“ I didn ’ t know what I was supposed to do , and I didn ’ t know what was going on , but I knew it was gas or something toxic , ” Contreras said .
While Contreras ’ son Mateo , a Park Avenue first-grader , was unharmed , sister-in-law Yesenia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complex , complained of a headache .
“ It ’ s the fuel , ” Contreras said .
“ I want to leave , but I don ’ t know if I can drive my car .
I don ’ t know if it ’ s safe.
” While Park Avenue parent Francisco Javier was relieved that his first-grade son was inside his classroom and unaffected by the fuel dump , he was careful not to inhale too deeply .
“ You should have been here when it first happened , ” Javier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breathe it was so bad .
It ’ s still strong , but not as bad as it was.
” Javier , who lives across the street from the school ’ s main entrance , walked outside to assess the situation and observe the crowd of media , fire and police .
He then headed back into his apartment to close and lock all the windows .
Sixth-grader Miguel Cervantes was one of several students taking part in physical education classes outside when he was confused by what was happening .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was coming out , ” Miguel said .
“ Then when it got closer , I knew it was gas because a little bit fell on me.
” Miguel said that fuel hit parts of his shirt and pants and that within an hour he had been sent home .
Miguel ’ s mother , Ana , received a call about the events and rushed over to Park Avenue .
“ Just a small amount landed on my son ’ s clothes and on his arms , but we washed him with soap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fine , ” Ana Cervantes said .
When asked if she would destroy her son ’ s clothes out of caution , Cervantes said the measure was too drastic .
“ Those are expensive clothes , we ’ ll just wash them with soap and water , ” she said .
Ross Aimer , the chief executive officer of Aero Consulting Experts , said fuel dumping is very rare and is used only in case of emergencies or if pilots have to reach a safe landing weight , as was the case in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pilots choose not to dump fuel unless the emergency really dictates it , ” Aimer said .
A possible emergency would be non-functioning landing gear that would otherwise make it difficult to control the plane .
When pilots dump fuel , they typically try to do it at above 10,000 feet and over water , but ideally it should be done at higher elevation because then the fuel turns into mist and it ’ s away from populated areas .
Aimer said that without knowing what Flight 89 ’ s emergency was , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final stage of dumping fuel as the plane was heading toward LAX .
He said there is also a good chance the pilot made an error .
“ I don ’ t remember anyone dumping fuel over population , ” he said .
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the matter .
“ There are special fuel-dumping procedures for aircraft operating into and out of any major U.S. airport .
These procedures call for fuel to be dumped over designated unpopulated areas , typically at higher altitudes so the fuel atomizes and disperses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials said in a statement .
An example of an unpopulated area would be an ocean , said Douglas Moss , aviation consultant and a retired United Airlines pilot .
To make an emergency landing , a pilot will try to get the airplane down to its landing weight so there are more options in case of an aborted landing attempt .
How and where that fuel dump happens depends on the type of emergency , said Tom Haueter , former director of the National Transportation Safety Board ’ s Office of Aviation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traffic controllers of the emergency fuel release and the air traffic controllers will try to direct the plane , said Haueter , who now serves as a consultant on aviation safety and accident investigations .
The drop will typically happen at an altitude of 5,000 feet so the fuel vaporizes before hitting the ground .
But if there is a severe emergency , plans may change .
“ The real key is to know what ’ s the nature of the emergency , ” Haueter said .
In an emergency , the captain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the book , ” Moss said .
“ He still tries to adhere to as many of the rules as he can , but the bottom line is his actions must be in the best interest of safety.
” Cudahy officials expressed disappointment over the incident and were demanding answers about why the fuel was dropped over the school .
Newly appointed Mayor Elizabeth Alcantar said the school was next door to Cudahy City Hall .
“ I ’ m very upset , ” she said in a phone interview .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are small children.
” The incident hit a nerve in the community .
Environmental injustices have long taken place in southeast Los Angeles County .
For years , activists and residents fought for the closure of a battery recycling plant in the industrial city of Vernon because it emitted cancer-causing arsenic and lead , a potent neurotoxin , into nearby cities .
It was only five years ago that the plant was closed .
In the 1990s , Park Avenue Elementary School was closed for eight months because tar-like petroleum sludge began to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school was built on an old city dump site that contained petroleum-contaminated soil and several pockets of tar-like petroleum sludge .
“ Why is it always our communities having to deal with the brunt of these issues ?
” Alcantar said .
The jet-fuel dump incident has raised questions about environmental safety and the flight path over Cudahy and other cities .
“ Sadly , our entire community has been adversely impacted by this incident , including dozens of children .
I am calling for a full federal investigation into the matter , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Cudahy City Council member Jack Guerrero said .
Emergency incidents of jet fuel being dumped over populated areas have been reported across the United States in previous years .
In 2007 , a 744 Dutch Royal Airlines flight to Amsterdam returned to San Francisco Airport after the pilot realized the plane ’ s nose gear would not retract .
The pilot released fuel 15,000 feet above Stanislaus County .
In 2001 , jet fuel rained down on residents in Flower Mound , Texas , as an American Airlines plane flew back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pilot said at the time that a warning light came on , leading to a fuel release .
Three years prior , in 1998 , another American Airlines flight was involved in a similar incident in New York when 3,200 gallons of fuel were dumped over homes in Queens .
The pilot said a large bird had flown into an engine under the right wing .
The Delta jet landed safely at LAX soon after dumping the fuel .
Police could be seen driving behind the plane with sirens wailing as it arrived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Samantha Masunaga , Jaclyn Cosgrove and Kiera Feldman contributed to this report .

