latimes--2020-02-26--A new generation of young Latinos is making Coachella a must-visit stop for 2020 Democrats

There they were on a warm Saturday morning , the ruling political class of the eastern Coachella Valley .
Kicking it in the park .
With pan dulce and bacon-wrapped hot dogs .
Just like the old days .
Enjoying their time together , but planning for the future .
The party this time : a get-out-the-vote effort at Miles Park in Indio for Elizabeth Romero , a Riverside County Board of Education trustee who ’ s running to represent the open 28th state Senate district , which stretches from Murietta to Blythe .
It ’ s the last office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Mexican immigrants who grew up in Coachella , went off to college , then returned — needs to cement the transformation of their hometown .
Latinos have been a strong influence in Coachella politics since the mid-1960s , when a majority of the City Council was of Mexican American descent , among the first cities in California to reach that milestone .
But Coachella largely stagnated amid neglect from its regional , state and federal representatives , who were almost always white and Republican .
When out-of-town politicos showed up in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stick to the western side , in wealthier cities such as Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage .
But the days of the self-proclaimed “ City of Eternal Sunshine ” as an afterthought are over .
Presidential candidates have sought and won the endorsements of Coachella-raised raza .
Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez is going with Michael R. Bloomberg .
Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia ( D-Coachella ) has cut statewide commercials for Tom Steyer .
Romero is undecided .
The Bernie Sanders campaign opened a field office in downtown .
Coachella ’ s council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in December to unanimously endorse the Vermont senator — the only city council in the country to publicly do so .
The diversity of endorsements hasn ’ t caused stark fissures here , although 36-year-old Mayor Steven Hernandez , who also is chief of staff for Perez , jokes that the “ Xers ” ( as in Generation X ) in town are too scared to publicly support Sanders .
“ But the fact there is connections to other campaigns speaks to the gains we have accomplished as a community , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s somebody in the camp that ’ s talking to them , and we ’ ll coalesce after the primary.
” Coachellanos now fill the positions of mayor , county supervisor , assembly member and congressman .
A new generation is winning seats on school boards and water districts , and joining city commissions .
All have the same mission : build a city with amenities and opportunities that didn ’ t exist when they were kids .
This Coachella has emerged over the last 15 years , a time when the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ namesake music festival ( actually held in Indio ) even as its population has remained overwhelmingly immigrant and working class .
In an era when Latinos make up a plurality of California ’ s population , but still lag in political representation , power brokers local and national are noticing what ’ s happening here .
The Coachella politicians “ understand the sacrifices of growing up in the farm-working world , ” said Luz Gallegos , community programs director for TODEC Legal Center , which runs citizenship workshops across Riverside County .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ They ’ re super-motivated ] .
” They ’ re “ not only making people pay attention to their community , but also make us ask questions about who ’ s on the inside and who ’ s on the outside , ” said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon ( D-Lakewood ) .
“ Not only do we want to know what Coachella thinks , but now we also ask what San Bernardino , Bakersfield , Fresno and Merced think.
” But if a revolution now runs this city of date palms and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one that ’ s a work in progress .
Garcia , a former Coachella council member and mayor who replaced Perez as the eastern Coachella Valley ’ s assembly member in 2014 , points to a revitalized downtown , a new library and community murals that rival anything in Los Angeles .
“ Have things gotten better ?
They have , ” the 43-year-old said .
“ Is there work to be done ?
Without a doubt.
” There are few indicators here that a presidential primary is happening next week in California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and street signs around the eastern Coachella Valley plug Romero , with only a handful for her main opponents , Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez ( R-Lake Elsinore ) and Palm Springs resident Joy Silver , a Democrat .
Billboards supporting Romero loom over both directions of old California 86 , which connects Indio to Coachella and ends in Mexicali , Mexico , where Garcia ’ s family is from .
Cruising down Indio Boulevard onto Highway 111 , past bustling restaurants and boarded-up businesses , he makes note of what he says is proof @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fortunes — parks .
Miles Park in Indio .
Bagdouma Park in Coachella .
Then Garcia stopped at Rancho Las Flores Park , which opened in 2012 with the help of a $ 5-million state grant .
Its three soccer fields and every possible swath of grass were swarming with youngsters channeling their inner Chicharito .
Paleteros hawked Mexican popsicles .
“ This was a dirt lot , ” Garcia said .
“ This was going to be all houses .
But that ’ s not what the community wanted.
” In his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill that allows home cooks to legally sell their food and co-authored a $ 4-billion parks bond passed by California voters in 2018 .
Both , he said , were inspired by the informal economy and lack of parks he and too many others grew up with .
Garcia and his political peers all tell the same origin story : They were the students at Coachella Valley High School in Thermal who left for college in the big city .
Coachella Valley Unified trustee Maria Machuca went to San Bernardino .
Perez and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( D-Palm Desert ) , UCLA .
That ’ s when everyone realized they grew up on the wrong side of the proverbial tracks .
“ We knew things were going on , things here that weren ’ t right , but couldn ’ t put it together , ” said Machuca , who still lives in the unincorporated community of Mecca .
“ You ’ d come back and drive 20 minutes down the road , and you ’ re in Indian Wells , ” Ruiz said .
“ You ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
’ ” The former classmates formed a group that held spoken-word nights and community workshops , where residents told them they felt they had no voice on the council .
They then began to run for school boards and council seats before scoring a series of prominent upsets — Perez beat a former Palm Springs police chief for an Assembly seat in 2008 , while first-time candidate Ruiz won the congressional office held by longtime incumbent Mary Bono Mack in 2012 .
The old guard is still adapting to this new reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board of directors for Democrats of the Desert , the official club in the Coachella Valley , is Latino or was born in the region .
But as they ’ ve assumed power , the Coachella class has learned to work with opponents .
Perez cites his close relationship with Brian Nestande , a fixture in Southern California GOP circles and a former assembly member who is Riverside County ’ s deputy chief executive .
“ It ’ s easier to get what you want when you talk to people in good faith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amith , 56 , has served on the Indio City Council since 2004 and cracks : “ I ’ m old enough to be the aunt ” of Coachella ’ s politicians .
A supporter of President Trump , she left the Republican Party last year and is now unaffiliated .
Yet she has worked with Garcia , Perez and others to bring opportunities to the East Valley : a satellite campus of the College of the Desert in Indio , the expansion of the Desert Healthcare District — which governs public hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the West Valley .
Her bipartisanship has drawn the ire of local GOP politicians .
She says those critics don ’ t get it .
“ We can stand up regardless of our political differences , because we grew up here , ” Ramos Amith said .
“ We get what our hometowns need , and we all work in our own way toward it.
” For millennial politicians such as Indio Councilman Oscar Ortiz , his older colleagues have set an example to build upon .
The 31-year-old heads Sanders ’ campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mexicali and raised by a farmworker father and a mother who cleans houses , he graduated from Stanford University with a degree in chemistry before running for City Council in 2018 .
“ We have the privilege of seeing these movements before us , ” he said outside the Sanders headquarters , housed at Casa del Trabajador , a historic building in downtown Coachella where Cesar Chavez once organized agricultural workers .
“ They opened up the gateway.
” At a December rally in front of the Casa del Trabajador , Mayor Hernandez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tio Bernie , as we refer to him in Coachella , knows that it ’ s time to create a new chapter in America.
” “ I tell a lot of my friends : You see those private planes flying over us ?
” Hernandez said .
“ If those well-to-do individuals want to call the Coachella Valley home , we can ’ t be eager to run out of here .
So why can ’ t we work toward making it for us instead of them ?
”

