latimes--2020-04-24--California's reopening is slowed by rising coronavirus cases, deaths

With the economy continuing to crater , there is intense pressure to begin to open California businesses .
But even though the state has been bending the coronavirus curve , and seeing a far less dire toll than places like New York and New Jersey , a continuing spike in cases and deaths this week is one of several factors keeping officials from moving toward easing any of the social distancing rules .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom said this week that most of the six milestones he set to consider loosening the stay-home order he issued last month have not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor has made is to allow some elective surgeries to again be scheduled in hospitals , citing sufficient capacity .
“ It will be those indicators that drive our decision-making , ” he said Thursday .
“ Not dates .
We don ’ t debate dates .
We look at the facts objectively.
” California saw its worst one-day fatality total on Wednesday , and the rate of new cases , after seeming to flatten , is rising amid more widely available testing .
More than 1,800 people have died across the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re not out of the woods yet , ” Newsom said Thursday .
Experts say California ’ s early embrace of social distancing has helped slow the spread of the coronavirus .
But as the shutdown continues , they fear people will start breaking the rules , and that could be disastrous .
Newsom said he fears that if people go to beaches and parks , he ’ ll soon be reporting a sizable increase in the number of confirmed cases and possibly hospitalizations .
“ I don ’ t think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t want to share that information .
But that ’ s really less up to me , it ’ s more up to all of you , ” California now has nearly 40,000 coroanvirus cases , with significant spikes this week .
In L.A. County , officials said big increases were due in part to labs reporting batches of cases at one time .
And testing has become much more available .
Still , the rising numbers are a major concern .
Deaths in Los Angeles County — which has become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak — are approaching 800 , enough for the coronavirus to surpass fatalities from cancer , flu , emphysema and heart disease .
Southern California — particularly Los Angeles County — has become California ’ s epicenter .
Total cases : Southern California also makes up the lion ’ s share of the hospitalizations.Nearly half of the patients are being treated in Los Angeles County , home to a quarter of the state ’ s population .
Despite the rising death toll , Los Angeles County health officials this week offered slightly rosier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus while cautioning that the improved outlook was dependent on residents continuing to practice physical distancing .
Dr. Christina Ghaly , the county ’ s health services director , said that although COVID-19 cases are not yet decreasing here , the rate “ is leveling out , which is a good thing.
” Based on the new predictions — which Ghaly cautioned are inherently uncertain — officials continue to expect to meet demand for hospital beds and ventilators .
Notably , the county ’ s ability to meet demand for intensive care beds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a 50 % chance there would not be enough ICU beds , but the model now indicates the number of currently available beds will be sufficient .
Officials now predict about 2 in 20 Angelenos , or 11 % of the county , could contract the virus by Aug. 1 under the current level of physical distancing .
That ’ s a substantial reduction from the model ’ s original estimate that 30 % of county residents could be infected .
Newsom said Thursday there had been a slight decline in two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people hospitalized and those being treated in intensive care units .
California continues to see far fewer deaths than some other hotspots : The state for weeks has listed six things that would need to happen before stay-at-home could be lifted .
They include the ability to closely monitor and track potential cases , prevent infection of high-risk people , prepare hospitals to handle surges , develop therapies to meet demand , ensure schools , businesses and child-care facilities can support social distancing , and develop guidelines for when to ask Californians to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have said lifting social distancing rules will be a long and deliberate process , with some businesses coming back before others .
For example , restaurants might be able to reopen with strict social distancing , but big events would be harder to restart anytime soon .
Some California communities have pressed Newsom to ease restrictions in areas where the coronavirus has not appear to spread dramatically .
But the governor has resisted .
COVID-19 remains a serious and growing health threat and loosening his statewide order prematurely could lead to a second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ I wish I could prescribe a specific date to say , well , we can turn up the light switch and go back to normalcy , ” Newsom said Wednesday .
“ We have tried to make it crystal clear that there is no light switch .
And there is no date in terms of our capacity to provide the kind of clarity that I know so many of you demand and deserve.
” Testing could be a gamechanger , however .
Newsom on Wednesday announced an expansion of coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ findings will be critical to deciding when to ease the state ’ s strict stay-at-home order and allow people to return to work .
Despite several protests over to slow the spread of coronavirus , a new poll shows the vast majority of residents support the restrictions .
Among those polled , to continue as long as it ’ s needed , according to a California Health Care Foundation/Ipsos survey .
Only 11 % wanted to stop the stay-at-home order , while 13 % had no opinion .
Among low-income residents , support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the stay-at-home order and only 3 % oppose it .

With the economy continuing to crater, there is intense pressure to begin to open California businesses.
But even though the state has been bending the coronavirus curve, and seeing a far less dire toll than places like New York and New Jersey, a continuing spike in cases and deaths this week is one of several factors keeping officials from moving toward easing any of the social distancing rules.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said this week that most of the six milestones he set to consider loosening the stay-home order he issued last month have not been met. The only change the governor has made is to allow some elective surgeries to again be scheduled in hospitals , citing sufficient capacity.
“It will be those indicators that drive our decision-making,” he said Thursday. “Not dates. We don’t debate dates. We look at the facts objectively.”
California saw its worst one-day fatality total on Wednesday, and the rate of new cases, after seeming to flatten, is rising amid more widely available testing. More than 1,800 people have died across the state.
Advertisement
“It’s a reminder we’re not out of the woods yet,” Newsom said Thursday.
Deaths in California (Los Angeles Times)
Danger zones
Experts say California’s early embrace of social distancing has helped slow the spread of the coronavirus.
But as the shutdown continues, they fear people will start breaking the rules, and that could be disastrous.
Newsom said he fears that if people go to beaches and parks, he’ll soon be reporting a sizable increase in the number of confirmed cases and possibly hospitalizations.
“I don’t think anybody wants to hear that. I don’t want to share that information. But that’s really less up to me, it’s more up to all of you,” he said.
California now has nearly 40,000 coroanvirus cases, with significant spikes this week. In L.A. County, officials said big increases were due in part to labs reporting batches of cases at one time. And testing has become much more available.
Still, the rising numbers are a major concern.
Deaths in Los Angeles County — which has become the state’s epicenter of the outbreak — are approaching 800, enough for the coronavirus to surpass fatalities from cancer, flu, emphysema and heart disease.
Southern California — particularly Los Angeles County — has become California’s epicenter. Total cases:
Advertisement
Los Angeles 17,567
Riverside 3,218
San Diego 2,643
Santa Clara 1,987
Orange 1,827
San Bernardino 1,608
Southern California also makes up the lion’s share of the hospitalizations.Nearly half of the patients are being treated in Los Angeles County, home to a quarter of the state’s population.
Los Angeles 718 (ICU) | 1,740 (other hospitalizations)
Riverside 107 | 233
San Diego 117 | 201
Volunteers and staff from Hello Bello and Pathways LA distribute thousands of diapers to families in need April 14. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Positive signs
Despite the rising death toll, Los Angeles County health officials this week offered slightly rosier projections Wednesday about the trajectory of the virus while cautioning that the improved outlook was dependent on residents continuing to practice physical distancing.
Dr. Christina Ghaly, the county’s health services director, said that although COVID-19 cases are not yet decreasing here, the rate “is leveling out, which is a good thing.”
Based on the new predictions — which Ghaly cautioned are inherently uncertain — officials continue to expect to meet demand for hospital beds and ventilators. Notably, the county’s ability to meet demand for intensive care beds has improved; initial modeling said there was a 50% chance there would not be enough ICU beds, but the model now indicates the number of currently available beds will be sufficient.
Officials now predict about 2 in 20 Angelenos, or 11% of the county, could contract the virus by Aug. 1 under the current level of physical distancing. That’s a substantial reduction from the model’s original estimate that 30% of county residents could be infected.
Newsom said Thursday there had been a slight decline in two other key indicators: the number of people hospitalized and those being treated in intensive care units.
California continues to see far fewer deaths than some other hotspots:
New York 20,973
New Jersey 5,426
Michigan 2,977
Massachusetts 2,360
Pennsylvania 1,724
Illinois 1,688
Connecticut 1,639
Louisiana 1,599
California 1,531
A sign emphasizing social distancing is posted March 19 at a virtually deserted Main Beach in Laguna Beach. (Marc Martin / Los Angeles Times)
Looking forward
The state for weeks has listed six things that would need to happen before stay-at-home could be lifted.
They include the ability to closely monitor and track potential cases, prevent infection of high-risk people, prepare hospitals to handle surges, develop therapies to meet demand, ensure schools, businesses and child-care facilities can support social distancing, and develop guidelines for when to ask Californians to stay home again if necessary.
Experts have said lifting social distancing rules will be a long and deliberate process, with some businesses coming back before others. For example, restaurants might be able to reopen with strict social distancing, but big events would be harder to restart anytime soon.
Some California communities have pressed Newsom to ease restrictions in areas where the coronavirus has not appear to spread dramatically.
But the governor has resisted.
COVID-19 remains a serious and growing health threat and loosening his statewide order prematurely could lead to a second wave of infections and fatalities, he said.
“I wish I could prescribe a specific date to say, well, we can turn up the light switch and go back to normalcy,” Newsom said Wednesday. “We have tried to make it crystal clear that there is no light switch. And there is no date in terms of our capacity to provide the kind of clarity that I know so many of you demand and deserve.”
Testing could be a gamechanger, however.
Newsom on Wednesday announced an expansion of coronavirus testing capability throughout California, saying the findings will be critical to deciding when to ease the state’s strict stay-at-home order and allow people to return to work.
Despite several protests over California’s stay-at-home order to slow the spread of coronavirus, a new poll shows the vast majority of residents support the restrictions.


latimes--2020-04-24--Getting people into rehab can be hard. Try doing it during the coronavirus crisis

