latimes--2020-07-04--Some cities will fine residents who don't wear masks in bid to slow coronavirus

It ’ s been several weeks since Gov .
Gavin Newsom ordered Californians to wear masks or face coverings while in public settings .
But with coronavirus cases and hospitalizations spiking , some communities are now saying they will fine people who violate the rules .
The West Hollywood sheriff ’ s station announced this week that deputies will issue citations to those who are not following the statewide coronavirus health order to don face coverings while in public or high-risk settings .
Those citations will cost $ 300 for a first offense , according to the sheriff ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offenders will be charged $ 100 and the third offense will cost $ 500 , the city said Thursday in a media release .
The city of Monterey also said it would fine those not wearing face coverings .
While health officials say wearing face coverings is a vital tool in the fight against COVID-19 — as they can help keep those who are infected from spreading the disease to others — some local governments and county-level law enforcement agencies said they the requirement .
State and county officials have largely emphasized education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compliance with coronavirus-related rules .
But there is new pressure to get more people to wear masks .
Newsom on Friday warned local officials they could lose funding if they don ’ t abide by the restrictions the state has imposed , including closure of bars and other businesses .
Other are echoing a message of safety .
“ Everyone should be wearing your face covering .
I ’ m not asking you ; I ’ m telling you , ” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday .
“ If there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no service in any of the places where we shop , where we work , ” he said .
“ If you ’ re in contact with another person , wear that mask as a way of saying , ‘ I care about you.
’ ” Some of the nation ’ s top infectious-disease and epidemiology experts say moving away from universal mask wearing — one of the only tools against the coronavirus until a vaccine is available — will only frustrate society ’ s efforts to reopen .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work — it ’ s to mask , ” Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo , chair of UC San Francisco ’ s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics , told The Times earlier this month .
“ All of the data tells us ... it ’ s pretty clear that masking is the element that changes the trajectories of the COVID pandemic .
“ Literally , the only way we open up — which all of us want to do — is put on a mask , ” Bibbins-Domingo said .
She said it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masking has long been culturally accepted have been hit less hard by the pandemic .
“ I don ’ t think there ’ s any doubt about it , ” she said .
In these countries , residents have been spared the most severe stay-at-home orders or have moved out of that phase more quickly .
“ They haven ’ t seen large spikes because there ’ s a strong universal masking culture , ” Bibbins-Domingo said .
A recent out of Germany found that face masks reduced the daily growth rate of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In a British study , mathematical found that wearing face masks all the time while in public — not just after symptoms appear — would reduce the number of people with active infections over time .
“ If widespread face mask use by the public is combined with physical distancing and some lockdown , it may offer an acceptable way of managing the pandemic and reopening economic activity long before there is a working vaccine , ” the lead author of the British study , Richard Stutt of the University of Cambridge , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Diego County was placed on the state ’ s COVID-19 Friday because the number of new cases reported daily continues to grow , officials said .
The change in status comes as the July 4 weekend begins .
Officials have expressed concern that the county ’ s beaches and other outdoor areas could see an influx of visitors from surrounding counties , where beaches have been closed because of persistently high infection numbers .
Counties on the state monitoring list for at least three consecutive days must shut down certain businesses .
Because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first day on the list , it means local businesses should prepare to close or modify their operations as new restrictions are expected to go into effect on July 7 .
Restrictions may last for three weeks , a countywide statement said .
Ten more COVID-19 deaths were reported Friday , bringing the region ’ s total to 387 .
Six women and four men died ; their ages ranged from the mid-50s to late 90s .
All 10 had underlying health conditions .
The Orange County Health Care Agency reported six deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests received .
Cumulative deaths due to the disease caused by the coronavirus now stand at 360 , that number including 184 skilled nursing facility residents and 14 assisted living facility residents .
The county ’ s total case count has risen to 15,778 .
Hospitalizations countywide numbered 584 as of Friday , with 187 of those patients in an intensive care unit .
There were 5,963 additional tests reported within the last day , bringing the county ’ s total tests administered to 253,991 .
An estimated 8,075 patients have recovered after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not report numbers Friday and said it would do so either this weekend or Monday .
Without the L.A. numbers , California repored 4,325 new cases and 53 new deaths on Friday .
The Associated Press and San Diego Union-Tribune contributed to this report .
Times staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II also contributed to this report .

Luke Money, Stephanie Lai, Andrew Turner

Anthony Mitchell and Anissa Randle of Los Angeles walk along the Strand in Manhattan Beach on July 3.
It’s been several weeks since Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Californians to wear masks or face coverings while in public settings.
But with coronavirus cases and hospitalizations spiking, some communities are now saying they will fine people who violate the rules.
The West Hollywood sheriff’s station announced this week that deputies will issue citations to those who are not following the statewide coronavirus health order to don face coverings while in public or high-risk settings.
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Those citations will cost $300 for a first offense, according to the sheriff’s station.
In Santa Monica, first-time offenders will be charged $100 and the third offense will cost $500, the city said Thursday in a media release.
The city of Monterey also said it would fine those not wearing face coverings.
While health officials say wearing face coverings is a vital tool in the fight against COVID-19 — as they can help keep those who are infected from spreading the disease to others — some local governments and county-level law enforcement agencies said they would not enforce the requirement.
State and county officials have largely emphasized education, rather than enforcement, to encourage compliance with coronavirus-related rules.
But there is new pressure to get more people to wear masks.
Newsom on Friday warned local officials they could lose funding if they don’t abide by the restrictions the state has imposed, including closure of bars and other businesses.
Other are echoing a message of safety.
“Everyone should be wearing your face covering. I’m not asking you; I’m telling you,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday.
Advertisement
“If there’s no mask, there should be no service in any of the places where we shop, where we work,” he said. “If you’re in contact with another person, wear that mask as a way of saying, ‘I care about you.’”
Some of the nation’s top infectious-disease and epidemiology experts say moving away from universal mask wearing — one of the only tools against the coronavirus until a vaccine is available — will only frustrate society’s efforts to reopen.
“It’s the only way we get back to work — it’s to mask,” Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of UC San Francisco’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, told The Times in June. “All of the data tells us ... it’s pretty clear that masking is the element that changes the trajectories of the COVID pandemic.
“Literally, the only way we open up — which all of us want to do — is put on a mask,” Bibbins-Domingo said.
She said it’s no coincidence that some countries where universal masking has long been culturally accepted have been hit less hard by the pandemic. “I don’t think there’s any doubt about it,” she said.
In these countries, residents have been spared the most severe stay-at-home orders or have moved out of that phase more quickly. “They haven’t seen large spikes because there’s a strong universal masking culture,” Bibbins-Domingo said.
A recent study out of Germany found that face masks reduced the daily growth rate of reported infections by around 40%. In a British study, mathematical models found that wearing face masks all the time while in public — not just after symptoms appear — would reduce the number of people with active infections over time.
“If widespread face mask use by the public is combined with physical distancing and some lockdown, it may offer an acceptable way of managing the pandemic and reopening economic activity long before there is a working vaccine,” the lead author of the British study, Richard Stutt of the University of Cambridge, said in a statement .
Meanwhile, San Diego County was placed on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list Friday because the number of new cases reported daily continues to grow, officials said.
The change in status comes as the July 4 weekend begins. Officials have expressed concern that the county’s beaches and other outdoor areas could see an influx of visitors from surrounding counties, where beaches have been closed because of persistently high infection numbers.
Counties on the state monitoring list for at least three consecutive days must shut down certain businesses. Because Friday was San Diego County’s first day on the list, it means local businesses should prepare to close or modify their operations as new restrictions are expected to go into effect on July 7. Restrictions may last for three weeks, a countywide statement said.
Ten more COVID-19 deaths were reported Friday, bringing the region’s total to 387. Six women and four men died; their ages ranged from the mid-50s to late 90s. All 10 had underlying health conditions.
The Orange County Health Care Agency reported six deaths due to COVID-19 and 713 new positive tests received. Cumulative deaths due to the disease caused by the coronavirus now stand at 360, that number including 184 skilled nursing facility residents and 14 assisted living facility residents. The county’s total case count has risen to 15,778.
Hospitalizations countywide numbered 584 as of Friday, with 187 of those patients in an intensive care unit.
There were 5,963 additional tests reported within the last day, bringing the county’s total tests administered to 253,991. An estimated 8,075 patients have recovered after contracting COVID-19.
Los Angeles County did not report numbers Friday and said it would do so either this weekend or Monday.
Without the L.A. numbers, California repored 4,325 new cases and 53 new deaths on Friday.
The Associated Press and San Diego Union-Tribune contributed to this report. Times staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II also contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-07-04--3.3-magnitude earthquake strikes near Susanville, Calif.

A magnitude 3.3 earthquake was reported Saturday morning at 6:12 a.m. Pacific time 27 miles from Susanville , Calif. , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
The earthquake occurred 33 miles from Magalia , 36 miles from Paradise , 40 miles from Chico and 51 miles from Oroville .
In the last 10 days , there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby .
An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada , according to a recent three-year data sample .
The earthquake occurred at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this earthquake ?
Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS .
Even if you didn ’ t feel this small earthquake , you never know when the Big One is going to strike .
Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit .
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS .
A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published .
If you ’ re interested in learning more about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked questions .

