latimes--2020-08-21--California's job growth slowed dramatically in July: 'A listlessness set in'

California ’ s economic recovery slowed markedly last month as COVID-19 infections rose and the state resumed shutting businesses .
Employers added just 140,400 payroll jobs from mid-June to mid-July to a total workforce of nearly 15.8 million , state officials reported .
The July job gain was dramatically less than the record 542,500-job rise the previous month when some restaurants , gyms and other businesses briefly reopened amid hopes that the virus was abating .
California ’ s unemployment rate lowered to 13.3 % last month , down from 14.9 % in June .
A year earlier , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decline in last month ’ s rate was due to a drop in people looking for work .
In June , the state ’ s labor force expanded by 464,000 as many furloughed workers returned to their jobs .
But last month it shrank by 167,000 as businesses closed again .
“ July ’ s forward progress is welcome , but measured against historical benchmarks , the California labor market remains very much in the ICU , ” said Scott Anderson , chief economist of Bank of the West in San Francisco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picture was particularly dire , with a July jobless rate of 17.5 % , down from 19.4 % in June .
A year earlier , it was 4.4 % .
Many of Southern California ’ s tourist-dependent industries , including hotels , restaurants and theme parks , remain closed , while many Northern California technology firms continued to thrive thanks to remote working , online shopping and digital streaming , economists say .
For the week that ended Aug. 15 , California ’ s new unemployment claims fell to their lowest level in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the state Employment Development Department .
But 4.8 million Californians were still collecting jobless benefits .
A federal supplement of $ 600 a week expired at the end of July .
That ’ s expected to push more Californians to seek work this month , said Michael Bernick , a former EDD director .
“ California ’ s local workforce boards and employment agencies are reporting an increase in job applicants , ” he said .
“ But with the economic lockdowns , the jobs are not coming back in any significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposite is occurring .
California businesses continue to announce that they are closing permanently .
Any economic recovery we saw in June and early July has stalled , and a listlessness set in.
” The U.S. jobless rate of 10.2 % was significantly lower than California ’ s in July , and the nation ’ s payrolls grew more than California ’ s : 1.3 % , as compared with 0.9 % .
The comparatively better national picture reflects the fact that many other states have either succeeded in tamping down the spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to close businesses despite high infection rates .
Over the last three months , California has regained less than a third of the 2.6 million positions lost during March and April as the pandemic took hold .
And the state ’ s jobless rate remains a percentage point higher than its 12.3 % peak during the Great Recession .
As of Friday morning , California had reported more than 653,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 11,800 deaths .
“ Difficult times remain ahead , ” said Lynn Reaser , an economist at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University .
“ Forty-two of California ’ s 58 counties are currently on the state ’ s COVID-19 watchlist , which means bans on a significant number of indoor activities , including gyms , restaurant dine-in service , museums , indoor malls and hair salons .
People also remain cautious about venturing out.
” Small businesses face cash flow crises as an extension of the federal Paycheck Protection Program loan program remains in limbo .
“ PPP was intended to provide a bridge for businesses to get to the ‘ other side , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the distance to the other side has turned out to be much longer than expected.
” Meanwhile , negotiations have stalled between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats who propose a trillion-dollar stimulus for state and local governments as tax revenues drop and safety net expenses rise .
The bill passed by the Democratic-led House would also extend the $ 600 weekly unemployment supplement through the end of the year , but it has been blocked by the Republican-led Senate and the White House .
This week California applied for a stopgap $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from federal disaster funds , under an executive order issued by President Trump on Aug. 8 .
But the supplement is expected to last just a few weeks .
It applies only to workers earning at least $ 100 in state unemployment benefits , thus excluding many low-income part-timers who have lost jobs .
“ The end of the federal stimulus will have a big impact on California , ” said Sung Won Sohn , a Loyola Marymount University economist .
“ It accounted for about 20 % of personal income nationwide and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food .
Many small businesses may not survive.
” Statewide , nine of California ’ s 11 industry sectors gained jobs last month .
Trade , transportation , and utilities had the largest job increase ( 40,900 ) because of motor vehicle and professional equipment wholesalers , as well as automobile dealers .
Construction lost 14,800 jobs , the largest drop in any sector , because of weak hiring in residential building despite a rise in commercial construction .
As its unemployment rate dipped slightly , Los Angeles County ’ s payrolls dropped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employment was down 9.4 % over the year , with leisure and hospitality jobs plummeting 30 % .
In Orange County , joblessness stood at 12.3 % , down from 13.6 % in June , and from 3.1 % a year earlier .
July payrolls dropped by 17,700 jobs , to 1,464,500 .
In the Inland Empire , the unemployment rate was 13.4 % , down from 14.3 % in June and 4.6 % a year earlier .
Payrolls in the region , encompassing Riverside and San Bernardino counties , shrank by 8,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employment numbers are based on a monthly federal survey of 5,100 California households that focuses on workers .
Payroll estimates come from a second survey of about 80,000 California businesses .
If economists are doubtful that July ’ s job report offers much hope , they are even more pessimistic about the direction of the California economy in August .
“ The July numbers probably paint a brighter picture of the California labor market than what actually occurred , ” Anderson said , noting that Gov .
Gavin Newsom ordered more business shutdowns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that likely won ’ t show up in the data until the August payroll report is released in September.
” California ’ s economic recovery will depend on whether the federal government can enact more stimulus measures , including unemployment benefits , and on curbing the COVID-19 infection rate , said David Smith , an economist at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School .
“ It looks like a long road ahead where we are going to have to punch , kick and crawl our way back to anything near historically normal employment , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social safety net , any economic resurgence is linked to the behavior of individual Californians , state officials say .
It “ depends on Californians choosing to wear face masks , staying at home when possible , and following state and local guidance ” on coronavirus measures , California Labor Secretary Julie Su said in a statement on the jobs report .

California’s economic recovery slowed markedly last month as COVID-19 infections rose and the state resumed shutting businesses.
Employers added just 140,400 payroll jobs from mid-June to mid-July to a total workforce of nearly 15.8 million, state officials reported.
The July job gain was dramatically less than the record 542,500-job rise the previous month when some restaurants, gyms and other businesses briefly reopened amid hopes that the virus was abating.
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California’s unemployment rate lowered to 13.3% last month, down from 14.9% in June. A year earlier, it stood at 4%.
Part of the decline in last month’s rate was due to a drop in people looking for work. In June, the state’s labor force expanded by 464,000 as many furloughed workers returned to their jobs. But last month it shrank by 167,000 as businesses closed again.
“July’s forward progress is welcome, but measured against historical benchmarks, the California labor market remains very much in the ICU,” said Scott Anderson, chief economist of Bank of the West in San Francisco.
Los Angeles County’s economic picture was particularly dire, with a July jobless rate of 17.5%, down from 19.4% in June. A year earlier, it was 4.4%.
