latimes--2020-04-19--Gang workers helping keep residents indoors, safe during coronavirus crisis

Gernay Quinnie Jr. slipped on a mask and gloves on a recent morning and set out to quell tensions in his West Athens neighborhood .
He talked a young man through a conflict with his mom .
He helped a group of young people make food boxes for neighbors .
He then drove to a nearby homeless encampment to pass out food and toiletries and explained how to properly use a mask and gloves .
The tasks all carry an added threat of contracting the coronavirus , and Quinnie , who suffers from an immune disorder , is especially at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County shuttered because of the pandemic , Quinnie is one of many gang intervention workers still on the streets , tending to the neighborhoods where they grew up , places where historical disparities in access to healthcare , jobs and adequate housing make residents especially vulnerable to infection and death .
“ If I don ’ t go out , who else is going to do it , ” said , Quinnie , 38 , who has worked with Reclaiming America ’ s Communities through Empowerment , an intervention and prevention group , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers — some themselves former gang members — help reduce violence and retaliation and broker peace between rival street gangs .
Los Angeles County is one of a handful of places that has designated such work as essential during the coronavirus pandemic .
These days , the workers are also using their street credibility to dispel misinformation and educate people about the coronavirus .
They ’ re also trying to adapt to the needs of their communities , whether it ’ s walking door-to-door to feed the newly unemployed and the homeless or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ask questions about the virus .
And they ’ re trying to diffuse tensions that arise between cooped up family members and stir-crazy youths .
“ These are not just those guys who know how to negotiate peace treaties , they are a community asset , ” said Jorja Leap , a gang expert at UCLA ’ s Luskin School of Public Affairs .
“ Historically and presently , where authorities are not trusted , these men and women ... are the go-between , the objects of trust.
” Their roles as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the daily onslaught of news alarms traumatizes some , said Ben “ Taco ” Owens , who supervises a team of 11 intervention workers .
“ You don ’ t know if it ’ s the end of the world or what ’ s going on , ” he said .
Since the outbreak , Kevin “ Twin ” Orange , has been unofficially patrolling a 7-Eleven near West Century Boulevard and South Vermont Avenue down the street from his home .
He also drives by the marijuana dispensaries in his neighborhood to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encounters people who don ’ t understand the concept of social distancing , so he tries to educate them about maintaining space and taking other precautions .
Recently , an episode in South L.A. where police broke up a backyard birthday party of about 40 to 50 people turned volatile with angry residents yelling profanities .
The party , for a one-year-old , violated the city ’ s safer-at-home order , which now bans public and private gatherings .
The next day , Orange met with other intervention workers from across the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about why gathering in groups could be dangerous .
He ’ s told more than one teenager that this virus isn ’ t just about them .
“ Let ’ s think about who is in your household , ” he will say .
Orange is also thinking about his own home , where he lives with a relative who has an underlying health condition .
He bathes and changes his clothes as soon as he arrives .
“ I ’ m mindful of that threat that ’ s always out there , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson , whose district encompasses a chunk of South L.A. , said the area has seen a spate of shootings in recent weeks .
Although violent crime is down in the city , intervention workers are still on the streets , talking to young men to prevent retaliatory shootings .
In addition , workers in his district have volunteered to deliver meals to seniors , which helps them keep tabs on the community .
“ These men and women did not miss a beat , ” he said .
“ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tell them what they ought to be doing or should be doing .
“ Skipp Townsend , an intervention worker and executive director of Second Call , said social media taunts played a role in at least one of the recent shootings .
Some people still gather at events that can turn volatile , he said , adding that two people were shot at a party a few weekends ago .
“ The younger people are still consistently antagonizing each other on social media , ” he said .
Other gang prevention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tina Padilla , a program manager at Breaking Through Barriers to Success in Northeast Los Angeles , held a Zoom call recently for young clients seeking guidance about the novel coronavirus .
Some in the community still want to hug or shake hands .
Others think the government is using COVID-19 to control Americans .
Some believe the coronavirus can be cured with a shot of tequila .
“ COVID-19 is something they can ’ t see , ” Padilla said .
“ They ’ re already living a risky lifestyle , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see going to get them ?
” After shootings , intervention workers typically go to hospitals to connect families with services .
Now , with hospital visits discouraged , Padilla said there ’ s a lag in providing resources .
Instead , case workers are assigning young people writing projects , playing online trivia and giving out board and card games to “ try to keep their minds busy.
” “ I do know they ’ re getting stir-crazy , ” she said .
Gerald “ Pee ” Cavitt , executive director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said people are coming by his office off East Florence Avenue to ask questions about the coronavirus .
He ’ s also organized several food giveaways in the neighborhoods he works in .
“ People are fearful , ” Cavitt said .
“ We thought they didn ’ t have money then ; they don ’ t have money now.
” He ’ s educated a number of gang members about the virus and safety measures so they can take the information back to family and friends .
“ These are the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
On a recent rainy afternoon , Claudia Bracho , program director for the H.E.L.P.E.R .
Foundation , donned a mask and gloves and stood in a Venice apartment courtyard .
Since the crisis began , Bracho and a team of intervention workers — Clinton Noble , Ebay Williams , Melvyn Hayward III and Ansar Muhammad — have been distributing donated groceries to low-income families and senior citizens in the Venice and Mar Vista area .
“ We got bread and produce !
We got bread and produce !
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rain for hours , slipping bags with fresh asparagus and broccoli through iron gates .
In recent weeks , they ’ ve picked up prescriptions for people and run errands .
They ’ ve found ways to connect young people to each other , such as eating breakfast as a group on Instagram live .
Bracho ’ s organization serves mostly Latino and black families , some of whom are distrustful of authorities .
They ’ ve provided Spanish translations of physical distancing guidelines .
“ Since we ’ ve helped them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ word carries weight , ” she said .
For Cassandra Bibbs , a lifelong Venice resident with a heart condition , the gestures are a lifeline .
Bibbs said her 12-year-old grandson , whom she is raising , has asthma .
“ He has to stay in the house , ” she said .
“ That ’ s the choice I made to keep us safe.
” Since the stay-at-home mandates were issued , people from Bracho ’ s organization have come by several times each week to deliver sack lunches and groceries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her grandson with his homework on FaceTime .
Around the corner , Geo Martinez shares an apartment with his mother and brother .
He was recently furloughed from his job at a local restaurant and said as the days go by , he worries more and more about money .
On a recent afternoon , Martinez was sitting in his apartment , looking out the window when he heard Bracho ’ s voice .
She had bags of groceries .
“ I was thinking , for real ?
” he said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then , two days later , the group was back with more .

Nicole Santa Cruz, Photography by Genaro Molina

Gernay Quinnie Jr. slipped on a mask and gloves on a recent morning and set out to quell tensions in his West Athens neighborhood.
