latimes--2020-12-21--Police in Pasadena, Long Beach pledged not to send license plate data to ICE. They shared it anyway

When the city of Pasadena approved the Police Department ’ s request to purchase three new automatic license plate readers , Cmdr .
Jason Clawson promised the city ’ s public safety committee the department wouldn ’ t share any data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement .
“ Robust policies and procedures are in place to prevent the system and the information it gathers from being used inappropriately or differently from its intended purpose , ” Clawson told the City Council ’ s public safety committee at the time .
The department reiterated its pledge to limit data-sharing at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City Council voted to authorize the purchase of new license plate readers from Vigilant Solutions in Livermore , Calif. , so long as the contract included provisions prohibiting the sharing of data for monetary reasons and limiting data sharing to police agencies only .
But documents show Pasadena police have been passing license plate data directly to ICE ’ s Homeland Security Investigations arm .
The documents , obtained by the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union through a public records request and shared with The Times , show that as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data with Homeland Security Investigations through its Bulk Cash Smuggling Center , which provides real-time information to law enforcement agencies investigating attempts to smuggle more than $ 10,000 in cash or monetary instruments into the U.S .
The department began sharing license plate information with HSI four months ago to help “ restrict the flow of funding that supports criminal enterprises , ” according to Special Services Lt. Bill Grisafe .
Grisafe said in an email last week the department stopped sharing license plate information with HSI once it realized the division was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Security Investigations ’ Bulk Cash Smuggling Center was not strictly an immigration enforcement unit , but one focused on preventing the funding of criminal enterprises .
“ The City of Pasadena and the Pasadena Police Department stand by their commitment to not directly assist ICE in investigating , detaining or arresting individuals solely for violations of federal immigration law , ” Grisafe said .
“ We will review the matter in detail to ensure that no inadvertent contacts are made with ICE through which they might gain access to City information through some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Community groups and privacy advocates , who had opposed the city ’ s move to purchase the license plate readers , criticized the department ’ s handling of data .
“ At very best , it ’ s a very negligent mistake , ” said Mohammad Tajsar , a senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California .
“ The city committed to not doing this , they should have had the wherewithal to make sure this doesn ’ t happen.
” In a letter to city officials ahead of a September @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replace older equipment , Tajsar wrote the technology was “ a grave danger to all immigrants who live or drive through Pasadena.
” Used by law enforcement agencies across the state for years , license plate readers have raised concerns among privacy advocates because the technology can track people ’ s movements without their consent .
These databases are also built by private firms , which can sell access to anyone willing to pay with little transparency .
The cameras can capture 1,800 license plate numbers per minute and are mounted on vehicles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local agencies restrict sharing data explicitly with ICE , these broader network databases still pose a problem , privacy activists and researchers say .
“ Vigilant Solutions would say sharing your data is as easy as adding a friend on Facebook , ” said Electronic Frontier Foundation researcher Dave Maass , drawing from the company ’ s promotional materials for its license plate technology .
Electronic Frontier Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on privacy issues .
The Motorola-owned company encourages data-sharing among the hundreds of agencies it contracts with .
Documents from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Solutions provided ICE with step-by-step guides on how to get license plate data from other agencies , including local and state law enforcement agencies and said it could give ICE access to millions more license plate scans .
Vigilant Solutions did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
The ACLU of Southern California , the Pasadena branch of the NAACP and several other local civil and privacy rights organizations sent a letter to Pasadena city and police officials Monday urging the city to immediately end sharing automatic license plate reader data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and to end its contract with Vigilant Solutions .
The letter additionally calls on the city to delete all license plate reader data that are not needed for active investigations , and not to store that type of data for any “ significant length of time.
” Pasadena isn ’ t the only Southern California city that seems to have reneged on its promise in recent months .
Long Beach policy , passed in 2018 to strengthen the city ’ s sanctuary status , restricts police from turning over information to ICE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report by the police , obtained by Long Beach resident and researcher Greg Buhl through a records request and shared with The Times , showed the Long Beach Police Department was sending license plate reader data directly to ICE .
When journalist Kevin Flores detailed Long Beach ’ s data sharing with ICE last month based on the documents obtained by Buhl , Long Beach police said they would conduct an administrative review .
The department determined that an employee had inadvertently granted ICE access to automated license plate reader ( ALPR ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approval ” feature , according to Long Beach Police Department spokesman Brandon Fahey .
“ Once this report was brought to our attention , we confirmed that we are not currently sharing information with ICE through the ALPR system , ” Fahey said .
“ It should be noted that personal identifying information associated with read plates was never shared .
Since discovering this error , the Department has implemented several protocols to ensure this error does not occur again in the future , including prohibiting group approvals and adding additional steps in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in both Pasadena and Long Beach agencies continue to share automated license plate reader data with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and California ’ s Joint Regional Intelligence Center , which partners with the Department of Homeland Security and shares information widely with federal law enforcement agencies .
Arrangements with outside agencies could render moot any promises to keep data way from ICE , the Electronic Frontier Foundation ’ s Maass said .
“ With data as sensitive as license plate data , agencies should consider not sharing with other agencies at all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a very limited number , who agree to abide by the same rules , with an oversight process to make sure you catch the bad actors searching the data inappropriately , ” Maass said .
The Pasadena police ’ s Grisafe said , “ the Pasadena Police Department has and will continue to work with Federal Law Enforcement Agencies to bring transnational and other criminal syndicates to justice .
The City of Pasadena and the Pasadena Police Department have no interest in assisting with the identification and deportation of persons not engaged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chula Vista is also grappling with similar privacy concerns after the San Diego Union-Tribune revealed this month that local police allowed federal agencies including ICE to access data collected from license plate readers .
At a Dec. 8 meeting , Chula Vista ’ s mayor said the city had temporarily blocked federal agencies with an immigration enforcement component from accessing data .
California passed legislation in 2015 aiming to build rules around how automated license plate reader data are used by public agencies in California .
But a state audit published in February @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and three other California law enforcement agencies did not provide sufficient privacy protections for data collected by automated license plate readers and shared with other jurisdictions .

