latimes--2020-06-10--Across L.A., George Floyd street art sprouts as symbols of injustice and police brutality

The day Jules Muck heard about George Floyd ’ s death , she couldn ’ t sleep .
So at 3 a.m. , the restless artist began painting an image of him on a U.S. casket flag she found in her Venice home .
An idea had gripped her mind : That murals of Floyd , who died after a Minneapolis police officer pinned his neck down with his knee , “ had to be everywhere.
” Muck , who goes by MuckRock , couldn ’ t just pick one location .
So she painted more than a dozen mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lincoln boulevards , she spray-painted Floyd ’ s face in black and white and sometimes blue .
“ I ’ m trying to offer comfort to people that are upset , but this is also a way to say ‘ We ’ re with you .
We agree this is unjust .
We want justice , ’ ” she said .
“ We ’ re trying to be open and listen and show solidarity to this movement.
” George Floyd , a 46-year-old Black man , died May 25 in Minneapolis after Derek @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had his knee on Floyd ’ s neck for nearly nine minutes .
As he lay on his stomach , Floyd pleaded : “ I can ’ t breathe.
” On Tuesday , Floyd was buried next to his mother , Larcenia Floyd , in Houston , where he was raised .
His death , which has now resulted in charges against four officers — including second-degree murder charges against Chauvin — sparked national outrage and widespread protests .
A Watts resident who goes by Misteralek also wanted to commemorate Floyd .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the streets of Hollywood and downtown L.A. , Misteralek was painting a mural of Floyd outside a Watts ’ convenience store .
“ Every time something like this happens , I feel like I have to express myself through art , ” said Misteralek , 31 .
“ I like painting portraits , and it ’ s something that means a lot to people over here.
” From morning to sundown , while he colored Floyd ’ s face with black and white spray paint , people expressed their gratitude : Cars honked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or offer him a drink .
They thanked him .
“ It ’ s my way of speaking up , ” the artist said .
As Steven Rounnel walked out of Supreme Beauty Supply next door , he said Floyd ’ s portrait is a reminder that major change is long overdue .
“ We need equality for everybody , ” said the 49-year-old barber .
“ Not just Blacks , but everybody .
Everybody is getting abused by the system.
” L.A. has long been a city of street murals .
Vivid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. , La Virgen de Guadalupe and Rosa Parks decorate buildings , alleys and busy highways .
Murals in L.A. emerged in the 1960s and 1970s as political and personal art statements in areas like Venice and South L.A. By the mid-'80s to the early 2000s , the city had become the world ’ s mural metropolis , until a lawsuit led to a citywide ban in 2002 .
A decade later it was lifted , and public artwork reemerged .
Outside the boarded-up Blue Moon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Broadway in downtown L.A. , was another portrait of Floyd .
Nearby stood several armed National Guard troops keeping watch over the area , which had been damaged by looters days earlier during a protest .
In the piece , a halo is suspended above Floyd ’ s crying face ; his mouth is covered with red tape , which bears the words : “ I can ’ t breathe.
” A clenched fist rises from beneath the mural , and scrawled around him are the hash-tagged words : Freedom .
Unity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Matter .
Pray .
Love .
Justice .
All Lives Matter .
Hope .
Faith .
Mario Medina , who created the mural with assistance from artist Celos , dropped what he was doing May 30 when the shop ’ s owner gave him permission to paint on his storefront .
Without a layout or plan , they rushed over and got to work around 4 p.m .
But they were on edge the entire time , said the 29-year-old from Maywood .
“ Our backs were facing the street and we had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” which went into effect at 8 p.m. because of ongoing protests .
As the day grew darker and the clock ticked closer to curfew , they could hear sirens and chants get louder .
At 7:45 p.m. , they finished .
“ It came together on the fly , and what you got was how we felt about the situation right in the moment , ” said Medina .
Walking down Broadway on a recent Thursday afternoon , Omar Gonzalez stopped to take a video of the blue mural .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down its location , but when he did , he made sure to wear his “ Justice for George Floyd ” T-shirt .
“ I think as Latinos , and me being Mexican American first generation , I think it was important for us to say ‘ Hey , we got you guys ’ ” to the Black community , said the 34-year-old from Santa Fe Springs .
Gonzalez , a personal trainer , plans to do workout videos in his Floyd T-shirt with a Mexican flag tied around his waist .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a lot of us who grew up with Black people ” to show solidarity and support , he said .
Outside Broadway Snack Bar , owner Cemal Cemalk , 56 , recalled the night before the mural went up .
The owner of Blue Moon & Co. next door stood outside his shop with others to protect the store , guns in hand .
“ The second day [ of protests ] , the owner closed the store , put up the plywood ” and the mural was painted .
“ Across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ windows and stole everything , but this store , nobody touched ” he said , pointing at the shop with Floyd ’ s portrait .
Back in Venice , Muck had lost count of how many portraits of Floyd she ’ s painted since he was killed , but she knows it ’ s more than a dozen .
Some businesses called on her to paint him on their boarded-up store fronts , but in some cases , she sought the walls herself .
Floyd is the latest Black life lost that Muck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Martin , Michael Brown and Breonna Taylor ( “ She ’ s so gorgeous that it ’ s a pleasure to paint her , ” Muck said of Taylor , who was killed in March when Louisville police , executing a search warrant , broke down her apartment ’ s door and shot her eight times . )
In collaboration with shop owners , Muck said she ’ s offered to give away the portraits as they come down to people who “ donate substantially ” to charities that benefit Black communities .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guard troops stood guard along the street , messages on business walls read : “ End white silence , ” “ Black lives matter ” and “ We see you .
We hear You .
We stand w/u.
” Written outside the vintage clothing store Bazar were some of the last words Floyd cried out before he died : “ Please , man , I didn ’ t do nothing serious.
” Irma Hawkins was walking her black poodle Bodhi when she stopped to admire a colorful , unsigned canvas painting of Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a better look .
“ It ’ s beautiful , ” she said beneath a red face covering .
“ It ’ s just beautiful.
” Hawkins , a 69-year-old Venice resident , was working on a Floyd art piece at home , too .
She had just listened to former President Obama ’ s speech calling on mayors to review police use-of-force policies and make other reforms to combat racism .
She knows how powerful art can be .
“ It ’ s a sanctuary for your sorrow , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way to unite .
”

The day Jules Muck heard about George Floyd’s death, she couldn’t sleep. So at 3 a.m., the restless artist began painting an image of him on a U.S. casket flag she found in her Venice home.
An idea had gripped her mind: That murals of Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer pinned his neck down with his knee, “had to be everywhere.”
Muck, who goes by MuckRock, couldn’t just pick one location. So she painted more than a dozen mostly around Venice. On Abbot Kinney and Lincoln boulevards, she spray-painted Floyd’s face in black and white and sometimes blue.
A mural of George Floyd in L.A.’s Melrose District. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
“I’m trying to offer comfort to people that are upset, but this is also a way to say ‘We’re with you. We agree this is unjust. We want justice,’ ” she said. “We’re trying to be open and listen and show solidarity to this movement.”
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George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died May 25 in Minneapolis after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, had his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. As he lay on his stomach, Floyd pleaded: “I can’t breathe.”
On Tuesday, Floyd was buried next to his mother, Larcenia Floyd, in Houston, where he was raised.
His death, which has now resulted in charges against four officers — including second-degree murder charges against Chauvin — sparked national outrage and widespread protests.
A Watts resident who goes by Misteralek also wanted to commemorate Floyd. Last week, as protesters peacefully marched through the streets of Hollywood and downtown L.A., Misteralek was painting a mural of Floyd outside a Watts’ convenience store.
Scrawled on a wall in Venice are among George Floyd’s last words before he died beneath the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
“Every time something like this happens, I feel like I have to express myself through art,” said Misteralek, 31. “I like painting portraits, and it’s something that means a lot to people over here.”
Advertisement
From morning to sundown, while he colored Floyd’s face with black and white spray paint, people expressed their gratitude: Cars honked. People stopped to watch or chat or offer him a drink. They thanked him.
“It’s my way of speaking up,” the artist said.
As Steven Rounnel walked out of Supreme Beauty Supply next door, he said Floyd’s portrait is a reminder that major change is long overdue.
“We need equality for everybody,” said the 49-year-old barber. “Not just Blacks, but everybody. Everybody is getting abused by the system.”
L.A. has long been a city of street murals. Vivid portraits of Kobe Bryant, Nipsey Hussle, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., La Virgen de Guadalupe and Rosa Parks decorate buildings, alleys and busy highways.