A magnitude 3.3 earthquake was reported Saturday morning at 6:12 a.m. Pacific time 27 miles from Susanville, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake occurred 33 miles from Magalia, 36 miles from Paradise, 40 miles from Chico and 51 miles from Oroville.
In the last 10 days, there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
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An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.
Even if you didn’t feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.


latimes--2020-07-04--Column: Out of work, desperate and hungry, they waited in long lines for food

Jeanette Allen waited and waited in a line of cars that stretched down Haskell Avenue and east on Parthenia Street all the way under the 405 , and when she finally pulled up to the food distribution tent in North Hills on Thursday , a worker asked her to pop the trunk .
“ The trunk doesn ’ t open , ” said Allen , who was driving an 18-year-old white Hyundai sedan .
“ You want us to just hand it to you through the window ?
” she was asked .
Four boxes of fresh produce , dairy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Allen and she stacked them on the passenger seat .
Allen told me she had been getting by on a Social Security disability check and her income as a nanny .
But then the child ’ s mother lost her job because of the economic crash and didn ’ t need the help any longer .
“ I miss her so much , ” Allen said of the child she took care of .
“ I love my baby.
” Allen said she and two sisters share a Van Nuys apartment on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fourth or fifth time she had lined up for food giveaways since the pandemic knocked everything off course .
“ I mean , when I pay my bills , I am broke , ” said Allen .
“ I ’ ve got about $ 2 with me right now , and it ’ s in change.
” Los Angeles Regional Food Bank director Michael Flood said his nonprofit ’ s food distribution totals are up 70 % over this time last year .
The equivalent of 27.5 million meals have been handed out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rewarding to offer the assistance , Flood said , “ It ’ s heartbreaking to have a long line of cars and see how many people are struggling to feed their families.
” On Thursday , the food bank brought enough food to donate to 1,500 families who drove to New Horizons , a nonprofit that serves people with special needs .
The day before , 2,400 families were served in Whittier .
The numbers reflect our failure to handle the virus as well as countries that were more vigilant about common sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re dubious , defiant and selfish , with far too many people taking their lead from a president who pushed for a quick reopening that is now crushing rather than boosting the economy .
But there ’ s plenty of blame to go around .
California still hasn ’ t figured out coherent strategies for testing and tracing , and residents are understandably confused by conflicting and changing messages from Gov .
Gavin Newsom and others about what we can and can ’ t do .
So instead of enjoying some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beaches and restaurants are closed because California has seen an alarming surge in new cases and hospitalizations .
We ’ re a pandemic hot spot state , not all that much better off than Arizona , Texas and Georgia , which rushed to reopen .
And the casualties are in their vehicles , idling with family members including children in baby seats , desperate for enough food to hold them over a little longer .
“ We got in the wrong line at first , ” said Larry Latham , who arrived at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw so many vehicles ahead of him , he got confused about where he was supposed to queue up .
They finally got to the front of the line at 11:15 .
Larry , an unemployed film lab technician , said he ’ s been on disability and was finally nearing a return to work when the economy went bust .
Sittit is a home health aide who is averaging only two days of work per week .
Mahdi Tavazoei , an out of work mechanical engineer , picked up some food along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nursing student .
He said he had been driving for Uber , but has given that up for now .
“ I ’ m afraid of the virus , ” he said , telling me that he and his wife were surviving on their savings .
“ I have no job , and I am counting every dollar.
” Meg Arakelians , one of the workers on the food line , is an L.A. County library aide whose library is closed due to the virus .
She and some colleagues are occasionally reassigned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arakelians was one of several workers who would get their own food handout at the end of their shift .
She told me she lives with her sister and parents , and two of the four of them are out of work .
“ So this food donation will really help you out ?
” I asked .
She told me the food wasn ’ t for her family ; she was going to deliver it to some friends .
“ They lost their jobs and they have two kids , ” Arakelians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use the help.
” Volunteers , some of whom work year round , help make the L.A .
Regional Food Bank the great nonprofit that it is .
My wife did a one-day shift at a food giveaway in Highland Park several weeks ago and told me about a young Cal State Fullerton graduate she teamed with , Alexis Jaime , who told her he planned to work about 50 volunteer shifts while waiting to hear back on his graduate school applications .
“ I think I ’ ve done more than 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jaime told me when I called to ask him how things were going .
He said that Spanish-speaking families have opened up to him on the drive-through food lines about their financial struggles during the pandemic .
They ’ ve lost jobs , lost hours , and lost the economic footing they were barely able to keep even before the economy tumbled .
“ This one lady was crying , saying she lost her job and was having a really tough time , ” said Jaime , who has wanted to be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his grandfather died after intestinal surgery .
His other grandfather now has COVID-19 , Jaime said , and when there ’ s food left over after the giveaways , he ’ ll take boxes to relatives and friends so they don ’ t have to risk going to the store .
At Thursday ’ s giveaway , I found three people who were there volunteering because they had time on their hands after losing jobs .
Allie Rosen , just out of college , lost his job as a technician at Six Flags @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got interested in public service in high school , and the food line seemed like a good way to lend a hand .
James Rickman , who lost his job as a magazine editor , said he has volunteered at several food giveaways .
It ’ s partly because he wants to be of use , he said .
And also “ to help deal with this feeling of despair.
” A.J .
Norris told me he lost a small sales business and is doing occasional yard work .
With extra time on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something to serve the community.
” When I asked why , he said , “ Because a lot of people are struggling.
” The long line of snaking cars confirmed his assessment .

Jeanette Allen waited and waited in a line of cars that stretched down Haskell Avenue and east on Parthenia Street all the way under the 405, and when she finally pulled up to the food distribution tent in North Hills on Thursday, a worker asked her to pop the trunk.
“The trunk doesn’t open,” said Allen, who was driving an 18-year-old white Hyundai sedan.
“You want us to just hand it to you through the window?” she was asked.
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Four boxes of fresh produce, dairy products and cupboard items were handed to Allen and she stacked them on the passenger seat. Allen told me she had been getting by on a Social Security disability check and her income as a nanny. But then the child’s mother lost her job because of the economic crash and didn’t need the help any longer.
Jeanette Allen, of Van Nuys, received four boxes of groceries (stacked in passenger seat) at the food distribution drive-through Thursday at L.A. Regional Food Bank giveaway in North Hills. (Steve Lopez/Los Angeles Times)
“I miss her so much,” Allen said of the child she took care of. “I love my baby.”
Allen said she and two sisters share a Van Nuys apartment on a tight budget, and this was the fourth or fifth time she had lined up for food giveaways since the pandemic knocked everything off course. “I mean, when I pay my bills, I am broke,” said Allen. “I’ve got about $2 with me right now, and it’s in change.”
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank director Michael Flood said his nonprofit’s food distribution totals are up 70% over this time last year. The equivalent of 27.5 million meals have been handed out since March, and while it feels rewarding to offer the assistance, Flood said, “It’s heartbreaking to have a long line of cars and see how many people are struggling to feed their families.”
On Thursday, the food bank brought enough food to donate to 1,500 families who drove to New Horizons, a nonprofit that serves people with special needs. The day before, 2,400 families were served in Whittier.
Advertisement
The numbers reflect our failure to handle the virus as well as countries that were more vigilant about common sense distancing and mask wearing. Here, we’re dubious, defiant and selfish, with far too many people taking their lead from a president who pushed for a quick reopening that is now crushing rather than boosting the economy.
But there’s plenty of blame to go around. California still hasn’t figured out coherent strategies for testing and tracing, and residents are understandably confused by conflicting and changing messages from Gov. Gavin Newsom and others about what we can and can’t do.
So instead of enjoying some freedom on Fourth of July weekend, beaches and restaurants are closed because California has seen an alarming surge in new cases and hospitalizations. We’re a pandemic hot spot state, not all that much better off than Arizona, Texas and Georgia, which rushed to reopen.
And the casualties are in their vehicles, idling with family members including children in baby seats, desperate for enough food to hold them over a little longer.
“We got in the wrong line at first,” said Larry Latham, who arrived at 9 a.m. with his wife Sittit and saw so many vehicles ahead of him, he got confused about where he was supposed to queue up.
They finally got to the front of the line at 11:15. Larry, an unemployed film lab technician, said he’s been on disability and was finally nearing a return to work when the economy went bust. Sittit is a home health aide who is averaging only two days of work per week.
Mahdi Tavazoei, an out of work mechanical engineer, picked up some food along with his wife, Nahid, a nursing student. He said he had been driving for Uber, but has given that up for now.
“I’m afraid of the virus,” he said, telling me that he and his wife were surviving on their savings. “I have no job, and I am counting every dollar.”
Meg Arakelians, one of the workers on the food line, is an L.A. County library aide whose library is closed due to the virus. She and some colleagues are occasionally reassigned to help out with these giveaways.
Arakelians was one of several workers who would get their own food handout at the end of their shift. She told me she lives with her sister and parents, and two of the four of them are out of work.
“So this food donation will really help you out?” I asked.
She told me the food wasn’t for her family; she was going to deliver it to some friends.
“They lost their jobs and they have two kids,” Arakelians said, “so they could really use the help.”
Volunteers, some of whom work year round, help make the L.A. Regional Food Bank the great nonprofit that it is. My wife did a one-day shift at a food giveaway in Highland Park several weeks ago and told me about a young Cal State Fullerton graduate she teamed with, Alexis Jaime, who told her he planned to work about 50 volunteer shifts while waiting to hear back on his graduate school applications.
“I think I’ve done more than 30 since the beginning of March,” Jaime told me when I called to ask him how things were going. He said that Spanish-speaking families have opened up to him on the drive-through food lines about their financial struggles during the pandemic. They’ve lost jobs, lost hours, and lost the economic footing they were barely able to keep even before the economy tumbled.
“This one lady was crying, saying she lost her job and was having a really tough time,” said Jaime, who has wanted to be a doctor since he was about 10 and his grandfather died after intestinal surgery. His other grandfather now has COVID-19, Jaime said, and when there’s food left over after the giveaways, he’ll take boxes to relatives and friends so they don’t have to risk going to the store.
At Thursday’s giveaway, I found three people who were there volunteering because they had time on their hands after losing jobs.
Allie Rosen, just out of college, lost his job as a technician at Six Flags Magic Mountain. He said he first got interested in public service in high school, and the food line seemed like a good way to lend a hand.
James Rickman, who lost his job as a magazine editor, said he has volunteered at several food giveaways. It’s partly because he wants to be of use, he said. And also “to help deal with this feeling of despair.”
A.J. Norris told me he lost a small sales business and is doing occasional yard work. With extra time on his hands he wanted to “do something to serve the community.” When I asked why, he said, “Because a lot of people are struggling.”
The long line of snaking cars confirmed his assessment.
Steve.lopez@latimes.com


latimes--2020-07-04--USC must 'reckon with its history of white supremacy' in its namesake sites, some say

