latimes--2020-04-16--Coronavirus crisis could trigger huge California deficits, lawmakers are told

Almost one month after Californians were told to stay home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus , state lawmakers were told Thursday to prepare for a shortfall in tax revenues of historic proportions , a fiscal crisis that would far exceed government cash reserves .
Legislative Analyst Gabriel Petek told members of the state Senate ’ s budget committee to prepare for a projected deficit of as much as $ 35 billion in the near future and an additional $ 85 billion in the fiscal years to come — on par , he said , with California ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I do think that the Legislature should prepare for a fairly substantial downward revision , ” Petek said .
Lawmakers convened their first public hearing on the coronavirus crisis on Thursday , at which only two senators , wearing protective masks over their mouths , participated in person at the state Capitol .
The remainder of the senators were connected by videoconferencing , and public access to the hearing room was limited .
Members of the committee took no actions , instead taking stock of the road ahead as seen by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
Gavin Newsom .
“ We understand the gravity of the situation , ” said Sen. Holly Mitchell ( D-Los Angeles ) , chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee .
“ We all must recognize that we are embarking on difficult fiscal times.
” The early indicators , lawmakers were told , are worrisome .
California ’ s Franchise Tax Board , which collects personal income tax revenues , reports only a trickle of cash payments in April compared with years past .
In part , that ’ s because taxpayers have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ file and pay what ’ s owed from last year .
Last week , Newsom ’ s budget director estimated this could result in significantly less short-term cash to pay for government services — as well as a delayed reckoning of the total budget shortfall .
Expenses are also likely to rise .
Programs including Medi-Cal and CalWorks , the state ’ s healthcare and welfare programs , are open to California residents who qualify based on their income .
As wages fall or disappear , more Californians will become eligible .
Newsom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program for those in the U.S. illegally , with the majority of funding provided by state taxpayers .
“ This is both a public health crisis and an economic crisis , which of course makes it a key budget issue , ” Vivek Viswanathan , chief deputy director of the California Department of Finance , told lawmakers .
So far , Newsom has notified lawmakers of $ 7 billion in emergency state spending needed to respond to the pandemic .
But details have been released for only about $ 769 million in expenses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a revised state budget plan in mid-May , which may be the earliest that additional details will be released .
Several senators involved in Thursday ’ s hearing took issue with the Newsom administration ’ s refusal to hand over details of the $ 990-million agreement to purchase 200 million protective masks — a deal the governor touted last week on national television but the contract for which has not been shared with the Legislature .
Several news organizations , including The Times , have also asked to see the contract .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big deal , ” Sen. Jim Nielsen ( R-Gerber ) , vice chairman of the committee , told Viswanathan .
“ And many of us going to be very insistent at seeing the terms of that contract.
” The warning of a major budget deficit was the first of its kind in Sacramento in almost a decade .
At one point during the early days of the Great Recession , the state faced a shortfall of as much as $ 40 billion , leading to deep cuts in education and social services that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years by a recovering economy and a series of voter-approved tax increases .
In January , budget analysts predicted the state would have close to $ 21 billion in cash reserves by next summer .
Petek , whose staff analyzes spending and taxation issues for the Legislature , said a more realistic assumption is that the reserves total about $ 17.5 billion — almost all of which is in the state ’ s “ rainy day ” fund that can ’ t be spent without specific action by the governor and lawmakers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ should proceed carefully in deciding how to respond .
“ We recommend a judicious use of the reserves , at least at first until we have a better sense of what the revenue picture will be , ” Petek said .

