latimes--2020-05-15--California coronavirus cases top 75,000, and nearly half are in L.A. County

Statewide , more than 3,000 people have died from causes related to COVID-19 .
Nearly half of the coronavirus cases and more than half of the related deaths are among residents of Los Angeles County .
County public health officials reported 962 more cases and 47 additional deaths Friday , bringing the county ’ s total to 36,316 cases and 1,753 deaths .
There are currently 1,733 COVID-19 patients in county hospitals , with about 25 % in intensive care units .
“ As we continue to see slight decreases in the number of people who are hospitalized over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are encouraged , ” said Barbara Ferrer , the county ’ s public health director .
She said the average number of hospitalizations is one of several metrics officials are monitoring to determine when to relax additional stay-at-home restrictions .
“ There are two important questions that we need to be always answering through our recovery journey , ” Ferrer said .
“ The first question is how capable are we of slowing the spread of COVID-19 ?
… And the second question we ask is how effective are we at preventing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first question , the county is looking at five metrics : • Whether there are enough intensive care beds • Whether there are enough ventilators • Whether hospitals have an adequate supply of personal protective equipment • Whether adequate resources are in place to investigate coronavirus cases reported to the Department of Public Health • Whether the county has the capacity to administer at least 15,000 tests per day To answer the second question , the county is monitoring average daily deaths and hospitalizations to ensure those figures have either decreased or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They ’ re also tracking deaths by race , ethnicity and community poverty level to make sure no one group is seeing outsized increases .
Another important component is making sure that the majority of skilled nursing facilities with coronavirus cases have been offered testing to all staff and residents in a timely manner , Ferrer said .
A total of 892 people living in institutional settings have died , the majority of them in skilled nursing facilities , she said .
They represent 51 % of the COVID-19 deaths reported by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 282,000 people in the county had been tested and received their results , with about 11 % testing positive .
Coronavirus hospitalizations appear to be stable in L.A. County , and the county has an adequate number of hospital beds , intensive care units and ventilators to treat the volume of patients expected over the next four weeks , according to projections released this week by a county Department of Health Services team .
Still , researchers say it ’ s not yet known how the relaxation of stay-at-home rules will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread increases , healthcare facilities could see an influx in patient volume after two to four weeks , according to the county ’ s modeling .
Even with a marked increase , the county projects there still would be enough hospital beds and ventilators to treat the volume of patients on the high end of the models .
But there ’ s a chance the demand for intensive care beds could surpass the number available by early June , the predictions state .
For that reason , officials say they will be keeping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay-at-home rules are relaxed and they could reimpose restrictions if hospitalizations shoot up .
Amid the continued rise in cases , the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying team took to the skies over Southern California on Friday for an aerial salute to those on the front lines of the battle against the virus .
Six F-16C/D Fighting Falcons flew in formation over parts of Los Angeles , San Diego , Orange , Ventura and Riverside counties throughout the day to honor first responders , healthcare workers , members of the military and others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Navy ’ s Blue Angels and local Air National Guard units to stage similar spectacles as part of a nationwide show of solidarity and support for COVID-19 responders dubbed America Strong .
Though L.A. County has continued to be a coronavirus hotspot , some rural counties have seen comparatively little impact in terms of cases and deaths .
As the state moves into what Gov .
Gavin Newsom has deemed Phase 2 of its reopening plan , it has become possible for those counties to go further in terms of opening businesses , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a third of California ’ s 58 counties have certified to the state that they have contained the spread of the virus which allows them to reopen restaurants to dine-in service , as well as shopping malls and other businesses , Newsom said Thursday .
The 19 counties that have attested to meeting state standards for containment are mostly in rural areas of Northern California with small populations .
They represent about 4.5 % of the state ’ s population and do not include urban centers such as Los Angeles and San Francisco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other counties that are trying to meet state standards for testing , hospital availability and numbers of cases .
L.A. County officials are trying to determine whether it ’ s also possible for individual cities that meet the benchmarks to move to the next stage of reopening , Supervisor Kathryn Barger said Friday .
Barger said that the cities of Santa Clarita , Lancaster and Palmdale have approached the county to inquire about reopening and appear to meet the criteria .
She said she ’ s asked county counsel and the Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether there ’ s anything in the governor ’ s order that would permit the cities to do so .
Other Southern California counties — Orange , Riverside , San Bernardino and San Diego — are working to forge a coalition to jointly lobby Newsom so they can further reopen their local economies .
L.A. County ’ s stay-at-home orders will “ with all certainty ” be extended for the next three months , Ferrer said Tuesday .
She later added that even if the orders remain in place through the summer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under a five-step plan .

Alex Wigglesworth, Luke Money, Patrick McGreevy

Joshua Andrew of Chicago, left, and Bryan Hawn and Vlad Parker, both of Santa Monica, wear masks while walking along the boardwalk in Venice Beach.
California surpassed 75,000 coronavirus cases Friday as officials continued to ease stay-at-home restrictions.
Statewide, more than 3,000 people have died from causes related to COVID-19.
Nearly half of the coronavirus cases and more than half of the related deaths are among residents of Los Angeles County
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The city of Los Angeles saw 395 new cases Friday, bringing the total to 17,432 cases. It’s a 2% increase from the day prior, Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
County public health officials reported 962 more cases and 47 additional deaths Friday, bringing the county’s total to 36,316 cases and 1,753 deaths.
There are currently 1,733 COVID-19 patients in county hospitals, with about 25% in intensive care units.
“As we continue to see slight decreases in the number of people who are hospitalized over the last week and a half, we are encouraged,” said Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director.
Garcetti echoed Ferrer’s comments, saying the stabilization of the curve also means the pandemic isn’t growing out of control.
“We’re not seeing the data skyrocket as we did in previous weeks and as time goes on. I want to thank you for helping manage this unprecedented challenge,” he said.
Ferrer said the average number of hospitalizations is one of several metrics officials are monitoring to determine when to relax additional stay-at-home restrictions.
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“There are two important questions that we need to be always answering through our recovery journey,” Ferrer said. “The first question is how capable are we of slowing the spread of COVID-19? … And the second question we ask is how effective are we at preventing the spread of COVID-19?”
To answer the first question, the county is looking at five metrics:
Whether there are enough intensive care beds
Whether there are enough ventilators
Whether hospitals have an adequate supply of personal protective equipment
Whether adequate resources are in place to investigate coronavirus cases reported to the Department of Public Health
Whether the county has the capacity to administer at least 15,000 tests per day
To answer the second question, the county is monitoring average daily deaths and hospitalizations to ensure those figures have either decreased or remained stable over the last 14 days. They’re also tracking deaths by race, ethnicity and community poverty level to make sure no one group is seeing outsized increases.
Another important component is making sure that the majority of skilled nursing facilities with coronavirus cases have been offered testing to all staff and residents in a timely manner, Ferrer said.
A total of 892 people living in institutional settings have died, the majority of them in skilled nursing facilities, she said. They represent 51% of the COVID-19 deaths reported by L.A. County.
As of Friday, more than 282,000 people in the county had been tested and received their results, with about 11% testing positive. In Los Angeles, 350,000 people have been tested to date.
Coronavirus hospitalizations appear to be stable in L.A. County, and the county has an adequate number of hospital beds, intensive care units and ventilators to treat the volume of patients expected over the next four weeks, according to projections released this week by a county Department of Health Services team.
Still, researchers say it’s not yet known how the relaxation of stay-at-home rules will affect transmission of the virus.
If spread increases, healthcare facilities could see an influx in patient volume after two to four weeks, according to the county’s modeling.
Even with a marked increase, the county projects there still would be enough hospital beds and ventilators to treat the volume of patients on the high end of the models. But there’s a chance the demand for intensive care beds could surpass the number available by early June, the predictions state.
For that reason, officials say they will be keeping a close eye on the data as stay-at-home rules are relaxed and they could reimpose restrictions if hospitalizations shoot up.
“By supporting our local businesses, by wearing our face coverings, by physically distancing, by washing our hands, by doing what is right, we will get through this together,” Garcetti said. “I hope each week is a brighter one for us. And that’s again as it’s been from the beginning of this, not in my hands, but in yours.”
Amid the continued rise in cases, the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying team took to the skies over Southern California on Friday for an aerial salute to those on the front lines of the battle against the virus.
Six F-16C/D Fighting Falcons flew in formation over parts of Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Ventura and Riverside counties throughout the day to honor first responders, healthcare workers, members of the military and others.
The Thunderbirds are collaborating with the Navy’s Blue Angels and local Air National Guard units to stage similar spectacles as part of a nationwide show of solidarity and support for COVID-19 responders dubbed America Strong.
Though L.A. County has continued to be a coronavirus hotspot, some rural counties have seen comparatively little effect in terms of cases and deaths. As the state moves into what Gov. Gavin Newsom has deemed Phase 2 of its reopening plan, it has become possible for those counties to go further in terms of opening businesses, provided they meet certain criteria.
Nearly a third of California’s 58 counties have certified to the state that they have contained the spread of the virus which allows them to reopen restaurants to dine-in service, as well as shopping malls and other businesses, Newsom said Thursday.
The 19 counties that have attested to meeting state standards for containment are mostly in rural areas of Northern California with small populations. They represent about 4.5% of the state’s population and do not include urban centers such as Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The state is continuing talks with other counties that are trying to meet state standards for testing, hospital availability and numbers of cases.
L.A. County officials are trying to determine whether it’s also possible for individual cities that meet the benchmarks to move to the next stage of reopening, Supervisor Kathryn Barger said Friday.
Barger said that the cities of Santa Clarita, Lancaster and Palmdale have approached the county to inquire about reopening and appear to meet the criteria. She said she’s asked county counsel and the Department of Public Health to provide an analysis of whether there’s anything in the governor’s order that would permit the cities to do so.
Other Southern California counties — Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego — are working to forge a coalition to jointly lobby Newsom so they can further reopen their local economies.
L.A. County’s stay-at-home orders will “with all certainty” be extended for the next three months, Ferrer said Tuesday. She later added that even if the orders remain in place through the summer, restrictions will be “gradually relaxed” under a five-step plan.