As protests over the police killing of George Floyd raged across the nation , USC removed the name of one of its most influential leaders from a landmark building on campus .
The decision to strip the name of its fifth president , Rufus B. von KleinSmid , a eugenics leader , from among its tallest buildings brought cheers .
President Carol Folt said the name removal was necessary because his beliefs were “ at direct odds ” with the university ’ s values .
But weeks later , some students and others are raising questions about a host of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether they too should be purged at this historic moment of reckoning .
The emerging debate is shaping up to be a test of whether the tradition-bound university is willing to break with other pieces of its history and address wrongs of the past .
“ Names matter , ” said Paula Cannon , a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology , and co-chair of a task force looking at building names .
“ And sometimes , it ’ s not enough to just say it was a long time ago.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or bring down symbols and names associated with racism .
Late last month , for instance , Princeton University removed the Woodrow Wilson name from its public policy school , citing his racist views and policies .
Across California and the nation , Confederate-linked statues have fallen .
USC has yet to publicly address the pasts of three prominent leaders who expressed racist views or were involved in disturbing acts : Joseph Widney , USC ’ s second president ; his brother and USC founder Judge Robert Widney ; and track and field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter announcing its support for the Black Lives Matter movement , the Trojan Knights , a student-run organization tasked with being USC ’ s “ guardians of tradition , ” called on the university “ to reckon with [ its ] history of white supremacy ” citing , among other concerns , the writings of Joseph Widney .
“ It ’ s undeniable that [ Joseph Widney ] had an outsized influence on building USC , but that doesn ’ t mean we need to memorialize him , ” said Anav Saxena , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Widney ’ s university bio credits him with establishing the medical school and leading USC through difficult financial times .
Absent from it , however , was his 1907 book , “ Race Life of the Aryan Peoples , ” which analyzed white superiority in the United States .
He wrote that Black and white people “ can not live together as equals.
” Before Widney ’ s writings , his brother had ties to a vigilante group .
David Torres-Rouff , a professor and historian at UC Merced , said Robert Widney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extralegal lynchings .
A statue in Robert Widney ’ s honor stands in front of the Widney Alumni House , USC ’ s oldest building , which is named after him .
Cromwell , the track and field coach during Von KleinSmid ’ s administration and an assistant at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany , is associated with the removal of two Jewish athletes from its relay team in a move some Olympic runners later said was fueled by anti-Semitism .
He also described Black athletes as “ primitive ” in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ field is named in his honor .
“ The Task Force on University Nomenclature is looking at buildings , monuments , and symbols across campus , ” USC said in a statement to The Times this week .
The university did not comment on the Widney brothers or Cromwell .
Camilo Daza Manga , a student on the task force , said the committee presented procedural recommendations for handling calls to de-name and rename sites in March , and that the Widney and Cromwell names would “ definitely warrant a look ” if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the group .
“ We ’ re on a campus that lacks recognition of other ethnic and racial pioneers that better reflect the university ’ s values than the cases you presented , ” he said .
“ Absolutely.
” Robert Widney ’ s USC bio places him in the “ rough and tumble frontier town ” of Los Angeles and credits his perseverance as a university founder in 1880 .
When erecting a statue to honor him in 2014 , then-President C. L. Max Nikias praised him for saving a group of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1871 .
Yet his involvement in the Home Guard Vigilance Committee in the late 1800s suggests a more controversial facet of his Los Angeles legacy .
At the time , vigilante groups were prevalent in the young city and often targeted Native Americans and people of color , according to multiple historians .
“ They were taking laws into their own hands , ” said Bill Tierney , co-director of the Pullias Center for Higher Education at USC .
“ We shouldn ’ t heroize people and say they ’ re the greatest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t make any mistakes , because that ’ s not true.
” “ If you ’ re going to pay homage to someone who ’ s part of your history , you need to recognize that people are complicated and that just because 150 years have passed doesn ’ t mean we only remember one shining moment and forget the rest , ” he said .
Tierney described the racial beliefs Joseph Widney espoused in his book as “ repugnant , ” citing them in a 2018 article asking universities “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it.
” “ The Black and the White could live together with the White as master – tho to the harm of the White man even more than of the Black ; but they can not live together as equals , ” Widney wrote in the book , which also described Native American people as savages .
Nearly four decades after the Widneys , Dean Cromwell , the track and field coach who led USC to 12 NCAA championships and assistant coach at the 1936 Olympic Games , expressed anti-Black views and was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actions .
At the Olympics , he was among the coaches who eliminated Jewish runners Sam Stoller and Marty Glickman from the relay team .
Instead , Ralph Metcalfe and gold medalist Jesse Owens , both Black athletes , replaced them for the race .
“ What is absolutely clear is that the move was made to spare Hitler and Nazi Germany the embarrassment of having Jews standing on the podium , ” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper , director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center , an international Jewish human rights organization .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I don ’ t know what is.
” For Cooper , Cromwell and the coaches ’ actions aligned with the sentiments of the American Olympic Committee President Avery Brundage , whose bust is being removed from the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco after activists accused him of having Nazi sympathizer views .
Stoller later revealed that Cromwell had opposed the substitution because he “ wanted an all-white relay team.
” Cromwell wrote in his 1941 book “ Championship Techniques in Track and Field ” that “ the Negro athlete excels because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the white athlete.
” “ It was not so long ago that his ability to sprint and jump was a life-and-death matter to him in the jungle , ” he wrote .
Like several Black track athletes approached by The Times , sprinter and hurdler Mecca McGlaston , who graduated from USC this year , said she was unaware of Cromwell ’ s comments .
She believes that his name should be removed from the field .
“ They tried to discredit a lot of Black athletes , and that quote is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ As far as history , history ’ s going to repeat itself if it ’ s not brought to the surface .
”

