latimes--2020-05-01--Coronavirus energizes the labor movement. Can it last?

In Los Angeles , Glendale and Long Beach , thousands of laid-off janitors and hotel workers besieged elected officials with petitions seeking future job guarantees .
Nurses took to the streets in San Francisco , Santa Monica , Irvine and Oceanside to shame hospitals for failing to protect them against the coronavirus .
And from Oakland to Monterey Park , employees at dozens of fast-food outlets , including McDonald ’ s , Domino ’ s and Wendy ’ s , walked off their jobs protesting a lack of social distancing measures .
The COVID-19 pandemic is unleashing a wave of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Unions , harnessing the fear and anger , are organizing many of the protests , rallying media coverage and successfully pressuring public officials , including Gov .
Gavin Newsom .
The crisis presents a unique opportunity to press for new business rules on such issues as worker safety , pay and benefits that have long been central to labor ’ s agenda .
More demonstrations are expected Friday to coincide with May Day , International Workers ’ Day .
Union nurses at six Los Angeles hospitals will rally for better safety equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivery hub in Hawthorne and a Ralphs supermarket on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles — targets of workplace complaints after employees tested positive for the virus .
But as workers flex their muscles , ratcheting up demands on employers , will they open the way to a new era of collective bargaining ?
It won ’ t be easy : Nationally , just 11.6 % of workers are represented by unions .
Even in labor-friendly California , the portion has dropped to 16.5 % from 22 % three decades ago .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ income inequality and conditions of low-wage workers , ” said Ken Jacobs , chair of UC Berkeley ’ s Center for Labor Research and Education .
“ We are seeing an upsurge of worker actions .
Unions are playing a leadership role .
Their members ’ lives are at stake.
” Organized labor is assisting not just its own members but also protesters at nonunion companies .
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is backing Amazon warehouse workers .
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is helping organize Instacart and Shipt shoppers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding fast-food activists .
“ Even before the pandemic , workers were living on the edge financially , ” said Ron Herrera , president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor , which represents 800,000 union members .
“ This crisis has been the glue for workers to come together , blue-collar and white-collar , not just union members .
It sounds corny , but we ’ re moving towards a worker rebellion.
” Others are less sanguine about the prospects for a worker uprising when more than 30 million people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ During the last recession , it was very hard to organize , ” said Assemblyman Ash Kalra ( D-San Jose ) , chair of the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment .
“ When unemployment is high , people just want to get back to work.
” Nonetheless , he said : “ These direct actions are inspiring workers to believe they have power .
McDonald ’ s workers in San Jose got plexiglass separators and protective gear after a four-day strike .
And they weren ’ t terminated — which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if the pandemic ’ s economic fallout is crippling businesses , it is also slamming the finances of unions in hard-hit occupations such as hospitality and entertainment .
At Unite Here , which represents 307,000 workers at hotels , casinos , airports and stadiums nationwide , 98 % of members have been laid off .
“ This is a cataclysm , ” said Kurt Petersen , co-president of Unite Here Local 11 in Los Angeles , which furloughed nearly half its staff of 110 as dues from 32,000 members dried up .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ just how far we have fallen , and when we can ever expect to come out of this.
” Local 11 has organized mass food distributions with other unions and rallied volunteers to help more than 1,000 members apply for unemployment benefits .
“ People text me asking , ‘ When ’ s the next food bank ?
’ ” Petersen said .
“ It breaks my heart.
” He doesn ’ t see labor ’ s political clout diminishing .
In recent weeks , Local 11 volunteers have telephoned 25,000 members , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job security and safety measures .
“ We ’ re on the offense , not the defense , ” Petersen said .
Businesses , many of them crippled by stay-at-home orders and a collapse in consumer spending , are watching the activism in dismay .
“ The unions have fully gone for it , ” said Stuart Waldman , president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn .
in Van Nuys .
“ They ’ re pushing the envelope.
” Waldman and leaders of other business groups fought Los Angeles unions over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies to offer workers affected by COVID-19 an additional 10 days of paid sick leave beyond the current six-day requirement .
And they unsuccessfully battled new laws , backed by Unite Here and SEIU , that will force L.A. hotels and janitorial companies to offer jobs to laid-off workers based on seniority after they reopen .
Even businesses that change ownership must grant former employees the right to return to their old jobs .
Waldman describes the measures , signed by Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday , as “ anti-millennial .
Your most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people.
” Unions say they protect employee activists and prevent age discrimination — and hope to extend them statewide .
Health insurance is another battleground .
With Los Angeles International Airport all but shut down , Unite Here activists last week persuaded the City Council to condition rent relief for airport concessions on continuing to pay medical benefits for 4,000 laid-off food service and retail workers .
For Karla Cortez , a single mother who earned $ 18.90 an hour as a saleswoman at an LAX skincare boutique , that was “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laid off April 2 , had a bout with thyroid cancer five years ago and knew cancer survivors could be vulnerable to COVID-19 .
When the pandemic hit , “ I wondered how I ’ d survive , ” she said .
Her thyroid medication costs $ 50 a month under her healthcare plan .
If benefits disappear , it would cost $ 1,000 a month .
Along with other Unite Here members , Cortez , 46 , circulated petitions and sent video testimony to airport officials and City Council members .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be in big trouble , ” she said .
On Thursday , a caravan of 80 cars snaked along Century Boulevard as hotel workers hoisted signs reading “ Healthcare for All , ” part of a Unite Here campaign to pressure LAX-area hotels to extend medical benefits for laid-off employees .
“ Hotels are getting money in the federal bailout , ” Petersen said .
“ They should use some of that to pay workers ’ healthcare.
” Organized labor has also sought new gains in Sacramento .
On April 16 , after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signed an executive order requiring food sector companies that employ 500 or more workers to give two weeks of supplemental paid sick leave to any who contract COVID-19 or are exposed to the virus .
Before the order , just 14 % of California workers were entitled to as much as two weeks of paid sick leave for any illness .
( State law mandates just three days . )
As COVID-19 spread , some companies expanded leave , but Newsom ’ s order applies to all major groceries , restaurants , fast-food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , farms and delivery services .
UFCW Local 770 , which represents 20,000 grocery workers , had already spurred new safety ordinances in the city and county of Los Angeles after some stores had warned workers not to scare customers by wearing masks .
Now stores must provide masks and sanitizer to workers , and customers must wear face coverings too .
Still , the union is clamoring for stricter enforcement .
On Tuesday , it mounted a Koreatown caravan protest demanding that Kroger step up protections in its Food 4 Less stores @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read , “ No more new infections.
” Ralphs ’ May Day protest was scheduled after 16 workers at the Sunset Boulevard store tested positive .
One statewide union initiative is the focus of an intense struggle .
The California Labor Federation is pushing to expand workers ’ compensation insurance to automatically cover COVID-19 infections or doctors ’ quarantine recommendations for healthcare , law enforcement , grocery , warehouse , transportation and other front-line employees .
“ Workers should not have to fight denials and delays while fighting for their lives , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislative leaders March 27 .
Employers contend that would cost them billions of dollars when it is often unclear if infections originate in the workplace .
“ Many businesses and their owners are casualties of the necessary economic shutdown , ” Allan Zaremberg , president and chief executive of the California Chamber of Commerce , wrote in an April 7 response signed by more than 70 business groups .
“ They can not be expected to shoulder a new employer-financed social safety net.
” Labor groups have organized mask donations for their members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One union was perhaps too eager to intervene : In March , the SEIU ’ s United Healthcare Workers West branch announced it had arranged to buy 39 million highly protective N95 masks for California hospitals and government agencies .
By early April , federal authorities determined the union had been duped by shady middlemen .
At a CVS warehouse in La Habra last week , Teamsters Local 952 distributed masks to truckers and warehouse workers inscribed “ 952 HERO.
” Two workers had tested positive for COVID-19 after the union complained to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks and hand sanitizer , as well as a failure to enforce social distancing .
Anger escalated after a CVS memo circulated telling employees how to mix their own bleach solution at home .
And workers are upset CVS has declined to offer $ 2-an-hour hazard pay boost , which employees at a nearby Albertsons warehouse receive .
Last week , fliers appeared on parking lot windshields threatening a wildcat strike .
“ CVS has insulted our members , ” said Eric Jimenez , Local 952 ’ s principal officer .
“ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 300 , but if you called in sick you couldn ’ t get the bonus.
” CVS spokesman Michael DeAngelis said in an email that the bonus is available to any worker who falls ill. “ We are constantly working to increase the availability of supplies and update protocols to help ensure the safety of our employees , ” he wrote .
“ Refreshed mask supplies are available weekly and we have put in place social distancing guidelines.
” Whether it is slog-it-out bargaining over safety measures or bold legislative moves , unions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a new era for the labor movement .