latimes--2020-05-15--Tracing coronavirus origins is vital to moving forward. But there's a catch — several, actually

It was early February when signs of something alarming turned up in the heart of Silicon Valley .
Santa Clara County emergency rooms had a surge of patients with flu-like symptoms .
Yet 30 % of them tested negative for influenza , triple the usual rate .
Something else was making people sick .
That something , some researchers now suspect , was COVID-19 , which lurked in the San Francisco Bay area for weeks before anyone suspected it had arrived in the United States .
Efforts to trace the virus backward in time , however , have been frustrated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for testing the dead , a single national lab able to do that work , and a fractionalized coroner system that creates large blind spots in the hunt for origins of the pandemic .
It took 11 weeks of looking elsewhere and lab delays before health officials confirmed that a San Jose woman died Feb. 6 of COVID-19 — making her the first documented death from the virus in the United States .
It was another week before California health authorities followed through on an April 22 promise by the governor and instructed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Weeks later , aside from the work already begun in Santa Clara County , there is no evidence any coroner is yet doing that .
Some coroners are not even sure they have autopsy samples from the right organs and preserved the right way .
Others are unsure they have the legal right under state law to open closed cases .
“ Going back is research , which is a violation without authorization , ” said San Mateo coroner Robert Foucrault , putting him in disagreement with other coroners interviewed by The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ samples to the only lab in the United States available to them for testing autopsy tissue for COVID-19 , the majority of California medical examiners and coroners consider hospital deaths and other medically-attended deaths outside their jurisdiction .
Coroners are responsible for determining the cause of death for those who die outside the medical system , such as homicides or people found dead in the street , though state law includes contagious disease deaths under their authority .
“ Yes , COVID-19 is a contagious disease constituting a public hazard , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital ] deaths , ” said Dr. Christopher Young , the Ventura County medical examiner .
By identifying patients with the virus , Young said , hospitals alert family members and prevent further exposure .
But cases examined by The Times illustrate how easily the virus slips past the medical system , leaving its victims to die at home .
They include Alfonso Ye , a 25-year-old pharmacy technician who sought treatment for a high fever and fainting spells at a San Diego hospital on March 17 .
He tested negative for influenza @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his lungs , and was sent home with acetaminophen and ibuprofen .
He died in his mother ’ s house seven days later ; the coroner determined that COVID-19 had been the cause of death .
Researchers believe there is a large undercount of COVID-19 fatalities .
The CDC this week released findings that more than 5,300 people might have died in New York City from March to May of undiagnosed COVID-19 .
Yale researchers calculate one out of three COVID-19 deaths in New York are missed , and that by April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without its detection .
COVID-19 cases are spread unevenly in California , clustering in parts of the state and skipping others .
Yale study author Daniel Weinberger said such “ noise ” in the state-level data likely masks what is happening in individual regions like Santa Clara County .
The search for missed cases is crucial to discovering the origin of the virus in the United States and understanding its rate of spread and deadliness .
It also feeds public policy and politics .
California this week began basing decisions on allowing counties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have had any diagnosed COVID-19 deaths in the prior two weeks .
“ If we have incorrect numbers , if we ’ re undercounting both deaths and infections , we ’ re going to make bad public health decisions about reopening , ” said Judy Melinek , a pathologist whose contract work includes Alameda County ’ s coroner ’ s office .
She advocates aggressive efforts to test backward in time for the virus .
“ And then if we have bad numbers , it also means once we were open , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the secondary surge.
” Melinek reviewed the autopsy of Patricia Dowd , the 57-year-old woman who death at home is currently considered the first COVID-19 fatality in the United States .
She said the degree of damage to Dowd ’ s heart muscle indicates the virus had ravaged her body for weeks .
That put Dowd ’ s infection on a timeline that suggests she was exposed to the virus in early January , within a week of China ’ s Dec. 31 announcement of a never-before-seen virus causing people to become ill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surmise the virus made the hop — likely from bats — to humans as early as late November 2019 .
Efforts to contain the virus in late January through U.S. airport screening failed .
A CDC report says that of more than 12,000 travelers arriving in California from China , the state was aware of only three that developed COVID-19 .
The state could not say if the majority of travelers escaped the virus — they had vanished off the radar .
A UC San Francisco researcher said the presence in Santa Clara @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 , suggests the area was an early entry point on U.S. soil , arriving in California before or at the same time as the first case the U.S. did detect — in a 30-year-old man who flew from Wuhan to Washington on Jan. 19 .
Dr. Charles Chiu cautioned against the notion of a single Patient Zero setting off the U.S. outbreak .
“ We ’ re thinking that what happens is that you have viruses of different lineages that get constantly introduced through travel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think of it as sparks being thrown off by a flame .
Some of the sparks may catch , and some of the sparks may be put out very early.
” The Times found that cases of Santa Clara County residents seeking treatment for flu-like symptoms also surged in early February , the week that Dowd died .
Thirty percent of them tested negative for influenza , triple the usual rate .
It is possible they were sick with other common diseases .
No information was available on testing those patients for other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as rhinovirus , the common cold .
But directly across the bay in San Francisco , the University of California , San Francisco hospital says 10 % of those who sought treatment there for flu-like symptoms in February and March had COVID-19 .
They were , in fact , more likely to have COVID-19 than influenza , rhinovirus or metapneumovirus , UCSF researchers said in a recent study .
The Times also analyzed death records reported to the Santa Clara County medical examiner .
They show a spike in pneumonia and influenza-related deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the county began also seeing increased deaths from COVID-19 .
The surge rose far above the number of similar deaths during the flu season the year before .
At the time , however , federal and state policies restricted who was eligible to be tested for COVID-19 .
The danger was believed to be limited to exposure to foreign travelers .
Santa Clara County Medical Examiner Dr. Michelle Jorden , who answered questions by email , said her pathologists suspected as early as February they were handling COVID-19 deaths .
Jorden said her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rule out influenza and other pathogens , before sending the samples to the CDC in mid-March .
Other Bay Area pathologists were taken by surprise by the discovery of a COVID-19 death nearly three months before .
They said Jorden had not warned neighboring counties of the suspected COVID-19 deaths .
The discovery has spurred epidemiologists , pathologists and microbiologists already working within their own disciplines to understand the hidden spread of COVID-19 .
The populace at large is pressing other questions — when is it safe to lift quarantines , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winter was really COVID-19 .
Darryl Ospring suddenly wondered anew about the rapid death of her mother .
Marjorie Waggoner , 98 , lived in an assisted living facility in San Jose .
She was remarkably healthy but suffered memory loss from Alzheimer ’ s disease .
On Jan 8 , she grew tired , lost her appetite , and soon developed a cough , then a fever .
By Jan. 22 , Waggoner was dead , the cause attributed to “ complications ” of neurodegenerative disease .
“ I was in shock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacked by something , ” Ospring , said .
“ And it confused everybody.
” Ospring received her mother ’ s ashes and with the news about Dowd , something else .
“ At the time I thought , ‘ Gosh , I ’ m so glad she passed away quickly and missed all this COVID-19 .
Now I ’ m thinking she probably did have it.
” At an April 22 press appearance , the day after news of Dowd ’ s death , Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced a “ directive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look for other early deaths by the virus .
A Times investigation shows that it was a week before the directive was actually issued , asking for testing of cases from Dec. 17 through March 16 , but excluding hospital deaths after March 4 or deaths of those who had been to China .
Even now , the search has yet to begin .
Coroners and medical examiners including the one in Los Angeles County said they are waiting for local health departments to decide which cases to test .
Approval must then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public Health and the CDC — which pathologists said currently operates the only lab in the United States conducting such testing , outside of the military .
Los Angeles County ’ s medical examiner is swabbing selected cases for the virus , and so far has detected COVID-19 in 30 deaths .
It has sent the CDC a single tissue sample , to check for COVID-19 in a case where the nasal swab results were inconclusive .
Case files analyzed by The Times show cause of death has yet to be determined for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past two months .
What is already very clear is a dramatic surge in deaths at home — up 30 % over 2019 .
Early on , the CDC appeared to warn coroners against sending samples that had been preserved more than two weeks .
The federal agency clarified its guidance last week to say the limitation applies only to tissue immersed in formalin , a lab mixture of formaldehyde and water .
Neither the CDC nor the California Department of Public Health answered repeated questions about postmortem testing .
The state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requests for public documents under California ’ s Public Records Act .
A similar request to Santa Clara County also was refused .
A lawyer for the county said it was “ not in [ the ] public interest ” to spend time producing copies of communications between the county , state and the CDC , nor to provide the pathology reports that had been returned to the county .
There is no uniform policy at a national or state level on testing the dead for COVID-19 .
California ’ s policies have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a fragmented system of medical examiners and elected sheriff coroners .
Decisions on whether to test the deceased run the spectrum , from test-practically-everyone to test-practically-no one .
Two counties , Fresno and Stanislaus , said they had each tested a single deceased person for the virus .
Other medical examiners said they began routine swab tests for COVID-19 in early March but limited them to those who had flu-like symptoms or were found dead on the street .
Tissue testing has the capability of revealing if COVID-19 was killing patients “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the time because we weren ’ t looking , ” said Dr. Jen Dien Bard , the virology lab director at Children ’ s Hospital in Los Angeles .
However , she said she did not believe there was much demand in the United States for postmortem tissue testing of COVID-19 .
Elsewhere in the world , hospital lab directors are actively testing past patient samples to look for the hidden spread of COVID-19 , and conducting their own tests using diagnostic kits already widely available in the United States .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he used a test kit bought from Salt Lake City to confirm COVID-19 in tissue from the tongue of a past cancer patient .
Outside of Paris , another researcher used similar testing on preserved respiratory samples to find COVID-19 in a 42-year-old fishmonger treated in December for flu-like symptoms — thus establishing that France had its first confirmed COVID-19 patient days before China publicly acknowledged the virus .
Other deaths show all too well how easily COVID-19 infections slip through the medical system , with disastrous results .
The week after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jose hotel security guard succumbed at home , dying outside of the medical system .
His COVID-19 infection also was not confirmed until April .
Even as he died , a 68-year-old woman who lived nearby suddenly began to tire , then cough .
Azar Ahrabi came home from an urgent care clinic with prescriptions for two antibiotics , said her son , Amir .
Antibiotics are used to control bacterial , but not viral , infections .
She was hospitalized the next day , but it was days before an infectious disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be tested for COVID-19 .
She died soon after , Santa Clara County ’ s first official death from a virus that had been killing residents for a month .