Judge Robert Widney, one of USC’s founders, is tied to a vigilante group that lynched a man in the late 1800s.
As protests over the police killing of George Floyd raged across the nation, USC removed the name of one of its most influential leaders from a landmark building on campus.
The decision to strip the name of its fifth president, Rufus B. von KleinSmid, a eugenics leader, from among its tallest buildings brought cheers. President Carol Folt said the name removal was necessary because his beliefs were “at direct odds” with the university’s values.
For the record: USC tributes: In the July 4 Section A, an article that examined several of USC’s namesake tributes said Bill Tierney is the co-director of the Pullias Center for Higher Education. He is the former co-director.
But weeks later, some students and others are raising questions about a host of names and symbols on campus, examining whether they too should be purged at this historic moment of reckoning. The emerging debate is shaping up to be a test of whether the tradition-bound university is willing to break with other pieces of its history and address wrongs of the past.
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“Names matter,” said Paula Cannon, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology, and co-chair of a task force looking at building names. “And sometimes, it’s not enough to just say it was a long time ago.”
The USC discussion reflects nationwide movements to acknowledge or bring down symbols and names associated with racism. Late last month, for instance, Princeton University removed the Woodrow Wilson name from its public policy school, citing his racist views and policies. Across California and the nation, Confederate-linked statues have fallen.
USC has yet to publicly address the pasts of three prominent leaders who expressed racist views or were involved in disturbing acts: Joseph Widney, USC’s second president; his brother and USC founder Judge Robert Widney; and track and field coach Dean Cromwell.
In a public letter announcing its support for the Black Lives Matter movement, the Trojan Knights, a student-run organization tasked with being USC’s “guardians of tradition,” called on the university “to reckon with [its] history of white supremacy” citing, among other concerns, the writings of Joseph Widney.
“It’s undeniable that [Joseph Widney] had an outsized influence on building USC, but that doesn’t mean we need to memorialize him,” said Anav Saxena, the group’s president.
Joseph Widney’s university bio credits him with establishing the medical school and leading USC through difficult financial times. Absent from it, however, was his 1907 book, “Race Life of the Aryan Peoples,” which analyzed white superiority in the United States. He wrote that Black and white people “cannot live together as equals.”
Before Widney’s writings, his brother had ties to a vigilante group. David Torres-Rouff, a professor and historian at UC Merced, said Robert Widney was “most certainly” supportive of extralegal lynchings. A statue in Robert Widney’s honor stands in front of the Widney Alumni House, USC’s oldest building, which is named after him.
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Cromwell, the track and field coach during Von KleinSmid’s administration and an assistant at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany, is associated with the removal of two Jewish athletes from its relay team in a move some Olympic runners later said was fueled by anti-Semitism. He also described Black athletes as “primitive” in a book. The university track and field is named in his honor.
“The Task Force on University Nomenclature is looking at buildings, monuments, and symbols across campus,” USC said in a statement to The Times this week. The university did not comment on the Widney brothers or Cromwell.
Camilo Daza Manga, a student on the task force, said the committee presented procedural recommendations for handling calls to de-name and rename sites in March, and that the Widney and Cromwell names would “definitely warrant a look” if USC follows the principles set forth by the group.
“We’re on a campus that lacks recognition of other ethnic and racial pioneers that better reflect the university’s values than the cases you presented,” he said. “Absolutely.”
Widney Brothers
Robert Widney’s USC bio places him in the “rough and tumble frontier town” of Los Angeles and credits his perseverance as a university founder in 1880. When erecting a statue to honor him in 2014, then-President C. L. Max Nikias praised him for saving a group of Chinese immigrants from a deadly mob in 1871.
Yet his involvement in the Home Guard Vigilance Committee in the late 1800s suggests a more controversial facet of his Los Angeles legacy. At the time, vigilante groups were prevalent in the young city and often targeted Native Americans and people of color, according to multiple historians.
“They were taking laws into their own hands,” said Bill Tierney, co-director of the Pullias Center for Higher Education at USC. “We shouldn’t heroize people and say they’re the greatest guys in the world and that they didn’t make any mistakes, because that’s not true.”
Historian Torres-Rouff recommends a more honest assessment of a namesakes’ past.
“If you’re going to pay homage to someone who’s part of your history, you need to recognize that people are complicated and that just because 150 years have passed doesn’t mean we only remember one shining moment and forget the rest,” he said.
Tierney described the racial beliefs Joseph Widney espoused in his book as “repugnant,” citing them in a 2018 article asking universities “to confront their past, not omit it.”
“The Black and the White could live together with the White as master – tho to the harm of the White man even more than of the Black; but they cannot live together as equals,” Widney wrote in the book, which also described Native American people as savages.
Coach Dean Cromwell
Nearly four decades after the Widneys, Dean Cromwell, the track and field coach who led USC to 12 NCAA championships and assistant coach at the 1936 Olympic Games, expressed anti-Black views and was criticized for what some said were anti-Semitic actions.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
At the Olympics, he was among the coaches who eliminated Jewish runners Sam Stoller and Marty Glickman from the relay team. Instead, Ralph Metcalfe and gold medalist Jesse Owens, both Black athletes, replaced them for the race.
“What is absolutely clear is that the move was made to spare Hitler and Nazi Germany the embarrassment of having Jews standing on the podium,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization. “And if that isn’t anti-Semitism, I don’t know what is.”
For Cooper, Cromwell and the coaches’ actions aligned with the sentiments of the American Olympic Committee President Avery Brundage, whose bust is being removed from the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco after activists accused him of having Nazi sympathizer views.
Stoller later revealed that Cromwell had opposed the substitution because he “wanted an all-white relay team.”
Cromwell wrote in his 1941 book “Championship Techniques in Track and Field” that “the Negro athlete excels because he is closer to the primitive than the white athlete.”
“It was not so long ago that his ability to sprint and jump was a life-and-death matter to him in the jungle,” he wrote.
Like several Black track athletes approached by The Times, sprinter and hurdler Mecca McGlaston, who graduated from USC this year, said she was unaware of Cromwell’s comments. She believes that his name should be removed from the field.
“They tried to discredit a lot of Black athletes, and that quote is a prime example of it,” she said. “As far as history, history’s going to repeat itself if it’s not brought to the surface.”


latimes--2020-07-04--On this Independence Day as coronavirus cases surge, please remember our interdependence

I keep hearing people all over our country talk of their freedom and independence and rights when asked why they are not personally participating in our fight to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
They are independent and free to do what they like , they say .
No one has the right to make them wear masks , maintain physical distance or avoid congregating en masse — to take the sensible steps that might help us all be free to go about our lives again .
On this Independence Day , I ’ d rather focus on our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on so many fronts depends on our acting as one to help stem a global pandemic that has already killed more than 516,000 humans , more than 130,000 Americans , more than 6,100 Californians and more than 3,400 residents of Los Angeles County .
These numbers are real .
They represent real people , real lives lost .
Among them are many of our elders , our poorest and most vulnerable and people of color , who a growing number of us now are coming to understand we have been failing as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far longer than we ’ ve all been alive .
More than 26,000 Black people have died of coronavirus in our country — 23 % of all deaths in which the race is known , which is close to double their 13 % share of the population , according to a project tracking racial data .
It ’ s evidence of the systemic racism and resulting inequities in areas such as healthcare , housing and employment that drove people to the streets in protest , even in the face of the virus risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to take steps for our collective safety , by the way , see others ’ participation in those protests as equivalent to their own decisions to go out in crowds at beaches , at pool parties and the like .
The risk of spreading the virus is great in both cases .
We have yet to see a surge in infections from protests .
But I think standing up for an end to police brutality and for justice and the rights of all is far different and more urgent than standing up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s pleasures .
I also worry that the deep societal inequities many of us are now pushing to correct will all take far longer to chip away at if the coronavirus rages on and leaves more people unemployed , more people desperate , more people homeless , more government coffers depleted by loss of tax revenue and pandemic costs , fewer financial resources to support the sorts of efforts that try to create a safety net for those who most need one .
Last week , in hopes of convincing some stubborn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about protecting themselves and one another , I brought you the straightforward scientific reasoning of Lucy Jones , who has been studying the coronavirus closely .
I told you her simple , clear safety message : Don ’ t share your air .
Jones spoke of the pandemic as a catastrophic disaster on a scale not previously known because it is happening everywhere .
She also spoke of the challenge of trying to convince people to take steps to protect not just themselves but everyone else .
People have to have empathy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been on my mind a lot lately .
Our worlds are now global .
So many of our borders are porous .
In our own country , even now people are on the move from neighborhood to neighborhood , city to city , state to state .
There ’ s no real way at the moment with our current resources to contain the virus in its hot spots if we don ’ t all accept our duty to act collectively to protect each other .
Our leaders thought we could start to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long as we continued to act responsibly .
But that clearly didn ’ t work .
Santa Monica and West Hollywood have vowed to enforce safe behavior by fining those out without masks .
But that shouldn ’ t have to happen .
We ’ re in a tough spot now .
We need everyone doing the right thing .
L.A. just unveiled a color-coded system — red , orange , yellow , green — to tell us the current coronavirus threat level .
Last I looked , we were at orange , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is very high , high enough to “ assume you and everyone around you is infectious.
” I know there are a variety of reasons why people may not practice coronavirus safety precautions .
Some , of course , take a defiant , rights-focused partisan stand .
Some may not be able to sustain fear for too long .
But I think many more may have grown so overwhelmed by the news that they stopped paying attention and blocked it out .
A lot of young people no doubt simply are feeling invulnerable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along that makes them realize that they ’ re not .
I have a neighbor I have to dodge because he likes to stand very close .
He wears a mask only occasionally — and even when he does , it ’ s not fully on .
He says he doesn ’ t believe in asymptomatic carriers .
He feels fine so he ’ s fine .
He doesn ’ t know anyone who ’ s had the virus .
When I see people out and about in busy places not bothering with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our numbers of cases and hospitalizations spike , I find myself wondering how far their empathy extends .
Across national borders ?
Across state and city lines ?
Across their own communities to those they don ’ t know ?
Or are they unmoved by strangers , even those working in essential jobs who put themselves at daily risk for their benefit ?
Will their empathy and sense of shared purpose kick in only when suffering invades their own inner circles , when it climbs into the branches of their family trees , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their homes ?
And by then will it be of any use ?

