latimes--2020-07-24--As coronavirus ravaged nursing homes, inspectors were not being tested

Since early in the COVID-19 pandemic , California health officials have required nursing homes to bar entry to outsiders who might bring the coronavirus in with them and trigger a deadly outbreak among the elderly , vulnerable residents .
As a result , aging parents haven ’ t seen their families in months .
Many have died without a final embrace from the people they loved .
But despite requiring routine testing of residents and employees , there ’ s one group California health officials have knowingly sent from nursing home to nursing home without first testing them for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with eight registered nurses working as inspectors for the California Department of Public Health — all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation — revealed that the department has not provided coronavirus testing for the very people it is sending to make sure facilities comply with rules on infection control .
The inspectors said they are exposed to the virus on an almost daily basis and could easily be spreading the disease .
One said she came down with a bad cough and tested positive for COVID-19 soon after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in two days .
Public health officials said they had sent about 500 inspectors to the state ’ s roughly 1,200 skilled nursing facilities .
Some with the worst outbreaks were visited multiple times .
California was inspecting homes at triple the rate of other states , officials said .
“ For them to send us in without testing or screening is unconscionable , ” said an inspector in Southern California .
“ I think nursing homes shouldn ’ t let us in.
” Most of the inspectors interviewed also said they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protective equipment .
One inspector said she refuses to spend more than a few minutes in a nursing home ’ s “ red zone , ” the quarantine wing reserved for COVID-positive residents , because every time she exhales wearing her ill-fitting masks , her glasses fog up .
In a brief email response to questions from The Times , California Department of Public Health Deputy Director Heidi Steinecker wrote , “ We do supply our staff with proper PPE , and testing ; our staff ’ s safety is important to us.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions .
Tony Owens , vice president of the union that represents nursing inspectors , said he was outraged at the claim that the department was providing his members with tests and adequate protective equipment .
“ It doesn ’ t square with what we hear from the field , from the nurses themselves , ” he said .
Later , health department spokeswoman Kate Folmar acknowledged that the department has not provided systematic testing but has encouraged inspectors to use their personal health insurance to seek testing on their own .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published online , Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced that the state would launch an aggressive testing regime for nursing home inspectors .
“ We ’ re raising our standards , ” Newsom said at a news conference , adding that nursing home inspectors will be held to the same testing standards the state requires of nursing home employees .
Homes are required to test 25 % of their staff every week and ensure that all employees are tested at least once a month .
The failure to provide reliable , systematic testing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alarming , ” said David Grabowski , a professor of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School .
“ It makes basically no sense that we ’ ve locked these facilities down since March , keeping families out , only to learn inspectors have been moving from facility to facility without being tested.
” Inspectors told The Times they have faced serious obstacles when they tried to get tested on their own — just like the general public .
In some cases , their primary care physicians told them they didn ’ t meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , their doctors said there weren ’ t enough tests available .
“ Why is the testing not coming to us ?
” one inspector asked .
“ We ’ re government employees .
We ’ re doing this infection control ... for the government.
” Nursing homes have been ground zero for the pandemic in the United States , suffering a staggering proportion of the deaths from COVID-19 .
As of Monday , nearly 3,000 nursing home residents and more than 100 staff had died of COVID-19 in California , accounting for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Many nursing home outbreaks are believed to have been sparked by “ asymptomatic spread , ” in which people who do not know they have the virus unwittingly infect others .
Some nursing home officials said they were shocked by the state ’ s lack of a comprehensive testing regime and worry that inspectors could be dangerously efficient spreaders of the disease .
“ I ’ m blown away , ” said Dr. Michael Wasserman , medical director of the Eisenberg Village nursing home in Reseda and president of the California Assn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which represents doctors , nurses and others working in nursing homes .
“ So you have inspectors going around to different facilities who haven ’ t been tested ?
It just makes no sense.
” Wasserman is not alone .
When nursing home administrators find out the inspectors haven ’ t been tested , “ they are absolutely , visibly shocked , ” an inspector from Southern California told The Times .
“ They only let us in because we ’ re the state ; they ’ re scared to say no.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ We ’ re missing the whole point of public health 101 , and we ’ re the public health department.
” The lack of testing for nursing home inspectors marks the latest failure by California health officials to take the necessary measures to prevent the coronavirus from spreading to some of the state ’ s most vulnerable institutions .
Last month , a Times review of inspection records found that state health inspectors had carried out more than 1,700 “ COVID Focused Surveys ” at skilled nursing facilities but had issued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those visits .
Time and again , inspectors sent to assess nursing homes ’ ability to contain the virus found no deficiencies at facilities that were in the midst of deadly outbreaks or about to endure one .
In early April , for example , state inspectors completed a survey of Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riverside and found nothing wrong .
The next day , a fleet of ambulances lined up outside the home to evacuate all 83 residents after the staff refused to show up for work , terrified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the facility .
In addition to nursing homes , the untested state inspectors are regularly visiting a wide range of healthcare facilities , including hospitals , surgery centers , dialysis clinics and home health centers .
State health officials said they are not aware of any outbreaks that have been caused by an inspector introducing the virus .
Folmar said the department knows of six inspectors who have tested positive since the beginning of the pandemic .
“ Through contact tracing questions , we learned none had recently been in a facility and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
But contact tracing has been spotty .
Despite coming and going from buildings with outbreaks on an almost daily basis , none of the inspectors who talked to The Times said they had been interviewed by a contact tracer since the beginning of the pandemic .
Internal emails reviewed by The Times indicate that officials at the Department of Public Health have been aware for months of complaints from inspectors about unsafe working conditions .
In early July , department officials took part in a formal exchange with SEIU Local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Among the questions presented by the union was whether inspectors would finally get tested , noting , “ This is a big concern for nurses.
” In response , a public health management representative acknowledged that everyone else working in the health facilities visited by the inspectors is required to be tested , so failing to test the inspectors creates “ an inconsistency.
” The representative said there was no final plan to begin testing the inspectors .
The documents also discuss a myriad of problems with personal protective equipment , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of medical-grade masks , known as N95s , which are recommended for people working indoors surrounded by COVID-19 patients .
Several of the inspectors interviewed by The Times said they have attended staff meetings in which their colleagues openly discussed the possibility that they are spreading the disease to nursing homes .
“ We ’ re the public health department ; we should be testing our people , ” one of them told The Times .
“ If it was my family in that nursing home , would I want a nurse to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not tested ?
I don ’ t think so .
”