He talked a young man through a conflict with his mom. He helped a group of young people make food boxes for neighbors. He then drove to a nearby homeless encampment to pass out food and toiletries and explain how to properly use a mask and gloves.
The tasks all carry an added threat of contracting the coronavirus, and Quinnie, who has an immune disorder, is especially at risk.
With much of Los Angeles County shuttered because of the pandemic, Quinnie is one of many gang intervention workers still on the streets, tending to the neighborhoods where they grew up, places where historical disparities in access to healthcare, jobs and adequate housing make residents especially vulnerable to infection and death.
Advertisement
“If I don’t go out, who else is going to do it,” said, Quinnie, 38, who has worked with Reclaiming America’s Communities Through Empowerment, an intervention and prevention group, for about a year.
The intervention workers — some themselves former gang members — help reduce violence and retaliation and broker peace between rival street gangs. Los Angeles County is one of a handful of places that has designated such work as essential during the coronavirus pandemic.
These days, the workers also are using their street credibility to dispel misinformation and educate people about the coronavirus. They’re trying to adapt to the needs of their communities, whether it’s walking door-to-door to feed the newly unemployed and the homeless or setting up Zoom meetings for young people to ask questions about the virus.
Gernay Quinnie Jr., left, tells Irma Peralta that his crew will be feeding the homeless people who live in a vacant parking lot in the area. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
And they’re trying to defuse tensions that arise among cooped-up family members and stir-crazy youths.
“These are not just those guys who know how to negotiate peace treaties; they are a community asset,” said Jorja Leap, a gang expert at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs. “Historically and presently, where authorities are not trusted, these men and women ... are the go-between, the objects of trust.”
A fatigued homeless woman carries a bag lunch provided by Gernay Quinnie Jr. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Their roles as sounding boards have become more vital as the daily onslaught of news alarms or traumatizes some, said Ben “Taco” Owens, who supervises a team of 11 intervention workers.
“You don’t know if it’s the end of the world or what’s going on,” he said.
Since the outbreak, Kevin “Twin” Orange has been unofficially patrolling a 7-Eleven near West Century Boulevard and South Vermont Avenue down the street from his home. He also drives by the marijuana dispensaries in his neighborhood to break up parking lot fights. He encounters people who don’t understand the concept of social distancing, so he tries to educate them about maintaining space and taking other precautions.
Nonprofit worker Jesse Maroney gives Irma Peralta gloves and a protective mask in a South L.A. parking lot. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Recently, an episode in South Los Angeles where police broke up a backyard birthday party of about 40 to 50 people turned volatile, with angry residents yelling profanities.
The party, for a 1-year-old, violated the city’s safer-at-home order, which now bans public and private gatherings.
Advertisement
The next day, Orange met with other intervention workers from across the city to try to get the word out about why gathering in groups could be dangerous.
Neise Kennedy waits to pick up food in South L.A. At right, a worker places gloves and masks inside food bags. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
He’s told more than one teenager that this virus isn’t just about them. “Let’s think about who is in your household,” he will say.
Orange is also thinking about his own home, where he lives with a relative who has an underlying health condition. He bathes and changes his clothes as soon as he arrives.
“I’m mindful of that threat that’s always out there,” he said.
Los Angeles City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, whose district encompasses a chunk of South L.A., said the area had seen a spate of shootings in recent weeks. Although violent crime is down in the city, intervention workers are still on the streets, talking to young men to prevent retaliatory shootings.
In addition, workers in his district have volunteered to deliver meals to seniors, which helps them keep tabs on the community.
Advertisement
Ansar “Stan” Muhammad, center, co-director at the HELPER Foundation, delivers food through a fence. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
“These men and women did not miss a beat,” he said. “They didn’t wait around for anybody to tell them what they ought to be doing or should be doing. “
Skipp Townsend, executive director of the gang intervention nonprofit Second Call, said social media taunts played a role in at least one of the recent shootings. Some people still gather at events that can turn volatile, he said, adding that two people were shot at a party a few weekends ago.
“The younger people are still consistently antagonizing each other on social media,” he said.
Other gang intervention organizations have stepped up education efforts. Tina Padilla, a program manager at Breaking Through Barriers to Success in northeast Los Angeles, held a Zoom call recently for young clients seeking guidance about the novel coronavirus.
Claudia Bracho, left, and other intervention workers deliver groceries. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Some in the community still want to hug or shake hands. Others think the government is using COVID-19 to control Americans. Some believe the coronavirus can be cured with a shot of tequila.
Advertisement
“COVID-19 is something they can’t see,” Padilla said. “They’re already living a risky lifestyle, so how is something they can’t see going to get them?”
After shootings, intervention workers typically go to hospitals to connect families with services. Now, with hospital visits discouraged, Padilla said there’s a lag in providing resources.
Ebay Williams and Claudia Bracho of the HELPER Foundation distribute groceries in Venice. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Instead, case workers are assigning young people writing projects, playing online trivia and giving out board and card games to “try to keep their minds busy.”
“I do know they’re getting stir-crazy,” she said.
Gerald “Pee” Cavitt, executive director of Chapter Two in South Los Angeles, said people were coming by his office off East Florence Avenue to ask questions about the coronavirus. He’s also organized several food giveaways in the neighborhoods he works in.
“People are fearful,” Cavitt said. “We thought they didn’t have money then; they don’t have money now.”
He’s educated a number of gang members about the virus and safety measures so they can take the information back to family and friends.
Advertisement
Workers with the HELPER Foundation provide bags of food in the Oakwood neighborhood in Venice. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
“These are the people who can really make a difference,” he said.
On a recent rainy afternoon, Claudia Bracho, program director for the HELPER Foundation, donned a mask and gloves and stood in a Venice apartment courtyard. Since the crisis began, Bracho and a team of intervention workers — Clinton Noble, Ebay Williams, Melvyn Hayward III and Ansar Muhammad — have been distributing donated groceries to low-income families and senior citizens in the Venice and Mar Vista area.
“We got bread and produce! We got bread and produce!” Bracho shouted. The group trudged through the rain for hours, slipping bags with fresh asparagus and broccoli through iron gates.
In recent weeks, they’ve picked up prescriptions for people and run errands. They’ve found ways to connect young people to one another, such as by eating breakfast as a group on Instagram Live.
Ebay Williams of the HELPER Foundation gives a youngster and her family groceries in the Oakwood neighborhood in Venice. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Advertisement
Bracho’s organization serves mostly Latino and black families, some of whom are distrustful of authorities. They’ve provided Spanish translations of physical distancing guidelines.
“Since we’ve helped them with a lot of things, our word carries weight,” she said.
For Cassandra Bibbs, a lifelong Venice resident with a heart condition, the gestures are a lifeline. Bibbs says her 12-year-old grandson, whom she is raising, has asthma.
