latimes--2020-02-02--Three new coronavirus patients confirmed in Northern California, bringing total to six statewide

Health officials in Northern California announced Sunday that three more people have been infected with the new strain of coronavirus , bringing the number of confirmed cases in the nation to 11 , with more than half of those in the state .
In San Benito County , health officials said that the two patients there were a married couple and that the husband had recently returned from Wuhan , China — the epicenter of the outbreak that has killed more than 350 people in the country .
In Santa Clara County , authorities confirmed that a woman who also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the virus , marking the second case in that county .
Last week , Santa Clara County officials confirmed that a male resident who had just traveled from Wuhan also became infected .
Two other confirmed cases in the state have been reported in Los Angeles and Orange counties .
In the San Benito County cases , the husband , 57 , passed the virus on to his wife , also 57 .
The couple had not left their home since the husband returned from China .
The county ’ s public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not been hospitalized and remained isolated in their home .
“ We continue to monitor the situation closely to protect the health of San Benito County residents and limit the spread of this virus , ” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib , the county ’ s health officer .
The new Santa Clara County case involves a woman who arrived in the U.S. on Jan. 23 to visit family , officials said .
She has stayed home since she arrived , except for two trips to seek outpatient medical care .
She has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be hospitalized .
Family members have also been isolated , which means that they do not leave the house , even to buy groceries , officials said .
The county health department is providing food and other necessary items .
“ I understand that people are concerned , but based on what we know today , the risk to general public remains low , ” said Dr. Sara Cody , Santa Clara County ’ s health officer .
“ A second case is not unexpected .
With our large population and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal and business reasons , we will likely see more cases.
” The new strain of coronavirus , known as 2019-nCoV , has killed more than 350 people since it emerged in Wuhan in late December .
Eleven cases have now been confirmed in the United States and more than 17,300 worldwide , according to Johns Hopkins University .
The vast majority of the infections have occurred in China .
On Friday , the Trump administration said it was declaring a public health crisis and restricting travel from China to the U.S .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently visited China won ’ t be allowed to enter the U.S. , and American citizens returning from mainland China will be subject to 14-day quarantines .
Nearly 200 people who left Wuhan fleeing the virus were evacuated last week to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County and quarantined .
Though the new coronavirus has generated a worldwide scare and led to a dramatic drop in the stock market of more than 600 points , health officials say the risk of being sickened with influenza remains an exponentially greater threat to most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 10,000 Americans since October , according to federal data released Friday .

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States is now 11, with six of those in California, according to health officials.
Health officials in Northern California announced Sunday that three more people had been infected with the new strain of coronavirus, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the nation to 11, with more than half of those in California.
In San Benito County, health officials said the two patients there were a married couple and that the husband had recently returned from Wuhan, China — the epicenter of the outbreak that has killed more than 350 people in that country.
In Santa Clara County, authorities confirmed that a woman who also had recently traveled to Wuhan became infected with the virus, marking the second case in that county. Last week, Santa Clara County officials confirmed that a male resident who had just traveled from Wuhan also became infected. Two other confirmed cases in the state have been reported in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
In the San Benito County cases, the husband, 57, passed the virus on to his wife, also 57. The couple had not left their home since the husband returned from China. The county’s public health department said the two patients had not been hospitalized and remained isolated in their home.
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“We continue to monitor the situation closely to protect the health of San Benito County residents and limit the spread of this virus,” said Marty Fenstersheib, the county’s health officer.
The new Santa Clara County case involves a woman who arrived in the U.S. on Jan. 23 to visit family, officials said. She has stayed home since her arrival, except for two trips to seek outpatient medical care. She has been regularly monitored and has not been sick enough to be hospitalized.
Family members have also been isolated, which means they do not leave the house, even to buy groceries, officials said. The county health department is providing food and other necessary items.
“I understand that people are concerned, but based on what we know today, the risk to the general public remains low,” said Sara Cody, Santa Clara County’s health officer. “A second case is not unexpected. With our large population and the amount of travel to China for both personal and business reasons, we will likely see more cases.”
The new strain of coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, has killed more than 350 people since it emerged in Wuhan in late December. Eleven cases have now been confirmed in the United States and more than 17,300 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. The vast majority of the infections have occurred in China.
On Friday, the Trump administration said it was declaring a public health crisis and restricting travel from China to the U.S .
Starting Sunday, foreign nationals who have recently visited China won’t be allowed to enter the U.S., and U.S. citizens returning from mainland China will be subject to a 14-day quarantine. Nearly 200 people who left Wuhan fleeing the virus last week were evacuated to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County and quarantined.
Though the new coronavirus has generated a worldwide scare and led to a dramatic drop in the stock market of more than 600 points, health officials say the risk of being sickened with influenza remains an exponentially greater threat to most Americans. The flu has killed more than 10,000 Americans since October, according to federal data released Friday.


latimes--2020-02-02--Man fatally shot during an argument over the Super Bowl

A man shot during an argument over the Super Bowl has died in Central California , police said Sunday .
@ @ @ @ @ a home having a frontyard barbecue in Fresno on Saturday and started arguing with another @ @ @ @ @ police Lt. Charlie Chamalbide said .
The San Franciso 49ers face off against the Kansas @ @ @ @ @ Miami .
The argument escalated and the suspect shot the victim in the abdomen with @ @ @ @ @ said .
The victim was taken to a hospital , where he had surgery before @ @ @ @ @ .
Police said he was a man in his 20s visiting from out of town @ @ @ @ @ immediately released .

A man shot during an argument over the Super Bowl has died in Central California, police said Sunday.
The suspect walked up to a home having a frontyard barbecue in Fresno on Saturday and started arguing with another man over the game, police Lt. Charlie Chamalbide said. The San Franciso 49ers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in Miami.
The argument escalated and the suspect shot the victim in the abdomen with a makeshift weapon, Chamalbide said.
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The victim was taken to a hospital, where he had surgery before he died, KRON-TV reported. Police said he was a man in his 20s visiting from out of town. His name was not immediately released.


latimes--2020-02-02--Injured hiker airlifted by helicopter after 15-foot fall near Hollywood sign

A woman hiking near the Hollywood sign fell 15 feet down a hillside early Sunday and suffered potentially traumatic injuries , one of several emergency incidents in the area involving hikers , authorities said .
The incident occurred about 9:30 a.m. in the 3400 block of North Beachwood Drive , which is just southeast of the famous sign , according to the Los Angeles Fire Department .
The injured woman was hoisted to safety by a Fire Department helicopter , officials said .
The severity of her injuries was not immediately known .
It was the fourth emergency call involving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning , authorities said .
In one instance , a man fell 75 feet over the side of a hill about 9:20 a.m. in the 17000 block of West Mulholland Drive in Brentwood and suffered unspecified traumatic injuries , fire officials said .
Emergency personnel had to use ropes to retrieve the injured man .
A female hiker fell in Bronson Canyon in Griffith Park about 8:40 a.m. and had to be lifted out by helicopter , officials said .
Another man fell about 8 a.m. in the 3000 block of North Runyon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to be lifted out with the help of a Fire Department helicopter .
In both instances , the extent of their injuries was unknown .

A woman hiking near the Hollywood sign fell 15 feet down a hillside early Sunday and suffered potentially traumatic injuries, one of several emergency incidents in the area involving hikers, authorities said.
The incident occurred about 9:30 a.m. in the 3400 block of North Beachwood Drive, which is just southeast of the famous sign, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The injured woman was hoisted to safety by a Fire Department helicopter, officials said. The severity of her injuries was not immediately known.
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It was the fourth emergency call involving hikers that the Fire Department received Sunday morning, authorities said.
In one instance, a man fell 75 feet over the side of a hill about 9:20 a.m. in the 17000 block of West Mulholland Drive in Brentwood and suffered unspecified traumatic injuries, fire officials said. Emergency personnel had to use ropes to retrieve the injured man.
A female hiker fell in Bronson Canyon in Griffith Park about 8:40 a.m. and had to be lifted out by helicopter, officials said. Another man fell about 8 a.m. in the 3000 block of North Runyon Canyon Road in the Hollywood Hills and had to be lifted out with the help of a Fire Department helicopter. In both instances, the extent of their injuries was unknown.


latimes--2020-02-02--$300 million in federal funds will help build San Diego facility to intercept toxic Tijuana spills