“ It takes a pandemic to wake workers up , ” Jimenez said .
“ Without a union , how many people can walk in to complain about safety without the fear of retaliation ?
Unions can hire lawyers and call politicians .
We ’ ve shown our members somebody cares.
” Herrera , the county labor federation chief , predicts unions will ramp up organizing after the pandemic .
“ Workers are clearly seeing the inequities and the lack of protections , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing the advantages of being a unionized worker .
There ’ s a resentment in the workplace that we have to take advantage of .
”

Nurse anesthetist Nilu Patel stands with fellow union members at UC Irvine Medical Center for a candlelight vigil to highlight the need for more N95 respirators and protective gear for healthcare workers.
In Los Angeles, Glendale and Long Beach, thousands of laid-off janitors and hotel workers besieged elected officials with petitions seeking future job guarantees.
Nurses took to the streets in San Francisco, Santa Monica, Irvine and Oceanside to shame hospitals for failing to protect them against the coronavirus.
And from Oakland to Monterey Park, employees at dozens of fast-food outlets, including McDonald’s, Domino’s and Wendy’s, walked off their jobs protesting a lack of social distancing measures.
Advertisement
The COVID-19 pandemic is unleashing a wave of labor unrest across California and the nation. Unions, harnessing the fear and anger, are organizing many of the protests, rallying media coverage and successfully pressuring public officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The crisis presents a unique opportunity to press for new business rules on such issues as worker safety, pay and benefits that have long been central to labor’s agenda.
More demonstrations are expected Friday to coincide with May Day, International Workers’ Day. Union nurses at six Los Angeles hospitals will rally for better safety equipment. Car caravans will circle an Amazon delivery hub in Hawthorne and a Ralphs supermarket on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles — targets of workplace complaints after employees tested positive for the virus.
But as workers flex their muscles, ratcheting up demands on employers, will they open the way to a new era of collective bargaining?
It won’t be easy: Nationally, just 11.6 % of workers are represented by unions. Even in labor-friendly California, the portion has dropped to 16.5% from 22% three decades ago.
“The crisis has laid bare the effects of income inequality and conditions of low-wage workers,” said Ken Jacobs, chair of UC Berkeley’s Center for Labor Research and Education. “We are seeing an upsurge of worker actions. Unions are playing a leadership role. Their members’ lives are at stake.”
Organized labor is assisting not just its own members but also protesters at nonunion companies. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is backing Amazon warehouse workers. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is helping organize Instacart shoppers. The Service Employees International Union is funding fast-food activists and Uber drivers.
“Even before the pandemic, workers were living on the edge financially,” said Ron Herrera, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which represents 800,000 union members. “This crisis has been the glue for workers to come together, blue-collar and white-collar, not just union members. It sounds corny, but we’re moving towards a worker rebellion.”
Others are less sanguine about the prospects for a worker uprising when more than 30 million people in the U.S. have filed for jobless benefits.
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“During the last recession, it was very hard to organize,” said Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), chair of the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment. “When unemployment is high, people just want to get back to work.”
Nonetheless, he said: “These direct actions are inspiring workers to believe they have power. McDonald’s workers in San Jose got plexiglass separators and protective gear after a four-day strike. And they weren’t terminated — which never would have happened before.”
Still, if the pandemic’s economic fallout is crippling businesses, it is also slamming the finances of unions in hard-hit occupations such as hospitality and entertainment. At Unite Here, which represents 307,000 workers at hotels, casinos, airports and stadiums nationwide, 98% of members have been laid off.
“This is a cataclysm,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11 in Los Angeles, which furloughed nearly half its staff of 110 as dues from 32,000 members dried up. “It’s hard to comprehend just how far we have fallen, and when we can ever expect to come out of this.”
Local 11 has organized mass food distributions with other unions and rallied volunteers to help more than 1,000 members apply for unemployment benefits. “People text me asking, ‘When’s the next food bank?’” Petersen said. “It breaks my heart.”
He doesn’t see labor’s political clout diminishing. In recent weeks, Local 11 volunteers have telephoned 25,000 members, spurring a mass lobbying push for local job security and safety measures.
“We’re on the offense, not the defense,” Petersen said.
Businesses, many of them crippled by stay-at-home orders and a collapse in consumer spending, are watching the activism in dismay.
“The unions have fully gone for it,” said Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn. in Van Nuys. “They’re pushing the envelope.”
Waldman and leaders of other business groups fought Los Angeles unions over the city’s new ordinance requiring large companies to offer workers affected by COVID-19 an additional 10 days of paid sick leave beyond the current six-day requirement.
And they unsuccessfully battled new laws, backed by Unite Here and SEIU, that will force L.A. hotels and janitorial companies to offer jobs to laid-off workers based on seniority after they reopen. Even businesses that change ownership must grant former employees the right to return to their old jobs.
Waldman describes the measures, signed by Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday, as “anti-millennial. Your most senior people may not be your best people.” Unions say they protect employee activists and prevent age discrimination — and hope to extend them statewide.
Karla Cortez and her son John David Cortez in the yard of their Los Angeles home. Karla Cortez was laid off last month from her job at an LAX skincare shop. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Health insurance is another battleground. With Los Angeles International Airport all but shut down, Unite Here activists last week persuaded the City Council to condition rent relief for airport concessions on continuing to pay medical benefits for 4,000 laid-off food service and retail workers.
For Karla Cortez, a single mother who earned $18.90 an hour as a saleswoman at an LAX skincare boutique, that was “a big blessing.” Cortez, who was laid off April 2, had a bout with thyroid cancer five years ago and knew cancer survivors could be vulnerable to COVID-19.
When the pandemic hit, “I wondered how I’d survive,” she said. Her thyroid medication costs $50 a month under her healthcare plan. If benefits disappear, it would cost $1,000 a month.
Along with other Unite Here members, Cortez, 46, circulated petitions and sent video testimony to airport officials and City Council members. “Without the union, we’d be in big trouble,” she said.
On Thursday, a caravan of 80 cars snaked along Century Boulevard as hotel workers hoisted signs reading “Healthcare for All,” part of a Unite Here campaign to pressure LAX-area hotels to extend medical benefits for laid-off employees.
“Hotels are getting money in the federal bailout,” Petersen said. “They should use some of that to pay workers’ healthcare.”
Organized labor has also sought new gains in Sacramento.
On April 16, after fierce lobbying by the UFCW, Newsom signed an executive order requiring food sector companies that employ 500 or more workers to give two weeks of supplemental paid sick leave to any who contract COVID-19 or are exposed to the virus.
Before the order, just 14% of California workers were entitled to as much as two weeks of paid sick leave for any illness. (State law mandates just three days.) As COVID-19 spread, some companies expanded leave, but Newsom’s order applies to all major groceries, restaurants, fast-food chains, food processing and packaging plants, farms and delivery services.
UFCW Local 770, which represents 20,000 grocery workers, had already spurred new safety ordinances in the city and county of Los Angeles after some stores had warned workers not to scare customers by wearing masks. Now stores must provide masks and sanitizer to workers, and customers must wear face coverings too.
Still, the union is clamoring for stricter enforcement. On Tuesday, it mounted a Koreatown caravan protest demanding that Kroger step up protections in its Food 4 Less stores. Signs scrawled on the car windows read, “No more new infections.”
Ralphs’ May Day protest was scheduled after 16 workers at the Sunset Boulevard store tested positive.
One statewide initiative is the focus of an intense struggle. The California Labor Federation is pushing to expand workers’ compensation insurance to automatically cover COVID-19 infections or doctors’ quarantine recommendations for healthcare, law enforcement, grocery, warehouse, transportation and other front-line employees.
“Workers should not have to fight denials and delays while fighting for their lives,” federation chief Art Pulaski wrote Newsom and legislative leaders March 27.
Jose Luis Acosta, who lost his hotel job in March, waits to take part in a car caravan Thursday around hotels near LAX to demand healthcare coverage during the pandemic. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Employers contend that would cost them billions of dollars when it is often unclear if infections originate in the workplace.
“Many businesses and their owners are casualties of the necessary economic shutdown,” Allan Zaremberg, president and chief executive of the California Chamber of Commerce, wrote in an April 7 response signed by more than 70 business groups. “They cannot be expected to shoulder a new employer-financed social safety net.”
Labor groups have organized mask donations for their members, some emblazoned with union logos.
One union was perhaps too eager to intervene: In March, the SEIU’s United Healthcare Workers West branch announced it had arranged to buy 39 million highly protective N95 masks for California hospitals and government agencies. By early April, federal authorities determined the union had been duped by shady middlemen.
At a CVS warehouse in La Habra last week, Teamsters Local 952 distributed masks to truckers and warehouse workers inscribed “952 HERO.” Two workers had tested positive for COVID-19 after the union complained to CVS for weeks about a lack of masks and hand sanitizer, as well as a failure to enforce social distancing.