“He has to stay in the house,” she said. “That’s the choice I made to keep us safe.”
Since the stay-at-home mandates were issued, people from Bracho’s organization have come by several times each week to deliver sack lunches and groceries. Some of the intervention workers helped her grandson with his homework on FaceTime.
“It’s a big help,” Bibbs said.
Claudia Bracho, program manager with the HELPER Foundation, raises victorious arms under the watchful eye of longtime Venice community activist Pamela Anderson after delivering groceries to the needy. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Around the corner, Geo Martinez shares an apartment with his mother and brother. He was recently furloughed from his job at a local restaurant and said that as the days went by he worried more and more about money.
Advertisement
On a recent afternoon, Martinez was sitting in his apartment, looking out the window, when he heard Bracho’s voice. She had bags of groceries.
“I was thinking, for real?” he said. The food brought Martinez a brief respite. Then, two days later, the group was back with more.


latimes--2020-04-19--27,525 pounds of carrots a day: How L.A. schools are feeding the masses

Benjamin and Samuel Zuniga look to education to improve their future .
But for now , the brothers are relying on their school district to help put food on the table .
“ People are just living off what they can afford basically , ” said Benjamin , who takes college classes but lost his job , as have other family members .
His brother Samuel , a Venice High School junior , is the only family member who attends a Los Angeles public school .
But the L.A. school district is feeding the entire six-person clan .
“ Of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food giveaways , ” Benjamin said .
“ Just thank God.
” Although campuses are closed , school districts throughout the state have taken on a critical role during the coronavirus crisis : feeding children shut in at home and paying for it with money from the federal school-lunch program .
Morning drop-off lanes have been transformed into food pickup drive-throughs ; school buses in rural areas leave food boxes at familiar bus stops ; families stand clustered outside campuses in walk-up lines , spaced six feet apart by cones , to receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But the largest , perhaps most generous and financially risky school system effort in the state , if not the country , is underway at 63 campuses in the Los Angeles Unified School District , which is giving away meals not only to students , but for anyone who shows up — no questions asked , except : How many do you need ?
“ This is a community in crisis , ” said L.A. schools Supt .
Austin Beutner .
“ Anyone who arrives looking for food — we ’ re assuming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re going to provide it.
” Since March 18 , the nation ’ s second-largest school district has emerged as a mammoth food distribution operation , serving about 9.8 million meals so far at campuses strategically located through the school system ’ s broad expanse and partnering with the Red Cross and the regional food bank .
To put it in perspective , the Red Cross said it helped provide 382,100 meals and snacks in the wake of the devastating 2018 California wildfires ; 4.5 million after Hurricane Harvey , which struck Texas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million that same year after Hurricane Maria ripped through Puerto Rico .
The lines grow every day as the crisis wears on , at times stretching more than half a mile .
Friday was the highest meal total yet — 585,017 — putting the district on pace to far surpass 25 million by June 12 , the last day of the academic year .
In Los Angeles County , all 80 schools districts are providing at least limited food service under state directives .
In addition , more than 100 independently operated charter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unified was well-suited to mobilize — its massive food service operation already was providing about a million meals per day when campuses were open : breakfast in the classroom , lunch in the cafeteria and some take-home dinners — food that was generally hot and healthful , if sometimes uninspiring .
But this new operation posed efficiency and safety challenges for workers and families in need .
On Friday at Byrd Middle School in Sun Valley , trained volunteers wore caps , gloves and masks .
Some 20 people in the gym assembled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walk-up traffic and a line of cars that stretched 90 deep throughout the 8-11 a.m. pickup time .
About 3,600 district workers volunteered for the effort and received a $ 100-per-day stipend .
Prepared meal bags were set on a rear table ; workers asked people how many they needed and then moved that number of bags to a front table for pickup .
A separate worker then swept in with disinfectant to wipe down the front table , the touch point for families and children .
Wipe .
Repeat pickup .
Wipe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 26,000 gallons of milk , 219,000 cereal boxes , 27,525 pounds of carrots , 50 tons of fruit and countless turkey sausages will be given away .
With the exception of milk , these meals rely on “ shelf-stable ” ingredients that don ’ t spoil quickly .
The meal packers inside Byrd ’ s gym included teaching assistant Johanna Cifuentes , who normally helps first- and second-graders learn to read at a nearby elementary school .
She wanted a way to keep helping .
Those in line have included her parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a valet , while her mother lost her work cleaning houses .
The Red Cross has provided 1,000 unpaid volunteer workers .
On April 6 , the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank joined in , giving out 36-pound boxes of nonperishable food — pasta , rice , soup — enough for about 30 meals .
The Food Bank expects to reach 36,000 families at school sites by month ’ s end , having provided the equivalent of more than 1 million meals .
The effort comes amid increasing food insecurity .
Nearly half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have lost a job or had their work hours cut , and an additional 10 % have lost other sources of income because of the coronavirus pandemic , according to a recent survey .
Food banks are facing historic demand just as their supply chains have been disrupted and they are short of volunteers , said Katie Fitzgerald , chief operating officer for Feeding America , which coordinates the nation ’ s network of 200 regional food banks .
Donors also are needed to respond to the crisis .
Many markets are no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of increased demand , while produce rots in the fields because it ’ s not getting to market .
In the L.A. region , the food bank system is strained , with distribution up 73 % over last year and some distribution points closed , according to an update last week from the Regional Food Bank .
For now , L.A. Unified has generally been able to manage the demand .
The Zunigas are grateful because their modest family income has shrunk with their job losses .
The family lives in Mar Vista @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within easy walking distance of the Mar Vista Family Center , a secondary distribution point for the food being handed out at nearby Marina del Rey Middle School .
Late that morning , Yadira Mora came by with her first-grader Emily , one of three children who used to receive breakfast and lunch at school .
“ The kids are at home and all they do is eat all the time , ” she said , laughing .
“ Everything ’ s amazing , ” said Mora , whose husband , a gardener @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Milk , chocolate milk , pancakes , sandwiches , oranges , apples .
Every day when my kids wake up they ’ re excited to see what I got for them.
” “ Sometime if I have too much , I ’ ll tell my neighbor : Do you want some milk ?
We ’ re helping each other out during this.
” Although she arrived before 10 a.m. , the supply of meals already was exhausted , which had never happened before .
The crowd may have been larger than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free headphones to help students screen out noise while they do their schoolwork at home .
On a recent morning at South East High School in South Gate , a line of cars stretched outside the campus entrance more than a quarter-mile .
The scene was much the same at Gage Middle School in Huntington Park , where school board member Jackie Goldberg recently nudged her slightly battered Prius into the line to offer volunteers a personal thank you — from the safe distance of inside her car .
She said the line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as long as when the food giveaway began .
The New York City school system , the nation ’ s largest , has followed L.A. 's example .