I keep hearing people all over our country talk of their freedom and independence and rights when asked why they are not personally participating in our fight to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
They are independent and free to do what they like, they say. No one has the right to make them wear masks, maintain physical distance or avoid congregating en masse — to take the sensible steps that might help us all be free to go about our lives again.
On this Independence Day, I’d rather focus on our extreme interdependence, on how our future on so many fronts depends on our acting as one to help stem a global pandemic that has already killed more than 516,000 humans, more than 130,000 Americans, more than 6,100 Californians and more than 3,400 residents of Los Angeles County.
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These numbers are real. They represent real people, real lives lost. Among them are many of our elders, our poorest and most vulnerable and people of color, who a growing number of us now are coming to understand we have been failing as a society to adequately protect for far, far longer than we’ve all been alive.
More than 26,000 Black people have died of coronavirus in our country — 23% of all deaths in which the race is known, which is close to double their 13% share of the population, according to a project tracking racial data.
It’s evidence of the systemic racism and resulting inequities in areas such as healthcare, housing and employment that drove people to the streets in protest, even in the face of the virus risk.
Some people who don’t want to take steps for our collective safety, by the way, see others’ participation in those protests as equivalent to their own decisions to go out in crowds at beaches, at pool parties and the like.
The risk of spreading the virus is great in both cases. We have yet to see a surge in infections from protests. But I think standing up for an end to police brutality and for justice and the rights of all is far different and more urgent than standing up for one’s right to life’s pleasures.
Advertisement
I also worry that the deep societal inequities many of us are now pushing to correct will all take far longer to chip away at if the coronavirus rages on and leaves more people unemployed, more people desperate, more people homeless, more government coffers depleted by loss of tax revenue and pandemic costs, fewer financial resources to support the sorts of efforts that try to create a safety net for those who most need one.
Last week, in hopes of convincing some stubborn holdouts among us to be more vigilant about protecting themselves and one another, I brought you the straightforward scientific reasoning of Lucy Jones, who has been studying the coronavirus closely. I told you her simple, clear safety message: Don’t share your air.
Jones spoke of the pandemic as a catastrophic disaster on a scale not previously known because it is happening everywhere. She also spoke of the challenge of trying to convince people to take steps to protect not just themselves but everyone else.
People have to have empathy to respond to such a message. Empathy has been on my mind a lot lately.
Our worlds are now global. So many of our borders are porous. In our own country, even now people are on the move from neighborhood to neighborhood, city to city, state to state. There’s no real way at the moment with our current resources to contain the virus in its hot spots if we don’t all accept our duty to act collectively to protect each other.
Our leaders thought we could start to open up our lives a little as long as we continued to act responsibly. But that clearly didn’t work.
Santa Monica and West Hollywood have vowed to enforce safe behavior by fining those out without masks. But that shouldn’t have to happen.
We’re in a tough spot now. We need everyone doing the right thing. L.A. just unveiled a color-coded system — red, orange, yellow, green — to tell us the current coronavirus threat level. Last I looked, we were at orange, which apparently means the threat of infection is very high, high enough to “assume you and everyone around you is infectious.”
I know there are a variety of reasons why people may not practice coronavirus safety precautions. Some, of course, take a defiant, rights-focused partisan stand. Some may not be able to sustain fear for too long. But I think many more may have grown so overwhelmed by the news that they stopped paying attention and blocked it out. A lot of young people no doubt simply are feeling invulnerable as young people do until something comes along that makes them realize that they’re not.
I have a neighbor I have to dodge because he likes to stand very close. He wears a mask only occasionally — and even when he does, it’s not fully on. He says he doesn’t believe in asymptomatic carriers. He feels fine so he’s fine. He doesn’t know anyone who’s had the virus.
When I see people out and about in busy places not bothering with the most basic coronavirus safety measures as our numbers of cases and hospitalizations spike, I find myself wondering how far their empathy extends. Across national borders? Across state and city lines? Across their own communities to those they don’t know?
Or are they unmoved by strangers, even those working in essential jobs who put themselves at daily risk for their benefit? Will their empathy and sense of shared purpose kick in only when suffering invades their own inner circles, when it climbs into the branches of their family trees, moves down their blocks, breaks into their homes?
And by then will it be of any use?


latimes--2020-07-05--LAPD responds to a million 911 calls a year — but relatively few for violent crimes

More than a million times last year Los Angeles police officers were dispatched on calls for help .
Contained within that huge volume of 911 calls is a defining aspect of policing in modern America : The job has expanded over time to include far more than fighting crime .
Although armed with weapons and the unique authority to use force , cops often are sent to resolve problems that should not require their coercive powers .
Family fights , episodes of mental illness , complaints of loud parties , and dogs running loose are all part of the job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relatively little time responding to reports of violent crime , despite that being widely viewed as a core police function , a Los Angeles Times analysis found .
Of the nearly 18 million calls logged by the LAPD since 2010 , about 1.4 million of them , or less than 8 % , were reports of violent crimes , which The Times defined as homicides , assaults with deadly weapons , robberies , batteries , shots fired and rape .
By contrast , police responded to a greater number of traffic accidents and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The Times found .
The Times included in its analysis categories of 911 calls and calls initiated by police officers .
The extensive role of police in American life has come under scrutiny in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and other recent deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police .
Fury over the killings and , more broadly , a long history of police abuse of Black people have led not only to demands for police to be better trained and more restrained in their use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in American life be cut back as well .
“ The only way to guarantee police violence does not occur is to avoid the encounter altogether , ” said Philip McHarris , a sociologist whose work focuses on policing and who has argued for the need to dramatically reduce police presence .
Any such rethinking of policing in America will include an examination of how officers currently spend their time .
To better understand what the job looks like now , The Times analyzed the decade of LAPD calls for service .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenges of redefining what police do .
Reaching agreement on how to curtail the job of policing will be difficult .
Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement in Los Angeles and others are calling for a wholesale replacement of police with an expansive network of unarmed professionals including social workers and mental health experts .
Police officials and powerful unions representing rank-and-file officers , meanwhile , are opposed to any significant cuts to the size , massive budgets and influence that police departments have steadily amassed over the decades .
And with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are torn on how far reforms should go , elected officials in Los Angeles , San Francisco , New York and elsewhere are searching for some middle ground .
Last week , the Los Angeles City Council voted to cut $ 150 million from the LAPD ’ s roughly $ 1.85-billion annual budget , but did not impose any changes on what the city ’ s police are allowed to do .
By far , the most common types of police work recorded by the LAPD were stops of drivers and pedestrians that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for perceived violations .
Each year over the past decade , Los Angeles police have made between 550,000 and 950,000 such stops , according to The Times ’ review .
These stops have contributed heavily to the distrust and anger Black Americans feel toward police as studies have found repeatedly that police target Black people for stops at disproportionately high rates compared to other races and ethnicities .
Last year , for example , a Times investigation found that a special unit of LAPD officers stopped Black drivers at a rate more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s population .
Dramatically scaling back the frequency of these stops could lead to a meaningful change to the role of policing , McHarris said .
“ A big piece of this is removing police from traffic safety , ” he said .
“ Much of police violence starts during traffic stops.
” The idea of removing police from traffic enforcement is under consideration in New York City and in Los Angeles , where members of the city council proposed replacing police officers with staff from the city ’ s transportation department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traffic laws .
Although little consensus has emerged over types of calls that should be taken from police , there is some agreement around the idea that calls involving people with mental illness could be better handled by specially trained , unarmed professionals .
LAPD Chief Michel Moore expressed support for the idea recently , and the department is planning to begin diverting some suicide calls to a phone line run by a mental health organization .
But removing police from all mental-health-related calls would reduce the LAPD ’ s overall footprint in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accounted for less than 2 % of all calls , according to the analysis .
The Times included 911 calls of someone possibly being suicidal in the tally of mental-health-related calls .
Mental health calls also illustrate some of the challenges for Los Angeles or other cities that attempt to overhaul their police departments , experts cautioned .
In more than 324,000 mental-health-related calls over the past decade , at least 9 % of the time — 29,000 calls — the person reporting the incident indicated to the 911 dispatcher that the mentally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to how the calls were coded by LAPD dispatchers .
It is unknown from the available data whether these calls were resolved peacefully or if the presence of armed police officers , who receive little training in how to help someone suffering from mental illness , escalated already tense scenarios and resorted to using deadly force as they have several times in recent years .
Nonetheless , as elected officials in Los Angeles and elsewhere contemplate sending psychologists or social workers instead of police when people with mental illness are in distress , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that some of those calls will be violent .
“ We need to decide how much risk as a society we ’ re willing to take that we might send someone into a situation that turns violent , ” said Steve Matrofski , a criminologist who has studied the structures and effectiveness of police departments .
“ But we also must decide if we are willing to continue to take the risk that sending police into some situations actually make things worse .
Where is the balance ?
” That tension is embedded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Last year , for example , LAPD officers responded to about 170,000 reports of disturbances , a broad category that over the past decade has accounted for about 9 % of all of LAPD ’ s calls for service .
A breakdown of the dispatch data indicates the vast majority of those calls did not include a reference to violence and could have possibly been handled by people other than police .
But about 17 % of the time the caller to 911 referred to a weapon or fight , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar vein , police did little more than direct traffic at many of the 70,000 traffic collisions they responded to last year , but others involved possible drunk driving and hit and run investigations .
In comments last week to the civilian board that oversees the department , Moore alluded to the complexities of parsing which calls should and should not be the domain of police .
Calling for “ a multi-phase approach ” to mental health calls , Moore envisioned a system in which “ a clinician , perhaps a medical professional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , another one in which there needs to be a law enforcement presence in concert with the clinician ... and then one in which the life challenge or emergency is so great or so significant that we dispatch police first , and then quickly followed behind them is clinician support once the scene is safe.
” The city would need to boost its ranks of mental health professionals to make such a plan possible , Moore and others have said .
And it remains to be seen how the high-stakes , on-the-spot decisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a call will be made .
Matrofski and others said cities will need to improve their collection and use of data , such as the history of calls at a particular address , to minimize the chance of mistakes .
Some categories of calls appear less complicated .
Nearly 66,000 times last year , police were called on to respond to minor disturbances , which included complaints of fireworks , loud music and car alarms .
And thousands of times each year police are summoned to referee squabbles between family members , tenants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of quality of life issues could be handled by something along the lines of the unarmed , uniformed “ police support officers ” used in the United Kingdom , said Alex Vitale , a sociologist at Brooklyn College who has argued for the need to dramatically scale back police responsibilities .
“ Police are not social workers , they are violence workers — they are authorized to use violence in a way no other person is allowed and their authority is derived from this power , ” Vitale said .
“ We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police because there was no one else left , but we need to open our minds to other options .
”