Colleen Shalby, Ruben Vives, Andrew Campa

A Delta jet headed to LAX for emergency landing dumped fuel on a school playground, causing skin irritation to 20 children and nine adults.
An airplane returning to Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday morning dropped jet fuel onto a school playground, dousing several students at Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy, officials said.
Delta Flight 89 — a Boeing 777 — had taken off from LAX with more than 140 passengers on board and was en route to Shanghai when it turned around and headed back to the L.A. airport.
“Shortly after takeoff, Flight 89 from LAX to Shanghai experienced an engine issue requiring the aircraft to return quickly to LAX,” Delta said in a statement released Tuesday night. “The aircraft landed safely after a release of fuel, which was required as part of normal procedure to reach a safe landing weight. Delta is in touch with Los Angeles World Airports and the L.A. County Fire Department as well as community leaders, and shares concerns regarding reports of minor injuries to adults and children at schools in the area.”
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Shortly before this plane landed at LAX, it dumped what's believed to be fuel on an elementary school playground, hitting several students. LA County Fire said 70+ are on scene assessing multiple patients https://t.co/G5duAwTvUt pic.twitter.com/LsJaAOTfpg — Colleen Shalby (@CShalby) January 14, 2020
The plane is 20 years old and makes daily flights from Los Angeles to Shanghai. In recent weeks, the plane had also made trips out of L.A. to Paris and Tokyo.
According to Flightradar24, Tuesday’s flight never got above 8,000 feet, and was at about 2,300 feet when it passed over the school at 11:53 a.m.
The flight is typically a 13-hour nonstop. This one lasted about 25 minutes.
California Update: Radio call to control tower raises questions about why jet fuel was dumped over Cudahy Communications between air traffic controllers and a pilot raise questions why fuel was dropped over Cudahy before a Delta airliner returned to LAX.
At 11:47 a.m., an LAFD firefighter radioed that they were responding to a call at LAX.
“We have a Boeing triple 7, call sign Delta 89, reporting a compressor stall, 181 souls on board, 12 hours of fuel, ETA less than five minutes,” an LAFD firefighter said.
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When the compressor of a plane’s engine stalls, it can cause the loss of airflow through an engine, which can cause the engine to fail.
Passenger Tim Lefebvre, a bass guitarist headed to China for gigs, was sitting at the front of the plane when he heard loud popping sounds.
“It was kind of right next to me,” Lefebvre said. “I knew that wasn’t good. The pilot came on a couple minutes later and said we were going back to LAX, and that was that.”
The pilot told passengers that there had been an engine problem and that they shouldn’t be alarmed if, when the plane landed, they saw firetrucks on the runway, Lefebvre said.
Everyone on board remained calm, although the flight attendant seated near Lefebvre looked concerned, he said.
“Just imagine if we had been over the Pacific a good distance,” Lefebvre said. “That would not have been good.”
A total of 60 patients were treated, at least 20 of them children. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said more than 70 firefighters and paramedics headed to Park School Elementary, where 20 children and 11 adults were treated for minor injuries. No one was taken to the hospital. Additionally, six people at Tweedy Elementary School and six at San Gabriel Elementary in South Gate were affected, as was one adult at Graham Elementary School. L.A. City Fire treated 16 patients at Jordan High School in Los Angeles and 93rd Street Elementary in Green Meadows.
LAFD spokesperson Nicholas Prange said two classes were outside Park Avenue Elementary when the liquid rained down shortly before noon. Students and staff were instructed to go indoors and remain there for the time being.
Park Avenue Elementary School sixth grader Josue Burgos was participating in physical education outside when he was surprised to feel the sensation of rain. The 11-year-old in Mariana de la Torre’s class looked up to see a plane barreling down on his campus.
“We came out and we were playing, and the airplane was outside and we thought it was rain, but then we knew it was throwing gas on us, and everybody started to run,” Josue said. “We went to the auditorium and we knew what happened. We went back to class. We stayed for one hour and then we went home.”
Josue said fuel landed on his sweater, shirt and shorts, and the odor was immediately noticeable.
“Yeah, it smelled bad,” he said. “It wasn’t water.”
Parent Freddie Contreras, who lives about a block away from campus, thought he saw glass crashing down outside his apartment.
Contreras raced out of the complex to find an overwhelming odor emanating not just from the roof and surrounding pavement, but from his white 2016 Honda Civic, which had been doused in fuel.
“I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, and I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew it was gas or something toxic,” Contreras said.
While Contreras’ son Mateo, a Park Avenue first-grader, was unharmed, sister-in-law Yesenia Pantaja, who also lives in the complex, complained of a headache.
“It’s the fuel,” Contreras said. “I want to leave, but I don’t know if I can drive my car. I don’t know if it’s safe.”
While Park Avenue parent Francisco Javier was relieved that his first-grade son was inside his classroom and unaffected by the fuel dump, he was careful not to inhale too deeply.
“You should have been here when it first happened,” Javier said. “You couldn’t breathe it was so bad. It’s still strong, but not as bad as it was.”
Javier, who lives across the street from the school’s main entrance, walked outside to assess the situation and observe the crowd of media, fire and police. He then headed back into his apartment to close and lock all the windows.
Sixth-grader Miguel Cervantes was one of several students taking part in physical education classes outside when he was confused by what was happening.
“I saw an airplane and I thought smoke was coming out,” Miguel said. “Then when it got closer, I knew it was gas because a little bit fell on me.”
Miguel said that fuel hit parts of his shirt and pants and that within an hour he had been sent home.
Miguel’s mother, Ana, received a call about the events and rushed over to Park Avenue.
“Just a small amount landed on my son’s clothes and on his arms, but we washed him with soap and changed his clothes and he seems fine,” Ana Cervantes said.
When asked if she would destroy her son’s clothes out of caution, Cervantes said the measure was too drastic.
“Those are expensive clothes, we’ll just wash them with soap and water,” she said.
Ross Aimer, the chief executive officer of Aero Consulting Experts, said fuel dumping is very rare and is used only in case of emergencies or if pilots have to reach a safe landing weight, as was the case in Tuesday’s incident.
“Most pilots choose not to dump fuel unless the emergency really dictates it,” Aimer said.
A possible emergency would be non-functioning landing gear that would otherwise make it difficult to control the plane.
When pilots dump fuel, they typically try to do it at above 10,000 feet and over water, but ideally it should be done at higher elevation because then the fuel turns into mist and it’s away from populated areas.
DELTA flight 89 to Shanghai dumping fuel, returning to LAX W/ unknown emergency pic.twitter.com/UQVnRuc0IA — Matt Hartman (@ShorealoneFilms) January 14, 2020
Aimer said that without knowing what Flight 89’s emergency was, the pilot may have been in the final stage of dumping fuel as the plane was heading toward LAX. He said there is also a good chance the pilot made an error.
“I don’t remember anyone dumping fuel over population,” he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the matter.
“There are special fuel-dumping procedures for aircraft operating into and out of any major U.S. airport. These procedures call for fuel to be dumped over designated unpopulated areas, typically at higher altitudes so the fuel atomizes and disperses before it reaches the ground,” officials said in a statement.
An example of an unpopulated area would be an ocean, said Douglas Moss, aviation consultant and a retired United Airlines pilot.
To make an emergency landing, a pilot will try to get the airplane down to its landing weight so there are more options in case of an aborted landing attempt. How and where that fuel dump happens depends on the type of emergency, said Tom Haueter, former director of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Office of Aviation Safety.
Pilots will typically alert air traffic controllers of the emergency fuel release and the air traffic controllers will try to direct the plane, said Haueter, who now serves as a consultant on aviation safety and accident investigations.
The drop will typically happen at an altitude of 5,000 feet so the fuel vaporizes before hitting the ground. But if there is a severe emergency, plans may change.
“The real key is to know what’s the nature of the emergency,” Haueter said.
In an emergency, the captain is “authorized to break any rule in the book,” Moss said. “He still tries to adhere to as many of the rules as he can, but the bottom line is his actions must be in the best interest of safety.”
Cudahy officials expressed disappointment over the incident and were demanding answers about why the fuel was dropped over the school.
Newly appointed Mayor Elizabeth Alcantar said the school was next door to Cudahy City Hall.
“I’m very upset,” she said in a phone interview. “This is an elementary school, these are small children.”
The incident hit a nerve in the community. Environmental injustices have long taken place in southeast Los Angeles County. For years, activists and residents fought for the closure of a battery recycling plant in the industrial city of Vernon because it emitted cancer-causing arsenic and lead, a potent neurotoxin, into nearby cities.
It was only five years ago that the plant was closed.
Parents wait outside Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy on Tuesday after an airplane returning to LAX dropped fuel onto a school playground. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
In the 1990s, Park Avenue Elementary School was closed for eight months because tar-like petroleum sludge began to seep up from the ground. The school was built on an old city dump site that contained petroleum-contaminated soil and several pockets of tar-like petroleum sludge.
“Why is it always our communities having to deal with the brunt of these issues?” Alcantar said.
The jet-fuel dump incident has raised questions about environmental safety and the flight path over Cudahy and other cities.
“Sadly, our entire community has been adversely impacted by this incident, including dozens of children. I am calling for a full federal investigation into the matter, and expect full accountability from responsible parties,” Cudahy City Council member Jack Guerrero said.
Emergency incidents of jet fuel being dumped over populated areas have been reported across the United States in previous years.
In 2007, a 744 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight to Amsterdam returned to San Francisco Airport after the pilot realized the plane’s nose gear would not retract. The pilot released fuel 15,000 feet above Stanislaus County.
In 2001, jet fuel rained down on residents in Flower Mound, Texas, as an American Airlines plane flew back to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The pilot said at the time that a warning light came on, leading to a fuel release.
Three years prior, in 1998, another American Airlines flight was involved in a similar incident in New York when 3,200 gallons of fuel were dumped over homes in Queens. The pilot said a large bird had flown into an engine under the right wing.
The Delta jet landed safely at LAX soon after dumping the fuel. Police could be seen driving behind the plane with sirens wailing as it arrived.
Times staff writer Matt Stiles, Samantha Masunaga, Jaclyn Cosgrove and Kiera Feldman contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-01-15--USC questioned whether Lori Loughlin's daughters were really athletes a year before admissions scand