Its food program began about the same time as L.A. Unified , but was initially for children only and was providing about 130,000 meals a day .
On April 3 , the program opened to all .
The district distribution has swelled to more than 250,000 meals per day .
New York has a special tax levy to pay for the meals provided to adults @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unified is now racking up more than $ 2 million per day in food costs — nearly $ 39 million so far , a calculated risk .
The federal government — through the Department of Agriculture — typically reimburses school districts only for feeding children who live in poverty , which describes about 80 % of L.A. Unified students .
Although the feds have made the policies more flexible , some rules remain in place .
To get reimbursed , the district must “ ensure that meals are distributed only to parents or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ duplicate meals are not distributed to any child , ” a department spokeswoman told The Times .
Documenting the connection of meals to specific enrolled students would add enormous complications .
L.A. officials presume they ’ re feeding adults as well as children and that the children include many from outside L.A. Unified .
Beutner said the district is doing the right thing and that he expects the government to follow suit — and not penalize L.A. Unified for feeding the hungry .
At the Mar Vista center , those lined up included @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a privately managed charter that is not providing food .
Candelario said she ’ s grateful to be able to avoid crowded stores , which she sees as less safe , and to save money .
She has temporarily lost her work as a nanny .
Yuliana Regalado , a second-grader at Stoner Avenue Elementary in Culver City , listed what she liked as she stood in line with her mother , saving the best for last .
“ We get milk and carrots — and coffee cakes , ” she said excitedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ probably L.A. Unified ’ s most famous offering .
“ Really good !
”

The L.A. school district is providing food to all in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Benjamin and Samuel Zuniga look to education to improve their future. But for now, the brothers are relying on their school district to help put food on the table.
“People are just living off what they can afford basically,” said Benjamin, who takes college classes but lost his job, as have other family members. His brother Samuel, a Venice High School junior, is the only family member who attends a Los Angeles public school. But the L.A. school district is feeding the entire six-person clan.
“Of course we take advantage of all the food giveaways,” Benjamin said. “Just thank God.”
Although campuses are closed, school districts throughout the state have taken on a critical role during the coronavirus crisis: feeding children shut in at home and paying for it with money from the federal school-lunch program. Morning drop-off lanes have been transformed into food pickup drive-throughs; school buses in rural areas leave food boxes at familiar bus stops; families stand clustered outside campuses in walk-up lines, spaced six feet apart by cones, to receive “grab and go” bags.
Advertisement
But the largest, perhaps most generous and financially risky school system effort in the state, if not the country, is underway at 63 campuses in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which is giving away meals not only to students, but for anyone who shows up — no questions asked, except: How many do you need?
“This is a community in crisis,” said L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner. “Anyone who arrives looking for food — we’re assuming needs the food — and we’re going to provide it.”
Since March 18, the nation’s second-largest school district has emerged as a mammoth food distribution operation, serving about 9.8 million meals so far at campuses strategically located through the school system’s broad expanse and partnering with the Red Cross and the regional food bank.
To put it in perspective, the Red Cross said it helped provide 382,100 meals and snacks in the wake of the devastating 2018 California wildfires; 4.5 million after Hurricane Harvey, which struck Texas and Louisiana in 2017; and 12.8 million that same year after Hurricane Maria ripped through Puerto Rico.
The lines grow every day as the crisis wears on, at times stretching more than half a mile. Friday was the highest meal total yet — 585,017 — putting the district on pace to far surpass 25 million by June 12, the last day of the academic year.
Advertisement
In Los Angeles County, all 80 schools districts are providing at least limited food service under state directives. In addition, more than 100 independently operated charter schools also are providing meals.
L.A. Unified was well-suited to mobilize — its massive food service operation already was providing about a million meals per day when campuses were open: breakfast in the classroom, lunch in the cafeteria and some take-home dinners — food that was generally hot and healthful, if sometimes uninspiring.
But this new operation posed efficiency and safety challenges for workers and families in need. On Friday at Byrd Middle School in Sun Valley, trained volunteers wore caps, gloves and masks. Some 20 people in the gym assembled meal packs while about 20 others managed walk-up traffic and a line of cars that stretched 90 deep throughout the 8-11 a.m. pickup time.
About 3,600 district workers volunteered for the effort and received a $100-per-day stipend. Prepared meal bags were set on a rear table; workers asked people how many they needed and then moved that number of bags to a front table for pickup. A separate worker then swept in with disinfectant to wipe down the front table, the touch point for families and children. Wipe. Repeat pickup. Wipe. Repeat.
People line up Friday to receive meal packs provided by the L.A. school district at a grab-and-go site in front of Byrd Middle School in Sun Valley, which is closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
In one day more than 26,000 gallons of milk, 219,000 cereal boxes, 27,525 pounds of carrots, 50 tons of fruit and countless turkey sausages will be given away. With the exception of milk, these meals rely on “shelf-stable” ingredients that don’t spoil quickly.
The meal packers inside Byrd’s gym included teaching assistant Johanna Cifuentes, who normally helps first- and second-graders learn to read at a nearby elementary school. She wanted a way to keep helping.
Those in line have included her parents: Her father lost his job as a valet, while her mother lost her work cleaning houses.
Volunteers work in the gym at Byrd Middle School preparing meal packs for a grab-and-go food center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
The Red Cross has provided 1,000 unpaid volunteer workers. On April 6, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank joined in, giving out 36-pound boxes of nonperishable food — pasta, rice, soup — enough for about 30 meals. The Food Bank expects to reach 36,000 families at school sites by month’s end, having provided the equivalent of more than 1 million meals.
The effort comes amid increasing food insecurity. Nearly half of the households in Los Angeles County have lost a job or had their work hours cut, and an additional 10% have lost other sources of income because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent survey.
Food banks are facing historic demand just as their supply chains have been disrupted and they are short of volunteers, said Katie Fitzgerald, chief operating officer for Feeding America, which coordinates the nation’s network of 200 regional food banks. Donors also are needed to respond to the crisis. Many markets are no longer able to donate excess food because of increased demand, while produce rots in the fields because it’s not getting to market.
In the L.A. region, the food bank system is strained, with distribution up 73% over last year and some distribution points closed, according to an update last week from the Regional Food Bank.
For now, L.A. Unified has generally been able to manage the demand.
The Zunigas are grateful because their modest family income has shrunk with their job losses. The family lives in Mar Vista Gardens, a low-income housing complex, within easy walking distance of the Mar Vista Family Center, a secondary distribution point for the food being handed out at nearby Marina del Rey Middle School.
Late that morning, Yadira Mora came by with her first-grader Emily, one of three children who used to receive breakfast and lunch at school.
“The kids are at home and all they do is eat all the time,” she said, laughing.