The San Diego region has secured $ 300 million in federal funding for a new U.S. facility to capture Tijuana sewage spills before they foul shorelines in the South Bay region of southwestern San Diego County , elected leaders said Friday .
“ This has been an issue in our region for decades , and concrete federal action to address cross-border pollution has been long overdue , ” said Rep. Mike Levin ( D-San Juan Capistrano ) at a news conference in Chula Vista .
Congressional leaders announced the funding in December , but it wasn ’ t clear whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the entire Southwest border or dedicated specifically to address pollution in the Tijuana River Valley .
Now officials believe most , if not all , of that cash will flow to the San Diego region , thanks to language included in the overhaul of the North American Free Trade Agreement signed by President Trump on Wednesday .
“ This is a huge , huge deal , ” said Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina .
“ We still have a lot of work to go , but I never imagined that we ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m just astounded.
” The approach is a shift from longstanding efforts to help Mexico maintain its wastewater system in Tijuana .
Last summer , top officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency visited San Diego to lay out a blueprint with several options for how to address the pollution .
Since then , San Diego leaders have rallied around building a roughly $ 400-million facility north of the border to intercept and treat the pollution .
It ’ s been estimated the project could reduce cross-border flows from roughly 138 days a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12 .
“ Make no mistake , [ with ] the signing of this agreement , the dollars are going to follow to clean up the sewage spills from the Tijuana River Valley once and for all , ” said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer , who was present when Trump signed the agreement at the White House earlier this week .
“ This is a shining example of what we can do when we work together.
” Other elected officials at Friday ’ s news conference included San Diego Democratic Reps. Susan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as well as San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox .
Over recent months , leaders have made multiple trips to Washington to make their case for increased funding along the border .
EPA officials are scheduled to hold a public meeting March 9 in Coronado to discuss next steps .
“ They wanted us to come up with a plan , ” said Cox .
“ We ’ ve collectively done that .
We ’ ve presented it to them … They ’ ve got some money now that they can start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we look forward to hearing what their solutions are going to be.
” The increase in federal resources comes after the state of California , as well as the cities of Imperial Beach , Chula Vista and San Diego , have filed Clean Water Act lawsuits against the Trump administration to force action on the issue .
Those legal proceedings have been stayed pending ongoing negotiations .
“ I think it ’ s very professional that the lawsuits are stayed , but I like the lawsuits , ” Peters said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ says ] this community is serious about it.
” According to California ’ s lawsuit , toxic water pollution from Mexico has shuttered San Diego beaches more than 500 days over the last three years .
Most of the impacts are concentrated along the southern shoreline of Imperial Beach , which has been closed since November with tens of millions of gallons of heavily polluted water flowing over the border daily .
Officials say those exposed to the pollution include Border Patrol agents who often track down unauthorized immigrants crossing in polluted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , such as Navy SEALS , who train in the open ocean .
Swimming in water tainted with raw sewage can expose people to pathogens such as E. coli , Vibrio and salmonella .
Mexico has long operated pumps on the Tijuana River and capture basins in canyons along the border to divert flows before they hit San Diego County beaches .
The water is sent to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in the U.S. or pumped out to sea in Mexico .
Even a small storm , however , can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stew of rainwater , raw sewage , heavy metals and other contaminants through the river valley and out to sea .
In recent decades , the U.S. government has worked with Mexico to help fund maintenance and expansion of its wastewater infrastructure .
Still , those upgrades haven ’ t been able to keep pace with Tijuana ’ s growing population , including the expansion of unsanctioned communities along the border that routinely dump sewage , chemicals and other pollution into stormwater canals .

The San Diego region has secured $300 million in federal funding for a new U.S. facility to capture Tijuana sewage spills before they foul shorelines in the South Bay region of southwestern San Diego County, elected leaders said Friday.
“This has been an issue in our region for decades, and concrete federal action to address cross-border pollution has been long overdue,” said Rep. Mike Levin (D-San Juan Capistrano) at a news conference in Chula Vista.
Congressional leaders announced the funding in December, but it wasn’t clear whether that money would be doled out across the entire Southwest border or dedicated specifically to address pollution in the Tijuana River Valley.
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Now officials believe most, if not all, of that cash will flow to the San Diego region, thanks to language included in the overhaul of the North American Free Trade Agreement signed by President Trump on Wednesday.
“This is a huge, huge deal,” said Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina. “We still have a lot of work to go, but I never imagined that we’d be here right now. I’m just astounded.”
The approach is a shift from longstanding efforts to help Mexico maintain its wastewater system in Tijuana.
Last summer, top officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency visited San Diego to lay out a blueprint with several options for how to address the pollution.
Since then, San Diego leaders have rallied around building a roughly $400-million facility north of the border to intercept and treat the pollution. It’s been estimated the project could reduce cross-border flows from roughly 138 days a year on average, down to about 12.
“Make no mistake, [with] the signing of this agreement, the dollars are going to follow to clean up the sewage spills from the Tijuana River Valley once and for all,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who was present when Trump signed the agreement at the White House earlier this week. “This is a shining example of what we can do when we work together.”
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Other elected officials at Friday’s news conference included San Diego Democratic Reps. Susan Davis, Juan Vargas and Scott Peters, as well as San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox. Over recent months, leaders have made multiple trips to Washington to make their case for increased funding along the border.
EPA officials are scheduled to hold a public meeting March 9 in Coronado to discuss next steps.
“They wanted us to come up with a plan,” said Cox. “We’ve collectively done that. We’ve presented it to them … They’ve got some money now that they can start working on the project almost immediately, and we look forward to hearing what their solutions are going to be.”
The increase in federal resources comes after the state of California, as well as the cities of Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and San Diego, have filed Clean Water Act lawsuits against the Trump administration to force action on the issue.
Those legal proceedings have been stayed pending ongoing negotiations.
“I think it’s very professional that the lawsuits are stayed, but I like the lawsuits,” Peters said. “I think the lawsuits being out there [says] this community is serious about it.”
According to California’s lawsuit, toxic water pollution from Mexico has shuttered San Diego beaches more than 500 days over the last three years.
Most of the impacts are concentrated along the southern shoreline of Imperial Beach, which has been closed since November with tens of millions of gallons of heavily polluted water flowing over the border daily.
Officials say those exposed to the pollution include Border Patrol agents who often track down unauthorized immigrants crossing in polluted mud, as well as military personnel, such as Navy SEALS, who train in the open ocean. Swimming in water tainted with raw sewage can expose people to pathogens such as E. coli, Vibrio and salmonella.
Mexico has long operated pumps on the Tijuana River and capture basins in canyons along the border to divert flows before they hit San Diego County beaches. The water is sent to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in the U.S. or pumped out to sea in Mexico.
Even a small storm, however, can overwhelm the system, flushing a toxic stew of rainwater, raw sewage, heavy metals and other contaminants through the river valley and out to sea.
In recent decades, the U.S. government has worked with Mexico to help fund maintenance and expansion of its wastewater infrastructure.
Still, those upgrades haven’t been able to keep pace with Tijuana’s growing population, including the expansion of unsanctioned communities along the border that routinely dump sewage, chemicals and other pollution into stormwater canals.
Smith writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.


latimes--2020-02-02--Jane Fonda brings climate change protests to Los Angeles

Jane Fonda had a scheduling problem , the collision of two important parts of a very busy life .
The Oscar-winning actor had moved from Century City to Washington , D.C. , in September , intent on a mission : to raise awareness of climate change .
She protested on the U.S. Capitol grounds in a bright red coat — purchased on sale at Neiman Marcus — was arrested five times , spent a night in jail with a herd of scurrying cockroaches .
But she was under contract for the seventh and final season of her comedy series , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the title , she couldn ’ t just bail .
She asked for a hiatus in filming .
Ted Sarandos , chief content officer at Netflix , “ looked at me like I was crazy , ” she said .
“ He ’ s a good guy , but he ’ d already signed all the contracts.
” Her four months of weekly protests in the nation ’ s capital , called Fire Drill Fridays , came to an end in January .
But they “ had been transformative , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday afternoon in West Hollywood .
“ And when the time was coming to an end , I started to get real depressed .
I ’ m going to have to leave and go back to business as usual.
” Which is how the California version of Fire Drill Fridays was born .
Starting Feb. 7 , Fonda will kick off a series of monthly Golden State protests with a rally on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall .
There will be celebrities — Norman Lear and Rita Moreno , among others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little civil disobedience at a venue to be named later .
Future events are planned for Wilmington , Bakersfield and other cities .
Washington had the White House as backdrop , legislators to persuade and a ready army of television cameras .
But California is strategic , she told members of The Wing , a women ’ s co-working space .
Lots of oil extraction , lots of fossil fuel consumption , a reputation as a national environmental leader and a reality that could use some help .
“ I ’ m really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Fonda , urgent and intense .
“ This is the place we can really emphasize stopping the drilling and the fracking.
” She said she wants Gov .
Gavin Newsom to put an end to new oil-drilling permits in the state .
She paused .
Smiled .
And continued in a conspiratorial whisper : “ We ’ re meeting with him , by the way , next Thursday.
” The women ’ s laughter drowned her out .
“ Oil rules in California .
It ’ s very hard for politicians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But that ’ s where leaders come from.
” Fonda has spent most of her adult life juggling two full-time careers : as an actor with dozens of movies , documentaries and television shows under her very small belt ; and as an activist , supporting women ’ s rights , the antiwar movement , the United Farm Workers , the Black Panthers , Native American rights , reproductive rights and the environment , among other causes .
Climate change , she said in an interview after the West Hollywood event , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It may look like , in my life and my history as an activist , there have been a lot of different things , [ but ] they ’ re all connected.
” Fonda said she ’ s been supporting indigenous rights in tribal country since 1970 .
Today , she said , much of that same land contains “ so much fossil fuel , so much of the materials that the oil companies want to extract , that they are front-line communities now in the war against fossil fuel.
” Annie Leonard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is part of the Fire Drill Friday effort .
She said Fonda has “ a phenomenal ability to draw new people into the movement , especially women over 50 .
She did [ the Washington protests ] for 14 weeks .
...
Hundreds and hundreds of people came.
” Fonda said she sees herself and other celebrities as “ repeaters , ” the antennae on the tops of mountains that pick up communication signals and transmit them to wider audiences .
“ I don ’ t do the science , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do the research .
I ’ m not the wonk .
But I can pick up the signals of the people in Wilmington or the scientists in their labs and expand their voices .
That ’ s what I think the role of someone like me is.
” Among her biggest regrets , Fonda has said repeatedly through the years , was posing on an anti-aircraft gun during a tour of North Vietnam in 1972 , which earned her the nickname Hanoi Jane .
She has been proudest , she said Saturday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the joy of her ninth decade .
“ Ten thousand people have signed up to take it nationally , ” she said .
“ I had no idea that this was going to happen .
It was an instinct .
I may be famous and white and privileged , but when I feel a need for something , I find there ’ s usually a whole lot of people who feel the same need .
... With Fire Drill Fridays , the rallies , the civil disobedience , the risking arrest , appealed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In her daily life , Fonda says , she does her best to be environmentally minded .
She bought a Prius when they first appeared and switched to an electric car last year .
Meat once a month , fish , twice .
No single-use plastics .
The red coat she bought for the protest was the last piece of clothing she plans to purchase , she said , with the exception , perhaps , of some underwear and socks .
When you see her at the Oscars on Feb. 9 , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a decade or so old , an Elie Saab number she ’ s already worn on the red carpet at Cannes .
“ I haven ’ t changed sizes , and I have a closet full of clothes , ” Fonda said .
“ I don ’ t need anything .
So If I don ’ t need anything , I ’ m not going to get it.
” But she won ’ t be getting arrested in Los Angeles on Friday .
After five arrests in Washington , she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles from the set of “ Grace and Frankie , ” community service equally far away .
So her lawyer negotiated a deal : She can film in California if she does not engage in civil disobedience for 90 days .
Which ends in April .
At which time , she said , she plans to hold out her wrists for those zip-tie handcuffs yet again .