USC questioned whether Lori Loughlin's daughters were really athletes a year before admissions scandal

In March 2018 , several high schools had contacted USC , puzzled that certain students were being admitted as recruited athletes .
Marymount High School , attended by actress Lori Loughlin ’ s two daughters , “ doesn ’ t think either of the students are serious crew participants , ” a USC employee wrote in an email .
Donna Heinel , the third-ranking administrator in USC ’ s athletic department , was asked to investigate .
She reported back the next day : Loughlin ’ s younger daughter rowed for a “ competitive ” club and USC ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she wrote .
A year later , Heinel was arrested and charged with arranging dozens of deals to sneak unqualified students into USC , including Loughlin ’ s daughters .
Prosecutors disclosed emails on Wednesday showing Heinel was tasked with probing the very fraud she allegedly perpetrated .
The messages were filed in federal court along with another 480 pages of emails , transcripts of recorded calls and financial and academic records that significantly widen the aperture on William “ Rick ” Singer ’ s college admissions scam .
An attorney for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t immediately respond to requests for comment .
In a motion filed on Wednesday , Eric S. Rosen , an assistant U.S. attorney , addressed complaints lodged by defense attorneys , who had argued Rosen and his colleagues were withholding evidence favorable to their clients .
He took aim at an argument floated by Loughlin and her husband , Mossimo Giannulli , that the two believed their $ 500,000 payment to Singer would go towards legitimate donations to USC .
The couple “ specifically rejected this ‘ legitimate ’ approach , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exchange between Giannulli and an official in USC ’ s development office .
With the fashion designer ’ s older daughter applying in 2016 , the official , whose name is redacted in the emails , offered to “ flag ” her application and asked “ if I can be at all helpful in setting up a 1:1 opportunity for her , customized tour of campus for the family , and/or classroom visit.
” Giannulli was already conspiring with Singer to pass off the girl as an elite coxswain , prosecutors say .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ her on an ERG [ rowing machine ] in workout clothes like a real athlete.
” Six days before the USC official ’ s email , Giannulli fielded one from Singer : “ Got it all .
Profile is being made as a coxswain and USC is awaiting my packet with the transcript , test scores and profile.
” Giannulli told the development official : “ Thanks so much , I think we are squared away.
” He forwarded the emails to his wife that night , adding , “ The nicest I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Loughlin and Giannulli have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud , money laundering and bribery and have denied any wrongdoing .
Heinel has also pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering , fraud and bribery .

In March 2018, several high schools contacted USC, puzzled that certain students were being admitted as recruited athletes. Los Angeles’ Marymount High School, attended by actress Lori Loughlin’s two daughters, “doesn’t think either of the students are serious crew participants,” a USC employee wrote in an email.
Donna Heinel, the third-ranking administrator in USC’s athletic department, was asked to investigate. She reported back the next day: Loughlin’s younger daughter rowed for a “competitive” club and USC’s coach “thinks she has talent,” she wrote.
A year later, Heinel was arrested and charged with arranging dozens of deals to sneak unqualified students into USC, including Loughlin’s daughters. Prosecutors disclosed emails on Tuesday showing Heinel was tasked with investigating the very fraud she allegedly perpetrated.
The messages were filed in federal court along with another 480 pages of emails, transcripts of recorded calls and financial and academic records that significantly widen the aperture on William “Rick” Singer’s college admissions scam.
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An attorney for Heinel and a spokesman for USC didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Heinel has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering, fraud and bribery.
In court papers filed on Tuesday, Eric S. Rosen, an assistant U.S. attorney, addressed complaints by defense attorneys, who had argued Rosen and his colleagues were withholding evidence favorable to their clients. Rosen took aim at an argument floated by Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, that the two believed their $500,000 payment to Singer would go toward legitimate donations to USC.
The couple “specifically rejected this ‘legitimate’ approach,” Rosen wrote, pointing to an email exchange between Giannulli and an official in USC’s development office.
With the fashion designer’s older daughter applying in 2016, the official, whose name is redacted in the documents, offered to “flag” her application and asked “if I can be at all helpful in setting up a 1:1 opportunity for her, customized tour of campus for the family, and/or classroom visit.”
Giannulli was already conspiring with Singer to pass off the girl as an elite coxswain, prosecutors say. Singer asked Giannulli in an email for “a picture with her on an ERG [rowing machine] in workout clothes like a real athlete.”
Six days before the USC official’s email, Giannulli fielded one from Singer: “Got it all. Profile is being made as a coxswain and USC is awaiting my packet with the transcript, test scores and profile.”
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Giannulli told the development official: “Thanks so much, I think we are squared away.” He forwarded the email thread to his wife that night, adding, “The nicest I’ve been at blowing off somebody.”
A month later, Heinel presented their daughter as a recruited coxswain to a USC admissions committee, which approved the girl for admission “based on falsified athletic credentials,” prosecutors allege. The couple wrote a $50,000 check to a USC account that Heinel controlled and wired Singer $200,000, prosecutors say. They repeated the fraud a year later to get their younger daughter into USC, according to prosecutors.
Loughlin and Giannulli have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud, money laundering and bribery.
Rosen wrote that no USC officials interviewed by his office knew payments from Singer’s clients “were a quid pro quo” for admission, apart from those who have been charged with crimes. The government has no evidence that anyone outside of the school’s athletic department knew of Singer’s corrupt deals, Rosen said. Nor, he added, has his team seen evidence that anyone who supervised Heinel or other charged coaches was aware of the fraud.
But “to be sure,” Rosen wrote, “others at USC understood that Singer existed.” He attached to his filing an email Heinel received in 2015 from Tim Brunold, the school’s dean of admissions. The subject line: “Rick Singer.”
“I don’t know anything about this Singer guy,” Brunold told Heinel, “except to steer clear!”
Three years later, Heinel was asked to investigate applications submitted by three students, one of them Giannulli’s younger daughter. Notified the student had been flagged as a rowing recruit, her high school counselor had told a USC admissions officer a year earlier, “I had no knowledge of [her] involvement in crew and based on what I knew of her doubted she was involved in crew,” according to a record of the conversation that prosecutors filed in court.
In March 2018, a USC official emailed Heinel the names of three students “whose high schools were quite surprised to hear they were being admitted as athletic recruits.” Most of the names are redacted; Gianulli’s was not.
Heinel wrote back the following day. Giannulli’s younger daughter was on a list of prospects the crew coach “inherited” from his predecessor; he was “welcoming” her to walk onto the team and “earn a spot,” she wrote. Another student Heinel was asked to investigate, whose name wasn’t disclosed, had “great baseball IQ,” “a good bat” and a family with ties to “a donor that gave 1 million dollars to the baseball program,” she said.