Darryl Ospring at her home in San Jose. After news of COVID-19 deaths in February, Ospring began to wonder if the Jan. 22 death of her mother, Marjorie Waggoner, 98, could also have been caused by the virus.
It was early February when signs of something alarming turned up in the heart of Silicon Valley. Santa Clara County emergency rooms had a surge of patients with flu-like symptoms. Yet 30% of them tested negative for influenza, triple the usual rate.
Something else was making people sick.
That something, some researchers now suspect, was COVID-19, which lurked in the San Francisco Bay area for weeks before anyone suspected it had arrived in the United States. Efforts to trace the virus backward in time, however, have been frustrated by roadblocks: delays in setting policies for testing the dead, a single national lab able to do that work, and a fractionalized coroner system that creates large blind spots in the hunt for origins of the pandemic.
It took 11 weeks of looking elsewhere and lab delays before health officials confirmed that a San Jose woman died Feb. 6 of COVID-19 — making her the first documented death from the virus in the United States.
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It was another week before California health authorities followed through on an April 22 promise by the governor and instructed coroners to look for more missed cases.
Weeks later, aside from the work already begun in Santa Clara County, there is no evidence any coroner is yet doing that. Some coroners are not even sure they have autopsy samples from the right organs and preserved the right way.
“If I can’t send proper tissue, I can’t test,” said Sacramento coroner Kim Gin.
Others are unsure they have the legal right under state law to open closed cases.
“Going back is research, which is a violation without authorization,” said San Mateo coroner Robert Foucrault, putting him in disagreement with other coroners interviewed by The Times.
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Even if they begin sending samples to the only lab in the United States available to them for testing autopsy tissue for COVID-19, the majority of California medical examiners and coroners consider hospital deaths and other medically-attended deaths outside their jurisdiction. Coroners are responsible for determining the cause of death for those who die outside the medical system, such as homicides or people found dead in the street, though state law includes contagious disease deaths under their authority.
“Yes, COVID-19 is a contagious disease constituting a public hazard, but the hazard has been mitigated in these [hospital] deaths,” said Dr. Christopher Young, the Ventura County medical examiner. By identifying patients with the virus, Young said, hospitals alert family members and prevent further exposure.
But cases examined by The Times illustrate how easily the virus slips past the medical system, leaving its victims to die at home. They include Alfonso Ye, a 25-year-old pharmacy technician who sought treatment for a high fever and fainting spells at a San Diego hospital on March 17. He tested negative for influenza and was diagnosed with a viral infection in his lungs, and was sent home with acetaminophen and ibuprofen. He died in his mother’s house seven days later; the coroner determined that COVID-19 had been the cause of death.
Researchers believe there is a large undercount of COVID-19 fatalities. The CDC this week released findings that more than 5,300 people might have died in New York City from March to May of undiagnosed COVID-19. Yale researchers calculate one out of three COVID-19 deaths in New York are missed, and that by April nearly 1,000 Californians died of the virus without its detection.
Tracking the coronavirus in California The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.
COVID-19 cases are spread unevenly in California, clustering in parts of the state and skipping others. Yale study author Daniel Weinberger said such “noise” in the state-level data likely masks what is happening in individual regions like Santa Clara County.
The search for missed cases is crucial to discovering the origin of the virus in the United States and understanding its rate of spread and deadliness. It also feeds public policy and politics. California this week began basing decisions on allowing counties to reopen shuttered businesses on whether they have had any diagnosed COVID-19 deaths in the prior two weeks.
“If we have incorrect numbers, if we’re undercounting both deaths and infections, we’re going to make bad public health decisions about reopening,” said Judy Melinek, a pathologist whose contract work includes Alameda County’s coroner’s office. She advocates aggressive efforts to test backward in time for the virus.
“And then if we have bad numbers, it also means once we were open, we’re not going to pick up the secondary surge.”
Melinek reviewed the autopsy of Patricia Dowd, the 57-year-old woman who death at home is currently considered the first COVID-19 fatality in the United States. She said the degree of damage to Dowd’s heart muscle indicates the virus had ravaged her body for weeks. That put Dowd’s infection on a timeline that suggests she was exposed to the virus in early January, within a week of China’s Dec. 31 announcement of a never-before-seen virus causing people to become ill in Wuhan City.
Genetic studies currently surmise the virus made the hop — likely from bats — to humans as early as late November 2019.
Efforts to contain the virus in late January through U.S. airport screening failed. A CDC report says that of more than 12,000 travelers arriving in California from China, the state was aware of only three that developed COVID-19. The state could not say if the majority of travelers escaped the virus — they had vanished off the radar.
A UC San Francisco researcher said the presence in Santa Clara County of a telltale genetic mutation in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, suggests the area was an early entry point on U.S. soil, arriving in California before or at the same time as the first case the U.S. did detect — in a 30-year-old man who flew from Wuhan to Washington on Jan. 19.
Dr. Charles Chiu cautioned against the notion of a single “patient zero” setting off the U.S. outbreak.
“We’re thinking that what happens is that you have viruses of different lineages that get constantly introduced through travel,” Chiu said. “You can think of it as sparks being thrown off by a flame. Some of the sparks may catch, and some of the sparks may be put out very early.”
The Times found that cases of Santa Clara County residents seeking treatment for flu-like symptoms also surged in early February, the week that Dowd died.
Thirty percent of them tested negative for influenza, triple the usual rate.
It is possible they were sick with other common diseases. No information was available on testing those patients for other viruses circulating at the time, such as rhinovirus, the common cold.
But directly across the bay in San Francisco, the University of California, San Francisco hospital says 10% of those who sought treatment there for flu-like symptoms in February and March had COVID-19. They were, in fact, more likely to have COVID-19 than influenza, rhinovirus or metapneumovirus, UCSF researchers said in a recent study.
The Times also analyzed death records reported to the Santa Clara County medical examiner. They show a spike in pneumonia and influenza-related deaths in early March, a week before the county began also seeing increased deaths from COVID-19. The surge rose far above the number of similar deaths during the flu season the year before.
At the time, however, federal and state policies restricted who was eligible to be tested for COVID-19. The danger was believed to be limited to exposure to foreign travelers.
Santa Clara County Medical Examiner Dr. Michelle Jorden, who answered questions by email, said her pathologists suspected as early as February they were handling COVID-19 deaths.
Jorden said her office waited a month, running tests to rule out influenza and other pathogens, before sending the samples to the CDC in mid-March.
Other Bay Area pathologists were taken by surprise by the discovery of a COVID-19 death nearly three months before. They said Jorden had not warned neighboring counties of the suspected COVID-19 deaths.
The discovery has spurred epidemiologists, pathologists and microbiologists already working within their own disciplines to understand the hidden spread of COVID-19.
The populace at large is pressing other questions — when is it safe to lift quarantines, and whether a horrible bout with flu last winter was really COVID-19.
Darryl Ospring suddenly wondered anew about the rapid death of her mother.
Marjorie Waggoner, 98, lived in an assisted living facility in San Jose. She was remarkably healthy but suffered memory loss from Alzheimer’s disease. On Jan. 8, she grew tired, lost her appetite, and soon developed a cough, then a fever. By Jan. 22, Waggoner was dead, the cause attributed to “complications” of neurodegenerative disease.
“I was in shock to see how quickly my mother was attacked by something,” Ospring, said. “And it confused everybody.”
Ospring received her mother’s ashes and, with the news about Dowd, something else.
Questions.
“At the time I thought, ‘Gosh, I’m so glad she passed away quickly and missed all this COVID-19. Now I’m thinking she probably did have it.”
Marjorie Waggoner, 98, in a photo taken at a San Jose assisted living facility the day before she died. She had been well until 10 days before, then developed fever and a cough. (Waggoner Family)
At an April 22 press appearance, the day after news of Dowd’s death, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a “directive” for other California county coroners to look for other early deaths by the virus.
A Times investigation shows that it was a week before the directive was actually issued, asking for testing of cases from Dec. 17 through March 16, but excluding hospital deaths after March 4 or deaths of those who had been to China.
Even now, the search has yet to begin.
Coroners and medical examiners including the one in Los Angeles County said they are waiting for local health departments to decide which cases to test. Approval must then be sought from the state Department of Public Health and the CDC — which pathologists said currently operates the only lab in the United States conducting such testing, outside of the military.
Los Angeles County’s medical examiner is swabbing selected cases for the virus, and so far has detected COVID-19 in 30 deaths. It has sent the CDC a single tissue sample, to check for COVID-19 in a case where the nasal swab results were inconclusive. Case files analyzed by The Times show cause of death has yet to be determined for more than 480 people who died in the past two months. What is already very clear is a dramatic surge in deaths at home — up 30% over 2019.
Early on, the CDC appeared to warn coroners against sending samples that had been preserved more than two weeks. The federal agency clarified its guidance last week to say the limitation applies only to tissue immersed in formalin, a lab mixture of formaldehyde and water.
Neither the CDC nor the California Department of Public Health answered repeated questions about postmortem testing. The state health department also did not respond to requests for public documents under California’s Public Records Act.
A similar request to Santa Clara County also was refused. A lawyer for the county said it was “not in [the] public interest” to spend time producing copies of communications between the county, state and the CDC, nor to provide the pathology reports that had been returned to the county.
(A public records audit by The Times showed that in the first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state health department rejected or failed to respond to every record request related to the virus. The agency told one news organization that emails with the CDC and health departments were “exempt from disclosure.”)
There is no uniform policy at a national or state level on testing the dead for COVID-19.
California’s policies have taken shape over the past two months in a fragmented system of medical examiners and elected sheriff coroners.
Decisions on whether to test the deceased run the spectrum, from test-practically-everyone to test-practically-no one. Two counties, Fresno and Stanislaus, said they had each tested a single deceased person for the virus.
Other medical examiners said they began routine swab tests for COVID-19 in early March but limited them to those who had flu-like symptoms or were found dead on the street.
Tissue testing has the capability of revealing if COVID-19 was killing patients “that we just didn’t know at the time because we weren’t looking,” said Dr. Jen Dien Bard, the virology lab director at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. However, she said she did not believe there was much demand in the United States for postmortem tissue testing of COVID-19.
Elsewhere in the world, hospital lab directors are actively testing past patient samples to look for the hidden spread of COVID-19, and conducting their own tests using diagnostic kits already widely available in the United States.
In Milan, Italy, a lab director said he used a test kit bought from Salt Lake City to confirm COVID-19 in tissue from the tongue of a past cancer patient.
Outside of Paris, another researcher used similar testing on preserved respiratory samples to find COVID-19 in a 42-year-old fishmonger treated in December for flu-like symptoms — thus establishing that France had its first confirmed COVID-19 patient days before China publicly acknowledged the virus.
Other deaths show all too well how easily COVID-19 infections slip through the medical system, with disastrous results.
The week after Patricia Dowd died, a 69-year-old San Jose hotel security guard succumbed at home, dying outside of the medical system. His COVID-19 infection also was not confirmed until April.
Even as he died, a 68-year-old woman who lived nearby suddenly began to tire, then cough. Azar Ahrabi came home from an urgent care clinic with prescriptions for two antibiotics, said her son, Amir. Antibiotics are used to control bacterial, but not viral, infections.
She was hospitalized the next day, but it was days before an infectious disease specialist came on scene and insisted Ahrabi be tested for COVID-19.
She died soon after, Santa Clara County’s first official death from a virus that had been killing residents for a month.