Murals in L.A. emerged in the 1960s and 1970s as political and personal art statements in areas like Venice and South L.A. By the mid-’80s to the early 2000s, the city had become the world’s mural metropolis, until a lawsuit led to a citywide ban in 2002. A decade later it was lifted, and public artwork reemerged.
Outside the boarded-up Blue Moon & Co., a jewelry shop on South Broadway in downtown L.A., was another portrait of Floyd. Nearby stood several armed National Guard troops keeping watch over the area, which had been damaged by looters days earlier during a protest.
Advertisement
A mural of George Floyd by artist Mario Medina, with assistance by Celos, on South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
In the piece, a halo is suspended above Floyd’s crying face; his mouth is covered with red tape, which bears the words: “I can’t breathe.” A clenched fist rises from beneath the mural, and scrawled around him are the hash-tagged words: Freedom. Unity. Peace. Change. Black Lives Matter. Pray. Love. Justice. All Lives Matter. Hope. Faith.
Mario Medina, who created the mural with assistance from artist Celos, dropped what he was doing May 30 when the shop’s owner gave him permission to paint on his storefront. Without a layout or plan, they rushed over and got to work around 4 p.m.
But they were on edge the entire time, said the 29-year-old from Maywood.
“Our backs were facing the street and we had a time frame because of the curfew,” which went into effect at 8 p.m. because of ongoing protests. As the day grew darker and the clock ticked closer to curfew, they could hear sirens and chants get louder. At 7:45 p.m., they finished.
A mural of George Floyd appears on a downtown Starbucks. pic.twitter.com/ydxUMnTAwp — Steve Saldivar (@stevesaldivar) June 7, 2020
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“It came together on the fly, and what you got was how we felt about the situation right in the moment,” said Medina.
Walking down Broadway on a recent Thursday afternoon, Omar Gonzalez stopped to take a video of the blue mural. It took him a few days to track down its location, but when he did, he made sure to wear his “Justice for George Floyd” T-shirt.
“I think as Latinos, and me being Mexican American first generation, I think it was important for us to say ‘Hey, we got you guys’” to the Black community, said the 34-year-old from Santa Fe Springs.
Gonzalez, a personal trainer, plans to do workout videos in his Floyd T-shirt with a Mexican flag tied around his waist.
A portrait of George Floyd in Venice. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
“I think it was a big responsibility for a lot of us who grew up with Black people” to show solidarity and support, he said.
Outside Broadway Snack Bar, owner Cemal Cemalk, 56, recalled the night before the mural went up. The owner of Blue Moon & Co. next door stood outside his shop with others to protect the store, guns in hand.
Advertisement
“The second day [of protests], the owner closed the store, put up the plywood” and the mural was painted.
“Across the street, [looters] broke windows and stole everything, but this store, nobody touched” he said, pointing at the shop with Floyd’s portrait.
Back in Venice, Muck had lost count of how many portraits of Floyd she’s painted since he was killed, but she knows it’s more than a dozen.
Jules Muck spray painting a portrait of George Floyd on a boarded storefront in Venice today. pic.twitter.com/cEhrjoTFYC — Dorany Pineda (@DoranyPineda90) June 4, 2020
Some businesses called on her to paint him on their boarded-up store fronts, but in some cases, she sought the walls herself. Floyd is the latest Black life lost that Muck has painted: Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Breonna Taylor (“She’s so gorgeous that it’s a pleasure to paint her,” Muck said of Taylor, who was killed in March when Louisville police, executing a search warrant, broke down her apartment’s door and shot her eight times.)
In collaboration with shop owners, Muck said she’s offered to give away the portraits as they come down to people who “donate substantially” to charities that benefit Black communities.
Down Abbot Kinney Boulevard, where National Guard troops stood guard along the street, messages on business walls read: “End white silence,” “Black lives matter” and “We see you. We hear You. We stand w/u.”
Written outside the vintage clothing store Bazar were some of the last words Floyd cried out before he died: “Please, man, I didn’t do nothing serious.”
Advertisement
A canvas painting of George Floyd on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Irma Hawkins was walking her black poodle Bodhi when she stopped to admire a colorful, unsigned canvas painting of Floyd. She stepped onto the street to have a better look.
“It’s beautiful,” she said beneath a red face covering. “It’s just beautiful.”
Hawkins, a 69-year-old Venice resident, was working on a Floyd art piece at home, too. She had just listened to former President Obama’s speech calling on mayors to review police use-of-force policies and make other reforms to combat racism.
She knows how powerful art can be. “It’s a sanctuary for your sorrow,” she said. “It’s a way to unite.”


latimes--2020-06-10--Column: After a nursing home patient died of COVID-19, her daughter fought back

It all happened so fast .
On May 12 , Griselda Nava of Arleta went to Parkwest Rehabilitation Center in Reseda to take lunch to her mother , who had lived at the facility since suffering a stroke in 2012 .
A staff member told Nava that her mother , Florentina Lopez , was not feeling well .
A nurse said it might be a urinary tract infection , but the situation was not serious .
On May 15 , a nurse supervisor told Nava her mother was fine .
On May 18 , Nava got a call from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s roommates saying she believed Nava ’ s mother had been taken to the hospital .
On her way to Parkwest to find out for sure , Nava received a call from an emergency room doctor informing her that her mother was very ill. Two hours later , the same doctor told her that her mother had COVID-19 and had suffered a heart attack .
On May 19 , Florentina Lopez , 66 , died at the hospital .
“ We can ’ t even give her a formal funeral service , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being with her mother in her final days and whose grief is as deep as her anger at the circumstances of her mother ’ s death .
The allegations above , contained in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Parkwest last week , come as COVID-19 is still spreading through nursing facilities statewide .
According to Los Angeles County Public Health Department records , 23 Parkwest employees and 16 patients at the 98-bed facility have tested positive for COVID-19 .
As of Monday , the death toll there was at six .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s leadership learned that multiple members of its staff tested or were suspected of having COVID-19 yet did not inform residents or their families and continued to allow staff to work , ” said the lawsuit filed by attorney Scott Glovsky , who also alleged that Parkwest did not provide protective equipment for staff “ through as late as May.
” Parkwest ’ s owner , Crystal Solorzano , was named as a defendant in the lawsuit .
She did not respond to my multiple requests for comment .
The Medicare.gov website , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , gives Parkwest a one-star rating ( out of a possible five ) , which it describes as “ much below average.
” The ratings are based on criteria such as health inspections , staffing and quality of care , and the Parkwest assessment details numerous deficiencies .
Florentina Lopez was but one more casualty in the mounting , scandalous toll of captive elderly patients killed by the virus .
About 28,000 nursing home residents and employees have died nationwide .
In California , nearly 2,000 residents of skilled nursing facilities have died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , accounting for about 43 % of the state ’ s total deaths .
Glovsky , who sued a Glendale nursing home last month in the COVID-19 death of a 77-year-old patient , said that traditionally , three things have helped keep the nursing home industry in check , and all three are threatened at the moment .
The first is family visits , which allow relatives to monitor care .
Since COVID-19 , family visits have been sharply curtailed or banned .
The second is rigorous monitoring and enforcement , but critics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly enough oversight .
And the third is lawsuits , but the industry is throwing its considerable weight around in California and nationwide , lobbying for liability protection .
From the beginning of the pandemic , it has seemed to me that there ’ s been a collective shrug about our vulnerable elders dying — often without loved ones nearby — as if these lives are disposable .
These are often very old and sick patients , and the coronavirus stalks those demographic groups .
But that doesn ’ t excuse the tragedy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials have haggled , unconscionably , over the details of whether and how to make testing in such facilities mandatory .
Although countless nursing homes are well-run and staffed by dedicated , even heroic employees , the state has done far too little to sanction operators with sketchy records , said Michael Connors of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform .
“ The California Department of Public Health rolled out the welcome mat long ago to bad actors and now nursing home residents are paying the price with their lives , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuit that Parkwest ’ s owner was Crystal Solorzano , I did a quick check , and her name popped up in recent news accounts from the Bay Area .
Turns out she is also the owner of Orinda Care Center , where 40 residents and 31 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and several deaths have been reported .
In all , Solorzano is also listed in state records as the full or part owner of 11 facilities throughout California , eight of them in the counties of Los Angeles , Riverside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She ’ s been on our radar for a long time , ” said Molly Davies , vice president of L.A. ’ s elder abuse prevention and ombudsman services , who told me she has discussed patterns of care at Solorzano facilities with state health officials .