California health officials have required COVID-19 testing of residents and employees at nursing homes, such as this one in Reseda, but have not provided comprehensive testing to their own inspectors who regularly visit the facilities.
Since early in the COVID-19 pandemic, California health officials have required nursing homes to bar entry to outsiders who might bring the coronavirus in with them and trigger a deadly outbreak among the elderly, vulnerable residents.
As a result, aging parents haven’t seen their families in months. Many have died without a final embrace from the people they loved.
But despite requiring routine testing of residents and employees, there’s one group California health officials have knowingly sent from nursing home to nursing home without first testing them for the lethal virus: state inspectors.
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Interviews with eight registered nurses working as inspectors for the California Department of Public Health — all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation — have revealed that the department has not provided coronavirus testing for the very people it is sending to make sure facilities comply with rules on infection control.
The inspectors said they were exposed to the virus on an almost daily basis and could easily be spreading the disease. One said she came down with a bad cough and tested positive for COVID-19 soon after visiting more than a dozen nursing homes in two days.
Public health officials said they had sent about 500 inspectors to the state’s roughly 1,200 skilled nursing facilities. Some with the worst outbreaks were visited multiple times. California was inspecting homes at triple the rate of other states, officials said.
“For them to send us in without testing or screening is unconscionable,” said an inspector in Southern California. “I think nursing homes shouldn’t let us in.”
Most of the inspectors interviewed also said they had not been provided with properly fitting personal protective equipment. One inspector said she refused to spend more than a few minutes in a nursing home’s “red zone,” the quarantine wing reserved for COVID-positive residents, because every time she exhaled wearing her ill-fitting masks, her glasses fogged up.
In a brief email response to questions from The Times, California Department of Public Health Deputy Director Heidi Steinecker wrote, “We do supply our staff with proper PPE, and testing; our staff’s safety is important to us.” She did not respond to further questions.
Tony Owens, vice president of the union that represents nursing inspectors, said he was outraged at the claim that the department was providing his members with tests and adequate protective equipment.
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“It doesn’t square with what we hear from the field, from the nurses themselves,” he said.
Later, Health Department spokeswoman Kate Folmar acknowledged that the department had not provided systematic testing but had encouraged inspectors to use their personal health insurance to seek testing on their own.
On Friday, hours after this story was published online, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state would launch an aggressive testing regime for nursing home inspectors.
“We’re raising our standards,” Newsom said at a news conference, adding that nursing home inspectors will be held to the same testing standards the state requires of nursing home employees. Homes are required to test 25% of their staff every week and ensure that all employees are tested at least once a month.
The failure to provide reliable, systematic testing for inspectors is “crazy, just really alarming,” said David Grabowski, a professor of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School. “It makes basically no sense that we’ve locked these facilities down since March, keeping families out, only to learn inspectors have been moving from facility to facility without being tested.”
Inspectors told The Times they had faced serious obstacles when they tried to get tested on their own — just like the general public. In some cases, their primary care physicians told them they didn’t meet the criteria for testing. In others, their doctors said there weren’t enough tests available.
“Why is the testing not coming to us?” one inspector asked. “We’re government employees. We’re doing this infection control ... for the government.”
Nursing homes have been ground zero for the pandemic in the United States, suffering a staggering proportion of the deaths from COVID-19. As of Monday, nearly 3,000 nursing home residents and more than 100 staff had died of COVID-19 in California, accounting for nearly 40% of the deaths statewide.
Many nursing home outbreaks are believed to have been sparked by “asymptomatic spread,” in which people who do not know they have the virus unwittingly infect others.
Some nursing home officials said they were shocked by the state’s lack of a comprehensive testing regime and worried that inspectors could be dangerously efficient spreaders of the disease.
Dr. Michael R. Wasserman, medical director of the Eisenberg Village nursing home in Reseda and president of the California Assn. of Long Term Care Medicine, is in favor of testing inspectors. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
“I’m blown away,” said Dr. Michael Wasserman, medical director of the Eisenberg Village nursing home in Reseda and president of the California Assn. of Long Term Care Medicine, which represents doctors, nurses and others working in nursing homes. “So you have inspectors going around to different facilities who haven’t been tested? It just makes no sense.”
Wasserman is not alone.
When nursing home administrators find out the inspectors haven’t been tested, “they are absolutely, visibly shocked,” an inspector from Southern California told The Times. “They only let us in because we’re the state; they’re scared to say no.”
An inspector working in Central California added: “We’re missing the whole point of public health 101, and we’re the public health department.”
The lack of testing for nursing home inspectors marks the latest failure by California health officials to take the necessary measures to prevent the coronavirus from spreading to some of the state’s most vulnerable institutions.
Last month, a Times review of inspection records found that state health inspectors had carried out more than 1,700 “COVID Focused Surveys” at skilled nursing facilities but had issued just 14 infection-control citations as a result of those visits. Time and again, inspectors sent to assess nursing homes’ ability to contain the virus found no deficiencies at facilities that were in the midst of deadly outbreaks or about to endure one.
In early April, for example, state inspectors completed a survey of Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riverside and found nothing wrong. The next day, a fleet of ambulances lined up outside the home to evacuate all 83 residents after the staff refused to show up for work, terrified of the deadly infection already spreading within the facility.
In addition to nursing homes, the untested state inspectors are regularly visiting a wide range of healthcare facilities, including hospitals, surgery centers, dialysis clinics and home health centers.
State health officials said they were not aware of any outbreaks that had been caused by an inspector introducing the virus.
Folmar said the department knew of six inspectors who had tested positive since the beginning of the pandemic. “Through contact tracing questions, we learned none had recently been in a facility and were working off-site at home,” she said.
But contact tracing has been spotty.
Despite coming and going from buildings with outbreaks on an almost daily basis, none of the inspectors who talked to The Times said they had been interviewed by a contact tracer since the beginning of the pandemic.
Internal emails reviewed by The Times indicate that officials at the Department of Public Health have been aware for months of complaints from inspectors about unsafe working conditions.
In early July, department officials took part in a formal exchange with SEIU Local 1000, the union that represents inspectors. Among the questions presented by the union was whether inspectors would finally get tested, noting, “This is a big concern for nurses.”
In response, a public health management representative acknowledged that everyone else working in the health facilities visited by the inspectors is required to be tested, so failing to test the inspectors creates “an inconsistency.” The representative said there was no final plan to begin testing the inspectors.
The documents also discuss a myriad of problems with personal protective equipment, including distribution issues and the lack of fit-testing of medical-grade masks, known as N95s, which are recommended for people working indoors surrounded by COVID-19 patients.
Several of the inspectors interviewed by The Times said they had attended staff meetings in which their colleagues openly discussed the possibility that they were spreading the disease to nursing homes.
“We’re the public health department; we should be testing our people,” one of them told The Times. “If it was my family in that nursing home, would I want a nurse to come in, and she’s not tested? I don’t think so.”
Times staff writer Phil Willon contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-07-24--Column One: The apartment was ready in February. Four months later, the homeless man moved in