latimes--2020-05-15--Why are Orange County coronavirus cases rising? Here's what we know

Coronavirus cases have been rising in Orange County in recent days .
The county confirmed 229 additional coronavirus infections Thursday , its highest daily case count since the start of the pandemic .
The total broke the of 156 new cases .
As of Thursday , the county had reported nearly 4,000 cases and 80 deaths .
By contrast , Los Angeles County has more than 35,000 cases and more than 1,700 deaths ; Riverside County has recorded 5,400 cases and 235 deaths .
Still , the recent rise has raised questions .
Here is what we know : More @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , both in Orange County and around California , for the rise in the number of coronavirus cases .
The county began notably ramping up its daily screenings around April 28 , County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick said this week .
“ As we test more , we ’ re likely to pick up more cases , ” she said .
Quick added that the percentage of people who are tested and come back positive “ has remained relatively stable and , overall , has been decreasing , which is good.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus in recent weeks , including many in nursing homes and jails , according to Orange County Health Care Agency Director Clayton Chau .
Those populations also account for many of those hospitalized with COVID-19 .
There are 227 people hospitalized , and 79 of them are in intensive care .
“ Most is due to a volume of cases identified in nursing homes and jails in the past two weeks , ” Chau said about the recent surge .
“ The congregate care population accounts for a fair proportion.
” Officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these individuals accounted for Thursday ’ s numbers .
Of the more than 3,900 people of the county ’ s 3.1 million residents who have had known infections of the virus , 407 individuals have been residents of skilled nursing facilities and 331 have been Orange County jail inmates .
“ The infection rate within those congregate living environments has hit Orange County in a delayed manner , compared to some of our large urban peers , but it is here now in Orange County and we have to step up the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” county CEO Frank Kim said , adding that testing at such institutions has expanded .
The city of Newport Beach said its local case count recently spiked “ due to , in large part , outbreaks inside a small number of local care facilities where patients and staff have tested positive.
” Officials do not believe that the county ’ s newly reopened beaches contributed to Thursday ’ s spike but could not say definitively .
“ We don ’ t know yet , `` Chau said .
The crowds over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prompted Gov .
Gavin Newsom the county ’ s beaches , a decision state officials said was meant to stave off potentially unsafe conditions that could worsen the spread of the coronavirus .
The beaches were reopened last week with social distancing rules .
Quick said earlier this week that “ correlation to the beach , that is not something that we have evidence of at this point.
” Dr. George Rutherford , an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco , said he noticed a steep rise in Orange County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the weekend of April 25 and 26 , and it raises questions .
But further investigation is necessary to determine whether the beaches contributed to the spread of the coronavirus , he said .

Coronavirus cases have been rising in Orange County in recent days.
The county confirmed 229 additional coronavirus infections Thursday, its highest daily case count since the start of the pandemic. The total broke the previous day’s record of 156 new cases.
As of Thursday, the county had reported nearly 4,000 cases and 80 deaths. By contrast, Los Angeles County has more than 35,000 cases and more than 1,700 deaths; Riverside County has recorded 5,400 cases and 235 deaths.
Still, the recent rise has raised questions.
Here is what we know:
Testing
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More availability of testing is considered one factor, both in Orange County and around California, for the rise in the number of coronavirus cases.
The county began notably ramping up its daily screenings around April 28, County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick said this week.
“As we test more, we’re likely to pick up more cases,” she said.
Quick added that the percentage of people who are tested and come back positive “has remained relatively stable and, overall, has been decreasing, which is good.”
Institutions
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More people have become seriously ill from the virus in recent weeks, including many in nursing homes and jails, according to Orange County Health Care Agency Director Clayton Chau. Those populations also account for many of those hospitalized with COVID-19. There are 227 people hospitalized, and 79 of them are in intensive care.
“Most is due to a volume of cases identified in nursing homes and jails in the past two weeks,” Chau said about the recent surge. “The congregate care population accounts for a fair proportion.”
Officials were not able to say how many of these individuals accounted for Thursday’s numbers. Of the more than 3,900 people of the county’s 3.1 million residents who have had known infections of the virus, 407 individuals have been residents of skilled nursing facilities and 331 have been Orange County jail inmates.
“The infection rate within those congregate living environments has hit Orange County in a delayed manner, compared to some of our large urban peers, but it is here now in Orange County and we have to step up the amount of testing and protocols for cleaning,” county CEO Frank Kim said, adding that testing at such institutions has expanded.
The city of Newport Beach said its local case count recently spiked “due to, in large part, outbreaks inside a small number of local care facilities where patients and staff have tested positive.”
California Photos show county lines separate packed beaches from empty ones Southern California had its first big heat wave over the weekend, but L.A. County beaches are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Beaches in nearby counties were open, however. Here are a few scenes from the weekend.
Beaches
Officials do not believe that the county’s newly reopened beaches contributed to Thursday’s spike but could not say definitively.
“We don’t know yet, “ Chau said.
The crowds over the weekend of April 25 and 26 prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to temporarily close the county’s beaches, a decision state officials said was meant to stave off potentially unsafe conditions that could worsen the spread of the coronavirus. The beaches were reopened last week with social distancing rules.
Quick said earlier this week that “correlation to the beach, that is not something that we have evidence of at this point.”
Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, said he noticed a steep rise in Orange County’s cases in the days following the weekend of April 25 and 26, and it raises questions. But further investigation is necessary to determine whether the beaches contributed to the spread of the coronavirus, he said.


latimes--2020-05-15--5 kids found inside crate in back of pickup with no water, ventilation in 100-degree heat

Three Sacramento residents were arrested in Needles this week after authorities found five children riding in a makeshift crate in the back of their pickup truck .
San Bernardino County sheriff ’ s deputies stopped the vehicle near Bailey Avenue and J Street about 2 p.m. Tuesday after receiving a call from someone who reported seeing children inside a small crate in the bed of a truck along the 40 Freeway .
Authorities say they found five children — ages 1 to 13 — inside a wooden box that was attached to the truck bed .
The kids were not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had no ventilation , water or air conditioning , even as the outside temperature hovered around 100 degrees , according to the Sheriff ’ s Department .
A search of the truck also turned up narcotics , drug paraphernalia and a shotgun , authorities said .
Deputies arrested the vehicle ’ s three adult occupants : Kenneth Standridge , 40 ; Zona Brasier , 39 ; and Aushajuan Hardy , 41 .
Standridge and Brasier each face five counts of child endangerment and are scheduled to be arraigned Friday , court records show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a felon in possession of a firearm .
Hardy , who authorities say was on post-release community supervision , was found to be wanted on a no-bail felony warrant out of Sacramento and remains in custody , according to authorities .
The children were put in the care of San Bernardino County Children and Family Services .
Authorities did not elaborate on their relationship with the suspects .