Many of Southern California’s tourist-dependent industries, including hotels, restaurants and theme parks, remain closed, while many Northern California technology firms continued to thrive thanks to remote working, online shopping and digital streaming, economists say.
For the week that ended Aug. 15, California’s new unemployment claims fell to their lowest level in five months, with 201,600 applications submitted to the state Employment Development Department. But 4.8 million Californians were still collecting jobless benefits.
A federal supplement of $600 a week expired at the end of July. That’s expected to push more Californians to seek work this month, said Michael Bernick, a former EDD director.
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“California’s local workforce boards and employment agencies are reporting an increase in job applicants,” he said. “But with the economic lockdowns, the jobs are not coming back in any significant numbers.
“In fact, the opposite is occurring. California businesses continue to announce that they are closing permanently. Any economic recovery we saw in June and early July has stalled, and a listlessness set in.”
The U.S. jobless rate of 10.2% was significantly lower than California’s in July, and the nation’s payrolls grew more than California’s: 1.3%, as compared with 0.9%.
The comparatively better national picture reflects the fact that many other states have either succeeded in tamping down the spread of the coronavirus or have been reluctant to close businesses despite high infection rates.
California Newsom reopened California without meeting his own coronavirus testing, tracing benchmarks California Gov. Gavin Newsom defended his reopening decisions and adopted the same argument made by many critics of his original order: The consequences of the COVID-19 shutdown for the economy and mental health were too great to ignore.
Over the last three months, California has regained less than a third of the 2.6 million positions lost during March and April as the pandemic took hold.
And the state’s jobless rate remains a percentage point higher than its 12.3% peak during the Great Recession.
As of Friday morning, California had reported more than 653,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 11,800 deaths.
“Difficult times remain ahead,” said Lynn Reaser, an economist at San Diego’s Point Loma Nazarene University. “Forty-two of California’s 58 counties are currently on the state’s COVID-19 watchlist, which means bans on a significant number of indoor activities, including gyms, restaurant dine-in service, museums, indoor malls and hair salons. People also remain cautious about venturing out.”
Small businesses face cash flow crises as an extension of the federal Paycheck Protection Program loan program remains in limbo. “PPP was intended to provide a bridge for businesses to get to the ‘other side,’” Reaser said. “But the distance to the other side has turned out to be much longer than expected.”
Meanwhile, negotiations have stalled between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats who propose a trillion-dollar stimulus for state and local governments as tax revenues drop and safety net expenses rise.
The bill passed by the Democratic-led House would also extend the $600 weekly unemployment supplement through the end of the year, but it has been blocked by the Republican-led Senate and the White House.
This week California applied for a stopgap $300 weekly jobless payment to be drawn from federal disaster funds, under an executive order issued by President Trump on Aug. 8.
But the supplement is expected to last just a few weeks. It applies only to workers earning at least $100 in state unemployment benefits, thus excluding many low-income part-timers who have lost jobs.
“The end of the federal stimulus will have a big impact on California,” said Sung Won Sohn, a Loyola Marymount University economist. “It accounted for about 20% of personal income nationwide and allowed consumers to pay rent and buy food. Many small businesses may not survive.”
Statewide, nine of California’s 11 industry sectors gained jobs last month. Trade, transportation, and utilities had the largest job increase (40,900) because of motor vehicle and professional equipment wholesalers, as well as automobile dealers.
Construction lost 14,800 jobs, the largest drop in any sector, because of weak hiring in residential building despite a rise in commercial construction.
As its unemployment rate dipped slightly, Los Angeles County’s payrolls dropped by 3,600 jobs to 4,093,500. County employment was down 9.4% over the year, with leisure and hospitality jobs plummeting 30%.
In Orange County, joblessness stood at 12.3%, down from 13.6% in June, and from 3.1% a year earlier. July payrolls dropped by 17,700 jobs, to 1,464,500.
In the Inland Empire, the unemployment rate was 13.4%, down from 14.3% in June and 4.6% a year earlier. Payrolls in the region, encompassing Riverside and San Bernardino counties, shrank by 8,000 jobs last month to 1,385,400.
State employment numbers are based on a monthly federal survey of 5,100 California households that focuses on workers. Payroll estimates come from a second survey of about 80,000 California businesses.
If economists are doubtful that July’s job report offers much hope, they are even more pessimistic about the direction of the California economy in August.
“The July numbers probably paint a brighter picture of the California labor market than what actually occurred,” Anderson said, noting that Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered more business shutdowns in mid-July “so new layoffs from that likely won’t show up in the data until the August payroll report is released in September.”
California’s economic recovery will depend on whether the federal government can enact more stimulus measures, including unemployment benefits, and on curbing the COVID-19 infection rate, said David Smith, an economist at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School.
“It looks like a long road ahead where we are going to have to punch, kick and crawl our way back to anything near historically normal employment,” he added.
But beyond funding the social safety net, any economic resurgence is linked to the behavior of individual Californians, state officials say. It “depends on Californians choosing to wear face masks, staying at home when possible, and following state and local guidance” on coronavirus measures, California Labor Secretary Julie Su said in a statement on the jobs report.


latimes--2020-08-21--Building owners connected to massive downtown L.A. explosion face 300 criminal charges

The Los Angeles city attorney on Friday filed more than 300 criminal charges against the owners and operators of four downtown buildings after a massive explosion in May shot a huge fireball into the air over downtown L.A. and left 11 firefighters severely burned .
The criminal charges stem from an investigation of the May 16 explosion inside an East 3rd Street warehouse by the U.S. Department of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives as well as the Los Angeles Police Department and other agencies .
While the city attorney ’ s office can file only misdemeanor charges , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutors could choose to bring more serious counts in the future .
An ATF spokeswoman said earlier this week that an investigation into the blast is ongoing and a cause had yet to be determined .
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County district attorney ’ s office said Friday nothing has been presented to the office yet .
The explosion occurred in a section of downtown nicknamed “ bong row ” because of the concentration of retailers selling rolling papers , butane and other supplies associated with vaping and smoking .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complaints from the legal cannabis industry , which says the wholesalers in the downtown warehouse district help supply unlicensed shops .
“ The fire and explosion that ripped through the Boyd Street property caused our firefighters great suffering — and came perilously close to costing their lives , ” City Atty .
Mike Feuer said in a statement released Friday morning .
“ We ’ ll do everything we can to hold the owners and operators of buildings and businesses responsible for complying with our fire and safety codes .
The public is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a potential catastrophe.
” The blast sent 11 firefighters to the hospital , with many suffering severe injuries that have left them physically scarred .
Only two of the 11 have been able to return to work , a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said .
Capt .
Victor Aguirre was burned so badly that he lost the use of his hands and had to be hospitalized for more than two months .
