latimes--2020-12-08--Hospitals face tough choices as ICUs fill up with COVID-19 patients

With intensive care units across California rapidly filling with COVID-19 patients , hospitals have a limited number of tools available to free up more capacity in the coming weeks as cases are expected to surge .
Back in the spring , the government opened a so-called “ surge ” hospital in Los Angeles and even docked a Navy medical ship in San Pedro harbor to take overflow patients if medical centers filled up .
But officials found that those supplemental facilities did not treat many patients and did not provide the same level of care as traditional hospitals .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re a 23-year-old wounded sailor .
But it ’ s no place to take care of ICU patients ” sick with COVID-19 , said Dr. George Rutherford , an epidemiologist and infectious-diseases expert at UC San Francisco .
“ If they need to be in the ICU , they need to be in the ICU.
” So in the coming weeks in L.A. County , hospitals will try to choreograph their staffing to best meet the needs of critically ill patients , some of whom still might have to be sent to other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t typically treat ICU cases .
But that comes with risks .
Should a staff shortage become particularly dire , critically ill patients could end up getting care from nurses and doctors without up-to-date specialized intensive care training .
“ Physical beds are not the limiting factor in this , or most other , pandemics , ” Dr. Christina Ghaly , the Los Angeles County director of health services , said recently .
“ What matters is the hospital ’ s practical ability to take care of the patients that come in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bed , but more importantly it requires people : It requires staff .
It requires supplies and equipment.
” Rutherford was more blunt : “ If , all of a sudden , you have one nurse taking care of seven patients on ventilators like in New York , the mortality can be astronomical.
” ICU beds are still available even in hard-hit places like Los Angeles County .
But the units are filling up fast , as California posts record numbers of new daily coronavirus cases .
A Times county-by-county tally Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Monday , shattering the previous single-day record of 22,369 cases tallied on Friday .
California has now recorded more than 20,000 cumulative COVID-19 deaths , a milestone recorded Monday by The Times ’ coronavirus tracker .
ICU capacity has become tight in several locations around Los Angeles County , including the Westside , the San Gabriel Valley and southeast L.A. County .
Among staffed and licensed beds , on Sunday , the Westside had eight ICU beds available ; southeast L.A. County had seven , and the San Gabriel Valley had just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , L.A. County hit more than 3,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Sunday , and officials say it ’ s possible that number will rise to 4,000 by next week as more people who were infected during the Thanksgiving holiday fall ill. ICUs can surge beyond the number of licensed , staffed beds when needed , but the level of expansion is finite .
Hospitals can also redeploy staff from other parts of the healthcare system , such as workers who now work in clinics and other outpatient settings or in other procedures .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it can importantly help add bed capacity when it ’ s most needed , ” Ghaly said .
Hospitals can also cancel scheduled procedures and work to discharge patients who can be cared for in lower-level settings , Ghaly said .
These steps come with consequences .
Delaying scheduled care for other procedures can come at a health cost for other patients who need hospital care for chronic diseases , like heart disease , which could increase mortality for reasons not related to the pandemic .
And relying on hospital staff without specialized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the last resort when capacity is overstretched .
Hospitals can do their best to cancel scheduled surgeries to make way for coronavirus patients .
But at a certain point , a crush of patients will eventually lead to surging mortality , such as from overwhelmed nurses and doctors taking care of far too many critically ill COVID-19 patients than they normally would .
“ This is not an ideal situation and can lead to sub-optimal outcomes for patients , ” Ghaly said .
There are also growing concerns about hospital staffing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from COVID-19 .
Healthcare workers are being infected by the virus at a pace never before seen in this pandemic .
In the past week , there were 1,745 new coronavirus cases among healthcare workers in L.A. County , more than double what was reported the week before .
“ It ’ s the highest weekly number of healthcare workers testing positive for COVID-19 that we have ever reported , ” Ferrer said .
“ And that has a tremendous impact on our capacity throughout our entire healthcare system to take care of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systems have come under pressure from worker illnesses or exposure to the virus .
The Mayo Clinic Health System , which serves Minnesota , Wisconsin and Iowa , last month said that more than 1,500 of its staff due to a diagnosis or exposure to the virus , according to the Associated Press .
The California Department of Public Health on Monday said Southern California has an available ICU capacity of 10.9 % , and the San Joaquin Valley , 6.3 % .
In previous waves of the pandemic , other parts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard-hit spots — San Francisco and San Diego County , for instance , accepted COVID-19 patients from hard-hit Imperial County along the Mexican border .
That won ’ t be possible as much now , with the Bay Area already in the grips of an unprecedented surge .
“ If we get in a situation where we don ’ t collectively take this seriously , we will not have the capacity in other parts of the state to actually help each other out when things get tight , ” said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s department of epidemiology and biostatistics .
In Santa Clara County , the number of ICU beds filled with COVID-19 patients has tripled in the last month .
The home of Silicon Valley has just 15 % of its ICU beds available .
“ Unfortunately , we are shattering records , every day , ” said Dr. Sara Cody , the health officer for Santa Clara County .
“ Many of our hospitals have already elected to cancel elective surgeries , and other procedures in order to be able to care for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are overloaded with critically ill patients do try to transfer them to other facilities that can accept them .
“ But , particularly with critical care patients , there are added challenges in in moving patients who are critically ill , ” Cody said .
With infections continuing to rise , L.A. County ’ s average daily death toll could increase by 63 % , from 40 deaths a day currently to 65 fatalities daily , Ferrer said .
L.A. County is now averaging more than 8,000 new coronavirus cases a day over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last month .
Statewide , California ’ s hospitals exceeded 10,000 COVID-19 patients for the first time .
That ’ s double the number from less than three weeks ago .
Unless trends change , this surge will be unlike the first two waves that have already resulted in thousands of deaths in Los Angeles County .
Ghaly projected last week that based on trends , L.A. County will run short of ICU beds before Christmas — a shortage that never occurred in the previous two waves .
One doctor at an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are currently sufficient resources , shortages of beds and staff are expected soon given the recent rapid rise in case counts .
“ We ’ re on the borderline now and the direction it goes is now going to be dependent on society ’ s willingness to step up and adhere to the restrictions , ” the doctor said .
The physician , who asked not to be named because the person was not authorized to speak publicly , said the summer surge was extremely difficult to cope with , due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and down the state .
“ We ’ re all worried that this next surge is going to be worse than that , ” the doctor said .

Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money, Soumya Karlamangla

Intensive care units in California are rapidly filling with COVID-19 patients. Above, medical workers treat a COVID-19 patient in May at Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley.
With intensive care units across California rapidly filling with COVID-19 patients, hospitals have a limited number of tools available to free up more capacity in the coming weeks as cases are expected to surge.
Back in the spring, the government opened a so-called “surge” hospital in Los Angeles and even docked a Navy medical ship in San Pedro harbor to take overflow patients if medical centers filled up. But officials found that those supplemental facilities did not treat many patients and did not provide the same level of care as traditional hospitals.
“Hospital ships are wonderful if you’re a 23-year-old wounded sailor. But it’s no place to take care of ICU patients” sick with COVID-19, said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist and infectious-diseases expert at UC San Francisco. “If they need to be in the ICU, they need to be in the ICU.”
So in the coming weeks in L.A. County, hospitals will try to choreograph their staffing to best meet the needs of critically ill patients, some of whom still might have to be sent to other areas of the hospital that don’t typically treat ICU cases.
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But that comes with risks. Should a staff shortage become particularly dire, critically ill patients could end up getting care from nurses and doctors without up-to-date specialized intensive care training.
“Physical beds are not the limiting factor in this, or most other, pandemics,” Dr. Christina Ghaly, the Los Angeles County director of health services, said recently. “What matters is the hospital’s practical ability to take care of the patients that come in the door. And that requires not just a bed, but more importantly it requires people: It requires staff. It requires supplies and equipment.”
Rutherford was more blunt: “If, all of a sudden, you have one nurse taking care of seven patients on ventilators like in New York, the mortality can be astronomical.”
ICU beds are still available even in hard-hit places like Los Angeles County. But the units are filling up fast, as California posts record numbers of new daily coronavirus cases. A Times county-by-county tally Monday recorded more than 34,000 new infections reported on Monday, shattering the previous single-day record of 22,369 cases tallied on Friday.
California has now recorded more than 20,000 cumulative COVID-19 deaths, a milestone recorded Monday by The Times’ coronavirus tracker.
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ICU capacity has become tight in several locations around Los Angeles County, including the Westside, the San Gabriel Valley and southeast L.A. County. Among staffed and licensed beds, on Sunday, the Westside had eight ICU beds available; southeast L.A. County had seven, and the San Gabriel Valley had just three.
According to data released Monday, L.A. County hit more than 3,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Sunday, and officials say it’s possible that number will rise to 4,000 by next week as more people who were infected during the Thanksgiving holiday fall ill.
ICUs can surge beyond the number of licensed, staffed beds when needed, but the level of expansion is finite.
Hospitals can also redeploy staff from other parts of the healthcare system, such as workers who now work in clinics and other outpatient settings or in other procedures. It does decrease outpatient services, “but it can importantly help add bed capacity when it’s most needed,” Ghaly said.
Hospitals can also cancel scheduled procedures and work to discharge patients who can be cared for in lower-level settings, Ghaly said.
These steps come with consequences.
Delaying scheduled care for other procedures can come at a health cost for other patients who need hospital care for chronic diseases, like heart disease, which could increase mortality for reasons not related to the pandemic. And relying on hospital staff without specialized training in intensive care is not ideal, but the last resort when capacity is overstretched.
Hospitals can do their best to cancel scheduled surgeries to make way for coronavirus patients. But at a certain point, a crush of patients will eventually lead to surging mortality, such as from overwhelmed nurses and doctors taking care of far too many critically ill COVID-19 patients than they normally would.
“This is not an ideal situation and can lead to sub-optimal outcomes for patients,” Ghaly said.
There are also growing concerns about hospital staffing becoming tighter if more personnel get sick from COVID-19.
Healthcare workers are being infected by the virus at a pace never before seen in this pandemic. In the past week, there were 1,745 new coronavirus cases among healthcare workers in L.A. County, more than double what was reported the week before.
“It’s the highest weekly number of healthcare workers testing positive for COVID-19 that we have ever reported,” Ferrer said. “And that has a tremendous impact on our capacity throughout our entire healthcare system to take care of those who are sick.”
Other healthcare systems have come under pressure from worker illnesses or exposure to the virus. The Mayo Clinic Health System, which serves Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, last month said that more than 1,500 of its staff were out due to a diagnosis or exposure to the virus, according to the Associated Press.
The California Department of Public Health on Monday said Southern California has an available ICU capacity of 10.9%, and the San Joaquin Valley, 6.3%.
In previous waves of the pandemic, other parts of California have been able to help other hard-hit spots — San Francisco and San Diego County, for instance, accepted COVID-19 patients from hard-hit Imperial County along the Mexican border. That won’t be possible as much now, with the Bay Area already in the grips of an unprecedented surge.
“If we get in a situation where we don’t collectively take this seriously, we will not have the capacity in other parts of the state to actually help each other out when things get tight,” said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of UC San Francisco’s department of epidemiology and biostatistics.
In Santa Clara County, the number of ICU beds filled with COVID-19 patients has tripled in the last month. The home of Silicon Valley has just 15% of its ICU beds available.
“Unfortunately, we are shattering records, every day,” said Dr. Sara Cody, the health officer for Santa Clara County. “Many of our hospitals have already elected to cancel elective surgeries, and other procedures in order to be able to care for the influx of COVID patients.”
Hospitals that are overloaded with critically ill patients do try to transfer them to other facilities that can accept them. “But, particularly with critical care patients, there are added challenges in in moving patients who are critically ill,” Cody said.
With infections continuing to rise, L.A. County’s average daily death toll could increase by 63%, from 40 deaths a day currently to 65 fatalities daily, Ferrer said. L.A. County is now averaging more than 8,000 new coronavirus cases a day over the past week — a quadrupling in the last month.
Statewide, California’s hospitals exceeded 10,000 COVID-19 patients for the first time. That’s double the number from less than three weeks ago.
Unless trends change, this surge will be unlike the first two waves that have already resulted in thousands of deaths in Los Angeles County. Ghaly projected last week that based on trends, L.A. County will run short of ICU beds before Christmas — a shortage that never occurred in the previous two waves.
One doctor at an L.A. County public hospital said that although there are currently sufficient resources, shortages of beds and staff are expected soon given the recent rapid rise in case counts.
“We’re on the borderline now and the direction it goes is now going to be dependent on society’s willingness to step up and adhere to the restrictions,” the doctor said.
The physician, who asked not to be named because the person was not authorized to speak publicly, said the summer surge was extremely difficult to cope with, due to the flood of patients entering hospitals up and down the state.
“We’re all worried that this next surge is going to be worse than that,” the doctor said.


latimes--2020-12-08--Some restaurants are defying California lockdown rules: 'We have to make a living'

Dino Ferraro texted friends from a concrete bench next to the Huntington Beach Pier Monday as he tried to sort out his worries .
He has mounting bills — more than $ 100,000 from back rent owed for his two restaurants , Capone ’ s Italian Cucina and Black Trumpet Bistro , both a quick drive from the water .
He spent thousands of dollars deep-cleaning and disinfecting both businesses , three times each in the past months , he said , along with complying “ with every demand required.
” Now , like thousands of other restaurants in much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new set of restrictions , including a suspension of outdoor dining that had been a lifeline for his business .
California officials issued the stay-at-home order as COVID-19 cases continue surging to unprecedented levels , pushing hospitals ’ precious intensive care beds perilously close to capacity .
And officials warn the situation will likely get worse before it gets better as more people who were infected over Thanksgiving weekend fall ill. Health experts have said this period is among the most dangerous points of the pandemic as COVID-19 spreads rapidly through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the economic toll poses its own existential threat .
While many businesses in areas covered by the state ’ s new regional stay-at-home order appear to be complying , some are trying to figure out ways to keep their businesses going .
Ferraro said he is “ experimenting ” with staying open , offering outdoor dining and a few indoor tables spread 12 feet from each other at both locations .
He had to close during lunch but is happy to provide masks for people coming by for dinner who neglected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his family are “ not in denial about the virus , but we have to move forward .
We have to make a living .
We do feel for the people at risk .
They should stay home.
” The timing of the state ’ s latest order is the newest blow , in a year full of them , for many businesses — which have been battered by coronavirus-related restrictions — and to the psyche of Californians , who for months have lived with its threat hanging over their heads .
Officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call for drastic measures .
The number of new daily coronavirus cases has skyrocketed to a level that would have been unthinkable just weeks ago .
California hospitals are already contending with an unprecedented wave of more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients , and the state is on the brink of recording its 20,000th death from the illness .
“ Once people die , they ’ re gone from our lives forever — and there ’ s no way to measure that impact at all , ” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And every death is a tragedy , particularly those deaths that , in some ways , if we were all better at doing our part , we could be preventing right now.
” Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced the last week , saying stricter intervention was needed to shore up the state ’ s hospital system and make sure intensive care beds remained available .
A region is required to implement a state-defined stay-at-home order — which restricts retail capacity to 20 % and shuts down outdoor restaurant dining , hair salons , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ card rooms , museums , zoos , aquariums and wineries — if its available ICU capacity drops below 15 % .
Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley are already below that threshold — as of Monday their ICU availability had to 10.9 % and 6.3 % , respectively .
On Monday , San Luis Obispo , Santa Barbara and Ventura counties said they might seek approval from the state to create their own Central Coast region , allowing them to assess restrictions without being tied to the much more heavily populated counties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Southern California region any longer could cause preventable educational and economic hardships to communities in the Central Coast Region , ” Ventura County officials said in a statement .
Dr. Robert Kim-Farley , a medical epidemiologist and infectious-diseases expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health , said he thought the state ’ s regional approach was reasonable , given that if , say , Ventura County ’ s ICUs were overloaded , L.A. County ’ s hospitals have historically been called upon to help .
With a court case being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s ban on outdoor dining , Ferrer declined to comment on the lawsuit but did say there is ample evidence that explains why outdoor restaurant dining is too risky to allow now , with the virus so much more widespread than before .
“ We could tolerate that risk before , ” Ferrer said , when only 1 in 800 people in L.A. County were out and about and contagious with the virus .
Now that 1 in 145 are contagious and the hospital system is about to be overwhelmed , “ you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activities and say : ‘ We need to reduce risk as much as possible everywhere.
’ ” One of the cities covered under the new state order is Huntington Beach in Orange County , which has long been a hotbed of resistance to pandemic-inspired governmental restrictions and even to wearing masks .
But its pier and downtown district were fairly quiet Monday , just after the new rules took effect .
An exception was Basilico ’ s , a restaurant that has garnered national attention for promoting a no-mask rule — and received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both local and visiting customers .
Drivers pulled up steadily Monday to pick up their orders of chicken parmesan and other rustic-style dishes .
Inside , workers said they were almost sold out of their $ 25 T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase , “ Leave the mask , take the cannoli , ” a play on words inspired by the film “ The Godfather.
” “ How many shirts do you have left ?
” asked Roxanne Marie , a diner from Lakewood digging into the house salad with two of her friends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boxers and her Beauceron , a well-behaved French herding dog observing a group of nine adults and children streaming in .
“ If other restaurants would just be brave enough to open up , like this one , the economy would improve .
These officials are clamping down and they probably don ’ t want anyone dying on their watch .
But you know , people are dying , and that ’ s from broken hearts , loneliness and depression .
We can ’ t stay home all the time , there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s unclear if restaurants that defy the ban will face action from local or state officials .
Orange County ’ s sheriff has said his deputies would not be dispatched to calls involving face coverings , gatherings or stay-at-home rules , calling compliance “ a matter of personal responsibility and not a matter of law enforcement.
” Some Orange County leaders say they are lobbying the governor to consider a different approach that would not lump their county in the same region as L.A. , which has been harder hit by COVID .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother make pizza and lasagna , says he is not just concerned about himself .
He said he has 58 employees and that means “ 58 families are getting fed — how can we think of layoffs ?
” Times staff writers Leila Miller and Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report .