Life wasn ’ t easy on the streets .
But , for a time , it was at least predictable .
Terrance Whitten would hang out all day at Farmers Market , the Beverly Center or the Fairfax Library .
Then he ’ d catch the bus to his secret sleeping place : the storage unit where he kept his belongings .
His future brightened when his case manager told him he ’ d been matched to an apartment in Glassell Park .
He filled out the paperwork and previewed the unit .
His written record of what came next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CLOSE !
” ; “ ALL CITY AGENCIES CLOSE !
!
!
!
” ; “ NOWHERE TO GO.
” ; “ ANGRY DAY.
” ; “ RAIN.
” Those exclamations are mixed with plaintive lowercase : “ Gay Center in Hollywood closes.
” ; “ Should have had appointment @ HACLA for Section 8 certification !
” ; “ Should have moved into Teague Terrace.
” ; “ speak w/ Denise & Patrick w LAHSA re : hotel room w Project Roomkey.
” ; “ Awful days.
” Whitten ’ s awful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June when he moved into his new home , Unit 108 of the Teague Terrace supportive apartments , 127 days after it was reserved for him .
His four-month wait , while the apartment lay vacant , reflects a persistent failing of the countywide system to get homeless people into housing .
Even before the novel coronavirus made every step of the process more difficult , apartments routinely remained vacant for 90 days or more , officials with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority acknowledge .
With an inventory of more than 10,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which typically becomes vacant every seven years , the delay means that up to hundreds of units are vacant at any time waiting to be occupied by someone living on the street .
LAHSA , the homeless authority , made fixing that problem a priority late last year and set up a task force to find and eliminate the bottlenecks .
The goal is to leave no unit vacant more than 20 days , said Sarah Dusseault , chairwoman of LAHSA ’ s governing board .
The task force , called the Housing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the coronavirus brought it to a halt and put new obstacles in the way .
Mandatory in-person interviews at the authority were suspended .
Paperwork now must be routed to workers stuck at home .
But that does not justify Whitten ’ s protracted wait , Dusseualt said .
“ Fundamentally , this is not acceptable , ” she said .
“ We have to do better .
What we ’ ve seen in context of COVID is we have to do more to clear regulatory hurdles.
” Whitten , who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cane , is articulate , organized , proficient in the bus system and quick to respond to his case manager ’ s requests .
In short , he couldn ’ t have been an easier client to serve .
An artist who makes vibrant color pencil drawings on symbolic themes , the Detroit native arrived in Los Angeles in 1999 by way of New York and Seattle hoping to get traction on another artistic pursuit , his un-optioned screenplay for Ayn Rand ’ s novel “ The Fountainhead.
” To get by , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after becoming disabled from a slipped disc , taught English as a Second Language for a Korean school .
He lived in low-income housing at the Rosslyn Hotel downtown .
His slide began in 2011 when the U.S. government required all teachers who taught English to foreign students to have Teacher of Foreign Language certificates .
Without one , he was laid off and unable to find a new job .
“ People can ’ t hire me because of insurance , ” he said .
“ They just don ’ t want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ran out in June of 2014 , he surrendered his lease at the Rosslyn and moved his belongings into storage .
His next situation ended when a friend who had put him up ran out of money and jumped off the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena .
“ I proceeded to have a nervous breakdown and tried to kill myself , ” Whitten said .
That led to the first of two commitments , the second precipitated by his eviction from his storage unit .
“ The manager at Farmers Market Self Storage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and people they didn ’ t want on the premises anymore , ” he said .
“ I was one of them.
” He moved his things to storage in Venice and found that local gangs made camping on the nearby streets impossible .
“ Once I had everything set up I realized I had space to lay down in , ” he said .
“ I said , ‘ Do it.
’ It ’ s so profoundly quiet at night in those spaces .
You can hear your blood going through your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used Metro to spend pleasant days at USC ’ s Doheny Library until a security guard handed him a letter from the chief librarian asking him not to return .
A spokesman for USC said he could not comment on an individual but provided a statement saying the university will issue a stay-away order “ if a person has repeated complaints or instances of harassment of students and staff.
” Last September , he saw an opening to a better life and went for it .
He approached an outreach worker at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , coupled with his disability and suicidal episodes , gave him high priority for housing .
The outreach worker , Cindy Ramirez , called him on Feb. 18 with the good news that he was matched to a vacant apartment .
On Feb. 25 , Whitten took the bus to the downtown office of the People Concern homeless services organization to fill out paperwork certifying his disability and verifying his homelessness .
The forms would require signatures of the medical and homeless services providers who could vouch for his status , a tedious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 , he previewed the one-bedroom unit and was delighted with its good feng shui .
He filled out his rental application and returned a week later to meet his caseworker from Housing Works , the service provider for Teague Terrace , and fill out a lengthy application to the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles for a Section 8 rental subsidy .
But the application couldn ’ t be completed without all the signatures on the homeless certification .
The next step would have been an in-person interview at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus forced the agency to send its workers home .
With all his haunts closing , Whitten began an eight-week stay in and around Pan Pacific Park , where he sat under a tree for much of the day until it was time to take the bus back to his storage unit in Venice .
The conversion of the recreation center there into a pop-up shelter — which he declined to use — shut him out temporarily from one of his amenities , the shower .
His complaints were finally heard , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 31 .
Then it rained .
April 9 and 10 were low points : “ RAIN , stood all day .
Awful days.
” By then Whitten was on the waiting list to be moved into one of the hotels leased by the county for vulnerable homeless people like him .
But as leasing for Project Roomkey lagged , he waited for weeks .
Ramirez , the People Concern outreach worker , joined him at Teague Terrace on April 16 to fill out a new form certifying that he alone would live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some missing details on his application to the Housing Authority .
Then another three weeks passed waiting for the Housing Authority to conduct a mandatory inspection of the unit and review the application .
When the application came back with corrections , Whitten went to Teague Terrace for the fourth time on May 8 to re-submit it .
The wait was typical of the bureaucratic checkpoints that slow the housing process , leaving hundreds of units empty for weeks or months .
Multiple outreach workers and case managers from different agencies fill out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case managers and others who knew the client .
IDs and Social Security cards have to be gathered , background checks to be done .
The Housing Central Command was created to apply disaster management procedures to the problem .
It assembled officials from nearly a dozen agencies that manage housing supply or work with people who need the housing .
The group met daily to identify and open up bottlenecks .
It achieved some quick fixes , such as persuading all 18 housing authorities in L.A. County to accept digitized identification so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ produce paper ID at every step .
Some bottlenecks are out of local control .
LAHSA is seeking permission from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to let clients move in first and track down their Social Security cards later .
Meanwhile , HUD has allowed case managers to present copies of Social Security cards , but there is still no solution for those who don ’ t have cards to copy .
“ In this moment where getting to a Social Security office is incredibly difficult , we ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people quickly without hurdles , ” said Dusseault , LAHSA ’ s chairwoman .
The effort came to a standstill when LAHSA shifted its focus to getting the most vulnerable population into shelters during the COVID-19 pandemic .
It has recently regrouped , holding Friday digital conferences with housing officials .
They have been working on streamlining forms and background checks , Housing Central Command Director Amy Perkins said .
But to reduce vacancies from months to days , she said , a deeper change is needed .
The process needs to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed for a complete application are in hand before a client can be matched to an apartment .
Whitten ’ s case shows what happens when they aren ’ t .
On May 8 , Whitten went to Teague Terrace for the fourth time to fill in missing pieces in his application to the Housing Authority .
With his move-in date still not in sight , he got a call from Ramirez on May 11 with some good news .
She had arranged temporary housing through Project Roomkey in one of the trailers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Friendship Hall in Los Feliz .
The next day he took the bus there .
Ramirez dropped by his trailer two times , on May 26 and June 4 , to update the certification forms that had expired , she said .
On June 5 , Whitten received bad news from Ramirez : there was a delay at the Housing Authority and she had accepted a new job with L.A. County ’ s Housing for Health program .
On June 17 , he met with Ramirez for the last time to fill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form .
“ Cindy Ramirez gone .
Can ’ t communicate w/her .
BUMMED , ” he wrote two days later .
But she didn ’ t just drop him .
On June 23 , Ramirez called to say he had cleared all the hurdles and could move in .
He signed the lease six years to the day after he became homeless , fulfilling for him a sense of a loop being closed .
In his first week in his apartment , he set up his drafting table to resume his artwork @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hopes will get his screenplay optioned .
He ’ s happy but not entirely at peace at times , when his Catholic guilt kicks in .
“ There are painful stories that are out there , ” he said , “ People out there in far worse shape to use these resources on than me .
I had the wits to be able to survive to some degree.
” But then he backtracks .
“ You got this .
Enjoy it .
Get back to work .
“ I don ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to come to the realization that all that pain out there is not my responsibility .
Whose responsibility is it ?
”

