latimes--2020-03-07--Stanford University will move classes online due to coronavirus

In a growing sign of how coronavirus is disrupting California , Stanford University said Friday night that it will move classes online for the final two weeks of the winter quarter .
Stanford also said large events would be “ canceled or adjusted.
” “ The university is actively monitoring the local and global health situation and is taking precautionary measures in an effort to help limit the spread of infection , ” officials said in a statement .
The move comes after a faculty member tested positive for the virus .
USC said Friday that it would conduct lectures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for three days next week to test the ability to operate remotely should the coronavirus spread and force the campus to suspend in-person contact .
The University of Washington announced Friday it was moving all instruction online for the next two weeks , keeping more than 50,000 students out of classrooms as the death toll from COVID-19 in that region continued to rise .
Meanwhile , coronavirus continued its spread across California and the nation on Friday , with new cases reported from Los Angeles to Placer County , while cruise passengers stuck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested amid what appears to be an outbreak on board .
At least seven of California ’ s cases have been tied to the cruise , including one confirmed death in Placer County .
Speaking at the White House on Friday afternoon , Vice President Mike Pence said a total of 21 people on the Grand Princess have tested positive for coronavirus , including 19 crew members .
He said the federal government is working with the state of California to bring the cruise ship in to a non-commercial port over the weekend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ All passengers will be tested , ” the vice president said .
“ Those that need to be quarantined will be quarantined.
” Pence said 24 people on the cruise ship had tested negative , and one test has been inconclusive .
Meanwhile , L.A. County confirmed two additional cases of the new coronavirus Friday , bringing the total to 13 .
That comes as more cases of the virus continue to be reported elsewhere in California and in other states , including Texas , prompting the city of Austin to cancel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most recent cases announced in L.A. County , one person is part of a group of travelers who went to northern Italy .
Seven other members of that same group had already have tested positive for COVID-19 .
The second is a second screener at Los Angeles International Airport .
A screener at LAX also was diagnosed with the virus earlier in the week , sources familiar with the matter said .
The L.A. County Department of Public Health has asked the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for help investigating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close contacts are being self-quarantined in case they also develop symptoms .
The new cases still don ’ t point to community spread in Los Angeles County , L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said .
She estimated that 50 people in the county have been tested for COVID-19 and emphasized that more tests are coming back negative than positive .
The low numbers of tests run in L.A. County so far have been due to limited testing capacity at the lab , not a shortage of test kits , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting in at least 18-hour days , she said .
On Thursday night , commercial lab LabCorp came online , and on Monday , Quest Diagnostics is expected to begin offering testing as well , she said .
“ This is all good news , ” Ferrer said .
“ The limitation of our lab was not the lab kits , but we ’ re only one lab and we could only process a certain number of tests in one day.
” She said these changes does not mean that everyone will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ determine which patients with symptoms require testing .
As of Friday , L.A. County expanded its criteria to follow guidelines to test for anyone a doctor recommends , not just people with a travel history to countries with major outbreaks , Ferrer said .
“ Now it ’ s up the individual provider to make that determination , ” she said , adding that providers are encouraged to consult CDC criteria .
Yolo County reported its first case of the new virus Friday — a woman who officials think contracted the virus in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health conditions and has been hospitalized , officials said .
She appears to have acquired the virus “ through community transmission , ” the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency said in a news release .
The agency will monitor the woman ’ s close personal contacts for symptoms of the illness and said staff is working with healthcare providers to identify potential additional cases .
“ Given the rapid spread of COVID-19 around the world , I am not surprised that the virus is in our county , ” Dr. Ron @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health officer , said in a statement .
The county plans to declare local and health emergencies , the agency said .
Solano and Santa Clara counties also have reported coronavirus cases that are believed to have been contracted through community contact — that is , by people who have not traveled to areas where COVID-19 is widespread or by those who have come in direct contact with another confirmed case of the virus .
New coronavirus cases were also reported Friday in Placer , Ventura , Contra Costa , Santa Clara and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three cases were announced , all of them among people who had traveled on the Grand Princess cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico on Feb. 11-21 .
The ship docked in San Francisco on Feb. 21 , with some passengers disembarking before the ship moved on to Hawaii .
The ship is now being held off the coast of San Francisco amid an outbreak of COVID-19 .
Two of the people had mild symptoms that have already resolved , while the third continues to experience mild symptoms , the Placer County Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
None of them required hospitalization , and all three are isolated at home , officials said .
The public health department is working on tracing the people ’ s contacts to identify more possible cases , officials said .
“ We are moving as quickly as possible to limit the spread of disease , ” Dr. Aimee Sisson , the county ’ s health officer , said in a statement .
“ To be frank , we would not be surprised to see a second wave of cases connected to these cruise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s passed since they disembarked.
” Placer County had previously reported two cases of the coronavirus , including one death .
Ventura County ’ s public health lab also confirmed a positive result for a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise ship .
The person had only mild symptoms and was being quarantined at home , officials said .
It was the county ’ s first case of the new virus .
“ There is no evidence of community transmission in Ventura County , ” Dr. Robert Levin , the county health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This is a travel-related case.
” The state Department of Health on Wednesday night notified the Ventura County Public Health Department that six county residents had traveled on the cruise , and public health officials contacted all of them , the Ventura County Public Health Department said in a news release .
One of the travelers had been in contact with their primary care doctor , who had requested that the person be tested for COVID-19 , officials said .
The doctor had the patient stay in their vehicle while dropping off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , officials said .
The person diagnosed with the virus had remained home resting since returning from the cruise , and only left to seek medical attention , officials said .
Public health officials said they were working with the state Department of Public Health to notify anyone else who may have come into contact with the person while they were seeking medical attention or in transit to Ventura County from San Francisco , where they disembarked the cruise .
The person ’ s spouse , who was also on the cruise but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was also being quarantined at home , officials said .
Of the four remaining Ventura County residents who were on the cruise , one was symptomatic and being tested , officials said .
The other three had reported no symptoms .
In Contra Costa County , two of the three cases announced Friday were also passengers on the Grand Princess cruise ship .
The third person had close contact with a person who was diagnosed with the coronavirus in another jurisdiction , county health officials said .
All three people were being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is now recommending that adults over 50 and people with underlying medical conditions that could put them at risk of contracting COVID-19 avoid mass gatherings like parades , sporting events or concerts .
Public health officials in Santa Clara County reported four new cases Friday , bringing the total there to 24 .
One was a man whom officials described as a household contact of a previously confirmed COVID-19 case in Santa Clara County , and another was a male who had recently returned from a trip to India , officials said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Officials weren ’ t sure how the other two people contracted the virus .
One was a male who was isolated at home ; the other was a woman who was hospitalized , officials said .
Both cases were under investigation .
In Alameda County , the health department confirmed a third case of COVID-19 — an older adult with underlying health conditions who was a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise ship from Feb. 11 to 21 .
At the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore , 25 lab employees were sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-monitoring after an employee informed the lab of having been exposed to coronavirus , said Lynda Seaver , spokesperson for the facility .
The employee in question had shown symptoms of the virus , Seaver said , and “ we are presuming it ’ s coronavirus , but we don ’ t have verification.
” The Alameda County lab has 7,500 employees .
And in Riverside County , the Murrieta Valley Unified School District announced Friday night that it would close Murrieta Valley High School after an employee who recently traveled to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ill and will be tested .
The school district said the school would be closed until testing was completed .
The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed 100,000 — with California recording at least 69 — as officials work to contain the virus despite its rapid spread .
World Health Organization officials pressed countries Friday to aggressively pursue containment and expand testing for COVID-19 as the outbreak swells .
WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that trying to contain the epidemic and slow it buys time for more research and preparedness to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Every day we can slow the epidemic is another day , governments can prepare their workers to detect , test , treat and care for patients , ” he said .
In California , officials announced what may be the state ’ s second virus-related death in Santa Clara County , where residents are being urged to postpone or cancel large gatherings and events , and minimize work in big groups .
The number of positive COVID-19 test results in the state reached 60 Thursday as authorities announced what may be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Santa Clara County .
That number is expected to grow .
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block announced early Friday that three students were being tested for the virus .
By that night , Block reported that the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health informed the university that each of the three students had tested negative for the virus .
In Sacramento County , officials declared a public health emergency Thursday .
The action follows Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s state of emergency declaration related to the virus .
Several other counties and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decrees , which will allow them to ask for help if their own resources become exhausted .
At least 15 counties in the state have reported cases , with the highest counts in Santa Clara and Los Angeles counties .