In addition to the 11 nursing homes she owns , Solorzano is affiliated with at least nine other facilities in California , according to state records .
It ’ s not unusual in the nursing home industry , Connors said , for a party to buy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applying to the state to be the official licensed owner , a process that can take months or years .
In the case of the nine nursing homes , Solarzano indicated on state applications that she had taken financial charge of the facilities and sought a change of ownership from the state health department .
In letters dated April 24 , the state denied all nine of her applications , but she has appealed that decision and can legally operate them during the appeals process .
“ NOTICE OF DENIAL OF APPLICATION , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ownership of a Porterville facility , from the state .
“ In or around July 2008 , you submitted fraudulent documents to obtain your nursing home administrator license , ” said the letter , which noted that Solorzano ’ s administrator license was revoked in 2019 but remains active because she has also appealed that decision by the state .
The letter went on to say that a state health department review “ revealed 128 federal regulatory violations ” at facilities she “ owned , managed , or operated , directly or indirectly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ February .
Over that same period , the letter stated , violations of state regulations included 34 citations for violations that had “ a direct or immediate relationship to patient health , ” 16 citations for “ imminent danger of death or serious harm ” and one citation for “ direct proximate cause of death of a patient.
” And the state said there were three penalties for failure to comply with mandated minimum staffing requirements .
In an interview with ABC-7 News in San Francisco in mid-April , Solorzano expressed her condolences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facility in Orinda .
In mid-May the station reported that Solarzano had emailed a statement disputing the allegations against her in the state letters denying her ownership licenses .
Her statement said in part : “ The allegations in the CDPH letter you reference are false .
There will be a hearing in September on the matter and we will publicly respond to these baseless allegations at the appropriate time .
Our only focus now is maintaining the health and safety of our residents.
” Kate Folmar , a spokeswoman for the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that in regard to Solorzano , the health department “ has taken every action available to us under state law in this situation.
” She passed along the following from a department staffer : “ Under California law , a new operator can assume operations of a SNF [ skilled nursing facility ] using a Management Operations Transfer Agreement ( MOTA ) and that new operator can continue to operate under the MOTA until an appeal of a change of ownership denial is heard and resolved .
An operator does not need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own/operate a SNF.
” You can continue to own and operate a nursing home the state doesn ’ t think you ’ re qualified to run as long as you ’ re appealing the state ’ s decision ?
Maybe that ’ s part of the problem .
“ Can you imagine the uproar if the state allowed school bus drivers to keep driving students after losing their licenses due to fatal accidents ?
” Connors asked .
On Monday , Connors ’ group released a 10-point reform plan to overhaul the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that understaffing and “ toothless enforcement ” allowed COVID-19 to cause “ unprecedented devastation and tragedy.
” Griselda Nava told me she made multiple complaints to management about her mother ’ s care at Parkwest .
She said she complained that her incontinent mother , who worked as a seamstress and in a slaughterhouse before suffering a stroke at age 59 , did not receive proper hygiene care , including diaper pads , and that a male assistant sometimes handled personal hygiene care , despite Nava ’ s repeated requests for a female @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuit .
Nava said the days since her mother ’ s death have brought little relief .
Ironically , she ’ s been studying to become a nurse because she knows through her mother ’ s experience how important it is for patients to have someone be there for them in their hours of need .
“ I wake up angry every morning , ” she told me .

It all happened so fast.
On May 12, Griselda Nava of Arleta went to Parkwest Rehabilitation Center in Reseda to take lunch to her mother, who had lived at the facility since suffering a stroke in 2012. A staff member told Nava that her mother, Florentina Lopez, was not feeling well. A nurse said it might be a urinary tract infection, but the situation was not serious.
On May 15, a nurse supervisor told Nava her mother was fine.
On May 18, Nava got a call from the daughter of one of her mother’s roommates saying she believed Nava’s mother had been taken to the hospital. On her way to Parkwest to find out for sure, Nava received a call from an emergency room doctor informing her that her mother was very ill. Two hours later, the same doctor told her that her mother had COVID-19 and had suffered a heart attack.
On May 19, Florentina Lopez, 66, died at the hospital.
“We can’t even give her a formal funeral service,” said Nava, who was barred from being with her mother in her final days and whose grief is as deep as her anger at the circumstances of her mother’s death.
Advertisement
The allegations above, contained in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Parkwest last week, come as COVID-19 is still spreading through nursing facilities statewide. According to Los Angeles County Public Health Department records, 23 Parkwest employees and 16 patients at the 98-bed facility have tested positive for COVID-19.
As of Monday, the death toll there was at six.
“Through April and May ... Parkwest’s leadership learned that multiple members of its staff tested or were suspected of having COVID-19 yet did not inform residents or their families and continued to allow staff to work,” said the lawsuit filed by attorney Scott Glovsky, who also alleged that Parkwest did not provide protective equipment for staff “through as late as May.”
Parkwest’s owner, Crystal Solorzano, was named as a defendant in the lawsuit. She did not respond to my multiple requests for comment. The Medicare.gov website, where nursing home data can be found, gives Parkwest a one-star rating (out of a possible five), which it describes as “much below average.” The ratings are based on criteria such as health inspections, staffing and quality of care, and the Parkwest assessment details numerous deficiencies.
Florentina Lopez was but one more casualty in the mounting, scandalous toll of captive elderly patients killed by the virus. About 28,000 nursing home residents and employees have died nationwide. In California, nearly 2,000 residents of skilled nursing facilities have died, along with more than 60 employees, accounting for about 43% of the state’s total deaths.
Glovsky, who sued a Glendale nursing home last month in the COVID-19 death of a 77-year-old patient, said that traditionally, three things have helped keep the nursing home industry in check, and all three are threatened at the moment.
The first is family visits, which allow relatives to monitor care. Since COVID-19, family visits have been sharply curtailed or banned. The second is rigorous monitoring and enforcement, but critics have long alleged there isn’t nearly enough oversight. And the third is lawsuits, but the industry is throwing its considerable weight around in California and nationwide, lobbying for liability protection.
Advertisement
From the beginning of the pandemic, it has seemed to me that there’s been a collective shrug about our vulnerable elders dying — often without loved ones nearby — as if these lives are disposable. These are often very old and sick patients, and the coronavirus stalks those demographic groups. But that doesn’t excuse the tragedy of so many senior deaths as public officials have haggled, unconscionably, over the details of whether and how to make testing in such facilities mandatory.
Although countless nursing homes are well-run and staffed by dedicated, even heroic employees, the state has done far too little to sanction operators with sketchy records, said Michael Connors of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.
“The California Department of Public Health rolled out the welcome mat long ago to bad actors and now nursing home residents are paying the price with their lives,” said Connors.
When I saw in the lawsuit that Parkwest’s owner was Crystal Solorzano, I did a quick check, and her name popped up in recent news accounts from the Bay Area. Turns out she is also the owner of Orinda Care Center, where 40 residents and 31 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and several deaths have been reported.
In all, Solorzano is also listed in state records as the full or part owner of 11 facilities throughout California, eight of them in the counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange.
“She’s been on our radar for a long time,” said Molly Davies, vice president of L.A.’s elder abuse prevention and ombudsman services, who told me she has discussed patterns of care at Solorzano facilities with state health officials.
In addition to the 11 nursing homes she owns, Solorzano is affiliated with at least nine other facilities in California, according to state records. It’s not unusual in the nursing home industry, Connors said, for a party to buy a facility under an interim agreement while applying to the state to be the official licensed owner, a process that can take months or years.
In the case of the nine nursing homes, Solarzano indicated on state applications that she had taken financial charge of the facilities and sought a change of ownership from the state health department. In letters dated April 24, the state denied all nine of her applications, but she has appealed that decision and can legally operate them during the appeals process.
“NOTICE OF DENIAL OF APPLICATION,” said one such letter, regarding ownership of a Porterville facility, from the state.
“In or around July 2008, you submitted fraudulent documents to obtain your nursing home administrator license,” said the letter, which noted that Solorzano’s administrator license was revoked in 2019 but remains active because she has also appealed that decision by the state.
The letter went on to say that a state health department review “revealed 128 federal regulatory violations” at facilities she “owned, managed, or operated, directly or indirectly” in the three years ending in February.
Over that same period, the letter stated, violations of state regulations included 34 citations for violations that had “a direct or immediate relationship to patient health,” 16 citations for “imminent danger of death or serious harm” and one citation for “direct proximate cause of death of a patient.” And the state said there were three penalties for failure to comply with mandated minimum staffing requirements.