More than a million times last year Los Angeles police officers were dispatched on calls for help.
Contained within that huge volume of 911 calls is a defining aspect of policing in modern America: The job has expanded over time to include far more than fighting crime.
Although armed with weapons and the unique authority to use force, cops often are sent to resolve problems that should not require their coercive powers. Family fights, episodes of mental illness, complaints of loud parties, and dogs running loose are all part of the job.
Advertisement
Police, in fact, spend relatively little time responding to reports of violent crime, despite that being widely viewed as a core police function, a Los Angeles Times analysis found.
Of the nearly 18 million calls logged by the LAPD since 2010, about 1.4 million of them, or less than 8%, were reports of violent crimes, which The Times defined as homicides, assaults with deadly weapons, robberies, batteries, shots fired and rape. By contrast, police responded to a greater number of traffic accidents and calls recorded as “minor disturbances,” The Times found.
The Times included in its analysis categories of 911 calls and calls initiated by police officers.
The extensive role of police in American life has come under scrutiny in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and other recent deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police. Fury over the killings and, more broadly, a long history of police abuse of Black people have led not only to demands for police to be better trained and more restrained in their use of force, but that their extensive presence in American life be cut back as well.
“The only way to guarantee police violence does not occur is to avoid the encounter altogether,” said Philip McHarris, a sociologist whose work focuses on policing and who has argued for the need to dramatically reduce police presence.
Advertisement
Any such rethinking of policing in America will include an examination of how officers currently spend their time. To better understand what the job looks like now, The Times analyzed the decade of LAPD calls for service. The figures underscore both the possibilities and the challenges of redefining what police do.
Reaching agreement on how to curtail the job of policing will be difficult.
Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement in Los Angeles and others are calling for a wholesale replacement of police with an expansive network of unarmed professionals including social workers and mental health experts.
Police officials and powerful unions representing rank-and-file officers, meanwhile, are opposed to any significant cuts to the size, massive budgets and influence that police departments have steadily amassed over the decades.
LAPD officers watch a peaceful protest June 1 on Van Nuys Boulevard. (Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
And with polls showing Americans support changes, but are torn on how far reforms should go, elected officials in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and elsewhere are searching for some middle ground. Last week, the Los Angeles City Council voted to cut $150 million from the LAPD’s roughly $1.85-billion annual budget, but did not impose any changes on what the city’s police are allowed to do.
By far, the most common types of police work recorded by the LAPD were stops of drivers and pedestrians that officers elected to make on their own for perceived violations. Each year over the past decade, Los Angeles police have made between 550,000 and 950,000 such stops, according to The Times’ review.
These stops have contributed heavily to the distrust and anger Black Americans feel toward police as studies have found repeatedly that police target Black people for stops at disproportionately high rates compared to other races and ethnicities.
Last year, for example, a Times investigation found that a special unit of LAPD officers stopped Black drivers at a rate more than five times their share of the city’s population.
Dramatically scaling back the frequency of these stops could lead to a meaningful change, McHarris said.
“A big piece of this is removing police from traffic safety,” he said. “Much of police violence starts during traffic stops.”
The idea of removing police from traffic enforcement is under consideration in New York City and in Los Angeles, where members of the city council proposed replacing police officers with staff from the city’s transportation department or automated technology for enforcement of many traffic laws.
Although little consensus has emerged over types of calls that should be taken from police, there is some agreement around the idea that calls involving people with mental illness could be better handled by specially trained, unarmed professionals.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore expressed support for the idea recently, and the department is planning to begin diverting some suicide calls to a phone line run by a mental health organization.
But removing police from all mental-health-related calls would reduce the LAPD’s overall footprint in the city only minimally, since they accounted for less than 2% of all calls, according to the analysis. The Times included 911 calls of someone possibly being suicidal in the tally of mental-health-related calls.
Mental health calls also illustrate some of the challenges for Los Angeles or other cities that attempt to overhaul their police departments, experts cautioned.
Protesters join a news conference by community activist Najee Ali in front of LAPD Headquarters on June 4. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
In more than 324,000 mental-health-related calls over the past decade, at least 9% of the time — 29,000 calls — the person reporting the incident indicated to the 911 dispatcher that the mentally ill person was acting violently, according to how the calls were coded by LAPD dispatchers.
It is unknown from the available data whether these calls were resolved peacefully or if the presence of armed police officers, who receive little training in how to help someone suffering from mental illness, escalated already tense scenarios and resorted to using deadly force as they have several times in recent years.
Nonetheless, as elected officials in Los Angeles and elsewhere contemplate sending psychologists or social workers instead of police when people with mental illness are in distress, the LAPD data underscore the stark reality that some of those calls will be violent.
“We need to decide how much risk as a society we’re willing to take that we might send someone into a situation that turns violent,” said Steve Matrofski, a criminologist who has studied the structures and effectiveness of police departments. “But we also must decide if we are willing to continue to take the risk that sending police into some situations actually make things worse. Where is the balance?”
That tension is embedded in other types of calls as well.
Last year, for example, LAPD officers responded to about 170,000 reports of disturbances, a broad category that over the past decade has accounted for about 9% of all of LAPD’s calls for service.
A breakdown of the dispatch data indicates the vast majority of those calls did not include a reference to violence and could have possibly been handled by people other than police. But about 17% of the time the caller to 911 referred to a weapon or fight, according to The Times’ analysis.
In a similar vein, police did little more than direct traffic at many of the 70,000 traffic collisions they responded to last year, but others involved possible drunk driving and hit and run investigations.
In comments last week to the civilian board that oversees the department, Moore alluded to the complexities of parsing which calls should and should not be the domain of police.
Calling for “a multi-phase approach” to mental health calls, Moore envisioned a system in which “a clinician, perhaps a medical professional, will go and handle that call, another one in which there needs to be a law enforcement presence in concert with the clinician ... and then one in which the life challenge or emergency is so great or so significant that we dispatch police first, and then quickly followed behind them is clinician support once the scene is safe.”
The city would need to boost its ranks of mental health professionals to make such a plan possible, Moore and others have said. And it remains to be seen how the high-stakes, on-the-spot decisions of whether to send police officers to a call will be made.
Matrofski and others said cities will need to improve their collection and use of data, such as the history of calls at a particular address, to minimize the chance of mistakes.
Some categories of calls appear less complicated. Nearly 66,000 times last year, police were called on to respond to minor disturbances, which included complaints of fireworks, loud music and car alarms. And thousands of times each year police are summoned to referee squabbles between family members, tenants and landlords and others.
These types of quality of life issues could be handled by something along the lines of the unarmed, uniformed “police support officers” used in the United Kingdom, said Alex Vitale, a sociologist at Brooklyn College who has argued for the need to dramatically scale back police responsibilities.
“Police are not social workers, they are violence workers — they are authorized to use violence in a way no other person is allowed and their authority is derived from this power,” Vitale said. “We’ve turned over all these problems to police because there was no one else left, but we need to open our minds to other options.”


latimes--2020-07-04--L.A. County sees 'alarming' rise in coronavirus hospitalizations, infection rates

In what officials have described as an “ alarming ” increase , hospitalizations of patients with confirmed coronavirus infections in Los Angeles County have jumped 41 % in the last three weeks .
On Friday , there were 1,947 patients in L.A. County hospitals with confirmed coronavirus infections ; seven days earlier , there were 1,717 ; the week before that , there were 1,426 ; and the week prior to that , there were 1,383 .
The number of patients with confirmed coronavirus infections in intensive care units are up 35 % in the last two weeks ; on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ICU ; last Friday there were 446 , and the week before that there were 408 .
On Monday , L.A. County officials warned about “ alarming increases in cases , positivity rates and hospitalization ” and projected the possibility of running out of hospital beds in two to three weeks ; the number of ICU beds could be exhausted sometime in July .
“ If the trajectory continues , the number of ICU beds — our most limited resource — is likely to become inadequate in the near future , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County Department of Public Health to healthcare providers .
The county warned healthcare providers that officials are “ concerned that acute care hospitals will need to begin implementing decompression plans and prepare for another wave of cases.
” The memo said that acute care hospitals in L.A. County were asked June 26 “ to review their decompression plans and prepare for another wave of hospitalizations.
” Statewide , hospitalizations continued their upward march ; as of Saturday , California has broken daily records for the number of people hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been a 64 % increase in hospitalizations across California in the last two weeks ; on Friday , the state reported 5,595 people hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections ; a week earlier , there were 4,449 ; and the Friday before that , there were 3,412 .
There was also a 48 % jump in statewide patients in intensive care units with confirmed coronavirus infections in the last two weeks ; there were 1,682 reported Friday , up from 1,133 two weeks earlier .
The rate at which coronavirus tests in California are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the last two weeks , according to data published on the Los Angeles Times ’ California coronavirus tracker .
An increasing rate of positive test results is an indication disease transmission is worsening .
The Times analysis on Saturday found that over the last seven days , about 7 % of California ’ s coronavirus tests came back positive .
A week earlier , that number was 5.9 % ; and a week before that , it was 4.6 % .
The surge in coronavirus cases around the state has sparked alarm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July weekend of crowded beaches , barbecues , parties and packed restaurants would cause a surge in new infections , further overwhelming already filling hospitals .
California ’ s COVID-19 surge probably began around Memorial Day as people stuck inside for months decided to get back to old routines .
It can take three to four weeks after exposure to the virus for infected people to become sick enough to be hospitalized , and a Times analysis has found that new coronavirus hospitalizations in California began accelerating around June 15 at a rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it appears that dire warnings as well as new restrictions had the intended effect , with Fourth of July crowds noticeably down at beaches , parks and other locations .
Beaches were ordered shut down by local government officials in Los Angeles , Orange , Ventura and Santa Barbara counties .