“Everything’s amazing,” said Mora, whose husband, a gardener, has lost work during the pandemic. “Milk, chocolate milk, pancakes, sandwiches, oranges, apples. Every day when my kids wake up they’re excited to see what I got for them.”
“Sometime if I have too much, I’ll tell my neighbor: Do you want some milk? We’re helping each other out during this.”
Although she arrived before 10 a.m., the supply of meals already was exhausted, which had never happened before. The crowd may have been larger than usual because donors also were handing out free headphones to help students screen out noise while they do their schoolwork at home.
On a recent morning at South East High School in South Gate, a line of cars stretched outside the campus entrance more than a quarter-mile.
The scene was much the same at Gage Middle School in Huntington Park, where school board member Jackie Goldberg recently nudged her slightly battered Prius into the line to offer volunteers a personal thank you — from the safe distance of inside her car. She said the line of vehicles was at least 10 times as long as when the food giveaway began.
The New York City school system, the nation’s largest, has followed L.A.’s example. Its food program began about the same time as L.A. Unified, but was initially for children only and was providing about 130,000 meals a day. On April 3, the program opened to all. The district distribution has swelled to more than 250,000 meals per day. New York has a special tax levy to pay for the meals provided to adults, said spokesman Nathaniel Styer.
L.A. Unified is now racking up more than $2 million per day in food costs — nearly $39 million so far, a calculated risk. The federal government — through the Department of Agriculture — typically reimburses school districts only for feeding children who live in poverty, which describes about 80% of L.A. Unified students. Although the feds have made the policies more flexible, some rules remain in place.
To get reimbursed, the district must “ensure that meals are distributed only to parents or guardians of eligible children, and that duplicate meals are not distributed to any child,” a department spokeswoman told The Times.
Documenting the connection of meals to specific enrolled students would add enormous complications. L.A. officials presume they’re feeding adults as well as children and that the children include many from outside L.A. Unified.
Beutner said the district is doing the right thing and that he expects the government to follow suit — and not penalize L.A. Unified for feeding the hungry.
At the Mar Vista center, those lined up included Lilia Candelario, whose daughter Marlene attends a privately managed charter that is not providing food. Candelario said she’s grateful to be able to avoid crowded stores, which she sees as less safe, and to save money. She has temporarily lost her work as a nanny.
Yuliana Regalado, a second-grader at Stoner Avenue Elementary in Culver City, listed what she liked as she stood in line with her mother, saving the best for last.
Gaby Regalado and daughter Yuliana, 8, check out Yuliana’s donated headphones, which should help her study at home, while her family picks up food at the Mar Vista Family Center. Yuliana especially likes the coffee cake. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
“We get milk and carrots — and coffee cakes,” she said excitedly, thinking about a treat that is probably L.A. Unified’s most famous offering. “Really good!”


latimes--2020-04-20--L.A. school district confronts $200 million in coronavirus costs and a grim budget future

The Los Angeles Unified School District is confronting an estimated $ 200 million in emergency coronavirus costs — after swiftly moving to provide computers for all students and food for their families — but it ’ s not clear from where crucial additional funding might ultimately come , Supt .
Austin Beutner told The Times .
The mounting expenses will not immediately push the district ’ s $ 7.87-billion general fund into insolvency , but the unbudgeted spending probably violates state law requiring school systems to maintain a three-year balanced budget .
Although state officials may relax those rules in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ committed to covering the costs incurred by L.A. Unified — especially with state tax revenue plummeting .
“ We know the crisis is having a big impact on the students and families we serve and it ’ s having a big impact on school budgets as well , ” Beutner said .
The priority , he said , has been to address a community crisis — and sort out who pays the bills later , Beutner said .
“ The most immediate challenge is to make sure we take care of students , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students , families , most in need.
” Beutner also said the district is developing an initiative that will focus on younger students , who many experts say have more difficulty staying on track with distance learning .
That plan may involve hiring more teachers or otherwise lowering class sizes — a striking contrast of financial expectations with Mayor Eric Garcetti , who called Sunday for the furloughs of thousands of city workers .
Budget fallout already is evident in New York City , where Mayor Bill de Blasio has proposed about $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the online publication Chalkbeat .
The cuts include a hiring freeze and reductions in counseling and operating budgets — raising questions about how well educators can help students catch up after months of lost in-person instruction .
Unlike the budget for New York City schools , which the mayor controls , the L.A. Unified budget — as in all California districts — is controlled by the state .
But the picture is nonetheless grim .
California legislative analyst Gabriel Petek predicted a deficit of as much as $ 35 billion in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 85 billion in fiscal years to come — on par , he said , with California ’ s budget problems during the Great Recession .
Although there are varying ways to break down the financial crunch , the costs are staggering by any measure — even when accounting for recently approved state and federal aid .
The district ’ s list of coronavirus emergency expenses , which will be formally released Monday , include : • $ 78 million for food aid .
This is normally reimbursed by the federal government , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feeding adults as well as children .
• $ 50 million for expanded summer school .
This will pay for a “ distance learning ” program to address learning deficits caused by campus closures .
• $ 31 million for teacher training to prepare a work force that , by and large , was underprepared to lead instruction online .
• $ 23 million to connect students from low-income households to the internet .
• $ 9 million for safety equipment and supplies , mostly in connection to the ongoing “ grab-and-go ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We served almost 600,000 meals last Friday , ” Beutner said .
“ To do that properly , we make sure that those who are involved are wearing masks , they ’ re wearing gloves , that all of the surfaces are disinfected on a continual basis throughout the day.
” He said purchasing supplies to keep the food distribution lines safe , including the warehouse , are far beyond normal expenses .
The $ 23-million expenditure for technology vastly understates the full amount spent because the district has shifted the cost of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That spending shift appears to be legal , but during a recent meeting emerged as a source of discomfort to the Bond Oversight Committee , which nonetheless endorsed the use of the money as an emergency measure .
Beutner said the district has lobbied state leaders to put more money behind their guidance on online learning .
“ We ’ ll see how that pans out in the months and maybe years to come , ” he said .
“ But right now the imperative is to make sure we connect students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep them learning .
”

People wait in line Friday to get meal packs provided by the Los Angeles Unified School District at the grab-and-go food center in front of Byrd Middle School in Sun Valley.
The Los Angeles Unified School District is confronting an estimated $200 million in emergency coronavirus costs — after swiftly moving to provide computers for all students and food for their families — but it’s not clear where crucial additional funding might ultimately come from, Supt. Austin Beutner told The Times.
The mounting expenses will not immediately push the district’s $7.87-billion general fund into insolvency, but the unbudgeted spending probably violates state law requiring school systems to maintain a three-year balanced budget. Although state officials may relax those rules in the current crisis, they have not committed to covering the costs incurred by L.A. Unified — especially with state tax revenue plummeting.