In an interview with ABC-7 News in San Francisco in mid-April, Solorzano expressed her condolences over the loss of lives at her facility in Orinda. In mid-May the station reported that Solarzano had emailed a statement disputing the allegations against her in the state letters denying her ownership licenses. Her statement said in part:
“The allegations in the CDPH letter you reference are false. There will be a hearing in September on the matter and we will publicly respond to these baseless allegations at the appropriate time. Our only focus now is maintaining the health and safety of our residents.”
Kate Folmar, a spokeswoman for the state Health and Human Services Agency, said that in regard to Solorzano, the health department “has taken every action available to us under state law in this situation.”
She passed along the following from a department staffer:
“Under California law, a new operator can assume operations of a SNF [skilled nursing facility] using a Management Operations Transfer Agreement (MOTA) and that new operator can continue to operate under the MOTA until an appeal of a change of ownership denial is heard and resolved. An operator does not need to have a NHA license in order to own/operate a SNF.”
You can continue to own and operate a nursing home the state doesn’t think you’re qualified to run as long as you’re appealing the state’s decision?
Maybe that’s part of the problem.
“Can you imagine the uproar if the state allowed school bus drivers to keep driving students after losing their licenses due to fatal accidents?” Connors asked.
On Monday, Connors’ group released a 10-point reform plan to overhaul the state’s nursing home industry, charging that understaffing and “toothless enforcement” allowed COVID-19 to cause “unprecedented devastation and tragedy.”
Griselda Nava told me she made multiple complaints to management about her mother’s care at Parkwest. She said she complained that her incontinent mother, who worked as a seamstress and in a slaughterhouse before suffering a stroke at age 59, did not receive proper hygiene care, including diaper pads, and that a male assistant sometimes handled personal hygiene care, despite Nava’s repeated requests for a female aide, allegations also made in the lawsuit.
Nava said the days since her mother’s death have brought little relief. Ironically, she’s been studying to become a nurse because she knows through her mother’s experience how important it is for patients to have someone be there for them in their hours of need.
“I wake up angry every morning,” she told me.
Steve.lopez@latimes.com


latimes--2020-06-10--Who gets the blame if California sees major new coronavirus outbreaks with reopening?

The order from Orange County ’ s health officer was simple and far from radical : Residents should wear cloth face coverings while in a public place , at work or visiting a business to protect against the spread of coronavirus .
But almost immediately , Dr. Nichole Quick faced a fierce backlash from residents and some elected officials , who questioned the need for masks .
People came to a Board of Supervisors meeting carrying a poster with Quick ’ s photo on it with a Hitler mustache on her face and swastikas .
Then , she got a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detail .
Amid mounting criticism , Quick resigned this week , a seeming political casualty as California attempts to revive its economy while preventing new outbreaks of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus .
Some officials insist the increasingly rapid reopening of the economy in California over the last few weeks has been driven by careful health considerations .
But there are also political pressures as well .
Some businesses battered by months of stay-at-home orders are pushing to open their doors , while some residents object to the government telling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apart to stand from each other .
At the same time , there is the question of who gets blamed if the pace of reopening leads to a major surge of cases and deaths .
Los Angeles County remains one of the hardest-hit counties in California , with more than 2,700 dead , comprising more than 57 % of the state ’ s death toll , despite being home to one-quarter of the state ’ s population .
Yet the nation ’ s most populous county is moving faster than the San Francisco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gavin Newsom has emphasized that the decision to reopen on an accelerated pace is one made by local leaders .
“ Let me just clarify something : The local health director made the decision in L.A. today .
The state of California did not , ” Newsom said on May 29 when L.A. County filed paperwork with the state that allowed it to reopen restaurants for in-person dining and hair salons .
“ That question is foundationally a question for local health directors and local county officials.
” Top officials in L.A. have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of the reason they felt it was the right time to proceed .
Mayor Eric Garcetti said at the time deaths and hospitalizations have been trending down in L.A. County , and it ’ s important to care both about public health and economic strain .
The chairwoman of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors , Kathryn Barger , said in an interview that county leaders take responsibility for the local reopening strategy .
The state “ gave us a green light .
But he ’ s right .
I mean , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our public health officer , ” she said .
“ Everything we ’ ve done has been based on the data brought forward by [ the Los Angeles County Department of ] Public Health , and that ’ s been brought forward based on the criteria set by the state , ” she said .
“ And this board has been very careful to make sure that we do it in a deliberate and careful fashion , based on public health.
” Only time will tell whether L.A. County is moving too fast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what ’ s going on : County scientists say the effective transmission rate of the disease has increased recently .
The number of weekly cases diagnosed last week fell 12 % compared with the previous week .
But for the first time in weeks , there was no significant decrease in weekly hospitalizations due to the coronavirus .
And weekly deaths in Los Angeles County rose 12 % last week compared with the previous week .
The vast majority of Californians are still vulnerable to getting infection .
The latest study estimating the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t yet been infected in L.A. County suggests as much as 98 % of people in the nation ’ s most populous county have not yet been infected with the coronavirus , which is deadlier and more infectious than the seasonal flu .
Barbara Ferrer , director of public health for L.A. County , has defended the region ’ s reopening plan , but said residents and businesses need to follow safety rules .
“ At some point , we have to reopen , ” Ferrer said .
“ The name of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sectors are reopening , we ’ re taking every single precaution we can.
” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong , professor and infectious-diseases specialist at UC San Francisco , said while reopening restaurants doesn ’ t make him nervous , the idea of resuming large gatherings , such as congregations meeting at churches , gives him cause for concern .
“ It ’ s really about the size of the crowd , ” Chin-Hong said .
People should be circumspect about having vulnerable people such as the elderly and people with cancer , heart disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Super-spreading events that have transmitted the coronavirus to many people have occurred at churches , as well as other mass events , such as conventions and Mardi Gras celebrations .
Among 92 people who attended a church in Arkansas in early March , 35 were confirmed to be infected , and three died ; the first two people found to be infected were the pastor and his wife , according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The San Francisco Bay Area is taking a much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opening only outdoor dining as an interim step before opening indoor dining .
In Northern California ’ s most populous county and the home to Silicon Valley , Santa Clara County , only outdoor dining and outdoor religious services were allowed to resume last Friday , along with in-store shopping .
Hair salons were not allowed to reopen .
Dr. Sara Cody , the Santa Clara County health officer , said infection rates across the county have been low and have been stable for some time .
However , there has been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , likely related to Santa Clara County ’ s modest reopening efforts in mid-May , where stores reopened for pickup service , Cody said Monday .
Cody has faced some criticism for her cautious approach to reopening , but not to the degree her counterpart in Orange County , Quick , has experienced .
Her mask order in late May faced immediate challenge from residents and elected officials who questioned the need for the widespread use of face coverings as businesses in the region reopened .
That ire at times was directly aimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Department provided a security detail for Quick after she received what officials deemed to be a death threat during a county Board of Supervisors meeting last month .
During the meeting , a woman who identified herself as an attorney disparaged Quick ’ s experience in the medical field and read her home address aloud , saying she planned to take a group to Quick ’ s home and “ do calisthenics in masks on her front doorstep ” in an attempt to prove that face coverings are unsafe .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about face coverings posing a danger to people ’ s oxygen levels .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has previously said that children younger than 2 and anyone with a breathing issue should not wear a face covering .
“ When people start dropping like flies , and they will , ” the woman said at the meeting , “ I am going to ask every first responder in a 30-mile radius to roll lights and sirens to her front door , and you had best pray they can revive whoever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t … I will be asking the O.C .
D.A.
’ s office to charge it as murder.
” Later that week , Orange County Board of Supervisors Chair Michelle Steel condemned the threat , saying , “ It should never happen again.
” “ No one deserves to be threatened or intimidated the way she was , ” Steel said at the time .
Health experts say face coverings can help slow the spread of the coronavirus by keeping infectious oral droplets of an infected person from spraying out while talking to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the county ’ s health officer last June , could not be reached for comment Tuesday .
The county agreed to pay Quick $ 75,000 in severance in exchange for her decision to voluntarily resign , according to a settlement and release agreement signed Monday .
The agreement notes that County Executive Officer Frank Kim won ’ t disparage work done by Quick while she was employed with the county .
In exchange , Quick agreed not to criticize the county or the Board of Supervisors .
Kim characterized the agreement Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county ” when it comes to executive-level employees .