An automated license plate reader on an unmarked police car in Washington, D.C., in 2014. Documents show that police in Pasadena and Long Beach shared data from automated license plate readers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, despite promises to withhold such information from the federal agency.
When the city of Pasadena approved the Police Department’s request to purchase three new automatic license plate readers, Cmdr. Jason Clawson promised the city’s public safety committee the department wouldn’t share any data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Robust policies and procedures are in place to prevent the system and the information it gathers from being used inappropriately or differently from its intended purpose,” Clawson told the City Council’s public safety committee at the time.
The department reiterated its pledge to limit data-sharing at a Sept. 21 meeting, when the Pasadena City Council voted to authorize the purchase of new license plate readers from Vigilant Solutions in Livermore, Calif., so long as the contract included provisions prohibiting the sharing of data for monetary reasons and limiting data sharing to police agencies only.
Advertisement
But documents show Pasadena police have been passing license plate data directly to ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations arm.
The documents, obtained by the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union through a public records request and shared with The Times, show that as of Nov. 2, Pasadena police shared data with Homeland Security Investigations through its Bulk Cash Smuggling Center, which provides real-time information to law enforcement agencies investigating attempts to smuggle more than $10,000 in cash or monetary instruments into the U.S.
The department began sharing license plate information with HSI four months ago to help “restrict the flow of funding that supports criminal enterprises,” according to Special Services Lt. Bill Grisafe.
Grisafe said in an email last week the department stopped sharing license plate information with HSI once it realized the division was affiliated with ICE.
He said Homeland Security Investigations’ Bulk Cash Smuggling Center was not strictly an immigration enforcement unit, but one focused on preventing the funding of criminal enterprises.
“The City of Pasadena and the Pasadena Police Department stand by their commitment to not directly assist ICE in investigating, detaining or arresting individuals solely for violations of federal immigration law,” Grisafe said. “We will review the matter in detail to ensure that no inadvertent contacts are made with ICE through which they might gain access to City information through some back door or information sharing program.”
Community groups and privacy advocates, who had opposed the city’s move to purchase the license plate readers, criticized the department’s handling of data.
“At very best, it’s a very negligent mistake,” said Mohammad Tajsar, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California. “The city committed to not doing this, they should have had the wherewithal to make sure this doesn’t happen.”
Advertisement
In a letter to city officials ahead of a September discussion about purchasing Vigilant Solutions equipment to replace older equipment, Tajsar wrote the technology was “a grave danger to all immigrants who live or drive through Pasadena.”
Used by law enforcement agencies across the state for years, license plate readers have raised concerns among privacy advocates because the technology can track people’s movements without their consent. These databases are also built by private firms, which can sell access to anyone willing to pay with little transparency.
Business Neighbors are using these smart cameras to track strangers’ cars — and yours Neighborhoods around Los Angeles are signing up for a new service: security cameras that automatically read the license plates of every car that drives by from a company called Flock Safety
The cameras can capture 1,800 license plate numbers per minute and are mounted on vehicles or traffic signal poles.
Even if local agencies restrict sharing data explicitly with ICE, these broader network databases still pose a problem, privacy activists and researchers say.
“Vigilant Solutions would say sharing your data is as easy as adding a friend on Facebook,” said Electronic Frontier Foundation researcher Dave Maass, drawing from the company’s promotional materials for its license plate technology. Electronic Frontier Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on privacy issues.
The Motorola-owned company encourages data-sharing among the hundreds of agencies it contracts with. Documents from 2018 obtained by the ACLU show Vigilant Solutions provided ICE with step-by-step guides on how to get license plate data from other agencies, including local and state law enforcement agencies and said it could give ICE access to millions more license plate scans.
Vigilant Solutions did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The ACLU of Southern California, the Pasadena branch of the NAACP and several other local civil and privacy rights organizations sent a letter to Pasadena city and police officials Monday urging the city to immediately end sharing automatic license plate reader data with the federal government and out-of-state agencies, and to end its contract with Vigilant Solutions.
The letter additionally calls on the city to delete all license plate reader data that are not needed for active investigations, and not to store that type of data for any “significant length of time.”
Pasadena isn’t the only Southern California city that seems to have reneged on its promise in recent months.
Long Beach policy, passed in 2018 to strengthen the city’s sanctuary status, restricts police from turning over information to ICE unless legally obligated.
But an August report by the police, obtained by Long Beach resident and researcher Greg Buhl through a records request and shared with The Times, showed the Long Beach Police Department was sending license plate reader data directly to ICE.
When journalist Kevin Flores detailed Long Beach’s data sharing with ICE last month based on the documents obtained by Buhl, Long Beach police said they would conduct an administrative review.
The department determined that an employee had inadvertently granted ICE access to automated license plate reader (ALPR) data using Vigilant’s “group approval” feature, according to Long Beach Police Department spokesman Brandon Fahey.
“Once this report was brought to our attention, we confirmed that we are not currently sharing information with ICE through the ALPR system,” Fahey said. “It should be noted that personal identifying information associated with read plates was never shared. Since discovering this error, the Department has implemented several protocols to ensure this error does not occur again in the future, including prohibiting group approvals and adding additional steps in the review and approval process.”
Police in both Pasadena and Long Beach agencies continue to share automated license plate reader data with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and California’s Joint Regional Intelligence Center, which partners with the Department of Homeland Security and shares information widely with federal law enforcement agencies.
Arrangements with outside agencies could render moot any promises to keep data way from ICE, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Maass said.
“With data as sensitive as license plate data, agencies should consider not sharing with other agencies at all, and if they are, only in a very limited number, who agree to abide by the same rules, with an oversight process to make sure you catch the bad actors searching the data inappropriately,” Maass said.
The Pasadena police’s Grisafe said, “the Pasadena Police Department has and will continue to work with Federal Law Enforcement Agencies to bring transnational and other criminal syndicates to justice. The City of Pasadena and the Pasadena Police Department have no interest in assisting with the identification and deportation of persons not engaged in such activity.”
The city of Chula Vista is also grappling with similar privacy concerns after the San Diego Union-Tribune revealed this month that local police allowed federal agencies including ICE to access data collected from license plate readers.
At a Dec. 8 meeting, Chula Vista’s mayor said the city had temporarily blocked federal agencies with an immigration enforcement component from accessing data.
California passed legislation in 2015 aiming to build rules around how automated license plate reader data are used by public agencies in California. But a state audit published in February found that the Los Angeles Police Department and three other California law enforcement agencies did not provide sufficient privacy protections for data collected by automated license plate readers and shared with other jurisdictions.


latimes--2020-12-21--A COVID-related illness is sickening a growing number of children in California

The girl ’ s parents had driven her to Children ’ s Hospital Los Angeles in May when her temperature spiked and delirium sent her into a fever-sleep .
She was placed in intensive care as specialists tended to inflammation around her heart and arteries .
Her mother watched helplessly from the hallway as doctors rushed to revive her youngest child .
It would be a few more days before the girl regained full consciousness and even longer before she was allowed to return to their Hawthorne home .
“ It was just like a nightmare , ” Rosa Vasquez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitalization .
“ There was a time where I thought she was going to die.
” Xitlali , which means “ star ” in Nahuatl , was one of the first children in Los Angeles County to be diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome , a rare and potentially deadly illness that infects children exposed to the coronavirus .
Seven months later , at least 45 children in the county have been diagnosed with MIS-C , and one has died .
Like the coronavirus — which has infected more than 1.85 million people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black and Latino — MIS-C has also disproportionately infected Black and Latino children .
In Los Angeles County , Latino children like Xitlali account for 73 % of reported cases , according to data from the public health department .
And across the country , Latino children make up 40 % of MIS-C cases .
The second-largest group is Black children , who make up 36 % of all cases , according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The Mayo Clinic suggests that differences in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ genetic risks may play a factor in the disparity but says that further studies are needed to help determine why MIS-C affects Black and Latino children more often than others .
In Xitlali ’ s case , it ’ s possible the girl , who turned 9 in July , contracted the virus from her parents .
Vasquez said that she and her husband were both ill in late March with what appeared to be COVID-19 symptoms .
But the couple tested negative for the virus .
Neither of their sons , ages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nor did Vasquez ’ s 68-year-old mother .
Xitlali , who is often by her mother ’ s side , didn ’ t show signs of the coronavirus until weeks later , when her eyes turned bloodshot and a fever pushed the girl to the point of delirium .
Much is still unknown about MIS-C , including its long-term effects , whether some children are genetically predisposed to the illness and if the case count may be higher .
Researchers believe that some children diagnosed between January and May with Kawasaki disease , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5,500 children in the U.S. each year , might have actually had MIS-C instead .
What is clear is that MIS-C cases are directly linked to a surge in COVID-19 infections — a correlation that doctors say could easily match up with a likely uptick around the holidays , given the ongoing spike in coronavirus cases .
In the last week , seven additional children have been diagnosed with the syndrome across the state , according to the California Department of Public Health .
“ With the number of [ coronavirus ] cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , I do expect to see more children with MIS-C coming into the hospital in the next few weeks , ” said Dr. Jackie Szmuszkovicz , a pediatric cardiologist at Children ’ s Hospital Los Angeles and one of Xitlali ’ s doctors .
“ We ’ re at a critical moment right now.
” The mysterious syndrome has killed at least 23 children in the U.S. and infected more than 1,280 — counts that have grown by more than 125 % since July , according to a Times analysis of data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last reported Dec. 4 and will be updated next in January , the CDC said .
MIS-C has been diagnosed in patients less than a year old and up to age 20 ; the majority are 7 to 9 .
In California , at least 152 children have fallen ill with MIS-C , according to the state Department of Public Health .
One child , whose age and name have not been released , died of the illness this month .
Health officials at Children ’ s Hospital Los Angeles , where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ child had a “ complex , preexisting cardiac condition ” and died of complications tied to MIS-C .
The death marks the first child fatality linked to COVID-19 in the county .
The state ’ s health department does not separate MIS-C deaths from COVID-19 fatalities .
Among California ’ s more than 22,000 COVID-19 deaths , three have been children 17 or younger , state data show .
While the syndrome is rare , it can be serious — and potentially deadly .
Typically , children develop symptoms of MIS-C roughly four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , which often goes undetected because most children are asymptomatic carriers .
MIS-C symptoms include fever , pain in the abdomen and neck , vomiting , diarrhea , rash , red lips , bloodshot eyes and exhaustion .
Children have arrived at the hospital with a fever and have been discharged only to return days later in shock , doctors say .
Others have been admitted with labored breathing and have to be given oxygen or placed on a ventilator .
A MIS-C diagnosis usually is made only after a child tests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are kids that are not sick enough to be admitted .
Then there are children that go directly into shock with multi-organ failure , ” said Dr. Jane Burns , a professor and director of the Kawasaki Disease Research Center at UC San Diego .
“ We don ’ t understand why the heart muscles basically pump poorly in these children , but that can be reversed very quickly with the right cocktail of inflammatory treatment .
They can go from death ’ s doorstep in one day.
” A CDC report from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commonly reported underlying medical condition among children with MIS-C .
However , two-thirds of the children diagnosed at that time did not have preexisting conditions , the report showed .
Vasquez said that Xitlali had been given a clean bill of health at her checkup in January .
After her bout with MIS-C , she has developed Type 1 diabetes , which Vasquez thinks is in part because of an inflammation in her pancreas related to MIS-C. Health experts say early treatment is key to mitigating the severity of MIS-C. A combination of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of hospitals and doctor ’ s offices amid the pandemic and the fact that initial symptoms often present in the GI tract — similar to the flu — has left some children in the emergency room after mild symptoms turn severe .
“ Please do not delay in seeking care for your child if they are ill , ” Szmuszkovicz said .
“ Length of stay is going to be shorter if we can get inflammation under control earlier.
” Vasquez , who still shudders at the memory of that May day as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s heart , knows all too well how quickly things can take a turn for the worse .
“ Our kids get sick and we want to treat them with home remedies and Tylenol without knowing that they could die without taking them to the right place , ” she said .
Recently , Xitlali turned to her mother as a news report blared on the television .
“ There was a little kid that died because of the same thing that I had , ” she told her mother in disbelief .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ But she is alive .
And for that , her mother is grateful .