“We know the crisis is having a big impact on the students and families we serve and it’s having a big impact on school budgets as well,” Beutner said.
Advertisement
The priority, he said, has been to address a community crisis — and sort out who pays the bills later, Beutner said.
“The most immediate challenge is to make sure we take care of students, help them continue to learn and help students, families, most in need.”
Beutner also talked about progress in getting students online and frustrations in determining how well they are learning. The district’s latest data indicate that the number of high school students not connected has dropped from 15,000 to 3,000 — less than 3%.
Because the district is loaning out free computers and providing free broadband, extenuating circumstances are likely to be affecting the remainder. One principal told The Times of a family stranded by travel restrictions outside of the United States, although in that case the family still was able to connect online with teachers. Some high school students have significant disabilities that make meaningful online learning virtually impossible. And there are an estimated 17,000 students who are members of homeless families.
The connectivity numbers record how many students have signed on at least once since schools shut down March 13. A deeper dive into the statistics raises additional concerns. About 93% of high school students are logging on at least once a week; about two-thirds are logging on for any given school day.
Even in a regular school setting, Beutner said, it’s difficult to determine when a student is engaged and learning. Distance learning offers helpful data points but eliminates most of the person-to-person feedback loop. He noted that a student reading a book offline could be doing something more valuable than one who is logged into a Zoom session but not able to focus on the content.
Advertisement
“So even some of the ways that we have early on to measure, we’ve got to think carefully about it,” Beutner said. “We’ve got a group working to say which of these are more important, less important. What other things we want to try to understand because the work to engage all of our students — that’s a challenge public education has.”
In addition, Beutner said, the district is developing an initiative that will focus on younger students, who many experts say have more difficulty staying on track with distance learning. That plan may involve hiring more teachers or otherwise lowering class sizes — a striking contrast of financial expectations with Mayor Eric Garcetti, who called Sunday for the furloughs of thousands of city workers.
Budget fallout already is evident in New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio has proposed about $827 million in school cost-saving measures, according to the online publication Chalkbeat. The cuts include a hiring freeze and reductions in counseling and operating budgets — raising questions about how well educators can help students catch up after months of lost in-person instruction.
Cars line up on Sepulveda Boulevard to get meal packages provided by LAUSD at a grab-and-go food center at Francisco Sepulveda Middle School in North Hills. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Unlike the budget for New York City schools, which the mayor controls, the L.A. Unified budget — as in all California districts — is controlled by the state. But the picture is nonetheless grim.
California legislative analyst Gabriel Petek predicted a deficit of as much as $35 billion in the near future and an additional $85 billion in fiscal years to come — on par, he said, with California’s budget problems during the Great Recession.
Although there are varying ways to break down the financial crunch, the costs are staggering by any measure — even when accounting for recently approved state and federal aid.
The district’s list of coronavirus emergency expenses, which will be formally released Monday, include:
$78 million for food aid. This is normally reimbursed by the federal government, but L.A. Unified is technically violating restrictions by feeding adults as well as children.
$50 million for expanded summer school. This will pay for a “distance learning” program to address learning deficits caused by campus closures.
$31 million for teacher training to prepare a work force that, by and large, was underprepared to lead instruction online.
$23 million to connect students from low-income households to the internet.
$9 million for safety equipment and supplies, mostly in connection to the ongoing grab-and-go food program at 63 campuses.
“We served almost 600,000 meals last Friday,” Beutner said. “To do that properly, we make sure that those who are involved are wearing masks, they’re wearing gloves, that all of the surfaces are disinfected on a continual basis throughout the day.”
He said buying supplies to keep the food distribution lines safe, including the warehouse, is far beyond normal expenses.
The $23-million expenditure for technology vastly understates the full amount spent because the district has shifted the cost of buying computers to voter-approved school construction bonds. That spending shift appears to be legal, but during a recent meeting emerged as a source of discomfort to the Bond Oversight Committee, which nonetheless endorsed the use of the money as an emergency measure.
A parent picks up meal packages provided by LAUSD at a grab-and-go food center at Byrd Middle School. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Beutner said the district has lobbied state leaders to put more money behind their guidance on online learning.
“We’ll see how that pans out in the months and maybe years to come,” he said. “But right now the imperative is to make sure we connect students, provide them with the device, keep them learning.”


latimes--2020-04-20--London Breed, a mayor who scolds and empathizes, is San Francisco's face of the coronavirus crisis

Mayor London Breed ran into a friend a few weeks ago at the grocery store .
As she recounted on an online forum , he rushed to hug her .
“ Noooo !
” she shrieked , moving back .
He told her he had never been sick in his life .
She countered that he could be an asymptomatic carrier of the coronavirus .
“ The thing that is making me lose it is people who are not staying away from each other outside , ” she said , laughing .
“ I feel like this is payback for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Since early March , Breed has garnered national attention , both for being out in front of the pandemic and playing the role of a reassuring , sometimes scolding , civic leader .
On Feb. 25 , before the city had a single confirmed case of coronavirus , Breed declared a state of emergency .
The order , issued after similar action by harder-hit Santa Clara County , allowed San Francisco to prepare for the pandemic .
In early March , the city banned all mass gatherings of 1,000 or more people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State Warriors games at the new Chase Center .
The city ’ s first female African American mayor , Breed , 45 , has been seemingly everywhere during the crisis , usually remotely .
She was on CNN again on Saturday night , and has been addressing the media at least three times a week .
She ’ s also been sharing information behind the scenes , fielding calls from mayors nationwide asking about the city ’ s response .
Nearly each day , she ’ s applied her powers to changing circumstances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lid on how much delivery companies could charge restaurants , helped establish emergency child-care centers for the children of front-line workers , and created a call center for people in isolation or quarantine who need groceries .
Having grown up in poverty and hardship , Breed also has repeatedly let San Franciscans know that she shares their pain .
She interviewed a mental health expert last week on a webinar , asking for tips on how people can cope with the loneliness of isolation .
“ For me personally , ” said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t had a hug since this thing started.
” Not everyone is thrilled by Breed ’ s performance .
She ’ s been criticized for making herself the face of the public health response , as opposed to Bay Area health officers .
Homeless advocates say the city has been slow to get people off the streets and into hotels .
Yet others credit her for making gutsy decisions , and say her political future has grown brighter in a city known for launching powerful politicians .
Both of California ’ s U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , hail from San Francisco , as does Gov .
Gavin Newsom .
“ Who knows what the future will bring , ” said Assemblyman David Chiu ( D-San Francisco ) .
“ But London is focused on the immediate task at hand ... .
I know she made decisions where there were risks of being seen as overreacting , and she was comfortable with those risks.
” Breed appears publicly almost every day and seems to adapt her mood to the moment .
At times , she is the nagging mother .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to comfort .
We will get through this .