State Sens. Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber) and Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), members of the Senate Budget Committee, sit six feet apart during a hearing at the state Capitol on Thursday.
Almost one month after Californians were told to stay home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, state lawmakers were told Thursday to prepare for a shortfall in tax revenues of historic proportions, a fiscal crisis that would far exceed government cash reserves.
Legislative Analyst Gabriel Petek told members of the state Senate’s budget committee to prepare for a projected deficit of as much as $35 billion in the near future and an additional $85 billion in the fiscal years to come — on par, he said, with California’s budget problems during the Great Recession.
“I do think that the Legislature should prepare for a fairly substantial downward revision,” Petek said.
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Lawmakers convened their first public hearing on the coronavirus crisis on Thursday, at which only two senators, wearing protective masks over their mouths, participated in person at the state Capitol. The remainder of the senators were connected by videoconferencing, and public access to the hearing room was limited. Members of the committee took no actions, instead taking stock of the road ahead as seen by their own analysts and budget advisors to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“We understand the gravity of the situation,” said Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee. “We all must recognize that we are embarking on difficult fiscal times.”
1 / 83 Socially distanced bikers and walkers, against a backdrop of the Queen Mary, make their way along pedestrian and beach bike path on the first day that Long Beach reopened the path on Monday May 11, 2020. The city of Long Beach eased a few of its public health restrictions, allowing under certain guidelines the reopening of pedestrian and beach bike paths, tennis centers and courts. Beach bathrooms are also reopening, but the parking lots and beaches still remain closed. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 83 Traffic remains light on the southbound 110 Freeway headed toward downtown Los Angeles on April 28. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 83 Dominique Barrett, center, known as “King Vader” to his 2.4 million TikTok followers, prepares to shoot a video on April 30 in Glendora. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 83 Cody Purcell of Redondo Beach rides a wave, glowing from the bioluminescence, in Hermosa Beach, CA, after midnight Friday morning, May 8. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 83 Friends play spikeball, a game perfect for social distancing on an open but restricted San Buenaventura State Beach. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 83 The majority of golfers are wearing masks while hitting balls on the driving range at Van Buren Executive Golf Course in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 83 Beaches including Harbor Cove Beach were open but beachgoers were not supposed to be sitting on the sand. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 83 Tango instructor Yelizaveta Nersesova leads a Zoom tango event from her Los Angeles home April 27 that brought together hundreds of dancers from around the world. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 83 Grocery store workers, joined by United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 770 representatives and community members, hold a rally in support of strict social distancing on May 1 at a Ralphs store in Hollywood where 19 employees have tested positive for COVID-19. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 83 Mostly masked commuters keep their distance from one another on a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles on April 29. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 83 Gregory Kuhl, 69, heads home after a shopping trip in Hollywood on April 28. Big cracks in the street, cars parked in driveways blocking sidewalks and uneven pavement levels make navigating his route difficult. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 83 Tenants and their supporters from across Los Angeles gather at city hall to call on L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, the L.A. City Council and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to cancel rent and mortgage payments during the COVID-19 crisis. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 83 Aerial view of over 100 vehicles lined up at the West Valley COVID-19 testing center at Warner Center in Woodland Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 83 Senior Mason Wise, left, helps his sister, Mackenzie, a sophomore, clean out her PE locker at El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills. School officials were allowing no more than five students at a time on campus to take home their belongings. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 83 Shuttered storefront businesses in the garment district of Los Angeles. California’s unemployment rate has skyrocketed since the statewide coronavirus shutdown took effect. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 83 Healthcare workers celebrate as Claudia Martinez is discharged from the ICU after she recovered from COVID-19 at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Chula Vista. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 83 Carson residents Kaeli Burks, 3, left, and her cousin Bailey Watson, 5, look out the window of their car after their mothers helped them with self-testing at a new drive-up testing site for COVID-19 in Carson. Free COVID-19 testing is available to all city residents thanks to a partnership between the city and US Health Fairs. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 83 Norm and Tracy Kahn enjoy eating dinner outside on a small cafe table sitting in blue chairs on their side yard during the coronavirus pandemic on April 27 in Riverside. “During this pandemic, eating outside offers us an opportunity to change surrounding and appreciate the calmness of being outdoors among trees, scents from nature and the sounds of birds,” she said. Also adding, “Mixing up where we eat puts variety into our days and takes away the sameness of feeling trapped at home.” (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 83 Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center nurses carry supplies outside the hospital. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 83 Tom Sean Foley pauses on a walk with his kids, Cathelen Claire, “C.C.,” 3, and Timothy Joseph, 4, to take a photo in front of the “Love Wall,” mural by artist Curtis Kulig, outside of Smashbox Studios in Culver City. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 83 Protesters stand along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on April 26. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) 22 / 83 People make orders at a food truck along Shoreline Avenue in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 83 Medical staff, wearing protective gear, work inside a COVID-19 isolation area inside the emergency department at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, where patients with the virus are being treated. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 83 Neighbors practice social distancing while enjoying the nice weather near The Strand in Hermosa Beach. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 83 Counter-protesters attend a protest to call on state and local officials to reopen the economy in downtown Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 83 A group of protesters cheer on cars during a vehicle caravan protest to call on state and local officials to reopen the economy in downtown Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 83 Cedar Mountain Post Acute Rehabilitation staff member Navi Cavaltera waters a flower pot put up by the community to show their support for the nursing staff of the facility in Yucaipa. Eighteen of 20 coronavirus-related deaths in Yucaipa were residents of the skilled nursing facility. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 83 A pedestrian wearing a protective mask passes a mural on a store on Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 83 Jonte Florence, a freestyle dancer, does a handstand on a mostly empty Hollywood Walk of Fame. Florence said he normally performs for hundreds of tourists along the busy street. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 83 The Tyrannosaurus rex overlooking the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue wears a protective mask while practicing social distancing. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 83 Businesses are shuttered and pedestrians are few and far between on Hollywood Boulevard. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 83 Daniel Rogerson wears a vintage military gas mask while riding a bike along the beach path in Santa Monica, which is closed to enforce social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 83 A face mask seller in colorful dress appears to be part of a mural behind a bus stop on Soto Street in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 83 Life around Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Soto Street has slowed down as California officials extended stay-at-home orders into May and residents entered Easter weekend with unprecedented limits on their movements. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 83 UC Irvine Medical Center health care workers return their gratitude as about 25 Orange County first responder vehicles participate in a drive-by parade of gratitude as they battle COVID-19 at the hospital. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 83 Billy Budd, 55, of Hollywood, walks along Hollywood Boulevard with a protective face covering. Budd is a scenic artist for movies and television who is currently out of work due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 83 Stuart Reyes and his sister, Stephanie, sell masks for $5 each on the 3000 block of West Century Boulevard in Inglewood. Stuart Reyes said he is selling masks to support his mother. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 83 A jogger runs on a closed trail past dozens of pieces of caution tape, torn off by hikers and mountain bikers at El Escorpion Canyon Park in West Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 83 Alex Herron and nurse Mercy Pineda at a blood drive sponsored by USC athletics and the American Red Cross at USC’s Galen Center. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 83 Los Angeles City Hall displays blue lights to show support for healthcare workers and first responders. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 83 After being indoors for several days because of rainy weather and coronavirus stay-at-home orders, Olivia Jacobs, 4, and her mom, Cia Jacobs, enjoy a warm and sunny afternoon making chalk drawings on the sidewalk in front of their home in West Hills. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 83 An Oceanview Plaza security guard sports a whimsical mask while on patrol. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 83 Jacob De Wilde, left, and Lesli Lytle load a car with food during a food distribution organized to mark Good Friday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 83 As a late season storm continues to make its way across the Southland, a young basketball player dribbles along an alley through an Elysian Park neighborhood in Los Angeles. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 83 People are silhouetted in a window of an apartment building in Hollywood, where a stay-at-home order remains in effect to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 83 The Wilshire Grand Center display blue lights and a heart to show support for healthcare workers and first responders. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 83 Women wear masks as they stroll along Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Wearing masks while outdoors is mandatory in the city of Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 83 Patients are removed from Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center after 39 tested positive for the coronavirus and nursing staff was not showing up to work. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 83 A specimen is turned in at the new mobile testing site for people with symptoms of the coronavirus at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 83 Hippie Kitchen in Los Angeles hands out food, water and toiletries to homeless people and residents of skid row. Additionally, masks were offered to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 83 Nurses pose for a fun photo during a break in drive-through public testing for the coronavirus at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 83 A woman shows a notice from her doctor that allows her to obtain a test for coronavirus at a new drive-up testing site in a parking lot at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 83 A person who wishes to remain anonymous strikes from her car to support McDonald’s employees who are demanding the company cover healthcare costs of any worker or immediate family member who gets sick from COVID-19 in Los Angeles. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 83 Cassidy Roosen, with Beach Cities Health District, holds up a sign that says, “We’re All in This Together,” while waiting to direct cars at a drive-through, appointment-only coronavirus testing location at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 83 Juliann Hartman, center, and her husband, Butch, wave signs they created to cheer up people on Calabasas Road in Calabasas during the pandemic. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 83 Grace Carter, 15, of Riverside, practices a dance routine at home after dance classes and school were canceled. She has to use the Zoom app on her iPhone to practice with her dance group. “It’s hard,” she said. “My bedroom is a smaller space. I miss all my friends at the studio.” (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 83 A man works from his home in Long Beach. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 83 A San Bernardino County healthcare worker takes a sample at a coronavirus drive-through testing site at the county fairgrounds in Victorville. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 83 A Metro general service employee disinfects a bench in Boyle Heights. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 83 A runner jogs past the Pottery Barn in Pasadena. Some businesses in the area have boarded up their stores. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 83 Raquel Lezama and daughter Monica Ramos collect meals for their family at Manual Arts High School. Lezama was laid off from her $17.76-an-hour job at a Beverly Hills hotel. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 83 The Iron City Tavern in San Pedro tries an incentive to lure takeout customers. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 83 Healthcare workers gather outside UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center to call for further action from the federal government in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 64 / 83 Kristen Edgerle, of Victorville, collects information from a blood donor before drawing blood at The Richard Nixon Presidential Library blood drive during the coronavirus pandemic in Yorba Linda. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 83 Shauna Jin, of Los Angeles, with her dog, Bodhi, practices social distancing with John Kiss, of Los Angeles, at the entrance of Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 66 / 83 A lending library had some additional useful items, including a roll of toilet paper and cans of beans and corn, in a Hermosa Beach neighborhood. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 83 Protesters drive by the Getty House, the home of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, in Hancock Park. Tenant advocates are demanding a total moratorium on evictions during the coronavirus crisis. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 83 Venice residents Emily Berry and Gavin Kelley take a break at Venice Beach. Berry, a cocktail waitress at Enterprise Fish Co., lost her job due to the coronavirus outbreak. Kelley, a manager at a performing arts school with a focus on music, said that he still has a job and that classes at the school will resume online this coming Monday. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 83 The JW Marriott at L.A. Live is sharing a message of hope with red lights in 34 windows, creating a 19-story display on the hotel’s north side. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 83 Juan Diaz Jr., a lifelong Dodgers fan, prays that the season will start by May in front of Dodger Stadium on what would have been opening day. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 71 / 83 Hayley, CEO and founder of Love My Neighbor Foundation, right, dances with Crystal Armster, 51, while she and her colleagues continue to feed the homeless on skid row amid the pandemic. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 83 A masked passenger on a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 73 / 83 Dede Oneal waits for a coronavirus test at the Crenshaw Christian Center in South Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 74 / 83 A man in a mask passes a closed restaurant along Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 75 / 83 Artist Corie Mattie paints a mural on the side of a pop-up store as a man takes a picture in West Hollywood. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 76 / 83 Medical assistant Zoila Villalta works with Rosie Boston, 32, of Glendale, who is donating blood for her first time at L.A. Care Health Plan downtown. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 77 / 83 A couple wait for a bus outside the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 78 / 83 With all Los Angeles schools closed until further notice, LAUSD buses sit idle in Gardena. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 79 / 83 A lone traveler makes his way to catch a flight in Tom Bradley International Terminal. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 80 / 83 Denise Young looks on as her daughter, Allison, 9, a fourth-grader at EARThS (Environmental Academy of Research Technology and Earth Sciences) Magnet School in Newbury Park, receives a Chromebook. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 81 / 83 Hollywood Boulevard is devoid of the usual crowds. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 82 / 83 Michael Ray, 11, plays before a movie at the Paramount Drive-In. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 83 / 83 Isabella Leader, 15, counts how many flags have been left for World War II veteran Lt. Col. Sam Sachs who was celebrating his 105th birthday at the Mom & Dad’s House, an assisted living facility, in Lakewood. Lt. Col. Sachs appealed to the public for birthday cards after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of a big celebration and wound up receiving thousands, including a letter and photo from President Trump. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
The early indicators, lawmakers were told, are worrisome. California’s Franchise Tax Board, which collects personal income tax revenues, reports only a trickle of cash payments in April compared with years past. In part, that’s because taxpayers have been given an extra 90 days to file and pay what’s owed from last year. Last week, Newsom’s budget director estimated this could result in significantly less short-term cash to pay for government services — as well as a delayed reckoning of the total budget shortfall.
Expenses are also likely to rise. Programs including Medi-Cal and CalWorks, the state’s healthcare and welfare programs, are open to California residents who qualify based on their income. As wages fall or disappear, more Californians will become eligible. Newsom has also announced a $125-million relief program for those in the U.S. illegally, with the majority of funding provided by state taxpayers.
“This is both a public health crisis and an economic crisis, which of course makes it a key budget issue,” Vivek Viswanathan, chief deputy director of the California Department of Finance, told lawmakers.
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So far, Newsom has notified lawmakers of $7 billion in emergency state spending needed to respond to the pandemic. But details have been released for only about $769 million in expenses. The governor will present lawmakers with a revised state budget plan in mid-May, which may be the earliest that additional details will be released. Several senators involved in Thursday’s hearing took issue with the Newsom administration’s refusal to hand over details of the $990-million agreement to purchase 200 million protective masks — a deal the governor touted last week on national television but the contract for which has not been shared with the Legislature. Several news organizations, including The Times, have also asked to see the contract.
“I must emphasize that’s a big deal,” Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber), vice chairman of the committee, told Viswanathan. “And many of us are going to be very insistent at seeing the terms of that contract.”
The warning of a major budget deficit was the first of its kind in Sacramento in almost a decade. At one point during the early days of the Great Recession, the state faced a shortfall of as much as $40 billion, leading to deep cuts in education and social services that were later erased over a period of years by a recovering economy and a series of voter-approved tax increases. In January, budget analysts predicted the state would have close to $21 billion in cash reserves by next summer.
Petek, whose staff analyzes spending and taxation issues for the Legislature, said a more realistic assumption is that the reserves total about $17.5 billion — almost all of which is in the state’s “rainy day” fund that can’t be spent without specific action by the governor and lawmakers. He told senators that for now they should proceed carefully in deciding how to respond.
“We recommend a judicious use of the reserves, at least at first until we have a better sense of what the revenue picture will be,” Petek said.
On Friday, Newsom announced that he had tapped former governors, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger and other business executives and politicians to guide the state’s economic recovery from the coronavirus outbreak as the state unemployment rate climbed to 5.3% in March and millions of Californians seek financial support.
The governor said his chief of staff, Ann O’Leary, and billionaire climate activist and former Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer would head the new Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery and develop recommendations for the government and companies to improve the economy, create jobs and help Californians get back on their feet.
“We are now in a pandemic-induced recession in the state of California,” Newsom said. “These are sobering and challenging times.”
Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-04-16--California Times folds Burbank Leader, Glendale News-Press and La Cañada Valley Sun