Spectators watch the OneHB Parade, a modified parade in Huntington Beach that let many residents watch the procession from their neighborhoods, a change from the usual Fourth of July Parade on the city’s Main Street.
In what officials have described as an “alarming” increase, hospitalizations of patients with confirmed coronavirus infections in Los Angeles County have jumped 41% in the last three weeks.
On Friday, there were 1,947 patients in L.A. County hospitals with confirmed coronavirus infections; seven days earlier, there were 1,717; the week before that, there were 1,426; and the week prior to that, there were 1,383.
The number of patients with confirmed coronavirus infections in intensive care units are up 35% in the last two weeks; on Friday, 549 people were in the ICU; last Friday there were 446, and the week before that there were 408.
On Monday, L.A. County officials warned about “alarming increases in cases, positivity rates and hospitalization” and projected the possibility of running out of hospital beds in two to three weeks; the number of ICU beds could be exhausted sometime in July.
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“If the trajectory continues, the number of ICU beds — our most limited resource — is likely to become inadequate in the near future,” said a memo issued Saturday by the L.A. County Department of Public Health to healthcare providers.
The county warned healthcare providers that officials are “concerned that acute care hospitals will need to begin implementing decompression plans and prepare for another wave of cases.”
The memo said that acute care hospitals in L.A. County were asked June 26 “to review their decompression plans and prepare for another wave of hospitalizations.”
Statewide, hospitalizations continued their upward march; as of Saturday, California has broken daily records for the number of people hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections for 14 consecutive days.
There has been a 64% increase in hospitalizations across California in the last two weeks; on Friday, the state reported 5,595 people hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections; a week earlier, there were 4,449; and the Friday before that, there were 3,412.
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There was also a 48% jump in statewide patients in intensive care units with confirmed coronavirus infections in the last two weeks; there were 1,682 reported Friday, up from 1,133 two weeks earlier.
The rate at which coronavirus tests in California are coming back positive has jumped 52% over the last two weeks, according to data published on the Los Angeles Times’ California coronavirus tracker. An increasing rate of positive test results is an indication disease transmission is worsening.
The Times analysis on Saturday found that over the last seven days, about 7% of California’s coronavirus tests came back positive. A week earlier, that number was 5.9%; and a week before that, it was 4.6%.
The surge in coronavirus cases around the state has sparked alarm.
Officials had feared a Fourth of July weekend of crowded beaches, barbecues, parties and packed restaurants would cause a surge in new infections, further overwhelming already filling hospitals.
California’s COVID-19 surge probably began around Memorial Day as people stuck inside for months decided to get back to old routines.
It can take three to four weeks after exposure to the virus for infected people to become sick enough to be hospitalized, and a Times analysis has found that new coronavirus hospitalizations in California began accelerating around June 15 at a rate not seen since early April.
But it appears that dire warnings as well as new restrictions had the intended effect, with Fourth of July crowds noticeably down at beaches, parks and other locations. Beaches were ordered shut down by local government officials in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.


latimes--2020-07-04--Kanye West tweets that he's running for president

Rapper and sometime Trump supporter Kanye West announced via Twitter on Saturday that he is running for president .
The 43-year-old musician included a hashtag , # 2020VISION , presumably meaning he intends to run this year .
Not long after West posted the Tweet , billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded , “ You have my full support.
” It ’ s unclear whether West has filed any of the necessary paperwork to formally join the race between incumbent Donald Trump — for whom West has expressed admiration — and Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic nominee .
West @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visited Trump in the White House .
Within about an hour , West ’ s message had been retweeted more than 100,000 times and had sparked debate about his motives , including speculation among some of his 29 million followers that the move , if serious , might be part of an effort to draw Black supporters away from Biden to help Trump .
“ We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God , unifying our vision and building our future , ” he wrote .
“ I am running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

Rapper and sometime Trump supporter Kanye West announced via Twitter on Saturday that he is running for president.
The 43-year-old musician included a hashtag, #2020VISION, presumably meaning he intends to run this year.
We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States 🇺🇸! #2020VISION — ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020
Not long after West posted the Tweet, billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded, “You have my full support.”
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It’s unclear whether West has filed any of the necessary paperwork to formally join the race between incumbent Donald Trump — for whom West has expressed admiration — and Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee. West and his wife Kim Kardashian West have visited Trump in the White House.
Within about an hour, West’s message had been retweeted more than 100,000 times and had sparked debate about his motives, including speculation among some of his 29 million followers that the move, if serious, might be part of an effort to draw Black supporters away from Biden to help Trump.
West’s message offered inspiration, not specifics.
“We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future,” he wrote. “I am running for president of the United States.”


latimes--2020-07-04--With coronavirus surging, California marks a subdued, socially distant Fourth of July

Kenzy El-Mohandes crested a hillside in Griffith Park early Saturday afternoon , eager to avoid the Fourth of July crowd she thought she and her friend would meet once they reached the observatory .
With beaches closed for the holiday weekend , she assumed locals would flock to the park instead .
But as she rested on a grassy knoll and took in the sun , she was surprised to see a small , socially distanced crowd .
“ It ’ s a normal weekend , we ’ re not feeling the patriotic spirit , ” El-Mohandes said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Fourth of July than normal years.
” The subdued Independence Day was exactly what officials ordered as California has struggled with a major spike in both coronavirus cases and hospitalizations over the last month as the economy reopened , placing the state back in the danger zone .
Officials had feared a July 4 weekend of crowded beaches , barbecues , parties and packed restaurants would cause a surge in new infections , further overwhelming already filling hospitals .
Data showed that California ’ s COVID-19 surge began during the Memorial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months decided to get back to old routines .
But it appears dire warnings as well as new restrictions had the intended effect — at least so far .
Los Angeles County banned fireworks displays , some parades and marathons moved online , and cities from Big Bear to Burbank canceled holiday shows .
Huntington Beach ’ s popular Main Street parade was replaced by one that roamed through residential areas , allowing social distancing .
There were continued protests in downtown L.A. and elsewhere over the police killing of George Floyd in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearing masks .
One of the few holdouts was Lancaster , where officials were set to go forward with a fireworks show despite COVID-19 concerns .
In Santa Monica , the pier stood empty over a closed and deserted beach .
Janet and Shine Ling sat in lawn chairs in a cliff park off Ocean Avenue , where they could see sailboats glide in the Pacific hundreds of yards away .
“ No one ’ s stopping us from sitting here right now , so we ’ re enjoying the beach from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any other Fourth of July , they ’ d be down in the sand , Janet said , but this year the picnic had to move .
The siblings said they hadn ’ t seen each other since January .
“ We were debating whether we should even hang out , ” Shine said .
“ Is it too close ?
Is it unsafe ?
” Janet wondered .
Two weeks ago , Shine went to the now-closed beach for his birthday .
“ I went right up to the water , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mask , but everybody was keeping six feet of distance and the wind was pretty stiff , so I was like , ‘ You know what , I do feel pretty silly wearing a mask.
’ ” Janet has had her own mask dilemma .
“ I ’ ve had a lot of experience with anti-Asian sentiments , especially when I ’ m wearing a mask , ” she said .
“ So , for me it ’ s kind of a mixed bag .
Do I try to do this to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be safe for myself so I don ’ t get harassed ?
” To try to tame the Fourth , Gov .
Gavin Newsom imposed new restrictions on indoor dining at restaurants in many counties .
Some communities including Santa Monica and West Hollywood said they would fine people who were not wearing masks , which is required in public spaces under a state order .
One risk area harder to detect is private social gatherings inside private homes , which officials believe has been a major cause of the latest infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 6,300 deaths .
In Griffith Park , most visitors sat far apart from one another , some with masks and others without face coverings as they lounged with family and friends .
Jelani Dula and two friends made the road trip from San Jose to Southern California for the holiday weekend .
The 21-year-old said he was excited to see famous L.A. sites — especially the unobstructed downtown skyline free of smog — but wasn ’ t in a celebratory mood because of “ all of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ This Fourth of July doesn ’ t really feel the same , ” Dula said , taking in the view while his friends took pictures .
Near Olvera Street downtown , members of indigenous groups joined with Black Lives Matters organizers in a peaceful protest that called for unity among minorities and an acknowledgment of the nation ’ s many sins on its birthday .
Some burned incense , tobacco and sage , while others spoke of the “ Farce of July.
” Many marched to Grand Park and beyond with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ICE , ” the defunding of police and justice for Andrés Guardado , Breonna Taylor , George Floyd and others slain by law enforcement .
The protesters all wore face coverings .
Indigenous leader Shannon Rivers , of the Akimel O ’ otham people , called on about 400 demonstrators to understand “ the many lies ” taught to American youths that prop up “ white supremacy ” at the cost of all native peoples and minorities .
He asked Black Lives Matter to join the indigenous movement before saying forcefully , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Olvera Steet , at Echo Park Lake , the hundreds of families gathered there provided a semblance of holiday normalcy .
Vendors sold small toys , plates of carne asada and French-style crepes .
Most visitors celebrated from a distance , but masks were less common .
Skylar Falgout , 26 , drove from Sherman Oaks to enjoy the scenery and eat her lunch .
This year , she didn ’ t feel like celebrating .
“ With the way the social climate is going , it doesn ’ t feel right , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dozen swan-shaped pedal boats cruised across the lake .
“ I would have hung out with friends , but hanging out with people is a bad idea right now with the way the pandemic is going.
” Ronald Sarver walked along the Veterans Administration campus in West Los Angeles , where he had recently moved into L.A. 's first temporary tent city in four decades — an area meant for veterans without homes so they can wait out the COVID-19 crisis by sheltering in place and social distancing in their own tents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing at all .
Before this , I was waking up and all I had was a prayer , ” said Sarver , who served in the Navy during the Iran hostage crisis .
Now , he said , he has a place to sleep and eats three meals a day .
He ’ s grateful to have a place as the coronavirus — what he called “ an act of God ” — tears through the city .
On Independence Day , Sarver said , he felt patriotic .
“ I was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a little bit , ” he said , an American flag pinned to his shirt .
Down the street , a row of identical tents bearing that same red , white and blue flag lined the sidewalk outside the VA grounds .
Standing among them , Luis Placencia , who donned an American flag baseball cap , wasn ’ t as caught up in Saturday ’ s festivities .
“ To me it ’ s just another day .
What ’ s the meaning of it ?
” he wondered .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Placencia , who at 59 said he would fight for the country again if called upon , lives close to the tents in a campus apartment renovated for unhoused veterans .
As he visited a friend , he questioned the necessity of the string of tents that bend and curve with San Vicente Boulevard .
There are empty buildings on the VA campus , he said .
Giovanni Villa , whose tent sits under an Army Veteran flag and a star-spangled banner , said he was grateful to have his spot .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the first home I ’ ve had in about five years , ” he said .
“ It ’ s someplace where I can try to get myself going .
It ’ s hard being homeless ... .
It ’ s not a house .
It ’ s not a bathroom , or a shower , or a refrigerator.
” Villa said he welcomed the holiday because “ it brings our nation together for a reason that ’ s kind of sacred to us : the sacrifices men and woman have made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus has made life more difficult — he ’ s having trouble obtaining an ID and his stimulus money — the Army veteran said he is proud to be an American .
“ I ’ m glad to live in this country .
Even though there are a lot of vast problems , there are a lot of good people that are broad-minded and have their own thoughts , ” he said .
“ That ’ s what being an American is : to be able to express yourself in a respectful way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
”