They hid the car keys in a safe and stashed away their son ’ s shoes .
At night , they took turns sleeping on the living room couch so they could hear if he slipped out of his bedroom .
They implemented a no-candle policy , knowing their son used the small flame to heat up crushed fentanyl on a piece of tin foil .
On March 17 — hours after the shelter-in-place order took effect in the Bay Area , where they live — Marie , 60 , and Paul , 63 , who asked to be identified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ son ’ s privacy , discovered that , after 78 days sober , the 23-year-old had relapsed .
Helping a loved one get into a rehab center can be stressful and emotionally draining under the best circumstances .
Trying to get them help during an outbreak of a devastating virus with no cure that has decimated the economy and created huge bureaucratic backlogs , is enough to push families to the edge .
Marie was stuck on hold with the insurance company , and dialing one residential rehab home after another .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t infected with the coronavirus .
Marie knew that some sick healthcare workers couldn ’ t even get tests .
How would her asymptomatic son possibly get one ?
She anxiously considered the possibility that they might have to start the excruciating detox process at home .
By now , this had become something of a familiar nightmare .
Their son had already done two stints in rehab since his addiction began at 22 .
But this time , they knew , would be even harder .
They did several deep searches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a hidden stash they missed and on March 21 , he overdosed in the bathroom .
Paramedics dressed in masks and gloves rushed him to the ER at Sequoia Hospital , where he got some IV fluids and was discharged hours later .
Just honk when you ’ re outside , the hospital staff instructed Marie , because nobody can come in because of the virus .
Back home , they caught him using fentanyl again and he told them that he was willing to go to treatment .
But rehab facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the pandemic , and it was nearly impossible to find one nearby that would admit him immediately .
Finally , with help from the staff at Summit Estate Recovery Center — a six-bed facility in the hills of Saratoga where their son did two previous stints — they found another facility that would take him .
But he was terrified of detoxing in an unfamiliar place .
“ There ’ s a virus going on , ” Marie pleaded with her son .
“ You get what you get.
” Summit helped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in which friends and some staff members , whom he knew from earlier stays , urged him to get help .
An employee told him , through a laptop screen , that she ’ d been in his situation and he faced three outcomes : death , incarceration or sobriety .
“ This is the end , ” she told him .
“ This is it.
” Jon Heller , admissions director at Summit , said that 90 % of potential patients who call the facility now bring up the coronavirus and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ furloughed , or their fear of getting furloughed .
What will I do if my wife gets the virus , they ask ?
Is your facility still open ?
Is it safe ?
Is anyone there feeling sick ?
The unprecedented combination of medical , psychological and financial anxieties , compounded by being cooped up in sometimes stressful family situations and not being able to attend in-person 12-step meetings , creates a confluence of stressors that can trigger relapses .
Hard liquor sales have spiked 75 % in the U.S. , as Instagram @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virtual happy hour photos and TV hosts sip whiskey on air while recording from home .
“ Our whole world is upside down , ” Heller said .
“ It makes everything more intense.
” In recent days , Heller said , he has heard from a couple of former residents who relapsed during the pandemic , as well as from two former patients who work in Silicon Valley and called to say they were doing fine .
He was happy to hear from them , but he couldn ’ t help but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right now .
And yet , for others , Heller said , these surreal , slowed-down times offer a chance for introspection and a bit of breathing room — an opportunity to finally give sobriety a real shot by showing up at rehab .
“ I ’ ve never been able to take time off before , ” one caller told Heller , who said it ’ s not uncommon for Summit to get patients who work at major tech firms .
During the pandemic , Heller said , it ’ s critical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including luxury facilities like theirs , as well as free , faith-based facilities , are open .
To find help , he said , people should use the locator tool at www.samhsa.gov .
On a recent weekday , several Summit residents took turns explaining , by phone , why they had finally decided to get treatment .
A 48-year-old roofer from San Mateo said he was tired of running into the garage , chugging three beers , and hoping , in vain , that his wife , wouldn ’ t notice his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whose husband died a few weeks ago , arrived at Summit at the urging of her children , who ’ d found her so drunk off vodka that they thought she ’ d had another stroke .
And then there was the 32-year-old tech company employee , who said he now realizes that he ’ s been a functioning alcoholic for years , drinking nearly every day since he was 18 .
He exercises a lot and had managed to keep things together at work , but in recent months , his binges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bacardi in two days , had become more frequent .
Then the pandemic hit and the last bit of structure in his life — going into the office every day — was now gone .
He was working from home and trying his hardest to limit himself to a bottle of wine a night .
“ I started to spiral faster and faster , ” he said , so he emailed his boss , saying he needed some time off , and walked into Summit drunk on March 30 .
He ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — that he uses alcohol to numb his anxieties — and spent hours with a therapist talking about potential triggers .
He ’ s grateful , but he admits that he ’ s also deeply stressed about missing work , as news of layoffs fill the headlines .
“ Right now is the time I should try to prove my worth , ” he said , sighing .
With bags already packed and loaded in the car , Marie drove her son to a facility in Hollister , praying at each red light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mind and hop out .
After several days at that facility , during which time he showed no symptoms , Summit agreed to accept him , and he returned for a third stint .
This time , it looked a little different .
When he arrived , he was met by a nurse , who took his temperature .
Instead of coming to visit in person on Wednesdays , family members and friends now join in virtually .
One recent Wednesday night , Marie and Paul attended a virtual meeting .
As other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the couple , along with their son ’ s girlfriend , took turns talking about the trauma of witnessing the overdose .
Their minds still flash back a month to the sound of the thud on the bathroom floor and to jimmying open the door with a butter knife .
They can still see their son , well over 200 pounds , wedged between the toilet and the bathtub , his lips and fingertips turning blue .
Someone yelled for the Narcan , a nasal spray that reverses the effects of an overdose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opioids after his shoulder replacement surgery .
They pumped the entire dose into their son ’ s nostrils and managed to move him to the floor .
Paul started chest compressions and Marie did CPR .
In the terrifying days ahead , her mind raced with fears that she might have coronavirus .
When her son was out scoring , he certainly hadn ’ t been washing his hands or staying six feet away from people .
What if he ’ d been exposed , and now , she had been too ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a grounding presence in the meetings , which he and Marie have attended faithfully since their son ’ s last stint in rehab — started to sob .
It was a breakthrough moment for the entire group , said Annee Delaware , a psychiatric nurse , who leads the family groups .
She noticed that other men in the group started crying , too , and ever since then , the Wednesday meetings have been even more powerful and vulnerable than usual .
In some ways , she said , family members seem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s no more , ‘ Yeah , I planted flowers this week , ’ ” she said .
“ It ’ s vulnerability and intimacy.
” The typical stay at Summit is about 28 days and , on a recent Monday , Marie got a call from a Summit counselor , saying their insurance company would likely stop paying for their son ’ s treatment the next day .
Marie had already gone through every folded sheet in the linen closet and popped open dental floss containers , searching for any of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Still , she said , they weren ’ t sure if they were ready for him to move back home .
The smallest sights and sounds can still set off flashbacks .
For Marie , it happened when she pulled out the tin foil to make a baked potato , and for Paul it came when his wife called from the other room , saying his lunch was ready .
“ Don ’ t do that !
” he said , explaining that she ’ d used the same , urgent tone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him after finding their son using in the garage .
They were looking into a sober-living home , Marie said , but she wasn ’ t sure how much it would cost and whether they could afford it .
She let out a long sigh .
It ’ d been a rough morning .
She ’ d just learned that there was an outbreak of COVID-19 at the nursing home where her father lives in Redwood City .
He has severe Alzheimer ’ s and it simply wasn ’ t feasible to move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her siblings .
He ’ d constantly touch his face and want to wander , and it would put them all at risk .
So now , she said , she was trying to mentally prepare for the possibility that her father would die alone .
“ When that hits you… , ” she said , trailing off .
Moments later , her mind had slipped back to her son .