Dino Ferraro texted friends from a concrete bench next to the Huntington Beach Pier on Monday as he tried to sort out his worries.
He has mounting bills — more than $100,000 from back rent owed for his two restaurants, Capone’s Italian Cucina and Black Trumpet Bistro, both a quick drive from the water.
He spent thousands of dollars deep-cleaning and disinfecting both businesses, three times each in the past months, he said, along with complying “with every demand required.”
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Now, like thousands of other restaurants in much of California, he began Monday with a new set of restrictions, including a suspension of outdoor dining, which had been a lifeline for his business.
California officials issued the stay-at-home order as COVID-19 cases continued surging to unprecedented levels, pushing hospitals’ precious intensive care beds perilously close to capacity. And officials warn the situation will likely get worse before it gets better as more people who were infected over Thanksgiving weekend fall ill.
Health experts have said this period is among the most dangerous points of the pandemic as the coronavirus spreads rapidly through the state.
But for Ferraro and others, the economic toll poses its own existential threat. While many businesses in areas covered by the state’s new regional stay-at-home order appear to be complying, some are trying to figure out ways to keep their businesses going.
Ferraro said he was “experimenting” with staying open, offering outdoor dining and a few indoor tables spread 12 feet apart at both locations.
He had to close during lunch but was happy to provide masks for people coming by for dinner who neglected to bring them.
Advertisement
He says he and his family are “not in denial about the virus, but we have to move forward. We have to make a living. We do feel for the people at risk. They should stay home.”
The timing of the state’s latest order is the newest blow, in a year full of them, for many businesses — which have been battered by coronavirus restrictions — and to the psyche of Californians, who for months have lived with its threat hanging over their heads.
Officials, though, have said desperate times call for drastic measures. The number of new daily coronavirus cases has skyrocketed to a level that would have been unthinkable just weeks ago. California hospitals are already contending with an unprecedented wave of more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients, and the state is on the brink of recording its 20,000th death from the illness.
“Once people die, they’re gone from our lives forever — and there’s no way to measure that impact at all,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said during a briefing Monday. “And every death is a tragedy, particularly those deaths that, in some ways, if we were all better at doing our part, we could be preventing right now.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the new round of restrictions last week, saying stricter intervention is needed to shore up the state’s hospital system and make sure intensive care beds remain available.
A region is required to implement a state-defined stay-at-home order — which restricts retail capacity to 20% and shuts down outdoor restaurant dining, hair salons, nail salons, public outdoor playgrounds, card rooms, museums, zoos, aquariums and wineries — if its available ICU capacity drops below 15%.
Tracking the coronavirus in L.A. County The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, including cases, deaths, closures and restrictions.
Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley are already below that threshold — as of Monday their ICU availability had tumbled to 10.9% and 6.3%, respectively.
The Southern California region encompasses Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
On Monday, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties said they might seek approval from the state to create their own Central Coast region, allowing them to assess restrictions without being tied to the much more heavily populated counties to the south.
“Being kept in the Southern California region any longer could cause preventable educational and economic hardships to communities in the Central Coast Region,” Ventura County officials said in a statement.
Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, a medical epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, said he thought the state’s regional approach was reasonable, given that if, say, Ventura County’s ICUs are overloaded, L.A. County’s hospitals have historically been called upon to help.
With a court case being heard on Tuesday challenging L.A. County’s ban on outdoor dining, Ferrer declined to comment on the lawsuit but did say there was ample evidence that outdoor restaurant dining was too risky to allow now, with the virus so much more widespread than before.
“We could tolerate that risk before,” Ferrer said, when only 1 in 800 people in L.A. County were out and about and contagious with the virus. Now that 1 in 145 are contagious and the hospital system is about to be overwhelmed, “you have to look at all of the activities and say: ‘We need to reduce risk as much as possible everywhere.’”
One of the cities covered under the new state order is Huntington Beach in Orange County, which has long been a hotbed of resistance to pandemic-inspired governmental restrictions and even to wearing masks. But its pier and downtown district were fairly quiet Monday, just after the new rules took effect.
An exception was Basilico’s, a restaurant that has garnered national attention for promoting a no-mask rule — and received plenty of support in the process from both local and visiting customers.
Drivers pulled up steadily Monday to pick up their orders of chicken parmesan and other rustic-style dishes. Inside, workers said they were almost sold out of their $25 T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase, “Leave the mask, take the cannoli,” a play on words inspired by the film “The Godfather.”
“How many shirts do you have left?” asked Roxanne Marie, a diner from Lakewood digging into the house salad with two of her friends. The women were accompanied by their boxers and her Beauceron, a well-behaved French herding dog observing a group of nine adults and children streaming in.
“If other restaurants would just be brave enough to open up, like this one, the economy would improve. These officials are clamping down and they probably don’t want anyone dying on their watch. But you know, people are dying, and that’s from broken hearts, loneliness and depression. We can’t stay home all the time, there’s nothing to do.”
It’s unclear if restaurants that defy the ban will face action from local or state officials. Orange County’s sheriff has said his deputies will not be dispatched to calls involving face coverings, gatherings or stay-at-home rules, calling compliance “a matter of personal responsibility and not a matter of law enforcement.”
Some Orange County leaders say they are lobbying the governor to consider a different approach that would not lump their county in the same region as L.A., which has been hit harder by COVID.
Ferraro, who grew up helping his mother make pizza and lasagna, says he is not just concerned about himself. He said he had 58 employees and that meant “58 families are getting fed — how can we think of layoffs?”
Times staff writers Leila Miller and Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-12-08--Los Angeles City Council panel seeks to scale back potential LAPD job cuts

A key committee of the Los Angeles City Council narrowly approved a proposal on Monday for scaling back the number of Police Department employees whose jobs could be targeted for elimination amid a growing financial crisis .
The council ’ s Budget and Finance Committee took up a proposal from the city ’ s top financial analysts to begin preparations for the layoff of as many as 1,900 employees , the vast majority of them at the LAPD .
Councilman Paul Krekorian called for his colleagues to scale back that list by nearly two-thirds , and seek to find savings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Krekorian , who heads the committee , recommended taking the number of sworn officers whose positions were targeted for elimination from 951 down to 355 , and the number civilian positions in the Police Department from 728 down to 273 .
Krekorian ’ s proposal passed on a 3 to 2 vote , with Councilmen Curren Price and Mike Bonin opposed .
Price argued that every city agency needed to take a 3 % cut , saying the LAPD should not be provided a “ different kind of standard ” on balancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reduce the number of potential layoffs — but only if it was accomplished by making other reductions at the LAPD , and not cutting other agencies , a spokesman said .
The full council will meet Tuesday to take up the cost-cutting proposals , along with a request to drain much of the city ’ s reserve and borrow $ 150 million to cover the cost of ongoing operations .
The committee ’ s deliberations followed more than an hour of testimony from members of the public , several of whom pleaded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the LAPD and the city ’ s animal service department from job cuts .
Some said the city is already experiencing a spike in homicides and shooting victims .
If 950 police officers are cut from the force , “ we ’ ll have anarchy , ” said Martin Beck , a resident of Hancock Park .
“ We ’ ll have such a dangerous city that people will take the law into their own hands , and we don ’ t want that .
We need the police to keep our city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Other callers into Monday ’ s virtual meeting said the cuts to the LAPD should be even deeper .
One told the committee that supporters of the police department simply want “ security for themselves because they are of a certain class , a certain race.
” Another said flatly that police officers “ do not keep us safe.
” “ They ’ re called after a crime is committed , ” said Gina Viola , who owns a temporary employment agency and lives in Hollywood .
“ They don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t even solve crimes without the financial assistance of the public.
” City Administrative Officer Rich Llewellyn , the city ’ s top budget analyst , had advised the council members to approve all of his budget-cutting proposals as a single package to ensure they would close a deficit projected to reach $ 675 million by June 30 , the end of the fiscal year .
“ We know each of these employees provides important service that our residents need ... and we also understand that the lives of each and every employee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
The Los Angeles Police Protective League , the union representing roughly 9,800 LAPD officers , issued a letter calling Llewellyn ’ s proposal for the LAPD “ reckless and unnecessary.
” The union asked council members to tap unspent coronavirus relief funding provided by the federal government earlier this year .
In a letter to the committee , union president Craig Lally said the cuts would “ decimate the LAPD for at least a decade.
” The threatened layoffs are viewed by many as part of an effort to pressure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bargaining table and offer concessions on pay and other expenses .
The city is already pursuing an array of other strategies for closing the budget gap .
Llewellyn called for the council to tap as much as $ 259 million from the city ’ s reserve funds , which are set up to help the city weather a major emergency , such as an earthquake .
It also includes a proposal for borrowing $ 150 million — money that would be used to cover ongoing costs .
In addition to the job cuts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 49 million in additional givebacks from the city ’ s employee unions , possibly by increasing the number of furlough days taken by civilian city workers between January and June .
City budget analysts are also seeking to tap unspent money from the federal CARES Act , which was provided to Los Angeles and other cities to help them weather the pandemic .

Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian and his colleagues on the Budget and Finance Committee debated a plan for potentially cutting jobs at the LAPD and other city agencies.
A key committee of the Los Angeles City Council narrowly approved a proposal on Monday for scaling back the number of Police Department employees whose jobs could be targeted for elimination amid a growing financial crisis.
The council’s Budget and Finance Committee took up a proposal from the city’s top financial analysts to begin preparations for the layoff of as many as 1,900 employees, the vast majority of them at the LAPD.
Councilman Paul Krekorian called for his colleagues to scale back that list by nearly two-thirds, and seek to find savings elsewhere — possibly from other city agencies. Krekorian, who heads the committee, recommended taking the number of sworn officers whose positions were targeted for elimination from 951 down to 355, and the number civilian positions in the Police Department from 728 down to 273.
Krekorian’s proposal passed on a 3 to 2 vote, with Councilmen Curren Price and Mike Bonin opposed.
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Price argued that every city agency needed to take a 3% cut, saying the LAPD should not be provided a “different kind of standard” on balancing the budget.
Bonin favored the move to reduce the number of potential layoffs — but only if it was accomplished by making other reductions at the LAPD, and not cutting other agencies, a spokesman said.
The full council will meet Tuesday to take up the cost-cutting proposals, along with a request to drain much of the city’s reserve and borrow $150 million to cover the cost of ongoing operations.
The committee’s deliberations followed more than an hour of testimony from members of the public, several of whom pleaded with the committee to shield workers at the LAPD and the city’s animal service department from job cuts.
Some said the city is already experiencing a spike in homicides and shooting victims. If 950 police officers are cut from the force, “we’ll have anarchy,” said Martin Beck, a resident of Hancock Park.
“We’ll have such a dangerous city that people will take the law into their own hands, and we don’t want that. We need the police to keep our city safe and secure,” he said.
Other callers into Monday’s virtual meeting said the cuts to the LAPD should be even deeper.
One told the committee that supporters of the police department simply want “security for themselves because they are of a certain class, a certain race.”
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Another said flatly that police officers “do not keep us safe.”
“They’re called after a crime is committed,” said Gina Viola, who owns a temporary employment agency and lives in Hollywood. “They don’t even prevent crimes. They can’t even solve crimes without the financial assistance of the public.”
City Administrative Officer Rich Llewellyn, the city’s top budget analyst, had advised the council members to approve all of his budget-cutting proposals as a single package to ensure they would close a deficit projected to reach $675 million by June 30, the end of the fiscal year.
“We know each of these employees provides important service that our residents need ... and we also understand that the lives of each and every employee will be turned upside down,” he said.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing roughly 9,800 LAPD officers, issued a letter calling Llewellyn’s proposal for the LAPD “reckless and unnecessary.” The union asked council members to tap unspent coronavirus relief funding provided by the federal government earlier this year.
In a letter to the committee, union president Craig Lally said the cuts would “decimate the LAPD for at least a decade.”
The threatened layoffs are viewed by many as part of an effort to pressure city employee unions to return to the bargaining table and offer concessions on pay and other expenses. The city is already pursuing an array of other strategies for closing the budget gap.
Llewellyn called for the council to tap as much as $259 million from the city’s reserve funds, which are set up to help the city weather a major emergency, such as an earthquake. It also includes a proposal for borrowing $150 million — money that would be used to cover ongoing costs.
In addition to the job cuts, Llewellyn is hoping secure another $49 million in additional givebacks from the city’s employee unions, possibly by increasing the number of furlough days taken by civilian city workers between January and June.
City budget analysts are also seeking to tap unspent money from the federal CARES Act, which was provided to Los Angeles and other cities to help them weather the pandemic.


latimes--2020-12-07--Central Coast counties seek to break from state's regional stay-at-home order

Three Central Coast counties said Monday they may seek approval to separate from the Southern California region that is subject to the state ’ s stay-at-home order to curb the spread of the coronavirus .
Ventura , Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties will request that the state consider them a separate region for determining restrictions if the capacity in their intensive care units exceeds 15 % in the next three weeks , according to a Ventura County news release .
“ A smaller regional approach is important for our community members and struggling businesses , ” said Ventura @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement .
“ We believe it ’ s reasonable to have the Central Coast as one region instead of including our county with over half the state ’ s population in the current Southern California region.
” The stay-at-home order , announced last week by Gov .
Gavin Newsom and tied to regional hospitalization capacity , has faced criticism from officials who have said it will destroy small businesses .
They have urged the governor to consider implementing smaller and more targeted regions .
The state ’ s strategy currently divides California into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Joaquin Valley , the Bay Area , the Greater Sacramento area and Northern California .
A region is required to implement the state ’ s stay-at-home order — which restricts most retail capacity to 20 % and shuts down restaurant dining , hair salons , nail salons , public playgrounds , card rooms , museums , zoos , aquariums and wineries — if its available ICU capacity drops below 15 % .
A stay-at-home order went into effect Sunday in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley and will remain in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order will be felt more strongly in counties like Orange , Ventura and Riverside , which have had far less stringent restrictions than Los Angeles County .
In addition to Los Angeles , Orange , Ventura and Riverside , the Southern California counties affected by the order are Imperial , Inyo , Mono , San Bernardino , San Diego , San Luis Obispo , Santa Barbara and Ventura .
The San Joaquin Valley region covers Calaveras , Fresno , Kern , Kings , Madera , Mariposa , Merced , San Benito , San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counties .
Dr. Robert Kim-Farley , a medical epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health , said he thought the state ’ s regional approach was reasonable , given that if Ventura County ’ s ICUs were overloaded , L.A. County ’ s hospitals could be called upon to help , for example .
The approach , he said , also helps to provide a uniform public health message across a region .
As an example , if Ventura did not have restrictions on outdoor restaurant dining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might be prompted to drive beyond county borders , bringing the virus with them into the Central Coast , which has few hospitals .
“ That would just spill high volume of virus over to the surrounding counties , ” Kim-Farley said .
“ It does make sense to stick with this regional approach and not have an ‘ every man for themselves ’ approach.
” But the news release on the counties ’ initiative to separate from the Southern California region stated that being kept in that category could bring economic hardship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change would not affect the counties ’ commitment to help other areas .
Orange County officials have also criticized the governor ’ s stay-at-home order , with Supervisor Lisa Bartlett saying she supports a regionalized approach but the state ’ s categories are too broad .
Bartlett said she and Supervisor Don Wagner plan to introduce a resolution Tuesday affirming the county ’ s commitment to advocate for local control .

A pedestrian makes her way along Alisal Road in downtown Solvang, in Santa Barbara County. Three Central Coast counties are seeking approval to separate from the Southern California region that is subject to the state’s stay-at-home order.
Three Central Coast counties said Monday they may seek approval to separate from the Southern California region that is subject to the state’s stay-at-home order to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties will request that the state consider them a separate region for determining restrictions if the capacity in their intensive care units exceeds 15% in the next three weeks, according to a Ventura County news release.
“A smaller regional approach is important for our community members and struggling businesses,” said Ventura County Executive Officer Mike Powers in a statement. “We believe it’s reasonable to have the Central Coast as one region instead of including our county with over half the state’s population in the current Southern California region.”
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The stay-at-home order, announced last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom and tied to regional hospitalization capacity, has faced criticism from officials who have said it will destroy small businesses. They have urged the governor to consider implementing smaller and more targeted regions.
The state’s strategy currently divides California into five regions: Southern California, the San Joaquin Valley, the Bay Area, the Greater Sacramento area and Northern California.
A region is required to implement the state’s stay-at-home order — which restricts most retail capacity to 20% and shuts down restaurant dining, hair salons, nail salons, public playgrounds, card rooms, museums, zoos, aquariums and wineries — if its available ICU capacity drops below 15%.
A stay-at-home order went into effect Sunday in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley and will remain in place for at least three weeks. The order will be felt more strongly in counties like Orange, Ventura and Riverside, which have had far less stringent restrictions than Los Angeles County.
In addition to Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Riverside, the Southern California counties affected by the order are Imperial, Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The San Joaquin Valley region covers Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne counties.
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Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, a medical epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, said he thought the state’s regional approach was reasonable, given that if Ventura County’s ICUs were overloaded, L.A. County’s hospitals could be called upon to help, for example.
The approach, he said, also helps to provide a uniform public health message across a region. As an example, if Ventura did not have restrictions on outdoor restaurant dining, but L.A. did, L.A. residents might be prompted to drive beyond county borders, bringing the virus with them into the Central Coast, which has few hospitals.
“That would just spill high volume of virus over to the surrounding counties,” Kim-Farley said. “It does make sense to stick with this regional approach and not have an ‘every man for themselves’ approach.”
But the news release on the counties’ initiative to separate from the Southern California region stated that being kept in that category could bring economic hardship to the Central Coast and that a change would not affect the counties’ commitment to help other areas.
Orange County officials have also criticized the governor’s stay-at-home order, with Supervisor Lisa Bartlett saying she supports a regionalized approach but the state’s categories are too broad. Bartlett said she and Supervisor Don Wagner plan to introduce a resolution Tuesday affirming the county’s commitment to advocate for local control.


latimes--2020-12-07--California lawmakers have long COVID-19 to-do list as they reconvene in Sacramento