Rosa Vasquez stands with her daughter Xitlali, who developed MIS-C in May. After arriving at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Xitali’s heart momentarily stopped. She recovered days later but is still seeing long-term effects.
For several seconds, 8-year-old Xitlali Vasquez’s heart stopped beating.
The girl’s parents had driven her to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in May when her temperature spiked and delirium sent her into a fever-sleep. She was placed in intensive care as specialists tended to inflammation around her heart and arteries.
Her mother watched helplessly from the hallway as doctors rushed to revive her youngest child. It would be a few more days before the girl regained full consciousness and even longer before she was allowed to return to their Hawthorne home.
“It was just like a nightmare,” Rosa Vasquez said about her daughter’s 12-day hospitalization. “There was a time where I thought she was going to die.”
Advertisement
Xitlali, which means “star” in Nahuatl, was one of the first children in Los Angeles County to be diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a rare and potentially deadly illness known as MIS-C that infects children exposed to the coronavirus.
Seven months later, at least 45 children in the county have been diagnosed with MIS-C, and one has died.
Like the coronavirus — which has infected more than 1.85 million people in California, the majority of whom are Black and Latino — MIS-C has also disproportionately infected Black and Latino children.
In Los Angeles County, Latino children like Xitlali account for 73% of reported cases, according to data from the public health department. And across the country, Latino children make up 40% of MIS-C cases. The second-largest group is Black children, who make up 36% of all cases, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Mayo Clinic suggests that differences in access to healthcare and the possibility of genetic risks may play a factor in the disparity but says that further studies are needed to help determine why MIS-C affects Black and Latino children more often than others.
In Xitlali’s case, it’s possible the girl, who turned 9 in July, contracted the virus from her parents. Vasquez said that she and her husband were both ill in late March with what appeared to be COVID-19 symptoms. But the couple tested negative for the virus. Neither of their sons, ages 12 and 24, fell ill, nor did Vasquez’s 68-year-old mother.
Xitlali, who is often by her mother’s side, didn’t show signs of the coronavirus until weeks later, when her eyes turned bloodshot and a fever pushed the girl to the point of delirium.
Advertisement
It is possible that Xitlali Vasquez contracted the coronavirus from her parents. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Much is still unknown about MIS-C, including its long-term effects, whether some children are genetically predisposed to the illness and if the case count may be higher. Researchers believe that some children diagnosed between January and May with Kawasaki disease, a rare inflammatory disease that affects about 5,500 children in the U.S. each year, might have actually had MIS-C instead.
What is clear is that MIS-C cases are directly linked to a surge in COVID-19 infections — a correlation that doctors say could easily match up with a likely uptick around the holidays, given the ongoing spike in coronavirus cases. In the last week, seven additional children have been diagnosed with the syndrome across the state, according to the California Department of Public Health.
“With the number of [coronavirus] cases we’re seeing in Los Angeles now, I do expect to see more children with MIS-C coming into the hospital in the next few weeks,” said Dr. Jackie Szmuszkovicz, a pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and one of Xitlali’s doctors. “We’re at a critical moment right now.”
The mysterious syndrome has killed at least 23 children in the U.S. and infected more than 1,280 — counts that have grown by more than 125% since July, according to a Times analysis of data from the CDC. The data were last reported Dec. 4 and will be updated next in January, the CDC said.
MIS-C has been diagnosed in patients less than a year old and up to age 20; the majority are 7 to 9.
In California, at least 152 children have fallen ill with MIS-C, according to the state Department of Public Health.
One child, whose age and name have not been released, died of the illness this month. Health officials at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where the patient was being treated, said the child had a “complex, preexisting cardiac condition” and died of complications tied to MIS-C. The death marks the first child fatality linked to COVID-19 in the county.
The state’s health department does not separate MIS-C deaths from COVID-19 fatalities. Among California’s more than 22,000 COVID-19 deaths, three have been children 17 or younger, state data show.
While the syndrome is rare, it can be serious — and potentially deadly. Typically, children develop symptoms of MIS-C roughly four to five weeks after exposure to the coronavirus, which often goes undetected because most children are asymptomatic carriers. MIS-C symptoms include fever, pain in the abdomen and neck, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, red lips, bloodshot eyes and exhaustion.
Children have arrived at the hospital with a fever and have been discharged only to return days later in shock, doctors say. Others have been admitted with labored breathing and have to be given oxygen or placed on a ventilator. A MIS-C diagnosis usually is made only after a child tests positive for COVID-19 antibodies.
“There are kids that are not sick enough to be admitted. Then there are children that go directly into shock with multi-organ failure,” said Dr. Jane Burns, a professor and director of the Kawasaki Disease Research Center at UC San Diego. “We don’t understand why the heart muscles basically pump poorly in these children, but that can be reversed very quickly with the right cocktail of inflammatory treatment. They can go from death’s doorstep in one day.”
A CDC report from August said that obesity was the most commonly reported underlying medical condition among children with MIS-C. However, two-thirds of the children diagnosed at that time did not have preexisting conditions, the report showed.
Vasquez said that Xitlali had been given a clean bill of health at her checkup in January. After her bout with MIS-C, she has developed Type 1 diabetes, which Vasquez thinks is in part because of an inflammation in her pancreas related to MIS-C.
Health experts say early treatment is key to mitigating the severity of MIS-C. A combination of limited information about the illness, avoidance of hospitals and doctor’s offices amid the pandemic and the fact that initial symptoms often present in the GI tract — similar to the flu — has left some children in the emergency room after mild symptoms turn severe.
“Please do not delay in seeking care for your child if they are ill,” Szmuszkovicz said. “Length of stay is going to be shorter if we can get inflammation under control earlier.”
Vasquez, who still shudders at the memory of that May day as doctors worked frantically to restart Xitlali’s heart, knows all too well how quickly things can take a turn for the worse.
“Our kids get sick and we want to treat them with home remedies and Tylenol without knowing that they could die without taking them to the right place,” she said.
Recently, Xitlali turned to her mother as a news report blared on the television.
“There was a little kid that died because of the same thing that I had,” she told her mother in disbelief.
Fear persists for the young girl. But she is alive. And for that, her mother is grateful.