Authorities said the blaze seemed to start at 327 Boyd St. , in a building owned by Steve Sungho Lee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smoke Tokes , Green Buddha and Bio Hazard .
It quickly spread to 325 E. Boyd St. , also owned by Lee and where Green Buddha and Bio Hazard also allegedly operate .
Lee was charged with 36 counts for violations at 327 Boyd St. and 50 counts for violations at 325 Boyd St. , according to the charges revealed Friday .
Lee has been charged with 46 additional counts for violations at 309 S. San Pedro St. and three more counts for violations at 5719 S. Avalon Blvd .
An employee at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tokyo business headquarters , said he was not immediately available for comment Friday morning .
Two of Lee ’ s corporations that are named in the complaint — SL Property Management I LLC and SL Property Management II LLC — were dissolved in mid-June , about a month after the blast , according to filings with the California secretary of state .
Lee has been a notable spender in local elections , contributing tens of thousands of dollars to independent committees that supported City Councilmen Jose Huizar and David Ryu in 2014 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a federal corruption case and suspended from the council .
Ryu later returned some of the money because of Lee ’ s status as a real estate developer .
Several days after the blast , a Times reporter and photographer approached Lee at the scene of the fire as ATF investigators scoured the area .
Lee asked not to be photographed and suggested he had previous disputes with the owner of Smoke Tokes over the way materials were stored in the facility .
In May , authorities said carbon dioxide and butane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prosecutors allege all the locations illegally stored hazardous materials .
The owner of Smoke Tokes , Raheel Lakhany , was also named in the court documents made public Friday .
He has not responded to prior requests for comment .
In addition to the building owner , Smoke Tokes , as one of the operators of the properties , has also been charged with 36 counts for alleged violations at 327 Boyd and 46 counts for alleged violations at 309 S. San Pedro St. Green Buddha , which is owned by Smoke Tokes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 36 counts for alleged violations at 327 Boyd and 50 counts for alleged violations at 325 Boyd .
The center of the initial fire at 327 Boyd that led to the explosion was where prosecutors alleged the most egregious violations occurred .
Court documents indicate there was a conspiracy to endanger public health , which included such violations as failure to maintain aisles , failure to have hazmat warning signs , failure to have no smoking signs and failure to classify hazardous commodities .
Much of the materials storage , the criminal filings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , several of the firefighters injured in the blast recounted their harrowing experience .
Ian Soriano , a 13-year LAFD veteran who still wears protective coverings on his hand and leg to shield burns he suffered months ago , said the scene “ looked like a war zone.
” One of several firefighters who had to escape from the roof of the building , Soriano said he remembers clinging to a ladder surrounded by flames , thinking the worst was about to happen .
“ When I was stuck , and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like , I ’ m done , ” Soriano said .
“ I ’ m dying right here .
”

Eleven firefighters were injured in an explosion in downtown Los Angeles on May 16.
The Los Angeles city attorney on Friday filed more than 300 criminal charges against the owners and operators of four downtown buildings after a massive explosion in May shot a huge fireball into the air over downtown L.A. and left 11 firefighters severely burned.
Prosecutors allege the defendants illegally stored hazardous materials and endangered public health.
The criminal charges stem from an investigation of the May 16 explosion inside an East 3rd Street warehouse by the U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the Los Angeles Police Department and other agencies.
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While the city attorney’s office can file only misdemeanor charges, including fire or building code violations, prosecutors could choose to bring more serious counts in the future. An ATF spokeswoman said earlier this week that an investigation into the blast is ongoing and a cause had yet to be determined. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said Friday nothing has been presented to the office yet.
The explosion occurred in a section of downtown nicknamed “bong row” because of the concentration of retailers selling rolling papers, butane and other supplies associated with vaping and smoking. The area is also often the subject of complaints from the legal cannabis industry, which says the wholesalers in the downtown warehouse district help supply unlicensed shops.
“The fire and explosion that ripped through the Boyd Street property caused our firefighters great suffering — and came perilously close to costing their lives,” City Atty. Mike Feuer said in a statement released Friday morning. “We’ll do everything we can to hold the owners and operators of buildings and businesses responsible for complying with our fire and safety codes. The public is counting on us to protect them from a potential catastrophe.”
The blast sent 11 firefighters to the hospital, with many suffering severe injuries that have left them physically scarred. Only two of the 11 have been able to return to work, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said. Capt. Victor Aguirre was burned so badly that he lost the use of his hands and had to be hospitalized for more than two months.
Authorities said the blaze seemed to start at 327 Boyd St., in a building owned by Steve Sungho Lee that is the location for the businesses Smoke Tokes, Green Buddha and Bio Hazard. It quickly spread to 325 E. Boyd St., also owned by Lee and where Green Buddha and Bio Hazard also allegedly operate. Lee was charged with 36 counts for violations at 327 Boyd St. and 50 counts for violations at 325 Boyd St., according to the charges revealed Friday.
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Lee has been charged with 46 additional counts for violations at 309 S. San Pedro St. and three more counts for violations at 5719 S. Avalon Blvd.
An employee at SteLee Industries, Lee’s Little Tokyo business headquarters, said he was not immediately available for comment Friday morning.
Two of Lee’s corporations that are named in the complaint — SL Property Management I LLC and SL Property Management II LLC — were dissolved in mid-June, about a month after the blast, according to filings with the California secretary of state.
Lee has been a notable spender in local elections, contributing tens of thousands of dollars to independent committees that supported City Councilmen Jose Huizar and David Ryu in 2014 and 2015. Huizar has since been charged in a federal corruption case and suspended from the council.
Several days after the blast, a Times reporter and photographer approached Lee at the scene of the fire as ATF investigators scoured the area. Lee asked not to be photographed and suggested he had previous disputes with the owner of Smoke Tokes over the way materials were stored in the facility.
In May, authorities said carbon dioxide and butane canisters were found inside the business. Prosecutors allege all the locations illegally stored hazardous materials.
The owner of Smoke Tokes, Raheel Lakhany, was also named in the court documents made public Friday. He has not responded to prior requests for comment.
In addition to the building owner, Smoke Tokes, as one of the operators of the properties, has also been charged with 36 counts for alleged violations at 327 Boyd and 46 counts for alleged violations at 309 S. San Pedro St. Green Buddha, which is owned by Smoke Tokes, and Bio Hazard are charged with 36 counts for alleged violations at 327 Boyd and 50 counts for alleged violations at 325 Boyd.
The center of the initial fire at 327 Boyd that led to the explosion was where prosecutors alleged the most egregious violations occurred. Court documents indicate there was a conspiracy to endanger public health, which included such violations as failure to maintain aisles, failure to have hazmat warning signs, failure to have no smoking signs and failure to classify hazardous commodities. Much of the materials storage, the criminal filings allege, was unpermitted.