San Francicso , where Mayor London Breed declared a public health emergency last week , reported its first two cases Thursday .
Officials think the cases indicate the virus is spreading in the community because the two new patients — a man in his 90s and a woman in her 40s who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to places with COVID-19 and had no contact with anyone who ’ s tested positive for the illness .
“ We do not know at this point how they were exposed to the virus , ” Dr. Grant Colfax , San Francisco ’ s director of health , said in a statement .
On Friday , San Francisco ’ s public health department issued new guidance to reduce the spread of the disease , including recommendations that people over 60 , or with underlying health conditions , “ stay home as much as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or more people unless necessary and telecommute if possible .
The city ’ s St. Patrick ’ s Day Parade was also postponed “ until further notice ” on Friday in an effort to contain the disease , and events at the Davies Symphony Hall , home to the San Francisco Symphony , and War Memorial Performing Arts Center venues were canceled for two weeks .
And on Thursday , Nevada announced its first confirmed case of COVID-19 , in Las Vegas , a man in his 50s who had recently traveled to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been reported .
He is hospitalized in isolation , officials said .
President Trump on Friday signed an $ 8.3-billion emergency spending package intended to help with prevention and response efforts to the virus , including the extension of telemedicine services to seniors , one of the groups most vulnerable to the virus .
The day before , authorities in Santa Clara County reported the death of a 72-year-old man who had been on a cruise with two passengers suspected of having the coronavirus — but cautioned they have not yet confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Officers performed CPR on the unresponsive man , who later died , then learned from his family about his cruise travels , said Phan Ngo , chief of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety .
On Friday night , Santa Clara County officials announced that the man tested negative for COVID-19 .
Santa Clara County announced Thursday that the number of cases there had grown from 14 to 20 .
Four are related to travel , nine had contacts with other confirmed COVID-19 patients and seven were believed to have caught it in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our cases to date indicate to us that the risk of exposure to the virus in our community is increasing , ” Dr. Sara Cody , the county ’ s health officer , said Thursday .
In response , county health officials issued more stringent recommendations meant to slow the spread of the virus , calling on residents to postpone large gatherings and cancel large events .
Employers should take steps to minimize large group meetings , consider allowing employees to telecommute and stagger work start and end times , they said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he would propose a temporary moratorium on evictions in the city for renters contending with lost wages due to the coronavirus outbreak .
San Jose State President Mary A. Papazian said she would move the university ’ s State of the State address online and anticipated that other spring campus events would be affected by the outbreak .
There are no reported cases of COVID-19 at the campus .
Lockheed Martin reported that one of its employees in Sunnyvale tested positive for the virus , and like other businesses , the company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas .
“ We have taken actions to ensure a safe workplace for employees and visitors , including deep cleaning of work areas and common spaces .
The health and well-being of our employees is our top priority , ” Lockheed Martin said in a statement .
Health officials aren ’ t recommending that schools or businesses be closed but said they ’ ll consider such closures on a case-by-case basis if a school employee or student is confirmed to have the coronavirus .
At this point , officials have recommended that schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a school is closed and that businesses have a work-from-home contingency plan .
Lowell High School in San Francisco announced Thursday it would close and cancel all events and gatherings for the rest of the week after learning that a relative of one of its students is being treated for COVID-19 .
San Mateo County ’ s health officer , Dr. Scott Morrow , said in a statement Thursday that COVID-19 “ has likely been spreading for weeks , perhaps months.
” “ We now all need to take assertive actions to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Morrow said .
Among other steps , Morrow recommends that people stop shaking hands , use a barrier such as a paper towel or tissue to touch door handles , elevator buttons and other commonly touched surfaces and “ under all circumstances , stop touching your face , eyes , nose , or mouth with your unwashed hands.
” Echoing Santa Clara officials , he said residents should cancel or postpone nonessential gatherings .
In the future , other steps may be needed , Morrow said , including school closures that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rationing of critical supplies and social distancing — that is , staying at least six feet away from other people .
Ferrer said there is no evidence of community spread in L.A. County at this point , but there are mild cases that have gone undiagnosed .
“ At some point and at one point soon we will have a case of a person who was symptomatic , who we can ’ t trace back to a known exposure and that will allow us to confirm that in fact there ’ s community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Do we have more novel coronavirus here than we have cases ?
I would say the answer to that is probably yes.
” She said that for now the county has the capacity to do contact tracing for known cases and keep up with demand , but that could change .
“ We have capacity right now ; should there be hundreds of cases , we will just flip to mitigation , and with a concentration on working with institutions where there might be small outbreaks , ” she said .
She said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closing schools , canceling mass gatherings and shutting down public transit , will be considered as the outbreak grows .
She said at this point , county health officials feel confident in their ability to find people who are symptomatic and identify and quarantine their contacts .
“ If we have a lot more cases … we would move toward more widespread social distancing measures , and if we have exposures in places like schools where lots of people got exposure and needed to be quarantined you would see possible closures , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials on Thursday confirmed four more cases of the coronavirus among patients who had recently returned from a group trip to northern Italy .
Three travelers in that group had previously tested positive for the virus .
The San Diego area reported its third case , an employee of an AT & T store in Chula Vista .
Six stores were closed and deep-cleaned , the company said in a statement .
In the Bay Area , the was being kept offshore amid concerns that more people on board might be sick after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died this week of the virus .
Sonoma County health officials confirmed that a second passenger on the cruise tested positive and was in isolation .
Health officials said they were contacting Sonoma County residents who were on the cruise or on the shuttle that carried passengers to and from the ship .
Meanwhile , Newsom and state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced they were ordering all public and commercial insurance plans to fully cover the cost of testing for the coronavirus as an essential benefit .
The order will ensure that Californians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including co-pays and deductibles , even if they are tested at hospital emergency rooms or urgent care facilities , they said .
“ This action means that Californians who fit the testing requirements can receive the test at no cost .
We ’ re all in this together , and I ’ m grateful to those health providers who have already stepped up and heeded our call , ” Newsom said in a statement released Thursday afternoon .
Californians without insurance should contact their county public health departments for information about their options @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Visiting Washington state Thursday afternoon , Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged that the federal government still has not been able to get enough coronavirus test kits to hospitals , clinics and health departments around the country .
“ We still have a ways to go , ” Pence said .
But he again promised millions would be on the way soon , predicting that 4 million tests would be distributed by the end of next week .
Pence and other Trump administration officials had promised that 1 million would be distributed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but there has been no verification that has occurred .
Washington remains the hardest-hit state , with 70 confirmed cases , including 11 people who have died .
World Health Organization officials said Thursday that it is not too late to curb the spread of the virus , which as of Friday morning had infected 100,685 people wordwide and killed approximately 3,460 .
In parts of China , where the outbreak originated , the daily new infection rate has been brought down to the single digits , health officials said .
Eight provinces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last 14 days .
Officials emphasized that tried-and-true public health measures , like testing and isolation , are working to control the virus .
Countries need to take proactive steps , said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove , the WHO ’ s acting head of emerging diseases .
“ You need to look for all of your cases aggressively.
” Times staff writers Ruben Vives , Anita Chabria , Noam Levey , Rong-Gong Lin II and Phil Willon contributed to this report .

Alex Wigglesworth, Soumya Karlamangla, Tony Barboza, Colleen Shalby

In a growing sign of how coronavirus is disrupting California, Stanford University said Friday night that it will move classes online for the final two weeks of the winter quarter.
Stanford also said large events would be “canceled or adjusted.”
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“The university is actively monitoring the local and global health situation and is taking precautionary measures in an effort to help limit the spread of infection,” officials said in a statement.
The move comes after a faculty member tested positive for the virus.
USC said Friday that it would conduct lectures and seminars online rather than in classrooms for three days next week to test the ability to operate remotely should the coronavirus spread and force the campus to suspend in-person contact. The University of Washington announced Friday it was moving all instruction online for the next two weeks, keeping more than 50,000 students out of classrooms as the death toll from COVID-19 in that region continued to rise.
Meanwhile, coronavirus continued its spread across California and the nation on Friday, with new cases reported from Los Angeles to Placer County, while cruise passengers stuck off the coast of San Francisco were tested amid what appears to be an outbreak on board.
At least seven of California’s cases have been tied to the cruise, including one confirmed death in Placer County.
Speaking at the White House on Friday afternoon, Vice President Mike Pence said a total of 21 people on the Grand Princess have tested positive for coronavirus, including 19 crew members.
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He said the federal government is working with the state of California to bring the cruise ship in to a non-commercial port over the weekend and to quarantine passengers as necessary.