There they were on a warm Saturday morning, the ruling political class of the eastern Coachella Valley.
Kicking it in the park. With pan dulce and bacon-wrapped hot dogs.
Just like the old days. Enjoying their time together, but planning for the future.
The party this time: a get-out-the-vote effort at Miles Park in Indio for Elizabeth Romero, a Riverside County Board of Education trustee who’s running to represent the open 28th state Senate district, which stretches from Murietta to Blythe.
It’s the last office that this group of friends — children of Mexican immigrants who grew up in Coachella, went off to college, then returned — needs to cement the transformation of their hometown.
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Latinos have been a strong influence in Coachella politics since the mid-1960s, when a majority of the City Council was of Mexican American descent, among the first cities in California to reach that milestone. But Coachella largely stagnated amid neglect from its regional, state and federal representatives, who were almost always white and Republican.
When out-of-town politicos showed up in the Coachella Valley, they’d invariably stick to the western side, in wealthier cities such as Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage.
But the days of the self-proclaimed “City of Eternal Sunshine” as an afterthought are over.
Agricultural fields, palm trees and the San Jacinto Mountains dot the landscape on the outskirts of Coachella. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Presidential candidates have sought and won the endorsements of Coachella-raised raza. Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez is going with Michael R. Bloomberg. Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) has cut statewide commercials for Tom Steyer. Romero is undecided.
The Bernie Sanders campaign opened a field office in downtown. Coachella’s council members hosted him at a raucous rally in December to unanimously endorse the Vermont senator — the only city council in the country to publicly do so.
The diversity of endorsements hasn’t caused stark fissures here, although 36-year-old Mayor Steven Hernandez, who also is chief of staff for Perez, jokes that the “Xers” (as in Generation X) in town are too scared to publicly support Sanders.
“But the fact there is connections to other campaigns speaks to the gains we have accomplished as a community,” he said. “That means there’s somebody in the camp that’s talking to them, and we’ll coalesce after the primary.”
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Volunteers work inside the Bernie Sanders campaign headquarters in downtown Coachella. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Coachellanos now fill the positions of mayor, county supervisor, assembly member and congressman. A new generation is winning seats on school boards and water districts, and joining city commissions. All have the same mission: build a city with amenities and opportunities that didn’t exist when they were kids.
This Coachella has emerged over the last 15 years, a time when the city’s fame exploded due to its namesake music festival (actually held in Indio) even as its population has remained overwhelmingly immigrant and working class. In an era when Latinos make up a plurality of California’s population, but still lag in political representation, power brokers local and national are noticing what’s happening here.
The Coachella politicians “understand the sacrifices of growing up in the farm-working world,” said Luz Gallegos, community programs director for TODEC Legal Center, which runs citizenship workshops across Riverside County. “That’s why están super-prendidos. [They’re super-motivated].”
They’re “not only making people pay attention to their community, but also make us ask questions about who’s on the inside and who’s on the outside,” said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood). “Not only do we want to know what Coachella thinks, but now we also ask what San Bernardino, Bakersfield, Fresno and Merced think.”
But if a revolution now runs this city of date palms and weathered shopping centers, it’s one that’s a work in progress.
Garcia, a former Coachella council member and mayor who replaced Perez as the eastern Coachella Valley’s assembly member in 2014, points to a revitalized downtown, a new library and community murals that rival anything in Los Angeles.
“Have things gotten better? They have,” the 43-year-old said. “Is there work to be done? Without a doubt.”
There are few indicators here that a presidential primary is happening next week in California. Instead, nearly all the lawn and street signs around the eastern Coachella Valley plug Romero, with only a handful for her main opponents, Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) and Palm Springs resident Joy Silver, a Democrat.
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Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) walks by a mural in downtown Coachella. In the eastern Coachella Valley, a generation of Latinos who grew up in the area — internationally famous for its agriculture and namesake music festival — have assumed political power. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Billboards supporting Romero loom over both directions of old California 86, which connects Indio to Coachella and ends in Mexicali, Mexico, where Garcia’s family is from. Cruising down Indio Boulevard onto Highway 111, past bustling restaurants and boarded-up businesses, he makes note of what he says is proof of the area’s change in fortunes — parks.
Miles Park in Indio. Bagdouma Park in Coachella.
Then Garcia stopped at Rancho Las Flores Park, which opened in 2012 with the help of a $5-million state grant. Its three soccer fields and every possible swath of grass were swarming with youngsters channeling their inner Chicharito. Paleteros hawked Mexican popsicles.
“This was a dirt lot,” Garcia said. “This was going to be all houses. But that’s not what the community wanted.”
Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) speaks in favor of Elizabeth Romero, a Democratic candidate for California’s 28th Senate District, center, during a rally in Indio. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
In his time in Sacramento, Garcia wrote a bill that allows home cooks to legally sell their food and co-authored a $4-billion parks bond passed by California voters in 2018. Both, he said, were inspired by the informal economy and lack of parks he and too many others grew up with.
Garcia and his political peers all tell the same origin story: They were the students at Coachella Valley High School in Thermal who left for college in the big city.
Coachella Valley Unified trustee Maria Machuca went to San Bernardino. Perez and Garcia to Riverside. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert), UCLA.
That’s when everyone realized they grew up on the wrong side of the proverbial tracks.
“We knew things were going on, things here that weren’t right, but couldn’t put it together,” said Machuca, who still lives in the unincorporated community of Mecca.
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“You’d come back and drive 20 minutes down the road, and you’re in Indian Wells,” Ruiz said. “You’d ask yourself, ‘Why the disparities?’”
The former classmates formed a group that held spoken-word nights and community workshops, where residents told them they felt they had no voice on the council. They then began to run for school boards and council seats before scoring a series of prominent upsets — Perez beat a former Palm Springs police chief for an Assembly seat in 2008, while first-time candidate Ruiz won the congressional office held by longtime incumbent Mary Bono Mack in 2012.
The old guard is still adapting to this new reality: Not a single member of the board of directors for Democrats of the Desert, the official club in the Coachella Valley, is Latino or was born in the region. But as they’ve assumed power, the Coachella class has learned to work with opponents.
Perez cites his close relationship with Brian Nestande, a fixture in Southern California GOP circles and a former assembly member who is Riverside County’s deputy chief executive. “It’s easier to get what you want when you talk to people in good faith,” Perez said.
Indio Councilman Oscar Ortiz, 31, holds a sign at the Coachellla Valley’s Bernie Sanders campaign headquarters, where he serves as the field organizer. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Lupe Ramos Amith, 56, has served on the Indio City Council since 2004 and cracks: “I’m old enough to be the aunt” of Coachella’s politicians. A supporter of President Trump, she left the Republican Party last year and is now unaffiliated.
Yet she has worked with Garcia, Perez and others to bring opportunities to the East Valley: a satellite campus of the College of the Desert in Indio, the expansion of the Desert Healthcare District — which governs public hospitals and clinics in the region — beyond the West Valley. Her bipartisanship has drawn the ire of local GOP politicians.
She says those critics don’t get it.
“We can stand up regardless of our political differences, because we grew up here,” Ramos Amith said. “We get what our hometowns need, and we all work in our own way toward it.”
For millennial politicians such as Indio Councilman Oscar Ortiz, his older colleagues have set an example to build upon.
Coachella’s political representatives have applied for and won millions of dollars in state grants to upgrade parks in the city. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The 31-year-old heads Sanders’ campaign office for the region. Born in Mexicali and raised by a farmworker father and a mother who cleans houses, he graduated from Stanford University with a degree in chemistry before running for City Council in 2018.
“We have the privilege of seeing these movements before us,” he said outside the Sanders headquarters, housed at Casa del Trabajador, a historic building in downtown Coachella where Cesar Chavez once organized agricultural workers.
“They opened up the gateway.”
At a December rally in front of the Casa del Trabajador, Mayor Hernandez introduced Sanders to the crowd.
“Tio Bernie, as we refer to him in Coachella, knows that it’s time to create a new chapter in America.”
A more equitable chapter.
“I tell a lot of my friends: You see those private planes flying over us?” Hernandez said. “If those well-to-do individuals want to call the Coachella Valley home, we can’t be eager to run out of here. So why can’t we work toward making it for us instead of them?”


latimes--2020-02-26--Ugly battles erupt as residents fight housing coronavirus patients in their cities