The Los Angeles Times ’ parent company , California Times , is folding three award-winning community newspapers that serve the cities of Burbank , Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge .
Fourteen staff members learned Thursday that they were being laid off with severance .
Ten are members of the Los Angeles Times Guild .
The decision comes as The Times , and other news organizations , grapple with staggering losses in advertising revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic and local stay-at-home orders .
Advertisers have withdrawn their advertising buys , forcing publishers to make cuts to their businesses .
Final @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Burbank Leader are planned for Saturday .
The La Cañada Valley Sun sets April 23 , with its final issue .
The three community papers were an attempt to serve readers with intensely local coverage : information about city councils , school boards and high school sports relevant primarily to their particular corners of a sprawling metropolis .
But the papers had a rich history of their own .
The Burbank Leader was founded in 1985 , a successor to the Burbank Daily Review , which was founded in 1908 .
The Glendale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ La Cañada Valley Sun sprung to life in 1946 , helping usher in Southern California ’ s postwar building and population boom .
The publications each have won multiple awards from the California Newspapers Publishers Assn.
, the Los Angeles Press Club and other organizations .
The Los Angeles Times purchased the News-Press and Leader in 1993 and the Valley Sun in 2005 .
The papers , which became part of The Times Community News division , were inserted into The Times and also distributed for free at local businesses and in newspaper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue to circulate in Glendale , Burbank and La Cañada Flintridge , and the plan is for the Metro staff , which has grown since The Times came under local ownership in 2018 , to cover larger news stories in those areas .
The two remaining Times Community News publications , the Daily Pilot in Costa Mesa and TimesOC , will continue publishing in Orange County .
“ This was a difficult business decision in a trying time for community newspapers compounded by the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic , ” California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The three titles , while journalistically sound , are operating at significant losses.
” In recent years , advertising has fallen off as businesses look to the internet to search for customers .
The company produced about 5,000 copies of each paper each week .
The community papers ’ work will be archived at latimes.com .

The Los Angeles Times’ parent company, California Times, is folding three award-winning community newspapers that serve the cities of Burbank, Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge.
Fourteen staff members learned Thursday that they were being laid off with severance. Ten are members of the Los Angeles Times Guild.
For the record: An earlier version of this article misidentified the location of the Daily Pilot’s offices as Costa Mesa. The newspaper is based in Fountain Valley.
The decision comes as The Times, and other news organizations, grapple with staggering losses in advertising revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic and local stay-at-home orders. Advertisers have withdrawn their advertising buys, forcing publishers to make cuts to their businesses.
Final editions of the Glendale News-Press and the Burbank Leader are planned for Saturday.
The La Cañada Valley Sun sets April 23, with its final issue.
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The three community papers were an attempt to serve readers with intensely local coverage: information about city councils, school boards and high school sports relevant primarily to their particular corners of a sprawling metropolis.
But the papers had a rich history of their own. The Burbank Leader was founded in 1985, a successor to the Burbank Daily Review, which was founded in 1908. The Glendale News-Press dated back to 1905. The La Cañada Valley Sun sprang to life in 1946, helping usher in Southern California’s postwar building and population boom.
The publications each have won multiple awards from the California Newspapers Publishers Assn., the Los Angeles Press Club and other organizations.
U.S. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) said Friday that he was “saddened” by the closure of his hometown paper.
“I have read these papers for decades and had the privilege of working with many of their reporters and editors,” Schiff said in a statement. “And while I’m sure I took issue with some of their articles from time to time — as it should be — I never once doubted their skill and professionalism, or their passion for serving our community. Whether it was uncovering wrong-doing or profiling one of our amazing residents or documenting our community coming together, you could be certain these papers would be there.”
The Los Angeles Times purchased the News-Press and Leader in 1993 and the Valley Sun in 2005. The papers, which became part of The Times Community News division, were inserted into The Times and also distributed free at businesses and in newspaper racks.
The Los Angeles Times will continue to circulate in Glendale, Burbank and La Cañada Flintridge, and the plan is for the Metro staff, which has grown since The Times came under local ownership in 2018, to cover larger news stories in those areas.
The two remaining Times Community News publications, the Daily Pilot and TimesOC, both based in Fountain Valley, will continue publishing in Orange County.
“This was a difficult business decision in a trying time for community newspapers compounded by the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic,” California Times said in a note to readers. “The three titles, while journalistically sound, are operating at significant losses.”
In recent years, advertising has fallen off as businesses look to the internet to search for customers. The company produced about 5,000 copies of each paper each week.
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The community papers’ work will be archived at latimes.com.


latimes--2020-04-16--Two house fires in Los Angeles County leave three people dead

One teenage girl was killed and another taken to the hospital in grave condition Thursday after the girls could not escape their burning home because both of their bedroom ’ s exits were blocked .
Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters were dispatched at 10:34 a.m. and arrived three minutes later to the fire in the 1100 block of East Franklin Avenue in Pomona , according to the agency .
Twenty-three firefighters battled heavy fire on the bottom floor of a two-story apartment complex .
The girls were trapped in their bedroom after the fire blocked their path to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they couldn ’ t escape through their bedroom window because it was blocked by furniture and an exterior mounted air-conditioning unit , according to the Fire Department .
A third victim , an older female relative , suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital , a Fire Department spokesman said .
The fire was knocked down by about 11 a.m .
Earlier in the day , firefighters were dispatched to a two-story home consumed by a large blaze in the 600 block of North Rocking Horse Road in Walnut .
About @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incident commanders requested a second alarm assignment , which doubled the number of firefighters at the scene .
As their colleagues battled the blaze , a group of firefighters assigned to search for people inside the home found two victims .
Both of them were “ beyond the help of the Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics and pronounced dead on-scene , ” according to the agency .
Sky Cornell , a Fire Department spokesman , said that according to preliminary information collected at the scene , the two victims were college students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Their roommate , a foreign exchange student , told firefighters that he didn ’ t know anyone else was home , Cornell said .
The student , thought to be about 18 , didn ’ t have anywhere to stay Thursday evening .
Firefighters contacted the Red Cross to ensure he had shelter , Cornell said .
A family of four lived upstairs and were able to safely escape the home , he said .
Three firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the blaze and were taken to a hospital .
One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and shoulders , while another was burned on his ears .
The third firefighter suffered an undetermined back injury , Cornell said .
Because the majority of the county ’ s 10 million residents are staying at home amid the coronavirus outbreak , the risk of house fires has increased , fire officials have said .
Capt .
Ron Haralson , a county fire spokesman , said families should take time to practice their family fire drill and ensure that there are two exit routes and that everyone in the family knows how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s essential that families have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and that children in the home know what they sound like .
“ Tell the kids or anybody else in the house , ‘ When you hear this , this means there ’ s a fire , there ’ s smoke , and we need to get up and we need to be thinking about our exits , ’ ” Haralson said .
As of 5 p.m. Thursday , firefighters remained on the scene of the Walnut house fire .
The @ @ @ @ @