Earlier this week, several of the firefighters injured in the blast recounted their harrowing experience. Ian Soriano, a 13-year LAFD veteran who still wears protective coverings on his hand and leg to shield burns he suffered months ago, said the scene “looked like a war zone.”
One of several firefighters who had to escape from the roof of the building, Soriano said he remembers clinging to a ladder surrounded by flames, thinking the worst was about to happen.
“When I was stuck, and I couldn’t move, I was like, I’m done,” Soriano said. “I’m dying right here.”
Times staff writer Emily Alpert Reyes contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-08-21--Admissions scandal: Lori Loughlin sentenced to 2 months in prison; Giannulli gets 5 months

For fixing their daughters ’ admission to USC with bribes and bogus athletic credentials , Lori Loughlin and J. Mossimo Giannulli , the best-known defendants in a college admissions scandal studded with marquee names , were sentenced Friday to two months and five months , respectively , in federal prison .
U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton ordered both Loughlin and Giannulli to report to prison by Nov. 19 .
Before handing down her sentence , Gorton told Loughlin she had “ a fairy tale life ” : a career as “ an admired , successful , professional actor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longstanding marriage and “ more money than you could possibly need.
” “ And yet you stand before me a convicted felon , ” he said .
“ And for what ?
For the inexplicable desire to have even more ?
” Where she once thought she was helping her daughters “ out of love , ” Loughlin told the judge she had since come to understand she broke the law and was complicit in widening inequalities , both in the country ’ s educational system and society as a whole .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said , wiping tears from her face .
Gorton said he found Loughlin ’ s mea culpa genuine , and after ordering her incarcerated for two months , he wished her good luck .
“ We can only hope you will spend the rest of your charmed life , as you ’ ve said you will , making amends to the system you have harmed , ” he said .
Gorton had sentenced Loughlin ’ s husband to prison earlier that day in a separate hearing .
Giannulli ’ s lawyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as “ a good man who made terrible mistakes ” and urged Gorton to consider the context of his crimes .
“ Moss ’ top priority was , is and always will be his children , ” he said .
In a brief statement to the judge , Giannulli said he took responsibility for his conduct and regretted the harm it has caused to his daughters , his wife and the public .
Noting he is more often tasked with imposing punishment on drug dealers and gun runners from troubled backgrounds , Gorton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe that a successful , savvy businessman whose upbringing was , in his own words , “ fantastic , ” stood before him to be sentenced for a federal crime .
“ You were not stealing bread to feed your family , ” the judge said .
“ You had no excuse for your crime , and that makes it all the more blameworthy.
” The couple ’ s lawyers asked Gorton to recommend to the federal Bureau of Prisons that Loughlin serve her sentence at a prison camp in Victorville and Giannulli @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Loughlin must also pay a $ 150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service after she is released from custody .
Giannulli was ordered to pay $ 250,000 and complete 250 hours of community service .
The spectacle of the celebrity couple — one famous for her roles on television sitcoms and Hallmark dramas , the other a well-known fashion designer — being sentenced to prison brought to a close a 17-month saga that both captivated and repulsed much of America .
Loughlin was never the most prolific conspirator of the three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Rick ” Singer , a Newport Beach consultant who orchestrated a sprawling college admissions fraud ; other parents paid Singer more money and used his scams to the benefit of more children .
Yet from the day she surrendered to the FBI in March 2019 , the actress commanded an outsize share of media scrutiny and public scorn .
The tabloids , always citing unnamed insiders , offered weekly “ insights ” into Loughlin ’ s shifting views of her legal predicament — confident one week , panicked or disconsolate the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the face of this crisis , of this scandal , in a way disproportionate to their role , ” Berkowitz told the court .
Their daughters have been “ bullied ” unlike any of their co-defendants ’ children , he said , and Loughlin ’ s lawyer , William Trach , said the harassment reached such a pitch that their parents hired guards to protect them .
Loughlin and Giannulli each pleaded guilty in May to a single count of fraud conspiracy , a reversal from 14 months of insisting they ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mounted an aggressive defense that included accusing federal prosecutors in Boston of “ extraordinary ” misconduct .
Although both Giannulli and Loughlin acknowledged conspiring with Singer , prosecutors said Giannulli was more involved in the scheme than his wife and deserved a longer prison sentence .
Berkowitz said that Giannulli , who did not graduate from college and needed help guiding his children through the application process , sought out Singer in May 2015 at the recommendation of Mark Hauser , who chaired the board of their daughters ’ private high school on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who didn ’ t respond to a request for comment , was charged Friday afternoon with one count of fraud conspiracy and accused of paying Singer $ 40,000 to fix his daughter ’ s ACT entrance exams .
The Los Angeles private equity executive has agreed to plead guilty , according to federal authorities in Boston .
Singer , a college counselor who catered to a wealthy clientele , “ was not presented as a felon or a huckster or a fraud , ” Berkowitz said .
For about a year , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ genuine support and advice , the lawyer said , adding that the girls earned high marks and were admitted to several colleges through legitimate channels .
In the government ’ s account — set out in four indictments and an FBI agent ’ s affidavit — Giannulli and Loughlin ’ s dealings with Singer turned criminal in April 2016 .
Giannulli emailed Singer to say he had “ concerns ” after sitting down that morning with his older daughter ’ s high school counselor .
The designer wanted to come up with “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ended up somewhere other than Arizona State University .
Singer ’ s “ road map ” was this : misrepresenting their daughter as a promising coxswain — the member of a rowing team that guides the boat — and bribing an administrator at USC to vouch for the girl ’ s fabricated credentials .
“ Would probably help to get a picture with her on an [ ergometer ] in workout clothes like a real athlete , ” Singer wrote to Giannulli .
It was at this moment , Berkowitz told the court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he ignored red flags.
” “ Fantastic , ” the designer wrote back .
“ Will get all.
” He sent Singer a picture of his daughter posing on a rowing machine , copying her on the email , Justin D. O ’ Connell , an assistant U.S. attorney , wrote in a sentencing memo .
Even as Giannulli , Loughlin and Singer were pursuing their fraudulent scheme , USC fundraising officials were courting the couple , emails filed in court show .
An employee in the school ’ s development office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flag ” his daughter ’ s application and set up a “ a 1:1 opportunity for her , customized tour of campus for the family , and/or classroom visit.
” “ Thanks so much , I think we are squared away , ” Giannulli wrote back .
He forwarded the email thread to his wife that night , adding , “ The nicest I ’ ve been at blowing off somebody.
” A month later , Donna Heinel , then USC ’ s third-ranking administrator in its athletics department , presented the Giannullis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a recruit for the rowing team , prosecutors allege .
Over decades of working as a college counselor , Singer had found a soft spot in the admissions process at USC , which was becoming one of the most prestigious — and selective — universities in California .
Heinel was trusted with bringing lists of recruits compiled by USC coaches to a special committee that decided whether to admit them .