“All passengers will be tested,” the vice president said. “Those that need to be quarantined will be quarantined.”
Pence said 24 people on the cruise ship had tested negative, and one test has been inconclusive.
Meanwhile, L.A. County confirmed two additional cases of the new coronavirus Friday, bringing the total to 13.
That comes as more cases of the virus continue to be reported elsewhere in California and in other states, including Texas, prompting the city of Austin to cancel the massively popular South by Southwest festival.
Of the most recent cases announced in L.A. County, one person is part of a group of travelers who went to northern Italy. Seven other members of that same group had already have tested positive for COVID-19.
The second is a second screener at Los Angeles International Airport. A screener at LAX also was diagnosed with the virus earlier in the week, sources familiar with the matter said. The L.A. County Department of Public Health has asked the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for help investigating those two cases.
The individuals’ close contacts are being self-quarantined in case they also develop symptoms.
The new cases still don’t point to community spread in Los Angeles County, L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.
She estimated that 50 people in the county have been tested for COVID-19 and emphasized that more tests are coming back negative than positive.
The low numbers of tests run in L.A. County so far have been due to limited testing capacity at the lab, not a shortage of test kits, she said. Lab workers had been putting in at least 18-hour days, she said.
On Thursday night, commercial lab LabCorp came online, and on Monday, Quest Diagnostics is expected to begin offering testing as well, she said.
“This is all good news,” Ferrer said. “The limitation of our lab was not the lab kits, but we’re only one lab and we could only process a certain number of tests in one day.”
She said these changes does not mean that everyone will be tested for the virus. Providers will determine which patients with symptoms require testing.
As of Friday, L.A. County expanded its criteria to follow guidelines to test for anyone a doctor recommends, not just people with a travel history to countries with major outbreaks, Ferrer said.
“Now it’s up the individual provider to make that determination,” she said, adding that providers are encouraged to consult CDC criteria.
Yolo County reported its first case of the new virus Friday — a woman who officials think contracted the virus in the community.
The woman has underlying health conditions and has been hospitalized, officials said. She appears to have acquired the virus “through community transmission,” the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency said in a news release. The agency will monitor the woman’s close personal contacts for symptoms of the illness and said staff is working with healthcare providers to identify potential additional cases.
“Given the rapid spread of COVID-19 around the world, I am not surprised that the virus is in our county,” Dr. Ron Chapman, the county’s public health officer, said in a statement.
The county plans to declare local and health emergencies, the agency said.
Solano and Santa Clara counties also have reported coronavirus cases that are believed to have been contracted through community contact — that is, by people who have not traveled to areas where COVID-19 is widespread or by those who have come in direct contact with another confirmed case of the virus.
New coronavirus cases were also reported Friday in Placer, Ventura, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and Alameda counties.
In Placer County, three cases were announced, all of them among people who had traveled on the Grand Princess cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico on Feb. 11-21. The ship docked in San Francisco on Feb. 21, with some passengers disembarking before the ship moved on to Hawaii. The ship is now being held off the coast of San Francisco amid an outbreak of COVID-19.
Two of the people had mild symptoms that have already resolved, while the third continues to experience mild symptoms, the Placer County Public Health Department said in a news release. None of them required hospitalization, and all three are isolated at home, officials said.
The public health department is working on tracing the people’s contacts to identify more possible cases, officials said.
“We are moving as quickly as possible to limit the spread of disease,” Dr. Aimee Sisson, the county’s health officer, said in a statement. “To be frank, we would not be surprised to see a second wave of cases connected to these cruise passengers given the amount of time that’s passed since they disembarked.”
Placer County had previously reported two cases of the coronavirus, including one death.
Ventura County’s public health lab also confirmed a positive result for a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise ship. The person had only mild symptoms and was being quarantined at home, officials said. It was the county’s first case of the new virus.
“There is no evidence of community transmission in Ventura County,” Dr. Robert Levin, the county health officer, said in a statement. “This is a travel-related case.”
The state Department of Health on Wednesday night notified the Ventura County Public Health Department that six county residents had traveled on the cruise, and public health officials contacted all of them, the Ventura County Public Health Department said in a news release.
One of the travelers had been in contact with their primary care doctor, who had requested that the person be tested for COVID-19, officials said. The doctor had the patient stay in their vehicle while dropping off the sample curbside to limit possible exposure, officials said.
The person diagnosed with the virus had remained home resting since returning from the cruise, and only left to seek medical attention, officials said. Public health officials said they were working with the state Department of Public Health to notify anyone else who may have come into contact with the person while they were seeking medical attention or in transit to Ventura County from San Francisco, where they disembarked the cruise.
The person’s spouse, who was also on the cruise but did not have symptoms of the virus, was also being quarantined at home, officials said.
Of the four remaining Ventura County residents who were on the cruise, one was symptomatic and being tested, officials said. The other three had reported no symptoms.
In Contra Costa County, two of the three cases announced Friday were also passengers on the Grand Princess cruise ship. The third person had close contact with a person who was diagnosed with the coronavirus in another jurisdiction, county health officials said. All three people were being isolated at their homes.
The county is now recommending that adults over 50 and people with underlying medical conditions that could put them at risk of contracting COVID-19 avoid mass gatherings like parades, sporting events or concerts.
Public health officials in Santa Clara County reported four new cases Friday, bringing the total there to 24.
One was a man whom officials described as a household contact of a previously confirmed COVID-19 case in Santa Clara County, and another was a male who had recently returned from a trip to India, officials said. Both people were isolated at home.
Officials weren’t sure how the other two people contracted the virus. One was a male who was isolated at home; the other was a woman who was hospitalized, officials said. Both cases were under investigation.
In Alameda County, the health department confirmed a third case of COVID-19 — an older adult with underlying health conditions who was a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise ship from Feb. 11 to 21.
At the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, 25 lab employees were sent home Thursday for a 14-day period of self-monitoring after an employee informed the lab of having been exposed to coronavirus, said Lynda Seaver, spokesperson for the facility. The employee in question had shown symptoms of the virus, Seaver said, and “we are presuming it’s coronavirus, but we don’t have verification.” The Alameda County lab has 7,500 employees.
And in Riverside County, the Murrieta Valley Unified School District announced Friday night that it would close Murrieta Valley High School after an employee who recently traveled to a country affected by the coronavirus outbreak became ill and will be tested. The school district said the school would be closed until testing was completed.
The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed 100,000 — with California recording at least 69 — as officials work to contain the virus despite its rapid spread.
World Health Organization officials pressed countries Friday to aggressively pursue containment and expand testing for COVID-19 as the outbreak swells.
WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that trying to contain the epidemic and slow it buys time for more research and preparedness to handle cases when they do arrive. “Every day we can slow the epidemic is another day, governments can prepare their workers to detect, test, treat and care for patients,” he said.
In California, officials announced what may be the state’s second virus-related death in Santa Clara County, where residents are being urged to postpone or cancel large gatherings and events, and minimize work in big groups.
The number of positive COVID-19 test results in the state reached 60 Thursday as authorities announced what may be the state’s second virus-related death in Santa Clara County. That number is expected to grow.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block announced early Friday that three students were being tested for the virus. By that night, Block reported that the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health informed the university that each of the three students had tested negative for the virus.
In Sacramento County, officials declared a public health emergency Thursday. The action follows Gov. Gavin Newsom’s state of emergency declaration related to the virus. Several other counties and cities across California have made similar proactive decrees, which will allow them to ask for help if their own resources become exhausted.
At least 15 counties in the state have reported cases, with the highest counts in Santa Clara and Los Angeles counties.
San Francicso, where Mayor London Breed declared a public health emergency last week, reported its first two cases Thursday. Officials think the cases indicate the virus is spreading in the community because the two new patients — a man in his 90s and a woman in her 40s who are not related — have no travel history to places with COVID-19 and had no contact with anyone who’s tested positive for the illness.
“We do not know at this point how they were exposed to the virus,” Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco’s director of health, said in a statement.
On Friday, San Francisco’s public health department issued new guidance to reduce the spread of the disease, including recommendations that people over 60, or with underlying health conditions, “stay home as much as possible,” avoid gatherings of 50 or more people unless necessary and telecommute if possible. The city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade was also postponed “until further notice” on Friday in an effort to contain the disease, and events at the Davies Symphony Hall, home to the San Francisco Symphony, and War Memorial Performing Arts Center venues were canceled for two weeks.
And on Thursday, Nevada announced its first confirmed case of COVID-19, in Las Vegas, a man in his 50s who had recently traveled to Washington state, where dozens of cases have been reported. He is hospitalized in isolation, officials said.