Life wasn’t easy on the streets. But, for a time, it was at least predictable.
Terrance Whitten would hang out all day at Farmers Market, the Beverly Center or the Fairfax Library. Then he’d catch the bus to his secret sleeping place: the storage unit where he kept his belongings.
His future brightened when his case manager told him he’d been matched to an apartment in Glassell Park. He filled out the paperwork and previewed the unit.
His written record of what came next screams with all-caps pain: “LIBRARIES CLOSE!”; “ALL CITY AGENCIES CLOSE!!!!”; “NOWHERE TO GO.”; “ANGRY DAY.”; “RAIN.”
Those exclamations are mixed with plaintive lowercase: “Gay Center in Hollywood closes.”; “Should have had appointment @HACLA for Section 8 certification!”; “Should have moved into Teague Terrace.”; “speak w/ Denise & Patrick w LAHSA re: hotel room w Project Roomkey.”; “Awful days.”
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Whitten’s awful days ended in the last week of June when he moved into his new home, Unit 108 of the Teague Terrace supportive apartments, 127 days after it was reserved for him.
Terrance Whitten unpacks his belongings inside his new apartment in L.A.’s Glassell Park neighborhood. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
His four-month wait, while the apartment lay vacant, reflects a persistent failing of the countywide system to get homeless people into housing. Even before the novel coronavirus made every step of the process more difficult, apartments routinely remained vacant for 90 days or more, officials with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority acknowledge.
With an inventory of more than 10,000 units of supportive housing, each of which typically becomes vacant every seven years, the delay means that up to hundreds of units are vacant at any time waiting to be occupied by someone living on the street.
LAHSA, the homeless authority, made fixing that problem a priority late last year and set up a task force to find and eliminate the bottlenecks.
The goal is to leave no unit vacant more than 20 days, said Sarah Dusseault, chairwoman of LAHSA’s governing board.
The task force, called the Housing Central Command, was just making progress when the coronavirus brought it to a halt and put new obstacles in the way. Mandatory in-person interviews at the authority were suspended. Paperwork now must be routed to workers stuck at home.
But that does not justify Whitten’s protracted wait, Dusseualt said.
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“Fundamentally, this is not acceptable,” she said. “We have to do better. What we’ve seen in context of COVID is we have to do more to clear regulatory hurdles.”
I proceeded to have a nervous breakdown and tried to kill myself. — Terrance Whitten
Whitten, who is slight of build and walks with a cane, is articulate, organized, proficient in the bus system and quick to respond to his case manager’s requests. In short, he couldn’t have been an easier client to serve.
A 2020 colored pencil on paper drawing titled “Home, 2015” by artist Terrance Whitten. (Terrance Whitten)
An artist who makes vibrant color pencil drawings on symbolic themes, the Detroit native arrived in Los Angeles in 1999 by way of New York and Seattle hoping to get traction on another artistic pursuit, his un-optioned screenplay for Ayn Rand’s novel “The Fountainhead.”
To get by, he worked at Borders, then, after becoming disabled from a slipped disc, taught English as a Second Language for a Korean school. He lived in low-income housing at the Rosslyn Hotel downtown.
His slide began in 2011 when the U.S. government required all teachers who taught English to foreign students to have Teacher of Foreign Language certificates. Without one, he was laid off and unable to find a new job.
“People can’t hire me because of insurance,” he said. “They just don’t want an injured worker.”
When his unemployment ran out in June of 2014, he surrendered his lease at the Rosslyn and moved his belongings into storage.
His next situation ended when a friend who had put him up ran out of money and jumped off the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena.
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Detroit native Terrance Whitten, an artist who makes vibrant color pencil drawings on symbolic themes, arrived in Los Angeles in 1999 by way of New York and Seattle. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
A 1981 colored pencil-on-paper drawing titled “An Alternative Future for an Indifferent Past,” by artist Terrance Whitten. (Terrance Whitten)
“I proceeded to have a nervous breakdown and tried to kill myself,” Whitten said. That led to the first of two commitments, the second precipitated by his eviction from his storage unit.
“The manager at Farmers Market Self Storage started finding reasons to evict homeless people and people they didn’t want on the premises anymore,” he said. “I was one of them.”
He moved his things to storage in Venice and found that local gangs made camping on the nearby streets impossible.
That’s when he improvised a lifestyle.
“Once I had everything set up I realized I had space to lay down in,” he said. “I said, ‘Do it.’ It’s so profoundly quiet at night in those spaces. You can hear your blood going through your veins.”
For about a year he used Metro to spend pleasant days at USC’s Doheny Library until a security guard handed him a letter from the chief librarian asking him not to return.
A spokesman for USC said he could not comment on an individual but provided a statement saying the university will issue a stay-away order “if a person has repeated complaints or instances of harassment of students and staff.”
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“They thought I was a vagrant,” Whitten said.
Last September, he saw an opening to a better life and went for it. He approached an outreach worker at the Fairfax Library. His age, 67, coupled with his disability and suicidal episodes, gave him high priority for housing. The outreach worker, Cindy Ramirez, called him on Feb. 18 with the good news that he was matched to a vacant apartment.
On Feb. 25, Whitten took the bus to the downtown office of the People Concern homeless services organization to fill out paperwork certifying his disability and verifying his homelessness. The forms would require signatures of the medical and homeless services providers who could vouch for his status, a tedious job for his caseworker.
On March 5, he previewed the one-bedroom unit and was delighted with its good feng shui. He filled out his rental application and returned a week later to meet his caseworker from Housing Works, the service provider for Teague Terrace, and fill out a lengthy application to the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles for a Section 8 rental subsidy. But the application couldn’t be completed without all the signatures on the homeless certification.
Terrance Whitten takes a phone call while resting in the shade of a tree at Pan Pacific Park in May. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
The next step would have been an in-person interview at the Housing Authority. It never happened because the coronavirus forced the agency to send its workers home.
With all his haunts closing, Whitten began an eight-week stay in and around Pan Pacific Park, where he sat under a tree for much of the day until it was time to take the bus back to his storage unit in Venice. The conversion of the recreation center there into a pop-up shelter — which he declined to use — shut him out temporarily from one of his amenities, the shower. His complaints were finally heard, and he was allowed to shower on March 31.
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Then it rained. April 9 and 10 were low points: “RAIN, stood all day. Awful days.”
By then Whitten was on the waiting list to be moved into one of the hotels leased by the county for vulnerable homeless people like him. But as leasing for Project Roomkey lagged, he waited for weeks.
Terrance Whitten dries his face after washing it and his hands in the public restroom at Pan Pacific Park. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Ramirez, the People Concern outreach worker, joined him at Teague Terrace on April 16 to fill out a new form certifying that he alone would live in the apartment and to fill in some missing details on his application to the Housing Authority.
Then another three weeks passed waiting for the Housing Authority to conduct a mandatory inspection of the unit and review the application. When the application came back with corrections, Whitten went to Teague Terrace for the fourth time on May 8 to re-submit it.
The wait was typical of the bureaucratic checkpoints that slow the housing process, leaving hundreds of units empty for weeks or months. Multiple outreach workers and case managers from different agencies fill out documents with signatures from the client, case managers and others who knew the client. IDs and Social Security cards have to be gathered, background checks to be done.
The Housing Central Command was created to apply disaster management procedures to the problem. It assembled officials from nearly a dozen agencies that manage housing supply or work with people who need the housing. The group met daily to identify and open up bottlenecks.
Column One A showcase for compelling storytelling from the Los Angeles Times. More stories
It achieved some quick fixes, such as persuading all 18 housing authorities in L.A. County to accept digitized identification so that clients don’t have to produce paper ID at every step.
Some bottlenecks are out of local control. LAHSA is seeking permission from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to let clients move in first and track down their Social Security cards later. Meanwhile, HUD has allowed case managers to present copies of Social Security cards, but there is still no solution for those who don’t have cards to copy.
“In this moment where getting to a Social Security office is incredibly difficult, we’ve got to think of ways to place people quickly without hurdles,” said Dusseault, LAHSA’s chairwoman.
The effort came to a standstill when LAHSA shifted its focus to getting the most vulnerable population into shelters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has recently regrouped, holding Friday digital conferences with housing officials. They have been working on streamlining forms and background checks, Housing Central Command Director Amy Perkins said. But to reduce vacancies from months to days, she said, a deeper change is needed. The process needs to be turned around so that all the documents needed for a complete application are in hand before a client can be matched to an apartment.
Whitten’s case shows what happens when they aren’t.
On May 8, Whitten went to Teague Terrace for the fourth time to fill in missing pieces in his application to the Housing Authority.
Terrance Whitten stands in the doorway of his RV on May 13. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
With his move-in date still not in sight, he got a call from Ramirez on May 11 with some good news. She had arranged temporary housing through Project Roomkey in one of the trailers the city placed in the parking lot of Friendship Hall in Los Feliz. The next day he took the bus there.
“BY THE RIVER!” he wrote.
Ramirez dropped by his trailer two times, on May 26 and June 4, to update the certification forms that had expired, she said.
On June 5, Whitten received bad news from Ramirez: there was a delay at the Housing Authority and she had accepted a new job with L.A. County’s Housing for Health program.
On June 17, he met with Ramirez for the last time to fill in a missing signature to his income form.
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“Cindy Ramirez gone. Can’t communicate w/her. BUMMED,” he wrote two days later.
But she didn’t just drop him. On June 23, Ramirez called to say he had cleared all the hurdles and could move in.
He signed the lease six years to the day after he became homeless, fulfilling for him a sense of a loop being closed.
Terrance Whitten at the drafting table in his studio at his new apartment in Los Angeles. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
In his first week in his apartment, he set up his drafting table to resume his artwork while he waits for the break he hopes will get his screenplay optioned.
He’s happy but not entirely at peace at times, when his Catholic guilt kicks in.
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“There are painful stories that are out there,” he said, “People out there in far worse shape to use these resources on than me. I had the wits to be able to survive to some degree.”
But then he backtracks. “You got this. Enjoy it. Get back to work.
“I don’t know if this sounds heartless, but I had to come to the realization that all that pain out there is not my responsibility. Whose responsibility is it?”