In the prosecution ’ s telling , Singer bribed Heinel to add the names of his clients ’ children to these lists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lower standard of admission than if they had applied through normal channels .
Heinel , who was fired from USC after her arrest last March , has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to commit racketeering , fraud and bribery .
USC said in a statement on Thursday that an internal review uncovered “ a small number of employees ” in the school ’ s athletics department — separate from those indicted in Singer ’ s scheme — had falsely presented certain applicants to the committee as recruits , based on their families ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contribute in the future .
“ USC would not have admitted these applicants had it known they were being falsely presented as recruited student-athletes , ” the statement said .
USC did not identify the implicated employees but said they had all been disciplined or no longer worked for the school .
The misrepresentations they made were separate altogether from the fraud Singer perpetrated , the university said .
Once the Giannullis ’ daughter was admitted as a rowing recruit , Singer told her father to write two checks , one sent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” for $ 50,000 , the other a $ 200,000 “ donation ” to Singer ’ s nonprofit , the Key Worldwide Foundation .
Giannulli sent the invoice from Singer ’ s foundation to his financial advisor , writing , “ Good news my [ older ] daughter is in [ U ] SC .
.
.
bad [ news ] is I had to work the system.
” Later that year , he sent Singer an email with the subject line “ Trojan happiness.
” “ Both Lori and I are very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
” he wrote .
Singer asked whether there was “ a similar need ” for their younger daughter .
There was .
They pulled off a near-identical scam : Giannulli sent Singer a picture of his daughter posing on an ergometer , Singer created a bogus athletic résumé , and Heinel presented the girl to the admissions committee as a recruited rower , prosecutors say .
She was admitted in 2017 , and her father sent Heinel a $ 50,000 check payable to USC ’ s Galen Center and “ donated ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Can ’ t I write this off ?
” Giannulli asked his financial advisor .
Loughlin and Giannulli cautioned their younger daughter about tipping off a counselor at her high school .
Listing USC as her top choice school “ might be a flag for the weasel to meddle , ” Loughlin remarked , according to a sentencing memo filed by prosecutors .
Giannulli called him a “ nosy bastard.
” The counselor did , in fact , grow suspicious .
Advised that the Giannullis ’ daughter had been presented as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubted she was a competitive rower , given her busy schedule as a video blogger .
Giannulli confronted the counselor at his daughter ’ s school , insisting she was a bona fide coxswain and demanding to know “ why I was trying to ruin or get in the way of their opportunities , ” the counselor wrote in a memo that prosecutors filed in court .
That day , Heinel left Singer a voicemail .
“ I don ’ t want the — the parents getting angry and creating any type of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , according to a transcript filed in court .
Parents couldn ’ t wander onto high school campuses , “ yelling at counselors , ” she told Singer .
“ That ’ ll shut everything — that ’ ll shut everything down .
”

For fixing their daughters’ admission to USC with bribes and bogus athletic credentials, Lori Loughlin and J. Mossimo Giannulli, the best-known defendants in a college admissions scandal studded with marquee names, were sentenced Friday to two months and five months, respectively, in federal prison.
U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton ordered both Loughlin and Giannulli to report to prison by Nov. 19.
Before handing down her sentence, Gorton told Loughlin she had “a fairy tale life”: a career as “an admired, successful, professional actor,” two healthy children, a longstanding marriage and “more money than you could possibly need.”
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“And yet you stand before me a convicted felon,” he said. “And for what? For the inexplicable desire to have even more?”
Where she once thought she was helping her daughters “out of love,” Loughlin told the judge she had since come to understand she broke the law and was complicit in widening inequalities, both in the country’s educational system and society as a whole.
“That realization weighs heavily on me,” she said, wiping tears from her face.
Gorton said he found Loughlin’s mea culpa genuine, and after ordering her incarcerated for two months, he wished her good luck. “We can only hope you will spend the rest of your charmed life, as you’ve said you will, making amends to the system you have harmed,” he said.
Gorton had sentenced Loughlin’s husband to prison earlier that day in a separate hearing; with the courts paralyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, both Loughlin and Giannulli appeared before the judge by videoconference. Giannulli’s lawyer, Sean Berkowitz, described his client as “a good man who made terrible mistakes” and urged Gorton to consider the context of his crimes.
“Moss’ top priority was, is and always will be his children,” he said.
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In a brief statement to the judge, Giannulli said he took responsibility for his conduct and regretted the harm it had caused to his daughters, his wife and the public.
Noting he is more often tasked with imposing punishment on drug dealers and gun runners from troubled backgrounds, Gorton told Giannulli he found it hard to believe that a successful, savvy businessman whose upbringing was, in his own words, “fantastic” stood before him to be sentenced for a federal crime.
“You were not stealing bread to feed your family,” the judge said. “You had no excuse for your crime, and that makes it all the more blameworthy.”
The couple’s lawyers asked Gorton to recommend to the federal Bureau of Prisons that Loughlin serve her sentence at a prison camp in Victorville and Giannulli at a prison camp in Lompoc. Loughlin must also pay a $150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service after she is released from custody. Giannulli was ordered to pay $250,000 and complete 250 hours of community service.
The spectacle of the celebrity couple — one famous for her roles on television sitcoms and Hallmark dramas, the other a well-known fashion designer — being sentenced to prison brought to a close a 17-month saga that both captivated and repulsed much of America.
Loughlin was never the most prolific conspirator of the three dozen parents charged with working with William “Rick” Singer, a Newport Beach consultant who orchestrated a sprawling college admissions fraud; other parents paid Singer more money and used his scams to the benefit of more children.
Yet from the day she surrendered to the FBI in March 2019, the actress commanded an outsize share of media scrutiny and public scorn. The tabloids, always citing unnamed insiders, offered weekly “insights” into Loughlin’s shifting views of her legal predicament — confident one week, panicked or disconsolate the next.
The Giannulli family “has been the face of this crisis, of this scandal, in a way disproportionate to their role,” Berkowitz told the court. Their daughters have been “bullied” unlike any of their co-defendants’ children, he said, and Loughlin’s lawyer, William Trach, said the harassment reached such a pitch that their parents hired guards to protect them.
Loughlin and Giannulli each pleaded guilty in May to a single count of fraud conspiracy, a reversal from 14 months of insisting they’d done nothing wrong. The couple had mounted an aggressive defense that included accusing federal prosecutors in Boston of “extraordinary” misconduct.
Although both Giannulli and Loughlin acknowledged conspiring with Singer, prosecutors said Giannulli was more involved in the scheme than his wife and deserved a longer prison sentence.
Berkowitz said that Giannulli, who did not graduate from college and needed help guiding his children through the application process, sought out Singer in May 2015 at the recommendation of Mark Hauser, who chaired the board of their daughters’ private high school on Los Angeles’ Westside.