President Trump on Friday signed an $8.3-billion emergency spending package intended to help with prevention and response efforts to the virus, including the extension of telemedicine services to seniors, one of the groups most vulnerable to the virus.
The day before, authorities in Santa Clara County reported the death of a 72-year-old man who had been on a cruise with two passengers suspected of having the coronavirus — but cautioned they have not yet confirmed whether he had contracted the virus.
Officers performed CPR on the unresponsive man, who later died, then learned from his family about his cruise travels, said Phan Ngo, chief of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. On Friday night, Santa Clara County officials announced that the man tested negative for COVID-19.
Santa Clara County announced Thursday that the number of cases there had grown from 14 to 20. Four are related to travel, nine had contacts with other confirmed COVID-19 patients and seven were believed to have caught it in the community, officials said.
“Our cases to date indicate to us that the risk of exposure to the virus in our community is increasing,” Dr. Sara Cody, the county’s health officer, said Thursday.
In response, county health officials issued more stringent recommendations meant to slow the spread of the virus, calling on residents to postpone large gatherings and cancel large events. Employers should take steps to minimize large group meetings, consider allowing employees to telecommute and stagger work start and end times, they said.
In San Jose, Mayor Sam Liccardo said he would propose a temporary moratorium on evictions in the city for renters contending with lost wages due to the coronavirus outbreak. San Jose State President Mary A. Papazian said she would move the university’s State of the State address online and anticipated that other spring campus events would be affected by the outbreak. There are no reported cases of COVID-19 at the campus.
Lockheed Martin reported that one of its employees in Sunnyvale tested positive for the virus, and like other businesses, the company is taking extra precautions to safeguard workplace areas.
“We have taken actions to ensure a safe workplace for employees and visitors, including deep cleaning of work areas and common spaces. The health and well-being of our employees is our top priority,” Lockheed Martin said in a statement.
Health officials aren’t recommending that schools or businesses be closed but said they’ll consider such closures on a case-by-case basis if a school employee or student is confirmed to have the coronavirus. At this point, officials have recommended that schools consider online learning possibilities in the event that a school is closed and that businesses have a work-from-home contingency plan.
Lowell High School in San Francisco announced Thursday it would close and cancel all events and gatherings for the rest of the week after learning that a relative of one of its students is being treated for COVID-19.
San Mateo County’s health officer, Dr. Scott Morrow, said in a statement Thursday that COVID-19 “has likely been spreading for weeks, perhaps months.”
“We now all need to take assertive actions to inhibit the spread of this new virus,” Morrow said.
Among other steps, Morrow recommends that people stop shaking hands, use a barrier such as a paper towel or tissue to touch door handles, elevator buttons and other commonly touched surfaces and “under all circumstances, stop touching your face, eyes, nose, or mouth with your unwashed hands.” Echoing Santa Clara officials, he said residents should cancel or postpone nonessential gatherings.
In the future, other steps may be needed, Morrow said, including school closures that are “extensive and extended,” rationing of critical supplies and social distancing — that is, staying at least six feet away from other people.
Ferrer said there is no evidence of community spread in L.A. County at this point, but there are mild cases that have gone undiagnosed.
“At some point and at one point soon we will have a case of a person who was symptomatic, who we can’t trace back to a known exposure and that will allow us to confirm that in fact there’s community spread,” she said. “Do we have more novel coronavirus here than we have cases? I would say the answer to that is probably yes.”
She said that for now the county has the capacity to do contact tracing for known cases and keep up with demand, but that could change.
“We have capacity right now; should there be hundreds of cases, we will just flip to mitigation, and with a concentration on working with institutions where there might be small outbreaks,” she said.
She said that more extreme measures, such as closing schools, canceling mass gatherings and shutting down public transit, will be considered as the outbreak grows. She said at this point, county health officials feel confident in their ability to find people who are symptomatic and identify and quarantine their contacts.
“If we have a lot more cases … we would move toward more widespread social distancing measures, and if we have exposures in places like schools where lots of people got exposure and needed to be quarantined you would see possible closures,” she said.
Los Angeles County health officials on Thursday confirmed four more cases of the coronavirus among patients who had recently returned from a group trip to northern Italy. Three travelers in that group had previously tested positive for the virus.
The San Diego area reported its third case, an employee of an AT&T store in Chula Vista. Six stores were closed and deep-cleaned, the company said in a statement.
In the Bay Area, the Grand Princess cruise ship was being kept offshore amid concerns that more people on board might be sick after a 71-year-old passenger on an earlier voyage died this week of the virus.
Sonoma County health officials confirmed that a second passenger on the cruise tested positive and was in isolation.
Health officials said they were contacting Sonoma County residents who were on the cruise or on the shuttle that carried passengers to and from the ship.
Meanwhile, Newsom and state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced they were ordering all public and commercial insurance plans to fully cover the cost of testing for the coronavirus as an essential benefit.
The order will ensure that Californians will not incur any out-of-pocket expenses, including co-pays and deductibles, even if they are tested at hospital emergency rooms or urgent care facilities, they said.
“This action means that Californians who fit the testing requirements can receive the test at no cost. We’re all in this together, and I’m grateful to those health providers who have already stepped up and heeded our call,” Newsom said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.
Californians without insurance should contact their county public health departments for information about their options for testing and screening, state officials said.
Visiting Washington state Thursday afternoon, Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged that the federal government still has not been able to get enough coronavirus test kits to hospitals, clinics and health departments around the country.
“We still have a ways to go,” Pence said. But he again promised millions would be on the way soon, predicting that 4 million tests would be distributed by the end of next week. Pence and other Trump administration officials had promised that 1 million would be distributed by the end of this week, but there has been no verification that has occurred.
Washington remains the hardest-hit state, with 70 confirmed cases, including 11 people who have died.
World Health Organization officials said Thursday that it is not too late to curb the spread of the virus, which as of Friday morning had infected 100,685 people wordwide and killed approximately 3,460.
In parts of China, where the outbreak originated, the daily new infection rate has been brought down to the single digits, health officials said. Eight provinces have not reported any new cases in the last 14 days.
Officials emphasized that tried-and-true public health measures, like testing and isolation, are working to control the virus.
Countries need to take proactive steps, said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s acting head of emerging diseases. “You need to look for all of your cases aggressively.”
Times staff writers Ruben Vives, Anita Chabria, Noam Levey, Rong-Gong Lin II and Phil Willon contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-06--In D.A.'s race, will Jackie Lacey vanquish her challengers or face a major November clash?

For months , criminal justice reform advocates in Southern California hoped a national wave of victories by progressive candidates in district attorney ’ s races might crest in Los Angeles and knock over Jackie Lacey .
Locked in a tough primary against opponents who were either well-funded or had strong ground games , Lacey seemed to be struggling to the finish line .
She bailed on a number of candidate forums and limited public appearances after protesters disrupted a January debate .
Then a scary confrontation at her home on the eve of the election ended with her husband pointing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But Lacey made a strong showing in early returns , jumping out to a significant lead over former San Francisco Dist .
Atty .
George Gascón and former public defender Rachel Rossi .
Her share of the vote has since slipped closer to 50 % , indicating she could still have to face a November runoff .
But political observers said the returns show Lacey ’ s entrenched law enforcement support and experience could still serve as a bulwark against Gascón or Rossi ’ s idealistic and policy heavy approaches in November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hype around Gascón , but it ’ s on Twitter and it ’ s among the activist class , ” said Brian VanRiper , a consultant who has worked on a number of L.A. City Council races .
“ Did it break through to the average voter ?
” Mac Zilber , a consultant on Lacey ’ s campaign , said he was “ thrilled that the people of L.A. County have delivered D.A .
Lacey such a strong first-place finish , by a margin that virtually nobody expected.
” Gascón has gained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the L.A. County Registrar .
By Wednesday night , he held about 27 % of the vote .
Rossi has hovered around 22 % since the first wave of returns .
On Friday , the registrar said there were roughly 678,000 votes left to tally .
The new figure included mail-in ballots that had been dropped off on election day at polling centers .
Political consultants said it is likely Gascón will be able to drag the contest into November .
“ These things are directional and obviously there ’ s a trend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Los Angeles-based political consultant .
“ The likelihood of a runoff is far greater than her winning outright.
” In the run-up to the primary , some had questioned if Rossi would siphon progressive voters from Gascón , making it easier for Lacey to avoid a runoff .
The two campaigns had sniped at each other periodically in recent months : Gascón filed a legal challenge in late December to stop Rossi from identifying herself as a public defender on the ballot , while Rossi took occasional potshots at Gascón for overstating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent weeks .