A house fire in Pomona killed one child and left another in grave condition. An adult female relative suffered minor injuries.
One teenage girl was killed and another taken to the hospital in grave condition Thursday after the girls could not escape their burning home because both of their bedroom’s exits were blocked.
Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters were dispatched at 10:34 a.m. and arrived three minutes later to the fire in the 1100 block of East Franklin Avenue in Pomona, according to the agency.
Twenty-three firefighters battled heavy fire on the bottom floor of a two-story apartment complex.
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The girls were trapped in their bedroom after the fire blocked their path to the front door of their home, and they couldn’t escape through their bedroom window because it was blocked by furniture and an exterior mounted air-conditioning unit, according to the Fire Department.
A third victim, an older female relative, suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, a Fire Department spokesman said. The fire was knocked down by about 11 a.m.
Two people were killed and three firefighters injured in a house fire Thursday in Walnut. (Los Angeles Times)
Earlier in the day, firefighters were dispatched to a two-story home consumed by a large blaze in the 600 block of North Rocking Horse Road in Walnut.
About 10 minutes into the fire fight, incident commanders requested a second alarm assignment, which doubled the number of firefighters at the scene.
As their colleagues battled the blaze, a group of firefighters assigned to search for people inside the home found two victims.
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Both of them were “beyond the help of the Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics and pronounced dead on-scene,” according to the agency.
Sky Cornell, a Fire Department spokesman, said that according to preliminary information collected at the scene, the two victims were college students. Their genders were not yet known.
Their roommate, a foreign exchange student, told firefighters that he didn’t know anyone else was home, Cornell said. The student, thought to be about 18, didn’t have anywhere to stay Thursday evening. Firefighters contacted the Red Cross to ensure he had shelter, Cornell said.
A family of four lived upstairs and were able to safely escape the home, he said.
Three firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the blaze and were taken to a hospital. One firefighter suffered minor burns to his neck and shoulders, while another was burned on his ears. The third firefighter suffered an undetermined back injury, Cornell said.
Because the majority of the county’s 10 million residents are staying at home amid the coronavirus outbreak, the risk of house fires has increased, fire officials have said.
Capt. Ron Haralson, a county fire spokesman, said families should take time to practice their family fire drill and ensure that there are two exit routes and that everyone in the family knows how to escape through them.
Additionally, it’s essential that families have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and that children in the home know what they sound like.
“Tell the kids or anybody else in the house, ‘When you hear this, this means there’s a fire, there’s smoke, and we need to get up and we need to be thinking about our exits,’” Haralson said.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, firefighters remained on the scene of the Walnut house fire. The cause remains under investigation.


latimes--2020-04-16--O.C. sheriff reports an uptick in domestic violence calls amid coronavirus crisis

The Orange County Sheriff ’ s Department announced an uptick in calls reporting domestic violence , family disputes and child custody cases — a symptom of stay-at-home orders caused by the widening coronavirus crisis , officials said .
Domestic violence calls have increased 25 % when compared with the same period in March and April last year , Sheriff Don Barnes said at a news conference Thursday .
Family dispute and child custody dispute calls increased to 24 % and 30 % , respectively , he said .
The increase in these calls do not equate to actual crimes committed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with one another , Barnes said .
Officers may be dispatched to what they believe is a domestic violence call , but it turns out to be something else once they arrive on scene , he said .
In county jails , 24 inmates are in medical isolation because they ’ ve exhibited flu-like symptoms .
Thirteen of those patients have tested positive for COVID-19 .
Such patients are treated on site , and none have required hospitalization , Barnes said .
Barnes said 375 inmates , plus those newly booked into jail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as precautionary measures and still have access to services .
Three deputies have tested positive for the virus , one of whom has recovered while the other two are still fighting the infection , Barnes said .
Barnes — who previously vowed to exhaust all other options before releasing prisoners early — lambasted state judicial leaders who approved 11 new emergency rules to keep essential court services running and to try and protect people from the coronavirus .
Under these emergency rules , the Judicial Council , the policymaking arm of the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bail at zero in misdemeanor and low-level felony cases and to postpone proceedings that could result in evictions or foreclosures .
Barnes said the “ blatantly irresponsible ” order — which would remain valid until 90 days after Gov .
Gavin Newsom declares the emergency is over or until the Judicial Council revokes them — isn ’ t a one-size-fits all solution for all counties facing different sets of challenges and restraints .
“ I will not release any offender who I believe poses a serious risk to the public based on their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
“ These releases of low-level offenders who are already nearing the end of their sentences is being done to create necessary capacity , allowing us to continue to house the most serious offenders .
”

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department announced an uptick in calls reporting domestic violence, family disputes and child custody cases — a symptom of stay-at-home orders caused by the widening coronavirus crisis, officials said.
Domestic violence calls have increased 25% when compared with the same period in March and April last year, Sheriff Don Barnes said at a news conference Thursday. Family dispute and child custody dispute calls increased to 24% and 30%, respectively, he said.
The increase in these calls do not equate to actual crimes committed, though the two are generally consistent with one another, Barnes said. Officers may be dispatched to what they believe is a domestic violence call, but it turns out to be something else once they arrive on scene, he said.
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In county jails, 24 inmates are in medical isolation because they’ve exhibited flu-like symptoms. Thirteen of those patients have tested positive for COVID-19. Such patients are treated on site, and none have required hospitalization, Barnes said.
Barnes said 375 inmates, plus those newly booked into jail, are quarantined from the general public as precautionary measures and still have access to services.
Three deputies have tested positive for the virus, one of whom has recovered while the other two are still fighting the infection, Barnes said.
Barnes — who previously vowed to exhaust all other options before releasing prisoners early — lambasted state judicial leaders who approved 11 new emergency rules to keep essential court services running and to try and protect people from the coronavirus.
Under these emergency rules, the Judicial Council, the policymaking arm of the state court system, directed judges to set bail at zero in misdemeanor and low-level felony cases and to postpone proceedings that could result in evictions or foreclosures.
Barnes said the “blatantly irresponsible” order — which would remain valid until 90 days after Gov. Gavin Newsom declares the emergency is over or until the Judicial Council revokes them — isn’t a one-size-fits all solution for all counties facing different sets of challenges and restraints.
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“I will not release any offender who I believe poses a serious risk to the public based on their current charges or their past criminal histories,” he said. “These releases of low-level offenders who are already nearing the end of their sentences is being done to create necessary capacity, allowing us to continue to house the most serious offenders.”


latimes--2020-04-16--Among the 'climate monsters' that afflict California, Megadrought is the most reliable