An aerial photo of the Summit Estate Recovery Center inpatient treatment facility in the hills of Saratoga. Calif.
They hid the car keys in a safe and stashed away their son’s shoes. At night, they took turns sleeping on the living room couch so they could hear if he slipped out of his bedroom. They implemented a no-candle policy, knowing their son used the small flame to heat up crushed fentanyl on a piece of tin foil.
On March 17 — hours after the shelter-in-place order took effect in the Bay Area, where they live — Marie, 60, and Paul, 63, who asked to be identified by their middle names to protect their son’s privacy, discovered that, after 78 days sober, the 23-year-old had relapsed.
The timing felt impossible.
Helping a loved one get into a rehab center can be stressful and emotionally draining under the best circumstances. Trying to get them help during an outbreak of a devastating virus with no cure that has decimated the economy and created huge bureaucratic backlogs, is enough to push families to the edge.
Marie was stuck on hold with the insurance company, and dialing one residential rehab home after another. The facilities wanted assurance that her son wasn’t infected with the coronavirus. Marie knew that some sick healthcare workers couldn’t even get tests. How would her asymptomatic son possibly get one?
Advertisement
She anxiously considered the possibility that they might have to start the excruciating detox process at home. By now, this had become something of a familiar nightmare. Their son had already done two stints in rehab since his addiction began at 22. But this time, they knew, would be even harder.
They did several deep searches of the home, but their son had a hidden stash they missed and on March 21, he overdosed in the bathroom. Paramedics dressed in masks and gloves rushed him to the ER at Sequoia Hospital, where he got some IV fluids and was discharged hours later.
Just honk when you’re outside, the hospital staff instructed Marie, because nobody can come in because of the virus.
Back home, they caught him using fentanyl again and he told them that he was willing to go to treatment. But rehab facilities were in the early days of adjusting to the pandemic, and it was nearly impossible to find one nearby that would admit him immediately.
Finally, with help from the staff at Summit Estate Recovery Center — a six-bed facility in the hills of Saratoga where their son did two previous stints — they found another facility that would take him. But he was terrified of detoxing in an unfamiliar place.
“There’s a virus going on,” Marie pleaded with her son. “You get what you get.”
Summit helped the couple stage an intervention over Zoom, in which friends and some staff members, whom he knew from earlier stays, urged him to get help. An employee told him, through a laptop screen, that she’d been in his situation and he faced three outcomes: death, incarceration or sobriety.
Advertisement
“This is the end,” she told him. “This is it.”
“Fine,” he said, softly, “I’ll go.”
Jon Heller, admissions director at Summit Estate Recovery Center, a rehab facility in Saratoga. (Summit Estate Recovery Center)
Jon Heller, admissions director at Summit, said that 90% of potential patients who call the facility now bring up the coronavirus and its impacts. They talk about getting furloughed, or their fear of getting furloughed. What will I do if my wife gets the virus, they ask? Is your facility still open? Is it safe? Is anyone there feeling sick?
The unprecedented combination of medical, psychological and financial anxieties, compounded by being cooped up in sometimes stressful family situations and not being able to attend in-person 12-step meetings, creates a confluence of stressors that can trigger relapses. Hard liquor sales have spiked 75% in the U.S., as Instagram has turned into a steady stream of virtual happy hour photos and TV hosts sip whiskey on air while recording from home.
“Our whole world is upside down,” Heller said. “It makes everything more intense.”
In recent days, Heller said, he has heard from a couple of former residents who relapsed during the pandemic, as well as from two former patients who work in Silicon Valley and called to say they were doing fine. He was happy to hear from them, but he couldn’t help but wonder why they were thinking about rehab right now.
And yet, for others, Heller said, these surreal, slowed-down times offer a chance for introspection and a bit of breathing room — an opportunity to finally give sobriety a real shot by showing up at rehab.
“I’ve never been able to take time off before,” one caller told Heller, who said it’s not uncommon for Summit to get patients who work at major tech firms.
At Summit Estate Recovery Center’s inpatient treatment house in Saratoga, the residents — portrayed in this photo by actors — participate in yoga. (Summit Estate Recovery Center)
During the pandemic, Heller said, it’s critical that people know that many treatment centers, including luxury facilities like theirs, as well as free, faith-based facilities, are open. To find help, he said, people should use the locator tool at www.samhsa.gov.
On a recent weekday, several Summit residents took turns explaining, by phone, why they had finally decided to get treatment.
A 48-year-old roofer from San Mateo said he was tired of running into the garage, chugging three beers, and hoping, in vain, that his wife, wouldn’t notice his red eyes. An 83-year-old woman, whose husband died a few weeks ago, arrived at Summit at the urging of her children, who’d found her so drunk off vodka that they thought she’d had another stroke.
And then there was the 32-year-old tech company employee, who said he now realizes that he’s been a functioning alcoholic for years, drinking nearly every day since he was 18.
He exercises a lot and had managed to keep things together at work, but in recent months, his binges, downing a fifth of Jameson or Bacardi in two days, had become more frequent. Then the pandemic hit and the last bit of structure in his life — going into the office every day — was now gone. He was working from home and trying his hardest to limit himself to a bottle of wine a night.
“I started to spiral faster and faster,” he said, so he emailed his boss, saying he needed some time off, and walked into Summit drunk on March 30.
He’s had time to confront a painful reality — that he uses alcohol to numb his anxieties — and spent hours with a therapist talking about potential triggers. He’s grateful, but he admits that he’s also deeply stressed about missing work, as news of layoffs fill the headlines.
“Right now is the time I should try to prove my worth,” he said, sighing.
Rehab with a difference
With bags already packed and loaded in the car, Marie drove her son to a facility in Hollister, praying at each red light that he wouldn’t change his mind and hop out. After several days at that facility, during which time he showed no symptoms, Summit agreed to accept him, and he returned for a third stint.
This time, it looked a little different.
When he arrived, he was met by a nurse, who took his temperature. Instead of coming to visit in person on Wednesdays, family members and friends now join in virtually.
One recent Wednesday night, Marie and Paul attended a virtual meeting. As other addicts and their families listened in, the couple, along with their son’s girlfriend, took turns talking about the trauma of witnessing the overdose.
Their minds still flash back a month to the sound of the thud on the bathroom floor and to jimmying open the door with a butter knife. They can still see their son, well over 200 pounds, wedged between the toilet and the bathtub, his lips and fingertips turning blue.
Someone yelled for the Narcan, a nasal spray that reverses the effects of an overdose, which Paul had received along with opioids after his shoulder replacement surgery. They pumped the entire dose into their son’s nostrils and managed to move him to the floor. Paul started chest compressions and Marie did CPR.
In the terrifying days ahead, her mind raced with fears that she might have coronavirus. When her son was out scoring, he certainly hadn’t been washing his hands or staying six feet away from people. What if he’d been exposed, and now, she had been too?
During the virtual meeting, Paul — a grounding presence in the meetings, which he and Marie have attended faithfully since their son’s last stint in rehab — started to sob. It was a breakthrough moment for the entire group, said Annee Delaware, a psychiatric nurse, who leads the family groups.
Annee Delaware, a psychiatric nurse who leads the family groups at Summit Estate Recovery Center, says she’s noticed that some family members seem more comfortable opening up in virtual meetings than in person. (Summit Estate Recovery Center)
She noticed that other men in the group started crying, too, and ever since then, the Wednesday meetings have been even more powerful and vulnerable than usual. In some ways, she said, family members seem more comfortable over Zoom.
“There’s no more, ‘Yeah, I planted flowers this week,’” she said. “It’s vulnerability and intimacy.”
The typical stay at Summit is about 28 days and, on a recent Monday, Marie got a call from a Summit counselor, saying their insurance company would likely stop paying for their son’s treatment the next day.
Marie had already gone through every folded sheet in the linen closet and popped open dental floss containers, searching for any of her son’s old hiding spots. Still, she said, they weren’t sure if they were ready for him to move back home.
The smallest sights and sounds can still set off flashbacks.
For Marie, it happened when she pulled out the tin foil to make a baked potato, and for Paul it came when his wife called from the other room, saying his lunch was ready.
“Don’t do that!” he said, explaining that she’d used the same, urgent tone as when she’d called to him after finding their son using in the garage.
They were looking into a sober-living home, Marie said, but she wasn’t sure how much it would cost and whether they could afford it.
She let out a long sigh. It’d been a rough morning.
She’d just learned that there was an outbreak of COVID-19 at the nursing home where her father lives in Redwood City. He has severe Alzheimer’s and it simply wasn’t feasible to move him home with her or with any of her siblings. He’d constantly touch his face and want to wander, and it would put them all at risk.
So now, she said, she was trying to mentally prepare for the possibility that her father would die alone.
“When that hits you…,” she said, trailing off.
Moments later, her mind had slipped back to her son.


latimes--2020-04-24--No layoffs coming for L.A. County Department of Health Services workers

The director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services said Thursday that , despite a potential budget crisis in which the county could lose billions of dollars because of the coronavirus outbreak , her agency will not see any layoffs or workforce reductions .
Dr. Christina Ghaly , who previously served as the agency ’ s chief operations officer , said in a virtual staff-wide meeting that she ’ d received several questions from employees about the fiscal status of the department , the second largest municipal health system in the nation .
Ghaly said the county is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles County could see a $ 1-billion decline in sales tax revenue this fiscal year , which ends June 30 , because of the massive economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak .
That decline is expected to surpass $ 2 billion by the end of fiscal 2021 , according to county estimates released last week .
Earlier in the outbreak , the county ’ s chief executive , Sachi A. Hamai , imposed hard freezes on hiring and purchasing and directed county department heads to prepare for “ a range of potential program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ghaly said that moving forward , the county Department of Human Services will be careful when making new hires .
The agency ’ s clinical and key clinical response workforce is exempt from the hiring freeze and also can hire non-clinical positions “ when it is essential that we do so.
” Ghaly said while all county workers are essential , her agency ’ s workforce is unique .
The Department of Health Services oversees four hospitals , including Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and LAC+USC Medical Center , and more than 20 clinics .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sees 600,000 patients , employs more than 22,000 people and has an annual operating budget of $ 4.3 billion , according to its website .
Many of its patients are either uninsured or covered by Medicaid .
“ It ’ s critical that we continue to be at work and that we continue to provide the services that our patients and that our communities rely on , ” Ghaly said .
“ I know that these are challenging times .
I know that it ’ s stressful , but I want to provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have to have the added stress of wondering if there ’ s a layoff coming.
” Ghaly told staffers that the county might look at other cost-saving measures that might affect pay raises but that she didn ’ t want people to worry about layoffs because “ those are absolutely not on the table.
” LAC+USC Medical Center has seen a significant decline in its patient volume since the coronavirus outbreak and Safer at Home orders from the city and county .
Currently , the hospital is at 60 % inpatient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always full , and largely that ’ s on purpose , ” Chief Executive Jorge Orozco said .
`` [ That ’ s ] because we canceled elective surgeries and people are staying away from our emergency rooms .
We ’ re trying to send a message to the community that they should come in for care if they really do need care .
But with that reduction in volume comes a reduction in revenues .
Yet we are not laying anyone off .
So the projections in terms of our fiscal picture @ @ @ @