Lacey ’ s mentor , former Dist .
Atty .
Steve Cooley , said the strong performance might carry extra weight for the veteran prosecutor given the clash at her doorstep on Monday .
“ I think she will relish a victory , even just by 1 vote , because it is sort of a reaffirmation that there ’ s a lot of people out there that admire her work , and support her and like her , ” Cooley said .
“ She ’ s had a very rough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had taken its toll on her emotionally and physically.
” The incident remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department .
Dermot Givens , a Los Angeles-based consultant who has been involved in past district attorney ’ s races , said the fiasco may have actually helped Lacey at the polls .
“ I think it did boost Jackie ’ s followers among law enforcement , women and some black people , ” Givens said .
“ Going to somebody ’ s front door like that is kind of extreme .
Probably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that feels when somebody comes to their front door .
And it wasn ’ t her .
It was her husband defending her.
” In each new wave of returns , Gascón has been able to separate himself from Rossi and would likely finish in second place if a runoff is forced .
Some supporters believe Gascón and Rossi voters would unite to overwhelm Lacey if the race extends into the fall .
“ Gascón , Rossi , and their supporters have always been united against Lacey — and they ’ ll be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favorable electorate in November that also embraces reform , ” Dan Newman , a political strategist involved with an outside committee called Run George , Run , said in an email to The Times .
Other observers questioned the effectiveness of committees supporting Gascón , wondering how he could receive millions of dollars from progressive boosters but still end up polling relatively close to Rossi .
The public defender attracted zero dollars in outside committee money and received far less than Gascón in direct donations .
“ There was nothing compelling about what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s a reformer , ” Hacopian said .
“ If you look at the money that they spent , the fact that he came in in the 20s , there ’ s no excuse for that.
” Rossi said she remained hopeful that she could climb into second place and believed her strong showing highlighted an appetite for a true alternative in the district attorney ’ s office .
“ The fact that we ’ ve received as many votes as we have with so much less funding and so much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates , I think it ’ s really reflective of the fact that L.A. County is ready for something new , and tired of the politicians and candidates who are purchased and recycled , ” she said .
Many voters likely flocked to Rossi because she was the only candidate without a law enforcement background , experts said .
Her appeal among groups that backed Democratic presidential primary victor Bernie Sanders , including the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America , may have also contributed to her strong showing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democratic nominee , those voters could be out in droves in November .
But whether they would shift allegiance to Gascón is far from certain .
“ I think it was the Bernie people voting for [ Rossi ] .
The super progressive , ultra left-wing people came out and they voted the full ballot .
I don ’ t think those were Gascón ’ s votes , and they weren ’ t Lacey ’ s votes , ” Givens said .
“ They were hers and Bernie ’ s votes .
@

For months, criminal justice reform advocates in Southern California hoped a national wave of victories by progressive candidates in district attorney’s races might crest in Los Angeles and knock over Jackie Lacey.
Locked in a tough primary against opponents who were either well-funded or had strong ground games, Lacey seemed to be struggling to the finish line. She bailed on a number of candidate forums and limited public appearances after protesters disrupted a January debate. Then a scary confrontation at her home on the eve of the election ended with her husband pointing a gun at Black Lives Matter demonstrators.
But Lacey made a strong showing in early returns, jumping out to a significant lead over former San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascón and former public defender Rachel Rossi. Her share of the vote has since slipped closer to 50%, indicating she could still have to face a November runoff. But political observers said the returns show Lacey’s entrenched law enforcement support and experience could still serve as a bulwark against Gascón or Rossi’s idealistic and policy heavy approaches in November.
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“There was a lot of hype around Gascón, but it’s on Twitter and it’s among the activist class,” said Brian VanRiper, a consultant who has worked on a number of L.A. City Council races. “Did it break through to the average voter?”
Mac Zilber, a consultant on Lacey’s campaign, said he was “thrilled that the people of L.A. County have delivered D.A. Lacey such a strong first-place finish, by a margin that virtually nobody expected.”
Gascón has gained ground with each wave of updates from the L.A. County Registrar. By Wednesday night, he held about 27% of the vote. Rossi has hovered around 22% since the first wave of returns.
On Friday, the registrar said there were roughly 678,000 votes left to tally. The new figure included mail-in ballots that had been dropped off on election day at polling centers.
Political consultants said it is likely Gascón will be able to drag the contest into November.
“These things are directional and obviously there’s a trend downward,” said Eric Hacopian, a Los Angeles-based political consultant. “The likelihood of a runoff is far greater than her winning outright.”
In the run-up to the primary, some had questioned if Rossi would siphon progressive voters from Gascón, making it easier for Lacey to avoid a runoff. The two campaigns had sniped at each other periodically in recent months: Gascón filed a legal challenge in late December to stop Rossi from identifying herself as a public defender on the ballot, while Rossi took occasional potshots at Gascón for overstating his reformer resume on debate stages in recent weeks.
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Lacey’s mentor, former Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, said the strong performance might carry extra weight for the veteran prosecutor given the clash at her doorstep on Monday.
“I think she will relish a victory, even just by 1 vote, because it is sort of a reaffirmation that there’s a lot of people out there that admire her work, and support her and like her,” Cooley said. “She’s had a very rough week. It was very obvious this had taken its toll on her emotionally and physically.”
The incident remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. Dermot Givens, a Los Angeles-based consultant who has been involved in past district attorney’s races, said the fiasco may have actually helped Lacey at the polls.
“I think it did boost Jackie’s followers among law enforcement, women and some black people,” Givens said. “Going to somebody’s front door like that is kind of extreme. Probably legally right, but everyone knows how that feels when somebody comes to their front door. And it wasn’t her. It was her husband defending her.”
In each new wave of returns, Gascón has been able to separate himself from Rossi and would likely finish in second place if a runoff is forced. Some supporters believe Gascón and Rossi voters would unite to overwhelm Lacey if the race extends into the fall.
“Gascón, Rossi, and their supporters have always been united against Lacey — and they’ll be joined by a much larger and more favorable electorate in November that also embraces reform,” Dan Newman, a political strategist involved with an outside committee called Run George, Run, said in an email to The Times.
Other observers questioned the effectiveness of committees supporting Gascón, wondering how he could receive millions of dollars from progressive boosters but still end up polling relatively close to Rossi. The public defender attracted zero dollars in outside committee money and received far less than Gascón in direct donations.
“There was nothing compelling about what they were talking about ... about why he’s a reformer,” Hacopian said. “If you look at the money that they spent, the fact that he came in in the 20s, there’s no excuse for that.”
Rossi said she remained hopeful that she could climb into second place and believed her strong showing highlighted an appetite for a true alternative in the district attorney’s office.
“The fact that we’ve received as many votes as we have with so much less funding and so much of a smaller team than the other candidates, I think it’s really reflective of the fact that L.A. County is ready for something new, and tired of the politicians and candidates who are purchased and recycled,” she said.
Many voters likely flocked to Rossi because she was the only candidate without a law enforcement background, experts said. Her appeal among groups that backed Democratic presidential primary victor Bernie Sanders, including the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, may have also contributed to her strong showing.
With Sanders still a contender to be the Democratic nominee, those voters could be out in droves in November. But whether they would shift allegiance to Gascón is far from certain.
“I think it was the Bernie people voting for [Rossi]. The super progressive, ultra left-wing people came out and they voted the full ballot. I don’t think those were Gascón’s votes, and they weren’t Lacey’s votes,” Givens said. “They were hers and Bernie’s votes.”


latimes--2020-03-06--Deserted oil wells haunt Los Angeles with toxic fumes and enormous cleanup costs

Thick oil was once so abundant beneath Southern California that it bubbled to the surface , most famously at the La Brea Tar Pits .
But after more than a century of aggressive drilling by fossil fuel companies , most of Los Angeles ’ profitable oil is gone .
What remains is a costly legacy : nearly 1,000 wells across the city , in rich and poor neighborhoods , deserted by their owners and left to the state to clean , according to a first-of-its-kind analysis of state records by the Los Angeles Times and the Center for Public Integrity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such a concentration of old drilling sites , with tens of thousands of residents living nearby , from Ladera Heights to Echo Park .
If not plugged and cleaned up , many of these orphaned wells will continue to expose people to toxic gases , complicate redevelopment and pose rare but serious threats of explosions .
If the state were to tackle the cleanup , it would cost tens of millions of dollars .
Yet despite regulatory powers that in some ways are stronger than the state ’ s , Los Angeles has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industry to take responsibility for its leaky legacy , according to the Times/Public Integrity investigation .