“ I had a very good working relationship and I thought she did very good work for the county as our health officer , ” he said during a phone call with reporters .
Kim added that he was surprised and disappointed by Quick ’ s resignation .
He said neither he nor any of the members of the Board of Supervisors encouraged her to resign .
He declined to elaborate on her reasons for doing so , aside from saying , “ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the job weighed in on her decision.
” As of Tuesday night , 185 people have died in Orange County from the coronavirus .
There was an average of nearly 400 people in Orange County hospitalized with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections every day last week , up from nearly 300 in early May .
Times staff writers Iris Lee , Joseph Serna , Colleen Shalby and Phil Willon contributed to this report .

Rong-Gong Lin II, Hannah Fry, Luke Money

People take advantage of the newly opened walking path on the Strand in Manhattan Beach last month.
The order from Orange County’s health officer was simple and far from radical: Residents should wear cloth face coverings while in a public place, at work or visiting a business to protect against the spread of coronavirus.
But almost immediately, Dr. Nichole Quick faced a fierce backlash from residents and some elected officials, who questioned the need for masks. People came to a Board of Supervisors meeting carrying a poster with Quick’s photo on it with a Hitler mustache on her face and swastikas. Then, she got a death threat, and required a security detail.
Amid mounting criticism, Quick resigned this week, a seeming political casualty as California attempts to revive its economy while preventing new outbreaks of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
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Some officials insist the increasingly rapid reopening of the economy in California over the last few weeks has been driven by careful health considerations. But there are also political pressures as well. Some businesses battered by months of stay-at-home orders are pushing to open their doors, while some residents object to the government telling them to wear masks and how far apart to stand from each other.
At the same time, there is the question of who gets blamed if the pace of reopening leads to a major surge of cases and deaths.
1 / 46 Newport Beach police enforce closures along the Wedge in Newport Beach, a popular surf spot. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 46 Spectators along the Wedge in Newport Beach, a surf spot, on July 4. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 46 A bicyclist rides along Highland Avenue with the pier closed to beachgoers on July 3 in Manhattan Beach. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 46 Peter Gratzinger of Pacific Palisades heads to the water at Santa Monica State Beach, which opened to the public at 5 a.m. July 6. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 46 A bicyclist with her child rides along the closed bike path on July 3 in Manhattan Beach. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 6 / 46 A police officer and a lifeguard boat comb the shoreline in Venice Beach on July 5. Even though the beach was closed over the weekend a few still made their way to the shoreline. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 7 / 46 No-parking signs from the July 4 weekend still block spots on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica on Monday. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times) 8 / 46 Dusk sets in over the the Santa Monica Pier on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 46 Southern California residents watch the fireworks during the Drive-Up 4th of July Spectacular at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base on Saturday in Los Alamitos. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 10 / 46 Bella Nousiainen, left, with daughter, Helmi Nousiainen, of Los Angeles, at the Santa Monica Pier, which reopens after being closed to guests for months because of the coronavirus. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 11 / 46 Dr. Jamie Taylor checks the ventilators at the refashioned St. Vincent Hospital. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 12 / 46 Shoppers and mannequins wear protective masks in the Los Angeles downtown garment district on Thursday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 13 / 46 Patrons wear face coverings at Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. A recent surge in COVID-19 cases in California has pushed the state’s total past 200,000 with more than 5,800 deaths. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times) 14 / 46 LAPD officers E. Rosales, left, and D. Castro, patrol the Metro Red Line at the Hollywood/Highland Metro Station Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 15 / 46 Visitors wear protective masks while walking through historic Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 16 / 46 People wait in line to have a COVID-19 screening administered by the Community Organized Relief Effort at the Los Angeles City Mayor’s test site at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 17 / 46 A woman adjusts a protective mask while walkiing along Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Ti mes) 18 / 46 Cameron Johnson,18, left, headed to UC Berkeley in the fall and Simona Krasnegor,17, headed to UCLA in the fall, watched the sun set while sitting next to the Manhattan Beach Pier, following their drive-through graduation from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 19 / 46 Jair Guido, 36, a veterinarian visiting from Durango, Mexico, right, wearing a sombrero with an American flag draped over his shoulders, walks with other pedestrians along Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. Guido said that he wore this outfit to show people that he is proud to be a Mexican and that he loves America. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered all Californians to wear face coverings while in public. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 46 A mask-wearing skateboarder and her dog make their way along the boardwalk in Venice Beach. Californians must wear face masks in public under a coronavirus order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 46 Pedestrians, some with face coverings, some without, walk past musicians Brent Kendell, background left, and Sam Jones, background right, as they perform at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 46 People wear masks while walking along the boardwalk in Venice Beach. Californians must wear face masks in public under a coronavirus order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 46 Pedestrians cross the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered all Californians to wear face coverings while in public, following growing concerns that an increase in coronavirus cases has been caused by residents failing to voluntarily take that precaution. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 46 Sophia Strauss, left, and Sarah Hoffmeister celebrate after their drive-through graduation from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 46 New West Charter School vice principal Mark Herrera shouts at graduate Joe Reid to come and receive his diploma during a drive-up graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020 at the charter school in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 26 / 46 A worker directs drivers at a drive-up testing site for COVID-19 outside of Jackie Robinson Stadium at UCLA.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 27 / 46 Destiny VanSciner is tested for COVID-19 with an oral swab by family nurse practitioner Anniesatu Newland at a walk-in site at St. John’s Well Child and Family Center in South Los Angeles. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 46 Melissa Gomes fixes the tassel on the mortarboard of Sarah Anggraini as the new graduate gets ready for a photo at Chaffey College, which held a drive-through graduation, in Rancho Cucamonga. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 46 Maricela Moreno, manager at El Tarasco in Marina del Rey, disinfects cash at the restaurant. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 46 Mildred “Millie” Stratton waves to a caravan of cars led by Alhambra police officers and firefighters. The parade past her home celebrated Stratton’s 102nd birthday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 46 Eric Larkin hands an order to Brittany Wright as she fastens her face covering outside the Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 46 A jogger passes Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles as local stay-at-home orders are increasingly relaxed months into the coronavirus outbreak. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 46 Hikers and bikers traverse the Santa Fe Dam trail as county parks officially reopen to the public. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 46 A woman, masked against COVID-19, walks past a building that features the image of Britney Spears at a shopping center in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 46 Manon Guijarro, a new graduate of Pierce College, has her photo taken by friend Paige Johnson at Chris Burden’s outdoor work “Urban Light” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 46 Mary Perez, a salesperson at High Class Jewels on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, helps a customer as he tries on a gold rope chain inside the recently reopened store. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times) 37 / 46 Professional dog walker Lindsay Rojas takes golden retrievers Gomez, left, and Nikki for a stroll along Le Bourget Avenue in Culver City. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 46 The Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying team banks over downtown Los Angeles in formation to salute healthcare workers and first responders on May 15. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 46 Maria Morales, center, a member of the USC class of 2020, participates in virtual graduation via Zoom with her brother Manny Morales, left, mom Pilar Morales and stepdad Victor Ramos from her home in Orange. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 46 On a recent day, there’s not a face mask in sight as a roller skater and others share the reopened walking path on the Strand in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 46 Crew members of a Hainan Airlines flight walk through the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 42 / 46 A woman wearing a protective mask walks past a shuttered business in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) 43 / 46 Thousands of rental cars are stored at Dodger Stadium as the coronavirus crisis has caused rentals to nosedive. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) 44 / 46 Some beachgoers actively use the beach while others relax on the sand, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s active-use-only order, in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 45 / 46 Traveling nurse Gail Cunningham waves thanks outside the emergency room entrance to Riverside University Health System in Moreno Valley as residents pay tribute to her and other medical personnel with a drive-by rally. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) 46 / 46 A scene from “Knives Out,” with actor Don Johnson, seen at the Mission Tiki Drive-in Theatre in Montclair. Opened with one screen in 1956, the Mission Tiki expanded to four screens in 1975 and began renovation in 2006, updating to FM transmitters and digital projectors. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles County remains one of the hardest-hit counties in California, with more than 2,700 dead, comprising more than 57% of the state’s death toll, despite being home to one-quarter of the state’s population. Yet the nation’s most populous county is moving faster than the San Francisco Bay Area in reopening.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has emphasized that the decision to reopen on an accelerated pace is one made by local leaders.
“Let me just clarify something: The local health director made the decision in L.A. today. The state of California did not,” Newsom said on May 29 when L.A. County filed paperwork with the state that allowed it to reopen restaurants for in-person dining and hair salons. “That question is foundationally a question for local health directors and local county officials.”