Hauser, who didn’t respond to a request for comment, was charged Friday afternoon with one count of fraud conspiracy and accused of paying Singer $40,000 to fix his daughter’s ACT entrance exams. The Los Angeles private equity executive has agreed to plead guilty, according to federal authorities in Boston.
Singer, a college counselor who catered to a wealthy clientele, “was not presented as a felon or a huckster or a fraud,” Berkowitz said. For about a year, he tutored the Giannullis’ daughters and offered genuine support and advice, the lawyer said, adding that the girls earned high marks and were admitted to several colleges through legitimate channels.
In the government’s account — set out in four indictments and an FBI agent’s affidavit — Giannulli and Loughlin’s dealings with Singer turned criminal in April 2016. Giannulli emailed Singer to say he had “concerns” after sitting down that morning with his older daughter’s high school counselor. The designer wanted to come up with “a road map” to ensure she ended up somewhere other than Arizona State University.
Singer’s “road map” was this: misrepresenting their daughter as a promising coxswain — the member of a rowing team that guides the boat — and bribing an administrator at USC to vouch for the girl’s fabricated credentials. “Would probably help to get a picture with her on an [ergometer] in workout clothes like a real athlete,” Singer wrote to Giannulli.
It was at this moment, Berkowitz told the court, that Giannulli “ignored alarm bells, he ignored red flags.”
“Fantastic,” the designer wrote back. “Will get all.” He sent Singer a picture of his daughter posing on a rowing machine, copying her on the email, Justin D. O’Connell, an assistant U.S. attorney, wrote in a sentencing memo.
Even as Giannulli, Loughlin and Singer were pursuing their fraudulent scheme, USC fundraising officials were courting the couple, emails filed in court show. An employee in the school’s development office wrote to Giannulli and offered to “flag” his daughter’s application and set up “a 1:1 opportunity for her, customized tour of campus for the family, and/or classroom visit.”
“Thanks so much, I think we are squared away,” Giannulli wrote back. He forwarded the email thread to his wife that night, adding, “The nicest I’ve been at blowing off somebody.”
A month later, Donna Heinel, then USC’s third-ranking administrator in its athletics department, presented the Giannullis’ daughter to an admissions committee as a recruit for the rowing team, prosecutors allege.
Over decades of working as a college counselor, Singer had found a soft spot in the admissions process at USC, which was becoming one of the most prestigious — and selective — universities in California. Heinel was trusted with bringing lists of recruits compiled by USC coaches to a special committee that decided whether to admit them.
In the prosecution’s telling, Singer bribed Heinel to add the names of his clients’ children to these lists, essentially holding them to a far lower standard of admission than if they had applied through normal channels. Heinel, who was fired from USC after her arrest last March, has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to commit racketeering, fraud and bribery.
USC said in a statement on Thursday that an internal review found that “a small number of employees” in the school’s athletics department — separate from those indicted in Singer’s scheme — had falsely presented certain applicants to the committee as recruits, based on their families’ past donations or the prospect they could contribute in the future.
“USC would not have admitted these applicants had it known they were being falsely presented as recruited student-athletes,” the statement said. USC did not identify the implicated employees but said they had all been disciplined or no longer worked for the school. The misrepresentations they made were separate altogether from the fraud Singer perpetrated, the university said.
Once the Giannullis’ daughter was admitted as a rowing recruit, Singer told her father to write two checks, one sent to Heinel and payable to “USC Athletics” for $50,000, the other a $200,000 “donation” to Singer’s nonprofit, the Key Worldwide Foundation.
Giannulli sent the invoice from Singer’s foundation to his financial advisor, writing, “Good news my [older] daughter is in [U]SC . . . bad [news] is I had to work the system.”
Later that year, he sent Singer an email with the subject line “Trojan happiness.” “Both Lori and I are very appreciative of your efforts and end result!” he wrote.
Singer asked whether there was “a similar need” for their younger daughter. There was. They pulled off a near-identical scam: Giannulli sent Singer a picture of his daughter posing on an ergometer, Singer created a bogus athletic résumé, and Heinel presented the girl to the admissions committee as a recruited rower, prosecutors say.
She was admitted in 2017, and her father sent Heinel a $50,000 check payable to USC’s Galen Center and “donated” $200,000 to Singer’s foundation. “Can’t I write this off?” Giannulli asked his financial advisor.
USC Sports How USC’s ‘side door’ allowed unqualified prospective students to gain admission A prominent Napa Valley vintner worked feverishly last fall to secure his daughter’s admission to USC as a water polo recruit.
Loughlin and Giannulli cautioned their younger daughter about tipping off a counselor at her high school. Listing USC as her top choice school “might be a flag for the weasel to meddle,” Loughlin remarked, according to a sentencing memo filed by prosecutors. Giannulli called him a “nosy bastard.”
The counselor did, in fact, grow suspicious. Advised that the Giannullis’ daughter had been presented as an athlete, he told USC he doubted she was a competitive rower, given her busy schedule as a video blogger.
Giannulli confronted the counselor at his daughter’s school, insisting she was a bona fide coxswain and demanding to know “why I was trying to ruin or get in the way of their opportunities,” the counselor wrote in a memo that prosecutors filed in court.
That day, Heinel left Singer a voicemail. “I don’t want the — the parents getting angry and creating any type of disturbance at the school,” she said, according to a transcript filed in court. Parents couldn’t wander onto high school campuses, “yelling at counselors,” she told Singer. “That’ll shut everything — that’ll shut everything down.”


latimes--2020-08-21--Have L.A.'s homeless people dodged a COVID-19 catastrophe?

When the COVID-19 pandemic erupted , advocates predicted that a “ time bomb ” was about to go off in the homeless community .
Many homeless people live under conditions worse than those of a refugee camp , with health problems that predispose them to severe illness .
Researchers feared they ’ d succumb in high numbers to the worst ravages of the disease .
But the powder keg has yet to go off .
There has been little spread of the novel coronavirus in Los Angeles ’ street encampments .
Some shelters have had outbreaks , but most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the more than 1,300 cases among homeless people in L.A. County , fatalities at mid-August stood at 31 , a mortality rate comparable to or better than that of the overall population .
An influential early paper had estimated the numbers were likely to go as high as 400 deaths and 2,600 hospitalizations .
“ It definitely is and has been better than we expected , ” said Heidi Marston , executive director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority .
Marston and county officials said an aggressive public health response , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off .
But homeless people in the rest of California and across the nation have had a better-than-expected time of it as well .
And one reason might be the environment where nearly three-quarters of L.A. 's homeless people live : outside .
Living outside normally “ weathers ” homeless people , teeing them up for a host of diseases and early death .
But during COVID-19 , outside is safer than indoors because fresh air disperses droplets containing the virus and there ’ s more room to keep people apart , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
A small Japanese study released in April found the risks of transmission in a closed space were 19 times greater than in the open .