Anger escalated after a CVS memo circulated telling employees how to mix their own bleach solution at home. And workers are upset CVS has declined to offer $2-an-hour hazard pay boost, which employees at a nearby Albertsons warehouse receive. Last week, fliers appeared on parking lot windshields threatening a wildcat strike.
Nurses and supporters participate in a car rally Tuesday at Providence St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica to push the hospital to provide hotel rooms for nurses and other hospital staff exposed to COVID-19. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
“CVS has insulted our members,” said Eric Jimenez, Local 952’s principal officer. “They offered us a one-time bonus of $300, but if you called in sick you couldn’t get the bonus.”
CVS spokesman Michael DeAngelis said in an email that the bonus is available to any worker who falls ill. “We are constantly working to increase the availability of supplies and update protocols to help ensure the safety of our employees,” he wrote. “Refreshed mask supplies are available weekly and we have put in place social distancing guidelines.”
Whether it is slog-it-out bargaining over safety measures or bold legislative moves, unions see their coronavirus activism as the beginning of a new era for the labor movement.
“It takes a pandemic to wake workers up,” Jimenez said. “Without a union, how many people can walk in to complain about safety without the fear of retaliation? Unions can hire lawyers and call politicians. We’ve shown our members somebody cares.”
Herrera, the county labor federation chief, predicts unions will ramp up organizing after the pandemic.
“Workers are clearly seeing the inequities and the lack of protections,” he said. “They’re seeing the advantages of being a unionized worker. There’s a resentment in the workplace that we have to take advantage of.”


latimes--2020-05-01--'This isn't an acceptable reality': L.A. renters hit new levels of rage under coronavirus

Chris Tyler lost his job at a restaurant on March 15 — the same day Mayor Eric Garcetti banned sit-down food service to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in Los Angeles .
A couple of weeks later , he and his partner decided not to pay rent for the one-bedroom apartment they share in Silver Lake .
“ It ’ s a decision that I have made personally that is both political and very much out of necessity , ” said Tyler , 31 .
“ I don ’ t think it ’ s an unreasonable choice to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic.
” As California enters its second full month under stay-at-home orders designed to prevent more coronavirus cases , a growing number of tenants are turning their personal economic situations into mass protests , demanding that legislators at all levels of government pass laws to cancel rent until the public health crisis is over .
They call it a “ rent strike ” and it is just one tactic marking a dramatic new escalation in the long-running fight over affordable housing in California .
Even before the pandemic , more than 9 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state — were burdened by high rents , spending more than 30 % of their incomes on housing .
But now , with many businesses shut down and unemployment rolls exploding , the coronavirus has injected a new level of fear and desperation into that fight .
In March , just as the pandemic was taking hold in California , more than a dozen families seized vacant , government-owned homes in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles .
The adults and children , some homeless and some housing insecure , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health orders to isolate themselves in their homes if they were living in vans and in overcrowded apartments .
“ With this health crisis and this housing crisis , we need every vacant house to be a home for those who don ’ t have a safe and stable place to sleep in , ” said Ruby Gordillo , 33 , while standing on the porch of a two-bedroom bungalow before moving in with her three children .
Although the coronavirus provided an immediate reason , the families had been planning to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a similar protest last fall .
Moms 4 Housing , a group of homeless black mothers , made headlines when they commandeered an empty home in Oakland as a way to protest rampant real estate speculation in the Bay Area city .
The mothers lived in the home , owned by Redondo Beach-based Wedgewood Inc. , for two months .
And , following their eviction by heavily armed Alameda County sheriff ’ s deputies , Gov .
Gavin Newsom helped broker an agreement to sell the house and dozens of other Wedgewood properties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the mothers could return .
The Oakland occupation energized renter groups across the country and helped lay the foundation for the rent strikes and demands to cancel rent that have emerged during the pandemic , said Tara Raghuveer , director of the Homes Guarantee campaign for the national community organizing group People ’ s Action .
The mothers managed to highlight structural problems that allow corporations to treat homes as financial assets instead of as shelters for low-income residents .
Those problems have become more pressing now that millions of newly jobless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with little economic relief , she said .
“ Moms 4 Housing represents an inflection point at the beginning of what will be a new era for the tenant movement , ” Raghuveer said .
“ It offers people context for the moment in which they find themselves as a tenant experiencing housing insecurity.
” It is difficult to know how many tenants in California or across the U.S. are not paying rent , let alone how many have political reasons for doing so .
Nearly 200,000 people nationwide have signed a petition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rent or a mortgage strike , with most of them residing along the coasts where rent is highest , according to organizing group Action Center on Race and the Economy .
Also , a survey by the National Multifamily Housing Council , a landlord organization , found that almost 92 % of renters in professionally managed apartment complexes paid at least some rent through the first 26 days of April — a percentage that ’ s slightly below the survey ’ s pre-pandemic norm .
However , landlord and tenant groups believe fewer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more Americans face unemployment and see their savings dwindle .
The Los Angeles Tenants Union on Thursday held a noisy demonstration downtown , arguing that the eviction protections approved by the city don ’ t come close to what tenants need during the pandemic .
Protesters gathered along the blocks surrounding City Hall with signs , chanting “ Housing is a human right ” and “ Food not rent.
” As they shouted , other demonstrators circled in cars , honking their horns .
Tyler planned to attend but woke up feeling ill. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said he can ’ t imagine how he will be able to pay past-due rent .
Tyler still hasn ’ t received unemployment benefits , and said his landlord is pushing him to sign a repayment agreement that would require rent sooner if he receives government aid .
“ This isn ’ t an acceptable reality that we should just continue to swallow , ” Tyler said .
The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment or ACCE , the organizing group connected to the Moms 4 Housing and El Sereno occupations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a rent strike this month , said spokeswoman Anya Svanoe .
For landlord groups , such strikes are a worrying trend .
It will make it more difficult to pay mortgages and other bills , they say , and could force layoffs for maintenance workers , ultimately harming tenants .
“ They think they ’ re hurting the landlord but it ’ s a real chain reaction , ” said Deb Carlton , senior vice president with the California Apartment Assn .
“ The cause and effect is going to stretch beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its members to stop evicting tenants , cancel planned rent increases and waive late fees for nonpayment .
They ’ re also pushing the state and federal government to provide substantial funding for rental assistance .
Carlton said tenant organizations should be joining them to lobby for those subsidies instead of calling for rent strikes .
She said groups engaged in rent-strike campaigns are using the coronavirus to further political aims they had prior to the pandemic — with some encouraging those who are financially able to pay rent to strike as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both tenants and landlords can pay their bills .
“ We ’ re seeing these more aggressive tenant organizations politicizing the pandemic , ” Carlton said .
“ We think that ’ s reprehensible.
” Regardless of who ’ s doing the asking , no level of government has provided large-scale rental subsidies or relief .
Garcetti has said the federal government should forgive mortgage and rent payments , but has rejected doing so in L.A .
If taxpayers were liable for all payments , he said , the city would go bankrupt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would cost about $ 100 billion to provide federal housing subsidies to low-income renters who already qualify and those who are likely eligible now because of the pandemic , according to an estimate by the Urban Institute , a left-leaning think tank .
While that amount is significant , it ’ s only a fraction of the $ 2 trillion economic relief package that President Trump signed in March , said Mary Cunningham , vice president of metropolitan housing and communities policy for the Urban Institute .
A robust rental assistance program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ payments because it allows tenants to stay in their homes while ensuring landlords can continue to invest in their properties , she said .
“ We should give support directly to tenants so they can pay their landlords , ” Cunningham said .
“ Then we prevent the ripple effect through the housing market.
” Still , she understands why tenants seem to have hit a breaking point with the coronavirus .
“ We ’ ve had a housing crisis for a long time , ” Cunningham said .
“ We have really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Policymakers haven ’ t taken those steps .
If a rent strike can put pressure on policymakers to fund rental assistance , then that is a good thing .
”

With L.A. under a stay-at-home order to prevent more coronavirus cases, tenants are turning their personal economic situations into mass protests.
Chris Tyler lost his job at a restaurant on March 15 — the same day Mayor Eric Garcetti banned sit-down food service to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in Los Angeles. A couple of weeks later, he and his partner decided not to pay rent for the one-bedroom apartment they share in Silver Lake.
“It’s a decision that I have made personally that is both political and very much out of necessity,” said Tyler, 31. “I don’t think it’s an unreasonable choice to make in the middle of a global pandemic.”
As California enters its second full month under stay-at-home orders designed to prevent more coronavirus cases, a growing number of tenants are turning their personal economic situations into mass protests, demanding that legislators at all levels of government pass laws to cancel rent until the public health crisis is over.