The director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services said Thursday that, despite a potential budget crisis in which the county could lose billions of dollars because of the coronavirus outbreak, her agency will not see any layoffs or workforce reductions.
Dr. Christina Ghaly, who previously served as the agency’s chief operations officer, said in a virtual staff-wide meeting that she’d received several questions from employees about the fiscal status of the department, the second largest municipal health system in the nation.
Ghaly said the county is projecting a shortfall, noting that Los Angeles County could see a $1-billion decline in sales tax revenue this fiscal year, which ends June 30, because of the massive economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
Advertisement
That decline is expected to surpass $2 billion by the end of fiscal 2021, according to county estimates released last week.
Earlier in the outbreak, the county’s chief executive, Sachi A. Hamai, imposed hard freezes on hiring and purchasing and directed county department heads to prepare for “a range of potential program reductions in the coming fiscal year.”
Ghaly said that moving forward, the county Department of Human Services will be careful when making new hires. The agency’s clinical and key clinical response workforce is exempt from the hiring freeze and also can hire non-clinical positions “when it is essential that we do so.”
Ghaly said while all county workers are essential, her agency’s workforce is unique.
The Department of Health Services oversees four hospitals, including Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and LAC+USC Medical Center, and more than 20 clinics. Through partnerships and community-based clinics, it sees 600,000 patients, employs more than 22,000 people and has an annual operating budget of $4.3 billion, according to its website. Many of its patients are either uninsured or covered by Medicaid.
Advertisement
“It’s critical that we continue to be at work and that we continue to provide the services that our patients and that our communities rely on,” Ghaly said. “I know that these are challenging times. I know that it’s stressful, but I want to provide people with the reassurance that you don’t have to have the added stress of wondering if there’s a layoff coming.”
Ghaly told staffers that the county might look at other cost-saving measures that might affect pay raises but that she didn’t want people to worry about layoffs because “those are absolutely not on the table.”
LAC+USC Medical Center has seen a significant decline in its patient volume since the coronavirus outbreak and Safer at Home orders from the city and county. Currently, the hospital is at 60% inpatient capacity.
“Our hospital is typically always full, and largely that’s on purpose,” Chief Executive Jorge Orozco said. “[That’s] because we canceled elective surgeries and people are staying away from our emergency rooms. We’re trying to send a message to the community that they should come in for care if they really do need care. But with that reduction in volume comes a reduction in revenues. Yet we are not laying anyone off. So the projections in terms of our fiscal picture is concerning.”


latimes--2020-04-24--From warehouse to table: A look inside the L.A. school district's huge meal distribution operation a

From warehouse to table: A look inside the L.A. school district's huge meal distribution operation amid coronavirus

Although campuses are closed , the Los Angeles school district has become the largest distributor of meals for the hungry in the state , giving food not only to students , but to anyone who shows up — no questions asked , except : How much do you need ?
The mammoth operation has given out about 10 million “ grab-and-go ” meals since March 18 from 63 campuses in the sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District , partnering with the Red Cross and the regional food bank .
In one day more than 26,000 gallons of milk , 219,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carrots , 50 tons of fruit and countless turkey sausages will be given away , a nearly round-the-clock effort that begins in warehouses and ends in ever-growing lines .
Morning drop-off lanes have been transformed into food pickup drive-throughs that can stretch more than half a mile .
Families stand clustered outside campuses in walk-up lines , spaced six feet apart by cones .
L.A. Unified is spending more than $ 2 million per day in food costs — about $ 40 million so far , funds it believes will be reimbursed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a community in crisis , ” said Los Angeles schools Supt .
Austin Beutner .
“ Anyone who arrives looking for food , we ’ re assuming needs the food — and we ’ re going to provide it .
”

Although campuses are closed, the Los Angeles school district has become the largest distributor of meals for the hungry in the state, giving food not only to students, but to anyone who shows up — no questions asked, except: How much do you need?
The mammoth operation has given out about 10 million “grab-and-go” meals since March 18 from 63 campuses in the sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District, partnering with the Red Cross and the regional food bank.
In one day more than 26,000 gallons of milk, 219,000 boxes of cereal, 27,525 pounds of carrots, 50 tons of fruit and countless turkey sausages will be given away, a nearly round-the-clock effort that begins in warehouses and ends in ever-growing lines.
Morning drop-off lanes have been transformed into food pickup drive-throughs that can stretch more than half a mile. Families stand clustered outside campuses in walk-up lines, spaced six feet apart by cones. L.A. Unified is spending more than $2 million per day in food costs — about $40 million so far, funds it believes will be reimbursed by the federal government.
“This is a community in crisis,” said Los Angeles schools Supt. Austin Beutner. “Anyone who arrives looking for food, we’re assuming needs the food — and we’re going to provide it.”
Advertisement
In the early morning darkness, a truck driver goes over paperwork before delivering food from LAUSD Procurement Services Center in Pico Rivera. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Food storage at the LAUSD Procurement Services Center in Pico Rivera. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
LAUSD cafeteria workers prepare food bags at James A. Garfield High School for distribution. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Marc Monforte, director of material management and purchasing, speaks to truck drivers before their food deliveries. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
People wait for food bags at James A. Garfield High School in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Advertisement
LAUSD workers direct cars at a food distribution station outside Garfield High School in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
A man grabs meal bags distributed by LAUSD James A. Garfield High School in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Women carry food bags from the Garfield High distribution site. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
California California poppy bloom tempts visitors to break coronavirus stay-at-home order A bloom of California poppies springs up in the Antelope Valley,enticing visitors stuck at home. But the live cam is your best bet, officials say.


latimes--2020-04-24--Judge orders ICE to reduce number of immigrant detainees at California facility

A federal judge on Thursday ordered immigration officials to significantly reduce the number of detainees held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Facility northeast of Los Angeles in order to protect them from the coronavirus .
U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter did not specify a number , but said that the population at Adelanto , one of the largest immigrant detention facilities in the country , must decrease “ to such a level that would allow the remaining detainees to maintain a social distance of six feet from each other at all times.
” The ruling — the first of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a lawsuit filed April 14 by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and the law firm Latham & Watkins .
A federal judge in Miami issued a similar ruling Wednesday but stopped short of the strict distancing requirement ordered by Hatter .
“ Holding people in civil immigration detention in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic without taking basic steps to protect them from infection from this deadly virus is , as the court found , ‘ inconsistent with contemporary standards of human decency , ’ ” said ACLU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that conditions at Adelanto make the facility vulnerable to an outbreak .
Four to eight detainees live in cells as small as 8 by 10 feet and share toilets , sinks and showers .
ICE says detainees are regularly provided with soap and cleaning supplies .
Facilities have increased social distancing by introducing staggered meals and recreation times , and suspending community service projects and social visits .
The agency said it has released 160 people deemed vulnerable since March 30 and limited intake of new detainees .
Nationwide , 30,700 people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to allow any new detainees at Adelanto and to reduce the population by at least 100 people by Monday and another 150 by April 30 .
By May 4 , ICE should “ hit the target reduced population level , ” the order says .
He offered a few ways ICE can complete the task : by releasing selected immigrants ; deporting those with final orders of removal who have exhausted all appeals ; or transferring some to other facilities where they are able to maintain a six-foot distance from others .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ release detainees who are 55 and older or have preexisting medical or mental health conditions or who have no criminal history or minor criminal convictions .
Hatter also ordered Adelanto staff to maintain a six-foot distance from each other and from detainees except in case of emergency , to wear masks and gloves , and to provide cleaning supplies , masks and gloves to detainees for free .
If federal officials “ fail to comply with any of the above , the Court will consider the immediate release of class members , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 2,000 detainees but currently holds about 1,300 .
About 31,000 immigrants are currently detained by ICE nationwide .
As of Thursday , 297 detainees and 35 ICE employees at detention centers have tested positive for COVID-19 .
The agency has come under scrutiny over protections for detainees as cases of the virus rise inside detention centers .
Earlier this week , the ACLU filed class-action lawsuits seeking the release of detainees at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego , Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico , Mesa Verde ICE Processing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , north of Sacramento .
Federal judges have already ordered the release of dozens of medically vulnerable detainees .
Immigrants held at Adelanto and other facilities launched hunger strikes in recent weeks over the lack of protective gear and adequate distancing .
One detainee there said he had been mopping the floors of his unit with water because he wasn ’ t provided disinfectant .

A federal judge on Thursday ordered immigration officials to significantly reduce the number of detainees held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Facility northeast of Los Angeles in order to protect them from the coronavirus.
U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter did not specify a number, but said that the population at Adelanto, one of the largest immigrant detention facilities in the country, must decrease “to such a level that would allow the remaining detainees to maintain a social distance of six feet from each other at all times.”
The ruling — the first of its kind in California — came in response to a lawsuit filed April 14 by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and the law firm Latham & Watkins. A federal judge in Miami issued a similar ruling Wednesday but stopped short of the strict distancing requirement ordered by Hatter.
Advertisement
“Holding people in civil immigration detention in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic without taking basic steps to protect them from infection from this deadly virus is, as the court found, ‘inconsistent with contemporary standards of human decency,’ ” said ACLU attorney Jessica Bansal.
BREAKING: US district court in Los Angeles certifies a plaintiff class of people detained by ICE at Adelanto, issues findings of fact and conclusions of law in favor of the plaintiff class. Now waiting for the preliminary injunction order. Congrats @ACLU_SoCal! pic.twitter.com/jtnr8GFSxi — Cecillia Wang (@WangCecillia) April 23, 2020
Lawyers have contended that conditions at Adelanto make the facility vulnerable to an outbreak. Four to eight detainees live in cells as small as 8 by 10 feet and share toilets, sinks and showers.
ICE says detainees are regularly provided with soap and cleaning supplies. Facilities have increased social distancing by introducing staggered meals and recreation times, and suspending community service projects and social visits.
The agency said it has released 160 people deemed vulnerable since March 30 and limited intake of new detainees. Nationwide, 30,700 people are in ICE custody.
Hatter ordered ICE not to allow any new detainees at Adelanto and to reduce the population by at least 100 people by Monday and another 150 by April 30. By May 4, ICE should “hit the target reduced population level,” the order says.
He offered a few ways ICE can complete the task: by releasing selected immigrants; deporting those with final orders of removal who have exhausted all appeals; or transferring some to other facilities where they are able to maintain a six-foot distance from others.
Advertisement
He encouraged ICE officials to prioritize for release detainees who are 55 and older or have preexisting medical or mental health conditions or who have no criminal history or minor criminal convictions.
Hatter also ordered Adelanto staff to maintain a six-foot distance from each other and from detainees except in case of emergency, to wear masks and gloves, and to provide cleaning supplies, masks and gloves to detainees for free.
If federal officials “fail to comply with any of the above, the Court will consider the immediate release of class members,” he wrote.
Adelanto has space for nearly 2,000 detainees but currently holds about 1,300.
About 31,000 immigrants are currently detained by ICE nationwide. As of Thursday, 297 detainees and 35 ICE employees at detention centers have tested positive for COVID-19.
The agency has come under scrutiny over protections for detainees as cases of the virus rise inside detention centers. Earlier this week, the ACLU filed class-action lawsuits seeking the release of detainees at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico, Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield and Yuba County Jail, north of Sacramento. Federal judges have already ordered the release of dozens of medically vulnerable detainees.
Immigrants held at Adelanto and other facilities launched hunger strikes in recent weeks over the lack of protective gear and adequate distancing. One detainee there said he had been mopping the floors of his unit with water because he wasn’t provided disinfectant.