Actor Jane Fonda, at center in bright red coat, rallies with dozens of others in front of the White House in November as part of her “Fire Drill Fridays” protesting climate change.
Jane Fonda had a scheduling problem, the collision of two important parts of a very busy life.
The Oscar-winning actor had moved from Century City to Washington, D.C., in September, intent on a mission: to raise awareness of climate change. She protested on the U.S. Capitol grounds in a bright red coat — purchased on sale at Neiman Marcus — was arrested five times, spent a night in jail with a herd of scurrying cockroaches.
But she was under contract for the seventh and final season of her comedy series, “Grace and Frankie.” Being half of the title, she couldn’t just bail. She asked for a hiatus in filming. Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix, “looked at me like I was crazy,” she said. “He’s a good guy, but he’d already signed all the contracts.”
Her four months of weekly protests in the nation’s capital, called Fire Drill Fridays, came to an end in January. But they “had been transformative,” the 82-year-old told 150 or so mostly millennials Saturday afternoon in West Hollywood. “And when the time was coming to an end, I started to get real depressed. I’m going to have to leave and go back to business as usual.”
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Which is how the California version of Fire Drill Fridays was born. Starting Feb. 7, Fonda will kick off a series of monthly Golden State protests with a rally on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall. There will be celebrities — Norman Lear and Rita Moreno, among others — speeches, a march and a little civil disobedience at a venue to be named later. Future events are planned for Wilmington, Bakersfield and other cities.
Washington had the White House as backdrop, legislators to persuade and a ready army of television cameras. But California is strategic, she told members of The Wing, a women’s co-working space. Lots of oil extraction, lots of fossil fuel consumption, a reputation as a national environmental leader and a reality that could use some help.
“I’m really happy that we’re here,” said Fonda, urgent and intense. “This is the place we can really emphasize stopping the drilling and the fracking.”
She said she wants Gov. Gavin Newsom to put an end to new oil-drilling permits in the state.
She paused. Smiled. And continued in a conspiratorial whisper: “We’re meeting with him, by the way, next Thursday.” The women’s laughter drowned her out. “Oil rules in California. It’s very hard for politicians to stand up to Big Oil. But that’s where leaders come from.”
Fonda has spent most of her adult life juggling two full-time careers: as an actor with dozens of movies, documentaries and television shows under her very small belt; and as an activist, supporting women’s rights, the antiwar movement, the United Farm Workers, the Black Panthers, Native American rights, reproductive rights and the environment, among other causes.
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Climate change, she said in an interview after the West Hollywood event, “brings it all together. .... It may look like, in my life and my history as an activist, there have been a lot of different things, [but] they’re all connected.”
Fonda said she’s been supporting indigenous rights in tribal country since 1970. Today, she said, much of that same land contains “so much fossil fuel, so much of the materials that the oil companies want to extract, that they are front-line communities now in the war against fossil fuel.”
Annie Leonard is executive director of Greenpeace USA, which is part of the Fire Drill Friday effort. She said Fonda has “a phenomenal ability to draw new people into the movement, especially women over 50. She did [the Washington protests] for 14 weeks. ... Hundreds and hundreds of people came.”
Fonda said she sees herself and other celebrities as “repeaters,” the antennae on the tops of mountains that pick up communication signals and transmit them to wider audiences.
“I don’t do the science,” she said. “I don’t do the research. I’m not the wonk. But I can pick up the signals of the people in Wilmington or the scientists in their labs and expand their voices. That’s what I think the role of someone like me is.”
Among her biggest regrets, Fonda has said repeatedly through the years, was posing on an anti-aircraft gun during a tour of North Vietnam in 1972, which earned her the nickname Hanoi Jane.
She has been proudest, she said Saturday, of Fire Drill Fridays, which are the joy of her ninth decade.
“Ten thousand people have signed up to take it nationally,” she said. “I had no idea that this was going to happen. It was an instinct. I may be famous and white and privileged, but when I feel a need for something, I find there’s usually a whole lot of people who feel the same need. ... With Fire Drill Fridays, the rallies, the civil disobedience, the risking arrest, appealed to a whole lot of people.”
In her daily life, Fonda says, she does her best to be environmentally minded. She bought a Prius when they first appeared and switched to an electric car last year. Meat once a month, fish, twice. No single-use plastics.
The red coat she bought for the protest was the last piece of clothing she plans to purchase, she said, with the exception, perhaps, of some underwear and socks. When you see her at the Oscars on Feb. 9, she’ll be wearing a dress that’s a decade or so old, an Elie Saab number she’s already worn on the red carpet at Cannes.
“I haven’t changed sizes, and I have a closet full of clothes,” Fonda said. “I don’t need anything. So If I don’t need anything, I’m not going to get it.”
But she won’t be getting arrested in Los Angeles on Friday. After five arrests in Washington, she was facing possible court dates 2,000 or so miles from the set of “Grace and Frankie,” community service equally far away. So her lawyer negotiated a deal: She can film in California if she does not engage in civil disobedience for 90 days.
Which ends in April. At which time, she said, she plans to hold out her wrists for those zip-tie handcuffs yet again.
“Of course,” she said.
Of course.


latimes--2020-02-02--In Venice Beach, hoopsters honor Kobe Bryant by trying to channel him on the basketball court

Marcus Bowen dribbled the basketball twice between his legs and fired up a shot over his older , taller brother , Dante .
The ball bounced off the rim , hitting the blue-painted outdoor court at Venice Beach , just missing a sea gull .
The brothers — Marcus , 13 , and Dante , 16 — laughed .
It was OK. Kobe Bryant missed shots , too .
Marcus wore a purple Lakers hat and tried , with some success , to copy Bryant ’ s classic pump fake .
When the boys played one-on-one , they would see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either 8 points or 24 points , in honor of Bryant ’ s jersey numbers .
“ When we shoot , we ’ ll say , ‘ It ’ s for Kobe , ’ because , like , he ’ s not here to play anymore , so sometimes we do it for him , ” Marcus said .
Here at this streetball mecca beneath the palm trees , play has become sacred in the days since Bryant , his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people were killed in a helicopter crash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , hoopsters here , young and old , have been taking part in the timeless tradition of mimicking the moves of their athletic idol .
The pickup basketball courts last week have played host to amateur versions of Bryant ’ s fadeaways , dunks and pump fakes .
Visitors have seen players in gold Lakers jerseys and purple Kobe sneakers .
There ’ s been plenty of trash talk , in Kobe ’ s honor , of course .
These courts were significant to Bryant , who named a brightly colored version of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Venice Beach.
” Bryant was barely 18 , a prize rookie just out of high school , in early September 1996 , when he fell during a pickup game at Venice Beach and broke his left wrist .
The injury benched Bryant for most of the preseason training camp .
In his debut Lakers game that November , he was scoreless , playing six minutes off the bench against the Minnesota Timberwolves .
It was a lackluster performance , but became an instant record setter as Bryant at the time became the youngest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It ’ ll be neat one day to sit with my grandkids and tell them I was the youngest player in NBA history , ” the teenage Bryant said after the game .
At Venice Beach on Friday afternoon , Orlando Bowen photographed Marcus and Dante , his sons , playing on the court .
They weren ’ t much younger than Bryant when he became a professional athlete .
Bryant ’ s death at age 41 hit Bowen , who is 44 , hard .
The Bowen family flew in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helicopter crash , from Toronto so Bowen , a former professional player in the Canadian Football League , could speak at an entrepreneurial business conference .
“ One of the things I ’ ve always thought about was life after the game , and the importance of some of the bigger things , like being a dad and giving back , ” Bowen said .
“ One of the reasons I think I felt so profoundly impacted by Kobe ’ s passing was that he was doing what you ’ re supposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Dante the lacrosse player .
Marcus the basketball player .
Fifteen-year-old Justice , the trombone player .
When they got to Los Angeles , the Venice Beach basketball courts were the only place they wanted to come , he said .
“ They ’ ll be able to say they played here ; they played on the same court that Kobe played on , ” Bowen said .
“ And they did it together , as brothers .
It ’ s layered for me .
Many happy papa moments out here.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pair of white sneakers and a blue bikini .
Barefoot surfers in wetsuits walked by between pickup games toting their boards .
The smell of saltwater hung in the air .
On one court , Chris Staples — a former Harlem Globetrotter , a professional slam dunker and onetime contestant on “ The Bachelorette ” — shot a YouTube video in a pair of purple and gold Kobe Nikes and Lakers shorts .
For Staples , the Venice basketball courts , where the movie “ White Men Can ’ t Jump ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Hollywood aspirations — fitting , perhaps , since Bryant won an Oscar in 2018 for producing and writing the animated short “ Dear Basketball.
” As an actor , Staples starred as a basketball player trying to remake his life after being released from prison in the 2017 movie “ Slamma Jamma , ” with scenes filmed on the Venice Beach courts .
On Friday , Staples , 33 , said he had noticed lots of people playing in Kobe shoes and clothing in recent days .
There is not usually much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but this felt right , he said .
The day of Bryant ’ s death , Staples came to Venice to honor him in the best way he knew how : by playing ball .
“ I knew that if I stayed in the house , I would have just looked at my phone , looked at the news all day , getting more and more sad , ” he said .
“ So coming out here took my mind off things for a little while .
...
It healed me for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boardwalk , as Weezer ’ s “ Beverly Hills ” blared on a nearby loudspeaker , Ramin Molaie and Artin Azimi , friends visiting from San Jose , chatted while wearing Lakers jerseys .
For Molaie , a diehard Golden State Warriors fan , it was purely a sign of respect to wear Bryant ’ s No .
8 jersey for the first time in public .
Molaie ’ s grandmother got him the jersey during a trip to Los Angeles when he was about 8 years old .
“ She was like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ player ’ s jersey !
It ’ s your favorite player , ’ ” Molaie said , laughing .
“ I was like , ‘ Oh , really ?
’ ... And she brings me back Kobe .
I was like , ‘ Oh my God , this is terrible.
’ ” But even then , Molaie couldn ’ t throw the jersey away .
He saw Bryant play in Oakland and booed as he hit three-pointers against the Warriors .
But as he grew older , Molaie knew he respected Bryant ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the best player of our generation.
” “ Deep down , all the hate was respect !
” said Azimi , 26 , who was wearing a LeBron James Lakers jersey .
Just off the court , John Lackey wiped the sweat from his forehead after more than an hour of pickup basketball .
As he took a break , people wanting their turn in the game yelled , “ I got next !
” “ I got next !
” Lackey , a 20-year-old who had played ball for the Jordan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grew up idolizing the “ Black Mamba ” and would cut his hair to look just like Bryant ’ s .
“ I would just sit down in the living room , do math homework , watch Kobe , ” Lackey said .
“ I called them all : ‘ Get it , boy !
All the way !
’ Kobe ’ s just the man on the court .
I tried to be like him since middle school.
” When Lackey was 12 , attending a game at Staples Center with his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-five from Bryant .
Lackey stands 6 feet 4 now , but back then , he thought Bryant , who stood 6 feet 6 , was impossibly tall .
He looked at his dad , elated : “ I was like , ‘ Oh , yeah , he ’ s about to drop buckets.
’ ” On Friday , he looked up at the sky .
It was a perfect winter afternoon .
Seventy degrees .
A pink and orange hue as the sun started to set .
So different from that chilly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carrying his hero went down in the dense , patchy fog .
“ Today would have been the perfect day for Kobe to fly , ” he said .
“ He could have gotten over that mountain.
” Then he went back out on the court to play .