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They call it a “rent strike” and it is just one tactic marking a dramatic new escalation in the long-running fight over affordable housing in California.
Even before the pandemic, more than 9 million tenants — more than half of those in the state — were burdened by high rents, spending more than 30% of their incomes on housing. But now, with many businesses shut down and unemployment rolls exploding, the coronavirus has injected a new level of fear and desperation into that fight.
In March, just as the pandemic was taking hold in California, more than a dozen families seized vacant, government-owned homes in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles. The adults and children, some homeless and some housing insecure, contended that they couldn’t follow public health orders to isolate themselves in their homes if they were living in vans and in overcrowded apartments.
“With this health crisis and this housing crisis, we need every vacant house to be a home for those who don’t have a safe and stable place to sleep in,” said Ruby Gordillo, 33, while standing on the porch of a two-bedroom bungalow before moving in with her three children.
Ruby Gordillo, middle, lets herself into a home in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles in March. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Although the coronavirus provided an immediate reason, the families had been planning to take over the houses, emboldened by a similar protest last fall. Moms 4 Housing, a group of homeless black mothers, made headlines when they commandeered an empty home in Oakland as a way to protest rampant real estate speculation in the Bay Area city.
The mothers lived in the home, owned by Redondo Beach-based Wedgewood Inc., for two months. And, following their eviction by heavily armed Alameda County sheriff’s deputies, Gov. Gavin Newsom helped broker an agreement to sell the house and dozens of other Wedgewood properties to a community trust so that some of the mothers could return.
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The Oakland occupation energized renter groups across the country and helped lay the foundation for the rent strikes and demands to cancel rent that have emerged during the pandemic, said Tara Raghuveer, director of the Homes Guarantee campaign for the national community organizing group People’s Action.
The mothers managed to highlight structural problems that allow corporations to treat homes as financial assets instead of as shelters for low-income residents. Those problems have become more pressing now that millions of newly jobless tenants are being asked to pay rent with little economic relief, she said.
“Moms 4 Housing represents an inflection point at the beginning of what will be a new era for the tenant movement,” Raghuveer said. “It offers people context for the moment in which they find themselves as a tenant experiencing housing insecurity.”
It is difficult to know how many tenants in California or across the U.S. are not paying rent, let alone how many have political reasons for doing so.
Nearly 200,000 people nationwide have signed a petition since March pledging to go on a rent or a mortgage strike, with most of them residing along the coasts where rent is highest, according to organizing group Action Center on Race and the Economy.
Also, a survey by the National Multifamily Housing Council, a landlord organization, found that almost 92% of renters in professionally managed apartment complexes paid at least some rent through the first 26 days of April — a percentage that’s slightly below the survey’s pre-pandemic norm. However, landlord and tenant groups believe fewer tenants will pay in May, as more Americans face unemployment and see their savings dwindle.
The Los Angeles Tenants Union on Thursday held a noisy demonstration downtown, arguing that the eviction protections approved by the city don’t come close to what tenants need during the pandemic. Protesters gathered along the blocks surrounding City Hall with signs, chanting “Housing is a human right” and “Food not rent.” As they shouted, other demonstrators circled in cars, honking their horns.
Tenants and their supporters hold a protest outside L.A. City Hall on Thursday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Tyler planned to attend but woke up feeling ill. With the restaurant industry in shambles, he said he can’t imagine how he will be able to pay past-due rent. Tyler still hasn’t received unemployment benefits, and said his landlord is pushing him to sign a repayment agreement that would require rent sooner if he receives government aid.
“This isn’t an acceptable reality that we should just continue to swallow,” Tyler said.
The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment or ACCE, the organizing group connected to the Moms 4 Housing and El Sereno occupations, has signed up more than 12,000 tenants for a rent strike this month, said spokeswoman Anya Svanoe.
For landlord groups, such strikes are a worrying trend. It will make it more difficult to pay mortgages and other bills, they say, and could force layoffs for maintenance workers, ultimately harming tenants.
“They think they’re hurting the landlord but it’s a real chain reaction,” said Deb Carlton, senior vice president with the California Apartment Assn. “The cause and effect is going to stretch beyond the landlord.”
The association has asked its members to stop evicting tenants, cancel planned rent increases and waive late fees for nonpayment. They’re also pushing the state and federal government to provide substantial funding for rental assistance.
Carlton said tenant organizations should be joining them to lobby for those subsidies instead of calling for rent strikes. She said groups engaged in rent-strike campaigns are using the coronavirus to further political aims they had prior to the pandemic — with some encouraging those who are financially able to pay rent to strike as well — rather than working to ensure that both tenants and landlords can pay their bills.
“We’re seeing these more aggressive tenant organizations politicizing the pandemic,” Carlton said. “We think that’s reprehensible.”
Regardless of who’s doing the asking, no level of government has provided large-scale rental subsidies or relief. Garcetti has said the federal government should forgive mortgage and rent payments, but has rejected doing so in L.A. If taxpayers were liable for all payments, he said, the city would go bankrupt in about three months.
Nationally, it would cost about $100 billion to provide federal housing subsidies to low-income renters who already qualify and those who are likely eligible now because of the pandemic, according to an estimate by the Urban Institute, a left-leaning think tank.
While that amount is significant, it’s only a fraction of the $2 trillion economic relief package that President Trump signed in March, said Mary Cunningham, vice president of metropolitan housing and communities policy for the Urban Institute. A robust rental assistance program is preferable to waiving rent and mortgage payments because it allows tenants to stay in their homes while ensuring landlords can continue to invest in their properties, she said.
“We should give support directly to tenants so they can pay their landlords,” Cunningham said. “Then we prevent the ripple effect through the housing market.”
Still, she understands why tenants seem to have hit a breaking point with the coronavirus.
“We’ve had a housing crisis for a long time,” Cunningham said. “We have really clear evidence for how to solve it. Policymakers haven’t taken those steps. If a rent strike can put pressure on policymakers to fund rental assistance, then that is a good thing.”


latimes--2020-05-01--After so many sacrifices, some Californians draw the line at closing beaches

Californians have made innumerable sacrifices in the face of the coronavirus crisis .
They stopped working .
They kept their children home from school .
They have worn masks to the grocery store , canceled birthday parties , called off funerals .
And they have done so willingly , for the most part , successfully keeping the number of cases of COVID-19 and deaths much lower than in hot spots like New York and New Jersey .
But when Gov .
Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered a temporary “ hard close ” of all state and local beaches in Orange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , surfers and cooped-up people who just want to dip their toes in the sand after six weeks of stay-at-home orders , he touched a nerve in a state where a day at the beach is akin to a birthright .
As tensions rise over how and when to reopen the state , the beaches have become a flashpoint in a way some many other parts of life like shopping , working and cheering the Dodgers and Lakers have not .
Newsom cracked down on the Orange County coastline at a critical moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to loosen local restrictions .
Crowds flocked to Orange County beaches last weekend as a heatwave sent temperatures soaring above 90 degrees .
Few wore masks .
Photos of thousands of people lounging on the shoreline went viral .
Those images spurred Newsom to chastise Orange County beachgoers , saying their lack of physical distancing could prolong the spread of the novel coronavirus in California and put the health of others at risk .
“ My job as governor is to keep you safe , ” he said Thursday .
“ And when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t promise that if we promote another weekend like what we had , then I have to make this adjustment .
I hope it ’ s only a very short-term adjustment.
” Newsom said Orange County beaches would be reopened soon if the situation improves .
But that did not satisfy county leaders and officials in some other coastal communities , who argue they should decide on shore restrictions based on local conditions .
Orange County officials argue they had made progress in flattening the coronavirus curve , especially compared to neighboring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the beach might do more good than harm .
“ Medical professionals tell us the importance of fresh air and sunlight in fighting infectious diseases , including mental health benefits , ” said Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner .
Until now , the delicate decision of whether to keep beaches open has been left to cities and counties , which must balance public health risks with providing equitable access to the outdoors .
Los Angeles County — the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in California with more than 1,000 deaths — closed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One fear about keeping Orange County beaches open is that residents from harder-hit counties would flock there , potentially spreading the virus .
Communities in the Bay Area have cracked down on those who violate the rules .
San Mateo County officials ordered 275 people off Linda Mar Beach and threatened arrests and citations if people continued to violate the order .
Local officials decided this week to close Lovers Point Beach along Monterey Bay due to overcrowding .
The chairman of the Coastal Commission , the gatekeeper of California ’ s beach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s decision regarding Orange County beaches .
In a statement Thursday , Steve Padilla said that while he recognized beachgoers would be disappointed , the threat of coronavirus spreading remains very real .
In March , Padilla was one of the first state officials to announce that he had tested positive for the disease .