latimes--2020-07-27--Oakland, awash with COVID-`19, struggles to keep people away from popular Lake Merritt

As coronavirus cases topped 10,000 in Alameda County last week , Oakland officials started telling residents to avoid Lake Merritt , one of the city ’ s most popular gathering sites .
The tidal lagoon with more than three miles of shoreline near downtown Oakland has been attracting large crowds on weekends , including families with barbecues , young people with sound systems and dozens of vendors hawking meat , alcohol and T-shirts .
With a surge of new COVID-19 cases in Oakland , the epicenter for confirmed coronavirus infections in Alameda County , city police officers in vehicles and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lake over the weekend to try to reduce overcrowding .
Signs warned that vehicles parked along the lake on weekends would be towed , and officials once again urged residents “ to give the lake a break.
” Early on Saturday and Sunday , the lake was mostly quiet .
But crowds returned in the evenings to drink and dance , said Joe DeVries , Oakland ’ s director of interdepartmental operations .
He described the scene as a “ nightclub.
” The revelers did not wear masks , he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets more and more crowded , ” he said .
“ It is pretty mellow at noon .
By four o ’ clock it is packed , and by 6 o ’ clock it is kind of crazy.
” During the pandemic , out-of-work people have turned to vending at the lake , cooking food in large deep fryers and barbecue pits that amount to `` `` commercial kitchens ” without permits , DeVries said .
Some vendors sell cocktails and blast music .
They promote their offerings on social media , luring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of them are getting very inebriated , ” he said .
The number of vendors , DeVries said , “ exploded ” from 10 to 15 before the pandemic to 50 to 70 in the past five weeks .
Municipal code enforcement officers issued warnings to vendors over the weekend and told them they could be fined $ 250 , $ 500 and even $ 1,000 for repeat offenses .
DeVries said the city is trying to help vendors obtain permits and find a place where they can properly distance .
Vendors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Monday , people running and walking around the lake said they have studiously avoided the spot on weekends during the pandemic because of the large numbers of people .
“ It was way too crowded , ” said Joan Steber , 62 , a dog walker with a golden retriever .
Asked whether the visitors were mostly families or young people , she said : “ It ’ s everybody.
” Steber , who lives in nearby Alameda , said she has been having difficulty finding attractive walking trails that aren ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t bad here on Mondays , though , ” she said .
As of Monday morning , Alameda County had reported 10,371 cases of COVID-19 , 2,640 of them in just the last two weeks .
The number of confirmed cases is doubling every 32.8 days .
Oakland , with 4,129 cases , had more than any other city in the county .
Hayward was second with 1,502 .
Oakland ’ s hardest-hit neighborhoods have been largely Latino , places where residents often live in multi-generational households .
City officials said COVID-19 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three times higher than the Alameda County average .
“ Even more alarming , ” a news release said , “ over the past three weeks , the rate of infection in East Oakland has skyrocketed , with the number of positive cases doubling in ZIP Code 94603 .
“ One of the metrics used to decide if a county should reopen is whether it has kept the number of new cases during the previous two weeks to fewer than 100 per 100,000 people .
Alameda County is at 161 per 100,000 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Positive cases in three East Oakland ZIP Codes — 94601 , 94621 and 94603 — are three times higher than the Alameda County average , according to recent testing data released by Roots Community Health Center .
The center reported that 40 % of its positive cases in July stemmed from social gatherings .
“ Even more alarming , over the past three weeks , the rate of infection in East Oakland has skyrocketed , with the number of positive cases doubling in ZIP Code 94603 , ” the city said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city considers Lake Merritt its “ crown jewel.
” Originally an arm of San Francisco Bay , it is the nation ’ s oldest designated wildlife refuge , home to geese , ducks , songbirds , raptors , gulls , grebes , herons and pelicans .
Concerns about weekend crowds at the lake led to parking restrictions and partial street closures five weeks ago .
In a July 10 news release , the city said overcrowding could accelerate the spread of COVID-19 and warned that the large numbers on the weekends were leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Please , find another alternative to Lake Merritt , ” the release said .
Alan Asari , 64 , a retiree , drove to the lake with his wife from suburban San Ramon on Monday in search of “ a different place to walk.
” He said they would not come on the weekends after seeing reports about the crowds .

After authorities discouraged crowds over the weekend, Oakland’s Lake Merritt returned to normal Monday morning, with a small number of people enjoying the pathways and sunny blue skies.
As coronavirus cases topped 10,000 in Alameda County last week, Oakland officials started telling residents to avoid Lake Merritt, one of the city’s most popular gathering sites.
The tidal lagoon with more than three miles of shoreline near downtown Oakland has been attracting large crowds on weekends, including families with barbecues, young people with sound systems and dozens of vendors hawking meat, alcohol and T-shirts.
With a surge of new COVID-19 cases in Oakland, the epicenter for confirmed coronavirus infections in Alameda County, city police officers in vehicles and on horseback and civil enforcement officers patrolled the lake over the weekend to try to reduce overcrowding. Signs warned that vehicles parked along the lake on weekends would be towed, and officials once again urged residents “to give the lake a break.”
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Early on Saturday and Sunday, the lake was mostly quiet. But crowds returned in the evenings to drink and dance, said Joe DeVries, Oakland’s director of interdepartmental operations. He described the scene as a “nightclub.” The revelers did not wear masks, he said.
A sign warns motorists away from Lake Merritt in Oakland. (Maura Dolan / Los Angeles Times)
“As the day progresses, it gets more and more crowded,” he said. “It is pretty mellow at noon. By four o’clock it is packed, and by 6 o’clock it is kind of crazy.”
During the pandemic, out-of-work people have turned to vending at the lake, cooking food in large deep fryers and barbecue pits that amount to ``”commercial kitchens” without permits, DeVries said. Some vendors sell cocktails and blast music. They promote their offerings on social media, luring people to the lake. “A lot of them are getting very inebriated,” he said.
The number of vendors, DeVries said, “exploded” from 10 to 15 before the pandemic to 50 to 70 in the past five weeks.
Municipal code enforcement officers issued warnings to vendors over the weekend and told them they could be fined $250, $500 and even $1,000 for repeat offenses. DeVries said the city is trying to help vendors obtain permits and find a place where they can properly distance. Vendors selling alcohol will not be allowed.
On Monday, people running and walking around the lake said they have studiously avoided the spot on weekends during the pandemic because of the large numbers of people.
“It was way too crowded,” said Joan Steber, 62, a dog walker with a golden retriever.
Asked whether the visitors were mostly families or young people, she said: “It’s everybody.”
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Steber, who lives in nearby Alameda, said she has been having difficulty finding attractive walking trails that aren’t crowded. “It isn’t bad here on Mondays, though,” she said.
As of Monday morning, Alameda County had reported 10,371 cases of COVID-19, 2,640 of them in just the last two weeks. The number of confirmed cases is doubling every 32.8 days.
Oakland, with 4,129 cases, had more than any other city in the county. Hayward was second with 1,502. Oakland’s hardest-hit neighborhoods have been largely Latino, places where residents often live in multi-generational households.
One of the metrics used to decide if a county should reopen is whether it has kept the number of new cases during the previous two weeks to fewer than 100 per 100,000 people. Alameda County is at 161 per 100,000, according to The Times’ coronavirus tracker.
Positive cases in three East Oakland ZIP Codes — 94601, 94621 and 94603 — are three times higher than the Alameda County average, according to recent testing data released by Roots Community Health Center. The center reported that 40% of its positive cases in July stemmed from social gatherings.
“Even more alarming, over the past three weeks, the rate of infection in East Oakland has skyrocketed, with the number of positive cases doubling in ZIP Code 94603,” the city said in a July 23 news release.
The city considers Lake Merritt its “crown jewel.” Originally an arm of San Francisco Bay, it is the nation’s oldest designated wildlife refuge, home to geese, ducks, songbirds, raptors, gulls, grebes, herons and pelicans.
Concerns about weekend crowds at the lake led to parking restrictions and partial street closures five weeks ago. In a July 10 news release, the city said overcrowding could accelerate the spread of COVID-19 and warned that the large numbers on the weekends were leading to unsafe traffic and parking congestion.
“Please, find another alternative to Lake Merritt,” the release said.
Alan Asari, 64, a retiree, drove to the lake with his wife from suburban San Ramon on Monday in search of “a different place to walk.” He said they would not come on the weekends after seeing reports about the crowds.
“We avoid everybody,” he said.


latimes--2020-07-27--Ridge fire burns one home in Gorman as it rapidly grows to 200 acres

Firefighters were working Monday afternoon to contain a brush fire that had grown to 200 acres within an hour and @ @ @ @ @ Gorman .
The Los Angeles County Fire Department received the call about 3:45 p.m. for @ @ @ @ @ a remote area with heavy fuels , said Leslie Lua , a spokesperson for the @ @ @ @ @ p.m. , the Ridge fire had grown to 200 acres .
Firefighters have not been @ @ @ @ @ , which are burning uphill on both sides of Highway 138 , Lua said .
@ @ @ @ @ structures are threatened , Lua said .