Marcus Bowen, 13, left, drives on brother Dante Bowen, 16, on the public courts during pickup games in Venice. The brothers from Toronto said they were trying to channel the moves of Kobe Bryant.
Marcus Bowen dribbled the basketball twice between his legs and fired up a shot over his older, taller brother, Dante.
The ball bounced off the rim, hitting the blue-painted outdoor court at Venice Beach, just missing a sea gull. The brothers — Marcus, 13, and Dante, 16 — laughed. It was OK. Kobe Bryant missed shots, too.
Marcus wore a purple Lakers hat and tried, with some success, to copy Bryant’s classic pump fake. When the boys played one-on-one, they would see who would be the first to score either 8 points or 24 points, in honor of Bryant’s jersey numbers.
“When we shoot, we’ll say, ‘It’s for Kobe,’ because, like, he’s not here to play anymore, so sometimes we do it for him,” Marcus said.
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Here at this streetball mecca beneath the palm trees, play has become sacred in the days since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas.
As the world grieves, hoopsters here, young and old, have been taking part in the timeless tradition of mimicking the moves of their athletic idol. The pickup basketball courts last week have played host to amateur versions of Bryant’s fadeaways, dunks and pump fakes. Visitors have seen players in gold Lakers jerseys and purple Kobe sneakers. There’s been plenty of trash talk, in Kobe’s honor, of course.
These courts were significant to Bryant, who named a brightly colored version of his Nike Kobe 8 signature shoe “Venice Beach.”
Bryant was barely 18, a prize rookie just out of high school, in early September 1996, when he fell during a pickup game at Venice Beach and broke his left wrist.
The injury benched Bryant for most of the preseason training camp. In his debut Lakers game that November, he was scoreless, playing six minutes off the bench against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It was a lackluster performance, but became an instant record setter as Bryant at the time became the youngest person to play in an NBA game.
“It’ll be neat one day to sit with my grandkids and tell them I was the youngest player in NBA history,” the teenage Bryant said after the game.
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At Venice Beach on Friday afternoon, Orlando Bowen photographed Marcus and Dante, his sons, playing on the court. They weren’t much younger than Bryant when he became a professional athlete.
Bryant’s death at age 41 hit Bowen, who is 44, hard.
The Bowen family flew in Monday, the day after the fatal helicopter crash, from Toronto so Bowen, a former professional player in the Canadian Football League, could speak at an entrepreneurial business conference.
“One of the things I’ve always thought about was life after the game, and the importance of some of the bigger things, like being a dad and giving back,” Bowen said. “One of the reasons I think I felt so profoundly impacted by Kobe’s passing was that he was doing what you’re supposed to do.”
Bowen beamed about his sons: Dante the lacrosse player. Marcus the basketball player. Fifteen-year-old Justice, the trombone player.
When they got to Los Angeles, the Venice Beach basketball courts were the only place they wanted to come, he said.
“They’ll be able to say they played here; they played on the same court that Kobe played on,” Bowen said. “And they did it together, as brothers. It’s layered for me. Many happy papa moments out here.”
Nearby, a woman shot hoops in a pair of white sneakers and a blue bikini. Barefoot surfers in wetsuits walked by between pickup games toting their boards. The smell of saltwater hung in the air.
Basketball player Chris Staples wears Kobe Bryant shoes on the public courts on Friday in Venice Beach. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
On one court, Chris Staples — a former Harlem Globetrotter, a professional slam dunker and onetime contestant on “The Bachelorette” — shot a YouTube video in a pair of purple and gold Kobe Nikes and Lakers shorts.
For Staples, the Venice basketball courts, where the movie “White Men Can’t Jump” was filmed, represent both basketball dreams and Hollywood aspirations — fitting, perhaps, since Bryant won an Oscar in 2018 for producing and writing the animated short “Dear Basketball.”
As an actor, Staples starred as a basketball player trying to remake his life after being released from prison in the 2017 movie “Slamma Jamma,” with scenes filmed on the Venice Beach courts.
On Friday, Staples, 33, said he had noticed lots of people playing in Kobe shoes and clothing in recent days. There is not usually much NBA gear on the pickup courts, but this felt right, he said.
The day of Bryant’s death, Staples came to Venice to honor him in the best way he knew how: by playing ball.
“I knew that if I stayed in the house, I would have just looked at my phone, looked at the news all day, getting more and more sad,” he said. “So coming out here took my mind off things for a little while. ... It healed me for the moment.”
Friends Artin Azimi, 26, left, and Ramin Molaie, 26, both of San Jose, talk about Kobe Bryant on Friday on the boardwalk in Venice Beach. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Standing near the Venice Beach Boardwalk, as Weezer’s “Beverly Hills” blared on a nearby loudspeaker, Ramin Molaie and Artin Azimi, friends visiting from San Jose, chatted while wearing Lakers jerseys.
For Molaie, a diehard Golden State Warriors fan, it was purely a sign of respect to wear Bryant’s No. 8 jersey for the first time in public.
“I hate the Lakers,” Molaie, 26, said.
Molaie’s grandmother got him the jersey during a trip to Los Angeles when he was about 8 years old.
“She was like, ‘I got you a basketball player’s jersey! It’s your favorite player,’” Molaie said, laughing. “I was like, ‘Oh, really?’ ... And she brings me back Kobe. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is terrible.’ ”
But even then, Molaie couldn’t throw the jersey away. He saw Bryant play in Oakland and booed as he hit three-pointers against the Warriors. But as he grew older, Molaie knew he respected Bryant’s game and now describes him as “the best player of our generation.”
“Deep down, all the hate was respect!” said Azimi, 26, who was wearing a LeBron James Lakers jersey.
Just off the court, John Lackey wiped the sweat from his forehead after more than an hour of pickup basketball. As he took a break, people wanting their turn in the game yelled, “I got next!” “I got next!”
John Lackey, 20, of Long Beach, comes down with a rebound during a pickup game on Friday in Venice Beach. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Lackey, a 20-year-old who had played ball for the Jordan High School Panthers in Long Beach, grew up idolizing the “Black Mamba” and would cut his hair to look just like Bryant’s.
“I would just sit down in the living room, do math homework, watch Kobe,” Lackey said. “I called them all: ‘Get it, boy! All the way!’ Kobe’s just the man on the court. I tried to be like him since middle school.”
When Lackey was 12, attending a game at Staples Center with his dad and uncle, he got a high-five from Bryant. Lackey stands 6 feet 4 now, but back then, he thought Bryant, who stood 6 feet 6, was impossibly tall.
He looked at his dad, elated: “I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, he’s about to drop buckets.’”
Last week, Lackey wept over Bryant’s death.
On Friday, he looked up at the sky. It was a perfect winter afternoon. Seventy degrees. A pink and orange hue as the sun started to set. So different from that chilly day last Sunday, when the helicopter carrying his hero went down in the dense, patchy fog.
“Today would have been the perfect day for Kobe to fly,” he said. “He could have gotten over that mountain.”
Lackey sighed.
Then he went back out on the court to play.