Part of the problem is staffing .
Until recently , the city Fire Department was operating with one full-time well inspector , resulting in sporadic enforcement .
The department issued notices of violations for extended inactivity to two companies in 2009 , then three in 2016 , according to the results of a public records request .
Then , in 2018 , the department inspected wells all across the city , handing out notices to more companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ James Hayden , whose responsibilities include the Los Angeles Fire Department ’ s oil and gas program , acknowledged that the city hadn ’ t provided adequate oversight of the industry .
But with a second full-time inspector added this year and other employees trained to conduct additional inspections , he said , the department will work to ensure that operators “ adequately manage their idle wells.
” Even as it adds personnel , Los Angeles has been hesitant to use its full regulatory authority , which allows the city to mandate that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restarted or shuttered after it sits unused for a year .
Tidelands Oil Production Co. is one firm that has skirted such cleanups .
A subsidiary of the drilling company California Resources Corp. , Tidelands operates wells in Wilmington , some of which have been idle since the 1990s .
Although the city issued violation notices in 2018 , Tidelands neither restarted production nor plugged and cleaned the wells .
Asked why , a CRC spokeswoman said by email that the company had provided officials with information about the status of its wells @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City is evaluating that information.
” Hayden said Los Angeles lacks an appeals process for companies cited for violations and has chosen to defer to less-stringent state regulations .
Many neighbors of the old drilling sites are frustrated and angered by what they see as official indifference toward orphaned wells .
“ What ’ s going to happen to them ?
” asked Danny Luna , who lives in Echo Park , where hundreds of wells sit orphaned , many for more than a century .
“ Nobody ’ s taking responsibility for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left with leaky faucets underground ?
” In addition , Los Angeles has failed to consistently employ a full-time petroleum administrator as city code requires .
For decades , the position was unoccupied or filled by part-time employees .
In 2016 , Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Uduak-Joe Ntuk , who helped initiate the spurt of oil and gas inspections .
Ntuk departed in late 2019 to run the state agency that regulates oil production , the California Geologic Energy Management Division , or CalGEM .
The city has yet to hire a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administrator .
“ It ’ s really about incompetence , playing games with politics , ” said Michael Salman , a UCLA professor who watchdogs oil and gas issues .
“ It ’ s about shortsightedness.
” As community groups press the city to force closure of old wells , they often are countered by labor groups and the industry , which repeatedly have challenged Los Angeles ’ authority to go further than CalGEM .
The city ’ s handling of oil wells operated by AllenCo Energy Inc. , a company that services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one major point of contention .
For years , residents near USC complained about toxic fumes wafting from the 21 wells the company operates on land leased from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles , abutting a special education high school , a day-care center , an affordable housing apartment building and Mount St. Mary ’ s University .
The wells have sat idle and unplugged since November 2013 , two months before the city filed a civil enforcement action against AllenCo for health , fire and safety violations .
Against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city settled with the company in 2016 , giving AllenCo a tenuous path back to production .
In 2018 , Councilman Gil Cedillo proposed using a rarely exercised part of the Municipal Code to cancel “ oil drilling districts ” that are no longer active .
The AllenCo site was a potential target , but that idea was shelved amid opposition from labor and oil industry groups .
A City Council motion to direct agencies to further investigate AllenCo died in March 2019 , the same month the city partially addressed the site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least three of the site ’ s 21 wells .
In September , government inspectors found the site was once again leaking , sending hazardous emissions into the neighborhood for two weeks .
A Times/Public Integrity analysis found that about 800 people live within 600 feet of AllenCo ’ s drill site , the distance identified by the petroleum administrator in a recent report as the minimum needed to limit significant exposure to air pollutants .
About 80 % of residents there are Latino .
More than half the neighborhood earns an annual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mercel is one of those who have endured the fumes .
A Mexican immigrant , she moved her family into the apartment building across the street from AllenCo ’ s drill site in 2004 after sleeping on the sidewalk to get an application for affordable housing .
Even needing to fit seven people in the apartment , Mercel was ecstatic to have her family finally settled , “ but that happiness , that security , didn ’ t last too long , ” she said in Spanish during a September interview .
Mercel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and her husband with headaches , while she experienced nausea potentially caused by the leaking gas .
Community activists have questioned whether the 2016 settlement with AllenCo was really all the city could do .
City Atty .
Mike Feuer argues that the conditions of the settlement , including a $ 1.25-million fine , represented a win for Los Angeles because the city didn ’ t have the legal footing at the time to shut down the drill site .
Feuer said that , in recent years , city agencies are “ finally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” of drill sites and an urban environment .
“ The city hasn ’ t done nearly enough about this issue historically , ” he said .
A Nov. 8 inspection by the Fire Department found that violations at the AllenCo site had not been corrected .
The company , which did not respond to requests for comment , said in a letter to state regulators last month that it had “ spent tremendous amounts of capital trying to be compliant ” and contended that the state intentionally made it too hard to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reviewing the department ’ s referral for further legal action against AllenCo .
“ Where are the leaders that are supposed to be advocating for a better quality of life for all ?
” she said .
“ I would also ask myself , ‘ What is a factory doing in the middle of a neighborhood ?
’ ” On Thursday , after a version of this story was posted online , CalGEM stepped in .
The agency ordered AllenCo to plug the wells , saying that the multiple leaks pose a safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and credible evidence of desertion.
” Signing the order : Ntuk , the city ’ s former petroleum administrator .
Statewide , 2,425 oil and gas wells are deserted and unplugged , a Times/Public Integrity analysis found .
More than half of these sites sit in Los Angeles County , mostly between Dodger Stadium and Koreatown .
They haven ’ t produced in at least eight years — many for more than a century .
Until wells are properly cleaned and plugged , they pose a threat to communities and the environment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ into homes , emit climate-warming methane , leak salty water into aquifers and drip oil .
Many of these wells were deserted decades ago , during the early chapters of Southern California ’ s oil history .
Historically , “ if a well dried or it didn ’ t produce anything , they ’ d throw a few logs down it and walk away , ” said state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson , a Santa Barbara Democrat who has sponsored legislation addressing oil and gas cleanup .
“ And to this day , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seepage that ’ s occurred because they haven ’ t been properly capped.
” Old wells also pose a risk of blowouts — and , in extreme cases , explosions .
In January 2019 , a 1930s-vintage oil well erupted in Marina del Rey , where a hotel was under construction .
No one was injured , but residents and pedestrians captured video of oil , gas , drilling mud and other debris blasted into the sky .
In 1985 , something ignited methane rising from a heavily drilled area near the La @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explosion blew up part of a Ross Dress for Less store , injuring 23 people .
Researchers never fully settled the debate about whether the explosion was caused by naturally migrating gas or old wells .
Still , the blast reflects the dangers of a city underlain by about 5,200 historical oil and gas wells and miles of associated pipelines .
Los Angeles sits atop “ one of the most petroleum-dense basins on the planet , ” said Seth Shonkoff , executive director of the research group PSE Healthy Energy , adding that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas .
“ Migration of methane and other hydrocarbons creates explosion hazards , which oftentimes need to be mitigated in the basements of houses and buildings.
” Of the 2,425 deserted wells statewide , some were left derelict before California started regulating the industry .
In other cases , companies walked away from their obligation to pay fees or cover cleanup costs .
According to CalGEM , 800 oil companies have dissolved over the years without scheduling wells for cleanup or paying state fees .
“ The issue of operators either going defunct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply ignoring orders is a long-standing issue , ” CalGEM spokesman Don Drysdale said in an email .
The agency would like to do “ a full-blown audit , ” he added , but does not have the resources .
To prevent neighbors from getting stuck with leaky wells , Los Angeles requires that drillers post bonds , which act like a security deposit to ensure that funds are available for future cleanups .
Industry officials contend these bonds , in addition to fees paid on production , ensure there will be funds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ analysts have questioned that contention .
A 2018 city controller ’ s report found that Los Angeles ’ existing bond requirements hadn ’ t been updated since the 1940s and “ appear to be inadequate and should be revisited.
” In a January report , the California Council on Science and Technology warned that , aside from the deserted wells statewide , an additional roughly 70,000 idle and active wells held by financially vulnerable businesses were in danger of becoming orphaned .
Decommissioning wells can be an expensive proposition , especially in dense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 100,000 apiece .
Such work involves plugging and capping the shaft to avoid future leaks and removing any surface infrastructure .
In 2016 , CalGEM was forced to plug two wells on Firmin Street in Echo Park after persistent complaints from residents of leaking gas .