“ I had COVID-19 , was hospitalized for three weeks and in ICU on a ventilator for eleven days fighting for my life , so take it from me — we need to listen to the governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe , ” Padilla said .
“ Our coast is a precious resource for all of us but today we should remember what ’ s most precious — life itself and the health of our communities.
” The pandemic has upended Californians ’ relationship with their vaunted coastline .
For many , being near the water is healing , especially in times of great stress .
Jennifer Savage , California policy manager for Surfrider Foundation , acknowledged the urgent need to protect the community , as well as the challenges that state and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between those who are respecting public health guidelines and those who are not .
“ It really shows the importance of taking responsibility as individuals , ” she said .
“ If the beach is crowded , don ’ t go .
If you do go to the beach , keep moving , wear a mask , do all the things to make sure that the beach can be open and be the resource that we all want it to be.
” Adding to the debate over opening beaches are statements by President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of COVID-19 .
Experts , however , say there ’ s little evidence that sunnier days make beaches safer .
Dr. Amesh Adalja , an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University , said that “ while it is true that the UV radiation contained in sunlight is detrimental to the [ virus ’ s ] viability on surfaces , many beach activities would give the virus an opportunity to pass — not from surfaces — but from person to person.
” Andrea Armani , a professor of chemical engineering and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California , said people also are less likely to wash their hands at the beach or to wear masks .
The governor ’ s announcement about Orange County beaches came after reports that he would go even further , mandating the closure of all state and local beaches — a plan he appeared to abandon .
On Wednesday evening , a California Police Chiefs Assn .
memo sent to local police chiefs said Newsom intended to make an announcement on Thursday about closures of all state and local beaches .
A law enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were briefed on the plans , which they were told might also include the closure of some parks .
On Thursday , Newsom said the memo to the police chiefs “ never got to me , ” and he denied rescinding plans for an order to close beaches statewide .
“ We ’ ve been consistent , ” Newsom said .
“ I can ’ t square what others may have said , but this is what we ’ ve said.
” In the face of mounting pressure from frustrated surfers and beachgoers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and did not outright address the highly anticipated closures until more than 20 minutes into his daily COVID-19 briefing .
There were “ outstanding examples ” of carefully managed beaches in L.A. , San Diego , Mendocino and Sonoma counties , as well as the Bay Area , he began .
But in Orange County , he said , images of crowded beaches were “ disturbing ” and “ raised alarm bells.
” San Clemente Mayor Pro Tem Laura Ferguson said she reached out to the city manager and city attorney Wednesday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , suggesting they review what legal authority the governor had to close city beaches .
“ I ’ m hoping the governor can cite some valid reason under case law to be doing this to cities because , in my opinion , it appears to be government overreach .
Local beaches are under the control of the cities , not the state.
” After a roughly two-week closure imposed at San Clemente beaches , the city reopened its sandy stretches last weekend with the caveat that visitors would only be permitted to run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partake in other activities while along the coast .
Sunbathing or sitting on the sand was not permitted .
In Newport Beach , Police Chief Jon Lewis and Fire Chief Jeff Boyles said in a joint statement that while there were some people crowded together too closely on the beach , most were practicing social distancing or sitting with their families .
The departments also shared afternoon that showed sparse crowds on the city ’ s beaches .
In Huntington Beach , the City Council was holding an emergency meeting to discuss next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday , the council voted to seek an injunction against Newsom ’ s order .
“ We are both concerned and disappointed with the actions taken today by Gov .
Newsom and the state of California , ” Mayor Lyn Semeta said in a statement .
The city , she said , had worked to discourage overcrowding at the beaches and to keep them safe so residents “ can experience physical and mental health benefits from accessing the Pacific Ocean.
” “ Our experience here locally , ” she said , “ has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and complying with social distancing , and given that Orange County has among the lowest per-capita COVID-19 death rates in California , the state ’ s action today seems to prioritize politics over data.
” Times staff writers Amina Khan , Luke Money , John Myers and Richard Winton contributed to this report .

Rosanna Xia, Phil Willon, Hailey Branson-Potts, Hannah Fry

Surfers off the Huntington Beach Pier on Friday ignore the governor’s order to close Orange County beaches.
Californians have made innumerable sacrifices in the face of the coronavirus crisis. They stopped working. They kept their children home from school. They have worn masks to the grocery store, canceled birthday parties, called off funerals.
And they have done so willingly, for the most part, successfully keeping the number of cases of COVID-19 and deaths much lower than in hot spots like New York and New Jersey.
But when Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered a temporary “hard close” of all state and local beaches in Orange County despite the protests of elected officials, surfers and cooped-up people who just want to dip their toes in the sand after six weeks of stay-at-home orders, he touched a nerve in a state where a day at the beach is akin to a birthright.
As tensions rise over how and when to reopen the state, the beaches have become a flashpoint in a way some many other parts of life like shopping, working and cheering the Dodgers and Lakers have not. Newsom cracked down on the Orange County coastline at a critical moment, when some communities have begun pushing to loosen local restrictions.
Crowds flocked to Orange County beaches last weekend as a heatwave sent temperatures soaring above 90 degrees. Few wore masks. Photos of thousands of people lounging on the shoreline went viral.
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Those images spurred Newsom to chastise Orange County beachgoers, saying their lack of physical distancing could prolong the spread of the novel coronavirus in California and put the health of others at risk.
“My job as governor is to keep you safe,” he said Thursday. “And when our health folks tell me they can’t promise that if we promote another weekend like what we had, then I have to make this adjustment. I hope it’s only a very short-term adjustment.”
Newsom said Orange County beaches would be reopened soon if the situation improves. But that did not satisfy county leaders and officials in some other coastal communities, who argue they should decide on shore restrictions based on local conditions. Orange County officials argue they had made progress in flattening the coronavirus curve, especially compared to neighboring L.A. County, and that a trip to the beach might do more good than harm.
1 / 46 People stroll along Laguna’s Main Beach after it reopened its beaches for active use only.
(Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 46 Mathew Hanna jumps on a skim board at Laguna’s Main Beach on Tuesday morning as city reopened its beaches for active use only. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 46 Cathie Lawler with her dogs, Milo and Charlie, said “Absolutely fabulous. So good to see the beach” as she walked along Laguna Beach after it reopened for active use only. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 46 Goff Stepian rides a wave on his paddle board at Laguna’s Main Beach. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 46 People stroll along Laguna’s Main Beach after it reopened its beaches for active use only. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 6 / 46 An aerial view of beach-goers playing volleyball on a nice day at the beach despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s hard closure, which is still in place in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 7 / 46 An aerial view of a few surfers and beach-goers enjoying a nice day at the beach despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s hard closure, which is still in place in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 8 / 46 An aerial view of a few surfers and beach-goers enjoying a nice day at the beach despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s hard closure, which is still in place in Newport Beach on Monday. (Allen J. Schaben/Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 46 Bicyclists and pass the closed Boardwalk Sports store on the boardwalk in Newport Beach, on Monday. The business is only renting bicycles but is hoping to fully open after Gov. Newsom’s announcement that some businesses will be able to reopen. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 10 / 46 An aerial view of the Newport Beach pier, where a few surfers and beach-goers enjoy a nice day at the beach despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s hard closure, which is still in place in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 11 / 46 Bill Beukers and his wife, Teresa, claim their constitutional rights as they speak to Newport Beach police officers. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 12 / 46 A surfer climbs over a barrier meant to keep visitors off the beach in Newport Beach on Saturday morning. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 13 / 46 Police and protesters find a shady spot along Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 14 / 46 Newport Beach lifeguards and police clear the beach during a closure that went into effect Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 15 / 46 Protesters stage a protest in Laguna Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 16 / 46 A motorcycle officer patrols the bike path near the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 17 / 46 Huntington Beach resident Kyle Richardson, 35, holds a sign telling California Gov. Gavin Newson to lift stay-at-home orders and reopen beaches, parks and the California economy, during a protest near the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 18 / 46 A Newport Beach lifeguard evacuates the beach as a closure went into effect Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 19 / 46 Protesters against beach closures walk in Newport Beach even though a beach closure went into effect Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 20 / 46 A police cruiser patrols near the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 21 / 46 Protesters gather near the Huntington Beach Pier, demanding that California Gov. Gavin Newson lift stay-at-home orders. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 22 / 46 People walk on the sand in Newport Beach despite the beach closure that went into effect Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 23 / 46 People enjoy the sun near the pier in Huntington Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 24 / 46 Under the watchful eyes of police officers, protesters against beach closures walk along Newport Beach even though a beach closure went into effect Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 25 / 46 A couple walks along the sand while others venture into the surf in Newport Beach even though Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Orange County beaches closed. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 26 / 46 People enjoy the sun in downtown Huntington Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 27 / 46 A motorcycle officer watches the bike path near the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday. California Gov. Gavin Newson ordered a hard closure of Orange County beaches this weekend. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 28 / 46 Surfers and others ventured to the beach in Newport Beach on Saturday despite the governor’s closure order. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 29 / 46 Saturday’s beach closure did not keep surfers out of the water in Newport Beach. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 30 / 46 Protesters wave a variety of flags, including a Confederate one, along Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 31 / 46 An aerial view of a mostly empty Huntington Beach following Gov. Newsom’s “hard close” of Orange County beaches. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 32 / 46 Huntington Beach lifeguards patrol with a boat to try to get surfers to stop defying Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “hard close” order. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 33 / 46 Steve Christopher, right, reads a book in the shade of the pier as a beach-goer does flips across the beach on the last day of open beaches in Huntington Beach. “I think it’s what needs to be done,” Christopher said. “I saw it last week and it was packed.” (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 34 / 46 Surfers ride the waves on the north side of the Huntington Beach Pier Friday, May 1, 2020. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Orange County beaches closed on Thursday despite opposition from local leaders. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 35 / 46 Emergency room nurse Rebecca McFarlane, of Covina, relaxes on her one day off from treating COVID-19 patients, on an open stretch of sand far away from other beach-goers on the last day of open beaches in Huntington Beach. “As a nurse, I have to wear all the PPE and on my one day off, I just want to relax on the beach,” McFarlane said. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 36 / 46 An aerial view of Huntington Beach after Gov. Newsom announced the “hard close” of all Orange County state and local beaches. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 37 / 46 An aerial view shows visitors enjoying the sun and sand near the pier in Newport Beach on Tuesday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 46 A surfer catches a wave while joining some of the thousands of beachgoers over the weekend in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 46 Newport Beach officials said beach visitors followed distancing guidelines over the weekend. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 46 On Tuesday, beachgoers pass a statue of Newport Beach lifeguard Ben Carlson, who died while conducting a rescue. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 46 A man in a protective mask walks his dog past a closed park near the pier in Newport Beach on Tuesday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 46 A motorist makes a statement via a back window as pedestrians walk past a store display in Newport Beach that features a mannequin in a mask. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 46 Beachgoers dot the sand in an aerial view of Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 46 Weekend beach crowds, such as those in Huntington Beach, spurred alarm among some officials. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 46 People crowd the bike path near Huntington Beach pier on Saturday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 46 An aerial view shows surfers waiting for a wave Saturday off Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“Medical professionals tell us the importance of fresh air and sunlight in fighting infectious diseases, including mental health benefits,” said Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner.