Three people were arrested in Needles this week after authorities found five children riding in a makeshift crate in the back of their pickup truck.
Three Sacramento residents were arrested in Needles this week after authorities found five children riding in a makeshift crate in the back of their pickup truck.
San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies stopped the vehicle near Bailey Avenue and J Street about 2 p.m. Tuesday after receiving a call from someone who reported seeing children inside a small crate in the bed of a truck along the 40 Freeway.
Authorities say they found five children — ages 1 to 13 — inside a wooden box that was attached to the truck bed.
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The kids were not wearing any kinds of safety restraints and had no ventilation, water or air conditioning, even as the outside temperature hovered around 100 degrees, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
A search of the truck also turned up narcotics, drug paraphernalia and a shotgun, authorities said.
Deputies arrested the vehicle’s three adult occupants: Kenneth Standridge, 40; Zona Brasier, 39; and Aushajuan Hardy, 41.
Standridge and Brasier each face five counts of child endangerment and are scheduled to be arraigned Friday, court records show. Standridge also is accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Hardy, who authorities say was on post-release community supervision, was found to be wanted on a no-bail felony warrant out of Sacramento and remains in custody, according to authorities.
The children were put in the care of San Bernardino County Children and Family Services. Authorities did not elaborate on their relationship with the suspects.


latimes--2020-05-15--Where do I need to wear a mask? The rules vary across Southern California

Los Angeles city and county this week imposed stricter rules requiring the wearing of masks outdoors to continue efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
Face coverings , experts say , are a key component in combating COVID-19 because they can help block the transmission of respiratory droplets that carry the disease .
But the rules vary widely across Southern California .
Here ’ s what they say : Where must you wear a face covering ?
• If you visit any retail business ( except those in indoor malls , which are still closed ) , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or doorside pickup • If you exercise in your neighborhood or are on a trail , golf course or beach ( where you must wear a face covering if you are out of the water and people are nearby ) • If you ride on L.A. Department of Transportation transit buses , Metro buses or trains , or travel through Los Angeles International Airport • The new guidelines on face coverings exempt children under 2 and people with certain disabilities .
Mayor Eric Garcetti says the more stringent mask-wearing rules are a necessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus and eventually reopen the economy in a bigger way .
“ Bring your mask with you whenever you leave your home , ” Garcetti said .
“ That will help us get more freedoms.
” Beaches : According to a county statement , “ face coverings are required at all times on the beach and around other people , unless in the water , and the county urges everyone to keep at least six feet of physical distancing from other visitors .
Once finished with an activity , all beachgoers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Masks are , in fact , mandatory across the entire county when you ’ re outside of your home , not with members of your household and in any kind of contact with other people , ” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said .
Even when on a solitary walk or run , Ferrer said , “ you now need to have a face covering with you , because if you came by other people , you were walking by other people , you tried to go into a grocery store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face covering on.
” Residents should wear a cloth face covering “ any time you ’ re out and there are people around , whether it be at a trailhead or a parking lot or a sidewalk , ” she said .
Officials also said visitors to the county ’ s beaches , which opened Wednesday for active recreational use , must cover their faces unless they are in the water .
Masks are required in public but only when the wearer is within six feet of others .
Jogging , bicycling and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city does require residents to carry a mask outdoors and have it readily available in case other people appear .
Face coverings are required in public indoor facilities and outdoors when waiting in line for public transportation or entering a store .
But outdoor exercise such as walking , jogging and cycling can be done with fresh air on uncovered faces .
Under a county ordinance issued last month , “ all employees of any grocery store , pharmacy/drug store , convenience store , gas station , restaurant , food preparation establishment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who may have contact with the public must wear a cloth face covering while at work.
” Different cities in the Inland Empire have different rules .
Coachella and Cathedral City officials voted Wednesday to require residents to wear face coverings in certain public settings , joining other Riverside County cities such as Desert Hot Springs , Palm Springs and La Quinta .
The regulation comes less than a week after the Riverside County Board of Supervisors implemented by the county ’ s public health director , Cameron Kaiser .
Following the vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requirement but were “ strongly recommended whenever practical and within reason.
” “ The County strongly urges everyone to continue wearing face coverings in public to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus , and businesses may still require face coverings for customers and employees , ” Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman

Andrew J. Campa, Kailyn Brown, Luke Money, Kiera Feldman

Masked visitors attend the reopening of a farmers market May 12 in Manhattan Beach. The market was closed for eight weeks due to the coronavirus.
Los Angeles city and county this week imposed stricter rules requiring the wearing of masks outdoors to continue efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Face coverings, experts say, are a key component in combating COVID-19 because they can help block the transmission of respiratory droplets that carry the disease.
But the rules vary widely across Southern California. Here’s what they say:
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City of Los Angeles
Where must you wear a face covering?
If you visit any retail business (except those in indoor malls, which are still closed), including those that are open only for curbside or doorside pickup
If you exercise in your neighborhood or are on a trail, golf course or beach (where you must wear a face covering if you are out of the water and people are nearby)
If you ride on L.A. Department of Transportation transit buses, Metro buses or trains, or travel through Los Angeles International Airport
The new guidelines on face coverings exempt children under 2 and people with certain disabilities.
Mayor Eric Garcetti says the more stringent mask-wearing rules are a necessary step to help slow the spread of the coronavirus and eventually reopen the economy in a bigger way.
“Bring your mask with you whenever you leave your home,” Garcetti said. “That will help us get more freedoms.”
County of Los Angeles
Beaches: According to a county statement, “face coverings are required at all times on the beach and around other people, unless in the water, and the county urges everyone to keep at least six feet of physical distancing from other visitors. Once finished with an activity, all beachgoers are asked to head home.”
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Further guidance: “Masks are, in fact, mandatory across the entire county when you’re outside of your home, not with members of your household and in any kind of contact with other people,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.
Even when on a solitary walk or run, Ferrer said, “you now need to have a face covering with you, because if you came by other people, you were walking by other people, you tried to go into a grocery store, you absolutely have to have that face covering on.”
Residents should wear a cloth face covering “any time you’re out and there are people around, whether it be at a trailhead or a parking lot or a sidewalk,” she said. Officials also said visitors to the county’s beaches, which opened Wednesday for active recreational use, must cover their faces unless they are in the water.
San Diego County
Masks are required in public but only when the wearer is within six feet of others. Jogging, bicycling and other outdoor activities are exempt, though the city does require residents to carry a mask outdoors and have it readily available in case other people appear.
San Francisco
Face coverings are required in public indoor facilities and outdoors when waiting in line for public transportation or entering a store. But outdoor exercise such as walking, jogging and cycling can be done with fresh air on uncovered faces.
Orange County
Under a county ordinance issued last month, “all employees of any grocery store, pharmacy/drug store, convenience store, gas station, restaurant, food preparation establishment, or retail store in Orange County who may have contact with the public must wear a cloth face covering while at work.”
Riverside County
Different cities in the Inland Empire have different rules.
Coachella and Cathedral City officials voted Wednesday to require residents to wear face coverings in certain public settings, joining other Riverside County cities such as Desert Hot Springs, Palm Springs and La Quinta.
The regulation comes less than a week after the Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted to rescind several public health orders implemented by the county’s public health director, Cameron Kaiser. Following the vote, face coverings were no longer a requirement but were “strongly recommended whenever practical and within reason.”
San Bernardino County
Earlier this month, San Bernardino County rescinded its mandatory face-covering order.


latimes--2020-05-15--Thunderbirds put on spectacular shows with flyover to support hospital workers, first responders