latimes--2020-01-15--A big cat convention? Rare video captures five mountain lions hanging out together

Five California mountain lions were seen together on home surveillance video in a rare gathering of the notoriously solitary big cats .
The footage was recorded at a rural residence at the edge of the Eldorado National Forest east of Sacramento , KTXL-TV reported Wednesday .
“ We shared the videos and photos with several of our wildlife biologists , and none of them could recall ever seeing five mountain lions together , ” said Peter Tira , spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife .
One of the cougars is bigger than the others , so scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The others are likely her cubs , but Tira does not believe all of them are from the same litter .
Mothers often chase off their cubs after a year , so seeing a family of them is uncommon , he said .
According to biologists , the only time mountain lions are spotted together is either during mating season or when a mother is raising her cubs , but typically only three at most are seen together .
“ They ’ re not very tolerant of other mountain lions in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more home surveillance systems going up , biologists are getting more images of mountain lions in their habitat than ever before , he said .

A photo taken from video shows five California mountain lions together outside a home in Pioneer, Calif.
Five California mountain lions were seen together on home surveillance video in a rare gathering of the notoriously solitary big cats.
The footage was recorded at a rural residence at the edge of the Eldorado National Forest east of Sacramento, KTXL-TV reported Wednesday.
“We shared the videos and photos with several of our wildlife biologists, and none of them could recall ever seeing five mountain lions together,” said Peter Tira, spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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He called the images “extraordinary.”
One of the cougars is bigger than the others, so scientists speculate it’s the mother lion. The others are likely her cubs, but Tira does not believe all of them are from the same litter.
Mothers often chase off their cubs after a year, so seeing a family of them is uncommon, he said.
According to biologists, the only time mountain lions are spotted together is either during mating season or when a mother is raising her cubs, but typically only three at most are seen together.
“They’re not very tolerant of other mountain lions in their territories,” Tira said.
With more home surveillance systems going up, biologists are getting more images of mountain lions in their habitat than ever before, he said.


latimes--2020-01-15--LAPD could take action against officers in gang-framing case within days, chief says

The first round of the LAPD ’ s investigation into allegations that members of its elite Metro Division falsely portrayed people as gang members or associates could be completed within days .
“ I don ’ t mean this to go on for months or years , ” Chief Michel Moore said .
“ I will make a finding on the basis of the completed investigation as to appropriate disposition — whether that be sustained acts of misconduct , including the potential criminality of that ... .
If I were to recommend , for instance , termination , that would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tribunal through our discipline system.
” Several officers across the city are suspected of falsifying field interview cards from traffic stops and entering incorrect information about those questioned in an effort to boost stop statistics .
Moore said the investigation initially focused on three officers and expanded to others who worked with the original three and then on to others who worked with a second group .
Now , at least 20 officers are under investigation .
The chief said the department is also looking into whether it should change its approach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ field interview cards .
The department investigates if it learns that an officer has acted with racial or gender bias .
However , “ if it was not identified , the action of completing an FI [ field interview card ] in it of itself doesn ’ t constitute a bias or absence of bias , ” Moore said .
Inspector General Mark Smith said the department doesn ’ t have a policy mandating that officers systematically examine field cards for racial bias .
Supervisors currently review cards and other reports on an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a broader sense , the department needs be looking at all of its contacts with the public to make sure that there isn ’ t evidence of racial bias , ” Smith said .
“ Field interview cards are one piece of documentation.
” The department has begun conducting more spot checks of body-worn cameras , examining police behavior even when an incident hasn ’ t been identified , he said .
“ They ’ re starting to do that now .
I think those reviews happen in various forms and functions even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the department must take X percent of FI cards.
” This week , Eileen Decker , the president of the Board of Police Commissioners , asked Smith to monitor the LAPD investigation into the falsified field interview cards and to conduct a separate inquiry .
Smith also was asked to provide analysis of a report published by the U.S. Department of Justice this month that scrutinized racial bias in police stops by law enforcement agencies across the country , including the LAPD .
The report shows that of the nearly 337,000 stops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , about 28 % involved black motorists , though blacks account for 9 % of the city ’ s population , according to U.S. Census data .
Decker said that while the inspector general ’ s two investigations are separate , they will both help inform what steps the department should take to confront racial bias .
“ What are we seeing in the data , the data we can collect , and is there a correlation ?
” she said .
“ We have to see where the investigation leads us .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mayor Eric Garcetti said he is satisfied with how the LAPD is handling the scandal .
“ We have a department that didn ’ t shove that under the rug , a department that took action immediately .
I think the chief took the right action , ” he said .