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Until now, the delicate decision of whether to keep beaches open has been left to cities and counties, which must balance public health risks with providing equitable access to the outdoors.
Los Angeles County — the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in California with more than 1,000 deaths — closed all 72 miles of its coastline. One fear about keeping Orange County beaches open is that residents from harder-hit counties would flock there, potentially spreading the virus.
Communities in the Bay Area have cracked down on those who violate the rules. San Mateo County officials ordered 275 people off Linda Mar Beach and threatened arrests and citations if people continued to violate the order. Local officials decided this week to close Lovers Point Beach along Monterey Bay due to overcrowding.
The chairman of the Coastal Commission, the gatekeeper of California’s beach access law, said he supported Newsom’s decision regarding Orange County beaches.
In a statement Thursday, Steve Padilla said that while he recognized beachgoers would be disappointed, the threat of coronavirus spreading remains very real. In March, Padilla was one of the first state officials to announce that he had tested positive for the disease.
“I had COVID-19, was hospitalized for three weeks and in ICU on a ventilator for eleven days fighting for my life, so take it from me — we need to listen to the governor and stay home until it’s safe,” Padilla said. “Our coast is a precious resource for all of us but today we should remember what’s most precious — life itself and the health of our communities.”
The pandemic has upended Californians’ relationship with their vaunted coastline. For many, being near the water is healing, especially in times of great stress.
Jennifer Savage, California policy manager for Surfrider Foundation, acknowledged the urgent need to protect the community, as well as the challenges that state and local officials face in navigating the conflict between those who are respecting public health guidelines and those who are not.
“It really shows the importance of taking responsibility as individuals,” she said. “If the beach is crowded, don’t go. If you do go to the beach, keep moving, wear a mask, do all the things to make sure that the beach can be open and be the resource that we all want it to be.”
California Photos show county lines separate packed beaches from empty ones Southern California had its first big heat wave over the weekend, but L.A. County beaches are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Beaches in nearby counties were open, however. Here are a few scenes from the weekend.
Adding to the debate over opening beaches are statements by President Trump that warmer weather could help slow the spread of COVID-19. Experts, however, say there’s little evidence that sunnier days make beaches safer.
Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University, said that “while it is true that the UV radiation contained in sunlight is detrimental to the [virus’s] viability on surfaces, many beach activities would give the virus an opportunity to pass — not from surfaces — but from person to person.”
Andrea Armani, a professor of chemical engineering and materials science at the University of Southern California, said people also are less likely to wash their hands at the beach or to wear masks.
The governor’s announcement about Orange County beaches came after reports that he would go even further, mandating the closure of all state and local beaches — a plan he appeared to abandon.
On Wednesday evening, a California Police Chiefs Assn. memo sent to local police chiefs said Newsom intended to make an announcement on Thursday about closures of all state and local beaches. A law enforcement source confirmed to The Times that authorities were briefed on the plans, which they were told might also include the closure of some parks.
On Thursday, Newsom said the memo to the police chiefs “never got to me,” and he denied rescinding plans for an order to close beaches statewide.
“We’ve been consistent,” Newsom said. “I can’t square what others may have said, but this is what we’ve said.”
In the face of mounting pressure from frustrated surfers and beachgoers, Newsom danced delicately around the issue and did not outright address the highly anticipated closures until more than 20 minutes into his daily COVID-19 briefing.
There were “outstanding examples” of carefully managed beaches in L.A., San Diego, Mendocino and Sonoma counties, as well as the Bay Area, he began. But in Orange County, he said, images of crowded beaches were “disturbing” and “raised alarm bells.”
Orange County leaders are pushing back.
San Clemente Mayor Pro Tem Laura Ferguson said she reached out to the city manager and city attorney Wednesday night after she heard about the proposed order, suggesting they review what legal authority the governor had to close city beaches.
“I’m hoping the governor can cite some valid reason under case law to be doing this to cities because, in my opinion, it appears to be government overreach. Local beaches are under the control of the cities, not the state.”
After a roughly two-week closure imposed at San Clemente beaches, the city reopened its sandy stretches last weekend with the caveat that visitors would only be permitted to run, walk, swim, surf or partake in other activities while along the coast. Sunbathing or sitting on the sand was not permitted.
In Newport Beach, Police Chief Jon Lewis and Fire Chief Jeff Boyles said in a joint statement that while there were some people crowded together too closely on the beach, most were practicing social distancing or sitting with their families.
The departments also shared aerial photos captured Saturday afternoon that showed sparse crowds on the city’s beaches.
In Huntington Beach, the City Council was holding an emergency meeting to discuss next steps, including possible litigation. Late Thursday, the council voted to seek an injunction against Newsom’s order.
“We are both concerned and disappointed with the actions taken today by Gov. Newsom and the state of California,” Mayor Lyn Semeta said in a statement.
The city, she said, had worked to discourage overcrowding at the beaches and to keep them safe so residents “can experience physical and mental health benefits from accessing the Pacific Ocean.”
“Our experience here locally,” she said, “has been that most people are being responsible and complying with social distancing, and given that Orange County has among the lowest per-capita COVID-19 death rates in California, the state’s action today seems to prioritize politics over data.”
Times staff writers Amina Khan, Luke Money, John Myers and Richard Winton contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-05-01--A nurse died from COVID-19. Her family says elite L.A. care home ordered her to admit a sick man

When Brittany Bruner-Ringo , a nurse at an upscale dementia care center on Los Angeles ’ Westside , phoned her mother in Oklahoma in mid-March , she was uncharacteristically rattled and looking for advice .
Her supervisors at Silverado Beverly Place had instructed her to admit a new resident , a retired doctor flown in from New York City , despite the fact that the facility was under lockdown to prevent the sort of COVID-19 outbreaks that were cropping up in the man ’ s hometown .
Bruner-Ringo told her mother , a veteran nurse in Oklahoma City , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — profuse sweating , a “ productive ” cough and a fever close to 103 degrees , her mother said in an interview .
“ I said , ‘ Those are definitely problematic , ’ ” Kim Bruner-Ringo recalled .
Within a day of his arrival , the doctor was so ill that Bruner-Ringo called 911 for an ambulance .
It appears to have been too late .
The man had COVID-19 , and in the days and weeks that followed , at least 63 residents and employees came down with the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ succumbed was Bruner-Ringo .