Of the 83 homeless service settings that Los Angeles County officials tracked for COVID-19 outbreaks , 19 % were encampments , with 11 % of the cases .
The rest were shelters , hotels or recuperative centers .
“ It ’ s possible being outside is protective relative to inside , ” said Dennis P. Culhane , University of Pennsylvania professor and homelessness researcher who co-authored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shelters , COVID-19 has not been the catastrophe that was predicted .
Shelters in Boston , San Francisco and Nashville have had outbreaks , and at the Union Rescue Mission on skid row , 107 residents and staff were infected , leading to three deaths .
But most of those infected had no symptoms : In Boston , where every shelter resident was tested , the asymptomatic rate was 70 % to 90 % , said Dr. James O ’ Connell , assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and president of Boston Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called the finding “ bizarre.
” “ There is still much to learn to try to understand what truly impacts susceptibility , ” said Dr. Anne Rimoin , professor of epidemiology at UCLA .
The apparent resiliency of homeless people in the face of a pandemic has so confounded expectations that researchers are looking at disparate and sometimes far-fetched causes .
A small French study found less severe and symptomatic COVID cases among heavy smokers ( most homeless people use tobacco ) .
But an Italian study concluded the opposite , O ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vitamin D , which is absorbed from the sun , to more severe cases of COVID .
But homeless people in Boston were tested and have the same vitamin deficiencies as other people , O ’ Connell said .
Could the virus have mutated into a milder strain ?
Or did homeless people build up a special resistance from bouts with previous coronaviruses or other illnesses ?
“ It has certainly crossed my mind , although I ’ m not sure there is any data to support that , ” said Margot Kushel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of California San Francisco and head of a university institute to end homelessness .
“ An easier explanation is the data on homeless infections is poor , and the homeless community is cut off from the rest of society.
” “ We weren ’ t doing no traveling , ” skid row resident Donald Stratton , 59 , said last month , adding that he doesn ’ t know anyone who has tested positive for the virus .
“ People down here are quarantined already , ” said Natosha Smith , 41 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Action Network .
“ Social distancing is what everyone does with homeless people , ” said UCLA associate professor Randall Kuhn , co-author with Culhane of the early paper .
Testing of homeless people got off to a slow start , and an unknown number of homeless people might have died of stroke , cardiac arrest or other causes without their conditions being recognized as complications of COVID-19 .
Not all jurisdictions track deaths of homeless people , and homelessness is not always noted on death certificates .
“ It ’ s hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ superspreader events among people experiencing homelessness because we are far from having universal surveillance testing and most cases have been asymptomatic , ” Bobby Watts , chief executive of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council in Nashville , said in an email .
Robert Kim-Farley , epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health , said we won ’ t really know how homeless people in L.A. are faring until they undergo seroprevalence testing , which looks for antibodies left by past infections .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ targeting of subgroups , and it would make a lot of sense among homeless people , ” Kim-Farley said .
“ I ’ m not so sure we can say there hasn ’ t been a huge hit , ” said Culhane .
In the meantime , nearly every corner of the homeless delivery system has been modified to meet the COVID-19 challenge .
Hundreds of wash stations have been placed near homeless encampments , pop-up testing went up on skid row and the Venice boardwalk , and 26 city recreation centers were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have since been closed — prematurely , critics said .
Project Roomkey , the hotel program , fell short of its goal but placed more than 4,000 medically fragile homeless individuals in lodgings .
The city suspended encampment sweeps , although some service providers are worried about a recent City Council vote to resume cleanups around bridge-housing shelters , which are intended to be transitions to permanent housing .
“ Cleanings are good but disrupting people ’ s lives is not a positive thing , ” said Dr. Coley King , director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The Centers for Disease Control guidance has not changed on how to handle encampment cleanups : by not disrupting the people , ” Marston said .
“ We ’ re hoping to find some middle ground , maintaining the cleanliness everybody wants to see but so we ’ re not putting people at further risk unnecessarily.
” Outreach workers handed out masks , food and water , screening homeless people for virus symptoms and educating them about social distancing and other precautions .
“ Quite a few teams are out there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they need water , food and to do wellness checks so any symptoms are quickly evaluated … and to see if they need to go to the emergency room or be referred to isolation or quarantine , “ said Dr. Silvia Prieto , a Department of Public Health official .
At the Salvation Army ’ s shelter in Bell , one of the largest in the nation , the population was more than halved , from 480 in March to 220 .
Two-person sleeping cubicles were reduced to one and residents sit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , separated by blue plexiglass .
“ When it first started , people used to line up with masks hanging half off their face .
Now they are very diligent about masks and social distancing , ” said Bell Shelter Director Steve Lytle.
“ It is certainly a more muted environment.
” He added that the shelter put on a Juneteenth celebration , a pride event and an In-N-Out burger truck day to lift spirits “ It can be a little bit overwhelming after a while ; you can ’ t be yourself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resident Mahuro Cortez , 49 .
“ But it feels so good to have a place to be.
” On skid row , homeless people are taking their health into their own hands .
Stephanie Arnold Williams cranked out masks from her sewing station in a big white tent at 5th and San Pedro streets , and the Los Angeles Community Action Network ginned up sidewalk wash stations from barrels .
At a recent Sunday Strong event at L.A. CAN ’ s headquarters at 6th and Gladys streets , scores of people ran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grabbed masks and danced , pranced and vogued up a socially distanced line for sack meals with a side of hand sanitizer .
The food was provided by grass-roots groups Miss Rodgers ’ Neighborhood , Polo ’ s Pantry and Eayikes .
“ Just because they ’ re homeless doesn ’ t mean people are not concerned about their health , ” General Dogon of L.A. CAN said over the ear-splitting sounds of Marvin Gaye and Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band .
“ We can ’ t let our guard down .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kim-Farley .

When the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, advocates predicted that a “time bomb” was about to go off in the homeless community.
Many homeless people live under conditions worse than those of a refugee camp, with health problems that predispose them to severe illness. Researchers feared they’d succumb in high numbers to the worst ravages of the disease.
But the powder keg has yet to go off. There has been little spread of the novel coronavirus in Los Angeles’ street encampments. Some shelters have had outbreaks, but most of those infected had no symptoms.
Advertisement
Of the more than 1,300 cases among homeless people in L.A. County, fatalities by mid-August stood at 31, a mortality rate comparable to or better than that of the overall population. An influential early paper had estimated the numbers were likely to go as high as 400 deaths and 2,600 hospitalizations.
“It definitely is and has been better than we expected,” said Heidi Marston, executive director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Marston and county officials said an aggressive public health response, including a homeless hotel program, is paying off.