Firefighters were working to contain the 200-acre Ridge fire Monday afternoon.
Firefighters have contained 40% of the Ridge fire, which rapidly grew to 310 acres and engulfed one home Monday afternoon.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department received the call about 3:45 p.m. for a 2-acre brush fire in a remote area of Gorman with heavy fuels, said Leslie Lua, a spokesperson for the agency.
By about 5 p.m., the Ridge fire had grown to 200 acres. By 6:40 p.m., more than 300 firefighters were able to stop the fire’s forward progress at just more than 300 acres.
Using aircraft provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and assistance form the Los Angeles Fire Department, firefighters were able to prevent injuries or damage to additional homes, the L.A. County Fire Department said in a tweet.
Firefighters will work through the night to to continue containing the fire.
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latimes--2020-07-27--Column: The more smack California sheriffs talk, the more they're asking to be handcuffed

There seems to be no low to which sheriffs in California won ’ t stoop to fight off even a modicum of oversight .
The latest example , of course , comes from L.A. County ’ s very own Alex Villanueva .
Apparently irked by Supervisor Hilda Solis , who recently dared to point out the obvious , saying that law enforcement engages in clear patterns of race-based brutality , the sheriff questioned whether she was trying to create distrust between his department and the community .
Never mind that one of his deputies shot a Latino teenager , Andres @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last month and the sheriff is refusing to release any information .
“ I don ’ t know , ” Villanueva said of Solis , streaming live on Facebook .
“ Are you trying to earn the title of a La Malinche ?
Is that what it is ?
” A “ La Malinche ” ?
SERIOUSLY ?
!
You are calling a county supervisor a TRAITOR ?
But you know what ?
I ’ m calm .
And you should be too .
Because as appalling as it is that Villanueva would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the more smack he and other California sheriffs talk — whether it ’ s in refusing the public ’ s demands for transparency or the governor ’ s demands to enforce his face-mask mandate — the more reasons they ’ re giving the state to rein them in .
Because sitting on deck in the California Legislature , which returned to session this week , is AB 1185 .
Authored by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty ( D-Sacramento ) , it would let counties establish an oversight board or an office of inspector general , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the ability to issue subpoenas .
Witnesses , including deputies , could be called to testify and sheriff ’ s departments would have to turn over documents .
In short , AB 1185 would mean that sheriffs can no longer just blow off outside oversight anytime they see fit .
And in counties , such as L.A. , where an oversight board and inspector general ’ s office already exist and have subpoena power , it would bolster the authority of both .
“ We ’ re saying that the sheriff needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He can ’ t ignore information requests.
” Because that ’ s exactly what has been happening .
Villanueva , for example , put a “ security hold ” on information related to the shooting of Guardado because , he said , there ’ s an ongoing investigation .
It ’ s only because the family commissioned an independent autopsy and because Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner Dr. Jonathan Lucas correctly saw the need for transparency that we know the 18-year-old was shot in the back in Gardena on June 18 .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued a petulant statement that both missed the point and confirmed why the public has no reason to trust his department .
“ Dr .
Lucas has acknowledged succumbing to pressure from the Board of Supervisors and the Office of Inspector General , ” Villanueva wrote , “ and has now made the astonishing admission that he sacrificed the integrity of the investigation in a bid to satisfy public curiosity.
” In an even more ridiculous stunt , Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones locked the county ’ s then-inspector general , Rick Braziel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to records and personnel and effectively bringing all independent investigations to a halt .
The reason ?
Because the inspector general wrote a report that criticized deputies for engaging in a foot chase with a mentally ill Black man , Mikel McIntyre , and shooting wildly amid traffic on a freeway until they killed him .
In that case , the Board of Supervisors felt powerless to do just about anything to force the sheriff to comply .
That also was the case for the supervisors in rural Trinity County in 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours away to Oregon and stopped coming to work — while continuing to collect his salary and benefits , of course — because he got mad over the way the board wanted to enforce cannabis regulations .
“ I was wondering a while back , how do you hold this gentleman accountable when he ’ s an elected official ?
” County Supervisor Terry Mines told the Sacramento Bee at the time .
“ How does it work ?
Can I get elected for a four-year term and just walk away and collect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , AB 1185 is a bill that ’ s long overdue in California .
And there ’ s even more urgency given the renewed demands to root out systemic racism in the criminal justice system in the wake of George Floyd ’ s death in Minneapolis .
Elected sheriffs , whose powers come from the California Constitution , aren ’ t like police chiefs , who are appointed and take direction from mayors , city councils and city managers .
It ’ s this difference , and that of cities being more liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has played out in reform efforts up until now .
While sheriffs , by and large , have resisted calls for more transparency and accountability , dragging their feet on things such as body cameras , police departments across the state have generally moved faster to adopted such tools and change their policies to meet the needs of the moment .
That , under current state law the lines of authority are so murky between sheriffs and boards of supervisors has only made implementing needed reforms more challenging — and clearly , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contentious .
That can ’ t continue .
“ I think what we ’ ve seen in your county in Sacramento is sometimes our sheriffs say , ‘ Hey , you know , my oversight is called an election every four years.
’ ” McCarty said .
“ And I think what I ’ m saying , what we ’ re saying , is no.
” It ’ s enough to make me wonder why we elect sheriffs at all .