Several LAPD officers across the city are suspected of falsifying field interview cards from traffic stops and entering incorrect information about those questioned in an effort to boost stop statistics.
The first round of the LAPD’s investigation into allegations that members of its elite Metro Division falsely portrayed people as gang members or associates could be completed within days.
“I don’t mean this to go on for months or years,” Chief Michel Moore said. “I will make a finding on the basis of the completed investigation as to appropriate disposition — whether that be sustained acts of misconduct, including the potential criminality of that.... If I were to recommend, for instance, termination, that would be a direction or board rights, a tribunal through our discipline system.”
Several officers across the city are suspected of falsifying field interview cards from traffic stops and entering incorrect information about those questioned in an effort to boost stop statistics. Moore said the investigation initially focused on three officers and expanded to others who worked with the original three and then on to others who worked with a second group. Now, at least 20 officers are under investigation.
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Moore said that the department investigates if it learns that an officer has acted with racial or gender bias. However, “if it was not identified, the action of completing an FI [field interview card] in it of itself doesn’t constitute a bias or absence of bias,” Moore said.
California ‘Stop-and-frisk in a car:’ Elite LAPD unit disproportionately stopped black drivers, data show To combat a surge in violent crime, the Los Angeles Police Department doubled the size of its elite Metropolitan Division in 2015, creating special units to swarm crime hot spots.
The department has begun conducting more spot checks of body-worn cameras, examining police behavior even when an incident hasn’t been identified, Inspector General Mark Smith said.
This week, Eileen Decker, the president of the Board of Police Commissioners, asked Smith to monitor the LAPD investigation into the falsified field interview cards and to conduct a separate inquiry. Smith also was asked to provide analysis of a report published by the California Department of Justice this month that scrutinized racial bias in police stops by law enforcement agencies across the country, including the LAPD.
The report shows that of the nearly 337,000 stops reported by the Los Angeles Police Department, about 28% involved black motorists, though blacks account for 9% of the city’s population, according to U.S. Census data.
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Decker said that while the inspector general’s two investigations are separate, they will both help inform what steps the department should take to confront racial bias.
“What are we seeing in the data, the data we can collect, and is there a correlation?” she said. “We have to see where the investigation leads us. This has to be very fact-based.”
Mayor Eric Garcetti said he is satisfied with how the LAPD is handling the scandal.
“We have a department that didn’t shove that under the rug, a department that took action immediately. I think the chief took the right action,” he said.


latimes--2020-01-15--Swastikas, hate messages plastered on Calabasas balcony

A Calabasas neighborhood has taken offense at a series of foul , hate-filled messages plastered to the balcony of a condominium unit , at least one of which specifically targets President Trump , and authorities say they are investigating .
Police received a call about 12:50 p.m. Tuesday about the images in the 23400 block of Park Sorrento , said Maria Lucero , a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff .
The signs , which show Nazi emblems alongside American flags and profanity-laced diatribes , seem to call out several politicians , including Mike Pence and Mitt Romney .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which were still affixed to the outside of a second-story unit Wednesday .
“ There is no place for hate in our community , ” said Calabasas Mayor Alicia Weintraub .
The incident has struck a nerve in the community , which has a large Jewish population .
Weintraub said the city was cooperating with authorities .
The mayor said she met with other residents of the condominium complex Tuesday night and , on Wednesday , with the occupants of the unit with the offensive display .
Officials and residents are hoping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sheriff ’ s deputies say no overt threats have been made , and Lucero said she believed this was the first kind of hate incident in Calabasas .
According to an annual report by the Los Angeles County Commission of Human Relations , the number of hate crimes targeted in L.A. County increased in 2018 despite a slight dip in the overall number of hate crimes reported statewide .
A 2019 report from the California attorney general ’ s office also noted incidents targeting Latinos and Jewish people in the state surged in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vitriolic rhetoric over nationalism and immigration , as well as emboldened hate groups .
“ In the past decade , in hate crimes overall , the two worst months nationally were November 2016 and October 2018 , ” said Brian Levin , director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino .
“ Both were national elections , so we ’ re very concerned about international tensions.
” Levin also credits the normalization of Nazi symbols and “ coarse ” social media as factors progressively increasing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year was the worst for hate crimes overall in the three largest U.S > cities — New York , L.A. and Chicago — since 2001 , he added .
“ We have [ the ] mainstreaming of anti-Semitism , ” Levin said , and “ when society becomes polarized and fragmented and trust in communal institutions declines , the kind of universal recipient of that hate — or at least the first exit on that freeway — is anti-Semitism .
”

A pedestrian in Calabasas looks toward the Park Sorrento condominiums, where a resident posted offensive signs on the second-story balcony of a unit.
A Calabasas neighborhood has taken offense at a series of foul, hate-filled messages plastered to the balcony of a condominium unit, at least one of which specifically targets President Trump, and authorities say they are investigating.
Police received a call about 12:50 p.m. Tuesday about the images in the 23400 block of Park Sorrento, said Maria Lucero, a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff.
The signs, which show Nazi emblems alongside American flags and profanity-laced diatribes, seem to call out several politicians, including Mike Pence and Mitt Romney. It was not immediately clear who posted the signs, which were still affixed to the outside of a second-story unit Wednesday.
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“There is no place for hate in our community,” said Calabasas Mayor Alicia Weintraub.
The incident has struck a nerve in the community, which has a large Jewish population.
A resident of the Park Sorrento condominiums in Calabasas posted several disturbing and offensive signs on a condo balcony. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Weintraub said the city was cooperating with authorities. The mayor said she met with other residents of the condominium complex Tuesday night and, on Wednesday, with the occupants of the unit with the offensive display. Officials and residents are hoping the signs will be removed quickly.
Sheriff’s deputies say no overt threats have been made, and Lucero said she believed this was the first kind of hate incident in Calabasas.
According to an annual report by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, the number of hate crimes targeted in the county increased in 2018 despite a slight dip in the overall number of hate crimes reported statewide.
A 2019 report from the California attorney general’s office also noted incidents targeting Latinos and Jewish people in the state surged in 2018, which experts have blamed on vitriolic rhetoric over nationalism and immigration, as well as emboldened hate groups.
“In the past decade, in hate crimes overall, the two worst months nationally were November 2016 and October 2018,” said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino. “Both were national elections, so we’re very concerned about international tensions.”
Levin also credits the normalization of Nazi symbols and “coarse” social media as factors progressively increasing the number of hate crimes. Last year was the worst for hate crimes overall in the three largest U.S. cities — New York, L.A. and Chicago — since 2001, he added.
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“We have [the] mainstreaming of anti-Semitism,” Levin said, and “when society becomes polarized and fragmented and trust in communal institutions declines, the kind of universal recipient of that hate — or at least the first exit on that freeway — is anti-Semitism.”


latimes--2020-01-15--Listen: Radio call to LAX tower raises questions about jet fuel dump over school