She frequently talks about her late grandmother , who raised her and her siblings .
Breed knows that female elected officials are often judged by their appearance .
With beauty salons closed , she is on her own .
She appears in professional attire during her news conferences , her long wavy hair parted off-center , her lips brightened in red .
“ I am good at nails , at lashes and doing my hair and my makeup , ” she said in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with nothing , you learn how to do things on your own.
” Sheryl Davis , a longtime friend of Breed , said minorities and the poor “ are always worried that somebody is going to use how you look as a judgment.
” Breed grew up in the gritty Plaza East project in San Francisco ’ s Western Addition , where its residents were stereotyped , Davis said .
The public housing was dubbed “ OC , ” for “ out of control.
” Police didn ’ t want to enter it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was important “ when you were seen , not to fit the mold of who they thought you were , ” Davis said .
Growing up , Breed never learned her father ’ s identity .
She has declined to comment on why her mother was unable to raise her children , other than to dispel a rumor .
“ She wasn ’ t on drugs , ” Breed said .
Breed , her siblings and grandmother lived in a unit with roaches and plumbing problems .
Glassware amounted to recycled jars .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a friend to violence in the project .
She heard the gunshots .
She has a brother in prison and lost a sister to an overdose .
Breed graduated from a city public high school , obtained a bachelor ’ s degree in political science from UC Davis and a master ’ s in public administration from the University of San Francisco .
She started her career working for San Francisco city government .
She was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2012 , and her colleagues made her board president in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unexpectedly died in December 2017 , she served briefly as active major .
The supervisors , arguing she could not retain her district seat and still be mayor , voted to replace her with someone else .
She ran for mayor in a special election and won , and in 2019 voters reelected her to a full term .
She is considered a moderate in San Francisco as opposed to a progressive , which state Sen. Scott Wiener called “ absurd.
” “ San Francisco ’ s political spectrum is left and lefter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
During a blood drive several days ago , Wiener asked Breed to donate for him .
Wiener is gay and restricted from donating , a vestige of the AIDS crisis .
Breed donned a mask and gave blood , he said .
Wiener described Breed as “ the perfect mayor ” for this sort of crisis .
“ She is able to handle stress in a good way , ” he said .
“ She is very good at staying focused on the task at hand and not getting distracted.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a stay-at-home order for San Francisco when the health officers of several Bay Area cities conferred and decided to issue their own .
Unlike elected officials in the other counties , Breed called a news conference to announce the order .
“ It was not about needing to be the star , ” she said .
Even so , some have questioned why she personally announced the restrictions .
“ She jumped the gun by an hour , ” said San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin , a progressive who also is fiscally conservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ driven by the six chief health officers of the Bay Area , and we should never forget that.
” But Breed said she had good reason to be the face of the order .
“ When you do announcements of this magnitude , it is so critical that people see the mayor of their city along with their county health officers as partners , ” she said .
The Bay Area ’ s early emergency restrictions are credited for stemming the rate of infection in San Francisco and the region .
By Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while L.A. County , with 11.5 times the population , had logged nearly 29 times as many deaths : 577 .
Breed now presides over a city transformed .
On Friday , the financial district was deserted .
A homeless man slept in a doorway .
On the Embarcadero , people walked , ran and roller-skated by the water , but most stayed six feet away from others .
Some wore masks and gloves .
On Mission Street , one of the city ’ s main thoroughfares , a line of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a Target store .
Two police officers stood by to ensure social distancing .
Parking was plentiful at the now closed Civic Center .
Some homeless advocates and members of the Board of Supervisors have been critical of Breed for not providing more hotel rooms for homeless people , and protecting them in general .
On April 10 , Breed announced that 70 residents and staff at a homeless shelter had tested positive for the coronavirus .
Breed , frustrated , said the city can ramp up to 7,000 rooms — it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not provide staff to house the 8,200 rooms the supervisors want .
All city employees are now disaster workers , but not all can staff the hotels , she said .
Some have children at home .
Some are afraid for their health .
Some homeless people won ’ t wear face coverings or keep six feet apart from others , she said , and some suffer from addiction and other disorders .
Some fearful shelter workers have walked out .
The hotels need security , healthcare workers , social workers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide occupants with three meals a day and prescription medicine .
Large buses are being used to transport the homeless to hotels to abide by the six-feet distancing requirements .
Someone needs to police elevators to ensure that only one person enters at a time .
Because of the health crisis , the city is facing a billion-dollar deficit .
Breed said she takes walks in her neighborhood to deal with stress , drinks a lot of water and gets plenty of sleep .
She has not been tested for the coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I try to focus on the positive , the good , ” she said .
“ We need more love .
We need more goodness.
” Just before the pandemic took off , Breed received scrutiny for her 20-year friendship with Mohammed Nuru , the city ’ s longtime head of public works .
The FBI arrested Nuru in January on corruption charges .
Breed disclosed she had dated Nuru briefly two decades ago , remained close to his daughters and had allowed him last year to spend about $ 5,600 on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ realize that my close friendship to someone accused of something so serious will undoubtedly affect my life , and maybe even my life ’ s work , ” she wrote in an online posting Feb. 14 .
Today , people cheer her when she is spotted .
When California reopens from coronavirus lockdown , Breed ’ s first stop will be the hair dresser , she recently told a community forum .
Then she will get her nails done , put on something pretty , and go dancing to live music .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she has repeatedly told San Franciscans .
If the city opens up too soon , she warned , the virus could rebound , as the Spanish flu did in 1918 .
For now , Breed said she is just grateful to be alive .
“ I have been through worse in my life , ” she said .
“ I come from nothing , and the fact that I am mayor is unbelievable to me and to the people I grew up with .
”

San Francisco Mayor London Breed announces the city’s first confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus at a City Hall news conference on March 5.
Mayor London Breed ran into a friend a few weeks ago at the grocery store. As she recounted on an online forum, he rushed to hug her.
“Noooo!” she shrieked, moving back. He told her he had never been sick in his life.
She countered that he could be an asymptomatic carrier of the coronavirus.
Advertisement
“The thing that is making me lose it is people who are not staying away from each other outside,” she said, laughing. “I feel like this is payback for all the problems I gave my grandmother.”
Since early March, Breed has garnered national attention, both for being out in front of the pandemic and playing the role of a reassuring, sometimes scolding, civic leader.
On Feb. 25, before the city had a single confirmed case of coronavirus, Breed declared a state of emergency. The order, issued after similar action by harder-hit Santa Clara County, allowed San Francisco to prepare for the pandemic. In early March, the city banned all mass gatherings of 1,000 or more people, prohibiting fans from heading to Golden State Warriors games at the new Chase Center.
The city’s first female African American mayor, Breed, 45, has been seemingly everywhere during the crisis, usually remotely. She was on CNN again on Saturday night, and has been addressing the media at least three times a week. She’s also been sharing information behind the scenes, fielding calls from mayors nationwide asking about the city’s response.