latimes--2020-04-24--Why are the dead getting coronavirus stimulus checks?

Mary Nakamura of Hawaii was among the first Americans to receive one of the federal government ’ s $ 1,200 stimulus payments designed to help revive an economy flagging from the COVID-19 pandemic .
There ’ s just one problem : She ’ s been dead for more than a year .
Her son , Mason Nakamura , a Santa Ana resident , immediately thought it was a mistake when he saw the April 15 payment in his mother ’ s account .
“ How are dead people going to stimulate the economy ?
” he thought to himself .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ any sense.
” Mary Nakamura , who died April 17 , 2019 , after a stroke , is among thousands of deceased taxpayers who already have or will receive the stimulus payments the Internal Revenue Service dispensed this month .
The beneficiaries of the deceased will probably be able to keep the money , tax experts said , raising questions as to whether it ’ s a fair and good use of taxpayer money when many Americans in desperate need still are waiting for stimulus relief .
An IRS spokesman told The Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” of the situation , considers it a high priority and is working on getting the public some answers .
President Trump also acknowledged the issue at a news conference last Friday .
“ Sometimes you can send a check to somebody wrong , ” he said .
“ Sometimes people are listed , they die and they get a check .
That can happen.
” “ We ’ ll get that back , ” the president asserted .
But tax law experts think otherwise .
They believe that the language in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t allow the IRS to claw back the money .
It ’ s not unprecedented for the IRS to distribute payments to the dead in their rush to provide stimulus payments , in this case for more than 150 million Americans .
Something similar happened in 2010 during the Great Recession , when the federal government cut $ 250 checks to an estimated 72,000 deceased taxpayers , according to a Social Security Administration inspector general ’ s audit report .
After Congress passed the $ 2-trillion CARES Act in late March , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stimulus money as quickly as possible to Americans feeling the economic burn from the coronavirus pandemic .
To determine eligibility and payment amounts , the IRS looks at adjusted gross income on a household ’ s 2019 tax return .
If the IRS doesn ’ t have a 2019 return , it determines eligibility based on a 2018 return .
Congress didn ’ t make exceptions for the deceased , said Nina Olson , former head of the Taxpayer Advocate Service , an internal IRS watchdog .
“ The IRS is following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The law tells the IRS to look at what the taxpayer reported on their 2019 return .
‘ Look at their income and their filing status .
If they are eligible based on that , make the payment.
’ It doesn ’ t say , ‘ Don ’ t make the payment to dead people.
’ ” Olson said it would be difficult for the IRS to exclude the deceased .
The agency would have to take the time to cross-reference eligibility lists with Social Security death records , said Nicole Kaeding , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taxpayers Union Foundation , a conservative tax think tank .
“ Expediency has been prioritized , ” she said .
“ The IRS would rather be accurate than precise.
” The IRS could have scrubbed the data to eliminate deceased individuals , but doing so would have delayed checks for everyone by weeks or months , Kaeding said .
Both Kaeding and Olson said that beneficiaries of the deceased are legally allowed to keep the money .
That ’ s what happened in 2010 .
Some returned the money , while others kept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it can be a shock to realize that the government isn ’ t aware their loved one has died .
Many are left wondering what they ’ ll do with the money and whether they ’ ll be penalized if they keep it .
Mary Nakamura ’ s 56-year-old son Mason , a retired engineer who manages his mother ’ s estate account , said he notified the Social Security Administration and the IRS of his mother ’ s death .
“ We don ’ t need the money by any means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he and his husband are well off and would like to return the check .
By contrast , Nakamura said , some of his neighbors who had children in 2018 and need the money didn ’ t get the $ 500 stimulus payment for their new child , even though they filed 2018 taxes .
“ The whole process seems really hit or miss , ” Nakamura said .
Some people have taken to social media and tax expert chat rooms to report payments sent to deceased friends and family members .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican from Kentucky , said a friend texted him to say that his father had just received a stimulus payment despite being dead since 2018 .
“ OK this is insane , but just the tip of the iceberg .
This is a direct text to me from a friend .
I called to confirm this actually just happened , ” Massie wrote on Twitter below a screenshot of a message that said , “ Dad got his stimulus check of $ 1200 .
He died in 2018 .
Does he have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , both Republicans and Democrats harshly criticized Massie after he was the only member of the House who asked for a roll-call vote on the stimulus bill , which required dozens of representatives to return to Washington despite the pandemic .
His request was unsuccessful .
On an Intuit.com chat room , several people related similar situations .
“ My mom passed last year .
I filed her final tax return last month indicating that she is deceased and yesterday I received a direct deposit in the joint account we shared , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote earlier this month .
“ I don ’ t want to be penalized by the IRS as I am the sole heir and executor of her estate.
” In California , Nakamura said he doesn ’ t know yet what he ’ ll do with the money .
He ’ s thought about what his mother would have done .
Mary Nakamura and her family were rounded up as part of the Executive Order 9066 , which condemned over 120,000 Americans with Japanese ancestry to be incarcerated during World War II .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government in the 1980s , she donated it to her college .
“ She believed it was her college education that allowed her to move past what she viewed as the inequities after the war and internment , ” Mason Nakamura said .
He believes his mother , who died at 96 , would have wanted the money donated or returned to the IRS .
But right now , the IRS is also hampered by the coronavirus , operating at limited capacity , with most of its employees working from home .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t taking calls and it ’ s not opening mail , ” Olson said .
“ So he really doesn ’ t have anyone to return it to .
”

Mason Nakamura holds a photo of himself with his late mother, Mary Nakamura, at his home in Santa Ana.
Mary Nakamura of Hawaii was among the first Americans to receive one of the federal government’s $1,200 stimulus payments designed to help revive an economy flagging from the COVID-19 pandemic.
There’s just one problem: She’s been dead for more than a year.
Her son, Mason Nakamura, a Santa Ana resident, immediately thought it was a mistake when he saw the April 15 payment in his mother’s account.
Advertisement
“How are dead people going to stimulate the economy?” he thought to himself. “This just doesn’t make any sense.”
Mary Nakamura, who died April 17, 2019, after a stroke, is among thousands of deceased taxpayers who already have or will receive the stimulus payments the Internal Revenue Service dispensed this month. The beneficiaries of the deceased will probably be able to keep the money, tax experts said, raising questions as to whether it’s a fair and good use of taxpayer money when many Americans in desperate need still are waiting for stimulus relief.
An IRS spokesman told The Times that the agency is “very aware” of the situation, considers it a high priority and is working on getting the public some answers.
President Trump also acknowledged the issue at a news conference last Friday.
“Sometimes you can send a check to somebody wrong,” he said. “Sometimes people are listed, they die and they get a check. That can happen.”
“We’ll get that back,” the president asserted.
But tax law experts think otherwise. They believe that the language in the stimulus package approved by Congress doesn’t allow the IRS to claw back the money.
It’s not unprecedented for the IRS to distribute payments to the dead in their rush to provide stimulus payments, in this case for more than 150 million Americans. Something similar happened in 2010 during the Great Recession, when the federal government cut $250 checks to an estimated 72,000 deceased taxpayers, according to a Social Security Administration inspector general’s audit report.
Advertisement
After Congress passed the $2-trillion CARES Act in late March, the IRS came under immense pressure to distribute stimulus money as quickly as possible to Americans feeling the economic burn from the COVID-19 pandemic.
To determine eligibility and payment amounts, the IRS looks at adjusted gross income on a household’s 2019 tax return. If the IRS doesn’t have a 2019 return, it determines eligibility based on a 2018 return.
Congress didn’t make exceptions for the deceased, said Nina Olson, former head of the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an internal IRS watchdog.
“The IRS is following the law,” Olson said. “The law tells the IRS to look at what the taxpayer reported on their 2019 return. ‘Look at their income and their filing status. If they are eligible based on that, make the payment.’ It doesn’t say, ‘Don’t make the payment to dead people.’”
Olson said it would be difficult for the IRS to exclude the deceased.
The agency would have to take the time to cross-reference eligibility lists with Social Security death records, said Nicole Kaeding, an economist and vice president of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, a conservative tax think tank.
“Expediency has been prioritized,” she said. “The IRS would rather be accurate than precise.”
The IRS could have scrubbed the data to eliminate deceased individuals, but doing so would have delayed checks for everyone by weeks or months, Kaeding said.
Both Kaeding and Olson said that beneficiaries of the deceased are legally allowed to keep the money. That’s what happened in 2010. Some returned the money, while others kept it.
For relatives of the deceased, it can be a shock to realize that the government isn’t aware their loved one has died. Many are left wondering what they’ll do with the money and whether they’ll be penalized if they keep it.
Mary Nakamura’s 56-year-old son Mason, a retired engineer who manages his mother’s estate account, said he notified the Social Security Administration and the IRS of his mother’s death.
“We don’t need the money by any means,” he said, adding that he and his husband are well off and would like to return the check.
By contrast, Nakamura said, some of his neighbors who had children in 2018 and need the money didn’t get the $500 stimulus payment for their new child, even though they filed 2018 taxes.
“The whole process seems really hit or miss,” Nakamura said.
Some people have taken to social media and tax expert chat rooms to report payments sent to deceased friends and family members.
Last week, Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, said a friend texted him to say that his father had just received a stimulus payment despite being dead since 2018.
“OK this is insane, but just the tip of the iceberg. This is a direct text to me from a friend. I called to confirm this actually just happened,” Massie wrote on Twitter below a screenshot of a message that said, “Dad got his stimulus check of $1200. He died in 2018. Does he have to spend it online?”
In March, both Republicans and Democrats harshly criticized Massie after he was the only member of the House who asked for a roll-call vote on the stimulus bill, which required dozens of representatives to return to Washington despite the pandemic. His request was unsuccessful.
On an Intuit.com chat room, several people related similar situations.
“My mom passed last year. I filed her final tax return last month indicating that she is deceased and yesterday I received a direct deposit in the joint account we shared,” a person with the screen name RoyalK wrote earlier this month. “I don’t want to be penalized by the IRS as I am the sole heir and executor of her estate.”
In California, Nakamura said he doesn’t know yet what he’ll do with the money. He’s thought about what his mother would have done.
Mary Nakamura and her family were rounded up as part of the Executive Order 9066, which condemned more than 120,000 Americans with Japanese ancestry to be incarcerated during World War II.
When she received her reparation payment from the government in the 1980s, she donated it to her college.
“She believed it was her college education that allowed her to move past what she viewed as the inequities after the war and internment,” Mason Nakamura said.
He believes his mother, who died at 96, would have wanted the money donated or returned to the IRS.
But right now, the IRS is also hampered by the coronavirus, operating at limited capacity, with most of its employees working from home.
“Right now the IRS isn’t taking calls and it’s not opening mail,” Olson said. “So he really doesn’t have anyone to return it to.”