The new two-year session of the California Legislature began Monday as legislators took the oath of office under some of the most unusual circumstances in state history , quickly compiling an urgent to-do list addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on housing , schools and the economy .
Though the agenda for convening newly elected and returning lawmakers was familiar , the setting was not .
The 80 members of the state Assembly held their organizing session seven blocks from the state Capitol inside Golden 1 Center , home to the NBA ’ s Sacramento Kings .
The event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convened outside of the state Capitol since the building ’ s six-year restoration ended in 1981 .
Lawmakers were not allowed to bring family members to celebrate the proceedings of the Assembly or those of the Senate , whose members remained inside the state Capitol .
Eight of the upper house ’ s members participated remotely from their districts , while those who gathered in the Senate chamber wore masks and were separated by plexiglass shields installed over the summer .
Only a few pieces of legislation were formally introduced Monday ; most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January .
Even so , the initial legislation offered a glimpse at an agenda to tackle both short-term and systemic problems laid bare by the worsening COVID-19 pandemic and community shutdowns .
No issue may require faster action than the rapidly approaching deadline for Californians who are unable to pay rent due to the state ’ s economic slowdown .
A law enacted in the summer allows renters to pay a portion of what ’ s owed through the end of January , but it requires full payments after that and allows some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon as late winter or early spring .
One early proposal , introduced by Assemblyman David Chiu ( D-San Francisco ) , would extend the eviction protection rules through the end of next year .
Other proposals , including assistance for those unable to pay even a portion of their rent , are expected in January , along with efforts to help homeowners who are struggling with mortgages .
“ We have got to move a housing package that seeks to address the difficulties that Californians are having , whether they rent or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their mortgage , ” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins ( D-San Diego ) said .
“ We ’ ve got work to do , and we need to do it soon.
” Atkins said Monday she intends to reintroduce her failed legislation from earlier this year that would allow the construction of duplexes on single-family lots — a bill that narrowly missed the final legislative deadline for passage in August .
She said a package of other housing legislation is expected in the coming days , much of it a do-over from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make a dent in one of California ’ s most entrenched problems .
There will also be efforts to revive the prior session ’ s ideas on funding new programs to address homelessness .
In November , a coalition of Democratic mayors and housing advocacy groups urged lawmakers to again consider a plan earmarking in the state budget more than $ 2 billion a year for the effort .
Legislation on the topic failed to advance , and advocates point out that the pandemic has exacerbated a crisis that lawmakers pledged to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permanent funding source is the first step to ending homelessness in California , ” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement last month .
With millions of California children facing the prospect of most or all of the school year being conducted remotely , lawmakers will look for ways to standardize the procedures for when to open and how to provide the money to do so safely .
Assemblyman Phil Ting ( D-San Francisco ) introduced a bill Monday that would require school districts to reopen campuses when community infection rates drop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took varying approaches toward resuming limited in-person instruction when their counties moved into the less-restrictive public health tiers established by the Newsom administration .
As a result , schools in neighboring communities sometimes made conflicting decisions about whether to open .
Ting ’ s bill would impose a statewide rule for students to begin returning to campus in counties in any but the most restrictive tier .
“ Schools in other states and countries have prioritized in-person learning during COVID-19 and have done so without major outbreaks , ” Ting said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that path.
” The plight of millions of students struggling to access remote learning has prompted several early proposals to significantly expand broadband services , including a $ 10-billion bond , which would require voter approval in 2022 , for far-reaching connectivity projects .
Rural communities and low-income neighborhoods in larger cities would both be served by some of the efforts .
Lawmakers said Monday they will seek ways to meet the array of employment challenges worsened by the pandemic and to provide more assistance to those who are unemployed .
Assemblyman Evan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that would allow workers at large companies to take as many as 10 days of unpaid , job-protected bereavement leave when an immediate family member dies — an effort inspired by the current crisis but one that would not be limited to COVID-19 deaths or end with the pandemic .
Workers at businesses with fewer than 25 employees would be eligible for three days of bereavement leave .
“ Even though the majority of employers will do the right thing , we need to protect our most vulnerable workers during this difficult time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On the employer side , legislation was introduced Monday providing tax credits for small businesses and those deemed essential that would help defray the cost of various COVID-19 regulations .
Several proposals were introduced following major delays and reports of extensive fraud in the unemployment insurance programs operated by the state .
Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron of Escondido promised legislation to impose new deadlines on when the state Employment Development Department must make a determination on a filed claim .
In response to news of fraud investigations linked to claims filed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Assemblyman Phillip Chen ( R-Diamond Bar ) would require cross-checking EDD claims with county and state correctional records .
And multiple pieces of legislation are expected to allow unemployed Californians to have their benefit payments deposited directly into a bank account — avoiding prepaid debit cards , which officials reported Monday may have been responsible for as much as $ 2 billion in fraudulent activity .
“ Widespread problems with debit cards have prevented countless families from putting food on the table or paying the bills , ” Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a direct-deposit bill , said in a statement .
“ Making a direct-deposit option available is a simple , common-sense solution to so many challenges we know California residents are facing.
” Several bills seek to expand on recent efforts to change policing tactics , prompted by incidents such as the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and police procedures during protests .
On Monday , Assemblyman Chris Holden ( D-Pasadena ) reintroduced a bill to toughen penalties for police officers who do not intervene when witnessing a fellow officer use excessive force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislators adjourned in late summer .
“ Given the widespread public outcry for police reforms right now , we have another opportunity for California to lead on this issue , ” Holden said in a statement .
Also back for a second try is a proposal to enact new statewide standards for when and how law enforcement officers use projectile weapons or chemical agents during protests .
The bill would also ban the use of those items in some situations .
A third policing bill that failed in the previous legislative session , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to records detailing police misconduct , was also reintroduced .
Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer ( D-Los Angeles ) , who clashed with California ’ s politically powerful corrections officers union during his reelection campaign , is introducing a bill that would require recruits for such jobs to be age 25 or older or to have a bachelor ’ s degree .
The current minimum standard is age 18 with a high school diploma or passage of an equivalent test .
The Democratic lawmaker said older , more mature officers would be less likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firearms in tense situations .
After a political season marked by widespread concerns over the accuracy of information found online , California lawmakers will consider a proposal requiring social media companies to disclose what — if any — policies they have in place to spot fake content .
The bill by Assemblyman Ed Chau ( D-Arcadia ) would also require the companies to tell users what programs are used “ to reduce the spread of harmful , verifiably inauthentic content.
” Another proposal inspired by the election would change the rules for “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circulars that purport to be a set of election recommendations from a group whose values align with those of voters .
In many cases , the mailers are assembled by political consultants who charge candidates and campaigns for space on the document .
In the fierce campaign over Proposition 22 , the ballot measure creating new workplace rules for drivers at app-based companies , liberal political groups complained that some of the mailers suggested prominent Democrats had endorsed the ballot measure .
The bill introduced Monday would require mailers to include information on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be cited on the document .
Another election-related bill would make permanent this year ’ s temporary rule to mail a ballot to every registered California voter .
The bill by Assemblyman Marc Berman ( D-Menlo Park ) would also require that ballot tracking services be used in future elections , ensuring that voters have a way to check on the status of their ballots if problems arise .
Times staff writers Patrick McGreevy and Melody Gutierrez contributed to this report .