The coronavirus has yet to become a major health threat in Orange County .
But a proposal to eventually place some patients at a state-owned facility in Costa Mesa has sparked a political battle in which wary residents are speaking in conspiratorial , even apocalyptic terms .
“ Expose the hidden agenda to bring coronavirus into our city , ” one wrote on a poster board outside a federal courthouse in Santa Ana on Monday .
“ Life will end as we know it , ” added another .
At the focus of their fury is a proposal to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarantine site , a notion that drew swift and fierce condemnation from city , county , state and federal officials representing the area .
It ’ s likely only the first round in a brewing battle — one pitting higher-level health officials working to stem the spread of the coronavirus known as COVID-19 against the communities expected to play host to those efforts .
Officials in Alabama have also been fighting efforts to locate patients in that state , and there even has been rumbling of opposition from people living by quarantine zones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of confirmed cases rockets past 80,000 worldwide , and U.S. health officials warn the disease will inevitably spread stateside at some point , public health experts warn that contending with the fallout from the epidemic ’ s indirect symptoms — fear , paranoia and misinformation chief among them — may prove just as vital as treating the sickness itself .
“ You ’ re dealing with fear , discrimination and stigma , and that can be much harder to contain and control and move against than the actual virus , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and of medicine at the university ’ s David Geffen School of Medicine .
“ And that ’ s the big challenge , because that ’ s not necessarily a discussion you can win with facts and being rational.
” On Tuesday , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offered its most serious warning to date that the United States should expect the coronavirus to become a more serious health issue and that it was time to prepare for it .
“ Ultimately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread in this country , ” said Nancy Messonnier , director of the CDC ’ s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases .
“ It ’ s not so much a question of if , but a question of when.
” Stock prices dropped sharply Tuesday for the second consecutive day as investors grew increasingly skeptical that the virus would soon be contained and worried about how much it would damage the global economy .
One element of the response is using sites like Fairview to house patients .
The 114-acre property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and developmental disabilities but is now largely empty as the state plans to close the facility .
It ’ s unclear how many sites are under similar consideration .
The California Health and Human Services Agency has confirmed it considered several other possibilities , including the Sonoma Developmental Center , Army National Guard Camp Roberts and closed youth correctional facilities .
“ Safely and securely isolating our fellow Californians who are under federal care is an important way to keep all of our communities safe from novel coronavirus , and we will continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those in Costa Mesa and communities that are being greatly impacted by shortages of hospital isolation beds , ” the agency said in a statement .
Regardless , Costa Mesa officials are adamant that Fairview is not a suitable location — citing concerns with public health and a lack of specifics about the proposal .
The city has successfully obtained a temporary restraining order to halt the transportation of anyone infected with the coronavirus to the city .
“ While we have nothing but compassion for those who are suffering from this virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community is our top priority , ” Mayor Katrina Foley said Monday .
“ Bringing those infected into this densely populated area is simply the wrong approach.
” The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to file an amicus brief in support of Costa Mesa ’ s legal fight .
The board “ stands together to support public health and safety in our community , ” Chairwoman Michelle Steel said in a statement .
“ We have not been provided adequate information or input from the state of California or the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regarding their proposed transfer of COVID-19 positive patients to Orange County .
Our densely populated county is not the right place to bring coronavirus patients.
” A similar situation unfolded recently in Alabama , where local and state officials pushed hard against a proposal to potentially locate patients within the city of Anniston .
U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby ( R-Ala. ) said Sunday that he had spoken with President Trump and received assurances that plan was off the table .
Costa Mesa , though , has received no such guarantee — leading some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ California must not have the pull to get taken off the list , ” Jennifer Keller , the city ’ s attorney , said during a court hearing Monday .
“ Alabama does.
” Daniel Beck , an attorney for the federal government , said Fairview was “ determined to be a superior site , ” because the facility has individual rooms with bathrooms attached , which would facilitate isolation and allow several patients to be monitored in a small area .
Of the patients who remain at Travis Air Force Base @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 “ units ” of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 but do not have symptoms could be isolated at Fairview , Beck added .
A unit could be an individual or a family .
While attempting to quell the warring sides , presiding U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton expressed empathy for the patients whose future is hanging in the balance .
“ These are American citizens who have been unfortunately ... and unfairly inflicted with this virus , ” she said .
“ No one should say , ‘ Not in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule.
” Communities are dealing with the threat in different ways .
San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Tuesday declared a local emergency , even though there have been no confirmed cases .
“ We see the virus spreading in new parts of the world every day , and we are taking the necessary steps to protect San Franciscans from harm , ” she said .
Experts said officials face a difficult balancing act of preparing for the virus while tamping down unfounded fears in the public .
“ Fear is part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are faced with a novel disease like COVID-19 , they ’ re trying to answer basic questions for themselves : ‘ Where did the disease come from ?
How is it spreading ?
Am I at risk ?
Is my family at risk ?
’ ” said Monica Schoch-Spana , a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security .
“ Because diseases like COVID-19 are very unfamiliar , what people do is distinguish between ‘ us ’ and ‘ them.
’ ” That phenomenon played out earlier this month , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Riverside County , as well as their families , reported being verbally attacked by people afraid of their proximity to those under quarantine at the base .
“ One of the big challenges , whenever you have an outbreak with a new pathogen , is dealing with the fear and the misinformation , ” Brewer said .
“ So right now you have people who are all up in arms in Orange County about a virus that has caused [ 57 ] cases — documented cases that we ’ re aware of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no deaths .
At the same time , we ’ ve had probably 26 million cases of influenza , probably about 14,000 deaths in the United States alone , and I guarantee you that a lot of people who are upset in Orange County have not gotten their flu vaccines .
And that ’ s the disconnect we have.
” During an interview Tuesday , Brewer occasionally had to stop and cough .
He ’ s been under the weather , he said , dealing with an ailment that ’ s not COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this virus , but they forget about all the other viruses that move around , ” he said .
Times Community News staff writer Faith E. Pinho and Times staff writer Colleen Shalby contributed to this report .

Protesters gather outside the federal courthouse Feb. 24 in Santa Ana before a hearing on sending people infected with coronavirus to Costa Mesa.
The coronavirus has yet to become a major health threat in Orange County. But a proposal to eventually place some patients at a state-owned facility in Costa Mesa has sparked a political battle in which wary residents are speaking in conspiratorial, even apocalyptic terms.
“Expose the hidden agenda to bring coronavirus into our city,” one wrote on a poster board outside a federal courthouse in Santa Ana on Monday.
“Life will end as we know it,” added another.
At the focus of their fury is a proposal to use the Fairview Developmental Center as a coronavirus quarantine site, a notion that drew swift and fierce condemnation from city, county, state and federal officials representing the area.
It’s likely only the first round in a brewing battle — one pitting higher-level health officials working to stem the spread of the coronavirus known as COVID-19 against the communities expected to play host to those efforts. Officials in Alabama have also been fighting efforts to locate patients in that state, and there even has been rumbling of opposition from people living by quarantine zones near military bases.
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But as the number of confirmed cases rockets past 80,000 worldwide, and U.S. health officials warn the disease will inevitably spread stateside at some point, public health experts warn that contending with the fallout from the epidemic’s indirect symptoms — fear, paranoia and misinformation chief among them — may prove just as vital as treating the sickness itself.
A view of the Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa, where the federal government is looking to possibly house people infected with coronavirus. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
“You’re dealing with fear, discrimination and stigma, and that can be much harder to contain and control and move against than the actual virus,” said Dr. Timothy Brewer, a professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and of medicine at the university’s David Geffen School of Medicine. “And that’s the big challenge, because that’s not necessarily a discussion you can win with facts and being rational.”
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offered its most serious warning to date that the United States should expect the coronavirus to become a more serious health issue and that it was time to prepare for it.
“Ultimately, we expect we will see coronavirus spread in this country,” said Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “It’s not so much a question of if, but a question of when.”
Stock prices dropped sharply Tuesday for the second consecutive day as investors grew increasingly skeptical that the virus would soon be contained and worried about how much it would damage the global economy.
Advertisement
One element of the response is using sites like Fairview to house patients. The 114-acre property once housed thousands of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities but is now largely empty as the state plans to close the facility.
It’s unclear how many sites are under similar consideration. The California Health and Human Services Agency has confirmed it considered several other possibilities, including the Sonoma Developmental Center, Army National Guard Camp Roberts and closed youth correctional facilities.
“Safely and securely isolating our fellow Californians who are under federal care is an important way to keep all of our communities safe from novel coronavirus, and we will continue to communicate with local partners — both those in Costa Mesa and communities that are being greatly impacted by shortages of hospital isolation beds,” the agency said in a statement.
California Traveler is under coronavirus quarantine at Ventura County naval base The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is monitoring anyone who has traveled through Hubei province in China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
Regardless, Costa Mesa officials are adamant that Fairview is not a suitable location — citing concerns with public health and a lack of specifics about the proposal. The city has successfully obtained a temporary restraining order to halt the transportation of anyone infected with the coronavirus to the city.
“While we have nothing but compassion for those who are suffering from this virus, the health and welfare of our community is our top priority,” Mayor Katrina Foley said Monday. “Bringing those infected into this densely populated area is simply the wrong approach.”
The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to file an amicus brief in support of Costa Mesa’s legal fight.
The board “stands together to support public health and safety in our community,” Chairwoman Michelle Steel said in a statement. “We have not been provided adequate information or input from the state of California or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding their proposed transfer of COVID-19 positive patients to Orange County. Our densely populated county is not the right place to bring coronavirus patients.”
A similar situation unfolded recently in Alabama, where local and state officials pushed hard against a proposal to potentially locate patients within the city of Anniston.
U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said Sunday that he had spoken with President Trump and received assurances that plan was off the table.
I just got off the phone with the President. He told me that his administration will not be sending any victims of the Coronavirus from the Diamond Princess cruise ship to Anniston, Alabama. Thank you, @POTUS, for working with us to ensure the safety of all Alabamians. — Richard Shelby (@SenShelby) February 23, 2020
Costa Mesa, though, has received no such guarantee — leading some to lob accusations of political favoritism.
“California must not have the pull to get taken off the list,” Jennifer Keller, the city’s attorney, said during a court hearing Monday. “Alabama does.”
Daniel Beck, an attorney for the federal government, said Fairview was “determined to be a superior site,” because the facility has individual rooms with bathrooms attached, which would facilitate isolation and allow several patients to be monitored in a small area.
Of the patients who remain at Travis Air Force Base and hospitals in Northern California, about 10 “units” of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 but do not have symptoms could be isolated at Fairview, Beck added. A unit could be an individual or a family.
While attempting to quell the warring sides, presiding U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton expressed empathy for the patients whose future is hanging in the balance.
“These are American citizens who have been unfortunately ... and unfairly inflicted with this virus,” she said. “No one should say, ‘Not in my backyard,’ as a general rule.”
Communities are dealing with the threat in different ways. San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Tuesday declared a local emergency, even though there have been no confirmed cases.
“We see the virus spreading in new parts of the world every day, and we are taking the necessary steps to protect San Franciscans from harm,” she said.
Experts said officials face a difficult balancing act of preparing for the virus while tamping down unfounded fears in the public.
“Fear is part of a survival instinct, so when people are faced with a novel disease like COVID-19, they’re trying to answer basic questions for themselves: ‘Where did the disease come from? How is it spreading? Am I at risk? Is my family at risk?’” said Monica Schoch-Spana, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “Because diseases like COVID-19 are very unfamiliar, what people do is distinguish between ‘us’ and ‘them.’”
That phenomenon played out earlier this month, when workers at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, as well as their families, reported being verbally attacked by people afraid of their proximity to those under quarantine at the base .
“One of the big challenges, whenever you have an outbreak with a new pathogen, is dealing with the fear and the misinformation,” Brewer said. “So right now you have people who are all up in arms in Orange County about a virus that has caused [57] cases — documented cases that we’re aware of — in the United States, and no deaths. At the same time, we’ve had probably 26 million cases of influenza, probably about 14,000 deaths in the United States alone, and I guarantee you that a lot of people who are upset in Orange County have not gotten their flu vaccines. And that’s the disconnect we have.”
During an interview Tuesday, Brewer occasionally had to stop and cough. He’s been under the weather, he said, dealing with an ailment that’s not COVID-19.
“People are very worried about this virus, but they forget about all the other viruses that move around,” he said.
Times Community News staff writer Faith E. Pinho and Times staff writer Colleen Shalby contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-02-26--Flight attendant diagnosed with coronavirus might have serviced trips between Seoul and Los Angeles