latimes--2020-02-02--Coronavirus fears prompt hoaxes and misinformation

Residents of an off-campus housing complex near USC got a scare Monday night in the form of an email .
The message from the manager of the Lorenzo apartments stated that a tenant had contracted the new strain of coronavirus that ’ s caused 304 deaths in China .
A unit on the seventh floor of the building was cordoned off with caution tape , and someone was loaded into an ambulance outside , said Frank Zhu , 20 , a USC sophomore who lives at the complex .
“ There was a total panic going on , ” Zhu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go out and get face masks .
I even texted my parents and asked them if I should come home.
” Within two hours , USC sent out a schoolwide emergency alert .
The report was not true .
Officials reassured the student body that no one in the USC community had been diagnosed with or evaluated for coronavirus .
“ Students can be transported by ambulance for a variety of health conditions , ” the message noted .
The Lorenzo building manager sent a second email to tenants saying the first report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came really near the peak of what I would call the general concern and worry present not only at USC but the entire country , ” Dr. Sarah Van Orman , chief health officer of USC Student Health , said of the initial email .
As fears over the new strain of coronavirus spread rapidly , so does misinformation .
Multiple schools and universities , and even the city of Carson , have been forced to refute rumors and hoaxes that members of their communities have contracted the virus .
Many of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Snapchat messages and tweets .
“ There are certain things that lend themselves to this kind of contagion , and that includes fears about public health , where people tend to relay or share information before they ’ ve verified that it ’ s true because they feel there ’ s urgency around it , ” said Gabriel Kahn , a professor at USC ’ s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism .
“ Ironically , speed is important on those things .
But at the same time , those are the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about verifying before you share , and that goes against our instincts as human beings.
” It ’ s been about a week since the coronavirus reached Southern California , and it ’ s been at the top of local newscasts .
First there were the initial confirmed cases — one in Orange County and a second in Los Angeles County — announced last weekend .
Then , U.S. government personnel in Wuhan were evacuated to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County after fleeing the outbreak .
The federal Centers for Disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all 195 of the evacuees Friday that will last 14 days from when the plane left China — the CDC ’ s first mandatory quarantine in more than 50 years .
Also on Friday , the Trump administration declared a public health emergency and announced it would temporarily bar foreign nationals who have traveled in China in the last two weeks from entering the country .
And public health officials announced that a Santa Clara County man who had recently returned from Wuhan tested positive for the coronavirus , becoming the seventh case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state .
On Saturday , a Boston man in his 20s became the eighth confirmed U.S. case .
Amid the fast-paced developments , local schools and institutions have been scrambling to counter the rumors and allay fears with accurate information .
USC followed up its initial alert with several other messages answering frequently asked questions and held a Facebook live event to address students ’ concerns .
“ What we really want to try to do is not minimize it but help people put the risk of this in context , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Van Orman said .
After Orange County health officials announced Jan. 25 that a patient , described only as a man in his 50s , was found to have coronavirus , a rumor circulated online that he was the parent of an Irvine Valley College student .
“ That social media report was generated fairly widely , ” said Dr. Cindy Vyskocil , the college ’ s acting president .
“ It caused tremendous concern.
” The school immediately reached out to the Orange County Health Care Agency and on Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ link to any college student or staffer .
Since then , the school has continued to contact health officials twice a day to learn the status of the county ’ s coronavirus case , and has been providing students with regular updates , Vyskocil said .
In addition to reassuring students that the virus does not currently pose a threat to the campus , the school has been sending notes about preventive measures to avoid passing along viruses .
“ It ’ s kind of a fine line of having a measured response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there , but also helping folks continue to be vigilant about proactive ways in which to prevent the spread of things like the cold or flu virus , ” Vyskocil said .
Similar rumors have dogged UC Irvine ; an online petition to shut down the campus because of coronavirus fears had amassed nearly 10,500 signatures as of Friday .
“ With some of those rumors on social media and across multiple platforms and also in multiple languages , the misinformation has been spreading , ” said Sherry Main , UC Irvine ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The school has created a podcast about coronavirus misconceptions that has played on local radio and also plans next week to launch an educational campaign featuring hand-washing stations on the campus ’ main thoroughfare .
While some of the false reports about coronavirus diagnoses involved misinformation , others appeared to be deliberate hoaxes .
In at least two instances , images were edited to look like screenshots of news articles reporting that Southern California students had contracted the coronavirus .
The first was a bogus report made to resemble a Daily Pilot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ del Mar High School in Newport Beach had been “ linked ” to a coronavirus case .
Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials became aware of the item Wednesday morning .
They quickly contacted the Daily Pilot to confirm that the article was fake , and then notified the school community in a statement , said Annette Franco , the district ’ s public relations officer .
“ To be honest , I think we responded quickly enough where there wasn ’ t too much of a buzz , and I think a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it wasn ’ t a real article , ” Franco said .
It was one of two fake reports resembling news articles that made the rounds Wednesday .
A second stated that a student at Segerstrom High School in Santa Ana had contracted the virus .
By Wednesday afternoon , the Santa Ana Unified School District sent a message refuting the hoax via social media and email .
They also sent out communications in English and Spanish to district schools , which printed them out and provided them to students to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ timely information is the best way to ensure the public is informed of what ’ s true and what isn ’ t , ” said Dr. Alfonso Jimenez , the district ’ s deputy superintendent for educational services .
In at least one case , a coronavirus hoax is being handled as a criminal matter .
The L.A. County Sheriff ’ s Department is investigating the origins of a falsified letter stating that an outbreak had been reported in Carson , Capt .
Jason Skeen confirmed Thursday .
The FBI also is assisting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be on official letterhead bearing the seals of multiple agencies , including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the L.A. County Department of Public Health , as well as the forged signature of the Department of Public Health ’ s environmental health director .
It stated that five patients had tested positive for the virus , listed five businesses in Carson that they had supposedly visited and told anyone who had been there to go to the hospital .
The businesses , which included China Bowl Express and Seafood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Carson , Mayor Albert Robles said .
“ I think it was an attempt by someone to exacerbate the worst fears that some people might have that are based in hatred and racism , ” he said .
To compound the issue , Carson City Hall was closed Thursday in observance of Fred T. Korematsu Day , a relatively new municipal holiday commemorating the Japanese American whose court case over his refusal to be interned during World War II went to the U.S. Supreme Court .
“ I happened to be at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 20 people who were asking about the letter , ” Robles said .
“ And people were calling me and they were calling City Hall and because it was closed no one was answering the phone , so they were coming there .
That kind of unfortunately exacerbated the situation.
” The public is advised to be cautious about coronavirus information circulated via social media , especially if it provides private information that identifies patients who have tested positive .
Other telltale signs of forged communications include grammatical errors and rambling prose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ L.A. County public health director , adding that updates will come from public health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
“ To alarm people with false information , not only is it dangerous , but as in the case of whoever issued that letter , it ’ s also highly illegal , ” Ferrer said .