Stephanie Lai, Andrew J. Campa, Jake Sheridan, Sarah Parvini

Kenzy El-Mohandes crested a hillside in Griffith Park early Saturday afternoon, eager to avoid the Fourth of July crowd she thought she and her friend would meet once they reached the observatory. With beaches closed for the holiday weekend, she assumed locals would flock to the park instead.
But as she rested on a grassy knoll and took in the sun, she was surprised to see a small, socially distanced crowd.
“It’s a normal weekend, we’re not feeling the patriotic spirit,” El-Mohandes said. “I’m less aware that it’s Fourth of July than normal years.”
The subdued Independence Day was exactly what officials ordered as California has struggled with a major spike in both coronavirus cases and hospitalizations over the last month as the economy reopened, placing the state back in the danger zone.
Advertisement
Newport Beach police enforces closure of beach along the Wedge in Newport Beach, a very popular and famed surf spot. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
Officials had feared a July 4 weekend of crowded beaches, barbecues, parties and packed restaurants would cause a surge in new infections, further overwhelming already filling hospitals. Data showed that California’s COVID-19 surge began during the Memorial Day weekend as people stuck inside for months decided to get back to old routines.
But it appears dire warnings as well as new restrictions had the intended effect — at least so far.
Los Angeles County banned fireworks displays, some parades and marathons moved online, and cities from Big Bear to Burbank canceled holiday shows. Huntington Beach’s popular Main Street parade was replaced by one that roamed through residential areas, allowing social distancing.
There were continued protests in downtown L.A. and elsewhere over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but many in attendance were wearing masks. One of the few holdouts was Lancaster, where officials were set to go forward with a fireworks show despite COVID-19 concerns.
In Santa Monica, the pier stood empty over a closed and deserted beach.
Janet and Shine Ling sat in lawn chairs in a cliff park off Ocean Avenue, where they could see sailboats glide in the Pacific hundreds of yards away.
“No one’s stopping us from sitting here right now, so we’re enjoying the beach from a distance,” Shine said.
Advertisement
On any other Fourth of July, they’d be down in the sand, Janet said, but this year the picnic had to move.
The siblings said they hadn’t seen each other since January. “We were debating whether we should even hang out,” Shine said.
“Is it too close? Is it unsafe?” Janet wondered.
Two weeks ago, Shine went to the now-closed beach for his birthday.
“I went right up to the water,” Shine said. “Nobody was wearing a mask, but everybody was keeping six feet of distance and the wind was pretty stiff, so I was like, ‘You know what, I do feel pretty silly wearing a mask.’”
The Ferris wheel is lit in patriotic colors on July 4th weekend at the Santa Monica pier. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Janet has had her own mask dilemma. “I’ve had a lot of experience with anti-Asian sentiments, especially when I’m wearing a mask,” she said. “So, for me it’s kind of a mixed bag. Do I try to do this to help others, or do I try to be safe for myself so I don’t get harassed?”
Advertisement
To try to tame the Fourth, Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed new restrictions on indoor dining at restaurants in many counties. Some communities including Santa Monica and West Hollywood said they would fine people who were not wearing masks, which is required in public spaces under a state order.
One risk area harder to detect is private social gatherings inside private homes, which officials believe has been a major cause of the latest infections.
California now has more than 252,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 6,300 deaths.
In Griffith Park, most visitors sat far apart from one another, some with masks and others without face coverings as they lounged with family and friends.
Jelani Dula and two friends made the road trip from San Jose to Southern California for the holiday weekend. The 21-year-old said he was excited to see famous L.A. sites — especially the unobstructed downtown skyline free of smog — but wasn’t in a celebratory mood because of “all of the civil issues and racial issues going on.”
“This Fourth of July doesn’t really feel the same,” Dula said, taking in the view while his friends took pictures.
Near Olvera Street downtown, members of indigenous groups joined with Black Lives Matter organizers in a peaceful protest that called for unity among minorities and an acknowledgment of the nation’s many sins on its birthday.
Advertisement
Protesters march thru Hollywood, part of the “Demonstrate How to Dishonor the American Flag” event put on by the Revolution Club in Los Angeles on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Some burned incense, tobacco and sage, while others spoke of the “Farce of July.” Many marched to Grand Park and beyond with signs calling for the “abolishment of ICE,” the defunding of police and justice for Andrés Guardado, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others slain by law enforcement. The protesters all wore face coverings.
Indigenous leader Shannon Rivers, of the Akimel O’otham people, called on about 400 demonstrators to understand “the many lies” taught to American youths that prop up “white supremacy” at the cost of all native peoples and minorities. He asked Black Lives Matter to join the indigenous movement before saying forcefully, “Black lives matter.”
Not far from Olvera Steet, at Echo Park Lake, the hundreds of families gathered there provided a semblance of holiday normalcy. Vendors sold small toys, plates of carne asada and French-style crepes. Most visitors celebrated from a distance, but masks were less common.
Skylar Falgout, 26, drove from Sherman Oaks to enjoy the scenery and eat her lunch. This year, she didn’t feel like celebrating.
“With the way the social climate is going, it doesn’t feel right,“ she said, as more than a dozen swan-shaped pedal boats cruised across the lake. “I would have hung out with friends, but hanging out with people is a bad idea right now with the way the pandemic is going.”
Advertisement
Ronald Sarver walked along the Veterans Administration campus in West Los Angeles, where he had recently moved into L.A.’s first temporary tent city in four decades — an area meant for veterans without homes so they can wait out the COVID-19 crisis by sheltering in place and social distancing in their own tents.
American flags decorate tents at an encampment of homeless veterans along San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood on Saturday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
“It’s better than nothing at all. Before this, I was waking up and all I had was a prayer,” said Sarver, who served in the Navy during the Iran hostage crisis.
Now, he said, he has a place to sleep and eats three meals a day. He’s grateful to have a place as the coronavirus — what he called “an act of God” — tears through the city.
On Independence Day, Sarver said, he felt patriotic.
“I was thinking earlier, and I teared up a little bit,” he said, an American flag pinned to his shirt.
Down the street, a row of identical tents bearing that same red, white and blue flag lined the sidewalk outside the VA grounds. Standing among them, Luis Placencia, who donned an American flag baseball cap, wasn’t as caught up in Saturday’s festivities.
“To me it’s just another day. What’s the meaning of it?” he wondered. “The independence of who, from what?”
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Placencia, who at 59 said he would fight for the country again if called upon, lives close to the tents in a campus apartment renovated for unhoused veterans. As he visited a friend, he questioned the necessity of the string of tents that bend and curve with San Vicente Boulevard. There are empty buildings on the VA campus, he said.
Giovanni Villa, whose tent sits under an Army Veteran flag and a star-spangled banner, said he was grateful to have his spot.
“These tents are wonderful. This is the first home I’ve had in about five years,” he said. “It’s someplace where I can try to get myself going. It’s hard being homeless .... It’s not a house. It’s not a bathroom, or a shower, or a refrigerator.”
Fireworks over North Hollywood, as seen from Burbank on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Villa said he welcomed the holiday because “it brings our nation together for a reason that’s kind of sacred to us: the sacrifices men and woman have made for our country.”
Even as the coronavirus has made life more difficult — he’s having trouble obtaining an ID and his stimulus money — the Army veteran said he is proud to be an American.
“I’m glad to live in this country. Even though there are a lot of vast problems, there are a lot of good people that are broad-minded and have their own thoughts,” he said.
Advertisement
“That’s what being an American is: to be able to express yourself in a respectful way to others and not be condemned for it.”
Participants riding in the Toyota of Huntington Beach car hand out flags to Ezekiel Schmidgall, of Washington D.C., in the OneHB Neighborhood Parade Saturday. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
Times staff writer Jack Dolan contributed to this story.