The pair , a legacy of the 1,100 wells once part of the Los Angeles City Oil Field , cost the state $ 1.2 million to seal .
Plugging work itself can cause problems , including spills .
Such was the case recently at Echo Park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aragon Properties Ltd. is building dozens of apartments .
As part of its development agreement with the city , Aragon took on cleanup responsibilities for several deserted wells on its property .
On Dec. 18 , an oily fluid bubbled to the surface as a contractor worked on the wells .
It seeped through the wall of a nearby apartment , flowed into storm drains and stained parked cars .
In all , about 10 barrels of fluid emerged before the spill was contained .
Area residents Rosalinda Morales and Luna contacted state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Aragon , which had a duty to report the incident , never did , according to a notice of violation CalGEM issued in January .
Aragon did not respond to requests for comment .
For Luna and Morales , who grew up with the smell of petroleum and sulfur in the air , the Aragon spill was the inevitable result of what they call cavalier city approval of new development amid deserted oil wells .
Developers can ’ t take a “ business as usual ” approach on a property full of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Luna have made presentations to city and state officials , asking them to stop greenlighting construction projects in the area until the wells can be cleaned up .
But with Los Angeles facing a housing crisis — and the state lacking funds to quickly clean up old wells — city officials have yet to heed their plea .
In Southern California , small drilling companies are responsible for the vast majority of orphaned wells .
Many don ’ t set aside adequate funds for remediation , according to the Times/Public Integrity investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which despite its name has effectively walked away from three of its 14 wells scattered about 15 miles northwest of Los Angeles amid the scenic hills just south of Lake Piru — some of them on a ranch where thoroughbred horses graze .
According to the analysis , several of the company ’ s wells have been idled so long that they are now legally orphaned .
According to state records , Ample Resources ignored per-barrel fees assessed on its oil and gas production and disregarded an order from the state in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wells .
If CalGEM needs to step in and decommission the wells itself , all it will have from the company is $ 20,000 in cleanup funds , much less than state law requires from a small owner .
Reached several times by phone , Faith Pai , Ample Resources ’ chief operating officer , said the company was meeting with CalGEM .
But she didn ’ t answer questions about the violations , eventually asking for questions in writing .
She also didn ’ t answer those .
A visit to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off a dirt road in the forest .
Some parts had been stripped , and there was no sign of workers .
Oil sat in several uncovered buckets , bubbling .
This story was a partnership between the Los Angeles Times and the Center for Public Integrity , a nonprofit news organization in Washington .
It was reported and written by Mark Olalde of Public Integrity and Ryan Menezes of The Times .
The Times ’ Emily Alpert Reyes contributed to this report .

Near downtown Los Angeles, a developer is building dozens of apartments in Echo Park on property that contains deserted oil wells, some of them uncapped.
Thick oil was once so abundant beneath Southern California that it bubbled to the surface, most famously at the La Brea Tar Pits.
But after more than a century of aggressive drilling by fossil fuel companies, most of Los Angeles’ profitable oil is gone. What remains is a costly legacy: nearly 1,000 wells across the city, in rich and poor neighborhoods, deserted by their owners and left to the state to clean, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis of state records by the Los Angeles Times and the Center for Public Integrity.
Few U.S. cities are punctured with such a concentration of old drilling sites, with tens of thousands of residents living nearby, from Ladera Heights to Echo Park. If not plugged and cleaned up, many of these orphaned wells will continue to expose people to toxic gases, complicate redevelopment and pose rare but serious threats of explosions. If the state were to tackle the cleanup, it would cost tens of millions of dollars.
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Yet despite regulatory powers that in some ways are stronger than the state’s, Los Angeles has been slow and inconsistent in forcing the industry to take responsibility for its leaky legacy, according to the Times/Public Integrity investigation.
Part of the problem is staffing.
Until recently, the city Fire Department was operating with one full-time well inspector, resulting in sporadic enforcement.
The department issued notices of violations for extended inactivity to two companies in 2009, then three in 2016, according to the results of a public records request. Then, in 2018, the department inspected wells all across the city, handing out notices to more companies covering dozens of wells.
Battalion Chief James Hayden, whose responsibilities include the Los Angeles Fire Department’s oil and gas program, acknowledged that the city hadn’t provided adequate oversight of the industry. But with a second full-time inspector added this year and other employees trained to conduct additional inspections, he said, the department will work to ensure that operators “adequately manage their idle wells.”
Even as it adds personnel, Los Angeles has been hesitant to use its full regulatory authority, which allows the city to mandate that an oil or gas well either be restarted or shuttered after it sits unused for a year.
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Tidelands Oil Production Co. is one firm that has skirted such cleanups.
A subsidiary of the drilling company California Resources Corp., Tidelands operates wells in Wilmington, some of which have been idle since the 1990s. Although the city issued violation notices in 2018, Tidelands neither restarted production nor plugged and cleaned the wells.
Asked why, a CRC spokeswoman said by email that the company had provided officials with information about the status of its wells, “and we understand that the City is evaluating that information.”
Hayden said Los Angeles lacks an appeals process for companies cited for violations and has chosen to defer to less-stringent state regulations.
Many neighbors of the old drilling sites are frustrated and angered by what they see as official indifference toward orphaned wells.
Rosalinda Morales and Danny Luna stand in front of an oil derrick at one of two Echo Park-area apartment construction sites that contain abandoned, uncapped and capped oil wells. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“What’s going to happen to them?” asked Danny Luna, who lives in Echo Park, where hundreds of wells sit orphaned, many for more than a century. “Nobody’s taking responsibility for them…. Are we going to be left with leaky faucets underground?”
In addition, Los Angeles has failed to consistently employ a full-time petroleum administrator as city code requires. For decades, the position was unoccupied or filled by part-time employees. In 2016, Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Uduak-Joe Ntuk, who helped initiate the spurt of oil and gas inspections.
Ntuk departed in late 2019 to run the state agency that regulates oil production, the California Geologic Energy Management Division, or CalGEM. The city has yet to hire a new petroleum regulator, relying on an interim administrator.
“It’s really about incompetence, playing games with politics,” said Michael Salman, a UCLA professor who watchdogs oil and gas issues. “It’s about shortsightedness.”
The AllenCo Energy Inc. drill site in South Los Angeles has sat idle since November 2013. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
‘Where are the leaders?’
As community groups press the city to force closure of old wells, they often are countered by labor groups and the industry, which repeatedly have challenged Los Angeles’ authority to go further than CalGEM.
The city’s handling of oil wells operated by AllenCo Energy Inc., a company that services the oil and gas industry, is one major point of contention.
For years, residents near USC complained about toxic fumes wafting from the 21 wells the company operates on land leased from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, abutting a special education high school, a day-care center, an affordable housing apartment building and Mount St. Mary’s University.
The wells have sat idle and unplugged since November 2013, two months before the city filed a civil enforcement action against AllenCo for health, fire and safety violations. Against the wishes of some community members, the city settled with the company in 2016, giving AllenCo a tenuous path back to production.
In 2018, Councilman Gil Cedillo proposed using a rarely exercised part of the Municipal Code to cancel “oil drilling districts” that are no longer active. The AllenCo site was a potential target, but that idea was shelved amid opposition from labor and oil industry groups.
A City Council motion to direct agencies to further investigate AllenCo died in March 2019, the same month the city partially addressed the site by letting a lease expire on at least three of the site’s 21 wells. In September, government inspectors found the site was once again leaking, sending hazardous emissions into the neighborhood for two weeks.
A Times/Public Integrity analysis found that about 800 people live within 600 feet of AllenCo’s drill site, the distance identified by the petroleum administrator in a recent report as the minimum needed to limit significant exposure to air pollutants. About 80% of residents there are Latino. More than half the neighborhood earns an annual household income under $30,000.
Victoria Mercel sits for a portrait at her home near the site of an AllenCo well. She and her family have suffered nosebleeds, headaches and nausea. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Victoria Mercel is one of those who have endured the fumes. A Mexican immigrant, she moved her family into the apartment building across the street from AllenCo’s drill site in 2004 after sleeping on the sidewalk to get an application for affordable housing.
Even needing to fit seven people in the apartment, Mercel was ecstatic to have her family finally settled, “but that happiness, that security, didn’t last too long,” she said in Spanish during a September interview. Mercel said her son was stricken with nosebleeds and her husband with headaches, while she experienced nausea potentially caused by the leaking gas.
Community activists have questioned whether the 2016 settlement with AllenCo was really all the city could do. City Atty. Mike Feuer argues that the conditions of the settlement, including a $1.25-million fine, represented a win for Los Angeles because the city didn’t have the legal footing at the time to shut down the drill site.