A bogus report made to resemble a Daily Pilot article stated that a student at Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach had been “linked” to a coronavirus case.
Residents of an off-campus housing complex near USC got a scare Monday night in the form of an email.
The message from the manager of the Lorenzo apartments stated that a tenant had contracted the new strain of coronavirus that’s caused 304 deaths in China.
A unit on the seventh floor of the building was cordoned off with caution tape, and someone was loaded into an ambulance outside, said Frank Zhu, 20, a USC sophomore who lives at the complex.
“There was a total panic going on,” Zhu said. “Everybody was trying to go out and get face masks. I even texted my parents and asked them if I should come home.”
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The report spread rapidly via social media.
Within two hours, USC sent out a schoolwide emergency alert. The report was not true. Officials reassured the student body that no one in the USC community had been diagnosed with or evaluated for coronavirus. “Students can be transported by ambulance for a variety of health conditions,” the message noted. The Lorenzo building manager sent a second email to tenants saying the first report was false.
“That particular notification came really near the peak of what I would call the general concern and worry present not only at USC but the entire country,” Dr. Sarah Van Orman, chief health officer of USC Student Health, said of the initial email.
As fears over the new strain of coronavirus spread rapidly, so does misinformation. Multiple schools and universities, and even the city of Carson, have been forced to refute rumors and hoaxes that members of their communities have contracted the virus. Many of the false reports were spread through Facebook posts, Snapchat messages and tweets.
“There are certain things that lend themselves to this kind of contagion, and that includes fears about public health, where people tend to relay or share information before they’ve verified that it’s true because they feel there’s urgency around it,” said Gabriel Kahn, a professor at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
“Ironically, speed is important on those things. But at the same time, those are the ones you have to be most certain about verifying before you share, and that goes against our instincts as human beings.”
It’s been about a week since the coronavirus reached Southern California, and it’s been at the top of local newscasts.
Advertisement
First there were the initial confirmed cases — one in Orange County and a second in Los Angeles County — announced last weekend. Then, U.S. government personnel in Wuhan were evacuated to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County after fleeing the outbreak. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered a quarantine for all 195 of the evacuees Friday that will last 14 days from when the plane left China — the CDC’s first mandatory quarantine in more than 50 years.
Also on Friday, the Trump administration declared a public health emergency and announced it would temporarily bar foreign nationals who have traveled in China in the last two weeks from entering the country. And public health officials announced that a Santa Clara County man who had recently returned from Wuhan tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the seventh case in the country and the third in the state. On Saturday, a Boston man in his 20s became the eighth confirmed U.S. case.
Amid the fast-paced developments, local schools and institutions have been scrambling to counter the rumors and allay fears with accurate information.
USC followed up its initial alert with several other messages answering frequently asked questions and held a Facebook live event to address students’ concerns.
“What we really want to try to do is not minimize it but help people put the risk of this in context, and I think that’s really helping,” Van Orman said.
After Orange County health officials announced Jan. 25 that a patient, described only as a man in his 50s, was found to have coronavirus, a rumor circulated online that he was the parent of an Irvine Valley College student.
“That social media report was generated fairly widely,” said Dr. Cindy Vyskocil, the college’s acting president. “It caused tremendous concern.”
The school immediately reached out to the Orange County Health Care Agency and on Monday notified students that there was no credible link to any college student or staffer.
Since then, the school has continued to contact health officials twice a day to learn the status of the county’s coronavirus case, and has been providing students with regular updates, Vyskocil said.
In addition to reassuring students that the virus does not currently pose a threat to the campus, the school has been sending notes about preventive measures to avoid passing along viruses.
“It’s kind of a fine line of having a measured response to make sure accurate information is out there, but also helping folks continue to be vigilant about proactive ways in which to prevent the spread of things like the cold or flu virus,” Vyskocil said.
Similar rumors have dogged UC Irvine; an online petition to shut down the campus because of coronavirus fears had amassed nearly 10,500 signatures as of Friday.
“With some of those rumors on social media and across multiple platforms and also in multiple languages, the misinformation has been spreading,” said Sherry Main, UC Irvine’s assistant vice chancellor of public affairs.
The school has created a podcast about coronavirus misconceptions that has played on local radio and also plans next week to launch an educational campaign featuring hand-washing stations on the campus’ main thoroughfare.
While some of the false reports about coronavirus diagnoses involved misinformation, others appeared to be deliberate hoaxes.
In at least two instances, images were edited to look like screenshots of news articles reporting that Southern California students had contracted the coronavirus.
The first was a bogus report made to resemble a Daily Pilot article stating that a student at Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach had been “linked” to a coronavirus case.
Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials became aware of the item Wednesday morning. They quickly contacted the Daily Pilot to confirm that the article was fake, and then notified the school community in a statement, said Annette Franco, the district’s public relations officer.
“To be honest, I think we responded quickly enough where there wasn’t too much of a buzz, and I think a lot of people were smart enough to know that it wasn’t a real article,” Franco said.
It was one of two fake reports resembling news articles that made the rounds Wednesday . A second stated that a student at Segerstrom High School in Santa Ana had contracted the virus. By Wednesday afternoon, the Santa Ana Unified School District sent a message refuting the hoax via social media and email. They also sent out communications in English and Spanish to district schools, which printed them out and provided them to students to take home.
#SAUSD is aware that a hoax is circulating through social media, alleging that an SAUSD student has been diagnosed with the Novel Coronavirus. Please note: there are NO confirmed cases in SAUSD, and it is safe to attend school. More details here: https://t.co/6DVUKTZtz5 pic.twitter.com/zXJdafSvUW — Santa Ana USD (@SantaAnaUSD) January 29, 2020
“We believe quick and timely information is the best way to ensure the public is informed of what’s true and what isn’t,” said Dr. Alfonso Jimenez, the district’s deputy superintendent for educational services.
In at least one case, a coronavirus hoax is being handled as a criminal matter.
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the origins of a falsified letter stating that an outbreak had been reported in Carson, Capt. Jason Skeen confirmed Thursday. The FBI also is assisting with the investigation.
The missive appeared to be on official letterhead bearing the seals of multiple agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the L.A. County Department of Public Health, as well as the forged signature of the Department of Public Health’s environmental health director.
A fake letter has been circulating on Facebook regarding a supposed Coronavirus outbreak in the South Bay. This is not real. There is NO CURRENT THREAT to public health from the Coronavirus in Los Angeles County. pic.twitter.com/mwx9hqayL8 — Janice Hahn (@SupJaniceHahn) January 30, 2020
It stated that five patients had tested positive for the virus, listed five businesses in Carson that they had supposedly visited and told anyone who had been there to go to the hospital.
The businesses, which included China Bowl Express and Seafood City Supermarket, were in majority-Asian areas of Carson, Mayor Albert Robles said.
“I think it was an attempt by someone to exacerbate the worst fears that some people might have that are based in hatred and racism,” he said.
To compound the issue, Carson City Hall was closed Thursday in observance of Fred T. Korematsu Day, a relatively new municipal holiday commemorating the Japanese American whose court case over his refusal to be interned during World War II went to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I happened to be at City Hall and I ran into at least 20 people who were asking about the letter,” Robles said. “And people were calling me and they were calling City Hall and because it was closed no one was answering the phone, so they were coming there. That kind of unfortunately exacerbated the situation.”
The public is advised to be cautious about coronavirus information circulated via social media, especially if it provides private information that identifies patients who have tested positive. Other telltale signs of forged communications include grammatical errors and rambling prose, said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the L.A. County public health director, adding that updates will come from public health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“To alarm people with false information, not only is it dangerous, but as in the case of whoever issued that letter, it’s also highly illegal,” Ferrer said.


latimes--2020-02-02--Kobe Bryant crash renews battle over rejected safety regulations

After the deaths of Kobe Bryant and eight others in a helicopter crash on a Calabasas hillside last week , a National Transportation Safety Board member said federal aviation regulators had previously rejected an NTSB recommendation to require a terrain warning system , a safety feature that might have saved their lives .
It was hardly the first time the NTSB had publicly questioned the Federal Aviation Administration ’ s decisions .
For decades , the two federal agencies have clashed on a range of issues , including smoke detectors in airline cargo holds and crashworthy fuel tanks on light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close working relationship , neither disputes that it can be contentious .
The NTSB , which investigates aviation accidents , has made thousands of safety recommendations over the years but has no power to enforce them .
The FAA , which has sole authority to set the rules , has accepted about 75 % of them , according to the FAA ’ s most recent tally of closed cases in late 2018 .
“ The two agencies share a common goal : promoting aviation safety and preventing aircraft accidents , although they occasionally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course of action , ” the FAA said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times .
Fatal accidents that have occurred on the heels of rejected or long-delayed safety recommendations have sometimes served as major friction points in the complicated relationship between the agencies .
“ When the FAA says , ‘ Thank for your interest in aviation safety ’ and ‘ We ’ ll study your recommendation , ’ and then they study it and study it and study it , and then another accident happens .
… If you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretty frustrating if it ’ s something you ’ ve been talking about for 10 years , ” said Greg Feith , a former NTSB senior accident investigator .
Criticism of the FAA from various quarters goes back to the Eisenhower administration , when Congress created the agency in 1958 with a dual and often conflicting mandate to ensure the safety of civil air travel and to promote the aviation industry .
For decades , the FAA battled the perception that it put commerce before safety , especially when rejecting corrective actions as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ players .
The FAA is required by federal law to base safety decisions on risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis , a major difference between it and the NTSB .
One of the FAA ’ s most controversial and ill-fated decisions came in 1993 , when it rejected an NTSB recommendation to require smoke detectors and fire-suppression systems in airplane cargo holds that are inaccessible to the crew during flight .
The requirement would have cost the airline industry more than $ 350 million and “ would not have provided a significant degree of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the FAA said at the time — and would soon regret .
In 1996 , oxygen canisters stowed in the hold of a ValuJet DC-9 caught fire and caused it to crash in the Florida Everglades , 10 minutes after takeoff from Miami International Airport .
“ They decided not to mandate it , and then we lost a ValuJet , ” Feith , who investigated the Flight 592 disaster , said in an interview .
“ We lost 110 people.
” The NTSB ’ s final accident report cited the FAA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fire suppression systems as one of the main causes of the crash .
Under public pressure to reform the FAA , Congress amended the Federal Aviation Act in October 1996 to delete references to the agency ’ s “ promoting ” of the aviation industry , while underscoring and expanding the safety aspects of its mission .
The FAA relented on its earlier opposition and adopted the NTSB recommendations on smoke detectors and fire suppression systems in cargo holds .
The NTSB and the FAA also have clashed over the years on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the family-owned company in Torrance .
The agencies have been at odds over safety concerns on rotor blades and in-flight vibrations , as well as more-crashworthy fuel tanks for the Robinson R44 , the world ’ s most popular civilian helicopter .
Two months after the four-seat model was introduced in 1993 , three men died when the all-aluminum fuel tank on an R44 ruptured and caught fire in a crash on the runway at El Monte Airport , just after takeoff .
The three were the first of dozens of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire in otherwise survivable accidents .
It would take Robinson 16 years to begin fitting new R44s in 2009 with more-crashworthy tanks lined with flexible bladders .
In 2010 , the company recommended the bladders as a retrofit for existing R44s , and offered them as a kit for $ 6,800 .
But many owners did not make voluntary retrofits , and fatal post-crash fires continued to occur .
In 2012 , an Orange County attorney and private pilot , Jim Bechler , died when his R44 ’ s tank breached and caught @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corona Airport .
By 2013 , Australian aviation authorities had become so alarmed by fatal R44 fires that they grounded them until their tanks were reinforced with flexible bladders .
Within weeks , officials in New Zealand and South Africa issued similar orders .
The European Aviation Safety Agency , with 32 member countries , also took steps to speed up retrofits .
In 2014 , the NTSB expressed its own concerns about the vulnerability of R44 tanks and asked the FAA to also make the retrofits mandatory in the United States .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the occupants have survived the initial accident , only to sustain serious or fatal injuries in the post-crash fire , ” the NTSB noted .
Even Robinson Helicopter asked the FAA to make the retrofits mandatory , according to an email from the company ’ s chief engineer to an agency official .
But the FAA rejected the NTSB recommendation .
Based on an analysis of five years of data , the agency concluded that R44s “ had no statistically higher percentage of fatalities as a result of post-impact fires ” than other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That was the year that the FAA , in an attempt to reduce post-crash fire deaths , required more resilient fuel systems , including tanks , to be included in all new helicopter designs .
But helicopters designed and certified before 1994 were exempt from the new standards , regardless of when they were built .
The FAA defended its decision in a statement to The Times in 2018 .
“ The FAA believes NTSB recommendations concerning Robinson helicopters have been effectively addressed , ” it said .
The NTSB — an independent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also investigates railroad , maritime and some other transportation accidents — has encountered strong resistance to some of its safety recommendations not just from the FAA but from other regulators .
Prior to one of the worst maritime disasters in California history , a Labor Day blaze last year that killed 34 people aboard the dive boat Conception near Santa Cruz Island , the board had made repeated calls over a span of 20 years for improved fire-safety measures for such vessels .
But a recent Times review of federal documents found that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and regulates those vessels , rejected many of the NTSB recommendations , sometimes calling them too burdensome or duplicative of existing regulations .
“ When NTSB makes recommendations , the Coast Guard carefully considers the proposed measures and is required to weigh the benefits and impacts of implementation , `` a spokesperson told The Times last year .
Last week , Jennifer Homendy , the NTSB board member who led the panel ’ s investigation into the Conception fire , was back on center stage in Southern California for the helicopter crash last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daughter , Gianna , and all seven others aboard .
She told reporters that the NTSB had long argued that terrain awareness and warning systems , or TAWS , should be required on helicopters that accommodate six or more passengers , such as the Sikorsky S-76 that was headed in heavy fog to Bryant ’ s Thousand Oaks sports center .
“ Certainly , TAWS could have helped to provide information to the pilot on what terrain the pilot was flying in , ” she said .
The NTSB began pushing for mandatory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one Bryant chartered plunged into the Gulf of Mexico in 2004 , 70 miles southeast of Galveston , Texas .
Two pilots and eight passengers bound for an offshore oil rig died .
A subsequent review of 55 previous helicopter and plane crashes determined that 17 might have been prevented by TAWS , the NTSB said .
In 2000 , the FAA required airplanes carrying six or more passengers to be outfitted with TAWS , and 14 years later it mandated the alert system for helicopter air ambulances .
But the FAA kept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the NTSB to label that decision “ unacceptable.
” As it has in other disputes with the NTSB , the FAA defends its decision in this one .
“ Many helicopter air ambulance operations are conducted at night and from unimproved and unfamiliar landing areas , ” the FAA said in a statement .
“ By contrast , on-demand operations tend to occur in populated areas , relying on a robust network of routes and landing facilities.
” The FAA statement noted that safety improvements “ do not only result from new rules.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ last two decades , the U.S. helicopter fatal accident rate has been cut in half , from 1.27 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours to 0.63 .
Some aviation experts have questioned whether TAWS would have prevented last week ’ s crash , particularly if the pilot was disoriented in the fog .
The investigation into the cause is still in its early stages .
For its part , the NTSB continues to call for mandatory TAWS and flight data recorders , or black boxes , on charter helicopters , air taxis and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the 2019-2020 NTSB Most Wanted list of transportation improvements .
The list notes that the FAA does not require the same safety measures for those helicopters as it does for commercial airlines .
“ Regardless of the purpose of the flight or the type of aircraft , ” the list ’ s website says , “ all flights should be safe—right now they may not be .
”