A South Korean flight attendant who has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus may have serviced trips between Seoul and Los Angeles last week , according to several South Korean media outlets .
South Korea ’ s Center for Disease Control said Wednesday local time that a female flight attendant who serviced a flight Feb. 15 from Tel Aviv to Seoul had tested positive for the virus .
On board the flight was a church group returning from a pilgrimage to Israel ; 30 other infections have been connected to the group so far , according to local authorities .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same flight attendant had serviced flights KE017 and KE012 on Feb. 19 and 20 to and from Los Angeles International .
Neither Korean Air nor local officials immediately confirmed the reports — Korean Air announced it was closing its operations center at Incheon Airport to disinfect the premises .
South Korea has reported more than 1,100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus so far , the largest outbreak outside of China , as infections have sprung up in at least 40 countries across the globe .
Times staff writer Jaclyn Cosgrove in Los @ @ @ @ @ @

A South Korean flight attendant who has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus may have serviced trips between Seoul and Los Angeles last week, according to several South Korean media outlets.
South Korea’s Center for Disease Control said Wednesday local time that a female flight attendant who serviced a flight Feb. 15 from Tel Aviv to Seoul had tested positive for the virus. On board the flight was a church group returning from a pilgrimage to Israel; 30 other infections have been connected to the group so far, according to local authorities.
The South Korean media outlets reported that the same flight attendant had serviced flights KE017 and KE012 on Feb. 19 and 20 to and from Los Angeles International.
Neither Korean Air nor local officials immediately confirmed the reports — Korean Air announced it was closing its operations center at Incheon Airport to disinfect the premises.
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South Korea has reported more than 1,100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus so far, the largest outbreak outside of China, as infections have sprung up in at least 40 countries across the globe.
Times staff writer Jaclyn Cosgrove in Los Angeles contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-02-26--Large fire at Carson refinery sends flames 100 feet into the air; 405 Freeway reopens

A large fire that erupted late Tuesday at the Marathon Petroleum refinery in Carson sent flames at least 100 feet into the air , according to news reports , but was mostly contained by Wednesday morning , authorities said .
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said an explosion preceded the blaze in a cooling tower at the refinery , and crews were working to depressurize the system .
Residents as far away as Glendale , Studio City and Atwater Village reported hearing the explosion .
The fire prompted a brief closure of all lanes of the 405 Freeway at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Highway Patrol .
All lanes reopened by about 11:45 p.m. after being closed for about 30 minutes .
Jennifer Atenza , a public information officer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department , said on Twitter that the agency had secured a perimeter around the refinery .
“ At this time we don ’ t anticipate need to evacuate residents , ” Atenza said .
Daniya Ahmed , 22 , lives about 1.5 miles west of the refinery .
Ahmed was doing her nightly routine when she heard a loud boom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sound spooked her cat , Momo .
Ahmed said she wondered if it was an explosion or a mass shooting .
“ I got really confused and honestly frightened , ” Ahmed said in a Twitter message .
“ My heart was racing.
” Then she heard a second explosion and thought it might be a multi-car accident .
She soon saw posts on social media about the refinery fire .
She went to her window and at first didn ’ t smell smoke .
“ But then I noticed the smell , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t smoke .
It smelled like chemical .
It was the type of smell that sits at the back of your throat.
” Carson resident Joe Billings told KABC-TV Channel 7 that he was putting his daughter to bed when they heard an explosion and their house shook .
The refinery ’ s “ alarms went off , so that ’ s an indication something was really bad , ” Billings told the news station , noting the alarm went off about 10:45 p.m. Billings said his home is about two miles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got a little jolt on this side of town , ” he said .
Ruben Banda , 22 , who lives less than two miles from the refinery , heard a loud noise but at first assumed nothing was wrong .
“ I live next to the train yard , so loud sounds are always heard next to my house , ” Banda said in a Twitter message .
“ So when I heard a very loud boom , I didn ’ t [ think anything ] of it , just another day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When Banda walked outside , he saw bright light coming from the refinery and realized there was smoke in the air .
The Marathon Refinery is the largest on the West Coast with a crude oil capacity of 363,000 barrels per day , according to the company ’ s website .
The company operates the nation ’ s largest refining system with more than 3 million barrels per calendar day of crude oil capacity across 16 refineries , and is headquartered in Ohio .
A spokesperson could not be reached late Tuesday for @ @

A large fire that erupted late Tuesday at the Marathon Petroleum refinery in Carson sent flames at least 100 feet into the air, according to news reports, but was mostly contained by Wednesday morning, authorities said.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said an explosion preceded the blaze in a cooling tower at the refinery, and crews were working to depressurize the system.
Residents as far away as Glendale, Studio City and Atwater Village reported hearing the explosion.
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The fire prompted a brief closure of all lanes of the 405 Freeway at Wilmington Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol. All lanes reopened by about 11:45 p.m. after being closed for about 30 minutes.
REFINERY FIRE | FS36 | #Carson | An explosion preceded fire in a cooling tower at the Marathon Refinery. Marathon personal keeping flames in check via fixed ground monitors while they work to depressurize the system. LACOFD assisting. — L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) February 26, 2020
Jennifer Atenza, a public information officer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, said on Twitter that the agency had secured a perimeter around the refinery.
“At this time we don’t anticipate need to evacuate residents,” Atenza said.
#LASD #Carson&CHP secured a perimeter around Marathon Refinery. We are supporting efforts by County Fire&Marathon Facility Fire Departments. At this time we don't anticipate need to evacuate residents. @LACOFD is monitoring air quality&will keep us updated as the fire dissipates pic.twitter.com/qONQEKZoSz — LASD Carson Station (@CarsonLASD) February 26, 2020
Daniya Ahmed, 22, lives about 1.5 miles west of the refinery.
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Ahmed was doing her nightly routine when she heard a loud boom. Her shutters rattled, and the sound spooked her cat, Momo.
Ahmed said she wondered if it was an explosion or a mass shooting. “I got really confused and honestly frightened,” Ahmed said in a Twitter message. “My heart was racing.”
Then she heard a second explosion and thought it might be a multi-car accident.
She soon saw posts on social media about the refinery fire. She went to her window and at first didn’t smell smoke.
“But then I noticed the smell,” she said. “It wasn’t smoke. It smelled like chemical. It was the type of smell that sits at the back of your throat.”
Carson resident Joe Billings told KABC-TV Channel 7 that he was putting his daughter to bed when they heard an explosion and their house shook.
The refinery’s “alarms went off, so that’s an indication something was really bad,” Billings told the news station, noting the alarm went off about 10:45 p.m.
Billings said his home is about two miles away.
“Felt like the house got a little jolt on this side of town,” he said.
Ruben Banda, 22, who lives less than two miles from the refinery, heard a loud noise but at first assumed nothing was wrong.
“I live next to the train yard, so loud sounds are always heard next to my house,” Banda said in a Twitter message. “So when I heard a very loud boom, I didn’t [think anything] of it, just another day where the trains are just loud.”
When Banda walked outside, he saw bright light coming from the refinery and realized there was smoke in the air.
The Marathon Refinery is the largest on the West Coast with a crude oil capacity of 363,000 barrels per day, according to the company’s website. The company operates the nation’s largest refining system with more than 3 million barrels per calendar day of crude oil capacity across 16 refineries, and is headquartered in Ohio. A spokesperson could not be reached late Tuesday for comment.


latimes--2020-02-26--Brea police officer fatally shoots man at regional park after report of a gunman

A man was shot and killed late Tuesday afternoon by a Brea Police Department officer near Carbon Canyon Regional Park @ @ @ @ @ man with a gun .
Authorities are investigating whether the man had a firearm , @ @ @ @ @ the Orange County Sheriff ’ s Department .
The shooting occurred about 5:30 p.m. No @ @ @ @ @ to the Sheriff ’ s Department , which is investigating the shooting , in what @ @ @ @ @ circumstances of the shooting were not released .
Brea Police Department officers responded to the @ @ @ @ @ for a suspect who allegedly discharged a firearm .
It was not immediately clear if @ @ @ @ @ .