The 32-year-old nurse stopped breathing April 20 in the intensive care unit at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center .
Her family said that before she was placed on a ventilator , she talked about going public with what happened at the Silverado as soon as she recovered .
“ I was just praying every day that Brittany would be able to tell her own story , ” said her sister Breanna Hurd .
The 125-bed Silverado Beverly Place has come in for heavy criticism since acknowledging an outbreak there in late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a chain of high-end memory care centers that can cost families more than $ 15,000 a month for luxury touches , such as gourmet food and live performances , and cutting-edge dementia treatment .
Residents ’ families have accused management of greed for signing up a new customer at a time when family visits had been canceled and nonessential employees barred .
Silverado ’ s Irvine-based parent company has consistently defended the decision to admit the new resident as reasonable and compassionate .
Representatives , including the company ’ s chief executive , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need for care .
They ’ ve said he showed no signs of the virus March 19 when he entered the building in the Beverly Grove neighborhood , and this week they produced redacted medical records in which Bruner-Ringo appears to describe him in good health upon admission .
Her surviving family members say she told them a much different story — that the man arrived ill , that she told her supervisors he should be removed and that they ignored her suggestion .
What is not in dispute is that Bruner-Ringo was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she died too young .
Nursing was Bruner-Ringo ’ s passion and to some extent , her inheritance .
In addition to her mother , her grandmother , who helped raise her , was a nurse .
The profession suited her personality — upbeat , empathetic and eager to help .
She worked in Cleveland before coming to Southern California .
She got a part-time job at the Silverado before moving to a full-time position in November .
The facility had three floors of dementia patients with the top , where she often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases .
Employees were encouraged to form close relationships with the residents , and Bruner-Ringo took to the approach .
One co-worker recalled her speaking up at meetings with supervisors about patients who needed more attention and affection .
“ She was just kind-hearted .
I don ’ t think she really thought of it as a job , ” said Hurd , an Oklahoma social worker , adding that the sisters texted “ 24-7 ” and often FaceTimed each other for hours on end .
“ She never complained about her job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we talked.
” Like nursing homes and senior residences across the country , Silverado started locking down in response to the coronavirus outbreak in early March .
By Bruner-Ringo ’ s birthday , March 17 , the rest of the city had followed suit and there weren ’ t many options to celebrate .
“ I ’ m not going to lie , this whole thing really sucks but I ’ m going to try to make the best of it and just be thankful that I am alive and healthy , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photo of her decked out for St. Patrick ’ s Day in sparkly jade eye shadow and a headband with jiggling shamrocks .
Two days later , she was told to expect a new resident on the third floor .
It was news that baffled many staffers .
Why would they allow an outsider during a pandemic , Kim Bruner-Ringo recalled asking Brittany during one call .
“ She told me she thought it was his status , and I said , ‘ Well , what status does he have ?
’ And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a prominent physician , ’ ” her mother said .
Employees and residents ’ relatives identified the doctor as a 69-year-old surgeon who recently lived on Manhattan ’ s Upper East Side .
His children , one who lives in London and the other in L.A. , did not return messages seeking comment .
The man recovered from the virus and now lives on the floor where Bruner-Ringo worked .
The doctor , accompanied by one of his children , flew from New York to LAX on March 19 and was driven to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of professional retaliation .
From the underground parking garage , the man and his relatives took the elevator directly to the third floor , where Bruner-Ringo met them .
She took him to a private room and began evaluating him .
Redacted medical records shared by the company indicate that about 8 o ’ clock that night , she recorded his temperature as 96.5 .
“ Resident appears well-groomed and is very pleasant and cooperative with assessment , ” the record states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ symptoms ] of any respiratory distress.
” Her mother and sister said she told them that the new resident arrived running a fever between 102 and 103 degrees , coughing and sweating .
Her mother said she advised her daughter that the fever alone was enough to send the doctor to a hospital .
Bruner-Ringo told her mother that she agreed but administrators overruled her .
“ Brittany , document , document , document .
Cover your butt , ” she recalled telling her daughter .
When Bruner-Ringo returned for her shift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s condition had worsened .
Medical records provided by the company indicate he was coughing up green phlegm , had a fever of 101.9 and was experiencing chills .
He was taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center .
Hours later , she texted her sister that she ’ d gotten word the doctor probably had COVID-19 .
“ I wish I was lying , ” she said , adding , “ I ’ m so mad !
He came from New York and [ I ’ ve ] come to find out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York to fly him here to LA !
” Fearful of infecting others , Bruner-Ringo moved out of the Gardena home she ’ d been sharing and into a Torrance hotel to self-quarantine .
A test confirmed that she too had the virus .
In an Instagram post , she posed in front of an American flag in the hotel and explained that she had gotten “ exposed at work.
” “ I am hopeful and feel much better today as I am managing my symptoms fairly well , ” she wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talked about publicizing her experience once she was well .
“ I feel ok for the most part honestly .
About to call CNN now lol , ” Bruner-Ringo joked in a March 25 text .
Her sister , Hurd , agreed , texting that her story “ needs to be heard .
... That whole facility needs to be shut ... down.
” “ Girl I want the world to know !
I am not ashamed , I don ’ t think this is my fault , ” she wrote .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and more fatigued .
“ When I was walking to the bathroom earlier I lost my balance for a sec and almost fell over , ” she texted her mother on March 26 .
Then she lost her sense of smell and her breathing became labored .
At the beginning of April , she was taken by ambulance to Harbor-UCLA and placed on a ventilator .
Back at Silverado , the scope of the virus ’ spread was becoming clear .
Ultimately more than three dozen residents and 27 staffers would test positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second floor was turned into a COVID-19 unit .
Some caregivers cried as they worked .
Some quit in fear .
Families of some of the dead began consulting attorneys .
While Bruner-Ringo started her second week on a ventilator , an industry group chaired by a Silverado executive appealed for government protection against criminal prosecution and some types of civil suits stemming from the pandemic .
The California Assisted Living Assn .
joined other healthcare groups in an April 9 letter urging Gov .
Gavin Newsom to sign an executive order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weighing the move .
Kim Bruner-Ringo drove to L.A. to be with her daughter , but wasn ’ t allowed into the hospital .
Tell her that I am here and I am ready to bring her home to Oklahoma as soon as she is off the ventilator , she asked the nurses .
Her sisters called every day to get the staff to relay messages of encouragement and love .
The nurses would later tell the family that she was their strongest COVID-19 patient .
While others in the ICU were unconscious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff , following their instructions and writing notes .
Silverado executives reached out to her mother for updates , and she told them that the prognosis seemed good .
She was young and healthy , the doctors said , a perfect candidate to beat the virus .
“ Until that last day , they said her labs and vitals looked good , ” she said .
She was still on the ventilator when she died .
After all the days of sitting in a hotel , thinking and praying about her daughter in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go there .
She wasn ’ t allowed in the room with her daughter ’ s body , but she was allowed to view it through a window .
It was like the way newborns are displayed in a hospital nursery , she thought .
She knew her daughter had died doing what she loved , helping people , but it was hard to ignore the bleakness of her end .
Before she left for Oklahoma , Kim Bruner-Ringo went to Silverado ’ s Irvine office to sign papers related to her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life insurance .
In a conference room , company officials expressed their condolences and then one executive stated that the new resident who had infected her daughter had not displayed any symptoms when he was admitted .
“ I didn ’ t say another word , ” Kim Bruner-Ringo said .
“ I just listened because that is what they are standing on , and I knew different .
It was not the truth.
” As soon as this meeting is over , I can get out of California , she told herself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handed her an envelope .
When she opened it later at her hotel , she found a condolence note signed by Silverado employees and two $ 500 gift cards .
The company said the cards were meant to defray some of her travel costs .
While some families of Silverado residents who died are preparing to file lawsuits , Bruner-Ringo ’ s mother said she has no plans to take anyone to court .
Her focus is on the funeral , which will take place in Oklahoma on Saturday , and on learning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do you do if the person who you talk to every day is no longer there ?
” Hurd asked .

Brittany Bruner-Ringo, a nurse at Silverado Beverly Place, died after a patient was admitted who was found to have COVID-19.
When Brittany Bruner-Ringo, a nurse at an upscale dementia care center on Los Angeles’ Westside, phoned her mother in Oklahoma in mid-March, she was uncharacteristically rattled and looking for advice.
Her supervisors at Silverado Beverly Place had instructed her to admit a new resident, a retired doctor flown in from New York City, despite the fact that the facility was under lockdown to prevent the sort of COVID-19 outbreaks that were cropping up in the man’s hometown.
Bruner-Ringo told her mother, a veteran nurse in Oklahoma City, that the doctor was showing signs of illness — profuse sweating, a “productive” cough and a fever close to 103 degrees, her mother said in an interview.