latimes--2020-12-21--Changes caused by worsening wildfires in California forests will last centuries

The single-engine Cessna was buzzing 1,000 feet above a Northern California burn scar as UC Berkeley scientist Scott Stephens shifted excitedly in his seat and peered out the window for a better view .
Down below , heavy machinery kicked up clouds of dust as commercial loggers attempted to salvage whatever timber they could , while a vast canopy of green , gold and brown rolled beneath the aircraft .
Occasionally , this brilliant autumn quilt would be marred by with burn patches .
But as the flight continued , the fall colors gave way to a desolate sea of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like charred toothpicks jutting from an ash pile .
That was the path , Stephens explained , that the North Complex fire took on Sept. 8 into Berry Creek , a rural Butte County hamlet some nine miles north of Oroville dam .
As California takes stock of its worst wildfire season on record , experts say that increasingly large and devastating fires have already altered the state ’ s iconic forests for centuries to come .
Exacerbated by a warming climate and decades of aggressive fire suppression efforts — which left large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will continue to alter the landscape and , in some cases , will leave it more susceptible to wildfire than ever before , they say .
In other cases , the flames were likely to restore patches of wildland to their original state .
California ’ s diverse ecosystem — its lush coastal mountain ranges in the north ; its flat , fertile valleys down its middle ; and its snow-capped spine of the Sierra casting a rain shadow over the sere Mojave desert — have evolved over eons .
That evolution has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s being influenced greatly by drought , fire and increasing temperatures , experts say .
During the summer , hundreds of fire-adapted Sequoias were destroyed in the Sierra along with conifers , with rangers speculating many of the trees may never return .
In Big Basin Redwoods State Park west of San Jose , ecologists wonder about the long-term prospects for the forest behemoths as the cool , foggy environment they thrive in warms and dries .
In the Los Padres National Forest , years of repeated fires have already changed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire risks for residents around them .
And now , after the North Complex fire , the area around Berry Creek can be added to that list , said Ryan Bauer , who leads the hazardous fuels and prescribed fire program for the Plumas National Forest .
“ This was to the point that as you drive through that forest , there aren ’ t even large logs left on the ground , it pretty much cleaned up the surface fuels and left a big bed of ash with sticks sticking out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ ll repair itself , nature is strikingly resilient , but it ’ s certainly not going to come back a forest.
” The North Complex fire began on Aug. 17 as separate fires that moved toward one another uneventfully until the morning of Sept. 8 when they merged and jumped a scenic river and sped out of the national forest and into rural Butte County .
By the time the fire was fully contained Dec. 3 , it had burned 318,935 acres , killed 16 people and damaged or destroyed 2,455 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The roar of such fires has been compared to a jet engine , or oncoming freight train .
Bauer said those comparisons don ’ t quite fit .
“ I think of it more as an avalanche of fire , ” he said .
“ It ’ s not just rolling down the hill , it ’ s compounding itself and making itself worse and more powerful as it goes , starting more fires and then this cloud of embers ahead of it lighting additional fires.
” In the early and late parts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and slowly mostly to the north and east , creating that “ mosaic ” of three- to five-acre patches of char that Stephens was so excited about .
The California spotted owl appreciates the variety of a quasi-burned forest , where it can prey on small animals that are drawn to the new vegetation for food , Stephens said .
Fully developed trees like mosaic burns too , because they reduce competition for resources and burn away dead and dying ground litter that flames climb to reach the treetops .
But that type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the fire ’ s entire footprint , officials said .
Most of the North Complex fire — like the other large blazes that have blackened more than 4 million acres in California this year — burned too much area too intensely to be seen as an overall benefit for California ’ s larger forest ecology , he said .
“ The problem is it ’ s not small patches of forest , it ’ s large continuous patches that have burned under high severity , completely out of scale with what is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first vegetation to return to the extremely burned areas will be grass and invasive shrub species like French broom and Scotch broom , which , despite their bright yellow flowers , are a threat to nearby residents because of how hot they burn and how close they grow together , making them a potential link to a wildfire transforming into an urban conflagration .
“ You ’ re not going to want to leave it around , ” said David Derby , forester for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s what we ’ re having around Paradise .
It ’ s kind of green and pretty , but it is thick and flammable and it ’ s scary if it catches on fire.
” With time , some oak trees will regrow from their root systems , Derby said , but huge areas of conifers will not , as they rely on their foliage and cones to propagate and the fire was too intense for any of it to survive .
The area was so thick with conifers only because of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an entire stand of them and giving oaks a leg up could actually restore the area to its pre-human settlement appearance , Derby said .
“ It could be hundreds of years in some places , ” Derby said .
“ You ’ ll have a big opening and things will start seeding from the edges and eventually it will fill in.
” In the near term , there are lessons from both the North Complex fire and Paradise in 2018 that could be applied to the lands around Berry Creek and Feather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensure that if and when fire returns , it ’ s less severe , experts say .
Along the edges of the fire ’ s impressive Sept. 8 run , what the fire didn ’ t destroy was proof that the fuel treatments — including removing dead fuel from the ground and trimming the lower third of tall trees — slowed the fire and saved homes , officials said .
In Quincy , the Plumas County seat , years of work by federal foresters and the local fire safe council made fighting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ If those treatments hadn ’ t been completed , we would ’ ve lost a number of homes , ” Bauer said .
“ None of them worked 100 % , but with the combination of several of them , we were able to stop the fire spread in there.
” Berry Creek residents had been scrambling to accomplish similar projects since the Camp fire but were unable to find the support .
Wind-driven fires are virtually impossible to stop because of their speed and unpredictability , firefighters say , but they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a community if a healthy , well-managed forest slows their approach .
That was a lesson learned the hard way in Paradise , which had been visited by fire only 10 years earlier .
The Camp fire exploded , in part , because logs and dead trees from the 2008 Humboldt fire were left to dry and rot where they died and fell , providing a jackpot of fuel to sustain a fire as it burns through the quick-burning shrubs and grass that are first to return , officials said .
Foresters should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rural communities are salvaged as possible , Bauer and Derby said , with that responsibility falling to various federal , state and local agencies depending on the location .
“ Even with the major increase in wildfires that climate change models are predicting for us , there is a way that we can see forests persist in California into the future , ” Bauer said .
“ It tells me we know how to fix the problem , and we have the tools .
It ’ s just the scale is so staggeringly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if we can be effective at the scale we want to be effective at if we want to stay in California ’ s forests .
”