A man was shot and killed late Tuesday afternoon by a Brea Police Department officer near Carbon Canyon Regional Park after a call about a man with a gun.
Authorities are investigating whether the man had a firearm, according to Carrie Braun of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
The shooting occurred about 5:30 p.m. No officers were injured, according to the Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating the shooting, in what is standard procedure.
The circumstances of the shooting were not released.
Brea Police Department officers responded to the same park Thursday to search for a suspect who allegedly discharged a firearm. It was not immediately clear if the two cases are connected.


latimes--2020-02-26--Driver killed in crash after fleeing  police in Upland

A driver who sped away from Upland police during a short pursuit Tuesday afternoon was killed when his car struck @ @ @ @ @ and caught fire .
About 1:50 p.m. , an Upland police officer noticed a BMW @ @ @ @ @ the officer followed the car , the man drove quickly into the San Antonio Heights @ @ @ @ @ .
The officer briefly lost track of the vehicle but soon found the car crashed @ @ @ @ @ San Antonio Crescent West north of 24th Street , according to the California Highway Patrol @ @ @ @ @ pulled the man from the vehicle , and some performed CPR on the driver while @ @ @ @ @ The driver suffered major trauma and died at the scene .
His identity has been @ @ @ @ @ of kin .

CHP officers and Upland police investigate a pursuit that ended when the suspect’s car hit a power pole and burst into flames.
A driver who sped away from Upland police during a short pursuit Tuesday afternoon was killed when his car struck a light pole, rolled and caught fire.
About 1:50 p.m., an Upland police officer noticed a BMW without license plates. When the officer followed the car, the man drove quickly into the San Antonio Heights neighborhood, according to authorities.
The officer briefly lost track of the vehicle but soon found the car crashed into a light pole on San Antonio Crescent West north of 24th Street, according to the California Highway Patrol and Upland police.
Officers pulled the man from the vehicle, and some performed CPR on the driver while others extinguished the fire.
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The driver suffered major trauma and died at the scene. His identity has been withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Times staff writer Jaclyn Cosgrove contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-02-25--USC recalls students from South Korea and Italy because of coronavirus

Any USC students studying abroad in South Korea or parts of Italy affected by the coronavirus outbreak are required to return home , university officials announced Tuesday evening .
“ The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 3 travel advisory for South Korea , which advises against all non-essential travel , ” USC officials said in an email obtained by The Times .
“ As a result , we are requiring students to leave ... and we are working actively with them to make arrangements to travel back to USC.
” Students in the Veneto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have seen a sudden surge in infections — are also required to return , while those studying elsewhere in the country are encouraged to stay in close contact with their program administrators in case the situation changes .
“ Your safety , well-being , and ability to continue your studies and other activities remain the highest priorities for the entire leadership of USC , ” the administrators said in the email , sent at 5:19 p.m .
This week , CDC leaders advised communities to take precautions in the event that coronavirus starts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they said was inevitable .
More than 2,700 people have died from the virus , the majority in mainland China .
In the United States , there have been 57 confirmed cases ; 40 of those are repatriated individuals from the Diamond Princess cruise ship .
There are 15 confirmed cases in California .
Times staff writers Colleen Shalby and Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report .

A man with a mask plays with pigeons in the Piazza del Duomo in Milan on Monday.
Any USC students studying abroad in South Korea or parts of Italy affected by the coronavirus outbreak are required to return home, university officials announced Tuesday evening.
“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 3 travel advisory for South Korea, which advises against all non-essential travel,” USC officials said in an email obtained by The Times. “As a result, we are requiring students to leave ... and we are working actively with them to make arrangements to travel back to USC.”
Students in the Veneto and Lombardy regions of Italy — which have seen a sudden surge in infections — are also required to return, while those studying elsewhere in the country are encouraged to stay in close contact with their program administrators in case the situation changes.
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“Your safety, well-being, and ability to continue your studies and other activities remain the highest priorities for the entire leadership of USC,” the administrators said in the email, sent at 5:19 p.m.
This week, CDC leaders advised communities to take precautions in the event that coronavirus starts spreading in the United States, which they said was inevitable.
More than 2,700 people have died from the virus, the majority in mainland China. In the United States, there have been 57 confirmed cases; 40 of those are repatriated individuals from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. There are 15 confirmed cases in California.
Times staff writers Colleen Shalby and Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-02-25--San Francisco mayor declares coronavirus emergency

“ Although there are still zero confirmed cases in San Francisco residents , the global picture is changing rapidly , and we need to step up preparedness , ” Breed said in a statement Tuesday .
“ We see the virus spreading in new parts of the world every day , and we are taking the necessary steps to protect San Franciscans from harm.
” While three people have been treated for COVID-19 at San Francisco hospitals , there have been no confirmed cases of the illness in the city .
Breed made the announcement following the Centers for Disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus is likely to continue to spread .
“ Ultimately , we expect we will see coronavirus spread in this country , ” CDC Director Nancy Messonnier said .
“ It ’ s not so much a question of if , but a question of when.
” San Francisco ’ s declaration , effective immediately , will be in place for seven days and will be voted on by the Board of Supervisors on March 3 .
The decree will allow the city to allocate resources around coronavirus mitigation efforts .
Such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies throughout the city , the allowance of future reimbursement by the state and federal governments and increased awareness throughout the city on coronavirus preparation methods .
San Francisco ’ s health officer , Dr. Tomás Aragón , said that decision was based in part on the high volume of travel between the city and Wuhan , China — the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak .
“ We are prioritizing children , people who live in congregate settings and vulnerable populations as we plan to reduce the potential for harm from the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working closely with the Chinese community , who are so impacted by this situation , and also at risk for stigma and discrimination , ” he said .
Breed reiterated the CDC ’ s call for schools and businesses to prepare for the likely spread of cases and prepare for possible school closures or work-from-home needs .
Messonnier advised parents to talk to schools about the possibility of internet-based learning in the event that COVID-19 were to spread and students needed to refrain from going to school .
She suggested businesses think about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to work from home .
And Messonnier said officials would also need to consider whether to cancel large community-based events .
More than 2,600 people have died from the virus , the majority in mainland China .
In the United States , there have been 57 confirmed cases ; 40 of those are repatriated individuals from the Diamond Princess cruise ship .
There are 15 confirmed cases in California .

San Francisco has declared a local emergency amid the coronavirus outbreak even though there are no confirmed cases in the city.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed has declared a local emergency amid coronavirus fears.
“Although there are still zero confirmed cases in San Francisco residents, the global picture is changing rapidly, and we need to step up preparedness,” Breed said in a statement Tuesday. “We see the virus spreading in new parts of the world every day, and we are taking the necessary steps to protect San Franciscans from harm.”
While three people have been treated for COVID-19 at San Francisco hospitals, there have been no confirmed cases of the illness in the city.
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Breed made the announcement following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s warning that the virus is likely to continue to spread.
California Orange County declares emergency over coronavirus Orange County’s emergency declaration over the coronavirus comes as local officials fight a proposal to send patients to a facility in Costa Mesa.
“Ultimately, we expect we will see coronavirus spread in this country,” CDC Director Nancy Messonnier said. “It’s not so much a question of if, but a question of when.”
San Francisco’s declaration, effective immediately, will be in place for seven days and will be voted on by the Board of Supervisors on March 3.
The decree will allow the city to allocate resources around coronavirus mitigation efforts. Such efforts include staffing, the coordination of agencies throughout the city, the allowance of future reimbursement by the state and federal governments and increased awareness throughout the city on coronavirus preparation methods.
Santa Clara and San Diego counties have issued similar declarations.
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Science & Medicine Coronavirus symptoms: What to look for if you think you might be sick A coronavirus infection can have common symptoms like a cough or fever. There can also be serious problems, including pneumonia or kidney failure.
San Francisco’s health officer, Dr. Tomás Aragón, said that decision was based in part on the high volume of travel between the city and Wuhan, China — the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
“We are prioritizing children, people who live in congregate settings and vulnerable populations as we plan to reduce the potential for harm from the virus in the community. We have been working closely with the Chinese community, who are so impacted by this situation, and also at risk for stigma and discrimination,” he said.
Breed reiterated the CDC’s call for schools and businesses to prepare for the likely spread of cases and prepare for possible school closures or work-from-home needs.
Messonnier advised parents to talk to schools about the possibility of internet-based learning in the event that COVID-19 were to spread and students needed to refrain from going to school. She suggested businesses think about how to use teleconferencing if employees should need to work from home. And Messonnier said officials would also need to consider whether to cancel large community-based events.
More than 2,600 people have died from the virus, the majority in mainland China. In the United States, there have been 57 confirmed cases; 40 of those are repatriated individuals from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. There are 15 confirmed cases in California.


latimes--2020-02-25--College admissions scandal: Heir to Hot Pockets fortune sentenced to 5 months