As is appropriate for the state that is home to Hollywood , the “ climate monsters ” that bedevil California have names that sound like they came from B-movies — the Blob , Godzilla El Niño , Megadrought .
One monster in particular , Drought , has more than overstayed its welcome , according to a new study in the journal Science .
So much so , according to the study , that a climate-driven megadrought that is as bad or worse than anything known in prehistory may be developing .
Southern Californians , emerging into the sunshine after an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely to say , “ What drought ?
” Rainfall in downtown Los Angeles , for example , was more than twice what is considered normal in November and December .
But then we got “ bageled , ” as climatologist Bill Patzert puts it .
January and February , normally the wettest months , formed a dry hole in the middle of the rainy season .
When Los Angeles should have been getting 3.12 and 3.80 inches in January and February , it got 0.32 and 0.04 of an inch , respectively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ atmospheric rivers made landfall on the West Coast , according to the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego ’ s Scripps Institution of Oceanography .
Of those , seven were considered strong , and only one of those strong storms made landfall in Northern California — on Nov. 26 .
The rest hit Washington and Oregon , and no strong atmospheric rivers affected Central or Southern California .
During the previous year , 41 atmospheric rivers made landfall on the West Coast , but they were more spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making landfall in California resulted in more precipitation in 2018-19 .
“ We are working on how best to count [ atmospheric rivers ] , which is trickier than it might seem , ” said Marty Ralph of Scripps .
The period from October to March was especially low for atmospheric river counts in California and high in the Pacific Northwest , Ralph explained .
The previous year was closer to normal overall but a bit above average for California .
Five moderate atmospheric rivers made landfall in California , all in December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ARs can constitute a rain year , Patzert said .
In January and February , as a strong , stable polar vortex developed , high pressure in the eastern Pacific blocked storms aiming at California and sent them to the north , into the Pacific Northwest .
The polar jet stream adjusted to the north , and the contiguous United States had its sixth-warmest winter on record .
Meanwhile , talk of “ the Blob ” returned as global ocean temperatures rose to the warmest on record , continuing a decadelong trend , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the eastern Pacific .
After a record dry February , the blocking high shifted and hopes rose for a “ March Miracle.
” Some 4.35 inches of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles , nearly doubling the normal monthly rainfall .
Then came April , a month when 0.91 of an inch would be expected in Los Angeles , but more than three times that much fell through April 10 , as a cold low system more like a February storm meandered over Southern California .
This storm was a cutoff low that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some subtropical moisture .
When the polar jet steam adjusted to the north , the subtropical jet did as well .
Although this wasn ’ t an El Niño year , the subtropical jet stream behaved more like an El Niño , feeding moisture into the U.S. Southeast , which experienced an unusually wet winter punctuated with severe weather and a caravan of tornadoes .
In the strong El Niño of 1997-98 , the subtropical jet shifted north and downtown Los Angeles got slightly more than 31 inches of rain — more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ Godzilla El Niño , ” to use a name coined by Patzert .
The 2015-16 season also was setting up as a similarly strong El Niño , but the subtropical jet behaved more like the one during the El Niño-neutral 2019-20 season , keeping to the south and plowing rain into Texas .
“ It was the wettest winter and spring in Texas history , ” Patzert said .
If you live in Southern California , where Los Angeles has received 14.69 inches of rain , or 106 % of normal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What drought ?
” But as you move northward , it becomes clear that the bounteous moisture hasn ’ t been enjoyed by Northern California .
San Francisco , with 10.99 inches of rain to date , stands at 50 % of normal .
Sacramento is at 56 % of normal , the city of Mount Shasta is at 46 % , Ukiah is at 40 % , and Montague in Siskiyou County is at 31 % .
Though the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor data released Thursday show drought receding in Southern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state is still beset by drought , as is much of the Western U.S .
Compared with drought data from a week ago , it is clear that an area of severe drought that had been hugging the California-Oregon border has expanded , plunging southward along the coast into Mendocino , Lake , Colusa and Butte counties .
The northern Sierra Nevada is mostly abnormally dry , and the Northern Sierra 8-Station Index is at 59 % of seasonal normal , as of Thursday .
The index is the average of eight precipitation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the northern Sierra ’ s major watersheds .
These watersheds include the Sacramento , Feather , Yuba and American rivers .
These rivers flow into some of California ’ s biggest reservoirs , providing a large portion of the state ’ s water supply .
Based on this information , the idea of a looming drought becomes more plausible , even for Southern Californians tired of being cooped up at home while it pours outside .
The shift of the polar jet stream to the north this winter meant fewer Pacific storms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ snowpack in the Sierra .
That has resulted in a drier year this year for much of the state than last year .
That ’ s the picture in the short term , but the long-term pattern is also dry .
A new study from the Earth Institute at Columbia University calls the emerging long-term dry pattern in the Western U.S. a megadrought in which a warming climate is playing a key role .
The megadrought is as bad as or worse than droughts known from prehistory , the study ’ s authors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 1,200 years of tree-ring data and dozens of climate models .
Based on tree rings , the researchers identified four megadroughts that lasted decades : in the late 800s , the mid-1100s , the 1200s and the late 1500s .
The 19 years from 2000 to 2018 were compared with the worst 19-year segments of those historical droughts , and the current Western drought was judged to be outdoing the first three episodes .
The fourth historical megadrought , from 1575 to 1603 , was judged to be the worst .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was slight and considered to be within the range of uncertainty .
The current drought is more widespread and more consistent , which researchers attribute to global warming .
The megadrought in the 1200s lasted nearly a century .
All of the ancient droughts lasted longer than 19 years , and they all began on a path similar to the modern drought .
According to the Columbia researchers , the 20th century emerges from the data as the wettest century in the 1,200 years of data .
During that time , populations burgeoned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available water .
But Patzert , former climatologist with NASA ’ s Jet Propulsion Laboratory , says there have been many decades of punishing drought in the 20th century .
He cites droughts such as the long one in the 1920s and ’ 30s known as the Dust Bowl , which affected the entire Western U.S. ; a megadrought of 33 years from 1945 to 1978 , which led to construction of the State Water Project in California ; and the current drought , which he views as beginning in 1999 after a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 90s .
“ If the 20th century is characterized as the wettest in the last 1,200 years , we ’ re living on some very dry , drought-prone real estate , ” Patzert said .
Regardless , lengthy and stubborn droughts , even megadroughts , have clearly been looming over California and the West much more than many people realize .
Reliable monsters such as these make you want to sleep with the lights on .

As is appropriate for the state that is home to Hollywood, the “climate monsters” that bedevil California have names that sound like they came from B-movies — the Blob, Godzilla El Niño, Megadrought.
One monster in particular, Drought, has more than overstayed its welcome, according to a new study in the journal Science. So much so, according to the study, that a climate-driven megadrought that is as bad or worse than anything known in prehistory may be developing.
Southern Californians, emerging into the sunshine after an unusually wet stretch of spring, are likely to say, “What drought?”
A rainfall chart for downtown Los Angeles shows an unusually dry January and February. (Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times)
Rainfall in downtown Los Angeles, for example, was more than twice what is considered normal in November and December. But then we got “bageled,” as climatologist Bill Patzert puts it. January and February, normally the wettest months, formed a dry hole in the middle of the rainy season. When Los Angeles should have been getting 3.12 and 3.80 inches in January and February, it got 0.32 and 0.04 of an inch, respectively.
Only one strong atmospheric river hit California during the winter season. (Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times)
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From October through March, 40 atmospheric rivers made landfall on the West Coast, according to the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Of those, seven were considered strong, and only one of those strong storms made landfall in Northern California — on Nov. 26. The rest hit Washington and Oregon, and no strong atmospheric rivers affected Central or Southern California.
During the previous year, 41 atmospheric rivers made landfall on the West Coast, but they were more spread out. More, stronger atmospheric rivers making landfall in California resulted in more precipitation in 2018-19.
“We are working on how best to count [atmospheric rivers], which is trickier than it might seem,” said Marty Ralph of Scripps. The period from October to March was especially low for atmospheric river counts in California and high in the Pacific Northwest, Ralph explained. The previous year was closer to normal overall but a bit above average for California.
Five moderate atmospheric rivers made landfall in California, all in December. Normally, four or five strong ARs can constitute a rain year, Patzert said.
In January and February, as a strong, stable polar vortex developed, high pressure in the eastern Pacific blocked storms aiming at California and sent them to the north, into the Pacific Northwest. The polar jet stream adjusted to the north, and the contiguous United States had its sixth-warmest winter on record.
Meanwhile, talk of “the Blob” returned as global ocean temperatures rose to the warmest on record, continuing a decadelong trend, and die-offs continued in marine ecosystems in the eastern Pacific.
After a record dry February, the blocking high shifted and hopes rose for a “March Miracle.” Some 4.35 inches of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles, nearly doubling the normal monthly rainfall. Then came April, a month when 0.91 of an inch would be expected in Los Angeles, but more than three times that much fell through April 10, as a cold low system more like a February storm meandered over Southern California.
This storm was a cutoff low that came down the coast and tapped into some subtropical moisture. When the polar jet steam adjusted to the north, the subtropical jet did as well. Although this wasn’t an El Niño year, the subtropical jet stream behaved more like an El Niño, feeding moisture into the U.S. Southeast, which experienced an unusually wet winter punctuated with severe weather and a caravan of tornadoes.
In the strong El Niño of 1997-98, the subtropical jet shifted north and downtown Los Angeles got slightly more than 31 inches of rain — more than twice normal. This would qualify as a “Godzilla El Niño,” to use a name coined by Patzert. The 2015-16 season also was setting up as a similarly strong El Niño, but the subtropical jet behaved more like the one during the El Niño-neutral 2019-20 season, keeping to the south and plowing rain into Texas. “It was the wettest winter and spring in Texas history,” Patzert said.
If you live in Southern California, where Los Angeles has received 14.69 inches of rain, or 106% of normal, you might indeed say, “What drought?” But as you move northward, it becomes clear that the bounteous moisture hasn’t been enjoyed by Northern California.
San Francisco, with 10.99 inches of rain to date, stands at 50% of normal. Sacramento is at 56% of normal, the city of Mount Shasta is at 46%, Ukiah is at 40%, and Montague in Siskiyou County is at 31%.
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The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows widespread drought in the West. (Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times)
Though the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor data released Thursday show drought receding in Southern California, the northern part of the state is still beset by drought, as is much of the Western U.S.
Compared with drought data from a week ago, it is clear that an area of severe drought that had been hugging the California-Oregon border has expanded, plunging southward along the coast into Mendocino, Lake, Colusa and Butte counties.
The critically important Northern Sierra 8-Station Index covers an area with California’s biggest reservoirs. (Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times)
The northern Sierra Nevada is mostly abnormally dry, and the Northern Sierra 8-Station Index is at 59% of seasonal normal, as of Thursday. The index is the average of eight precipitation measuring sites that provide a representative sample of the northern Sierra’s major watersheds. These watersheds include the Sacramento, Feather, Yuba and American rivers. These rivers flow into some of California’s biggest reservoirs, providing a large portion of the state’s water supply.
Based on this information, the idea of a looming drought becomes more plausible, even for Southern Californians tired of being cooped up at home while it pours outside.
The shift of the polar jet stream to the north this winter meant fewer Pacific storms slamming into Northern California and a skimpy snowpack in the Sierra. That has resulted in a drier year this year for much of the state than last year. That’s the picture in the short term, but the long-term pattern is also dry.
A new study from the Earth Institute at Columbia University calls the emerging long-term dry pattern in the Western U.S. a megadrought in which a warming climate is playing a key role. The megadrought is as bad as or worse than droughts known from prehistory, the study’s authors say, based on modern weather observations, 1,200 years of tree-ring data and dozens of climate models.
Based on tree rings, the researchers identified four megadroughts that lasted decades: in the late 800s, the mid-1100s, the 1200s and the late 1500s. The 19 years from 2000 to 2018 were compared with the worst 19-year segments of those historical droughts, and the current Western drought was judged to be outdoing the first three episodes. The fourth historical megadrought, from 1575 to 1603, was judged to be the worst. The difference between it and the current drought was slight and considered to be within the range of uncertainty. The current drought is more widespread and more consistent, which researchers attribute to global warming.
The megadrought in the 1200s lasted nearly a century. All of the ancient droughts lasted longer than 19 years, and they all began on a path similar to the modern drought.
According to the Columbia researchers, the 20th century emerges from the data as the wettest century in the 1,200 years of data. During that time, populations burgeoned along with overly optimistic assessments of the available water.
But Patzert, former climatologist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, says there have been many decades of punishing drought in the 20th century. He cites droughts such as the long one in the 1920s and ’30s known as the Dust Bowl, which affected the entire Western U.S.; a megadrought of 33 years from 1945 to 1978, which led to construction of the State Water Project in California; and the current drought, which he views as beginning in 1999 after a wet period in the 1980s and ’90s.
“If the 20th century is characterized as the wettest in the last 1,200 years, we’re living on some very dry, drought-prone real estate,” Patzert said.
Regardless, lengthy and stubborn droughts, even megadroughts, have clearly been looming over California and the West much more than many people realize. Reliable monsters such as these make you want to sleep with the lights on.