Kobe Bryant and eight others were killed in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash in Calabasas.
After the deaths of Kobe Bryant and eight others in a helicopter crash on a Calabasas hillside last week, a National Transportation Safety Board member said federal aviation regulators had previously rejected an NTSB recommendation to require a terrain warning system, a safety feature that might have saved their lives.
It was hardly the first time the NTSB had publicly questioned the Federal Aviation Administration’s decisions.
For the record: An earlier version of this article cited the Federal Aviation Administration’s rate of fatal helicopter accidents per 100,000 flights. It should have stated it per 100,000 flight hours.
For decades, the two federal agencies have clashed on a range of issues, including smoke detectors in airline cargo holds and crashworthy fuel tanks on light helicopters. Although both agencies tout their close working relationship, neither disputes that it can be contentious.
The NTSB, which investigates aviation accidents, has made thousands of safety recommendations over the years but has no power to enforce them. The FAA, which has sole authority to set the rules, has accepted about 75% of them, according to the FAA’s most recent tally of closed cases in late 2018.
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“The two agencies share a common goal: promoting aviation safety and preventing aircraft accidents, although they occasionally have different views on the most appropriate course of action,” the FAA said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.
Fatal accidents that have occurred on the heels of rejected or long-delayed safety recommendations have sometimes served as major friction points in the complicated relationship between the agencies.
“When the FAA says, ‘Thank for your interest in aviation safety’ and ‘We’ll study your recommendation,’ and then they study it and study it and study it, and then another accident happens. … If you’re the NTSB, it’s pretty frustrating if it’s something you’ve been talking about for 10 years,” said Greg Feith, a former NTSB senior accident investigator.
Criticism of the FAA from various quarters goes back to the Eisenhower administration, when Congress created the agency in 1958 with a dual and often conflicting mandate to ensure the safety of civil air travel and to promote the aviation industry.
For decades, the FAA battled the perception that it put commerce before safety, especially when rejecting corrective actions as too expensive for airlines and other industry players. The FAA is required by federal law to base safety decisions on risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis, a major difference between it and the NTSB.
One of the FAA’s most controversial and ill-fated decisions came in 1993, when it rejected an NTSB recommendation to require smoke detectors and fire-suppression systems in airplane cargo holds that are inaccessible to the crew during flight.
The requirement would have cost the airline industry more than $350 million and “would not have provided a significant degree of protection” to those aboard the planes, the FAA said at the time — and would soon regret.
In 1996, oxygen canisters stowed in the hold of a ValuJet DC-9 caught fire and caused it to crash in the Florida Everglades, 10 minutes after takeoff from Miami International Airport.
“They decided not to mandate it, and then we lost a ValuJet,” Feith, who investigated the Flight 592 disaster, said in an interview. “We lost 110 people.”
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The NTSB’s final accident report cited the FAA’s failure to require smoke detectors and fire suppression systems as one of the main causes of the crash.
Under public pressure to reform the FAA, Congress amended the Federal Aviation Act in October 1996 to delete references to the agency’s “promoting” of the aviation industry, while underscoring and expanding the safety aspects of its mission.
The FAA relented on its earlier opposition and adopted the NTSB recommendations on smoke detectors and fire suppression systems in cargo holds.
The NTSB and the FAA also have clashed over the years on several issues involving Robinson Helicopters, manufactured by the family-owned company in Torrance.
The agencies have been at odds over safety concerns on rotor blades and in-flight vibrations, as well as more-crashworthy fuel tanks for the Robinson R44, the world’s most popular civilian helicopter.
Two months after the four-seat model was introduced in 1993, three men died when the all-aluminum fuel tank on an R44 ruptured and caught fire in a crash on the runway at El Monte Airport, just after takeoff. The three were the first of dozens of people killed or seriously injured when R44s caught fire in otherwise survivable accidents.
It would take Robinson 16 years to begin fitting new R44s in 2009 with more-crashworthy tanks lined with flexible bladders. In 2010, the company recommended the bladders as a retrofit for existing R44s, and offered them as a kit for $6,800.
But many owners did not make voluntary retrofits, and fatal post-crash fires continued to occur. In 2012, an Orange County attorney and private pilot, Jim Bechler, died when his R44’s tank breached and caught fire in a low-impact accident at the Corona Airport.
By 2013, Australian aviation authorities had become so alarmed by fatal R44 fires that they grounded them until their tanks were reinforced with flexible bladders. Within weeks, officials in New Zealand and South Africa issued similar orders. The European Aviation Safety Agency, with 32 member countries, also took steps to speed up retrofits.
In 2014, the NTSB expressed its own concerns about the vulnerability of R44 tanks and asked the FAA to also make the retrofits mandatory in the United States.
“In a number of cases, the occupants have survived the initial accident, only to sustain serious or fatal injuries in the post-crash fire,” the NTSB noted.
Even Robinson Helicopter asked the FAA to make the retrofits mandatory, according to an email from the company’s chief engineer to an agency official.
Police investigate the scene where three people were killed when a Robinson R44 helicopter crashed into a Newport Beach home in 2018. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
But the FAA rejected the NTSB recommendation. Based on an analysis of five years of data, the agency concluded that R44s “had no statistically higher percentage of fatalities as a result of post-impact fires” than other helicopters designed and certified before 1994.
That was the year that the FAA, in an attempt to reduce post-crash fire deaths, required more resilient fuel systems, including tanks, to be included in all new helicopter designs. But helicopters designed and certified before 1994 were exempt from the new standards, regardless of when they were built.
The FAA defended its decision in a statement to The Times in 2018.
“The FAA believes NTSB recommendations concerning Robinson helicopters have been effectively addressed,” it said.
The NTSB — an independent board that was created in 1967 and also investigates railroad, maritime and some other transportation accidents — has encountered strong resistance to some of its safety recommendations not just from the FAA but from other regulators.
Prior to one of the worst maritime disasters in California history, a Labor Day blaze last year that killed 34 people aboard the dive boat Conception near Santa Cruz Island, the board had made repeated calls over a span of 20 years for improved fire-safety measures for such vessels.
But a recent Times review of federal documents found that the U.S. Coast Guard, which inspects and regulates those vessels, rejected many of the NTSB recommendations, sometimes calling them too burdensome or duplicative of existing regulations.
“When NTSB makes recommendations, the Coast Guard carefully considers the proposed measures and is required to weigh the benefits and impacts of implementation, “ a spokesperson told The Times last year.
Last week, Jennifer Homendy, the NTSB board member who led the panel’s investigation into the Conception fire, was back on center stage in Southern California for the helicopter crash last Sunday that killed Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and all seven others aboard.
She told reporters that the NTSB had long argued that terrain awareness and warning systems, or TAWS, should be required on helicopters that accommodate six or more passengers, such as the Sikorsky S-76 that was headed in heavy fog to Bryant’s Thousand Oaks sports center.
“Certainly, TAWS could have helped to provide information to the pilot on what terrain the pilot was flying in,” she said.
The NTSB began pushing for mandatory TAWS after a Sikorsky similar to the one Bryant chartered plunged into the Gulf of Mexico in 2004, 70 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. Two pilots and eight passengers bound for an offshore oil rig died.
A subsequent review of 55 previous helicopter and plane crashes determined that 17 might have been prevented by TAWS, the NTSB said.
In 2000, the FAA required airplanes carrying six or more passengers to be outfitted with TAWS, and 14 years later it mandated the alert system for helicopter air ambulances.
But the FAA kept TAWS optional for commercial helicopters, prompting the NTSB to label that decision “unacceptable.”
As it has in other disputes with the NTSB, the FAA defends its decision in this one.
“Many helicopter air ambulance operations are conducted at night and from unimproved and unfamiliar landing areas,” the FAA said in a statement. “By contrast, on-demand operations tend to occur in populated areas, relying on a robust network of routes and landing facilities.”
The FAA statement noted that safety improvements “do not only result from new rules.” It also said that over the last two decades, the U.S. helicopter fatal accident rate has been cut in half, from 1.27 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours to 0.63.
Some aviation experts have questioned whether TAWS would have prevented last week’s crash, particularly if the pilot was disoriented in the fog. The investigation into the cause is still in its early stages.
For its part, the NTSB continues to call for mandatory TAWS and flight data recorders, or black boxes, on charter helicopters, air taxis and other for-hire helicopters.
The issue is on the 2019-2020 NTSB Most Wanted list of transportation improvements. The list notes that the FAA does not require the same safety measures for those helicopters as it does for commercial airlines.
“Regardless of the purpose of the flight or the type of aircraft,” the list’s website says, “all flights should be safe—right now they may not be.”