Michelle Janavs , heiress to a frozen foods fortune , was sentenced Tuesday to five months in prison for paying $ 100,000 to fix her daughters ’ college entrance exams and agreeing to pay twice that amount to sneak one girl into USC as a bogus beach volleyball player .
Janavs , a resident of Newport Coast , pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering , admitting she paid William “ Rick ” Singer , a Newport Beach college admissions consultant , to rig ACT exams for her daughters and bribe a USC administrator to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beach volleyball player .
The five-month term , handed down by U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton , came short of the 21 months that federal prosecutors had requested .
They wanted an enhancement for what they called an abuse of trust , saying Janavs used her status as trustee of her daughters ’ school , the Sage Hill School in Newport Beach , “ to insulate herself from the fraud.
” The school wouldn ’ t ask questions if she switched her daughter ’ s test location to a school where Singer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Singer in a recorded phone call , assuring him , “ They can ’ t say anything to me.
” In addition , she must pay a fine of $ 250,000 and remain on supervised release for two years .
Janavs , the 15th parent sentenced in the admission scandal , was among four parents who reversed their not-guilty pleas last year after learning they would probably be charged with bribery .
One , Douglas Hodge , was sentenced this month to nine months in prison .
Hodge , the former chief executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get four of his children into USC and Georgetown as bogus athletic recruits , at a cost of $ 850,000 .
The other two , Elizabeth and Manuel Henriquez , will be sentenced next month .
Prosecutors have asked Gorton to commit them to prison for 26 and 18 months , respectively .
Michael Center , the former men ’ s tennis coach at the University of Texas at Austin , was sentenced Monday to six months in prison .
In exchange for $ 100,000 — $ 60,000 of which he received from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his tennis program — Center recruited the son of Singer ’ s client , whom The Times previously identified as Chris Schaepe , a high-profile venture capitalist .
A spokeswoman for Schaepe , who wasn ’ t charged with crimes , said he was “ shocked ” and “ deeply disturbed ” to learn Singer ’ s outfit was less than above board .
In court papers filed before her sentencing , Janavs ’ attorneys said that Singer , who has pleaded guilty to four felonies and cooperated with the government , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school for her daughter , then convinced Janavs “ that cheating was the only way for her to get in.
” Janavs arranged with Singer to have his Harvard-educated accomplice , Mark Riddell , fix her older daughter ’ s ACT exam .
The girl took her test in 2017 at a private school in West Hollywood whose administrator , Igor Dvorskiy , allowed Singer and Riddell to tamper with exams in exchange for bribes .
Riddell and Dvorskiy have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with the government .
Riddell netted Janavs ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Janavs paid Singer ’ s sham foundation $ 50,000 .
Two years later , Janavs mailed Singer a $ 25,000 check and texted him that she wanted her younger daughter to receive a 33 or 34 out of 36 on her ACT .
Riddell notched a 34 , and Janavs wired Singer another $ 25,000 .
She was arrested a month later , “ handcuffed at gunpoint ” by FBI agents , her attorneys wrote in court papers .
Janavs ’ attorneys asked Gorton , the judge , to spare her prison altogether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shorter time , and paid him far less , than many of his other clients , they said .
She did not need to be incarcerated to deter others from committing similar crimes in the future , they wrote .
“ Michelle ’ s path from well-respected mother and philanthropist to scorned felon is on display for everyone to see , ” they wrote .
Janavs ’ family invented the Hot Pocket microwavable snack , which Nestle purchased in 2002 for $ 2.6 billion .
Three years later , her father , Paul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UC Irvine — the largest gift in school history at the time .
The university ’ s business school bears the family name .
As a child , however , Janavs grew up in a modest — and triple-mortgaged — San Fernando Valley home , her attorneys wrote in court papers .
Her father started a frozen waffle business out of the family ’ s kitchen , and one of Janavs ’ earliest childhood memories “ is the smell of frozen waffles , ” her attorneys said .
In a letter to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought seeing her children attend a top university was “ the end all , be all.
” She even gave a book by Malcolm Gladwell to the director of college counseling at her daughters ’ school , she wrote , and “ suggested that he encourage every parent to read Chapter 3 , which discusses how sending a child to an elite school for the sake of the name ” could hurt a child ’ s confidence .
“ But when the time came for me to play by the rules , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

Michelle Janavs, heiress to a frozen foods fortune, was sentenced Tuesday to five months in prison for paying $100,000 to fix her daughters’ college entrance exams and agreeing to pay twice that amount to sneak one girl into USC as a bogus beach volleyball player.
Janavs, a resident of Newport Coast, pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering, admitting she paid William “Rick” Singer, a Newport Beach college admissions consultant, to rig ACT exams for her daughters and bribe a USC administrator to misrepresent the older girl as an elite beach volleyball player.
The five-month term, handed down by U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, came short of the 21 months that federal prosecutors had requested. They wanted an enhancement for what they called an abuse of trust, saying Janavs used her status as trustee of her daughters’ school, the Sage Hill School in Newport Beach, “to insulate herself from the fraud.”
The school wouldn’t ask questions if she switched her daughter’s test location to a school where Singer had bribed an administrator, Janavs told Singer in a recorded phone call, assuring him, “They can’t say anything to me.”
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In addition, she must pay a fine of $250,000 and remain on supervised release for two years.
Janavs, the 15th parent sentenced in the admission scandal, was among four parents who reversed their not-guilty pleas last year after learning they would probably be charged with bribery.
One, Douglas Hodge, was sentenced this month to nine months in prison. Hodge, the former chief executive of Pimco, conspired with Singer to get four of his children into USC and Georgetown as bogus athletic recruits, at a cost of $850,000. The other two, Elizabeth and Manuel Henriquez, will be sentenced next month. Prosecutors have asked Gorton to commit them to prison for 26 and 18 months, respectively.
Michael Center, the former men’s tennis coach at the University of Texas at Austin, was sentenced Monday to six months in prison. In exchange for $100,000 — $60,000 of which he received from Singer in cash, the rest paid to his tennis program — Center recruited the son of Singer’s client, whom The Times previously identified as Chris Schaepe, a high-profile venture capitalist. A spokeswoman for Schaepe, who wasn’t charged with crimes, said he was “shocked” and “deeply disturbed” to learn Singer’s outfit was less than above board.
In court papers filed before her sentencing, Janavs’ attorneys said that Singer, who has pleaded guilty to four felonies and cooperated with the government, made Janavs believe USC was the ideal school for her daughter, then convinced Janavs “that cheating was the only way for her to get in.”
Janavs arranged with Singer to have his Harvard-educated accomplice, Mark Riddell, fix her older daughter’s ACT exam. The girl took her test in 2017 at a private school in West Hollywood whose administrator, Igor Dvorskiy, allowed Singer and Riddell to tamper with exams in exchange for bribes. Riddell and Dvorskiy have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with the government. Riddell netted Janavs’ older daughter a top-flight score, and Janavs paid Singer’s sham foundation $50,000.
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Two years later, Janavs mailed Singer a $25,000 check and texted him that she wanted her younger daughter to receive a 33 or 34 out of 36 on her ACT. Riddell notched a 34, and Janavs wired Singer another $25,000. She was arrested a month later, “handcuffed at gunpoint” by FBI agents, her attorneys wrote in court papers.
Janavs’ attorneys asked Gorton, the judge, to spare her prison altogether. Janavs conspired with Singer for a shorter time, and paid him far less, than many of his other clients, they said. She did not need to be incarcerated to deter others from committing similar crimes in the future, they wrote.
“Michelle’s path from well-respected mother and philanthropist to scorned felon is on display for everyone to see,” they wrote.
Janavs’ family invented the Hot Pocket microwavable snack, which Nestle purchased in 2002 for $2.6 billion. Three years later, her father, Paul Merage, donated $30 million to UC Irvine — the largest gift in school history at the time. The university’s business school bears the family name.
As a child, however, Janavs grew up in a modest — and triple-mortgaged — San Fernando Valley home, her attorneys wrote in court papers. Her father started a frozen waffle business out of the family’s kitchen, and one of Janavs’ earliest childhood memories “is the smell of frozen waffles,” her attorneys said.
In a letter to the judge, Janavs said she had never thought seeing her children attend a top university was “the end all, be all.” She even gave a book by Malcolm Gladwell to the director of college counseling at her daughters’ school, she wrote, and “suggested that he encourage every parent to read Chapter 3, which discusses how sending a child to an elite school for the sake of the name” could hurt a child’s confidence.
“But when the time came for me to play by the rules,” she said, “I cheated.”


latimes--2020-02-25--Coronavirus spread in U.S. is inevitable, CDC warns. It's 'a question of when'