latimes--2020-04-16--55  coronavirus deaths in L.A. County is a new one-day  high: 'Devastating power of COVID-19'

Coronavirus-linked fatalities hit another one-day high in Los Angeles County on Thursday as health officials confirmed 55 additional deaths .
The latest update — marking the third straight day the county has seen a record number of deaths — brought the county ’ s total to 455 and demonstrates “ the devastating power of COVID-19 , ” Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer said .
The county ’ s mortality rate now stands at 4.2 % , she added .
Of the latest victims , 43 were over the age of 65 and 39 of those had underlying health conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 41 and 65 , and all had underlying health conditions , she added .
In total , Ferrer said , 88 % of those who have died as a result of COVID-19 had other health problems .
That underscores “ the need for all of us to work together to make it possible for those who have underlying health issues to remain in their homes , ” she said .
L.A. County officials also confirmed 399 new coronavirus infections , bringing the total to 10,854 .
Although the number of deaths has risen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new COVID-19 cases has trended downward this week .
Ferrer said there is a natural lag time when it comes to deaths , as “ sometimes people can be in the hospital for a few days before they actually pass away , ” and that other areas have seen a similar trend .
“ You tend to see the deaths continue to rise after your cases may have leveled off , ” she said .
Officials also released the following race/ethnicity breakdown for 390 of the 455 people who have died in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 889 deaths had been recorded in the state — including 101 new fatalities since the day before , the largest single-day toll to date .
Still , California ’ s death totals are far below those of other coronavirus hot spots such as New York , New Jersey and Michigan , and officials credit early social distancing with making a major difference .
New York has seen more than 10,000 coronavirus deaths .
Daily tallies of new cases in California suggest the spread of the virus is slowing .
So does the number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which has remained between 1,100 and 1,200 since April 7 .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom said Thursday that 1,191 Californians were in intensive care as of Wednesday — a 1.4 % day-to-day increase — but that the overall number of patients hospitalized ticked down by almost 1 % to 3,141 .
“ That ’ s good news but , again , I caution everybody : One day ’ s data does not make a trend , ” he said .
More than 27,000 cases have been reported across the state , 1,320 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County reported seven additional coronavirus-linked deaths Wednesday , for a total of 60 , as its case count climbed past 2,000 .
Riverside County also passed that milestone Wednesday .
Following on the heels of its largest single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began , the county reported 144 additional coronavirus infections and four new deaths .
Countywide , 2,105 people have tested positive and 54 have died .
In Orange County , there have been 25 deaths linked to the coronavirus — including three each on Wednesday and Thursday .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday , boosting its total to 1,425 .
Parts of the Bay Area have also seen higher death tolls in recent days .
Alameda County reported 13 coronavirus-linked deaths Wednesday .
The county now has 36 recorded deaths and 962 total coronavirus infections .
Officials there are also contending with outbreaks at two nursing homes .
Bay Area prosecutors have opened an investigation into the Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center in Hayward , where 13 people have died .
Forty-one residents and 26 staff members there have tested positive .
At the East @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Valley , 22 residents and 23 staff members have tested positive .
One resident has died .
Santa Clara County reported 71 new cases and one additional death Wednesday , bringing its totals to 1,793 and 65 , respectively .
Dr. Bob Wachter , who chairs the medicine department at UC San Francisco , said Thursday that perhaps 30 % to 50 % of people who contract the new coronavirus have no symptoms .
At some point , he said , there will have to be strategic testing of the asymptomatic .
Wachter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live question-and-answer session on Zoom , conducted by a local TV station .
He said UC San Francisco is now testing all patients going in for surgeries and by next week will test every patient who enters the hospital .
The early emergency orders that required people in the Bay Area to shelter in place have kept the infection rate in the region at no higher than 1 % , he said .
To achieve “ herd immunity , ” in which a virus can be tamped down because so many people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 70 % infection rate , he said .
Authorities around the state have warned that life will not get back to normal any time soon .
An internal Los Angeles Fire Department email reviewed by The Times indicates that the city may hold off on allowing big gatherings , such as concerts and sporting events , until 2021 because of the coronavirus threat .
“ I think we ’ re a long way off from huge gatherings , ” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at his Wednesday evening news briefing .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because our hearts say that we want to .
I will always listen to the doctors ; I will always listen to public health.
” Garcetti said he could foresee sports teams being able to play games without live audiences , if public health officials say such a move would be safe .
Following President Trump ’ s announcement Thursday of new federal guidelines with three tiers of criteria for public health conditions before most businesses can reopen , Garcetti cautioned against thinking of it as three phases but rather a framework for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictions depending on the season , testing and surveillance .
There may be instances when cases spike again , he said , but Angelenos will “ at least have some days and weeks and months where we ’ re not indoors the whole time , where our economy is not suffering , where people are earning an income .
I look forward to seeing that.
” Meanwhile , Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has called for 74 miles of road in her city to be shut down so people can walk outside and remain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Thursday that the plan came about because people on sidewalks were uncomfortable about not being able to socially distance .
The road shutdowns are being phased in gradually so city officials can assess their usefulness .
So far , only four miles of road were shut down last weekend .
The city plans to add 11 miles this weekend .
“ The initial response has been fantastic , ” Schaaf said .
Officials are continuing to deal with the devastating economic toll of the shutdown .
Newsom said Thursday that in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal officials and governors to discuss reopening the country , he was grateful for agreement on the “ need for a phased approach , a thoughtful and judicious approach based on conditions and based upon the need to act with the kind of specificity at a state-by-state level that is required.
” California is expanding hours at its call center that handles unemployment insurance and is preparing to expedite benefits to independent contractors in response to a record number of people who are out of work and seeking government help .
Newsom discussed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million Californians had filed for unemployment benefits in the last month , after businesses across the state shuttered under his stay-at-home order and the economy tanked .
Newsom also announced a $ 125-million relief effort to help roughly 150,000 Californians without legal immigration status .
The governor said the plan is partly funded by nonprofit organizations and would provide cash grants to individuals and families in need .
A group of 23 state Assembly members sent a letter to Newsom last week asking him to create such a fund .
“ We feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that are in fear of deportation but are still addressing the essential needs of tens of millions of Californians ” in food gathering and other tasks , the governor said .
The relief program will offer $ 500 cash grants for individuals in the U.S. illegally and up to $ 1,000 for families , with applications set to be accepted starting next month , he said .
The money will be disbursed through regional nonprofit groups with experience serving people who are in the country illegally , the governor said .
Times staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Andrea Castillo and Maura Dolan contributed to this report .