latimes--2020-04-24--An impromptu drive-through at a Sikh temple to feed neighbors now helps thousands daily

It started with 175 meals being served from a drive-through created outside the Riverside Sikh Temple .
Now , the United Sikh Mission and the Sikh community of Riverside are giving out thousands of meals a day , have provided thousands of masks to the local community and are handing out groceries on the weekend .
Serving up to 1,400 meals a day at the Sikh temple , the group has provided more than 40,000 meals over the past month to healthcare professionals and people in need .
“ We have seen more people every day , people that lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t afford a hot meal for themselves and their families ” said Gurpreet Singh , COVID-19 coordinator at United Sikh Mission .
They ’ ve sent more than 1,000 meals a day to nursing homes in Jurupa Valley , Moreno Valley and Riverside .
They also deliver meals to four area hospitals .
And they ’ ve given out 15,000 masks , including more than 2,000 made by members of the local Sikh community , Singh said .
Additionally , they hand out groceries every Saturday and Sunday along with hot meals and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for groceries were about a mile long , he said .
The cooks and owners of Spice Jar in Fontana and Aroma Grill in Upland donate their time to cook the meals to ensure people can be fed every day .
Each day , they cook from 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. , package meals from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and pick up and distribute food from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m .
Most of the money has been donated by community members .
The coronavirus outbreak in California has sickened almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It has left millions without jobs .
Singh said the group wants to help anyone they can in their community .
“ No one should go hungry is the way we are approaching this , ” Singh said .
“ We serve seven days a week because there are no days off for hunger .
”

Balwinder Sidhu helps in a food distribution organized by the United Sikh Mission and the city’s Sikh community on Thursday at Sikh Gurdwara in Riverside.
It started with 175 meals being served from a drive-through created outside the Riverside Sikh Temple.
Now, the United Sikh Mission and the Sikh community of Riverside are giving out thousands of meals a day, have provided thousands of masks to the local community and are handing out groceries on the weekend.
Serving up to 1,400 meals a day at the Sikh temple, the group has provided more than 40,000 meals over the past month to healthcare professionals and people in need.
“We have seen more people every day, people that lost their jobs and wages and can’t afford a hot meal for themselves and their families” said Gurpreet Singh, COVID-19 coordinator at United Sikh Mission.
Advertisement
They’ve sent more than 1,000 meals a day to nursing homes in Jurupa Valley, Moreno Valley and Riverside. They also deliver meals to four area hospitals.
People receive food packages at the food distribution event in Riverside. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
And they’ve given out 15,000 masks, including more than 2,000 made by members of the local Sikh community, Singh said. Additionally, they hand out groceries every Saturday and Sunday along with hot meals and masks. Last weekend, the lines for groceries were about a mile long, he said.
The cooks and owners of Spice Jar in Fontana and Aroma Grill in Upland donate their time to cook the meals to ensure people can be fed every day.
Each day, they cook from 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., package meals from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and pick up and distribute food from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Most of the money has been donated by community members.
The coronavirus outbreak in California has sickened almost 40,000 Californians and killed more than 1,500. It has left millions without jobs. Singh said the group wants to help anyone they can in their community.
Advertisement
“No one should go hungry is the way we are approaching this,” Singh said. “We serve seven days a week because there are no days off for hunger.”
Meals are delivered to drive-through participants during the event. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Times staff writer Jaclyn Cosgrove contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-04-24--This year's Ramadan bears an extra test for Muslim healthcare workers on the coronavirus frontlines

When Dr. Imran Siddiqui went to bed Thursday night , he set the alarm for 4:30 a.m. As the director for both the Desert Valley Medical Group in Victorville and a nearby nursing home , Siddiqui ’ s days have been long and stressful since the COVID-19 pandemic began its deadly assault on California more than six weeks ago .
But it ’ s faith as much as duty that will require him to rise early each morning for the next month .
Because in addition to being a doctor , Siddiqui is a devout Muslim , and like thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be waking before dawn for a large breakfast , then going without food and water throughout the daylight hours of Ramadan , the Islamic month of fasting that ends May 23 .
“ My weakness in Ramadan is not food , it ’ s not water , ” Siddiqui said .
“ It ’ s coffee .
I need to have a cup of coffee in the morning .
Or two cups.
” The fast is obligatory , one of the five pillars of Islam .
Yet for frontline healthcare workers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
The novel coronavirus has overwhelmed emergency rooms and intensive care units , infecting more than 9,000 U.S. healthcare providers and killing more than two dozen , according to a study released earlier this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Uneven reporting across the country , the CDC added , means the real numbers are almost certainly much higher .
And that has some doctors and Islamic scholars questioning whether working long hours in a challenging environment without food and water is wise .
“ This has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Qazi , a neurologist and an assistant professor at Western University and UC Riverside .
“ In Ramadan fasting , you ’ re not hydrated , so it ’ s different than other forms of intermittent fasting.
” The use of personal protective equipment , including masks , could increase the chances of dehydration .
Religious officials in the United Arab Emirates have said that those treating COVID-19 patients there are exempt from fasting , but most Islamic leaders in the United States insist healthy caregivers here should have little problem fasting .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ really change that normality , ” said Dr. Aasim I. Padela , an emergency medicine physician at the University of Chicago Medical Center and director of the Initiative on Islam and Medicine .
“ Now what has been a concern is that frontline workers like me who are fasting and making very critical decisions or surgeons who are making critical decisions … people are saying it might be more difficult , I might become more dehydrated because I have to wear all these extra layers of protection .
“ That ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data that I know of to show that.
” In any case , Islamic law allows followers to opt out of a fast under certain circumstances , such as illness or other hardship , and make it up later in the year .
The strain of working in a COVID-19 ward would certainly qualify for an exemption .
“ Fasting is hard , ” said Muzammil Siddiqi , religious director for the Islamic Society of Orange County .
“ But some things are much harder .
If it is for their work , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an acceptable excuse.
” Dr. Muna Beg won ’ t be looking for an out .
An ICU doctor who treats COVID-19 patients at two hospitals in Alameda County , Beg has been observing the Ramadan fast since she was 7 .
And while the first few days are always tough , after that “ for Muslims in Ramadan , it ’ s Zen-like , ” she said .
“ It ’ s a very personal experience.
” “ I don ’ t have a clinical study to support this , but I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you ’ re in a place where I ’ ve eliminated food or whatever my crutch might be , I find that hypersense of awareness does make me more present.
” “ You are more and more focused .
You don ’ t waste time , ” he said .
“ I feel like our religion is a boost .
I don ’ t know if it ’ s a spiritual thing or if it ’ s something in the air , but it ’ s a little bit energizing.
” Muslim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lines of the fight against COVID-19 all over the world .
The first four doctors to die from the virus in England were Muslim immigrants , and in New York City , a hotbed of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States , more than 10 % of the pharmacists , clinical laboratory technicians and doctors are Muslim , according to the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding .
The percentage is even greater in Michigan where healthcare workers have paid a high price with more than a thousand employees of the Henry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The first two weeks in April were as challenging as it ’ s been , ” said Dr. Mohammed Rehman , a neurologist who has seen his time in the ICU nearly double this month .
“ But I also saw a lot of people come together during this.
” Rehman also sees the Ramadan fast as something that will strengthen , not weaken , him .
“ It was meant to reconnect you back with your faith , it ’ s not meant to put a burden on that you can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The greater challenge could center on the five prayers — at dawn , midday , afternoon , sunset and night — that Muslims are called to make each day .
Since it ’ s inconvenient to bring a prayer rug into a hospital now and inappropriate for a doctor to strip out of their PPE , Padela will substitute a towel or clean sheet for a rug and pray in his protective clothing and mask .
Beg , the Alameda County ICU doctor , will sometimes use a chair rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ground .
“ The whole world is stretching their PPE further than I wish it was , ” she said .
And if she can ’ t leave a patient to pray at the right time , she ’ ll combine two prayers when she can get away .
“ The way my mom always taught me about Islam is God is not cruel , ” she said .
“ So whatever situation you ’ re in , you should be able to be adaptable.
” COVID-19 has put limits on that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Muslims would gather with family or in mosques for the evening prayer , but social distancing regulations have forced mosques to close , leaving the faithful to pray at home .
“ I can ’ t even visit my parents now , ” Rehman said .
“ I can ’ t go anywhere .
So the community events , I would say , I will miss this year quite a bit.
” The coronavirus is not just punishing those who are infected and those who are treating them .
Siddiqui said it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night he has to strip in the garage and put his medical clothes in the washer , then take a shower before he can greet his wife .
And whatever plans they have for the evening are often interrupted by calls from the hospital or nursing home .
“ ‘ Doctor , this patient ’ s coughing , he ’ s feverish .
Should we test for COVID ?
What do you want us to do ?
’ ” Siddiqui said , imitating the kinds of calls that have become a nightly routine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming to work .
The mental toll that this has taken on me and my colleagues is unprecedented .
I feel like just , you know , crying almost.
” For the next 30 days , he ’ ll be handling that stress with both a renewed faith and an empty stomach .