Several burnt vehicles and charred tree trunks are what’s left of a homestead in Berry Creek after the North Complex fire in September.
The single-engine Cessna was buzzing 1,000 feet above a Northern California burn scar as UC Berkeley scientist Scott Stephens shifted excitedly in his seat and peered out the window for a better view.
Down below, heavy machinery kicked up clouds of dust as commercial loggers attempted to salvage whatever timber they could, while a vast canopy of green, gold and brown rolled beneath the aircraft. Occasionally, this brilliant autumn quilt would be marred by burn patches.
“That’s fantastic, just fantastic,” Stephens exclaimed. “It’s a real mosaic!”
Advertisement
But as the flight continued, the fall colors gave way to a desolate sea of gray and black. Trees now looked like charred toothpicks jutting from an ash pile.
That was the path, Stephens explained, that the North Complex fire took on Sept. 8 into Berry Creek, a rural Butte County hamlet some nine miles north of Oroville dam.
The burn scar of the North Complex fire’s deadly Sept. 8 run into Berry Creek and Feather Falls. Experts say it’s likely none of these scorched conifers will be replaced because the fire was so extreme. (EcoFlight)
As California takes stock of its worst wildfire season on record, experts say that increasingly large and devastating fires have already altered the state’s iconic forests for centuries to come. Exacerbated by a warming climate and decades of aggressive fire suppression efforts — which left large areas of wilderness overgrown — these fires will continue to alter the landscape and, in some cases, will leave it more susceptible to wildfire than ever before. In other cases, the flames were likely to restore patches of wildland to their original state.
California’s diverse ecosystem — its lush coastal mountain ranges in the north; its flat, fertile valleys down the state’s middle; and its snow-capped spine of the Sierra casting a rain shadow over the sere Mojave Desert — has evolved over eons. That evolution has not stopped, however, and today it’s being influenced greatly by drought, fire and increasing temperatures, experts say.
During the summer, hundreds of fire-adapted Sequoias were destroyed in the Sierra along with conifers, with rangers speculating many of the trees may never return. In Big Basin Redwoods State Park west of San Jose, ecologists wonder about the long-term prospects for the forest behemoths as the cool, foggy environment they thrive in warms and dries.
Advertisement
In the Los Padres National Forest, years of repeated fires have already changed the vegetation covering the hillsides, increasing the fire risks for residents around them.
And now, after the North Complex fire, the area around Berry Creek can be added to that list, said Ryan Bauer, who leads the hazardous fuels and prescribed fire program for the Plumas National Forest.
“This was to the point that as you drive through that forest, there aren’t even large logs left on the ground, it pretty much cleaned up the surface fuels and left a big bed of ash with sticks sticking out of it,” Bauer said. “It’ll repair itself, nature is strikingly resilient, but it’s certainly not going to come back a forest.”
A view of the mosaic-like burn pattern on part of the North Complex fire in Northern California, which forest ecologists say is ideal for long-term forest health. (EcoFlight)
The North Complex fire began on Aug. 17 as separate fires that moved toward one another uneventfully until the morning of Sept. 8 when they merged and jumped a scenic river and sped out of the national forest and into rural Butte County. By the time the fire was fully contained Dec. 3, it had burned 318,935 acres, killed 16 people and damaged or destroyed 2,455 buildings, many of them homes.
The roar of such fires has been compared to a jet engine, or oncoming freight train. Bauer said those comparisons don’t quite fit.
“I think of it more as an avalanche of fire,” he said. “It’s not just rolling down the hill, it’s compounding itself and making itself worse and more powerful as it goes, starting more fires and then this cloud of embers ahead of it lighting additional fires.”
In the early and late parts of the fire, it burned moderately and slowly mostly to the north and east, creating that “mosaic” of three- to five-acre patches of char that Stephens was so excited about.
The California spotted owl appreciates the variety of a quasi-burned forest, where it can prey on small animals that are drawn to the new vegetation for food, Stephens said. Fully developed trees like mosaic burns too, because they reduce competition for resources and burn away dead and dying ground litter that flames climb to reach the treetops.
But that type of burn was only about 25% of the fire’s entire footprint, officials said.
Most of the North Complex fire — like the other large blazes that have blackened more than 4 million acres in California this year — burned too much area too intensely to be seen as an overall benefit for California’s larger forest ecology, he said.
“The problem is it’s not small patches of forest, it’s large continuous patches that have burned under high severity, completely out of scale with what is desired,” Stephens said.
California Another California firestorm where warnings did not prevent mass deaths A timetable of official response shows authorities were slow to warn those downwind of the Bear fire of the firestorm firefighters knew was likely.
The first vegetation to return to the extremely burned areas will be grass and invasive shrub species like French broom and Scotch broom, which, despite their bright yellow flowers, are a threat to nearby residents because of how hot they burn and how close they grow together, making them a potential link to a wildfire transforming into an urban conflagration.
“You’re not going to want to leave it around,” said David Derby, forester for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Butte unit. “That’s what we’re having around Paradise. It’s kind of green and pretty, but it is thick and flammable and it’s scary if it catches on fire.”
With time, some oak trees will regrow from their root systems, Derby said, but huge areas of conifers will not, as they rely on their foliage and cones to propagate and the fire was too intense for any of it to survive. The area was so thick with conifers only because of a century of fire suppression anyway, so burning an entire stand of them and giving oaks a leg up could actually restore the area to its pre-human settlement appearance, Derby said.
“It could be hundreds of years in some places,” Derby said. “You’ll have a big opening and things will start seeding from the edges and eventually it will fill in.”
In the near term, there are lessons from both the North Complex fire and Paradise in 2018 that could be applied to the lands around Berry Creek and Feather Falls, among other areas, to ensure that if and when fire returns, it’s less severe, experts say.
Along the edges of the fire’s impressive Sept. 8 run, what the fire didn’t destroy was proof that the fuel treatments — including removing dead fuel from the ground and trimming the lower third of tall trees — slowed the fire and saved homes, officials said.
In Quincy, the Plumas County seat, years of work by federal foresters and the local fire safe council made fighting the fire there possible, Bauer said.
“If those treatments hadn’t been completed, we would’ve lost a number of homes,” Bauer said. “None of them worked 100%, but with the combination of several of them, we were able to stop the fire spread in there.”
Berry Creek residents had been scrambling to accomplish similar projects since the Camp fire but were unable to find the support. Wind-driven fires are virtually impossible to stop because of their speed and unpredictability, firefighters say, but they can pose less of a threat to a community if a healthy, well-managed forest slows their approach.
That was a lesson learned the hard way in Paradise, which had been visited by fire only 10 years earlier.
The Camp fire exploded, in part, because logs and dead trees from the 2008 Humboldt fire were left to dry and rot where they died and fell, providing a jackpot of fuel to sustain a fire as it burns through the quick-burning shrubs and grass that are first to return, officials said.
Foresters should make sure as many trees around these rural communities are salvaged as possible, Bauer and Derby said, with that responsibility falling to various federal, state and local agencies depending on the location.
“Even with the major increase in wildfires that climate change models are predicting for us, there is a way that we can see forests persist in California into the future,” Bauer said. “It tells me we know how to fix the problem, and we have the tools. It’s just the scale is so staggeringly large ... we’ll just see if we can be effective at the scale we want to be effective at if we want to stay in California’s forests.”