Rong-Gong Lin II, Sean Greene, Luke Money

Coronavirus-linked fatalities hit another one-day high in Los Angeles County on Thursday as health officials confirmed 55 additional deaths.
The latest update — marking the third straight day the county has seen a record number of deaths — brought the county’s total to 455 and demonstrates “the devastating power of COVID-19,” Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer said.
The county’s mortality rate now stands at 4.2%, she added.
Of the latest victims, 43 were over the age of 65 and 39 of those had underlying health conditions, Ferrer said. Nine were between 41 and 65, and all had underlying health conditions, she added.
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In total, Ferrer said, 88% of those who have died as a result of COVID-19 had other health problems. That underscores “the need for all of us to work together to make it possible for those who have underlying health issues to remain in their homes,” she said.
L.A. County officials also confirmed 399 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total to 10,854. Although the number of deaths has risen day over day, the number of new COVID-19 cases has trended downward this week.
California UC reels under staggering coronavirus costs; ‘the worst impacts ... all at once’ The University of California was hit with $558 million in unanticipated costs in March alone due to the coronavirus, a staggering sum as students canceled housing and dining contracts, medical centers paused elective surgeries and costs to gear up online learning soared.
Ferrer said there is a natural lag time when it comes to deaths, as “sometimes people can be in the hospital for a few days before they actually pass away,” and that other areas have seen a similar trend.
“You tend to see the deaths continue to rise after your cases may have leveled off,” she said.
Officials also released the following race/ethnicity breakdown for 390 of the 455 people who have died in the county:
African American 16%
Asian 17%
Latino 33%
White 31%
Other 3%
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As of Wednesday night, 889 deaths had been recorded in the state — including 101 new fatalities since the day before, the largest single-day toll to date.
Still, California’s death totals are far below those of other coronavirus hot spots such as New York, New Jersey and Michigan, and officials credit early social distancing with making a major difference. New York has seen more than 10,000 coronavirus deaths.
Daily tallies of new cases in California suggest the spread of the virus is slowing. So does the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units, which has remained between 1,100 and 1,200 since April 7.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that 1,191 Californians were in intensive care as of Wednesday — a 1.4% day-to-day increase — but that the overall number of patients hospitalized ticked down by almost 1% to 3,141.
“That’s good news but, again, I caution everybody: One day’s data does not make a trend,” he said.
More than 27,000 cases have been reported across the state, 1,320 in the last day.
San Diego County reported seven additional coronavirus-linked deaths Wednesday, for a total of 60, as its case count climbed past 2,000.
Riverside County also passed that milestone Wednesday. Following on the heels of its largest single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began, the county reported 144 additional coronavirus infections and four new deaths. Countywide, 2,105 people have tested positive and 54 have died.
In Orange County, there have been 25 deaths linked to the coronavirus — including three each on Wednesday and Thursday. The county also confirmed 51 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, boosting its total to 1,425.
Parts of the Bay Area have also seen higher death tolls in recent days.
Alameda County reported 13 coronavirus-linked deaths Wednesday. The county now has 36 recorded deaths and 962 total coronavirus infections.
Officials there are also contending with outbreaks at two nursing homes. Bay Area prosecutors have opened an investigation into the Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center in Hayward, where 13 people have died. Forty-one residents and 26 staff members there have tested positive.
At the East Bay Post Acute Healthcare Center in Castro Valley, 22 residents and 23 staff members have tested positive. One resident has died.
Santa Clara County reported 71 new cases and one additional death Wednesday, bringing its totals to 1,793 and 65, respectively.
Dr. Bob Wachter, who chairs the medicine department at UC San Francisco, said Thursday that perhaps 30% to 50% of people who contract the new coronavirus have no symptoms. At some point, he said, there will have to be strategic testing of the asymptomatic.
Wachter joined three Bay Area mayors for a live question-and-answer session on Zoom, conducted by a local TV station. He said UC San Francisco is now testing all patients going in for surgeries and by next week will test every patient who enters the hospital.
The early emergency orders that required people in the Bay Area to shelter in place have kept the infection rate in the region at no higher than 1%, he said. To achieve “herd immunity,” in which a virus can be tamped down because so many people have already been infected, would require a 70% infection rate, he said.
Authorities around the state have warned that life will not get back to normal any time soon.
An internal Los Angeles Fire Department email reviewed by The Times indicates that the city may hold off on allowing big gatherings, such as concerts and sporting events, until 2021 because of the coronavirus threat.
California Across California, festivals and fairs fall victim to the coronavirus County Fairs from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay area have been canceled, and large music festivals have been postponed over the coronavirus.
“I think we’re a long way off from huge gatherings,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at his Wednesday evening news briefing. “We can’t reopen things simply because our hearts say that we want to. I will always listen to the doctors; I will always listen to public health.”
Garcetti said he could foresee sports teams being able to play games without live audiences, if public health officials say such a move would be safe.
Following President Trump’s announcement Thursday of new federal guidelines with three tiers of criteria for public health conditions before most businesses can reopen, Garcetti cautioned against thinking of it as three phases but rather a framework for understanding times that will require social distancing restrictions depending on the season, testing and surveillance.
There may be instances when cases spike again, he said, but Angelenos will “at least have some days and weeks and months where we’re not indoors the whole time, where our economy is not suffering, where people are earning an income. I look forward to seeing that.”
Meanwhile, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has called for 74 miles of road in her city to be shut down so people can walk outside and remain six feet away from others. She said Thursday that the plan came about because people on sidewalks were uncomfortable about not being able to socially distance.
The road shutdowns are being phased in gradually so city officials can assess their usefulness. So far, only four miles of road were shut down last weekend. The city plans to add 11 miles this weekend.
“The initial response has been fantastic,” Schaaf said.
Officials are continuing to deal with the devastating economic toll of the shutdown.
Newsom said Thursday that in a recent conference call with Trump and other federal officials and governors to discuss reopening the country, he was grateful for agreement on the “need for a phased approach, a thoughtful and judicious approach based on conditions and based upon the need to act with the kind of specificity at a state-by-state level that is required.”
California is expanding hours at its call center that handles unemployment insurance and is preparing to expedite benefits to independent contractors in response to a record number of people who are out of work and seeking government help.
Newsom discussed those efforts Wednesday and noted that 2.7 million Californians had filed for unemployment benefits in the last month, after businesses across the state shuttered under his stay-at-home order and the economy tanked.
Newsom also announced a $125-million relief effort to help roughly 150,000 Californians without legal immigration status. The governor said the plan is partly funded by nonprofit organizations and would provide cash grants to individuals and families in need. A group of 23 state Assembly members sent a letter to Newsom last week asking him to create such a fund.
“We feel a deep sense of gratitude for people that are in fear of deportation but are still addressing the essential needs of tens of millions of Californians” in food gathering and other tasks, the governor said.
The relief program will offer $500 cash grants for individuals in the U.S. illegally and up to $1,000 for families, with applications set to be accepted starting next month, he said.
The money will be disbursed through regional nonprofit groups with experience serving people who are in the country illegally, the governor said.
Times staff writers Taryn Luna, Patrick McGreevy, Andrea Castillo and Maura Dolan contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-04-17--Judge: Rick Singer's notes raise 'disturbing' questions about the case against his college admission

Judge: Rick Singer's notes raise 'disturbing' questions about the case against his college admissions clients