A Delta Air Lines pilot was roughly five minutes into a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Shanghai on Tuesday when he radioed the control tower that he was having problems with the right engine on the jetliner .
A controller asks whether he needs to return to the airport immediately or to “ hold to burn fuel.
” The pilot responds that they ’ ve “ got it back under control , ” will slow down , stay out of terrain and turn back to the airport .
“ OK , so you don ’ t need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ?
” he asks the pilot .
The pilot responds : “ Negative.
” Yet less than 20 minutes later the jet , flying at about 2,300 feet , dumped fuel over Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy , dousing children on the playground and sparking outrage in a community that ’ s been at the center of environmental injustices for decades in Los Angeles County .
Dozens of people — many of them children — were treated by paramedics , but no one was seriously injured .
The Times analyzed more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 89 over the last year provided by Flightradar24 , a firm that specializes in maintaining and publishing detailed industry data worldwide .
According to the flight-mapping data , the pilot had been on one of two typical routes that Delta flies to Shanghai when he turned back toward L.A. One path takes jets farther west over the Pacific Ocean , while the other turns north over Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains before veering west .
In tracking Tuesday ’ s flight , the pilot appeared to be taking the latter route and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to divert from the expected course above Hidden Hills .
The radio transmissions between the pilot and air traffic controllers raise new questions about why the pilot showered fuel over such a large swath of populated neighborhoods .
Federal regulators have said fuel dumping should occur in remote areas .
And while the plane was within Federal Aviation Administration guidelines when it dropped the fuel , experts have said the best practice is to discharge at a higher elevation so that fuel dissipates before it hits the ground .
During emergency situations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control and indicate they need to dump fuel .
The controllers will then direct a plane to the appropriate fuel-dumping area .
This did not happen during Tuesday ’ s brief flight , according to officials with FAA , which is investigating the incident .
When pilots dump fuel , they typically try to do so above 10,000 feet and over a body of water , such as an ocean , where the fuel will turn to mist and dissipate , away from populated areas , experts say .
Aircraft maker Boeing says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of higher than 5,000 feet , it should turn to vapor before reaching the ground .
“ In this emergency situation , the fuel-dumping procedure did not occur at an optimal altitude that would have allowed the fuel to atomize properly , ” the FAA said in a statement .
However , FAA regulations do allow dumps at lower altitudes — at least 2,000 feet higher than anything on the ground within five miles , the agency said .
Delta spokesperson Adrian Gee said Tuesday the pilot was forced to dump fuel over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s weight before the return landing .
It was not immediately clear how much fuel was dropped or what happened between the pilot ’ s last public communications with air traffic control and the time he landed at the airport at 11:56 a.m. Delta did not respond Wednesday to a request from The Times for further information .
Ross Aimer , CEO of Aero Consulting Experts , said fuel dumping is very rare and is used only in case of emergencies or if pilots have to reach a safe landing weight .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fuel unless the emergency really dictates it , ” Aimer said .
In Tuesday ’ s incident , the plane was experiencing a compressor stall , according to transmissions between the pilot and the airport tower as well as a radio call the Los Angeles Fire Department received at 11:47 a.m. “ We have a Boeing triple 7 , call sign Delta 89 , reporting a compressor stall , 181 souls on board , 12 hours of fuel , ETA less than five minutes , ” an LAFD firefighter said .
When the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stalls , it can cause a loss of airflow through an engine , which can cause the engine to fail .
However , compressor stalls are relatively common and aren ’ t typically considered a dire emergency that would necessitate an immediate landing , according to safety expert and aviation consultant Robert Ditchey .
The Boeing 777 is ETOPS-certified , an acronym used in aviation signifying “ extended operations , ” which means the two-engine aircraft can fly an extended duration on one engine , Ditchey said .
That would suggest there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , per Boeing and FAA standards .
Still , the decision to return to LAX prompted the question from the control tower about dumping fuel .
Whether the instruction to release the fuel came from air traffic control or Delta , the ultimate decision-maker would be the pilot , who would have been aware he was flying over a residential area rather than the ocean or other unpopulated area , Ditchey said .
“ Dumping is literally a toggle switch .
How much fuel you dump is a decision that the captain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
At one point in the audio communications , the pilot tells ground control that 181 people , including crew members , are aboard the plane .
According to Seat Guru , a site that tracks the layout of planes , that number would have meant the flight was about two-thirds full .
If that was the case , Ditchey said , it would suggest that a decrease in weight would not have been a major issue because the plane was not at maximum capacity .
The fuel dump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the flight path over Cudahy and other cities .
“ Sadly , our entire community has been adversely impacted by this incident , including dozens of children .
I am calling for a full federal investigation into the matter , and expect full accountability from responsible parties , ” Cudahy City Council Member Jack Guerrero said .
Times Staff Writers Ruben Vives and Samantha Masunaga contributed to this report .

Communications between air traffic controllers and the Delta pilot raise questions about why fuel was dumped over Cudahy roughly 20 minutes into the flight.
A Delta Air Lines pilot was roughly five minutes into a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Shanghai on Tuesday when he radioed the control tower that he was having problems with the right engine on the jetliner.
A controller asks whether he needs to return to the airport immediately or to “hold to burn fuel.” The pilot responds that they’ve “got it back under control,” will slow down, stay out of terrain and turn back to the airport.
“OK, so you don’t need to hold to dump fuel or anything like that?” he asks the pilot. The pilot responds: “Negative.”
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Yet less than 20 minutes later the jet, flying at about 2,300 feet, dumped fuel over Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy, dousing children on the playground and sparking outrage in a community that’s been at the center of environmental injustices for decades in Los Angeles County. Dozens of people — many of them children — were treated by paramedics, but no one was seriously injured.
(Los Angeles Times)
The Times analyzed more than 300 flight paths of Delta flight 89 over the last year provided by Flightradar24, a firm that specializes in maintaining and publishing detailed industry data worldwide. According to the flight-mapping data, the pilot had been on one of two typical routes that Delta flies to Shanghai when he turned back toward L.A. One path takes jets farther west over the Pacific Ocean, while the other turns north over Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains before veering west. In tracking Tuesday’s flight, the pilot appeared to be taking the latter route and was already over land when he seemed to divert from the expected course above Hidden Hills.
The radio transmissions between the pilot and air traffic controllers raise new questions about why the pilot showered fuel over such a large swath of populated neighborhoods. Federal regulators have said fuel dumping should occur in remote areas. And while the plane was within Federal Aviation Administration guidelines when it dropped the fuel, experts have said the best practice is to discharge at a higher elevation so that fuel dissipates before it hits the ground.
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During emergency situations, air crews will typically notify air traffic control and indicate they need to dump fuel. The controllers will then direct a plane to the appropriate fuel-dumping area. This did not happen during Tuesday’s brief flight, according to officials with FAA, which is investigating the incident.
When pilots dump fuel, they typically try to do so above 10,000 feet and over a body of water, such as an ocean, where the fuel will turn to mist and dissipate, away from populated areas, experts say.
Aircraft maker Boeing says if fuel is dumped at an altitude of higher than 5,000 feet, it should turn to vapor before reaching the ground.
“In this emergency situation, the fuel-dumping procedure did not occur at an optimal altitude that would have allowed the fuel to atomize properly,” the FAA said in a statement.
However, FAA regulations do allow dumps at lower altitudes — at least 2,000 feet higher than anything on the ground within five miles, the agency said.
Delta spokesperson Adrian Gee said Tuesday the pilot was forced to dump fuel over an urban area to reduce the plane’s weight before the return landing. It was not immediately clear how much fuel was dropped or what happened between the pilot’s last public communications with air traffic control and the time he landed at the airport at 11:56 a.m.
Delta did not respond Wednesday to a request from The Times for further information.
Student Marianna Torres, 11, center, evacuates Park Avenue Elementary School after jet fuel fell on the school on Tuesday. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)
Ross Aimer, CEO of Aero Consulting Experts, said fuel dumping is very rare and is used only in case of emergencies or if pilots have to reach a safe landing weight.
“Most pilots choose not to dump fuel unless the emergency really dictates it,” Aimer said.
In Tuesday’s incident, the plane was experiencing a compressor stall, according to transmissions between the pilot and the airport tower as well as a radio call the Los Angeles Fire Department received at 11:47 a.m.
“We have a Boeing triple 7, call sign Delta 89, reporting a compressor stall, 181 souls on board, 12 hours of fuel, ETA less than five minutes,” an LAFD firefighter said.
When the compressor of a plane’s engine stalls, it can cause a loss of airflow through an engine, which can cause the engine to fail.
However, compressor stalls are relatively common and aren’t typically considered a dire emergency that would necessitate an immediate landing, according to safety expert and aviation consultant Robert Ditchey.
The Boeing 777 is ETOPS-certified, an acronym used in aviation signifying “extended operations,” which means the two-engine aircraft can fly an extended duration on one engine, Ditchey said. That would suggest there was no immediate urgency to land, he said, per Boeing and FAA standards.
Still, the decision to return to LAX prompted the question from the control tower about dumping fuel. Whether the instruction to release the fuel came from air traffic control or Delta, the ultimate decision-maker would be the pilot, who would have been aware he was flying over a residential area rather than the ocean or other unpopulated area, Ditchey said.
“Dumping is literally a toggle switch. How much fuel you dump is a decision that the captain or Delta Airlines Operations Control would discuss,” he said.
At one point in the audio communications, the pilot tells ground control that 181 people, including crew members, are aboard the plane. According to Seat Guru, a site that tracks the layout of planes, that number would have meant the flight was about two-thirds full.
If that was the case, Ditchey said, it would suggest that a decrease in weight would not have been a major issue because the plane was not at maximum capacity.
The fuel dump has raised concerns about environmental safety in the flight path over Cudahy and other cities.
“Sadly, our entire community has been adversely impacted by this incident, including dozens of children. I am calling for a full federal investigation into the matter, and expect full accountability from responsible parties,” Cudahy City Council Member Jack Guerrero said.
Times Staff Writers Ruben Vives and Samantha Masunaga contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-01-15--Scientists were stumped when seabirds started dying. Now they have answers