The Air Force Thunderbirds put on quite a show Friday with an aerial salute to those on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus .
Six F-16C/D Fighting Falcons flew in formation across parts of Los Angeles , San Diego , Orange , Ventura and Riverside counties throughout the day to honor first responders , healthcare workers , members of the military and others .
Across the region , hospital workers in scrubs went outside to see the salute to their service on the front lines of coronavirus .
And they were not the only ones .
From @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , people took a break from stay-at-home rules to venture out to look at the spectacle .
At County USC Medical Center , the planes roared by so quickly that some workers struggled to get photos .
They appaluded after the jets passed by .
Within a minute , the jets blasted past Cedar Sinai Medical Center .
Then within in minute or so , the planes skirted through Los Angeles International Airport .
TV reporters covered the scene at hospital across the Southland .
They noted that many doctor , nurses and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work moments have the planes flew by .
Next , it was on to Newport Beach , then up into Orange County .
In a split second , the plane passed over Disneyland -- closed because of coronavirus -- before headed to the Inland Empire .
The final legs went over Santa Clarita and Ventura County .
“ I think just if you can give that little bit of support and inspiration to all these medical workers and essential personnel , the people that are fighting for us on our absolute worst day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , ” Major Zane Taylor , one of the pilots , told KTLA .
The Thunderbirds are collaborating with the Navy ’ s Blue Angels and local Air National Guard units to stage similar spectacles as part of a nationwide show of solidarity and support for COVID-19 responders dubbed America Strong .
Southland residents posting pictures or videos to social media are encouraged to use the hashtags # AmericaStrong and # Thunderbirds .
“ It is an honor for our team to salute the countless Californians who have committed to keeping the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our nation , ” said Lt. Col. John Caldwell , Thunderbirds commander and leader .
“ We hope to give onlookers a touching display of American resolve that honors those serving on the front line in our fight against COVID-19 .
”

The Air Force Thunderbirds put on quite a show Friday with an aerial salute to those on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus.
Six F-16C/D Fighting Falcons flew in formation across parts of Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Ventura and Riverside counties throughout the day to honor first responders, healthcare workers, members of the military and others.
Across the region, hospital workers in scrubs went outside to see the salute to their service on the front lines of coronavirus. And they were not the only ones. From Chula Vista to the San Fernando Valley, people took a break from stay-at-home rules to venture out to look at the spectacle.
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The U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds fly in formation over the downtown Los Angeles skyline, as seen from Angel’s Point in Elysian Park. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
At County USC Medical Center, the planes roared by so quickly that some workers struggled to get photos. They appaluded after the jets passed by. Within a minute, the jets blasted past Cedar Sinai Medical Center. Then within in minute or so, the planes skirted through Los Angeles International Airport.
TV reporters covered the scene at hospital across the Southland. They noted that many doctor, nurses and other workers raced back to their life-saving work moments have the planes flew by.
Next, it was on to Newport Beach, then up into Orange County. In a split second, the plane passed over Disneyland -- closed because of coronavirus -- before headed to the Inland Empire. The final legs went over Santa Clarita and Ventura County.
“I think just if you can give that little bit of support and inspiration to all these medical workers and essential personnel, the people that are fighting for us on our absolute worst day, then it’s totally worth it,” Major Zane Taylor, one of the pilots, told KTLA.
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Thanks @AFThunderbirds for the flyover today @UCSDHealth Sorrento Valley clinic and all of San Diego hospitals to salute health care workers. Thanks for making our day!
Ps: not obvious from my photo but we are wearing masks and socially distanced! pic.twitter.com/oLbU8LCkHX — Marlene Millen, MD (@marlene_mmm) May 15, 2020
× Four California Air National Guard F-15C Eagle fighter jets soar over hospitals and medical centers, fire stations and government buildings in Fresno.
Flyover downtown San Diego and Coronado! Thank you it was an unforgettable thing to witness! pic.twitter.com/0grjeroLym — Tiffany (@tifwithluv) May 15, 2020
The Thunderbirds are collaborating with the Navy’s Blue Angels and local Air National Guard units to stage similar spectacles as part of a nationwide show of solidarity and support for COVID-19 responders dubbed America Strong.
California Thunderbirds will fly over Southern California honoring coronavirus workers California workers on the front lines of the coronavirus fight will be honored from the sky during two military salutes this week.
Southland residents posting pictures or videos to social media are encouraged to use the hashtags #AmericaStrong and #Thunderbirds.
“It is an honor for our team to salute the countless Californians who have committed to keeping the communities safe during this difficult time in our nation,” said Lt. Col. John Caldwell, Thunderbirds commander and leader. “We hope to give onlookers a touching display of American resolve that honors those serving on the front line in our fight against COVID-19.”
Times staff writer Colleen Shalby contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-05-15--Face masks are now a mandatory L.A. accessory. Can we keep covered up?

After weeks of telling residents to stay indoors , L.A. officials this week started easing strict stay-at-home rules .
But Angelenos desperate to return to the beaches , mountains and trails as summer approaches , just learned there is a catch .
Both city and county officials said residents must wear face coverings when going outdoors .
The rules apply “ any time you ’ re out and there are people around , whether it be at a trail head or a parking lot or a sidewalk , ” Barbara Ferrer , Los Angeles County ’ s director of public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city of L.A. , the new law requires face coverings for walking , running , cycling , scooting , roller skating , skateboarding and all outdoor activities except for those on the water , according to the order from Mayor Eric Garcetti .
Elsewhere in L.A. County , you can still be outdoors without a face covering when there is no one else around , but must put it on when others approach , Ferrer said .
For joggers , runners and others eager to get back to their exercise routine , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as questions .
“ I can ’ t breathe with the mask when I ’ m working out , ” said Rabi Awssd , 35 , while taking a break from his five-mile run down Beachwood Drive .
“ I can ’ t use it.
” The move makes Los Angeles the strictest of the state ’ s largest cities when it comes to face coverings .
Residents of San Diego , San Francisco and San Jose can go without them so long as they practice social distancing .
In San Diego @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from other joggers or strollers .
Public Health officials and experts said the policy is designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus and , it ’ s hoped , speed up the reopening of the economy .
Los Angeles County remains the epicenter of the outbreak in California , with more than 1,700 deaths and 35,000 confirmed cases .
Cloth face coverings , experts say , are a key component in combating COVID-19 because they can help block transmission of respiratory droplets that carry the disease .
That ’ s just smart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who proudly wear masks soaked in sweat .
Down the hill from the Hollywood sign , friends Karina Delgado , 43 , and Jessica Gonzalez , 46 , jogged fully masked and fully protected on neighboring streets .
“ I support what the mayor is doing , ” Gonzalez said .
“ This is all about safety and making sure we avoid infections .
Just because we ’ re not seeing the number of infections like in New York , people think we ’ re going to go back to some sort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stretch , two unmasked cyclists passed within 10 feet of them .
There were no cops in sight .
In San Diego , the cyclists might have received advice instead of a summons .
Workers for the local transit district have been handing out masks in recent days to riders who flout the rules .
In Los Angeles , days into the new world of face masks for all , the level of enforcement is an open question .
Even some police officers don ’ t seem to be following the rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ establishments .
Two officers caused a stir on Wednesday when a diner at a fast-food restaurant videotaped them without masks on .
They were asked by an employee at the Chipotle in Baldwin Hills why they weren ’ t wearing coverings .
“ No , ma ’ am , we come in contact with nasty stuff every day , ” one of the cops said , according to the video shared with The Times .
The new restrictions require face coverings whenever people leave the house .
This applies to everyone except small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In some communities , the strict approach won ’ t change routines already shaped by the pandemic threat .
In Koreatown , most everyone was already wearing a mask , said Bethany Leal , the deputy director of Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance .
Even though face coverings have been long been mandated , a few customers in markets went without masks , she said .
“ The cashiers feel the most vulnerable.
” But the new rule may have helped compliance across the board , Leal said .
Workers in Koreatown were reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face in sight .
That ’ s becoming commonplace around the world .
More than 70 countries now require face coverings in public , according to Masks4All , a group of scientists and researchers that sees the practice as essential to reducing the spread of the virus .
In the U.S. , much confusion remains about the purpose of a face covering .
Medical-grade respirators like N95 masks provide protection for the wearer , but experts say a cloth face covering is about protecting others .
Up to 50 % of those infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infectious .
Because anyone can be infected without knowing it , many experts say universal face coverings are the only way out of the pandemic .
“ Every country that has been using masks since early in the pandemic is getting much much better results , ” said Jeremy Howard , a Masks4All organizer .
In the U.S. , most states still don ’ t require masks , which puts them at risk , said Howard , a distinguished research scientist at the University of San Francisco .
“ States are coming out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just seems like a recipe for the second wave.
” California ’ s actions against the novel coronavirus have been relatively swift , as the state ’ s largest cities and counties have imposed varying levels of restrictions .
In San Diego , masks are required in public but only when the wearer is within six feet of others .
Jogging , bicycling and other outdoor activities are exempt , though the city does require residents to carry a mask outdoors and have it readily available in case other people appear .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in public indoor facilities and outdoors when waiting in line for public transportation or entering a store .
But outdoor exercise such as walking , jogging and cycling can be done with fresh air on uncovered faces .
In Los Angeles , a face covering can be anything from a bandanna to a homemade cloth mask .
With medical-grade respirators and surgical masks in short supply , authorities urge residents to use whatever they have on hand , even if it ’ s just a T-shirt .
At the Silver Lake Reservoir on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule was decidedly mixed .
While the majority of walkers , joggers and cyclists wore facial coverings — masks , bandannas and various cloth items — dozens also exercised without protective equipment .
Laura Burhenn , 40 , had jogged about a block from her home to the Silver Lake Recreation Center with her rescue dog when she realized she didn ’ t have a mask and technically was flouting the new rules .
She recognized the need for increased safety measures , but thought the new rule was an “ overreach.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out in the open , that ’ s pretty safe ...
It ’ s one thing when you ’ re indoors , but I don ’ t see the need when you ’ re outside by yourself , ” she said .
Fellow Silver Lake resident Allison Lei , 34 , also did not wear a mask while reading on a soft throw blanket in a shady grasspatch near the recreation center .
Though she had a mask in her purse , Lei didn ’ t feel the need to cover her face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 feet away .
“ It ’ s my understanding the reason you wear a mask is to prevent spreading COVID-19 to other people , ” Lei said .
“ But , if no one is around , then why should I wear a mask ?
” Many residents seemed to follow the same approach , softening the strict mandate with the need for more practical considerations .
Javi Chad-Friedman , a 26-year-old Beachwood Canyon resident , was jogging bare-faced when he a saw other runners nearby .
He immediately stopped , reached @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his black-and-yellow mask , which included the insignia of a friend ’ s band .
“ I wear a mask , I do , ” he said “ It ’ s just when you run or do physical exercise , it ’ s difficult , but as soon as I see anyone nearby , I put on my mask .
”