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised communities to take precautions in the event that the coronavirus spreads — something that officials believe to be inevitable .
“ Ultimately , we expect we will see coronavirus spread in this country , ” said CDC Director Nancy Messonnier .
“ It ’ s not so much a question of if , but a question of when.
” Messonnier advised parents to talk to schools about the possibility of internet-based learning in the event that COVID-19 spreads and students would need to refrain from attending classes in a school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about how to use teleconferencing meetings in the event that employees would need to work from home .
Messonnier said officials would also need to consider whether large community-based events would need to be canceled in such an event .
There is still no vaccine for the virus , which has killed more than 2,700 people — mostly in mainland China .
Though the CDC ’ s mandatory quarantine prompted health officials to scramble and has stirred growing fears within communities , it is one of the few tools officials believe can mitigate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reminded people to take proactive steps in washing their hands and cleaning exposed surfaces .
She also reiterated that despite fears over coronavirus , the flu still poses a greater risk to the public .
There are currently 53 cases of confirmed coronavirus in the United States — 40 of those are repatriated individuals from the Diamond Princess cruise ship .
Stock prices plummeted for the second consecutive day as investors grew increasingly skeptical that the virus would soon be contained , thus raising prospects that the outbreak could do further damage to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industrial average , which had skidded 1,032 points Monday , dropped an additional 879.44 points Tuesday to 27,081.36 for a decline of 3.2 % .
The blue-chip average now has dived 8.4 % since setting a record high Feb. 12 .
The S & P 500 fell 3 % on Tuesday and the Nasdaq composite index lost 2.8 % in the worst selling on Wall Street since the fall of 2018 .
Stocks of companies involved in travel , energy and consumer goods continued to take the worst hit amid fears of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crude oil and gasoline .
The price of crude on U.S. markets dropped 3 % to just under $ 50 a barrel .
American Airlines Group fell 9.2 % , Marriott International lost 8 % , American Express Co. fell 5.7 % and Exxon Mobil Corp. dropped 3.8 % .
As they fled stocks , many investors continued buying U.S. government bonds , further sending the bonds ’ yields lower .
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to a record low 1.34 % .
There ’ s also speculation that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interest rates in response to any virus-sparked slowdown in economic growth .
Richard Clarida , vice chair of the central bank , said in a speech Tuesday that while the U.S. economy currently “ is in a good place ” and that “ U.S .
inflation remains muted , ” the Fed is “ closely monitoring the emergence of the coronavirus.
” He said it was “ still too soon to even speculate about either the size or the persistence ” of a virus-related economic disruption , but “ if developments emerge that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ material reassessment of our outlook , we will respond accordingly .
”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised communities to take precautions in the event that the coronavirus spreads — something that officials believe to be inevitable.
“Ultimately, we expect we will see coronavirus spread in this country,” said CDC Director Nancy Messonnier. “It’s not so much a question of if, but a question of when.”
Messonnier advised parents to talk to schools about the possibility of internet-based learning in the event that COVID-19 spreads and students would need to refrain from attending classes in a school building, and for businesses to think about how to use teleconferencing meetings in the event that employees would need to work from home. Messonnier said officials would also need to consider whether large community-based events would need to be canceled in such an event.
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There is still no vaccine for the virus, which has killed more than 2,700 people — mostly in mainland China. Though the CDC’s mandatory quarantine prompted health officials to scramble and has stirred growing fears within communities, it is one of the few tools officials believe can mitigate the spread of the disease.
Messonnier reminded people to take proactive steps in washing their hands and cleaning exposed surfaces. She also reiterated that despite fears over coronavirus, the flu still poses a greater risk to the public.
There are currently 53 cases of confirmed coronavirus in the United States — 40 of those are repatriated individuals from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
Stock prices plummeted for the second consecutive day as investors grew increasingly skeptical that the virus would soon be contained, thus raising prospects that the outbreak could do further damage to the global economy.
The Dow Jones industrial average, which had skidded 1,032 points Monday, dropped an additional 879.44 points Tuesday to 27,081.36 for a decline of 3.2%. The blue-chip average now has dived 8.4% since setting a record high Feb. 12.
The S&P 500 fell 3% on Tuesday and the Nasdaq composite index lost 2.8% in the worst selling on Wall Street since the fall of 2018. Stocks of companies involved in travel, energy and consumer goods continued to take the worst hit amid fears of a slowdown in consumer spending and demand for crude oil and gasoline.
The price of crude on U.S. markets dropped 3% to just under $50 a barrel. American Airlines Group fell 9.2%, Marriott International lost 8%, American Express Co. fell 5.7% and Exxon Mobil Corp. dropped 3.8%. As they fled stocks, many investors continued buying U.S. government bonds, further sending the bonds’ yields lower.
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The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to a record low 1.34%. There’s also speculation that the Federal Reserve might have to cut interest rates in response to any virus-sparked slowdown in economic growth. Richard Clarida, vice chair of the central bank, said in a speech Tuesday that while the U.S. economy currently “is in a good place” and that “U.S. inflation remains muted,” the Fed is “closely monitoring the emergence of the coronavirus.”
He said it was “still too soon to even speculate about either the size or the persistence” of a virus-related economic disruption, but “if developments emerge that, in the future, trigger a material reassessment of our outlook, we will respond accordingly.”


latimes--2020-02-25--SpaceX gets approval to build its Mars spaceship at Port of L.A.

SpaceX ’ s road map to Mars now includes the Port of Los Angeles .
The Los Angeles City Council approved a permit Tuesday that allows the Elon Musk-led company to use a site on Terminal Island at the port to build aerospace parts .
With the vote , SpaceX is now cleared to start work at the site ; last week , the L.A. Board of Harbor Commissioners green-lighted the permit .
SpaceX representatives told L.A. City Councilman Joe Buscaino ’ s office that the company was interested in the port site because it needed additional manufacturing capacity for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A SpaceX representative at last week ’ s harbor commissioners meeting did not mention Starship by name during his presentation of the project , but he said the company would use the port site to further its goal of creating an interplanetary society that includes Mars .
The site will be used for engineering , manufacturing and research and development work on Starship , Buscaino said minutes before Tuesday ’ s vote .
“ It ’ s crazy that here we are in 2020 preparing ourselves to send people to Mars , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our own backyard , in San Pedro , ” he said .
“ We are becoming a spaceport.
” If the port announcement feels like déjà vu , there ’ s a reason .
In 2018 , the company said it would build its Mars rocket and spaceship at the port and got approval from the Board of Harbor Commissioners and the L.A. City Council to lease that same swath of land on Terminal Island .
A year later , SpaceX changed its mind and moved the work to Texas , citing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company is currently building prototypes of the Starship system at its facility near Boca Chica Beach in south Texas .
In Southern California , it manufactures Falcon 9 rockets and Dragon capsules in Hawthorne , the site of its headquarters .
Last month , a company official approached Buscaino and the Harbor Department about reviving the port plan .
“ We are just fired up over this renewed interest , ” Buscaino said in an interview this month .
“ We ’ re creating a Silicon Harbor where you ’ re going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eyes the build-out of Starship.
” SpaceX told Buscaino that it wanted to move quickly to build out the port site for its project .
But the company does have the right to terminate the permit within 180 days of it going into effect .
On Tuesday , SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment about the results of the vote or how it will proceed now that it has the necessary approvals .
The initial permit covers about 12.4 acres at the former Southwest Marine site at Terminal Island with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
SpaceX has said it will refurbish some of the buildings there and may also add a temporary tent-like structure .
The company wanted a spot by the water because the spacecraft and parts it plans to build will be too large to transport by road and would need to be moved to the eventual launch site — which could be in Texas or Florida — by barge or ship .
The Terminal Island site was first developed for shipbuilding in 1918 and acquired four years later by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. During its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ built about 40 destroyers and employed 6,000 people .
After the war , the site housed ship repair work and stored Navy oil tankers .
It has been derelict for the last 15 years .
The SpaceX project could create 130 jobs , according to a document from the Port of L.A. SpaceX would pay an initial annual rent of $ 1.7 million , plus yearly increases based on the consumer price index .
The company can also qualify for rent credits if it improves the property .
The City Council approved the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mike Bonin , Jose Huizar and John Lee did not vote .

SpaceX’s road map to Mars now includes the Port of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles City Council approved a permit Tuesday that allows the Elon Musk-led company to use a site on Terminal Island at the port to build aerospace parts.
With the vote, SpaceX is now cleared to start work at the site; last week, the L.A. Board of Harbor Commissioners green-lighted the permit.
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SpaceX representatives told L.A. City Councilman Joe Buscaino’s office that the company was interested in the port site because it needed additional manufacturing capacity for its Starship spaceship and rocket booster. A SpaceX representative at last week’s harbor commissioners meeting did not mention Starship by name during his presentation of the project, but he said the company would use the port site to further its goal of creating an interplanetary society that includes Mars.
The site will be used for engineering, manufacturing and research and development work on Starship, Buscaino said minutes before Tuesday’s vote.
“It’s crazy that here we are in 2020 preparing ourselves to send people to Mars, and it’s going to happen in our own backyard, in San Pedro,” he said. “We are becoming a spaceport.”
If the port announcement feels like déjà vu, there’s a reason.
In 2018, the company said it would build its Mars rocket and spaceship at the port and got approval from the Board of Harbor Commissioners and the L.A. City Council to lease that same swath of land on Terminal Island.
A year later, SpaceX changed its mind and moved the work to Texas, citing a need to “streamline operations.”
The company is currently building prototypes of the Starship system at its facility near Boca Chica Beach in south Texas. In Southern California, it manufactures Falcon 9 rockets and Dragon capsules in Hawthorne, the site of its headquarters.
Last month, a company official approached Buscaino and the Harbor Department about reviving the port plan.
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“We are just fired up over this renewed interest,” Buscaino said in an interview this month. “We’re creating a Silicon Harbor where you’re going to have ideas and see before our own eyes the build-out of Starship.”
SpaceX told Buscaino that it wanted to move quickly to build out the port site for its project. But the company does have the right to terminate the permit within 180 days of it going into effect.
On Tuesday, SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment about the results of the vote or how it will proceed now that it has the necessary approvals.
The initial permit covers about 12.4 acres at the former Southwest Marine site at Terminal Island with an option to increase to 19 acres. SpaceX has said it will refurbish some of the buildings there and may also add a temporary tent-like structure.
The company wanted a spot by the water because the spacecraft and parts it plans to build will be too large to transport by road and would need to be moved to the eventual launch site — which could be in Texas or Florida — by barge or ship.
The Terminal Island site was first developed for shipbuilding in 1918 and acquired four years later by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. During its World War II heyday, the shipyard built about 40 destroyers and employed 6,000 people.
After the war, the site housed ship repair work and stored Navy oil tankers. It has been derelict for the last 15 years.
The SpaceX project could create 130 jobs, according to a document from the Port of L.A.
SpaceX would pay an initial annual rent of $1.7 million, plus yearly increases based on the consumer price index. The company can also qualify for rent credits if it improves the property.
The City Council approved the permit on a 12-0 vote. Councilmen Mike Bonin, Jose Huizar and John Lee did not vote.