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) addresses lawmakers Monday. To ensure that Assembly members had enough room to follow social distancing guidelines, the session was held at Golden 1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings.
The new two-year session of the California Legislature began Monday as legislators took the oath of office under some of the most unusual circumstances in state history, quickly compiling an urgent to-do list addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on housing, schools and the economy.
Though the agenda for convening newly elected and returning lawmakers was familiar, the setting was not.
The 80 members of the state Assembly held their organizing session seven blocks from the state Capitol inside Golden 1 Center, home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. The event marked the first time either house has convened outside of the state Capitol since the building’s six-year restoration ended in 1981.
Lawmakers were not allowed to bring family members to celebrate the proceedings of the Assembly or those of the Senate, whose members remained inside the state Capitol. Eight of the upper house’s members participated remotely from their districts, while those who gathered in the Senate chamber wore masks and were separated by plexiglass shields installed over the summer.
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Only a few pieces of legislation were formally introduced Monday; most of the work will begin in early January. Even so, the initial legislation offered a glimpse at an agenda to tackle both short-term and systemic problems laid bare by the worsening COVID-19 pandemic and community shutdowns.
Eviction moratorium
No issue may require faster action than the rapidly approaching deadline for Californians who are unable to pay rent due to the state’s economic slowdown. A law enacted in the summer allows renters to pay a portion of what’s owed through the end of January, but it requires full payments after that and allows some evictions for unpaid rent to occur as soon as late winter or early spring.
One early proposal, introduced by Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco), would extend the eviction protection rules through the end of next year. Other proposals, including assistance for those unable to pay even a portion of their rent, are expected in January, along with efforts to help homeowners who are struggling with mortgages.
California What happens when California eviction moratoriums expire? Ask our reporters Join us Wednesday for a live video event with L.A. Times reporters Liam Dillon and Andrew Khouri, along with columnist Erika Smith. They’ll answer your questions about covering evictions.
“We have got to move a housing package that seeks to address the difficulties that Californians are having, whether they rent or they’re trying to hold onto their mortgage,” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) said. “We’ve got work to do, and we need to do it soon.”
Housing and homelessness
Atkins said Monday she intends to reintroduce her failed legislation from earlier this year that would allow the construction of duplexes on single-family lots — a bill that narrowly missed the final legislative deadline for passage in August. She said a package of other housing legislation is expected in the coming days, much of it a do-over from the prior legislative session, again seeking to make a dent in one of California’s most entrenched problems.
There will also be efforts to revive the prior session’s ideas on funding new programs to address homelessness. In November, a coalition of Democratic mayors and housing advocacy groups urged lawmakers to again consider a plan earmarking in the state budget more than $2 billion a year for the effort. Legislation on the topic failed to advance, and advocates point out that the pandemic has exacerbated a crisis that lawmakers pledged to tackle last year.
“Finding a permanent funding source is the first step to ending homelessness in California,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement last month.
Schools
With millions of California children facing the prospect of most or all of the school year being conducted remotely, lawmakers will look for ways to standardize the procedures for when to open and how to provide the money to do so safely.
Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) introduced a bill Monday that would require school districts to reopen campuses when community infection rates drop.
Throughout the fall, school leaders took varying approaches toward resuming limited in-person instruction when their counties moved into the less-restrictive public health tiers established by the Newsom administration. As a result, schools in neighboring communities sometimes made conflicting decisions about whether to open.
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Ting’s bill would impose a statewide rule for students to begin returning to campus in counties in any but the most restrictive tier.
“Schools in other states and countries have prioritized in-person learning during COVID-19 and have done so without major outbreaks,” Ting said in a statement. “California ought to follow that path.”
The plight of millions of students struggling to access remote learning has prompted several early proposals to significantly expand broadband services, including a $10-billion bond, which would require voter approval in 2022, for far-reaching connectivity projects. Rural communities and low-income neighborhoods in larger cities would both be served by some of the efforts.
Business and unemployment
Lawmakers said Monday they will seek ways to meet the array of employment challenges worsened by the pandemic and to provide more assistance to those who are unemployed.
Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell) introduced a bill that would allow workers at large companies to take as many as 10 days of unpaid, job-protected bereavement leave when an immediate family member dies — an effort inspired by the current crisis but one that would not be limited to COVID-19 deaths or end with the pandemic. Workers at businesses with fewer than 25 employees would be eligible for three days of bereavement leave.
“Even though the majority of employers will do the right thing, we need to protect our most vulnerable workers during this difficult time,” Low said in a statement.
On the employer side, legislation was introduced Monday providing tax credits for small businesses and those deemed essential that would help defray the cost of various COVID-19 regulations.
Several proposals were introduced following major delays and reports of extensive fraud in the unemployment insurance programs operated by the state.
Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron of Escondido promised legislation to impose new deadlines on when the state Employment Development Department must make a determination on a filed claim.
In response to news of fraud investigations linked to claims filed in the names of prisoners, legislation from Assemblyman Phillip Chen (R-Diamond Bar) would require cross-checking EDD claims with county and state correctional records.
And multiple pieces of legislation are expected to allow unemployed Californians to have their benefit payments deposited directly into a bank account — avoiding prepaid debit cards, which officials reported Monday may have been responsible for as much as $2 billion in fraudulent activity.
“Widespread problems with debit cards have prevented countless families from putting food on the table or paying the bills,” Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), the author of a direct-deposit bill, said in a statement. “Making a direct-deposit option available is a simple, common-sense solution to so many challenges we know California residents are facing.”
Policing and public safety
Several bills seek to expand on recent efforts to change policing tactics, prompted by incidents such as the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and police procedures during protests.
On Monday, Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) reintroduced a bill to toughen penalties for police officers who do not intervene when witnessing a fellow officer use excessive force — an effort that failed just before legislators adjourned in late summer.
“Given the widespread public outcry for police reforms right now, we have another opportunity for California to lead on this issue,” Holden said in a statement.
Also back for a second try is a proposal to enact new statewide standards for when and how law enforcement officers use projectile weapons or chemical agents during protests. The bill would also ban the use of those items in some situations.
A third policing bill that failed in the previous legislative session, one that would provide greater public access to records detailing police misconduct, was also reintroduced.
Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), who clashed with California’s politically powerful corrections officers union during his reelection campaign, is introducing a bill that would require recruits for such jobs to be age 25 or older or to have a bachelor’s degree. The current minimum standard is age 18 with a high school diploma or passage of an equivalent test. The Democratic lawmaker said older, more mature officers would be less likely to use excessive force or to use their firearms in tense situations.
Misinformation and elections
After a political season marked by widespread concerns over the accuracy of information found online, California lawmakers will consider a proposal requiring social media companies to disclose what — if any — policies they have in place to spot fake content.
The bill by Assemblyman Ed Chau (D-Arcadia) would also require the companies to tell users what programs are used “to reduce the spread of harmful, verifiably inauthentic content.”
Another proposal inspired by the election would change the rules for “slate mailers,” the single-page political circulars that purport to be a set of election recommendations from a group whose values align with those of voters.
In many cases, the mailers are assembled by political consultants who charge candidates and campaigns for space on the document. In the fierce campaign over Proposition 22, the ballot measure creating new workplace rules for drivers at app-based companies, liberal political groups complained that some of the mailers suggested prominent Democrats had endorsed the ballot measure. The bill introduced Monday would require mailers to include information on backers and how much each campaign paid to be cited on the document.
Another election-related bill would make permanent this year’s temporary rule to mail a ballot to every registered California voter. The bill by Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) would also require that ballot tracking services be used in future elections, ensuring that voters have a way to check on the status of their ballots if problems arise.
Times staff writers Patrick McGreevy and Melody Gutierrez contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-12-07--California's new contact-tracing app: What you need to know

Beginning Thursday , Californians will have the option to receive smartphone notifications if they ’ ve been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus .
California on Monday announced the public rollout of an app to support the state ’ s COVID-19 contact tracing efforts .
Called CA Notify , the app relies on a tech framework created by Apple and Google that uses Apple and Android phones ’ short-range Bluetooth radios to determine when two devices have been near one another for more than 15 minutes .
The tool arrives seven months after the tech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Gavin Newsom said it would be key to supporting California ’ s contact-tracing efforts .
It comes as California ’ s coronavirus hospitalizations have surged past 10,000 , making this wave of infections the largest to date .
“ This holds a lot of promise , ” Newsom said at a news conference Monday .
“ The more people that participate in it , the more that opt in , the more effective this program can be.
” However , Newsom said he didn ’ t want to “ overstate ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for it to have a profound effect , many Californians would need to use it .
Here ’ s what you need to know : How does it work ?
When users of the app test positive for COVID-19 , they will receive a text notification from the California Department of Public Health with a code to input .
Those whose phones have been in proximity to the phone of the infected person within the previous two weeks will receive exposure alerts .
The idea is to identify exposed individuals early , allowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pilot program involving an estimated 250,000 students , staff and faculty at seven UC campuses earlier this fall , the system proved effective , Dr. Christopher Longhurst , chief information officer at UC San Diego Health , said in a statement .
Tech companies , California officials and health experts point out these types of tools are no substitute for other measures to prevent transmission , including distancing , mask-wearing and interview-based contact tracing .
Can I opt out of using the app ?
Yes .
Californians voluntarily activate the app .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Newsom underscored this point in Monday ’ s news conference , aiming to get out ahead of privacy concerns that could deter use of the platform .
“ It ’ s 100 % private , 100 % secure , 100 % voluntary .
You opt in , or you choose not to , ” he said .
What are the privacy implications ?
Minimal .
Safeguards proposed by Apple and Google won cautious approval from privacy advocates such as the American Civil Liberties Union ( though the organization has remained skeptical overall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exposure notification . )
Data stay anonymous because mobile devices in proximity to one another only exchange randomly generated strings of numbers — keys that rotate frequently to prevent tracking a device over time .
Data are stored on the user ’ s device only 14 days , after which it is automatically deleted .
Has the technology worked in other states ?
In the dozen-plus states where the technology has been made available so far , encouraging enough people to sign up has posed a huge hurdle .
Preliminary research by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Medicine projected that 15 % uptake of an exposure notification system in Washington state ( combined with manual contact tracing efforts ) could reduce infections by 15 % and deaths by 11 % .
Data from Nevada show how tough it is to reach that level of adoption .
On Aug. 24 , Nevada ’ s Department of Health and Human Services launched exposure notification app COVID Trace to its 3 million-plus residents .
By Nov. 9 , the app had been downloaded less than 70,000 times — or just under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adult population , according to Time magazine .
How can I activate the CA Notify app ?
Californians with Android phones must download the app from the Google Play store once it ’ s available Thursday , and check to make sure their device ’ s Bluetooth is on .
Users of iPhones running iOS version 13.7 or later can enable notifications without downloading anything by opening “ Settings , ” scrolling down to “ Exposure Notifications , ” selecting “ Turn On ” and setting California as the location .