People wear masks to protect against the coronavirus while walking along the boardwalk in Venice Beach. A new rule, announced by Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday, now requires face masks for all outdoor activities.
After weeks of telling residents to stay indoors, L.A. officials this week started easing strict stay-at-home rules.
But Angelenos desperate to return to the beaches, mountains and trails as summer approaches, just learned there is a catch. Both city and county officials said residents must wear face coverings when going outdoors.
The rules apply “any time you’re out and there are people around, whether it be at a trail head or a parking lot or a sidewalk,” Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County’s director of public health, said Thursday.
In the city of L.A., the new law requires face coverings for walking, running, cycling, scooting, roller skating, skateboarding and all outdoor activities except for those on the water, according to the order from Mayor Eric Garcetti. Elsewhere in L.A. County, you can still be outdoors without a face covering when there is no one else around, but must put it on when others approach, Ferrer said.
For joggers, runners and others eager to get back to their exercise routine, the rules came with acceptance and concerns as well as questions.
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“I can’t breathe with the mask when I’m working out,” said Rabi Awssd, 35, while taking a break from his five-mile run down Beachwood Drive. “I can’t use it.”
Old friends exhibiting varying degrees of compliance with L.A.’s new face mask policy play backgammon at Reseda Park on Thursday. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The move makes Los Angeles the strictest of the state’s largest cities when it comes to face coverings. Residents of San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose can go without them so long as they practice social distancing. In San Diego, that means staying six feet away from other joggers or strollers.
Public Health officials and experts said the policy is designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus and, it’s hoped, speed up the reopening of the economy. Los Angeles County remains the epicenter of the outbreak in California, with more than 1,700 deaths and 35,000 confirmed cases.
Cloth face coverings, experts say, are a key component in combating COVID-19 because they can help block transmission of respiratory droplets that carry the disease.
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A masked Bell Vasquez, 28, of Los Angeles takes her son Israel, 4, for a spin while visiting the boardwalk in Venice Beach. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
That’s just smart policy, say many residents, including those who proudly wear masks soaked in sweat. Down the hill from the Hollywood sign, friends Karina Delgado, 43, and Jessica Gonzalez, 46, jogged fully masked and fully protected on neighboring streets.
“I support what the mayor is doing,” Gonzalez said. “This is all about safety and making sure we avoid infections. Just because we’re not seeing the number of infections like in New York, people think we’re going to go back to some sort of normal.”
As the pair stopped to stretch, two unmasked cyclists passed within 10 feet of them.
There were no cops in sight. In San Diego, the cyclists might have received advice instead of a summons. Workers for the local transit district have been handing out masks in recent days to riders who flout the rules.
In Los Angeles, days into the new world of face masks for all, the level of enforcement is an open question. Even some police officers don’t seem to be following the rules that already existed for patrons of indoor establishments.
Two officers caused a stir on Wednesday when a diner at a fast-food restaurant videotaped them without masks on. They were asked by an employee at the Chipotle in Baldwin Hills why they weren’t wearing coverings.
“No, ma’am, we come in contact with nasty stuff every day,” one of the cops said, according to the video shared with The Times.
× Two officers caused a stir recently when a diner at a fast-food restaurant recorded them not wearing masks.
The new restrictions require face coverings whenever people leave the house. This applies to everyone except small children and those with certain disabilities. In some communities, the strict approach won’t change routines already shaped by the pandemic threat.
In Koreatown, most everyone was already wearing a mask, said Bethany Leal, the deputy director of Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance. Even though face coverings have been long been mandated, a few customers in markets went without masks, she said. “The cashiers feel the most vulnerable.”
But the new rule may have helped compliance across the board, Leal said. Workers in Koreatown were reporting Thursday that there was nary a bare face in sight.
That’s becoming commonplace around the world. More than 70 countries now require face coverings in public, according to Masks4All, a group of scientists and researchers that sees the practice as essential to reducing the spread of the virus.
In the U.S., much confusion remains about the purpose of a face covering. Medical-grade respirators like N95 masks provide protection for the wearer, but experts say a cloth face covering is about protecting others.
Up to 50% of those infected with COVID-19 may be asymptomatic yet still infectious. Because anyone can be infected without knowing it, many experts say universal face coverings are the only way out of the pandemic.
“Every country that has been using masks since early in the pandemic is getting much much better results,” said Jeremy Howard, a Masks4All organizer. In the U.S., most states still don’t require masks, which puts them at risk, said Howard, a distinguished research scientist at the University of San Francisco. “States are coming out of lockdown without mask requirements, which just seems like a recipe for the second wave.”
California’s actions against the novel coronavirus have been relatively swift, as the state’s largest cities and counties have imposed varying levels of restrictions.
In San Diego, masks are required in public but only when the wearer is within six feet of others. Jogging, bicycling and other outdoor activities are exempt, though the city does require residents to carry a mask outdoors and have it readily available in case other people appear.
Chris and Pamela McDonnell, both wearing protective face coverings, take their dogs on a closed stretch of the Great Highway at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)
In San Francisco, face coverings are required in public indoor facilities and outdoors when waiting in line for public transportation or entering a store. But outdoor exercise such as walking, jogging and cycling can be done with fresh air on uncovered faces.
In Los Angeles, a face covering can be anything from a bandanna to a homemade cloth mask. With medical-grade respirators and surgical masks in short supply, authorities urge residents to use whatever they have on hand, even if it’s just a T-shirt.
At the Silver Lake Reservoir on Thursday afternoon, compliance with the new rule was decidedly mixed. While the majority of walkers, joggers and cyclists wore facial coverings — masks, bandannas and various cloth items — dozens also exercised without protective equipment.
Laura Burhenn, 40, had jogged about a block from her home to the Silver Lake Recreation Center with her rescue dog when she realized she didn’t have a mask and technically was flouting the new rules. She recognized the need for increased safety measures, but thought the new rule was an “overreach.”
“If you’re distancing and out in the open, that’s pretty safe... It’s one thing when you’re indoors, but I don’t see the need when you’re outside by yourself,” she said.
Fellow Silver Lake resident Allison Lei, 34, also did not wear a mask while reading on a soft throw blanket in a shady grasspatch near the recreation center. Though she had a mask in her purse, Lei didn’t feel the need to cover her face since the next closest person was about 20 feet away.
“It’s my understanding the reason you wear a mask is to prevent spreading COVID-19 to other people,” Lei said. “But, if no one is around, then why should I wear a mask?”
Many residents seemed to follow the same approach, softening the strict mandate with the need for more practical considerations.
Javi Chad-Friedman, a 26-year-old Beachwood Canyon resident, was jogging bare-faced when he a saw other runners nearby. He immediately stopped, reached into his back pocket and pulled out his black-and-yellow mask, which included the insignia of a friend’s band.
“I wear a mask, I do,” he said “It’s just when you run or do physical exercise, it’s difficult, but as soon as I see anyone nearby, I put on my mask.”


latimes--2020-05-15--California schools face 'devastating' coronavirus cuts as they struggle to reopen