Top officials in L.A. have pointed to Newsom’s guidelines as part of the reason they felt it was the right time to proceed. Mayor Eric Garcetti said at the time deaths and hospitalizations have been trending down in L.A. County, and it’s important to care both about public health and economic strain.
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The chairwoman of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, Kathryn Barger, said in an interview that county leaders take responsibility for the local reopening strategy.
The state “gave us a green light. But he’s right. I mean, ultimately, it’s up to our public health officer,” she said. “Everything we’ve done has been based on the data brought forward by [the Los Angeles County Department of] Public Health, and that’s been brought forward based on the criteria set by the state,” she said. “And this board has been very careful to make sure that we do it in a deliberate and careful fashion, based on public health.”
Only time will tell whether L.A. County is moving too fast.
There is no steady narrative of what’s going on: County scientists say the effective transmission rate of the disease has increased recently. The number of weekly cases diagnosed last week fell 12% compared with the previous week.
But for the first time in weeks, there was no significant decrease in weekly hospitalizations due to the coronavirus.
And weekly deaths in Los Angeles County rose 12% last week compared with the previous week.
The vast majority of Californians are still vulnerable to getting infection. The latest study estimating the percentage of the population who hasn’t yet been infected in L.A. County suggests as much as 98% of people in the nation’s most populous county have not yet been infected with the coronavirus, which is deadlier and more infectious than the seasonal flu.
Barbara Ferrer, director of public health for L.A. County, has defended the region’s reopening plan, but said residents and businesses need to follow safety rules.
“At some point, we have to reopen,” Ferrer said. “The name of the game is to make sure that when sectors are reopening, we’re taking every single precaution we can.”
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor and infectious-diseases specialist at UC San Francisco, said while reopening restaurants doesn’t make him nervous, the idea of resuming large gatherings, such as congregations meeting at churches, gives him cause for concern.
“It’s really about the size of the crowd,” Chin-Hong said. People should be circumspect about having vulnerable people such as the elderly and people with cancer, heart disease and other underlying conditions visiting reopened areas.
Super-spreading events that have transmitted the coronavirus to many people have occurred at churches, as well as other mass events, such as conventions and Mardi Gras celebrations.
Among 92 people who attended a church in Arkansas in early March, 35 were confirmed to be infected, and three died; the first two people found to be infected were the pastor and his wife, according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The San Francisco Bay Area is taking a much slower, gradual approach, and is opening only outdoor dining as an interim step before opening indoor dining.
In Northern California’s most populous county and the home to Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County, only outdoor dining and outdoor religious services were allowed to resume last Friday, along with in-store shopping. Hair salons were not allowed to reopen.
Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County health officer, said infection rates across the county have been low and have been stable for some time. However, there has been a slight bump up in coronavirus hospitalization numbers, likely related to Santa Clara County’s modest reopening efforts in mid-May, where stores reopened for pickup service, Cody said Monday.
Cody has faced some criticism for her cautious approach to reopening, but not to the degree her counterpart in Orange County, Quick, has experienced.
Her mask order in late May faced immediate challenge from residents and elected officials who questioned the need for the widespread use of face coverings as businesses in the region reopened. That ire at times was directly aimed at Quick.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department provided a security detail for Quick after she received what officials deemed to be a death threat during a county Board of Supervisors meeting last month.
During the meeting, a woman who identified herself as an attorney disparaged Quick’s experience in the medical field and read her home address aloud, saying she planned to take a group to Quick’s home and “do calisthenics in masks on her front doorstep” in an attempt to prove that face coverings are unsafe.
The woman echoed what other critics had said about face coverings posing a danger to people’s oxygen levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has previously said that children younger than 2 and anyone with a breathing issue should not wear a face covering.
“When people start dropping like flies, and they will,” the woman said at the meeting, “I am going to ask every first responder in a 30-mile radius to roll lights and sirens to her front door, and you had best pray they can revive whoever went down because if they can’t … I will be asking the O.C. D.A.’s office to charge it as murder.”
Later that week, Orange County Board of Supervisors Chair Michelle Steel condemned the threat, saying, “It should never happen again.”
“No one deserves to be threatened or intimidated the way she was,” Steel said at the time.
Health experts say face coverings can help slow the spread of the coronavirus by keeping infectious oral droplets of an infected person from spraying out while talking to others.
Quick, who was hired as the county’s health officer last June, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The county agreed to pay Quick $75,000 in severance in exchange for her decision to voluntarily resign, according to a settlement and release agreement signed Monday.
The agreement notes that County Executive Officer Frank Kim won’t disparage work done by Quick while she was employed with the county. In exchange, Quick agreed not to criticize the county or the Board of Supervisors.
Kim characterized the agreement Tuesday as “fairly standard practice for the county” when it comes to executive-level employees.
“I had a very good working relationship and I thought she did very good work for the county as our health officer,” he said during a phone call with reporters.
Kim added that he was surprised and disappointed by Quick’s resignation. He said neither he nor any of the members of the Board of Supervisors encouraged her to resign.
He declined to elaborate on her reasons for doing so, aside from saying, “I do believe that all of the challenges of the job weighed in on her decision.”
As of Tuesday night, 185 people have died in Orange County from the coronavirus. There was an average of nearly 400 people in Orange County hospitalized with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections every day last week, up from nearly 300 in early May.
Times staff writers Iris Lee, Joseph Serna, Colleen Shalby and Phil Willon contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-06-10--L.A. police union spent big in local elections. Some politicians now shun the money

It was the morning after Los Angeles Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and other officials had proposed cutting up to $ 150 million from the Police Department and she was facing a dismayed crowd at a command post in Panorama City .
One officer said that if the city needed to cut , it should start with protection details at council members ’ homes .
Another accused Rodriguez of “ pandering ” to protesters and said that if it weren ’ t for the police , the city would have burned down .
“ I promise you , this union will go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re gon na fight , ” said Jerretta Sandoz , a board member with the Los Angeles Police Protective League .
“ At the ballot box , ” another person chimed in .
The LAPPL , which represents rank-and-file officers , has been a significant force in local elections .
In the past decade , the union has given more than $ 100,000 directly to city candidates .
Its independent expenditure committees , which can not legally be controlled by candidates and do not have the same limits on donations , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that money is under scrutiny by Angelenos supporting a national movement against police brutality — and some local politicians say they won ’ t accept it anymore .
It is the latest sign of the push against longstanding practices at City Hall as Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and other activist groups have pushed to defund and overhaul the Police Department .
When Rodriguez ran for office three years ago , the LAPPL backed her candidacy with more than $ 100,000 in mailers and telephone calls .
The league also spent more than $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he first ran nine years ago .
And when Garcetti first ran for mayor , the union sponsored committees that spent more than $ 1.5 million backing his opponent .
It has successfully pushed to rework officer discipline and advocated for higher pay .
More recently , the LAPPL spent $ 150,000 to back Councilman John Lee , who narrowly kept his seat earlier this year ; gave $ 50,000 to another committee supporting Councilman Herb Wesson as he campaigns to become a county supervisor ; and spent nearly $ 45,000 in support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facing off against nonprofit leader Nithya Raman .
Raman argued that politicians should disavow such spending , saying that it distorts decisions when every elected official in the city has been bolstered by political donations from the LAPPL .
As protesters have faced batons and other violent tactics , “ the reluctance of our local officials to speak out against even clearly documented harms is a sign of the power of the police union , ” said Raman , who wants to reassess the LAPD budget .
Ryu said Tuesday that he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was disavowing any future independent spending by the police union on his behalf .
The councilman said he had opposed increasing the LAPD budget while other city services were being cut and argued that the city needs to reexamine the use of force .
L.A. also needs “ a visionary , long-term plan to replace the use of police officers to address chronic social issues , ” Ryu said .
Councilman Mike Bonin also said Tuesday that he was rejecting any future contributions from the police union , which has donated directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have spent over $ 45,000 backing his candidacy .
Bonin , who has raised concerns about police tactics during protests , said he was making a personal donation in the amount he had received directly in the past — more than $ 4,000 for his campaigns and office holder accounts — to organizations working to oppose racism and reform policing , including Black Lives Matter .
He also said he would disavow independent spending by the union .
“ Angelenos are demanding a new approach to how we keep our neighborhoods safe , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public representatives are accountable to the people , ” Bonin said .
And there has been an especially concerted push for elected prosecutors to forgo money from police unions .
George Gascón , who is running to unseat Los Angeles County D.A .