Dr. Imran Siddiqui, a Muslim, is director of the Desert Valley Medical Group in Victorville. His days have been long and stressful since the COVID-19 pandemic began. With the start of the Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan, on Friday, he will have to deal with an additional layer of difficulty.
When Dr. Imran Siddiqui went to bed Thursday night, he set the alarm for 4:30 a.m.
As the director for both the Desert Valley Medical Group in Victorville and a nearby nursing home, Siddiqui’s days have been long and stressful since the COVID-19 pandemic began its deadly assault on California more than six weeks ago. But it’s faith as much as duty that will require him to rise early each morning for the next month.
Because in addition to being a doctor, Siddiqui is a devout Muslim, and like thousands of other faithful first responders, he will be waking before dawn for a large breakfast, then going without food and water throughout the daylight hours of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting that ends May 23.
“My weakness in Ramadan is not food, it’s not water,” Siddiqui said. “It’s coffee. I need to have a cup of coffee in the morning. Or two cups.”
Advertisement
The fast is obligatory, one of the five pillars of Islam. Yet for frontline healthcare workers, observing it could be extra difficult this year. The novel coronavirus has overwhelmed emergency rooms and intensive care units, infecting more than 9,000 U.S. healthcare providers and killing more than two dozen, according to a study released earlier this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Uneven reporting across the country, the CDC added, means the real numbers are almost certainly much higher.
Dr. Imran Siddiqui attends to a COVID-19 patient. His Islamic faith as much as duty will require him to rise early each morning during Ramadan. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
And that has some doctors and Islamic scholars questioning whether working long hours in a challenging environment without food and water is wise.
“This has been a discussion,” said Dr. Faisal Qazi, a neurologist and an assistant professor at Western University and UC Riverside. “In Ramadan fasting, you’re not hydrated, so it’s different than other forms of intermittent fasting.”
The use of personal protective equipment, including masks, could increase the chances of dehydration. Religious officials in the United Arab Emirates have said that those treating COVID-19 patients there are exempt from fasting, but most Islamic leaders in the United States insist healthy caregivers here should have little problem fasting.
Advertisement
“This COVID-19 situation doesn’t really change that normality,” said Dr. Aasim I. Padela, an emergency medicine physician at the University of Chicago Medical Center and director of the Initiative on Islam and Medicine. “Now what has been a concern is that frontline workers like me who are fasting and making very critical decisions or surgeons who are making critical decisions … people are saying it might be more difficult, I might become more dehydrated because I have to wear all these extra layers of protection.
“That’s a credible concern although there’s no data that I know of to show that.”
Dr. Imran Siddiqui puts on his personal protective equipment at Desert Valley Medical Group in Victorville. The use of PPE, including masks, could increase the chances of dehydration during Ramadan. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
In any case, Islamic law allows followers to opt out of a fast under certain circumstances, such as illness or other hardship, and make it up later in the year. The strain of working in a COVID-19 ward would certainly qualify for an exemption.
“Fasting is hard,” said Muzammil Siddiqi, religious director for the Islamic Society of Orange County. “But some things are much harder. If it is for their work, for their health, that will be an acceptable excuse.”
Dr. Muna Beg won’t be looking for an out. An ICU doctor who treats COVID-19 patients at two hospitals in Alameda County, Beg has been observing the Ramadan fast since she was 7. And while the first few days are always tough, after that “for Muslims in Ramadan, it’s Zen-like,” she said. “It’s a very personal experience.”
“I don’t have a clinical study to support this, but I can definitely attest to the fact that if you’re in a place where I’ve eliminated food or whatever my crutch might be, I find that hypersense of awareness does make me more present.”
Siddiqui agrees.
“You are more and more focused. You don’t waste time,” he said. “I feel like our religion is a boost. I don’t know if it’s a spiritual thing or if it’s something in the air, but it’s a little bit energizing.”
Muslim medical personnel have been on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 all over the world. The first four doctors to die from the virus in England were Muslim immigrants, and in New York City, a hotbed of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, more than 10% of the pharmacists, clinical laboratory technicians and doctors are Muslim, according to the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.
The percentage is even greater in Michigan where healthcare workers have paid a high price with more than a thousand employees of the Henry Ford Health System testing positive.
“The first two weeks in April were as challenging as it’s been,” said Dr. Mohammed Rehman, a neurologist who has seen his time in the ICU nearly double this month. “But I also saw a lot of people come together during this.”
Rehman also sees the Ramadan fast as something that will strengthen, not weaken, him.
“It was meant to reconnect you back with your faith, it’s not meant to put a burden on that you can’t even function anymore,” he said.
Dr. Imran Siddiqui plans to fast during Ramadan this year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
The greater challenge could center on the five prayers — at dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset and night — that Muslims are called to make each day. Since it’s inconvenient to bring a prayer rug into a hospital now and inappropriate for a doctor to strip out of their PPE, Padela will substitute a towel or clean sheet for a rug and pray in his protective clothing and mask.
Beg, the Alameda County ICU doctor, will sometimes use a chair rather than risk contaminating her PPE by praying on the ground.
“The whole world is stretching their PPE further than I wish it was,” she said. And if she can’t leave a patient to pray at the right time, she’ll combine two prayers when she can get away.
“The way my mom always taught me about Islam is God is not cruel,” she said. “So whatever situation you’re in, you should be able to be adaptable.”
COVID-19 has put limits on that though. In normal times, many Muslims would gather with family or in mosques for the evening prayer, but social distancing regulations have forced mosques to close, leaving the faithful to pray at home.
“I can’t even visit my parents now,” Rehman said. “I can’t go anywhere. So the community events, I would say, I will miss this year quite a bit.”
The coronavirus is not just punishing those who are infected and those who are treating them. Siddiqui said it’s also punishing the families. Each night he has to strip in the garage and put his medical clothes in the washer, then take a shower before he can greet his wife. And whatever plans they have for the evening are often interrupted by calls from the hospital or nursing home.
“‘Doctor, this patient’s coughing, he’s feverish. Should we test for COVID? What do you want us to do?’” Siddiqui said, imitating the kinds of calls that have become a nightly routine.
“It’s not just coming to work. The mental toll that this has taken on me and my colleagues is unprecedented. I feel like just, you know, crying almost.”
For the next 30 days, he’ll be handling that stress with both a renewed faith and an empty stomach.


latimes--2020-04-24--McFarland City Council votes to convert two prisons into immigrant detention facilities