latimes--2020-12-21--UCLA Foundation steps in with $5 million for students struggling amid the pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold across the Southland , economic hardship hit UCLA senior Jelani Mora and his family like so many others .
His mother — the family ’ s main breadwinner , who with her job as a receptionist at a gas company had supported herself , Mora and his grandmother — was laid off in March and still hasn ’ t found work .
The family is struggling to make ends meet with unemployment insurance and Mora ’ s part-time income as a mentor for underserved high school students .
But another source of income , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difference : a UCLA scholarship .
Mora , who is majoring in political science , said the $ 20,000 Chancellor ’ s Blue and Gold Scholarship had helped him continue his studies without interruption and even left some money to help support his family during this difficult time .
“ I ’ m incredibly thankful , ” he said , “ because the scholarship has really come in handy to pay for my books , my food and help out my family during the pandemic.
” UCLA is poised to help many more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has announced a new $ 5-million gift for scholarships , the campus COVID-19 emergency relief fund , mental health services , leadership training , basic needs support and student government programs .
The foundation , which manages a $ 5.7-billion endowment , also provided the campus with an additional $ 129 million for general campus needs for this academic year after increasing its quarterly payout of endowed funds from 4.25 % to 5 % .
“ It ’ s a big message to students that the people who donate to the university care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have , ” said foundation Chair Craig Ehrlich .
“ Rather than save the funds for a rainy day , that rainy day is today.
” The gift will provide $ 1 million to the Chancellor ’ s Blue and Gold Scholarship Fund , which supports UCLA students from underserved public high schools and community colleges in L.A. County .
Currently , the fund spends more than $ 1 million annually on scholarships , supporting about 350 students , who each receive up to $ 5,000 each year .
Villy Basuki said she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UCLA without that scholarship .
A native of Indonesia , Basuki transferred to UCLA in 2018 from Pierce College but , while going to school full-time , also worked full-time as a nursing assistant to support her daughter and mother .
The stress caused her to momentarily falter in her studies , but the sociology major was able to graduate earlier this spring and is now pursuing a master ’ s degree in healthcare management at Cal State L.A. “ It was really tough , but the scholarship helped me make ends meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put a lot of pressure on myself to do well and make sure the people who gave me this opportunity would not be disappointed.
” Another $ 1 million will go to the UCLA Black Alumni Assn .
for scholarships to help the Westwood campus expand efforts to recruit top Black students .
The gift will allow the alumni association to increase the number of Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarships — which provide $ 10,000 annually for up to four years — from about 25 to as many as 50 , said association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the scholarship fund has distributed more than $ 3.4 million to over 700 Black students .
Grace said the additional funding came at a key time in the admissions cycle and would help UCLA in its efforts to recruit Black students considering admissions offers from other top universities with generous financial aid packages .
“ We ’ re in the conversation , ” Grace said , “ but when it comes to money , we ’ re very likely to lose those students to other schools.
” Kyle Golden , a junior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Legacy Scholarship had allowed him to fully plunge into his challenging pre-med coursework and volunteer at hospitals without having to work or take out loans .
So far , he ’ s been able to ace notoriously difficult classes in organic chemistry and biochemistry and maintain a 3.65 GPA .
The foundation gift also will provide $ 1 million to UCLA ’ s COVID Emergency Fund ; $ 900,000 for mental health , leadership training and basic needs ; and $ 160,000 for student government programs and internships ; with $ 940,000 still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vice provost for enrollment management , said the campus began getting a flood of calls after the pandemic hit from students reporting growing financial distress .
UCLA responded with some emergency aid and a technology fund to provide needy students with laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots , but she said the foundation gift would allow the campus to ramp up support even more .
“ We hear about families having challenges trying to pay rent or family expenses , but what we don ’ t hear about are the ways in which students feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work to supplement their family ’ s needs , ” she said .
“ This new gift from the UCLA Foundation is tremendous in helping us to respond to those students and help lift some of that financial burden .
”

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold across the Southland, economic hardship hit UCLA senior Jelani Mora and his family like so many others.
His mother — the family’s main breadwinner, who with her job as a data entry clerk had supported herself, Mora and his grandmother — was laid off in March and still hasn’t found work. The family is struggling to make ends meet with unemployment insurance and Mora’s part-time income as a mentor for underserved high school students.
But another source of income, he said, has made a big difference: a UCLA scholarship.
Advertisement
Mora, who is majoring in political science, said the $20,000 Chancellor’s Blue and Gold Scholarship had helped him continue his studies without interruption and even left some money to help support his family during this difficult time.
“I’m incredibly thankful,” he said, “because the scholarship has really come in handy to pay for my books, my food and help out my family during the pandemic.”
UCLA is poised to help many more students like Mora. The UCLA Foundation has announced a new $5-million gift for scholarships, the campus COVID-19 emergency relief fund, mental health services, leadership training, basic needs support and student government programs. The foundation, which manages a $5.7-billion endowment, also provided the campus with an additional $129 million for general campus needs for this academic year after increasing its quarterly payout of endowed funds from 4.25% to 5%.
“It’s a big message to students that the people who donate to the university care deeply about the problems and challenges they have,” said foundation Chair Craig Ehrlich. “Rather than save the funds for a rainy day, that rainy day is today.”
The gift will provide $1 million to the Chancellor’s Blue and Gold Scholarship Fund, which supports UCLA students from underserved public high schools and community colleges in L.A. County. Currently, the fund spends more than $1 million annually on scholarships, supporting about 350 students, who each receive up to $5,000 each year.
Villy Basuki said she would not have been able to attend UCLA without that scholarship. A native of Indonesia, Basuki transferred to UCLA in 2018 from Pierce College but, while going to school full-time, also worked full-time as a nursing assistant to support her son and mother. The stress caused her to momentarily falter in her studies, but the sociology major was able to graduate earlier this spring and is now pursuing a master’s degree in healthcare management at Cal State L.A.
Advertisement
“It was really tough, but the scholarship helped me make ends meet,” Basuki said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well and make sure the people who gave me this opportunity would not be disappointed.”
Another $1 million will go to the UCLA Black Alumni Assn. for scholarships to help the Westwood campus expand efforts to recruit top Black students. The gift will allow the alumni association to increase the number of Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarships — which provide $10,000 annually for up to four years — from about 25 to as many as 50, said association board Chair Robert Grace. Since 2007, the scholarship fund has distributed more than $3.4 million to over 700 Black students.
Grace said the additional funding came at a key time in the admissions cycle and would help UCLA in its efforts to recruit Black students considering admissions offers from other top universities with generous financial aid packages.
“We’re in the conversation,” Grace said, “but when it comes to money, we’re very likely to lose those students to other schools.”
Kyle Golden, a junior in physiological science, said his Doby Legacy Scholarship had allowed him to fully plunge into his challenging pre-med coursework and volunteer at hospitals without having to work or take out loans. So far, he’s been able to ace notoriously difficult classes in organic chemistry and biochemistry and maintain a 3.65 GPA.
The foundation gift also will provide $1 million to UCLA’s COVID Emergency Fund; $900,000 for mental health, leadership training and basic needs; and $160,000 for student government programs and internships; with $940,000 still to be allocated.
Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, vice provost for enrollment management, said the campus began getting a flood of calls after the pandemic hit from students reporting growing financial distress. UCLA responded with some emergency aid and a technology fund to provide needy students with laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots, but she said the foundation gift would allow the campus to ramp up support even more.
“We hear about families having challenges trying to pay rent or family expenses, but what we don’t hear about are the ways in which students feel obligated to take on additional debt or work to supplement their family’s needs,” she said. “This new gift from the UCLA Foundation is tremendous in helping us to respond to those students and help lift some of that financial burden.”


latimes--2020-12-21--California once quelled COVID with stay-at-home order. Why this one isn't working as well