latimes--2020-02-25--After smuggling endangered rhino horns, woman fined $2,000 and gets probation

A woman convicted of participating in an Orange County-based scheme to smuggle the horns of endangered black rhinoceroses across the globe was sentenced this week to three years ’ probation and a $ 2,000 fine , according to the U.S. Department of Justice .
Nhu Mai Nguyen ’ s probation period includes one year of home detention , authorities said .
She also was ordered to forfeit 100 blocks of gold and $ 9,000 in cash seized from a safety deposit box , according to a document signed by Central Court District Judge Christina A. Snyder .
Nguyen told Snyder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know that what I ’ ve done is wrong .
If your honor would forgive me for what I did , ” City News Service reported .
Nguyen ’ s attorney , Mona Soo Hoo , could not immediately be reached for comment .
Nguyen is among six people who pleaded guilty in 2012 for taking part in an international smuggling ring , based in Garden Grove , that sold black rhinoceros horns to Vietnam and China between 2011 and 2012 .
Some believe the horns have medicinal powers .
Traffic , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poaching of rhinos for their horns as one of the main reasons the species is endangered .
In 2013 , Nguyen ’ s boyfriend , Vinh Chuong Kha , also known as Jimmy Kha , was sentenced to 42 months in jail , for their involvement in the ring .
His son , Felix Kha , was sentenced to 46 months .
They also paid $ 10,000 fines and about $ 175,000 in restitution to the IRS , according to authorities .
“ By taking out this ring of rhino horn traffickers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of black market horn and dealt a serious blow to rhino horn smuggling both in the U.S. and globally , ” said Dan Ashe , then director of U.S .
Fish and Wildlife Service .
Court documents show Nguyen received horns at her former Highland-based nail salon , Joline ’ s Nails , and transferred them to her boyfriend .
Kha also received horns at the Westminster-based novelty store he operated , along with Win Lee Corp. Federal wildlife agents in California and other states , working together on an investigation dubbed “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by tracking hundreds of thousands of dollars through bank wire transfers and travel records .

A female black rhinoceros is penned before being moved to Nairobi National Park in 2018. A woman in Orange County was sentenced for selling black rhino horns to China and Vietnam.
A woman convicted of participating in an Orange County-based scheme to smuggle the horns of endangered black rhinoceroses across the globe was sentenced this week to three years’ probation and a $2,000 fine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Nhu Mai Nguyen’s probation period includes one year of home detention, authorities said. She also was ordered to forfeit 100 blocks of gold and $9,000 in cash seized from a safety deposit box, according to a document signed by Central Court District Judge Christina A. Snyder.
Nguyen told Snyder through a translator Monday, “I know that what I’ve done is wrong. If your honor would forgive me for what I did,” City News Service reported.
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Nguyen’s attorney, Mona Soo Hoo, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Nguyen is among six people who pleaded guilty in 2012 for taking part in an international smuggling ring, based in Garden Grove, that sold black rhinoceros horns to Vietnam and China between 2011 and 2012. Some believe the horns have medicinal powers.
Traffic, a wildlife trade monitoring network, cites the poaching of rhinos for their horns as one of the main reasons the species is endangered.
In 2013, Nguyen’s boyfriend, Vinh Chuong Kha, also known as Jimmy Kha, was sentenced to 42 months in jail, for their involvement in the ring. His son, Felix Kha, was sentenced to 46 months. They also paid $10,000 fines and about $175,000 in restitution to the IRS, according to authorities.
“By taking out this ring of rhino horn traffickers, we have shut down a major source of black market horn and dealt a serious blow to rhino horn smuggling both in the U.S. and globally,” said Dan Ashe, then director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Court documents show Nguyen received horns at her former Highland-based nail salon, Joline’s Nails, and transferred them to her boyfriend. Kha also received horns at the Westminster-based novelty store he operated, along with Win Lee Corp.
Federal wildlife agents in California and other states, working together on an investigation dubbed “Operation Crash,” cracked the ring by tracking hundreds of thousands of dollars through bank wire transfers and travel records.


latimes--2020-02-25--Traveler is under coronavirus quarantine at Ventura County naval base

An international traveler who arrived before dawn Monday at Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu has been put under a federal 14-day quarantine for coronavirus , officials said .
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Sunday in a statement that the base could house passengers arriving at Los Angeles International Airport .
The department was not immediately available to comment on how many travelers could be sent to the Point Mugu location .
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper assigned the base the task of housing Americans suspected of exposure to coronavirus or possible infection .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is monitoring anyone who has traveled through Hubei province , the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak .
No one being quarantined at the base has displayed any symptoms of coronavirus , Capt .
Jeff Chism said in a letter to sailors , families and employees of the naval facility .
Anyone showing signs of the illness would be transported off the base .
While under quarantine , doctors will assess whether anyone has contracted COVID-19 , which has killed more than 2,600 people — mostly in China .
Although the base provides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said it isn ’ t involved in execution and planning .
Anyone under quarantine will not have any contact with Department of Defense personnel .
“ I am asking for your support as we host a group of people undergoing an uncomfortable transition .
First , your safety is a primary concern , as is the dignity and privacy of repatriating personnel , ” Chism said .
Those at the base have been instructed not to take photos of anyone quarantined during arrival and were warned that “ minor changes ” to daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underway .
Earlier this month , nearly 200 Americans were quarantined at a Riverside County military base for two weeks .
The group arrived at March Air Reserve Base from China and was released Feb. 11 after everyone tested negative .
It was the CDC ’ s first mandated quarantine in more than 50 years .
It sent health officials scrambling and stirred panic but was viewed as one of the few tools to protect against the spread of the virus , which currently has no vaccine and a two-week incubation period .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the department ’ s staff have been involved in the COVID-19 response .
Of those , 497 have been deployed to 39 locations in the United States and internationally , including CDC quarantine stations at U.S. ports of entry , state and local health departments , hospitals and military bases that are housing quarantined patients .

An airport worker wears a mask amid fears of coronavirus at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport on Feb. 8.
An international traveler who arrived before dawn Monday at Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu has been put under a federal 14-day quarantine for coronavirus, officials said.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Sunday in a statement that the base could house passengers arriving at Los Angeles International Airport. The department was not immediately available to comment on how many travelers could be sent to the Point Mugu location.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper assigned the base the task of housing Americans suspected of exposure to coronavirus or possible infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is monitoring anyone who has traveled through Hubei province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
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No one being quarantined at the base has displayed any symptoms of coronavirus, Capt. Jeff Chism said in a letter to sailors, families and employees of the naval facility. Anyone showing signs of the illness would be transported off the base.
While under quarantine, doctors will assess whether anyone has contracted COVID-19, which has killed more than 2,600 people — mostly in China.
Although the base provides a space for the quarantine, officials said it isn’t involved in execution and planning. Anyone under quarantine will not have any contact with Department of Defense personnel.
California Why did the government mandate a coronavirus quarantine? Why did the U.S. government imposed a quarantine now for coronavirus, when no such mandate has been issued in over 50 years, despite routine outbreak of disease?
“I am asking for your support as we host a group of people undergoing an uncomfortable transition. First, your safety is a primary concern, as is the dignity and privacy of repatriating personnel,” Chism said.
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Those at the base have been instructed not to take photos of anyone quarantined during arrival and were warned that “minor changes” to daily life may occur while the quarantine is underway.
Earlier this month, nearly 200 Americans were quarantined at a Riverside County military base for two weeks. The group arrived at March Air Reserve Base from China and was released Feb. 11 after everyone tested negative.
It was the CDC’s first mandated quarantine in more than 50 years. It sent health officials scrambling and stirred panic but was viewed as one of the few tools to protect against the spread of the virus, which currently has no vaccine and a two-week incubation period.
According to the CDC, 1,336 of the department’s staff have been involved in the COVID-19 response. Of those, 497 have been deployed to 39 locations in the United States and internationally, including CDC quarantine stations at U.S. ports of entry, state and local health departments, hospitals and military bases that are housing quarantined patients.