There seems to be no low to which sheriffs in California won’t stoop to fight off even a modicum of oversight.
The latest example, of course, comes from L.A. County’s very own Alex Villanueva. Apparently irked by Supervisor Hilda Solis, who recently dared to point out the obvious, saying that law enforcement engages in clear patterns of race-based brutality, the sheriff questioned whether she was trying to create distrust between his department and the community.
Never mind that one of his deputies shot a Latino teenager, Andres Guardado, five times in the back last month and the sheriff is refusing to release any information.
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“I don’t know,” Villanueva said of Solis, streaming live on Facebook. “Are you trying to earn the title of a La Malinche? Is that what it is?”
A “La Malinche”? SERIOUSLY?! You are calling a county supervisor a TRAITOR?
But you know what? I’m calm. And you should be too. Because as appalling as it is that Villanueva would level a sexist slur at Solis, the more smack he and other California sheriffs talk — whether it’s in refusing the public’s demands for transparency or the governor’s demands to enforce his face-mask mandate — the more reasons they’re giving the state to rein them in.
Because sitting on deck in the California Legislature, which returned to session this week, is AB 1185. Authored by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), it would let counties establish an oversight board or an office of inspector general, and then give them true investigatory powers with the ability to issue subpoenas. Witnesses, including deputies, could be called to testify and sheriff’s departments would have to turn over documents.
In short, AB 1185 would mean that sheriffs can no longer just blow off outside oversight anytime they see fit. And in counties, such as L.A., where an oversight board and inspector general’s office already exist and have subpoena power, it would bolster the authority of both.
“We’re saying that the sheriff needs to respect that,” McCarty said. “He can’t ignore information requests.”
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Because that’s exactly what has been happening.
Villanueva, for example, put a “security hold” on information related to the shooting of Guardado because, he said, there’s an ongoing investigation. It’s only because the family commissioned an independent autopsy and because Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner Dr. Jonathan Lucas correctly saw the need for transparency that we know the 18-year-old was shot in the back in Gardena on June 18.
In response to the disclosure, the sheriff issued a petulant statement that both missed the point and confirmed why the public has no reason to trust his department.
“Dr. Lucas has acknowledged succumbing to pressure from the Board of Supervisors and the Office of Inspector General,” Villanueva wrote, “and has now made the astonishing admission that he sacrificed the integrity of the investigation in a bid to satisfy public curiosity.”
In an even more ridiculous stunt, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones locked the county’s then-inspector general, Rick Braziel out of his department, revoking all access to records and personnel and effectively bringing all independent investigations to a halt. The reason? Because the inspector general wrote a report that criticized deputies for engaging in a foot chase with a mentally ill Black man, Mikel McIntyre, and shooting wildly amid traffic on a freeway until they killed him.
In that case, the Board of Supervisors felt powerless to do just about anything to force the sheriff to comply.
That also was the case for the supervisors in rural Trinity County in 2018, when then-Sheriff Bruce Haney moved six hours away to Oregon and stopped coming to work — while continuing to collect his salary and benefits, of course — because he got mad over the way the board wanted to enforce cannabis regulations.
“I was wondering a while back, how do you hold this gentleman accountable when he’s an elected official?” County Supervisor Terry Mines told the Sacramento Bee at the time. “How does it work? Can I get elected for a four-year term and just walk away and collect?”
For these reasons and more, AB 1185 is a bill that’s long overdue in California. And there’s even more urgency given the renewed demands to root out systemic racism in the criminal justice system in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
Elected sheriffs, whose powers come from the California Constitution, aren’t like police chiefs, who are appointed and take direction from mayors, city councils and city managers.
It’s this difference, and that of cities being more liberal and counties being more conservative, that has played out in reform efforts up until now. While sheriffs, by and large, have resisted calls for more transparency and accountability, dragging their feet on things such as body cameras, police departments across the state have generally moved faster to adopt such tools and change their policies to meet the needs of the moment.
That, under current state law, the lines of authority are so murky between sheriffs and boards of supervisors has only made implementing needed reforms more challenging — and clearly, in the case of Los Angeles County, contentious. That can’t continue.
“I think what we’ve seen in your county in Sacramento is sometimes our sheriffs say, ‘Hey, you know, my oversight is called an election every four years.’” McCarty said. “And I think what I’m saying, what we’re saying, is no.”
It’s enough to make me wonder why we elect sheriffs at all.


latimes--2020-07-27--Newsom wants to send $52 million to help Central Valley fight coronavirus surge

Gov .
Gavin Newsom said Latinos in the Central Valley have been disproportionately harmed by the spread of COVID-19 , prompting the governor to send “ strike teams ” to eight counties while asking the California Legislature to approve $ 52 million to improve testing , tracing and isolation protocols in those regions .
Newsom said the targeted approach on eight counties — San Joaquin , Stanislaus , Merced , Madera , Fresno , Kings and Tulare , and Kern counties — comes as the state is seeing widening disparities in deaths and infections of Latinos statewide .
Those increases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where Latinos make up a higher percentage of residents .
The strike teams will be deployed later this week .
“ This disease continues to grow in the state of California , it continues to spread , but not evenly , ” Newsom said Monday while speaking at Diamond Nuts in Stockton .
“ It is disproportionately impacting certain communities and certain parts of the state.
” Latinos and Black people have contracted the virus at a higher rate overall than the general population .
However , the gap is widening for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Latinos are three times more likely to test positive for the novel coronavirus than white people .
Newsom said the rate of positive coronavirus tests in the Central Valley range from 10.7 % to as high as 17.7 % .
The state ’ s average is 7.5 % .
The surge in cases has hit farmworkers in those regions particularly hard , in part because they often live in close quarters , share transportation to job sites and have little access to healthcare .
Newsom said the $ 52 million he is asking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health departments in the Central Valley will come from $ 499 million in grants the state received from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The governor said he wants to use the $ 52 million to improve “ our isolation protocols , our quarantine protocols , our testing protocols and to enhance our healthcare workers by providing more support as well as more personnel ” in the Central Valley .
Newsom said his targeted efforts will mirror those in Imperial County , which has been one of the hardest-hit areas of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which borders Mexico and Arizona , has reported 1,240 new cases of COVID-19 in the last two weeks .
“ We were able to make some improvement in terms of the transmission and spread of the virus by deploying a number of strike teams , ” Newsom said .
Those strike teams were made up of state , federal and local personnel who worked to increase hospital capacity and reduce transmission through contact tracing and assisting with workplace outbreaks .
The governor ’ s office said those efforts helped drop the two-week average @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 308 per 100,000 .
“ We are doing exactly the same thing throughout the Central Valley , ” Newsom said .
The focus on California ’ s heartland comes as Newsom has highlighted the need for the state to ensure workplace protections are adequate for essential employees .
Newsom said Friday that he plans to work “ hand in glove ” with the Legislature to increase COVID-19-related sick leave , ease workers ’ compensation claim requirements , enforce labor laws and ensure employers are reporting outbreaks .
The state Legislature reconvened Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shut down twice this year due to COVID-19 concerns .
Lawmakers have until Aug. 31 to send bills to Newsom before adjourning for the year .
Newsom ’ s decision to target the Central Valley for virus mitigation coincides with his standoff with two small cities there that have defied state orders by allowing businesses to remain open despite being on the state ’ s watchlist .
Newsom has threatened to cut off federal coronavirus funding that the state is handing out to Atwater and Coalinga unless they follow state directives .
Atwater @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move “ a bullying tactic ” to “ extort us .
”

A child has her temperature checked as she arrives at a Head Start day care center for the children of farmworkers in Stockton on July 22. More than 70% of new cases of coronavirus in California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley are Latino workers, but advocates say they lack testing and access to care.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Latinos in the Central Valley have been disproportionately harmed by the spread of COVID-19, prompting the governor to send “strike teams” to eight counties while asking the California Legislature to approve $52 million to improve testing, tracing and isolation protocols in those regions.
Newsom said the targeted approach on eight counties — San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare, and Kern counties — comes as the state is seeing widening disparities in deaths and infections of Latinos statewide. Those increases are particularly felt in the Central Valley, where Latinos make up a higher percentage of residents.
The strike teams will be deployed later this week.
“This disease continues to grow in the state of California, it continues to spread, but not evenly,” Newsom said Monday while speaking at Diamond Nuts in Stockton. “It is disproportionately impacting certain communities and certain parts of the state.”
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Latinos and Black people have contracted the virus at a higher rate overall than the general population. However, the gap is widening for Latinos. After adjusting for population, Latinos are three times more likely to test positive for the novel coronavirus than white people.
Newsom said the rate of positive coronavirus tests in the Central Valley range from 10.7% to as high as 17.7%. The state’s average is 7.5%.
The surge in cases has hit farmworkers in those regions particularly hard, in part because they often live in close quarters, share transportation to job sites and have little access to healthcare.
Newsom said the $52 million he is asking the Legislature to approve for local public health departments in the Central Valley will come from $499 million in grants the state received from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The governor said he wants to use the $52 million to improve “our isolation protocols, our quarantine protocols, our testing protocols and to enhance our healthcare workers by providing more support as well as more personnel” in the Central Valley.
Newsom said his targeted efforts will mirror those in Imperial County, which has been one of the hardest-hit areas of the state. The rural county, which borders Mexico and Arizona, has reported 1,240 new cases of COVID-19 in the last two weeks.
“We were able to make some improvement in terms of the transmission and spread of the virus by deploying a number of strike teams,” Newsom said.
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Those strike teams were made up of state, federal and local personnel who worked to increase hospital capacity and reduce transmission through contact tracing and assisting with workplace outbreaks. The governor’s office said those efforts helped drop the two-week average from 836 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 to 308 per 100,000.
“We are doing exactly the same thing throughout the Central Valley,” Newsom said.
The focus on California’s heartland comes as Newsom has highlighted the need for the state to ensure workplace protections are adequate for essential employees.
Newsom said Friday that he plans to work “hand in glove” with the Legislature to increase COVID-19-related sick leave, ease workers’ compensation claim requirements, enforce labor laws and ensure employers are reporting outbreaks. The state Legislature reconvened Monday from an extended recess after having to shut down twice this year due to COVID-19 concerns.
Lawmakers have until Aug. 31 to send bills to Newsom before adjourning for the year.
Newsom’s decision to target the Central Valley for virus mitigation coincides with his standoff with two small cities there that have defied state orders by allowing businesses to remain open despite being on the state’s watchlist. Newsom has threatened to cut off federal coronavirus funding that the state is handing out to Atwater and Coalinga unless they follow state directives.
Atwater Mayor Paul Creighton on Friday called the move “a bullying tactic” to “extort us.”


latimes--2020-07-27--L.A. County nears state's safety threshold for positive coronavirus infections. Will it last?