Even as costs skyrocket in response to the coronavirus crisis , California school districts face major funding cuts that could potentially lead to teacher and staff layoffs and leave some schools struggling to safely reopen campuses in the fall , according to district officials and educators .
The proposed budget hit to schools , about $ 19 billion split over the next two years , worsens their existing financial challenges and does little to help with pandemic-related costs .
Responding to the revised budget unveiled Thursday by Gov .
Gavin Newsom , Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez , president of the California School @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult choices in confronting an estimated $ 54.3-billion state deficit that materialized just as quickly as the coronavirus .
But the share of damage borne by schools is too great , she said .
“ This budget would be insufficient in ordinary times , and is less than what is required for most schools to reopen safely during a pandemic , ” said Cruz-Gonzalez , who is also a school board member for the Azusa Unified School District , a school system in east Los Angeles County .
“ And if schools don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t fully reopen.
” Other school leaders likened the proposed cuts to those during the Great Recession of a decade ago .
“ The proposed education cuts for the 2020-21 budget will be devastating at a time when students need more support , ” said E. Toby Boyd , president of the influential California Teachers Assn.
, and “ will lead to cuts to vital student programs , educator layoffs , furlough days and pay cuts just like it did during the last recession when we lost 33,000 educators.
” Higher education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state colleges as they try to plan for fall , uncertain about how many students will return , in person or online , and how classes will be conducted .
Earlier this week , the California State University system announced that its fall semester would take place primarily online .
Advocates said the cuts would fall hard on those who can ill afford it .
“ All across the state , families , students and communities of color are suffering from the disproportionate effects of the pandemic , ” said Elisha Smith Arrillaga @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a research and advocacy group .
“ Whether it ’ s struggling with basic needs , financial instability , access to technology , or the undeniable stress parents are experiencing , one thing is clear — our public school and college systems are central to how families and students will recover from this health and economic crisis , ” she added .
Still , many advocates and officials gave Newsom credit for a budget plan that could have been much worse for public education .
To ease the sting , Newsom allotted $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools and redirected another $ 2.3 billion .
This money was originally intended to reduce a long-term shortfall in educators ’ pensions , a major priority for school districts , but less crucial than addressing the immediate crisis .
Schools also will benefit from Newsom ending some tax credits that will result in $ 1.8 billion in revenue and higher taxes for some .
In addition , Newsom hoped to rely on deferrals , which delay how soon districts receive money .
The delay allows the state to “ balance ” its budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future payments .
As a result , districts have to deplete reserves or borrow money to cover their cash flow .
But deferrals are better than cuts .
Newsom also approved accounting and funding maneuvers that will preserve higher levels of education funding in future years when the economy eventually recovers .
The strategies won praise from state Supt .
of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond .
“ Today ’ s updated budget proposal includes a variety of measures designed to avoid permanent cuts to education , which otherwise could have lasting impacts on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Thurmond also acknowledged there would be no escape from the pain caused by the quickly unfolding recession : “ While the measures outlined in today ’ s proposal are far from what our schools need , we also understand that our state is facing impossible choices under impossible circumstances.
” The cuts include a 10 % reduction under a state funding formula that prioritizes aid to English learners and to students from low-income families .
Similar reductions will apply to specialized programs such as vocational and teacher training .
The governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January , such as an effort to combat the state ’ s teacher shortage and expand the quality and quantity of early education .
“ Early education escapes drastic cuts , ” said Bruce Fuller , an education professor and analyst at UC Berkeley .
“ But the budget ax falls hard on the wages of preschool teachers , many barely earning a livable wage.
” One item Newsom preserved was an increase to state funding to serve students with disabilities .
“ I care deeply about special education and I could not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a commitment we had made , ” Newsom said .
“ We were prepared to make history investments , to invest in our future ... .
That was January.
” The governor added that cuts to education would be among the first restored if additional federal aid comes through .
The California Teachers Assn .
echoed the call for more federal aid — voicing support for legislation sponsored by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives .
The teachers union also suggested that state leaders and voters need to act on their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meantime , the state colleges will deal with a dizzying reversal in fortunes .
In January , Newsom proposed a 5 % increase of funds for the University of California and Cal State systems .
Both systems now face 10 % cuts without additional federal aid .
At UC , that means a decrease of $ 338 million ; and at CSU , that means a decrease of $ 398 million .
Those are on top of losses sustained due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
UC faced $ 558 million in unanticipated costs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revenue losses and unanticipated costs for spring 2020 are estimated at $ 337 million .
“ While the fiscal outlook set forth in Governor Newsom ’ s May budget revision is not unexpected , it is indeed daunting and portends challenging times across the California State University and the entire state , ” Chancellor Timothy P. White said in a statement .
The California community colleges also would see roughly a 10 % decrease , resulting in fewer classes even as the recession and job losses lead to higher enrollment in the system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 1.6 billion in direct emergency federal aid .
Los Angeles Unified — because of its size and because so many students are members of low-income families — will probably receive about 20 % of that funding .
But L.A. schools Supt .
Austin Beutner said that funding falls well short of need .
He said he understands the priority for healthcare and directly saving lives .
But the imperative for education must quickly follow , he said .
“ That child in second grade who doesn ’ t learn to read now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon is going to have a different life journey , ” Beutner said .
“ And if she does , we can ’ t make up for this .
”

Even as costs skyrocket in response to the coronavirus crisis, California school districts face major funding cuts that could potentially lead to teacher and staff layoffs and leave some schools struggling to safely reopen campuses in the fall, according to district officials and educators.
The proposed budget hit to schools, about $19 billion split over the next two years, worsens their existing financial challenges and does little to help with pandemic-related costs.
Responding to the revised budget unveiled Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez, president of the California School Boards Assn., acknowledged that Newsom faced difficult choices in confronting an estimated $54.3-billion state deficit that materialized just as quickly as the coronavirus.
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But the share of damage borne by schools is too great, she said.
“This budget would be insufficient in ordinary times, and is less than what is required for most schools to reopen safely during a pandemic,” said Cruz-Gonzalez, who is also a school board member for the Azusa Unified School District, a school system in east Los Angeles County. “And if schools don’t reopen, our economy can’t fully reopen.”
Other school leaders likened the proposed cuts to those during the Great Recession of a decade ago.
“The proposed education cuts for the 2020-21 budget will be devastating at a time when students need more support,” said E. Toby Boyd, president of the influential California Teachers Assn., and “will lead to cuts to vital student programs, educator layoffs, furlough days and pay cuts just like it did during the last recession when we lost 33,000 educators.”
Higher education sustained a concurrent hit, further destabilizing state colleges as they try to plan for fall, uncertain about how many students will return, in person or online, and how classes will be conducted. Earlier this week, the California State University system announced that its fall semester would take place primarily online.
Advocates said the cuts would fall hard on those who can ill afford it.
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“All across the state, families, students and communities of color are suffering from the disproportionate effects of the pandemic,” said Elisha Smith Arrillaga, executive director of Education Trust-West, a research and advocacy group.
“Whether it’s struggling with basic needs, financial instability, access to technology, or the undeniable stress parents are experiencing, one thing is clear — our public school and college systems are central to how families and students will recover from this health and economic crisis,” she added.
Still, many advocates and officials gave Newsom credit for a budget plan that could have been much worse for public education.
To ease the sting, Newsom allotted $4.4 billion in emergency federal aid to schools and redirected another $2.3 billion. This money was originally intended to reduce a long-term shortfall in educators’ pensions, a major priority for school districts, but less crucial than addressing the immediate crisis.
Schools also will benefit from Newsom ending some tax credits that will result in $1.8 billion in revenue and higher taxes for some.
In addition, Newsom hoped to rely on deferrals, which delay how soon districts receive money. The delay allows the state to “balance” its budget in the present at the cost of future payments. As a result, districts have to deplete reserves or borrow money to cover their cash flow. But deferrals are better than cuts.
Newsom also approved accounting and funding maneuvers that will preserve higher levels of education funding in future years when the economy eventually recovers.
The strategies won praise from state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
“Today’s updated budget proposal includes a variety of measures designed to avoid permanent cuts to education, which otherwise could have lasting impacts on a generation of students,” Thurmond said.
Thurmond also acknowledged there would be no escape from the pain caused by the quickly unfolding recession: “While the measures outlined in today’s proposal are far from what our schools need, we also understand that our state is facing impossible choices under impossible circumstances.”
The cuts include a 10% reduction under a state funding formula that prioritizes aid to English learners and to students from low-income families. Similar reductions will apply to specialized programs such as vocational and teacher training.
The governor also zeroed out ambitious programs announced in January, such as an effort to combat the state’s teacher shortage and expand the quality and quantity of early education.
“Early education escapes drastic cuts,” said Bruce Fuller, an education professor and analyst at UC Berkeley. “But the budget ax falls hard on the wages of preschool teachers, many barely earning a livable wage.”
One item Newsom preserved was an increase to state funding to serve students with disabilities.
“I care deeply about special education and I could not in good conscience be part of dismantling of a commitment we had made,” Newsom said. “We were prepared to make history investments, to invest in our future.... That was January.”
The governor added that cuts to education would be among the first restored if additional federal aid comes through.
The California Teachers Assn. echoed the call for more federal aid — voicing support for legislation sponsored by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The teachers union also suggested that state leaders and voters need to act on their own to raise revenue.
In the meantime, the state colleges will deal with a dizzying reversal in fortunes. In January, Newsom proposed a 5% increase of funds for the University of California and Cal State systems.
Both systems now face 10% cuts without additional federal aid.
At UC, that means a decrease of $338 million; and at CSU, that means a decrease of $398 million. Those are on top of losses sustained due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UC faced $558 million in unanticipated costs in March alone. At CSU, revenue losses and unanticipated costs for spring 2020 are estimated at $337 million.
“While the fiscal outlook set forth in Governor Newsom’s May budget revision is not unexpected, it is indeed daunting and portends challenging times across the California State University and the entire state,” Chancellor Timothy P. White said in a statement.
The California community colleges also would see roughly a 10% decrease, resulting in fewer classes even as the recession and job losses lead to higher enrollment in the system.
K-12 districts will benefit from about $1.6 billion in direct emergency federal aid. Los Angeles Unified — because of its size and because so many students are members of low-income families — will probably receive about 20% of that funding.
But L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner said that funding falls well short of need.
He said he understands the priority for healthcare and directly saving lives. But the imperative for education must quickly follow, he said.
“That child in second grade who doesn’t learn to read now and doesn’t learn to read soon is going to have a different life journey,” Beutner said. “And if she does, we can’t make up for this.”