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“I said, ‘Those are definitely problematic,’” Kim Bruner-Ringo recalled.
Within a day of his arrival, the doctor was so ill that Bruner-Ringo called 911 for an ambulance. It appears to have been too late. The man had COVID-19, and in the days and weeks that followed, at least 63 residents and employees came down with the virus. Nine have died.
One who succumbed was Bruner-Ringo. The 32-year-old nurse stopped breathing April 20 in the intensive care unit at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Her family said that before she was placed on a ventilator, she talked about going public with what happened at the Silverado as soon as she recovered.
“I was just praying every day that Brittany would be able to tell her own story,” said her sister Breanna Hurd.
The 125-bed Silverado Beverly Place has come in for heavy criticism since acknowledging an outbreak there in late March. The residence is part of a chain of high-end memory care centers that can cost families more than $15,000 a month for luxury touches, such as gourmet food and live performances, and cutting-edge dementia treatment.
Residents’ families have accused management of greed for signing up a new customer at a time when family visits had been canceled and nonessential employees barred.
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Silverado’s Irvine-based parent company has consistently defended the decision to admit the new resident as reasonable and compassionate. Representatives, including the company’s chief executive, have insisted the man had a pressing need for care.
They’ve said he showed no signs of the virus March 19 when he entered the building in the Beverly Grove neighborhood, and this week they produced redacted medical records in which Bruner-Ringo appears to describe him in good health upon admission.
Her surviving family members say she told them a much different story — that the man arrived ill, that she told her supervisors he should be removed and that they ignored her suggestion.
What is not in dispute is that Bruner-Ringo was exceptionally dedicated to her patients and that she died too young.
“We are absolutely heartbroken,” said Jeff Frum, a Silverado spokesman.
Nursing was Bruner-Ringo’s passion and to some extent, her inheritance. In addition to her mother, her grandmother, who helped raise her, was a nurse. The profession suited her personality — upbeat, empathetic and eager to help. She worked in Cleveland before coming to Southern California.
She got a part-time job at the Silverado before moving to a full-time position in November. The facility had three floors of dementia patients with the top, where she often was assigned, housing the most mild cases. Employees were encouraged to form close relationships with the residents, and Bruner-Ringo took to the approach. One co-worker recalled her speaking up at meetings with supervisors about patients who needed more attention and affection.
“She was just kind-hearted. I don’t think she really thought of it as a job,” said Hurd, an Oklahoma social worker, adding that the sisters texted “24-7” and often FaceTimed each other for hours on end. “She never complained about her job, even once, as much as we talked.”
Like nursing homes and senior residences across the country, Silverado started locking down in response to the coronavirus outbreak in early March. By Bruner-Ringo’s birthday, March 17, the rest of the city had followed suit and there weren’t many options to celebrate.
“I’m not going to lie, this whole thing really sucks but I’m going to try to make the best of it and just be thankful that I am alive and healthy,” she wrote on Instagram next to a photo of her decked out for St. Patrick’s Day in sparkly jade eye shadow and a headband with jiggling shamrocks.
Two days later, she was told to expect a new resident on the third floor. It was news that baffled many staffers. Why would they allow an outsider during a pandemic, Kim Bruner-Ringo recalled asking Brittany during one call.
“She told me she thought it was his status, and I said, ‘Well, what status does he have?’ And she said, ‘He’s a prominent physician,’” her mother said.
Employees and residents’ relatives identified the doctor as a 69-year-old surgeon who recently lived on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. His children, one who lives in London and the other in L.A., did not return messages seeking comment. The man recovered from the virus and now lives on the floor where Bruner-Ringo worked.
The doctor, accompanied by one of his children, flew from New York to LAX on March 19 and was driven to the facility, according to current and former employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of professional retaliation.
From the underground parking garage, the man and his relatives took the elevator directly to the third floor, where Bruner-Ringo met them. She took him to a private room and began evaluating him. Redacted medical records shared by the company indicate that about 8 o’clock that night, she recorded his temperature as 96.5.
“Resident appears well-groomed and is very pleasant and cooperative with assessment,” the record states. “No cough noted, no [symptoms] of any respiratory distress.”
Her mother and sister said she told them that the new resident arrived running a fever between 102 and 103 degrees, coughing and sweating. Her mother said she advised her daughter that the fever alone was enough to send the doctor to a hospital. Bruner-Ringo told her mother that she agreed but administrators overruled her.
“Brittany, document, document, document. Cover your butt,” she recalled telling her daughter.
When Bruner-Ringo returned for her shift the following day, the doctor’s condition had worsened. Medical records provided by the company indicate he was coughing up green phlegm, had a fever of 101.9 and was experiencing chills. He was taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Hours later, she texted her sister that she’d gotten word the doctor probably had COVID-19.
“I know you’re freaking lying,” her sister shot back.
“I wish I was lying,” she said, adding, “I’m so mad! He came from New York and [I’ve] come to find out his damn daughter flew from London to New York to fly him here to LA!”
Fearful of infecting others, Bruner-Ringo moved out of the Gardena home she’d been sharing and into a Torrance hotel to self-quarantine. A test confirmed that she too had the virus. In an Instagram post, she posed in front of an American flag in the hotel and explained that she had gotten “exposed at work.”
“I am hopeful and feel much better today as I am managing my symptoms fairly well,” she wrote.
In conversations with relatives, she talked about publicizing her experience once she was well.
“I feel ok for the most part honestly. About to call CNN now lol,” Bruner-Ringo joked in a March 25 text. Her sister, Hurd, agreed, texting that her story “needs to be heard. ... That whole facility needs to be shut ... down.”
“Girl I want the world to know! I am not ashamed, I don’t think this is my fault,” she wrote.
The next day, Bruner-Ringo was growing weaker and more fatigued.
“When I was walking to the bathroom earlier I lost my balance for a sec and almost fell over,” she texted her mother on March 26.
Then she lost her sense of smell and her breathing became labored. At the beginning of April, she was taken by ambulance to Harbor-UCLA and placed on a ventilator.
Back at Silverado, the scope of the virus’ spread was becoming clear. Ultimately more than three dozen residents and 27 staffers would test positive. Residents started dying. Part of the second floor was turned into a COVID-19 unit. Some caregivers cried as they worked. Some quit in fear. Families of some of the dead began consulting attorneys.
While Bruner-Ringo started her second week on a ventilator, an industry group chaired by a Silverado executive appealed for government protection against criminal prosecution and some types of civil suits stemming from the pandemic. The California Assisted Living Assn. joined other healthcare groups in an April 9 letter urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign an executive order indemnifying facilities. The governor is still weighing the move.
Kim Bruner-Ringo drove to L.A. to be with her daughter, but wasn’t allowed into the hospital.
Tell her that I am here and I am ready to bring her home to Oklahoma as soon as she is off the ventilator, she asked the nurses. Her sisters called every day to get the staff to relay messages of encouragement and love.
The nurses would later tell the family that she was their strongest COVID-19 patient. While others in the ICU were unconscious, Bruner-Ringo was awake, smiling at staff, following their instructions and writing notes.
Silverado executives reached out to her mother for updates, and she told them that the prognosis seemed good. She was young and healthy, the doctors said, a perfect candidate to beat the virus.
“Until that last day, they said her labs and vitals looked good,” she said.
She was still on the ventilator when she died. After all the days of sitting in a hotel, thinking and praying about her daughter in the hospital, Kim Bruner-Ringo finally got to go there. She wasn’t allowed in the room with her daughter’s body, but she was allowed to view it through a window. It was like the way newborns are displayed in a hospital nursery, she thought.
She knew her daughter had died doing what she loved, helping people, but it was hard to ignore the bleakness of her end.
“My daughter died alone,” she said.
Before she left for Oklahoma, Kim Bruner-Ringo went to Silverado’s Irvine office to sign papers related to her daughter’s workers’ compensation and life insurance. In a conference room, company officials expressed their condolences and then one executive stated that the new resident who had infected her daughter had not displayed any symptoms when he was admitted.
“I didn’t say another word,” Kim Bruner-Ringo said. “I just listened because that is what they are standing on, and I knew different. It was not the truth.”
As soon as this meeting is over, I can get out of California, she told herself. On her way out, someone handed her an envelope. When she opened it later at her hotel, she found a condolence note signed by Silverado employees and two $500 gift cards.
The company said the cards were meant to defray some of her travel costs.
While some families of Silverado residents who died are preparing to file lawsuits, Bruner-Ringo’s mother said she has no plans to take anyone to court. Her focus is on the funeral, which will take place in Oklahoma on Saturday, and on learning to live without her.
“What do you do if the person who you talk to every day is no longer there?” Hurd asked.