Since they were made public two months ago , a series of iPhone notes written by William “ Rick ” Singer , the man at the center of the college admissions scandal , have roiled the cases he helped build against dozens of his former clients .
The defense has seized on the notes , in which Singer wrote he ’ d been instructed to “ tell a fib ” and “ retrieve responses that are not accurate ” when calling his clients on a recorded line , as grounds for throwing out the indictment .
The prosecution has dismissed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in any respect , irrelevant to his clients ’ conduct , which they characterize as fraudulent , corrupt and plainly criminal .
On Friday , U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton weighed in .
Though he did not rule on the defense ’ s request to dismiss the indictment or , at a minimum , suppress the recorded phone calls , he wrote that he found Singer ’ s statements “ serious and disturbing.
” “ While government agents are permitted to coach cooperating witnesses during the course of an investigation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ they are not permitted to suborn the commission of a crime.
” Gorton described the following exchange between Singer and his handlers as “ troubling ” : An agent , Singer wrote in a note , had “ raised her voice to me ” and insisted he get his clients to acknowledge “ a lie that I was telling them ” — that their payments were not donations to the schools , but bribes to corrupt employees .
A prosecutor , Stephen Frank , wrote in court papers last week that government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Singer ’ s notes because they knew it to be untrue , written by a recently-turned cooperator who had yet to take responsibility for his crimes .
Gorton appeared unsatisfied with this explanation .
He told prosecutors to address in writing the heated exchange Singer described in his note and the “ allegations of investigatorial misconduct ” he raised .
Singer has pleaded guilty to four felonies and has yet to be sentenced .
Thirty-six of Singer ’ s clients have been charged with conspiring with him and about a dozen college @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleges with rigged exams , falsified applications and tens of millions of dollars in bribes .
Twenty-two of Singer ’ s clients have pleaded guilty to various fraud and money laundering charges .
With one exception — Peter Sartorio , a Menlo Park frozen foods entrepreneur who was given probation — they have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from two weeks for Felicity Huffman , the television actress , to nine months for Douglas Hodge , the former chief executive of Pimco , the bond management company based in Newport Beach .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not guilty , Gorton has grouped their cases into two trials .
The first , scheduled to begin Oct. 5 , includes actress Lori Loughlin ; her husband , fashion designer J. Mossimo Giannulli ; casino executive Gamal Abdelaziz ; USC professor Homayoun Zadeh ; Miami financier Robert Zangrillo ; and Diane and Todd Blake , a Bay Area couple .
The second trial , slated for Jan. 11 , includes Elisabeth Kimmel , a La Jolla media executive ; William McGlashan Jr. , a private equity chief ; I-Hsin Chen , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palatella , a Northern California liquor distribution executive ; Gregory Colburn , a Palo Alto oncologist , and his wife , Amy .

Since they were made public two months ago, a series of iPhone notes written by William “Rick” Singer, the man at the center of the college admissions scandal, have roiled the cases he helped build against dozens of his former clients.
The defense has seized on the notes, in which Singer wrote he’d been instructed to “tell a fib” and “retrieve responses that are not accurate” when calling his clients on a recorded line, as grounds for throwing out the indictment. The prosecution has dismissed Singer’s statements as inaccurate and, in any respect, irrelevant to his clients’ conduct, which they characterize as fraudulent, corrupt and plainly criminal.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton weighed in. Though he did not rule on the defense’s request to dismiss the indictment or, at a minimum, suppress the recorded phone calls, he wrote that he found Singer’s statements “serious and disturbing.”
“While government agents are permitted to coach cooperating witnesses during the course of an investigation,” he said in an order, “they are not permitted to suborn the commission of a crime.”
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Gorton described the following exchange between Singer and his handlers as “troubling”: An agent, Singer wrote in a note, had “raised her voice to me” and insisted he get his clients to acknowledge “a lie that I was telling them” — that their payments were not donations to the schools, but bribes to corrupt employees.
A prosecutor, Stephen Frank, wrote in court papers last week that government authorities did not investigate the account presented in Singer’s notes because they knew it to be untrue, written by a recently-turned cooperator who had yet to take responsibility for his crimes.
Gorton appeared unsatisfied with this explanation. He told prosecutors to address in writing the heated exchange Singer described in his note and the “allegations of investigatorial misconduct” he raised.
Singer has pleaded guilty to four felonies and has yet to be sentenced. Thirty-six of Singer’s clients have been charged with conspiring with him and about a dozen college employees and test administrators to defraud elite colleges with rigged exams, falsified applications and tens of millions of dollars in bribes.
Twenty-two of Singer’s clients have pleaded guilty to various fraud and money laundering charges. With one exception — Peter Sartorio, a Menlo Park frozen foods entrepreneur who was given probation — they have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from two weeks for Felicity Huffman, the television actress, to nine months for Douglas Hodge, the former chief executive of Pimco, the bond management company based in Newport Beach.
For the 14 parents who have pleaded not guilty, Gorton has grouped their cases into two trials. The first, scheduled to begin Oct. 5, includes actress Lori Loughlin; her husband, fashion designer J. Mossimo Giannulli; casino executive Gamal Abdelaziz; USC professor Homayoun Zadeh; Miami financier Robert Zangrillo; and Diane and Todd Blake, a Bay Area couple.
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The second trial, slated for Jan. 11, includes Elisabeth Kimmel, a La Jolla media executive; William McGlashan Jr., a private equity chief; I-Hsin Chen, a Southern California shipping industry executive; Marci Palatella, a Northern California liquor distribution executive; Gregory Colburn, a Palo Alto oncologist, and his wife, Amy.


latimes--2020-04-17--San Francisco will require face coverings or masks in essential businesses and public transit

San Francisco and other Bay Area counties issued orders Friday to require residents and workers to wear face coverings in essential businesses and when riding public transportation or in taxis .
Dr. Grant Colfax , the San Francisco director of public health , said at a news conference that the orders will not replace the six-foot physical distancing requirement .
When stay-at-home orders are eventually relaxed , “ by then people will already be in the habit of wearing face coverings , ” Colfax said .
Children younger than 12 will not be required to wear masks , and masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 2 , he said .
Mayor London Breed said the orders will be enforced by police .
“ If you are not a police officer , don ’ t act like one , ” she said .
“ We are not expecting people to police one another.
” Colfax also announced that a city jail inmate has tested positive for the virus , the first since the pandemic hit .
The inmate was isolated , and investigators are checking on others who might have had contact with the person .
Officials have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Colfax said .
So far 1,058 San Franciscans have tested positive out of 10,077 people tested , Colfax said .
Twenty residents have died .
Ninety-one patients have been hospitalized for COVID-19 , and about 30 % of them are in intensive care units , he said .
The city had 1,048 acute care and 445 ICU beds available Friday “ to meet the demands of the surge , ” Colfax said .
City officials also announced a new program that will give elderly and disabled people access to taxis at an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trips to stores and doctors .
City transportation leaders said city staff will police bus stops to ensure people waiting are six feet apart , and buses will limit ridership to ensure distancing on board .
Wearing face coverings or masks when conducting essential business such as shopping for food and keeping medical appointments is now the law in many parts of California .
But some jurisdictions are going further , requiring face coverings in most public settings .
Beverly Hills , Glendale and Riverside County require people to wear masks whenever they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their neighborhoods .

A supermarket cashier wears a mask while bagging grocery items at the Advance Food Market this month in L.A.’s West Adams neighborhood.
San Francisco and other Bay Area counties issued orders Friday to require residents and workers to wear face coverings in essential businesses and when riding public transportation or in taxis.
Dr. Grant Colfax, the San Francisco director of public health, said at a news conference that the orders will not replace the six-foot physical distancing requirement.
When stay-at-home orders are eventually relaxed, “by then people will already be in the habit of wearing face coverings,” Colfax said.
Children younger than 12 will not be required to wear masks, and masks should never be placed on children younger than 2, he said.
Mayor London Breed said the orders will be enforced by police.
“If you are not a police officer, don’t act like one,” she said. “We are not expecting people to police one another.”
Colfax also announced that a city jail inmate has tested positive for the virus, the first since the pandemic hit. The inmate was isolated, and investigators are checking on others who might have had contact with the person. Officials have been testing all new inmates during booking, Colfax said.
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So far 1,058 San Franciscans have tested positive out of 10,077 people tested, Colfax said. Twenty residents have died.
Ninety-one patients have been hospitalized for COVID-19, and about 30% of them are in intensive care units, he said.
The city had 1,048 acute care and 445 ICU beds available Friday “to meet the demands of the surge,” Colfax said.
City officials also announced a new program that will give elderly and disabled people access to taxis at an 80% discounted rate for making essential trips to stores and doctors. City transportation leaders said city staff will police bus stops to ensure people waiting are six feet apart, and buses will limit ridership to ensure distancing on board.
Wearing face coverings or masks when conducting essential business such as shopping for food and keeping medical appointments is now the law in many parts of California.
But some jurisdictions are going further, requiring face coverings in most public settings.
Beverly Hills, Glendale and Riverside County require people to wear masks whenever they go outside, including for walks in their neighborhoods.