Officials in the Central Valley city of McFarland voted unanimously Thursday night to convert two prisons into annexes for a nearby federal immigrant detention facility , adding 1,400 beds to the state ’ s current capacity of about 4,000 .
After the vote , Mayor Sally Gonzalez noted that the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the city ’ s already precarious finances and thanked her fellow council members for making a tough decision .
“ Ultimately we have to do what ’ s best for the city , ” Gonzalez said .
“ With all these deficits , we have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move forward.
” The approval marks the latest turn in a long-running fight over immigration policy between California and the federal government and effectively rebukes attempts by Gov .
Gavin Newsom , state legislators and human-rights advocates to reduce the population of immigrants detained in the state .
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement contracts with private companies to manage most of the facilities in which the agency holds immigrants for deportation .
One of the largest , Florida-based corrections corporation GEO Group , Inc. , runs 14 ICE facilities around the country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center in Bakersfield , which is 25 miles from McFarland .
Cash-strapped municipalities like McFarland — which until 2019 oversaw the management of the Mesa Verde center under a contract with ICE and GEO — and the high desert community of Adelanto northeast of Los Angeles have become battlegrounds in the policy struggle between the federal government and the state .
Last October , California became the first state to ban private prisons and privately run immigrant detention facilities when it passed Assembly Bill 32 .
But within weeks , U.S. Immigration and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offers for new detention center contracts before the law took effect in January .
If privately operated detention centers closed , that would leave one facility in the state for ICE to hold detainees : Yuba County Jail , which has 220 beds .
In December , federal officials signed contracts worth nearly $ 6.5 billion with GEO and the other two companies that run California ’ s four existing privately run detention centers , a move denounced by critics as an attempt by the Trump administration to circumvent the ban .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inclusive of two five-year extensions , ending in 2034 .
This year , ICE has considered ways to expand its holding capacity .
GEO had appealed an earlier denial of its prison-conversion plan by the McFarland Planning Commission , leaving the final determination to the City Council on Thursday .
The Adelanto City Council had been set to vote Wednesday on a similar proposal to convert the 750-bed Desert View Modified Community Correctional Facility into an annex for the Adelanto ICE Processing Facility .
But with two council members absent and one planning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of interest , there weren ’ t enough votes and the resolution was tabled for a future meeting .
About 31,000 immigrants are detained by ICE nationwide .
As of Thursday , 297 detainees and 35 ICE employees at detention centers have tested positive for COVID-19 .
On Tuesday , the American Civil Liberties union filed a class-action lawsuit seeking the release of detainees at Mesa Verde and at Yuba County Jail .
Detainees at Mesa Verde and other facilities launched hunger strikes in recent weeks over the lack of protective gear and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the release of dozens of medically vulnerable detainees in California .
Human rights groups and federal inspectors have identified thousands of health and safety violations at ICE ’ s contracted facilities , including those operated by GEO .
One report in 2018 found nooses made from bedsheets in cells and that detainees waited months to see a doctor at the GEO-run Adelanto facility .
Opponents of the McFarland proposal said virtual meetings provide insufficient public access for an issue of such public importance , especially because many residents don ’ t have access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the council should postpone the vote until after social distancing restrictions were lifted .
They said GEO was exploiting the majority-Latino farming community , where a third of residents live in poverty , according to the U.S. Census Bureau .
More than 800 people submitted public comments ahead of the vote .
Dozens of people were unable to participate in the meeting , which was held via Zoom , when the virtual conference room reached its maximum of 100 participants .
But Gonzalez pushed on , noting that City Hall wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously managed the Central Valley and Golden State modified community correctional facilities under contracts with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation , which ended in September 2019 and last month , respectively .
Under its new plan , the company will pay McFarland $ 511,000 per year in combined fiscal mitigation payments for public services like police and fire protection .
Together , the facilities will provide 346 jobs plus contracted healthcare positions .
Average annual salaries for entry-level positions will increase from $ 34,000 to $ 98,000 .
GEO and ICE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facility would keep detainees close to their families and lawyers .
The Planning Commission vote in February brought out hundreds of community members and activists , who stood outside the packed City Hall .
Mayor Manuel Cantu resigned the next morning , telling the Palm Springs Desert Sun , “ If the people would rather not support the growth of McFarland because of their concerns with ICE , I can ’ t blame them.
” GEO appealed the decision to the City Council .
Earlier this month , the council filled the position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former GEO Group employee , according to his Linkedin profile .
Another council member , Stephen McFarland , recused himself from the vote Thursday because he is a GEO employee .
City Manager Larry Pennell said the city is in “ desperate financial condition , ” with pothole-riddled streets , four police officers and delayed water and sewer infrastructure upgrades .
Pennell said he had been reprioritizing city spending to avoid bankruptcy when the coronavirus pandemic hit .
Losing GEO would mean losing $ 500,000 in property taxes , the city ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its second largest employer “ While this approval will not solve all our problems , it will provide the city with some time to focus on development in other parts of town , ” Pennell said .
In exchange for a unanimous vote , David Venturella , GEO ’ s senior vice president for client relations , offered yearly $ 1,000 scholarships for all graduating seniors of McFarland High School .
He pointed out that the tripled entry-level salaries would benefit McFarland residents .
“ This is a life-changing amount of money , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to purchase homes and send kids to college and take care of extended family.
” Javier Lopez told the council that he worried about the city ’ s finances and said his fellow residents shouldn ’ t deny the city the opportunity to grow .
“ This would really help us better McFarland , ” he said .
Resident Esmeralda Gonzalez , a widowed mother of five , said that city leaders were adding a new source of fear to a community already terror-stricken by the pandemic .
“ Now people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live in peace , ” she said .
“ Why didn ’ t they listen to us ?
”

A detainee looks out of a holding area at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield.
Officials in the Central Valley city of McFarland voted unanimously Thursday night to convert two prisons into annexes for a nearby federal immigrant detention facility, adding 1,400 beds to the state’s current capacity of about 4,000.
After the vote, Mayor Sally Gonzalez noted that the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the city’s already precarious finances and thanked her fellow council members for making a tough decision.
“Ultimately we have to do what’s best for the city,” Gonzalez said. “With all these deficits, we have to clear them and find a way to move forward.”
Advertisement
The approval marks the latest turn in a long-running fight over immigration policy between California and the federal government and effectively rebukes attempts by Gov. Gavin Newsom, state legislators and human-rights advocates to reduce the population of immigrants detained in the state.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement contracts with private companies to manage most of the facilities in which the agency holds immigrants for deportation. One of the largest, Florida-based corrections corporation GEO Group, Inc., runs 14 ICE facilities around the country, including the 400-bed Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield, which is 25 miles from McFarland.
Cash-strapped municipalities like McFarland — which until 2019 oversaw the management of the Mesa Verde center under a contract with ICE and GEO — and the high desert community of Adelanto northeast of Los Angeles have become battlegrounds in the policy struggle between the federal government and the state.
Last October, California became the first state to ban private prisons and privately run immigrant detention facilities when it passed Assembly Bill 32. But within weeks, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had pushed back by soliciting offers for new detention center contracts before the law took effect in January.
If privately operated detention centers closed, that would leave one facility in the state for ICE to hold detainees: Yuba County Jail, which has 220 beds.
In December, federal officials signed contracts worth nearly $6.5 billion with GEO and the other two companies that run California’s four existing privately run detention centers, a move denounced by critics as an attempt by the Trump administration to circumvent the ban. The contracts have terms of 15 years, inclusive of two five-year extensions, ending in 2034.
Advertisement
This year, ICE has considered ways to expand its holding capacity. GEO had appealed an earlier denial of its prison-conversion plan by the McFarland Planning Commission, leaving the final determination to the City Council on Thursday.
The Adelanto City Council had been set to vote Wednesday on a similar proposal to convert the 750-bed Desert View Modified Community Correctional Facility into an annex for the Adelanto ICE Processing Facility. But with two council members absent and one planning to recuse himself over a potential conflict of interest, there weren’t enough votes and the resolution was tabled for a future meeting.
About 31,000 immigrants are detained by ICE nationwide. As of Thursday, 297 detainees and 35 ICE employees at detention centers have tested positive for COVID-19.
On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties union filed a class-action lawsuit seeking the release of detainees at Mesa Verde and at Yuba County Jail. Detainees at Mesa Verde and other facilities launched hunger strikes in recent weeks over the lack of protective gear and adequate distancing. Federal judges have ordered the release of dozens of medically vulnerable detainees in California.
Human rights groups and federal inspectors have identified thousands of health and safety violations at ICE’s contracted facilities, including those operated by GEO. One report in 2018 found nooses made from bedsheets in cells and that detainees waited months to see a doctor at the GEO-run Adelanto facility.
Opponents of the McFarland proposal said virtual meetings provide insufficient public access for an issue of such public importance, especially because many residents don’t have access to the internet, and argued that the council should postpone the vote until after social distancing restrictions were lifted. They said GEO was exploiting the majority-Latino farming community, where a third of residents live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
More than 800 people submitted public comments ahead of the vote. Dozens of people were unable to participate in the meeting, which was held via Zoom, when the virtual conference room reached its maximum of 100 participants. But Gonzalez pushed on, noting that City Hall wouldn’t hold that many people either.
GEO previously managed the Central Valley and Golden State modified community correctional facilities under contracts with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which ended in September 2019 and last month, respectively.
Under its new plan, the company will pay McFarland $511,000 per year in combined fiscal mitigation payments for public services like police and fire protection. Together, the facilities will provide 346 jobs plus contracted healthcare positions. Average annual salaries for entry-level positions will increase from $34,000 to $98,000.
GEO and ICE have maintained that expanding the Mesa Verde facility would keep detainees close to their families and lawyers.
The Planning Commission vote in February brought out hundreds of community members and activists, who stood outside the packed City Hall. Mayor Manuel Cantu resigned the next morning, telling the Palm Springs Desert Sun, “If the people would rather not support the growth of McFarland because of their concerns with ICE, I can’t blame them.”
GEO appealed the decision to the City Council. Earlier this month, the council filled the position left by Cantu with Eric Rodriguez, a former GEO Group employee, according to his Linkedin profile.
Another council member, Stephen McFarland, recused himself from the vote Thursday because he is a GEO employee.
City Manager Larry Pennell said the city is in “desperate financial condition,” with pothole-riddled streets, four police officers and delayed water and sewer infrastructure upgrades. Pennell said he had been reprioritizing city spending to avoid bankruptcy when the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Losing GEO would mean losing $500,000 in property taxes, the city’s largest water and sewer customer and its second largest employer
“While this approval will not solve all our problems, it will provide the city with some time to focus on development in other parts of town,” Pennell said.
In exchange for a unanimous vote, David Venturella, GEO’s senior vice president for client relations, offered yearly $1,000 scholarships for all graduating seniors of McFarland High School. He pointed out that the tripled entry-level salaries would benefit McFarland residents.
“This is a life-changing amount of money,” he said. “Folks will be able to purchase homes and send kids to college and take care of extended family.”
Javier Lopez told the council that he worried about the city’s finances and said his fellow residents shouldn’t deny the city the opportunity to grow.
“This would really help us better McFarland,” he said.
Resident Esmeralda Gonzalez, a widowed mother of five, said that city leaders were adding a new source of fear to a community already terror-stricken by the pandemic.
“Now people won’t even be able to live in peace,” she said. “Why didn’t they listen to us?”