Jackie Lacey , recently joined other prosecutors in lobbying to prohibit district attorneys from accepting support from police unions , which Gascón said he would no longer do .
Lacey has shunned that idea , arguing that “ any proposal that prevents a union from actively engaging their members in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ path to go down.
” In a statement , she contended that “ silencing the voices of labor unions sets a bad precedent ” that could hurt unions representing teachers and nurses .
Lee , the councilman representing the northwest San Fernando Valley , said he was honored to have LAPPL support for his campaigns .
Wesson said that “ direct or independent donations to me or my opponent carry zero weight when I vote.
” And City Atty .
Mike Feuer , who is running for mayor , “ strongly believes any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undermine his ability to exercise independent judgment with regard to LAPD , ” his campaign consultant John Shallman said .
Such arguments were echoed by council members Rodriguez , Bob Blumenfield , Mitch O ’ Farrell and Paul Koretz and County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas , who is running for a council seat against attorney Grace Yoo .
LAPPL spokesperson Dustin DeRollo said “ there is no expectation or belief that there is a connection between a contribution and an official action , ” pointing out that Wesson had signed on to the proposal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not persuaded Wesson ’ s opponent , State Sen. Holly Mitchell ( D-Los Angeles ) , whose campaign manager Lenee Richards called Wesson “ the candidate of the police unions ” and said Mitchell would not accept such donations , stating that “ it is time for leadership that is free from corruption and influence.
” Progressive activists have also been skeptical .
If the spending didn ’ t affect politicians , “ it wouldn ’ t be done in the first place , ” said Chris Roth , an organizer with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants to cut the police budget .
Roth argued that the political clout of the LAPPL “ has basically prevented any discussion about reducing the size of the police budget ” until now .
The San Fernando Valley Young Democrats recently made disavowing contributions from law enforcement groups a condition for its endorsement .
Swearing off that money “ would show Angelenos that these L.A. elected officials are not beholden to police and police unions first and the people second , ” its legislative director Andrew Lewis said .
Lewis pointed to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of “ unrestricted ” revenues in the general fund to the LAPD — as a key indication of how the police union had commanded influence over City Hall .
The police union has argued that pay needs to be high enough to prevent the city from losing officers to other agencies .
Wesson , Garcetti and other city officials also championed Charter Amendment C , a successful 2017 ballot measure backed by the police union that allowed disciplinary panels to be made up entirely of civilians .
Opponents including BLM and other local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that civilians tend to be more lenient toward officers .
DeRollo argued that voters value the political voice of police officers .
The union has been especially outspoken over the past week : After Garcetti joined the calls to cut police funding and made a remark about “ killers ” that the union saw as a smear against officers , the LAPPL called him “ unstable.
” “ Eric , do you really believe that Los Angeles police officers are killers ?
” LAPPL board member Jamie McBride said last week .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security at your residence 365 days a year ?
” Garcetti said his remarks were misconstrued and that he wasn ’ t referring to police .
McBride later appeared on a Spectrum News 1 report about police providing security at Council President Nury Martinez ’ s home , calling it a “ disgusting ” use of taxpayer money and “ ironic ” in light of her call to reduce the police budget .
Martinez spokesman Rick Coca said the LAPD had suggested a security detail in response to threats , which was called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The department has also provided security at the home of Councilman O ’ Farrell , whose spokesman said it had also been recommended by the LAPD following threats .
Martinez , asked about past donations from the LAPPL , said in a statement that she answers to her constituents , “ who are calling out for justice and change and to root out racism in all aspects of our lives.
” L.A. isn ’ t alone : In New York City , some politicians have pledged to redistribute political donations they received from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of color .
In San Francisco , both state Sen. Scott Wiener and his opponent , Jackie Fielder , have sworn off such donations .
Some L.A. officials argued that the push against police union donations was counterproductive .
Blumenfield said that “ political gestures like this would only deepen the divide and reduce our potential for substantive negotiations.
” Buscaino spokesman Branimir Kvartuc said the councilman wasn ’ t “ picking sides ” and hadn ’ t considered the issue .
Several other officials did not promptly respond to questionsabout political spending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aide said the mayor is not currently a candidate for office .

LAPD officer watches for people tossing debris from tall buildings as dozens of protesters are arrested for curfew violations on Broadway.
It was the morning after Los Angeles Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and other officials had proposed cutting up to $150 million from the Police Department and she was facing a dismayed crowd at a command post in Panorama City.
One officer said that if the city needed to cut, it should start with protection details at council members’ homes. Another accused Rodriguez of “pandering” to protesters and said that if it weren’t for the police, the city would have burned down.
“I promise you, this union will go to our grave fighting. ... We’re gonna fight,” said Jerretta Sandoz, a board member with the Los Angeles Police Protective League.
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“At the ballot box,” another person chimed in.
The LAPPL, which represents rank-and-file officers, has been a significant force in local elections. In the past decade, the union has given more than $100,000 directly to city candidates. Its independent expenditure committees, which cannot legally be controlled by candidates and do not have the same limits on donations, have spent millions of dollars more.
Now that money is under scrutiny by Angelenos supporting a national movement against police brutality — and some local politicians say they won’t accept it anymore. It is the latest sign of the push against longstanding practices at City Hall as Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and other activist groups have pushed to defund and overhaul the Police Department.
When Rodriguez ran for office three years ago, the LAPPL backed her candidacy with more than $100,000 in mailers and telephone calls. The league also spent more than $220,000 to support Councilman Joe Buscaino when he first ran nine years ago. And when Garcetti first ran for mayor, the union sponsored committees that spent more than $1.5 million backing his opponent. It has successfully pushed to rework officer discipline and advocated for higher pay.
More recently, the LAPPL spent $150,000 to back Councilman John Lee, who narrowly kept his seat earlier this year; gave $50,000 to another committee supporting Councilman Herb Wesson as he campaigns to become a county supervisor; and spent nearly $45,000 in support of Councilman David Ryu, who is facing off against nonprofit leader Nithya Raman.
California Callers to City Hall demand big cuts from the LAPD An L.A. City Council panel heard from members of the public who demanded sharp cuts in the LAPD budget in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Raman argued that politicians should disavow such spending, saying that it distorts decisions when every elected official in the city has been bolstered by political donations from the LAPPL.
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As protesters have faced batons and other violent tactics, “the reluctance of our local officials to speak out against even clearly documented harms is a sign of the power of the police union,” said Raman, who wants to reassess the LAPD budget.
Ryu said Tuesday that he had returned a campaign donation from the LAPPL and was disavowing any future independent spending by the police union on his behalf. The councilman said he had opposed increasing the LAPD budget while other city services were being cut and argued that the city needs to reexamine the use of force.
L.A. also needs “a visionary, long-term plan to replace the use of police officers to address chronic social issues,” Ryu said.
Councilman Mike Bonin also said Tuesday that he was rejecting any future contributions from the police union, which has donated directly to the councilman and whose independent committees have spent over $45,000 backing his candidacy.
Bonin, who has raised concerns about police tactics during protests, said he was making a personal donation in the amount he had received directly in the past — more than $4,000 for his campaigns and office holder accounts — to organizations working to oppose racism and reform policing, including Black Lives Matter. He also said he would disavow independent spending by the union.
“Angelenos are demanding a new approach to how we keep our neighborhoods safe, and they want to know that their public representatives are accountable to the people,” Bonin said.
And there has been an especially concerted push for elected prosecutors to forgo money from police unions. George Gascón, who is running to unseat Los Angeles County D.A. Jackie Lacey, recently joined other prosecutors in lobbying to prohibit district attorneys from accepting support from police unions, which Gascón said he would no longer do.
Lacey has shunned that idea, arguing that “any proposal that prevents a union from actively engaging their members in the democratic process is an extremely dangerous path to go down.”In a statement, she contended that “silencing the voices of labor unions sets a bad precedent” that could hurt unions representing teachers and nurses.
Lee, the councilman representing the northwest San Fernando Valley, said he was honored to have LAPPL support for his campaigns. Wesson said that “direct or independent donations to me or my opponent carry zero weight when I vote.”
And City Atty. Mike Feuer, who is running for mayor, “strongly believes any past donations do not in any way undermine his ability to exercise independent judgment with regard to LAPD,” his campaign consultant John Shallman said. Such arguments were echoed by council members Rodriguez, Bob Blumenfield, Mitch O’Farrell and Paul Koretz and County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who is running for a council seat against attorney Grace Yoo.