About 800 people live within 600 feet of the AllenCo drill site near USC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Feuer said that, in recent years, city agencies are “finally coming to grips seriously with the incompatibility” of drill sites and an urban environment. “The city hasn’t done nearly enough about this issue historically,” he said.
A Nov. 8 inspection by the Fire Department found that violations at the AllenCo site had not been corrected. The company, which did not respond to requests for comment, said in a letter to state regulators last month that it had “spent tremendous amounts of capital trying to be compliant” and contended that the state intentionally made it too hard to restart operations. The city attorney was reviewing the department’s referral for further legal action against AllenCo.
The impasse frustrated Mercel.
“Where are the leaders that are supposed to be advocating for a better quality of life for all?” she said. “I would also ask myself, ‘What is a factory doing in the middle of a neighborhood?’”
On Thursday, after a version of this story was posted online, CalGEM stepped in. The agency ordered AllenCo to plug the wells, saying that the multiple leaks pose a safety hazard and that there was “conclusive and credible evidence of desertion.”
Signing the order: Ntuk, the city’s former petroleum administrator.
A man jogs past a gate to the AllenCo drill site in 2013. The city’s 2016 settlement with the firm was opposed by some community members. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
An explosive, costly legacy
Statewide, 2,425 oil and gas wells are deserted and unplugged, a Times/Public Integrity analysis found. More than half of these sites sit in Los Angeles County, mostly between Dodger Stadium and Koreatown. They haven’t produced in at least eight years — many for more than a century.
Until wells are properly cleaned and plugged, they pose a threat to communities and the environment. Idled and deserted wells can waft fumes into homes, emit climate-warming methane, leak salty water into aquifers and drip oil.
Many of these wells were deserted decades ago, during the early chapters of Southern California’s oil history.
Historically, “if a well dried or it didn’t produce anything, they’d throw a few logs down it and walk away,” said state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, a Santa Barbara Democrat who has sponsored legislation addressing oil and gas cleanup. “And to this day, we’ve been experiencing the kind of seepage that’s occurred because they haven’t been properly capped.”
Old wells also pose a risk of blowouts — and, in extreme cases, explosions.
In January 2019, a 1930s-vintage oil well erupted in Marina del Rey, where a hotel was under construction. No one was injured, but residents and pedestrians captured video of oil, gas, drilling mud and other debris blasted into the sky.
In 1985, something ignited methane rising from a heavily drilled area near the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum. The explosion blew up part of a Ross Dress for Less store, injuring 23 people. Researchers never fully settled the debate about whether the explosion was caused by naturally migrating gas or old wells. Still, the blast reflects the dangers of a city underlain by about 5,200 historical oil and gas wells and miles of associated pipelines.
Firefighters survey the aftermath of a 1985 methane explosion in Los Angeles’ Fairfax district. (Mike Meadows / Los Angeles Times)
The 1985 explosion blew up part of a Ross Dress for Less store, injuring 23 people. (Con Keyes / Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles sits atop “one of the most petroleum-dense basins on the planet,” said Seth Shonkoff, executive director of the research group PSE Healthy Energy, adding that old wells can act as conduits for gas. “Migration of methane and other hydrocarbons creates explosion hazards, which oftentimes need to be mitigated in the basements of houses and buildings.”
Of the 2,425 deserted wells statewide, some were left derelict before California started regulating the industry. In other cases, companies walked away from their obligation to pay fees or cover cleanup costs.
According to CalGEM, 800 oil companies have dissolved over the years without scheduling wells for cleanup or paying state fees.
“The issue of operators either going defunct without informing [the state] or simply ignoring orders is a long-standing issue,” CalGEM spokesman Don Drysdale said in an email. The agency would like to do “a full-blown audit,” he added, but does not have the resources.
To prevent neighbors from getting stuck with leaky wells, Los Angeles requires that drillers post bonds, which act like a security deposit to ensure that funds are available for future cleanups. Industry officials contend these bonds, in addition to fees paid on production, ensure there will be funds available for future cleanups, but independent analysts have questioned that contention.
Pump jacks operate at oil wells near homes in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
A 2018 city controller’s report found that Los Angeles’ existing bond requirements hadn’t been updated since the 1940s and “appear to be inadequate and should be revisited.”
In a January report, the California Council on Science and Technology warned that, aside from the deserted wells statewide, an additional roughly 70,000 idle and active wells held by financially vulnerable businesses were in danger of becoming orphaned.
Decommissioning wells can be an expensive proposition, especially in dense urban areas where costs can easily top $100,000 apiece. Such work involves plugging and capping the shaft to avoid future leaks and removing any surface infrastructure.
In 2016, CalGEM was forced to plug two wells on Firmin Street in Echo Park after persistent complaints from residents of leaking gas. The pair, a legacy of the 1,100 wells once part of the Los Angeles City Oil Field, cost the state $1.2 million to seal.
Plugging work itself can cause problems, including spills.
Such was the case recently at Echo Park’s Toluca Street, where developer Aragon Properties Ltd. is building dozens of apartments. As part of its development agreement with the city, Aragon took on cleanup responsibilities for several deserted wells on its property.
On Dec. 18, an oily fluid bubbled to the surface as a contractor worked on the wells. It seeped through the wall of a nearby apartment, flowed into storm drains and stained parked cars. In all, about 10 barrels of fluid emerged before the spill was contained.
Area residents Rosalinda Morales and Luna contacted state officials hours after the oil started surfacing. Aragon, which had a duty to report the incident, never did, according to a notice of violation CalGEM issued in January. Aragon did not respond to requests for comment.
For Luna and Morales, who grew up with the smell of petroleum and sulfur in the air, the Aragon spill was the inevitable result of what they call cavalier city approval of new development amid deserted oil wells.
Developers can’t take a “business as usual” approach on a property full of old wells, Morales said.
She and Luna have made presentations to city and state officials, asking them to stop greenlighting construction projects in the area until the wells can be cleaned up.
But with Los Angeles facing a housing crisis — and the state lacking funds to quickly clean up old wells — city officials have yet to heed their plea.
In Southern California, small drilling companies are responsible for the vast majority of orphaned wells. Many don’t set aside adequate funds for remediation, according to the Times/Public Integrity investigation.
An example is Ample Resources Inc., which despite its name has effectively walked away from three of its 14 wells scattered about 15 miles northwest of Los Angeles amid the scenic hills just south of Lake Piru — some of them on a ranch where thoroughbred horses graze. According to the analysis, several of the company’s wells have been idled so long that they are now legally orphaned.
According to state records, Ample Resources ignored per-barrel fees assessed on its oil and gas production and disregarded an order from the state in March 2019 to plug some of its wells. If CalGEM needs to step in and decommission the wells itself, all it will have from the company is $20,000 in cleanup funds, much less than state law requires from a small owner.
Reached several times by phone, Faith Pai, Ample Resources’ chief operating officer, said the company was meeting with CalGEM. But she didn’t answer questions about the violations, eventually asking for questions in writing. She also didn’t answer those.
A visit to the ranch found oil and gas tanks rusting off a dirt road in the forest. Some parts had been stripped, and there was no sign of workers. Oil sat in several uncovered buckets, bubbling.
About this story
This story was a partnership between the Los Angeles Times and the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit news organization in Washington. It was reported and written by Mark Olalde of Public Integrity and Ryan Menezes of The Times. The Times’ Emily Alpert Reyes contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-03-07--Magnitude 3.8 earthquake strikes north of Ridgecrest, Calif.

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake was reported Saturday afternoon at 4:33 p.m. Pacific time 31 miles from Ridgecrest , Calif. , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
The earthquake occurred 58 miles from California City , 61 miles from Porterville , 67 miles from Lindsay and 68 miles from Bakersfield .
In the last 10 days , there have been four earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby .
An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada , according to a recent three-year data sample .
The earthquake occurred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Did you feel this earthquake ?
Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS .
Even if you didn ’ t feel this small earthquake , you never know when the Big One is going to strike .
Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit .
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS .
A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published .
If you ’ re interested in learning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ list of frequently asked questions .

The location and shaking intensity of a magnitude 3.8 earthquake Saturday afternoon north of Ridgecrest, Calif.
A magnitude 3.8 earthquake was reported Saturday afternoon at 4:33 p.m. Pacific time 31 miles from Ridgecrest, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake occurred 58 miles from California City, 61 miles from Porterville, 67 miles from Lindsay and 68 miles from Bakersfield.
In the last 10 days, there have been four earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
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The earthquake occurred at a depth of 0.7 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Even if you didn’t feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.