California continues to see a surge in COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations in hotspot counties , while some areas have seen signs of stability over the last week .
But as July nears its end , it ’ s unclear in which direction the state as a whole will veer .
In Los Angeles County , 145 days after the county ’ s initial shelter-in-place orders went into effect , health officials reported 17 additional deaths and 2,039 more cases of the coronavirus on Monday , bringing the county ’ s total cases count to more than 174,000 .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 1,703 more cases of the coronavirus .
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia confirmed Monday that his mother died from complications related to the virus and that his stepfather is hospitalized and on a ventilator .
“ My brother and I are heartbroken .
Our mother was the kindest and most compassionate person we ’ ve ever known , ” he said .
There are currently 2,017 L.A County residents hospitalized for the illness caused by the virus , 29 % of whom are in intensive care .
Those numbers do not include @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 106 people are currently hospitalized for the virus .
More than 1.6 million county residents have been tested for COVID-19 , including 9 % who tested positive .
There are some bright spots .
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said that average daily death rate is declining for every age group , and most steeply for those over the age of 65 .
At skilled nursing homes , of the 12,192 residents tested for the virus between July 13-17 , 351 tested positive .
And of 18,669 staff members tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested positive .
The county ’ s seven-day positivity rate , or the average number of positive test results among all those tested in that period , stands at 8.4 % , according to the California Department of Public Health .
That percentage places it above the state ’ s safety threshold of 8 % but is lower than what the county has seen in weeks prior .
In recent weeks , the county has shifted its testing accommodations to prioritize the most vulnerable residents — those who are symptomatic , work in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institutional settings or have come into contact with a person who contracted the virus .
The shift in messaging comes weeks after officials stressed the need for all residents , including those who may be asymptomatic , to be tested .
But the county is far from out of the woods .
As summer travel picks up , one concern is that residents visiting the county could lead to a rise in case numbers .
“ That ’ s our biggest concern , ” Ferrer said , imploring outside visitors to maintain the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain physically distant and wear a face mask — a mandate set by the state .
In the absence of medical therapies or a vaccine , Ferrer said that these efforts remain critical to fight against the spread .
Ferrer said that as the county looks toward long-term recovery , three areas are key focuses : compliance , containment and collaboration .
Compliance refers to the ongoing need for residents to wear face coverings and avoid gatherings outside of their households , as well as businesses ’ adherence to county guidance .
Containment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts and contact tracing expansion , which is only as effective as the details provided by individuals who have tested positive .
The county has previously said that many residents have declined to offer information about their employment or close contacts , citing fear over jeopardizing their housing , relationships or job status .
To entice those who contracted the virus to finish the hour-long interview process , the county will begin a pilot program next week offering $ 20 to those who do so .
Collaboration refers to the alignment of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same safety measures .
Orange County ’ s seven-day positivity rate is now at 12.7 % , which is higher than the state ’ s goal but lower than what the county has reported previously .
The county reported 273 new cases Monday and two more deaths .
On Sunday , the county confirmed 420 cases .
There are currently 661 people hospitalized for the virus , including 204 in intensive care .
The number of hospitalized patients in Orange County reached 600 in early July and steadily climbed over the past month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher than what the county reported months ago but is not as high as the number reported in mid-July and currently is below the state ’ s threshold .
More than 393,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 in Orange County , which has recorded more than 34,600 infections .
Both Orange and Los Angeles counties remain on the state ’ s watchlist and are being monitored for case count and the rate of positive infections .
The two counties account for the highest number of outbreaks in the state , with Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state ’ s infections and deaths .

California continues to see a surge in COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations in hotspot counties, while some areas have seen signs of stability over the last week. But as July nears its end, it’s unclear in which direction the state as a whole will veer.
In Los Angeles County, 145 days after the county’s initial shelter-in-place orders went into effect, health officials reported 17 additional deaths and 2,039 more cases of the coronavirus on Monday, bringing the county’s total cases count to more than 174,000. The county on Sunday reported 10 additional deaths and 1,703 more cases of the coronavirus.
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia confirmed Monday that his mother died from complications related to the virus and that his stepfather is hospitalized and on a ventilator.
“My brother and I are heartbroken. Our mother was the kindest and most compassionate person we’ve ever known,” he said.
There are currently 2,017 L.A County residents hospitalized for the illness caused by the virus, 29% of whom are in intensive care. Those numbers do not include the city of Long Beach, where 106 people are currently hospitalized for the virus.
More than 1.6 million county residents have been tested for COVID-19, including 9% who tested positive.
There are some bright spots. Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said that average daily death rate is declining for every age group, and most steeply for those over the age of 65. At skilled nursing homes, of the 12,192 residents tested for the virus between July 13-17, 351 tested positive. And of 18,669 staff members tested during that same time frame, 252 tested positive.
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The county’s seven-day positivity rate, or the average number of positive test results among all those tested in that period, stands at 8.4%, according to the California Department of Public Health. That percentage places it above the state’s safety threshold of 8% but is lower than what the county has seen in weeks prior.
In recent weeks, the county has shifted its testing accommodations to prioritize the most vulnerable residents — those who are symptomatic, work in high-risk environments, live in congregate or institutional settings or have come into contact with a person who contracted the virus. The shift in messaging comes weeks after officials stressed the need for all residents, including those who may be asymptomatic, to be tested.
But the county is far from out of the woods. As summer travel picks up, one concern is that residents visiting the county could lead to a rise in case numbers.
“That’s our biggest concern,” Ferrer said, imploring outside visitors to maintain the social contract set by the county to remain physically distant and wear a face mask — a mandate set by the state. In the absence of medical therapies or a vaccine, Ferrer said that these efforts remain critical to fight against the spread.
Ferrer said that as the county looks toward long-term recovery, three areas are key focuses: compliance, containment and collaboration.
Compliance refers to the ongoing need for residents to wear face coverings and avoid gatherings outside of their households, as well as businesses’ adherence to county guidance.
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Containment applies to the county’s testing efforts and contact tracing expansion, which is only as effective as the details provided by individuals who have tested positive. The county has previously said that many residents have declined to offer information about their employment or close contacts, citing fear over jeopardizing their housing, relationships or job status. To entice those who contracted the virus to finish the hour-long interview process, the county will begin a pilot program next week offering $20 to those who do so.
Collaboration refers to the alignment of all sectors and jurisdictions in pushing for the same safety measures.
Orange County’s seven-day positivity rate is now at 12.7%, which is higher than the state’s goal but lower than what the county has reported previously.
The county reported 273 new cases Monday and two more deaths. On Sunday, the county confirmed 420 cases.
There are currently 661 people hospitalized for the virus, including 204 in intensive care. The number of hospitalized patients in Orange County reached 600 in early July and steadily climbed over the past month. The number of hospitalized individuals remains higher than what the county reported months ago but is not as high as the number reported in mid-July and currently is below the state’s threshold.
More than 393,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 in Orange County, which has recorded more than 34,600 infections.
Both Orange and Los Angeles counties remain on the state’s watchlist and are being monitored for case count and the rate of positive infections. The two counties account for the highest number of outbreaks in the state, with Los Angeles still accounting for the bulk of the state’s infections and deaths.