LAPPL spokesperson Dustin DeRollo said “there is no expectation or belief that there is a connection between a contribution and an official action,” pointing out that Wesson had signed on to the proposal to reduce LAPD funding.
That has not persuaded Wesson’s opponent, State Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), whose campaign manager Lenee Richards called Wesson “the candidate of the police unions” and said Mitchell would not accept such donations, stating that “it is time for leadership that is free from corruption and influence.”
Progressive activists have also been skeptical. If the spending didn’t affect politicians, “it wouldn’t be done in the first place,” said Chris Roth, an organizer with the activist group Ground Game LA, which wants to cut the police budget.
Roth argued that the political clout of the LAPPL “has basically prevented any discussion about reducing the size of the police budget” until now.
The San Fernando Valley Young Democrats recently made disavowing contributions from law enforcement groups a condition for its endorsement. Swearing off that money “would show Angelenos that these L.A. elected officials are not beholden to police and police unions first and the people second,” its legislative director Andrew Lewis said.
Lewis pointed to the budget — which allocates more than half of “unrestricted” revenues in the general fund to the LAPD — as a key indication of how the police union had commanded influence over City Hall. The police union has argued that pay needs to be high enough to prevent the city from losing officers to other agencies.
Wesson, Garcetti and other city officials also championed Charter Amendment C, a successful 2017 ballot measure backed by the police union that allowed disciplinary panels to be made up entirely of civilians. Opponents including BLM and other local activists had opposed the change and argued that civilians tend to be more lenient toward officers.
DeRollo argued that voters value the political voice of police officers. The union has been especially outspoken over the past week: After Garcetti joined the calls to cut police funding and made a remark about “killers” that the union saw as a smear against officers, the LAPPL called him “unstable.”
“Eric, do you really believe that Los Angeles police officers are killers?” LAPPL board member Jamie McBride said last week. “The same officers that provide you 24-hour security at your residence 365 days a year?”
Garcetti said his remarks were misconstrued and that he wasn’t referring to police. McBride later appeared on a Spectrum News 1 report about police providing security at Council President Nury Martinez’s home, calling it a “disgusting” use of taxpayer money and “ironic” in light of her call to reduce the police budget.
Martinez spokesman Rick Coca said the LAPD had suggested a security detail in response to threats, which was called off after it was “compromised.” The department has also provided security at the home of Councilman O’Farrell, whose spokesman said it had also been recommended by the LAPD following threats.
Martinez, asked about past donations from the LAPPL, said in a statement that she answers to her constituents, “who are calling out for justice and change and to root out racism in all aspects of our lives.”
L.A. isn’t alone: In New York City, some politicians have pledged to redistribute political donations they received from law enforcement groups to organizations helping communities of color. In San Francisco, both state Sen. Scott Wiener and his opponent, Jackie Fielder, have sworn off such donations.
Some L.A. officials argued that the push against police union donations was counterproductive. Blumenfield said that “political gestures like this would only deepen the divide and reduce our potential for substantive negotiations.”
Buscaino spokesman Branimir Kvartuc said the councilman wasn’t “picking sides” and hadn’t considered the issue. Several other officials did not promptly respond to questionsabout political spending by the police union; a Garcetti aide said the mayor is not currently a candidate for office.
Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-06-10--Sepulveda fire: 50 acres burn in Bel-Air hills amid scorching temperatures

Firefighters appear to have the upper hand in their battle against a brush fire that broke out early Wednesday in Bel-Air off the 405 Freeway .
The blaze , dubbed the Sepulveda fire , was reported around 12:15 a.m. near Getty Center Drive and Sepulveda Boulevard and was burning in rugged , steep terrain in the hills east of the 405 , according to fire officials .
Before the sun rose Wednesday morning , officials said , forward progress of the fire had been stopped but firefighters were still battling the blaze .
The 405 Freeway remains open , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed .
As of 8 a.m. , the fire was estimated to have burned about 50 acres of grass and brush and was 25 % contained .
More than 200 firefighters responded to the fire .
Two were injured and treated at the scene , said Brian Humphrey , a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department .
No homes were threatened , and no evacuations were ordered .
Fire officials , however , set up precautionary structure defense to protect homes near Moraga Drive and in the Bel-Air Crest Estates area , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crews were fighting the fire on the ground , assisted by water-dropping helicopters , Scott said .
Firefighters ’ efforts to control the blaze come amid another day of scorching temperatures across Southern California .
The mercury is expected to rise into the mid-90s in Bel-Air and downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday .
Temperatures along the coast are expected to be slightly cooler , likely in the high 70s and low 80s in most areas .
Santa Ana winds that kicked up earlier in the week have diminished , according to the National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a heat advisory , in effect from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. , for downtown Los Angeles and the cities of Malibu , Santa Monica , Beverly Hills , Hollywood and Long Beach .
The advisory warns of temperatures in the high 90s that could cause heat-related illnesses .
Images posted on social media showed bands of fire scorching the brush along the 405 Freeway early Wednesday .
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined .
The blaze broke out after a day of record-breaking heat across the region .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday , shattering the previous record of 82 degrees set in 1990 .
Los Angeles International Airport reached 93 degrees , inching past the previous record for the day of 91 degrees set in 1979 .
In Orange County , Anaheim reached 103 degrees and Newport Beach reached 84 degrees , surpassing their prior records of 92 degrees and 82 degrees , respectively , set in 1990 .
Similar weather conditions have helped fuel past brush fires in the area .
In October 2019 , a tree branch that landed in power lines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a brush fire that eventually burned more than 740 acres , according to the LAFD .
The fire destroyed 10 homes and damaged another 15 residences .

L.A. County firefighters at the scene of a brush fire that broke out after midnight in the Sepulveda Pass, threatening homes near Bel-Air. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
L.A. County hand crews arrive to contain a brush fire that broke out after midnight in the Sepulveda Pass. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
LAFD firefighter Ralph Hester from Engine 69 puts out hot spots as firefighters work to contain a brush fire that broke out in the Sepulveda Pass. Firefighters were able to stop forward progress of the blaze at about 50 acres. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
LAFD arson investigators Robert Williams, left, and Joe Sanchez examine the scene of the brush fire that broke out early Wednesday in the Sepulveda Pass and threatened homes near Bel-Air. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters were able to stop a brush fire that broke out early Wednesday in Bel-Air off the 405 Freeway.
The blaze, dubbed the Sepulveda fire, was reported about 12:15 a.m. near Getty Center Drive and Sepulveda Boulevard and was burning in rugged, steep terrain in the hills east of the 405, according to fire officials.
Before the sun rose Wednesday morning, officials said, forward progress of the fire had been stopped, but firefighters were still battling the blaze. The 405 Freeway remains open, but the Getty Center Drive off-ramp has been closed.
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As of 8 a.m., the fire was estimated to have burned about 50 acres of grass and brush and was 25% contained.
More than 200 firefighters responded to the fire. Two were injured and treated at the scene, said Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
No homes were threatened, and no evacuations were ordered. Fire officials, however, set up precautionary structure defense to protect homes near Moraga Drive and in the Bel-Air Crest Estates area, LAFD spokesman Erik Scott said.
Hand crews were fighting the fire on the ground, assisted by water-dropping helicopters, Scott said.
Firefighters’ efforts to control the blaze come amid another day of scorching temperatures across Southern California that saw brush fires popping up all over the state.
To the south, firefighters were making progress on several brush fires that had burned through more than 12 square miles at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base.
The blazes were believed to be linked to military training exercises, John Crook, deputy chief of the Camp Pendleton Fire Department, said in a video posted on the base’s Twitter account.
None of the fires posed threats to personnel or buildings, nor to the surrounding communities, Crook said.
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Across the Southland, the mercury rose into the mid-90s on Wednesday. Santa Ana winds that kicked up earlier in the week have diminished, according to the National Weather Service.
The blazes broke out after a day of record-breaking heat across the region. Downtown Los Angeles reached 98 degrees on Tuesday, breaking the previous record of 94 degrees set in 1979. Los Angeles International Airport reached 93 degrees, inching past the previous record for the day of 91 degrees set in 1979.
In Orange County, Anaheim reached 103 degrees, and Newport Beach reached 84 degrees, surpassing their prior records of 92 degrees and 82 degrees, respectively, set in 1990.
Similar weather conditions have helped fuel past brush fires in the area.
In October 2019, a tree branch that landed in power lines during strong winds sparked the Getty Fire, a brush fire that eventually burned more than 740 acres, according to the LAFD. The fire destroyed 10 homes and damaged another 15 residences.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.