California ’ s first coronavirus lockdown order , in the spring , produced benefits within a month .
By April , Gov .
Gavin Newsom was able to crow that the state had “ arguably flattened ” the curve on infections .
It has been two weeks since a second stay-at-home order was issued , and no such flattening has occurred across most of California .
This may be because restrictions are looser than those in the spring , and because many Californians are so fatigued by public health orders — or militantly resistant to them — that they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But experts say the most pertinent explanation has to do with the amount of the coronavirus in the community .
The latest order came after the virus was already raging out of control , in part because of Thanksgiving travel — a difference experts say will make the current surge much harder to corral .
“ The virus is unforgiving and relentless , and there is just so much community transmission , ” said Dr. Tomás Aragón , who next month will take over as director of the California Department of Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reach more than 20 per 100,000 people , “ it becomes really difficult to control the infections , ” said Aragón , who has helped lead San Francisco ’ s pandemic response as the county ’ s health officer .
California ’ s daily case rates are soaring way beyond that number .
Los Angeles County ’ s daily case rate last week was 153.6 per 100,000 residents , Aragón said .
The state ’ s count was 82.2 per 100,000 residents , compared with a national average of 64.6 .
“ Once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Aragón , “ it is not like you can fine-tune it with levers.
” The new stay-at-home order is making some difference , though .
GPS data from cellphones show that people in California are moving around less , Newsom has said .
Greater rates of movement have been associated with higher case counts throughout the pandemic .
Health experts interviewed by The Times said the situation would be even more dire without the new stay-at-home order .
But their predictions of when cases might stabilize or dip — if only briefly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to after the holidays .
Meanwhile , intensive care units at many hospitals are filled , and medical providers are being more selective about which patients are admitted .
The crush is expected to get worse before it gets better .
Experts say the lack of hospital space and shortage of staff will lead to more deaths , not just for COVID-19 patients but also for people with other ailments who should have been hospitalized but were not able to gain admittance .
The state has ordered thousands of body bags and refrigerated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Contrast this misery with the state ’ s success in the spring , when California reaped nationwide praise for flattening the curve by shutting down in March , closing all schools and nonessential retail .
But the number of infections then , while rising , was only a fraction of what the state faces today .
“ There is no precedent for how well a lockdown will work when you are having as many cases as we are currently having , ” said Dr. John Swartzberg , an infectious-disease expert at UC Berkeley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical epidemiologist , likened the spread of the virus early in the pandemic to “ lighted matches being thrown into the forest , which occasionally resulted in flare-ups.
” The March shutdown flattened the curve in three weeks , he said .
Now , there is a “ full-blown , raging , viral wildfire , ” and “ it ’ s just going to take longer ” to bring it under control .
The match that ignited the fire was Thanksgiving .
Many who traveled or gathered with people from outside their households @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Additionally , cooler weather has made the environment more hospitable for the coronavirus , which thrives in low humidity and spreads more easily indoors .
Several experts said the surge from Thanksgiving may ebb by Christmas , with a flattening or even a dip in new cases .
But gatherings for Christmas and New Year ’ s Eve may bring another wave of infections .
“ I don ’ t think we will see a substantial drop in cases until sometime in the third week of January , ” Swartzberg said .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ follow them , and compliance in some places has been spotty .
Inside the Promenade Temecula mall last week , business appeared brisk .
Shopper Josie Cardenas , 23 , a resident of Perris , said she had not expected the mall to be so busy and wished people would take the health orders more seriously .
“ This is nothing like the past orders , ” said the laid-off health worker .
“ Everything is open still , and people are going out.
” Fatima Tomlinson , 21 , who went to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unavailable online , said the stay-at-home order should be stricter .
“ People are partying around us , they aren ’ t really abiding by the rules , and now they have an excuse to go out in public for the holidays , ” said the Perris resident .
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has called the stay-at-home order “ flat-out ridiculous.
” He said in a video this month that his department would not enforce it .
Riverside County , which includes Temecula and Perris , had some of the highest per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s 58 counties in the last week — even worse than hard-hit L.A. County .
In Northern California , at the Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek , a popular open-air shopping destination usually jammed before Christmas , masked shoppers strolled the streets in vastly fewer numbers than in past years .
Lines of about half a dozen masked people formed outside Lululemon .
Santa Claus waved from an outdoor perch .
A masked elf said Santa had a mask under his white whiskers , but children could forgo face coverings while being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unions for teachers , nurses and grocery and hotel workers have called for stricter health orders , including a shutdown in January .
They implored the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for tougher action and started an online petition drive .
“ Let ’ s be clear , ” said United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz .
“ We are not in a real lockdown.
” Despite the frustration , none of the health experts interviewed by The Times said the state should have imposed a stay-at-home order as strict as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonessential retailers were barred from even curbside sales .
This time , Swartzberg said , “ I think we have done it more intelligently.
” UCLA ’ s Kim-Farley noted that people flocked to big-box stores during the spring shutdown because they carried groceries and could stay open .
Now , shoppers are spread out more evenly among many stores , which are limited in the number of customers they can allow inside .
Aragón said there is no easy answer .
“ You need to have some economic activity for society to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He believes many transmissions are coming from within households .
An infected person , he said , is likely to spread the virus to 30 % of others in the home .
“ A few weeks ago , ” Aragón added , “ I would have sworn to you we could manage this.
” Now that ICUs are filled , he is no longer so confident .
Barbara Ferrer , Los Angeles County ’ s public health director , showed the strain of her job during a Dec. 9 appearance .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exceeded 8,000 in L.A. County , she had to stop and swallow sobs .
“ Sorry , ” she said .
Since then , an additional 800 L.A. County residents have died of COVID-19 .
Dr. Grant Colfax , San Francisco ’ s public health director , has resorted to asking residents to think about the fact that their parents , grandparents or children may be denied a hospital bed or adequate care because of overwhelmed hospitals .
“ Would you want that ?
” he asked last week .
But there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate of new virus cases in San Francisco slowed a bit last week .
If people heed the painful lessons learned from Thanksgiving , the number of new cases may yet diminish , he said .
Ferrer said that “ if all goes well , ” she would expect to see a stabilization or even a decrease in the number of new daily cases by Christmas .
“ I ’ ve spoken to a lot of people who say , you know , for the first time , they are taking it more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about what ’ s happening in our hospitals , and that they ’ re making some significant changes , ” she said .
Stay-at-home orders work in part because they effectively relay a message to the public about rising risks , said Dr. Robert Wachter , professor and chair of the Department of Medicine at UC San Francisco .
“ It is impossible to prove that the new orders are doing something , ” Wachter said , “ but I think without them , it is highly likely that we would be even @ @ @ @