In the fall of 2015 , two years into a heatwave in the Pacific Ocean colloquially known as “ the Blob , ” an unusually large influx of common murres , a small northern seabird , began to wash ashore .
They stopped laying as many eggs .
Their starved carcasses littered the coasts from California to the Gulf of Alaska .
Scientists believe they now know what went wrong .
The answer involves the Blob and how it rippled across multiple levels of the marine food web , and it comes amid more reports of rapidly warming oceans .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mysterious blanket of abnormally warm water appeared in the Gulf of Alaska and wreaked havoc on marine ecosystems from the Bering Strait to Mexico for three long years .
Species lower in the food web that preferred colder waters , which tend to be fattier , more nutritious phytoplankton and zooplankton that feed the forage fish eaten by sea lions and sea birds — were replaced by warmer water species of lower nutritional value .
A whole new ecosystem was establishing itself all the way up the food chain , said Julia Parrish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University of Washington and a co-author on a new study published in PLOS One that characterizes murre mortality and breeding failures during the heatwave .
Parrish also directs the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Survey Team ( COASST ) , the largest citizen monitoring program of beached birds in the world .
Fish populations shifted to colder or deeper waters , making it harder for top predators , including two types of auklets similar to murres , to find food .
But this still doesn ’ t explain the murres .
Common murres @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One of the best adapted seabirds in the northern hemisphere , they can outfly other seabirds and speed from shelf to coast in a few hours .
Underwater , they ’ re agile enough to catch fast-moving prey and strong enough to dive the depths of two football fields .
If the fish move , they can move , too .
Yet half a million to 1.2 million common murres starved to death during the 2014 to 2016 marine heatwave — about 10 % to 20 % of the population , said John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Geological Survey in Anchorage and the corresponding author on the study .
On a stretch of beach more than a half-mile long in Prince William Sound of Alaska , their carcasses numbered in the thousands .
Melanie Smith , a director based in Alaska for the National Audubon Society ’ s Migratory Bird Initiative , who was not affiliated with the study , recalls seeing murres as far inland as Fairbanks .
“ The murres were so desperate for food , they were going to places they never go and had never been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ They ’ re squarely an ocean species and don ’ t belong in freshwater environments at all .
It was a clear sign something was wrong.
” Reproductive rates in murre colonies from California to the Bering Sea also plummeted alarmingly .
Colonies that had been stable for decades stopped laying eggs .
From 2015 to 2017 , 22 murre colonies from California to the Bering Sea didn ’ t produce a single chick .
In all his years studying the birds , Piatt said he could count on one hand the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2015 .
“ These birds are so productive and efficient , ” Piatt said .
“ This just doesn ’ t happen.
” Altogether , the die-offs spanned three marine ecosystems over 3,700 miles of coast and lasted up to nine months in the Gulf of Alaska , where the murres were hardest hit .
“ Did that get my attention ?
Yeah , you bet , ” said Piatt , who has been studying murres since the 1970s .
“ This level of mortality and over this range is just mind blowing.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ their plight than the redistribution of poorer quality prey , given the murres ’ superlative ability of finding food across the lengths and depths of the continental shelf .
Piatt and his colleagues looked again at the food supply , but through a different lens .
Researchers studying models of predator fish — including Pacific cod , arrowtooth flounder and walleye pollock that compete with the common murre for food — projected that a 3.6 degree Fahrenheit increase in water temperatures would have jacked up fish appetites by 34 % to 70 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seabirds 10- to 100-fold under normal conditions , they would have completely decimated the food supply during the Blob .
Sure enough , while dead murres were washing ashore in droves , adult Pacific cod populations in the Gulf of Alaska were “ silently crashing ” below the surface , Piatt said .
So the murres were hit with a double whammy , which exploited one of their few vulnerabilities — their high metabolism .
The small seabird , which weighs about 2 pounds , must eat 56 % of its body mass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diet of about 60 to 120 high-fat forage fish , including sardines , herring and capelin .
Without food , murres starve to death within three to five days .
Many of the dead or dying murres that washed ashore had empty stomachs and little to no body fat or muscle .
“ As the bottom of the ecosystem was shifting in not good ways , the top of the ecosystem was demanding a lot more food , ” Parish said .
The murres got caught in “ an intense competition for absolutely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed them.
” In many ways , the murres are the perfect climate change bellweather .
While the Blob eventually dissipated and murre populations stabilized , the heatwave offered a glimpse into how warming oceans in a warmer world pushes marine populations closer toward collapse .
This month , a study in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences reported that global ocean temperatures in 2019 were the warmest on record , a trend that has continued for the last decade .
A recent special report from the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change found that marine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and are expected to become 20 to 50 times more frequent if we don ’ t curb greenhouse gas emissions .
The panel also projected that oceans will absorb two to four times more heat by the end of the century than they did in the past 50 years if global warming is limited to 3.6 degrees .
On Wednesday , NOAA and NASA released a report that the last decade was the hottest on record worldwide .
Climate change isn ’ t just a long-term upward trend in which each year is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Climate change also brings more extreme weather patterns , including unpredictable marine heatwaves of greater frequency and magnitude .
“ We don ’ t know whether we ’ ll look back at this period of time as five years of die-offs being reported very frequently or as the beginning of a new normal condition , ” said Smith .
“ Many of the species that we ’ re talking about — both the birds and the fish — are pretty resilient , ” Parrish said .
A murre might live for 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of time , lay 10 or 15 eggs , more than enough to replace itself and its mate .
But what happens if they are assaulted by another or several Blobs ?
In the summer of 2019 , a warm mass of water appeared in the Gulf of Alaska that resembled the original Blob of 2014 .
The heatwave has since shrunk in size but remains one of the five largest heatwaves on record in the North Pacific in the last 40 years , according to NOAA .
“ So we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our seats ... .
It seems like we ’ ve just about gotten back to normal down here in the lower 48 states , ” Parrish said .
“ There ’ s only so much a population can take before they go into freefall .
”