latimes--2020-02-01--Elderly residents fighting closure of Little Saigon mobile home park notch a victory

Neighbors at the Green Lantern Village mobile home park in Westminster continued greeting each other Saturday with the good news : “ We will remain .
Yes , we will remain.
” They exchanged sweet treats and pots of orchids , celebrating a hard-won victory to remain in their homes , capping a fight that they launched nearly three years ago against the property owner who had planned to shut down the park to make way for a luxury development .
That victory came Jan. 16 , when Westminster officials terminated the property owner ’ s application for a permit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an environmental impact report .
Tenants rejoiced .
Their saga began in April 2017 when the owner gathered residents to announce that the Beach Boulevard site with 130 spaces had already entered escrow , preparing for a sale .
Stunned , the tenants — mostly elderly and disabled people , including veterans and refugees of the Vietnam War , who worried they would be priced out of Orange County ’ s housing market — vowed to fight the move .
“ We were going into the unknown , ” said Son Do , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ park in 2011 .
“ Look at us , many low-income , we had no experience with city laws or permits or legal filings .
But I can tell you that we showed up at every meeting to share our stories , share our urgency and to explain to people why the place we had chosen to spend the rest of our lives should stay the same.
” Representatives of Walsh Properties had submitted paperwork to the city , asking for a different land-use permit to allow new development .
Ross Bartlett , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s family , told residents that he and relatives had been talking about selling the site for at least a decade .
His grandfather bought the property at the end of World War II , and to keep operating , owners would need to rip up roads inside the park , installing new electrical , water and sewer lines at a likely cost of $ 3 million , which Bartlett said the family could not afford .
“ They came in here and delivered this unbelievable decision , and they expected everyone just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always about money , ” said Nho Truong , a 16-year resident .
“ My wife and I had planned to live out our existence here .
I have never paid a bill late , never bounced a check , and one day , I got the form that said my property is worth hardly close to the $ 131,000 I paid for it.
” His three-bedroom home is one of the largest at the park , he said , and with upgraded floors and countertops and a redesigned garden , it has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would go willingly , ” added the retired bookstore owner who also ran the Dai Nam publishing house .
Truong is among the Vietnamese Americans who occupy about 80 % of the park ’ s 130 units .
Residents argued that they would be forced out of the area and that the county would lose affordable housing that it desperately needs .
“ We live side by side with Americans who fought in the Vietnam War and other wars .
We joined to learn how to fight this battle .
We try to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who helped initiate a letter campaign with heart-wrenching stories about residents who came to the U.S. empty-handed , wishing only for a new place to call home .
Supporters are happy that the refugees are ushering in the Lunar New Year with good news .
“ Seeing residents come together displayed the importance and need for community advocacy and support for individuals who rely on safe , accessible and affordable housing , ” said Lili Graham , litigation counsel for Disability Rights California , a group helping to represent the tenants in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss of their housing would have been devastating for them and would have worsened the city ’ s housing shortage.
” Do agreed , adding : “ One of the women here had a stroke due to such incredible stress .
For months and months , we ’ ve suffered with loss of sleep , loss of appetite , not sure of where we will end up .
Now , a burden is lifted .
”

Eighty-year-old Mai Luu, right, walks with neighbor Tai Ngo at Green Lantern Village & Mobile Homes after a 2017 meeting about the pending sale of the mobile home park in Westminster.
Neighbors at the Green Lantern Village mobile home park in Westminster continued greeting each other Saturday with the good news: “We will remain. Yes, we will remain.”
They exchanged sweet treats and pots of orchids, celebrating a hard-won victory to remain in their homes, capping a fight that they launched nearly three years ago against the property owner who had planned to shut down the park to make way for a luxury development.
That victory came Jan. 16, when Westminster officials terminated the property owner’s application for a permit to allow new development, which lacked an environmental impact report. Tenants rejoiced.
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Their saga began in April 2017 when the owner gathered residents to announce that the Beach Boulevard site with 130 spaces had already entered escrow, preparing for a sale. Stunned, the tenants — mostly elderly and disabled people, including veterans and refugees of the Vietnam War, who worried they would be priced out of Orange County’s housing market — vowed to fight the move.
“We were going into the unknown,” said Son Do, a retired custodian who moved to the park in 2011. “Look at us, many low-income, we had no experience with city laws or permits or legal filings. But I can tell you that we showed up at every meeting to share our stories, share our urgency and to explain to people why the place we had chosen to spend the rest of our lives should stay the same.”
Representatives of Walsh Properties had submitted paperwork to the city, asking for a different land-use permit to allow new development. Ross Bartlett, a member of the park owner’s family, told residents that he and relatives had been talking about selling the site for at least a decade.
His grandfather bought the property at the end of World War II, and to keep operating, owners would need to rip up roads inside the park, installing new electrical, water and sewer lines at a likely cost of $3 million, which Bartlett said the family could not afford.
Tenants didn’t believe the “company line.”
“They came in here and delivered this unbelievable decision, and they expected everyone just to accept it? It’s always about money,” said Nho Truong, a 16-year resident. “My wife and I had planned to live out our existence here. I have never paid a bill late, never bounced a check, and one day, I got the form that said my property is worth hardly close to the $131,000 I paid for it.”
His three-bedroom home is one of the largest at the park, he said, and with upgraded floors and countertops and a redesigned garden, it has become his haven. “No one would go willingly,” added the retired bookstore owner who also ran the Dai Nam publishing house.
Truong is among the Vietnamese Americans who occupy about 80% of the park’s 130 units. Residents argued that they would be forced out of the area and that the county would lose affordable housing that it desperately needs.
“We live side by side with Americans who fought in the Vietnam War and other wars. We joined to learn how to fight this battle. We try to protect each other,” said Do, who helped initiate a letter campaign with heart-wrenching stories about residents who came to the U.S. empty-handed, wishing only for a new place to call home.
Supporters are happy that the refugees are ushering in the Lunar New Year with good news.
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“Seeing residents come together displayed the importance and need for community advocacy and support for individuals who rely on safe, accessible and affordable housing,” said Lili Graham, litigation counsel for Disability Rights California, a group helping to represent the tenants in their campaign against redevelopment. “The loss of their housing would have been devastating for them and would have worsened the city’s housing shortage.”
Do agreed, adding: “One of the women here had a stroke due to such incredible stress. For months and months, we’ve suffered with loss of sleep, loss of appetite, not sure of where we will end up. Now, a burden is lifted.”


latimes--2020-02-01--Magnitude 3.6 earthquake strikes near Valle Vista

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake was reported Saturday afternoon at 4:59 p.m. Pacific time 10 miles from Valle Vista , Calif. , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
The earthquake occurred 11 miles from Hemet , 13 miles from San Jacinto and 15 miles from French Valley .
In the last 10 days , there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby .
An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada , according to a recent three-year data sample .
The earthquake occurred at a depth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this earthquake ?
Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS .
Even if you didn ’ t feel this small earthquake , you never know when the Big One is going to strike .
Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit .
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS .
A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published .
If you ’ re interested in learning more about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked questions .

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake was reported Saturday afternoon at 4:59 p.m. Pacific time 10 miles from Valle Vista, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake occurred 11 miles from Hemet, 13 miles from San Jacinto and 15 miles from French Valley.
In the last 10 days, there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
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An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 2.9 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Even if you didn’t feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.