Maura Dolan, Rong-Gong Lin II, Stephanie Lai

California’s first coronavirus lockdown order, in the spring, produced benefits within a month. By April, Gov. Gavin Newsom was able to crow that the state had “arguably flattened” the curve on infections.
It has been two weeks since a second stay-at-home order was issued, and no such flattening has occurred across most of California. This may be because restrictions are looser than those in the spring, and because many Californians are so fatigued by public health orders — or militantly resistant to them — that they are mixing with people from outside their households.
But experts say the most pertinent explanation has to do with the amount of the coronavirus in the community. The latest order came after the virus was already raging out of control, in part because of Thanksgiving travel — a difference experts say will make the current surge much harder to corral.
Advertisement
“The virus is unforgiving and relentless, and there is just so much community transmission,” said Dr. Tomás Aragón, who next month will take over as director of the California Department of Public Health.
When new daily case counts reach more than 20 per 100,000 people, “it becomes really difficult to control the infections,” said Aragón, who has helped lead San Francisco’s pandemic response as the county’s health officer.
California’s daily case rates are soaring way beyond that number. Los Angeles County’s daily case rate last week was 153.6 per 100,000 residents, Aragón said. The state’s count was 82.2 per 100,000 residents, compared with a national average of 64.6.
“Once the rates get really high,” said Aragón, “it is not like you can fine-tune it with levers.”
The new stay-at-home order is making some difference, though. GPS data from cellphones show that people in California are moving around less, Newsom has said. Greater rates of movement have been associated with higher case counts throughout the pandemic.
Health experts interviewed by The Times said the situation would be even more dire without the new stay-at-home order. But their predictions of when cases might stabilize or dip — if only briefly — varied, ranging from a week to after the holidays.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, intensive care units at many hospitals are filled, and medical providers are being more selective about which patients are admitted.
California Supermarkets in L.A. County see unprecedented coronavirus infection rates Grocery stores and other essential businesses have been hit hard by the coronavirus surge, further straining services that must stay open despite the stay-at-home order.
The crush is expected to get worse before it gets better. Experts say the lack of hospital space and shortage of staff will lead to more deaths, not just for COVID-19 patients but also for people with other ailments who should have been hospitalized but were not able to gain admittance. The state has ordered thousands of body bags and refrigerated storage units to handle the dead.
Contrast this misery with the state’s success in the spring, when California reaped nationwide praise for flattening the curve by shutting down in March, closing all schools and nonessential retail. But the number of infections then, while rising, was only a fraction of what the state faces today.
“There is no precedent for how well a lockdown will work when you are having as many cases as we are currently having,” said Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious-disease expert at UC Berkeley.
Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, a UCLA medical epidemiologist, likened the spread of the virus early in the pandemic to “lighted matches being thrown into the forest, which occasionally resulted in flare-ups.”
The March shutdown flattened the curve in three weeks, he said. Now, there is a “full-blown, raging, viral wildfire,” and “it’s just going to take longer” to bring it under control.
The match that ignited the fire was Thanksgiving. Many who traveled or gathered with people from outside their households got sick, then infected others. Additionally, cooler weather has made the environment more hospitable for the coronavirus, which thrives in low humidity and spreads more easily indoors.
Several experts said the surge from Thanksgiving may ebb by Christmas, with a flattening or even a dip in new cases. But gatherings for Christmas and New Year’s Eve may bring another wave of infections.
“I don’t think we will see a substantial drop in cases until sometime in the third week of January,” Swartzberg said.
For health orders to work, people must follow them, and compliance in some places has been spotty.
Inside the Promenade Temecula mall last week, business appeared brisk. Shopper Josie Cardenas, 23, a resident of Perris, said she had not expected the mall to be so busy and wished people would take the health orders more seriously.
“This is nothing like the past orders,” said the laid-off health worker. “Everything is open still, and people are going out.”
Fatima Tomlinson, 21, who went to the mall to buy hoodies that were unavailable online, said the stay-at-home order should be stricter.
“People are partying around us, they aren’t really abiding by the rules, and now they have an excuse to go out in public for the holidays,” said the Perris resident.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has called the stay-at-home order “flat-out ridiculous.” He said in a video this month that his department would not enforce it.
Riverside County, which includes Temecula and Perris, had some of the highest per capita case and death rates of California’s 58 counties in the last week — even worse than hard-hit L.A. County.
(Los Angeles Times)
In Northern California, at the Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, a popular open-air shopping destination usually jammed before Christmas, masked shoppers strolled the streets in vastly fewer numbers than in past years.
Lines of about half a dozen masked people formed outside Lululemon. Santa Claus waved from an outdoor perch. A masked elf said Santa had a mask under his white whiskers, but children could forgo face coverings while being photographed.
In Los Angeles County, unions for teachers, nurses and grocery and hotel workers have called for stricter health orders, including a shutdown in January. They implored the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for tougher action and started an online petition drive.
“Let’s be clear,” said United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz. “We are not in a real lockdown.”
Despite the frustration, none of the health experts interviewed by The Times said the state should have imposed a stay-at-home order as strict as the one in the spring, when nonessential retailers were barred from even curbside sales.
This time, Swartzberg said, “I think we have done it more intelligently.”
UCLA’s Kim-Farley noted that people flocked to big-box stores during the spring shutdown because they carried groceries and could stay open. Now, shoppers are spread out more evenly among many stores, which are limited in the number of customers they can allow inside.
Aragón said there is no easy answer.
“You need to have some economic activity for society to have social health,” he said. He believes many transmissions are coming from within households. An infected person, he said, is likely to spread the virus to 30% of others in the home.
“A few weeks ago,” Aragón added, “I would have sworn to you we could manage this.” Now that ICUs are filled, he is no longer so confident.
Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County’s public health director, showed the strain of her job during a Dec. 9 appearance. After matter-of-factly reciting that the death toll had exceeded 8,000 in L.A. County, she had to stop and swallow sobs. “Sorry,” she said.
Since then, an additional 800 L.A. County residents have died of COVID-19.
Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco’s public health director, has resorted to asking residents to think about the fact that their parents, grandparents or children may be denied a hospital bed or adequate care because of overwhelmed hospitals.
“Would you want that?” he asked last week.
But there are glimmers of hope.
Colfax said the rate of new virus cases in San Francisco slowed a bit last week. If people heed the painful lessons learned from Thanksgiving, the number of new cases may yet diminish, he said.
Ferrer said that “if all goes well,” she would expect to see a stabilization or even a decrease in the number of new daily cases by Christmas.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of people who say, you know, for the first time, they are taking it more seriously, they’re very worried about what’s happening in our hospitals, and that they’re making some significant changes,” she said.
Stay-at-home orders work in part because they effectively relay a message to the public about rising risks, said Dr. Robert Wachter, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine at UC San Francisco.
“It is impossible to prove that the new orders are doing something,” Wachter said, “but I think without them, it is highly likely that we would be even worse off.”
Times staff writer Howard Blume contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-12-20--Shooting at Northern California mall was accidental, police say

The shooting that emptied the Great Mall in Milpitas on Saturday evening involved a man who accidentally shot himself , police said .
The 22-year-old man was initially thought to be a victim of a shooting at the mall , the Milpitas Police Department said .
A news release issued by the police described the incident as involving “ a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
” Capt .
John Torrez said the man was not trying to harm himself and fired the gun accidentally .
The man , a San Francisco resident , suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was taken to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of gunfire disrupted holiday shopping for mall customers and employees who either fled the scene or sheltered in place at the Bay Area mall .
Police arrived at the mall at 5:16 p.m. after reports of a shooting outside Old Navy .
They instructed people inside stores to stay put as they searched for possible suspects and victims .
Other law enforcement agencies and fire departments assisted , and people were escorted to the parking lot as their locations were deemed safe .
At 9:26 p.m. — more than four hours after they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they had concluded their search and that everyone in the mall had been escorted out .
They did not find any additional victims , they said .
During the evacuations , two people had unrelated medical emergencies and were taken to the hospital .
By Sunday morning , detectives from the Milpitas Police Department ’ s Special Investigations Unit had determined that the man ’ s gunshot wound was self-inflicted .

The shooting that emptied the Great Mall in Milpitas on Saturday evening involved a man who accidentally shot himself, police said.
The 22-year-old man was initially thought to be a victim of a shooting at the mall, the Milpitas Police Department said.
For the record: An earlier version of this article stated that the shooting was a suicide attempt. Police said it was an accidental shooting.
A news release issued by the police described the incident as involving “a self-inflicted gunshot wound.” Capt. John Torrez said the man was not trying to harm himself and fired the gun accidentally.
The man, a San Francisco resident, suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was taken to the hospital by paramedics.
Advertisement
The sound of gunfire disrupted holiday shopping for mall customers and employees who either fled the scene or sheltered in place at the Bay Area mall.
Police arrived at the mall at 5:16 p.m. after reports of a shooting outside Old Navy.
They instructed people inside stores to stay put as they searched for possible suspects and victims. Other law enforcement agencies and fire departments assisted, and people were escorted to the parking lot as their locations were deemed safe.
At 9:26 p.m. — more than four hours after they arrived — police announced on Twitter that they had concluded their search and that everyone in the mall had been escorted out. They did not find any additional victims, they said.
During the evacuations, two people had unrelated medical emergencies and were taken to the hospital.
By Sunday morning, detectives from the Milpitas Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit had determined that the man’s gunshot wound was self-inflicted.