A rescued murre is examined at the International Bird Rescue on Sept. 4, 2015, in Fairfield, Calif.
In the fall of 2015, two years into a heatwave in the Pacific Ocean colloquially known as “the Blob,” an unusually large influx of common murres, a small northern seabird, began to wash ashore.
They overwhelmed rehabilitation centers.
They stopped laying as many eggs.
Their starved carcasses littered the coasts from California to the Gulf of Alaska.
Scientists believe they now know what went wrong. The answer involves the Blob and how it rippled across multiple levels of the marine food web, and it comes amid more reports of rapidly warming oceans.
Advertisement
In the winter of 2013, a mysterious blanket of abnormally warm water appeared in the Gulf of Alaska and wreaked havoc on marine ecosystems from the Bering Strait to Mexico for three long years. Species lower in the food web that prefer colder waters, which tend to be fattier, more nutritious phytoplankton and zooplankton that feed the forage fish eaten by sea lions and sea birds — were replaced by warmer water species of lower nutritional value.
A whole new ecosystem was establishing itself all the way up the food chain, said Julia Parrish, professor of marine sciences at the University of Washington and a co-author on a new study published in PLOS One that characterizes murre mortality and breeding failures during the heatwave. Parrish also directs the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), the largest citizen monitoring program of beached birds in the world.
Fish populations shifted to colder or deeper waters, making it harder for top predators, including two types of auklets similar to murres, to find food.
But that still doesn’t explain the murres.
Common murres are the masters of their universe. One of the best adapted seabirds in the northern hemisphere, they can outfly other seabirds and speed from shelf to coast in a few hours. Underwater, they’re agile enough to catch fast-moving prey and strong enough to dive to the depth of two football fields.
If the fish move, they can move, too.
Yet half a million to 1.2 million common murres starved to death during the 2014 to 2016 marine heatwave — about 10% to 20% of the population, said John Piatt, wildlife biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage and the corresponding author on the study.
On a stretch of beach more than a half-mile long in Prince William Sound of Alaska, their carcasses numbered in the thousands.
Melanie Smith, a director based in Alaska for the National Audubon Society’s Migratory Bird Initiative, who was not affiliated with the study, recalls seeing murres as far inland as Fairbanks.
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“The murres were so desperate for food, they were going to places they never go and had never been seen before,” Smith said. “They’re squarely an ocean species and don’t belong in freshwater environments at all. It was a clear sign something was wrong.”
Reproductive rates in murre colonies from California to the Bering Sea also plummeted alarmingly. Colonies that had been stable for decades stopped laying eggs. From 2015 to 2017, 22 murre colonies from California to the Bering Sea didn’t produce a single chick.
In all his years studying the birds, Piatt said he could count on one hand the number of colonies that had failed before 2015.
“These birds are so productive and efficient,” Piatt said. “This just doesn’t happen.”
Altogether, the die-offs spanned three marine ecosystems over 3,700 miles of coast and lasted up to nine months in the Gulf of Alaska, where the murres were hardest hit.
“Did that get my attention? Yeah, you bet,” said Piatt, who has been studying murres since the 1970s. “This level of mortality and over this range is just mind-blowing.”
Piatt suspected there was more to their plight than the redistribution of poorer quality prey, given the murres’ superlative ability to find food across the lengths and depths of the continental shelf.
Piatt and his colleagues looked again at the food supply, but through a different lens.
Researchers studying models of predator fish — including Pacific cod, arrowtooth flounder and walleye pollock, which compete with the common murre for food — projected that a 3.6 degree Fahrenheit increase in water temperatures would have jacked up fish appetites by 34% to 70%.
Given that predator fish already out-consume seabirds 10- to 100-fold under normal conditions, they would have completely decimated the food supply during the Blob. Sure enough, while dead murres were washing ashore in droves, adult Pacific cod populations in the Gulf of Alaska were “silently crashing” below the surface, Piatt said.
So the murres were hit with a double whammy that exploited one of their few vulnerabilities — their high metabolism.
The small seabird, which weighs about 2 pounds, must eat 56% of its body mass each day to survive — a daily diet of about 60 to 120 high-fat forage fish, including sardines, herring and capelin. Without food, murres starve to death within three to five days.
Many of the dead or dying murres that washed ashore had empty stomachs and little to no body fat or muscle.
“As the bottom of the ecosystem was shifting in not good ways, the top of the ecosystem was demanding a lot more food,” Parish said. The murres got caught in “an intense competition for absolutely not enough food, which is what killed them.”
In many ways, the murres are the perfect climate change bellweather.
While the Blob eventually dissipated and murre populations stabilized, the heatwave offered a glimpse into how warming oceans in a warmer world push marine populations toward collapse.
This month, a study in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences reported that global ocean temperatures in 2019 were the warmest on record , a trend that has continued for the last decade.
A recent special report from the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change found that marine heatwaves have doubled in frequency since 1982 and are expected to become 20 to 50 times more frequent if we don’t curb greenhouse gas emissions. The panel also projected that oceans will absorb two to four times more heat by the end of the century than they did in the past 50 years if global warming is limited to 3.6 degrees.
On Wednesday, NOAA and NASA released a report that the last decade was the hottest on record worldwide.
Climate change isn’t just a long-term upward trend in which each year is warmer than the last, Parrish said. Climate change also brings more extreme weather patterns, including unpredictable marine heatwaves of greater frequency and magnitude.
“We don’t know whether we’ll look back at this period of time as five years of die-offs being reported very frequently or as the beginning of a new normal condition,” said Smith.
“Many of the species that we’re talking about — both the birds and the fish — are pretty resilient,” Parrish said. A murre might live for 20 or 25 years and over that period of time, lay 10 or 15 eggs, more than enough to replace itself and its mate.
But what happens if they are assaulted by another or several Blobs? In the summer of 2019, a warm mass of water appeared in the Gulf of Alaska that resembled the original Blob of 2014. The heatwave has since shrunk in size but remains one of the five largest heatwaves on record in the North Pacific in the last 40 years, according to NOAA.
“So we’re all sort of sitting on the edge of our seats. ... It seems like we’ve just about gotten back to normal down here in the lower 48 states,” Parrish said. “There’s only so much a population can take before they go into free fall.”