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a voluntary smartphone app to alert people if they were in close contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Beginning Thursday, Californians will have the option to receive smartphone notifications if they’ve been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
California on Monday announced the public rollout of an app to support the state’s COVID-19 contact tracing efforts. Called CA Notify, the app relies on a tech framework created by Apple and Google that uses Apple and Android phones’ short-range Bluetooth radios to determine when two devices have been near one another for more than 15 minutes.
The tool arrives seven months after the tech giants released the digital interface and Gov. Gavin Newsom said it would be key to supporting California’s contact-tracing efforts. It comes as California’s coronavirus hospitalizations have surged past 10,000, making this wave of infections the largest to date.
“This holds a lot of promise,” Newsom said at a news conference Monday. “The more people that participate in it, the more that opt in, the more effective this program can be.”
However, Newsom said he didn’t want to “overstate” the utility of the app: In order for it to have a profound effect, many Californians would need to use it.
Here’s what you need to know:
How does it work?
When users of the app test positive for COVID-19, they will receive a text notification from the California Department of Public Health with a code to input.
Those whose phones have been in proximity to the phone of the infected person within the previous two weeks will receive exposure alerts.
The idea is to identify exposed individuals early, allowing them to quickly quarantine. In a pilot program involving an estimated 250,000 students, staff and faculty at seven UC campuses earlier this fall, the system proved effective, Dr. Christopher Longhurst, chief information officer at UC San Diego Health, said in a statement.
Tech companies, California officials and health experts point out these types of tools are no substitute for other measures to prevent transmission, including distancing, mask-wearing and interview-based contact tracing.
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Can I opt out of using the app?
Yes. Californians voluntarily activate the app. There is no requirement that you use it.
Newsom underscored this point in Monday’s news conference, aiming to get out ahead of privacy concerns that could deter use of the platform.
“It’s 100% private, 100% secure, 100% voluntary. You opt in, or you choose not to,” he said.
What are the privacy implications?
Minimal. Safeguards proposed by Apple and Google won cautious approval from privacy advocates such as the American Civil Liberties Union (though the organization has remained skeptical overall of the need to use apps for exposure notification.)
Data stay anonymous because mobile devices in proximity to one another only exchange randomly generated strings of numbers — keys that rotate frequently to prevent tracking a device over time. Data are stored on the user’s device only 14 days, after which it is automatically deleted.
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Has the technology worked in other states?
In the dozen-plus states where the technology has been made available so far, encouraging enough people to sign up has posed a huge hurdle.
Preliminary research by a team at Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Medicine projected that 15% uptake of an exposure notification system in Washington state (combined with manual contact tracing efforts) could reduce infections by 15% and deaths by 11%.
Data from Nevada show how tough it is to reach that level of adoption. On Aug. 24, Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services launched exposure notification app COVID Trace to its 3 million-plus residents. By Nov. 9, the app had been downloaded less than 70,000 times — or just under 3% of the state’s adult population, according to Time magazine.
How can I activate the CA Notify app?
Californians with Android phones must download the app from the Google Play store once it’s available Thursday, and check to make sure their device’s Bluetooth is on.
Users of iPhones running iOS version 13.7 or later can enable notifications without downloading anything by opening “Settings,” scrolling down to “Exposure Notifications,” selecting “Turn On” and setting California as the location.
Times staff writer John Myers contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-12-07--California coronavirus shutdown will last through Christmas as deaths explode past 20,000

For millions of Californians , the COVID-19 pandemic will provide a most unwelcome gift this Christmas : a wide-ranging shutdown imposed as the state grapples with its most massive and dangerous surge in infections and hospitalizations to date .
Monday provided even more devastating news : More than 20,000 cumulative deaths and more than 34,000 new coronavirus cases reported Monday alone , according to The Times ’ county-by-county tally of infections .
That shatters the previous single-day record , set Friday , when 22,369 coronavirus cases were tallied .
And for the first time , more than 10,000 people with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — quadruple the number from Halloween .
The stay-at-home restrictions that took hold at 11:59 p.m. Sunday across Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley will remain in place for at least three weeks , meaning those regions will not be able to emerge from the state ’ s latest stay-at-home order until Dec. 28 at the earliest .
Five counties in the San Francisco Bay Area also announced last week that they were proactively implementing the new restrictions and planned to keep them in place until at least Jan. 4 .
Combined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 33 million Californians , representing 84 % of the state ’ s population .
The timing of the rules is the latest blow , in a year full of them , for many businesses — which have been battered by coronavirus-related restrictions and hoped the holiday shopping season would throw them a desperately needed lifeline — and to the psyche of Californians , who for months have lived with the threat of the coronavirus hanging over their heads .
Officials , though , have said desperate times call for drastic measures .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skyrocketed to a level that would have been unthinkable just weeks ago .
Hospitals are already contending with an unprecedented wave of more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients .
“ Once people die , they ’ re gone from our lives forever — and there ’ s no way to measure that impact at all , ” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said during a briefing Monday .
“ There ’ s no value you really can place on a person ’ s husband or daughter or their friend or their loved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tragedy , particularly those deaths that , in some ways , if we were all better at doing our part , we could be preventing right now.
” As bleak as things are now , the ceiling of the surge may be yet to come , as experts say the ramifications of travel and gathering for the Thanksgiving holiday have yet to be fully realized .
Cases that stem from “ dinner tables or activities and plans , travel through Thanksgiving , are going to show up right about now , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health and Human Services secretary , and “ we know we ’ ll be seeing that for many days to come.
” “ We believe , ” he said at a Monday briefing , “ that the levels of transmission that we ’ ve been reporting so far will likely continue to go up some because of those activities around Thanksgiving.
” Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced the new round of restrictions last week , saying stricter intervention was needed to shore up the state ’ s hospital system and make sure intensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s latest strategy carves California into five regions : Southern California , the San Joaquin Valley , the Bay Area , the Greater Sacramento area and rural Northern California .
A region is required to implement a state-defined stay-at-home order — which restricts retail capacity to 20 % and shuts down outdoor restaurant dining , hair salons , nail salons , public outdoor playgrounds , card rooms , museums , zoos , aquariums and wineries — if its available ICU capacity drops below 15 % .
Southern California and the San Joaquin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and as of Monday their ICU availability had tumbled to 10.9 % and 6.3 % , respectively .
On Monday , Ventura , Santa Barbara , and San Luis Obispo counties announced that they may seek approval from the state to separate from the Southern California region and create their own Central Coast region .
The counties will request to be considered a separate region to assess restrictions to curb the spread of the virus if their ICU capacity exceeds 15 % in the next three weeks , according to a Ventura County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approach is important for our community members and struggling businesses , ” said County Executive Officer Mike Powers .
“ We believe it ’ s reasonable to have the Central Coast as one region instead of including our County with over half the State ’ s population in the current Southern California Region.
” The area defined as the San Joaquin Valley covers Calaveras , Fresno , Kern , Kings , Madera , Mariposa , Merced , San Benito , San Joaquin , Stanislaus , Tulare and Tuolumne counties .
Both Greater Sacramento @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California ( 28.2 % ) remain above the ICU threshold for now .
So does the Bay Area , at 25.7 % .
Health officials there aren ’ t waiting , however , and have already decided to apply the order — which went into effect in San Francisco , Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties on Sunday ; in Alameda County on Monday ; and will do so in Marin County on Tuesday .
“ We can not wait until after we have driven off the cliff to pull the emergency brake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clara County ’ s health officer , said in a statement .
The latest restrictions have been a source of controversy , however .
Critics have demanded to see data justifying the latest rules and questioned whether they will play a significant role in turning the tide of the pandemic — particularly if residents don ’ t abide by them and law enforcement departments decline to enforce them .
Some have also objected to the state taking a regional view , saying they shouldn ’ t be punished because of their neighboring counties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are undoubtedly a hardship for many , Ghaly said they were “ required to make sure we get through the surge as quickly as possible and saving as many lives and preventing as many infections as we possibly can.
” California has seen a sustained and shocking rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations over the last few weeks — with numbers surging to levels far beyond those seen at any other point in the pandemic .
Statewide , average daily coronavirus cases have jumped sixfold since early October , hospitalizations have quadrupled since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have nearly tripled in the last month .
Over the last week , California has averaged 20,414 cases per day , a 78.3 % increase from two weeks ago , according to data compiled by The Times .
Roughly 240,000 Californians have tested positive for the coronavirus in the last 14 days .
That number is larger than the entire population of the city of San Bernardino .
There are now 10,070 coronavirus-positive patients hospitalized statewide and 2,360 are in intensive care , according to numbers Newsom presented Monday .
Both those figures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 112 Californians have died from COVID-19 every day over the last week .
“ I think we have moved from characterizing this as a surge , in my mind , to being basically a viral tsunami in terms of its size , ” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley , a professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health , medical epidemiologist and infectious disease expert .
In Los Angeles County , the state ’ s most populous , health officials reported more than 10,500 new cases Sunday , an unprecedented number for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surpassed 3,000 , and Ferrer said that number could rise dramatically in the next few weeks as the full toll of the Thanksgiving holiday comes into view .
Given the county ’ s recent sky-high case counts , Ferrer said officials are projecting that daily hospitalizations could surpass 4,000 this month — with daily deaths potentially rising to 65 soon thereafter .
Before the latest surge , the county had never seen recorded 2,300 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in a single day .
“ These numbers reflect actions we took in late November , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actions back , ” Ferrer said .
“ What we can do is change our actions today so that , two to three weeks from now , we ’ re not reporting a similarly disastrous cascade of events.
” Though the pandemic has reached crisis levels in California , state officials say there is light at the end of the tunnel as companies begin to roll out their initial shipments of COVID-19 vaccines .
Newsom said Monday the state was planning to receive 2.16 million doses of vaccine this month — with delivery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Hope is on the horizon , ” he said .
More tools are also coming online .
Starting Thursday , Californians will be able to opt into a smartphone-based system , turning on COVID-19 exposure notifications in their iPhone settings or downloading the CA Notify app in the Google Play Store .
Some residents can expect to get a notification by phone alerting them that the program is available .
State officials hope the Bluetooth-based technology — which doesn ’ t collect location data or people ’ s identities — will help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by quickly notifying people when they ’ ve been exposed to someone who later tests positive for the disease .
Newsom has also named a new general in the battle against COVID-19 .
He announced Monday that he had appointed Tomás Aragón as director of the California Department of Public Health .
Aragón had been health officer for the city and county of San Francisco .
“ We ’ re very , very enthusiastic to have him now on the team , ” Newsom said , “ to continue to supplement our efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenging phase.
” The appointment requires confirmation from the state Senate .
Times staff writers Alex Wigglesworth , Jack Dolan and Sean Greene and Lyndsay Winkley of the San Diego Union-Tribune contributed to this report .

Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II, Sean Greene

Kelsy Tasem, 11, left, and sister Mackenzi, 14, have their socially distanced photo taken with Santa, played by Jeffrey Fast, on Wednesday at Westfield Topanga mall in Canoga Park.
For millions of Californians, the COVID-19 pandemic will provide a most unwelcome gift this Christmas: a wide-ranging shutdown imposed as the state grapples with its most massive and dangerous surge in infections and hospitalizations to date.
Monday provided even more devastating news: More than 20,000 cumulative deaths and more than 34,000 new coronavirus cases reported Monday alone, according to The Times’ county-by-county tally of infections. That shatters the previous single-day record, set Friday, when 22,369 coronavirus cases were tallied.
And for the first time, more than 10,000 people with coronavirus infections are now hospitalized in California — quadruple the number from Halloween.
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The stay-at-home restrictions that took hold at 11:59 p.m. Sunday across Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley will remain in place for at least three weeks, meaning those regions will not be able to emerge from the state’s latest stay-at-home order until Dec. 28 at the earliest.
Five counties in the San Francisco Bay Area also announced last week that they were proactively implementing the new restrictions and planned to keep them in place until at least Jan. 4.
Combined, those regions are home to some 33 million Californians, representing 84% of the state’s population.
The timing of the rules is the latest blow, in a year full of them, for many businesses — which have been battered by coronavirus-related restrictions and hoped the holiday shopping season would throw them a desperately needed lifeline — and to the psyche of Californians, who for months have lived with the threat of the coronavirus hanging over their heads.
Officials, though, have said desperate times call for drastic measures. The number of new daily coronavirus cases has skyrocketed to a level that would have been unthinkable just weeks ago. Hospitals are already contending with an unprecedented wave of more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients.
“Once people die, they’re gone from our lives forever — and there’s no way to measure that impact at all,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said during a briefing Monday. “There’s no value you really can place on a person’s husband or daughter or their friend or their loved one. And every death is a tragedy, particularly those deaths that, in some ways, if we were all better at doing our part, we could be preventing right now.”
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As bleak as things are now, the ceiling of the surge may be yet to come, as experts say the ramifications of travel and gathering for the Thanksgiving holiday have yet to be fully realized.
Cases that stem from “dinner tables or activities and plans, travel through Thanksgiving, are going to show up right about now,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s Health and Human Services secretary, and “we know we’ll be seeing that for many days to come.”
“We believe,” he said at a Monday briefing, “that the levels of transmission that we’ve been reporting so far will likely continue to go up some because of those activities around Thanksgiving.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the new round of restrictions last week, saying stricter intervention was needed to shore up the state’s hospital system and make sure intensive care beds remained available.
The state’s latest strategy carves California into five regions: Southern California, the San Joaquin Valley, the Bay Area, the Greater Sacramento area and rural Northern California.
A region is required to implement a state-defined stay-at-home order — which restricts retail capacity to 20% and shuts down outdoor restaurant dining, hair salons, nail salons, public outdoor playgrounds, card rooms, museums, zoos, aquariums and wineries — if its available ICU capacity drops below 15%.
Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley are already below that threshold, and as of Monday their ICU availability had tumbled to 10.9% and 6.3%, respectively.
The Southern California region encompasses Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
On Monday, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties announced that they may seek approval from the state to separate from the Southern California region and create their own Central Coast region.
The counties will request to be considered a separate region to assess restrictions to curb the spread of the virus if their ICU capacity exceeds 15% in the next three weeks, according to a Ventura County press release.
“A smaller regional approach is important for our community members and struggling businesses,” said County Executive Officer Mike Powers. “We believe it’s reasonable to have the Central Coast as one region instead of including our County with over half the State’s population in the current Southern California Region.”
The area defined as the San Joaquin Valley covers Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne counties.
Both Greater Sacramento (20.3%,) and Northern California (28.2%) remain above the ICU threshold for now.
So does the Bay Area, at 25.7%. Health officials there aren’t waiting, however, and have already decided to apply the order — which went into effect in San Francisco, Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties on Sunday; in Alameda County on Monday; and will do so in Marin County on Tuesday.
“We cannot wait until after we have driven off the cliff to pull the emergency brake,” Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County’s health officer, said in a statement.
The latest restrictions have been a source of controversy, however. Critics have demanded to see data justifying the latest rules and questioned whether they will play a significant role in turning the tide of the pandemic — particularly if residents don’t abide by them and law enforcement departments decline to enforce them.
Some have also objected to the state taking a regional view, saying they shouldn’t be punished because of their neighboring counties’ circumstances.
Though the additional restrictions are undoubtedly a hardship for many, Ghaly said they were “required to make sure we get through the surge as quickly as possible and saving as many lives and preventing as many infections as we possibly can.”
California has seen a sustained and shocking rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations over the last few weeks — with numbers surging to levels far beyond those seen at any other point in the pandemic.
Statewide, average daily coronavirus cases have jumped sixfold since early October, hospitalizations have quadrupled since late October, and average daily deaths have nearly tripled in the last month.
Over the last week, California has averaged 20,414 cases per day, a 78.3% increase from two weeks ago, according to data compiled by The Times.
Roughly 240,000 Californians have tested positive for the coronavirus in the last 14 days. That number is larger than the entire population of the city of San Bernardino.
There are now 10,070 coronavirus-positive patients hospitalized statewide and 2,360 are in intensive care, according to numbers Newsom presented Monday. Both those figures are all-time highs.
An average of 112 Californians have died from COVID-19 every day over the last week.
“I think we have moved from characterizing this as a surge, in my mind, to being basically a viral tsunami in terms of its size,” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, a professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, medical epidemiologist and infectious disease expert.
In Los Angeles County, the state’s most populous, health officials reported more than 10,500 new cases Sunday, an unprecedented number for a single day. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have surpassed 3,000, and Ferrer said that number could rise dramatically in the next few weeks as the full toll of the Thanksgiving holiday comes into view.
Given the county’s recent sky-high case counts, Ferrer said officials are projecting that daily hospitalizations could surpass 4,000 this month — with daily deaths potentially rising to 65 soon thereafter.
Before the latest surge, the county had never seen recorded 2,300 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in a single day.
“These numbers reflect actions we took in late November, and we can’t take those actions back,” Ferrer said. “What we can do is change our actions today so that, two to three weeks from now, we’re not reporting a similarly disastrous cascade of events.”
Though the pandemic has reached crisis levels in California, state officials say there is light at the end of the tunnel as companies begin to roll out their initial shipments of COVID-19 vaccines.
Newsom said Monday the state was planning to receive 2.16 million doses of vaccine this month — with delivery expected to start by next week.
“Hope is on the horizon,” he said.
More tools are also coming online. Starting Thursday, Californians will be able to opt into a smartphone-based system, turning on COVID-19 exposure notifications in their iPhone settings or downloading the CA Notify app in the Google Play Store.
Some residents can expect to get a notification by phone alerting them that the program is available.
State officials hope the Bluetooth-based technology — which doesn’t collect location data or people’s identities — will help slow the transmission of the novel coronavirus by quickly notifying people when they’ve been exposed to someone who later tests positive for the disease.
Newsom has also named a new general in the battle against COVID-19. He announced Monday that he had appointed Tomás Aragón as director of the California Department of Public Health.
Aragón had been health officer for the city and county of San Francisco.
“We’re very, very enthusiastic to have him now on the team,” Newsom said, “to continue to supplement our efforts as we move into this next and challenging phase.”
The appointment requires confirmation from the state Senate.
Times staff writers Alex Wigglesworth, Jack Dolan and Sean Greene and Lyndsay Winkley of the San Diego Union-Tribune contributed to this report.