Nurse practitioner Sharlene Gan and medical assistant Celia Cerna, left and registered nurse Zoe Garcia with medical assistant Carolina Maradlaga-Esguerra, right, preparing to take swab samples from homeless at the Midnight Mission on skid row in downtown Los Angeles. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
But homeless people in the rest of California and across the nation have had a better-than-expected time of it as well. And one reason might be the environment where nearly three-quarters of L.A.’s homeless people live: outside.
Social distancing is what everyone does with homeless people. — UCLA associate professor Randall Kuhn
Living outside normally “weathers” homeless people, teeing them up for a host of diseases and early death. But during COVID-19 crisis, outside is safer than indoors because fresh air disperses droplets containing the virus and there’s more room to keep people apart, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. A small Japanese study released in April found the risks of transmission in a closed space were 19 times greater than in the open.
Of the 83 homeless service settings that Los Angeles County officials tracked for COVID-19 outbreaks, 19% were encampments, with 11% of the cases. The rest were shelters, hotels or recuperative centers.
Advertisement
“It’s possible being outside is protective relative to inside,” said Dennis P. Culhane, University of Pennsylvania professor and homelessness researcher who co-authored the early COVID-19 study.
Even in shelters, COVID-19 has not been the catastrophe that was predicted. Shelters in Boston, San Francisco and Nashville have had outbreaks, and at the Union Rescue Mission on skid row, 107 residents and staff were infected, leading to three deaths.
Monica Palma, an outreach worker with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, visits with Kim M., who is homeless, and her dog Dee-O-G along Venice Boulevard under the Santa Monica Freeway in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
But most of those infected had no symptoms: In Boston, where every shelter resident was tested, the asymptomatic rate was 70% to 90%, said Dr. James O’Connell, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, who called the finding “bizarre.”
“There is still much to learn to try to understand what truly impacts susceptibility,” said Dr. Anne Rimoin, professor of epidemiology at UCLA.
The apparent resiliency of homeless people in the face of a pandemic has so confounded expectations that researchers are looking at disparate and sometimes far-fetched causes. A small French study found less severe and symptomatic COVID cases among heavy smokers (most homeless people use tobacco). But an Italian study concluded the opposite, O’Connell said.
Researchers linked deficiencies of Vitamin D, which is absorbed from the sun, to more severe cases of COVID-19. But homeless people in Boston were tested and have the same vitamin deficiencies as other people, O’Connell said.
Could the virus have mutated into a milder strain? Or did homeless people build up a special resistance from bouts with previous coronaviruses or other illnesses?
“It has certainly crossed my mind, although I’m not sure there is any data to support that,” said Margot Kushel, professor of medicine at UC San Francisco and head of a university institute to end homelessness. “An easier explanation is the data on homeless infections is poor, and the homeless community is cut off from the rest of society.”
“We weren’t doing no traveling,” skid row resident Donald Stratton, 59, said last month, adding that he doesn’t know anyone who has tested positive for the virus.
“People down here are quarantined already,” said Natosha Smith, 41, who volunteers at the Los Angeles Community Action Network.
Ciara DeVozza, right, director of the People Concern’s C3 program, talks with a 20-year-old woman without shelter on skid row in Los Angeles. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
“Social distancing is what everyone does with homeless people,” said UCLA associate professor Randall Kuhn, co-author with Culhane of the early paper.
Testing of homeless people got off to a slow start, and an unknown number of homeless people might have died of stroke, cardiac arrest or other causes without their conditions being recognized as complications of COVID-19. Not all jurisdictions track deaths of homeless people, and homelessness is not always noted on death certificates.
“It’s hard to say that there have not been super-spreader events among people experiencing homelessness because we are far from having universal surveillance testing and most cases have been asymptomatic,” Bobby Watts, chief executive of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council in Nashville, said in an email.
Robert Kim-Farley, epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, said we won’t really know how homeless people in L.A. are faring until they undergo seroprevalence testing, which looks for antibodies left by past infections.
“The county is trying to do some additional targeting of subgroups, and it would make a lot of sense among homeless people, ” Kim-Farley said.
“I’m not so sure we can say there hasn’t been a huge hit,” Culhane said.
In the meantime, nearly every corner of the homeless delivery system has been modified to meet the COVID-19 challenge. Hundreds of wash stations have been placed near homeless encampments, pop-up testing went up on skid row and the Venice Boardwalk, and 26 city recreation centers were turned into temporary shelters, although most have since been closed — prematurely, critics said.
Project Roomkey, the hotel program, fell short of its goal but placed more than 4,000 medically fragile homeless individuals in lodgings. The city suspended encampment sweeps, although some service providers are worried about a recent City Council vote to resume cleanups around bridge-housing shelters, which are intended to be transitions to permanent housing.
“Cleanings are good but disrupting people’s lives is not a positive thing,” said Dr. Coley King, director of homeless services at the Venice Family Clinic.
“The Centers for Disease Control guidance has not changed on how to handle encampment cleanups: by not disrupting the people,” Marston said. “We’re hoping to find some middle ground, maintaining the cleanliness everybody wants to see but so we’re not putting people at further risk unnecessarily.”
Outreach workers handed out masks, food and water, while screening homeless people for virus symptoms and educating them about social distancing and other precautions.
“Quite a few teams are out there every day advocating for people to see if they need water, food and to do wellness checks so any symptoms are quickly evaluated … and to see if they need to go to the emergency room or be referred to isolation or quarantine,“ said Dr. Silvia Prieto, a county Department of Public Health official.
At the Salvation Army’s shelter in Bell, one of the largest in the nation, the population was more than halved, from 480 in March to 220. Two-person sleeping cubicles were reduced to one and residents sit two to a table in the cafeteria, separated by blue plexiglass.
“When it first started, people used to line up with masks hanging half off their face. Now they are very diligent about masks and social distancing,” said Bell Shelter Director Steve Lytle. “It is certainly a more muted environment.” He added that the shelter put on a Juneteenth celebration, a pride event and an In-N-Out burger truck day to lift spirits.
“It can be a little bit overwhelming after a while; you can’t be yourself at times,” said Bell Shelter resident Mahuro Cortez, 49. “But it feels so good to have a place to be.”
On skid row, homeless people are taking their health into their own hands. Stephanie Arnold Williams cranked out masks from her sewing station in a big white tent at 5th and San Pedro streets, and the Los Angeles Community Action Network ginned up sidewalk wash stations from barrels.
At a recent Sunday Strong event at Community Action Network’s headquarters at 6th Street and Gladys Avenue , scores of people ran their hands under a wash station, grabbed masks and danced, pranced and vogued up a socially distanced line for sack meals with a side of hand sanitizer. The food was provided by grass-roots groups Miss Rodgers’ Neighborhood, Polo’s Pantry and Eayikes.
“Just because they’re homeless doesn’t mean people are not concerned about their health,” General Dogon, an organizer with the network, said over the ear-splitting sounds of Marvin Gaye and Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.
“We can’t let our guard down. These are very vulnerable people,” Kim-Farley said.