Nearly each day, she’s applied her powers to changing circumstances. She issued an order putting a lid on how much delivery companies could charge restaurants, helped establish emergency child-care centers for the children of front-line workers, and created a call center for people in isolation or quarantine who need groceries.
Having grown up in poverty and hardship, Breed also has repeatedly let San Franciscans know that she shares their pain.
Advertisement
She interviewed a mental health expert last week on a webinar, asking for tips on how people can cope with the loneliness of isolation. “For me personally,” said the unmarried mayor, “I haven’t had a hug since this thing started.”
Not everyone is thrilled by Breed’s performance. She’s been criticized for making herself the face of the public health response, as opposed to Bay Area health officers. Homeless advocates say the city has been slow to get people off the streets and into hotels.
Yet others credit her for making gutsy decisions, and say her political future has grown brighter in a city known for launching powerful politicians. Both of California’s U.S. senators, Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, hail from San Francisco, as does Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“Who knows what the future will bring,” said Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco). “But London is focused on the immediate task at hand.... I know she made decisions where there were risks of being seen as overreacting, and she was comfortable with those risks.”
Breed appears publicly almost every day and seems to adapt her mood to the moment. At times, she is the nagging mother. Stay home! Other times she tries to comfort. We will get through this. She frequently talks about her late grandmother, who raised her and her siblings.
Breed knows that female elected officials are often judged by their appearance. With beauty salons closed, she is on her own. She appears in professional attire during her news conferences, her long wavy hair parted off-center, her lips brightened in red.
“I am good at nails, at lashes and doing my hair and my makeup,” she said in an interview. “When you grow up with nothing, you learn how to do things on your own.”
Sheryl Davis, a longtime friend of Breed, said minorities and the poor “are always worried that somebody is going to use how you look as a judgment.”
Breed grew up in the gritty Plaza East project in San Francisco’s Western Addition, where its residents were stereotyped, Davis said. The public housing was dubbed “OC,” for “out of control.” Police didn’t want to enter it. Coming from the project meant it was important “when you were seen, not to fit the mold of who they thought you were,” Davis said.
Growing up, Breed never learned her father’s identity. She has declined to comment on why her mother was unable to raise her children, other than to dispel a rumor. “She wasn’t on drugs,” Breed said.
Breed, her siblings and grandmother lived in a unit with roaches and plumbing problems. Glassware amounted to recycled jars.
She was only 12 when she lost a friend to violence in the project. She heard the gunshots. She has a brother in prison and lost a sister to an overdose.
Breed graduated from a city public high school, obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Davis and a master’s in public administration from the University of San Francisco. She started her career working for San Francisco city government. She was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2012, and her colleagues made her board president in 2015.
When former Mayor Ed Lee unexpectedly died in December 2017, she served briefly as acting major. The supervisors, arguing she could not retain her district seat and still be mayor, voted to replace her with someone else. She ran for mayor in a special election and won, and in 2019 voters reelected her to a full term.
She is considered a moderate in San Francisco as opposed to a progressive, which state Sen. Scott Wiener called “absurd.”
“San Francisco’s political spectrum is left and lefter,” said Wiener (D-San Francisco).
During a blood drive several days ago, Wiener asked Breed to donate for him. Wiener is gay and restricted from donating, a vestige of the AIDS crisis. Breed donned a mask and gave blood, he said.
Wiener described Breed as “the perfect mayor” for this sort of crisis. “She is able to handle stress in a good way,” he said. “She is very good at staying focused on the task at hand and not getting distracted.”
Breed said plans already were underway for a stay-at-home order for San Francisco when the health officers of several Bay Area cities conferred and decided to issue their own.
Unlike elected officials in the other counties, Breed called a news conference to announce the order. “It was not about needing to be the star,” she said.
Even so, some have questioned why she personally announced the restrictions. “She jumped the gun by an hour,” said San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin, a progressive who also is fiscally conservative. “The reality is this was driven by the six chief health officers of the Bay Area, and we should never forget that.”
But Breed said she had good reason to be the face of the order. “When you do announcements of this magnitude, it is so critical that people see the mayor of their city along with their county health officers as partners,” she said.
Tracking the coronavirus in California The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.
The Bay Area’s early emergency restrictions are credited for stemming the rate of infection in San Francisco and the region. By Saturday, San Francisco had recorded 20 deaths, while L.A. County, with 11.5 times the population, had logged nearly 29 times as many deaths: 577.
Breed now presides over a city transformed. On Friday, the financial district was deserted. A homeless man slept in a doorway. On the Embarcadero, people walked, ran and roller-skated by the water, but most stayed six feet away from others. Some wore masks and gloves.
On Mission Street, one of the city’s main thoroughfares, a line of people snaked for blocks to pick up orders from a Target store. Two police officers stood by to ensure social distancing. Parking was plentiful at the now closed Civic Center.
A homeless encampment in San Francisco. The Bay Area’s early emergency restrictions are credited for stemming the rate of infection in the city and the region. (John G. Mabanglo / EPA/Shutterstock)
Some homeless advocates and members of the Board of Supervisors have been critical of Breed for not providing more hotel rooms for homeless people, and protecting them in general. On April 10, Breed announced that 70 residents and staff at a homeless shelter had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Breed, frustrated, said the city can ramp up to 7,000 rooms — it now has more than 2,000 — but cannot provide staff to house the 8,200 rooms the supervisors want.
All city employees are now disaster workers, but not all can staff the hotels, she said. Some have children at home. Some are afraid for their health.
Some homeless people won’t wear face coverings or keep six feet apart from others, she said, and some suffer from addiction and other disorders. Some fearful shelter workers have walked out.
An activist protests from her vehicle outside San Francisco’s Moscone Center, asking Mayor London Breed to house homeless people in vacant hotels. (Ben Margot / Associated Press)
The hotels need security, healthcare workers, social workers and cleaners, and the city has to provide occupants with three meals a day and prescription medicine. Large buses are being used to transport the homeless to hotels to abide by the six-feet distancing requirements. Someone needs to police elevators to ensure that only one person enters at a time.
Because of the health crisis, the city is facing a billion-dollar deficit.
Breed said she takes walks in her neighborhood to deal with stress, drinks a lot of water and gets plenty of sleep. She has not been tested for the coronavirus.
“I am a spiritual person, and I try to focus on the positive, the good,” she said. “We need more love. We need more goodness.”
Just before the pandemic took off, Breed received scrutiny for her 20-year friendship with Mohammed Nuru, the city’s longtime head of public works. The FBI arrested Nuru in January on corruption charges. Breed disclosed she had dated Nuru briefly two decades ago, remained close to his daughters and had allowed him last year to spend about $5,600 on repairs for her car.
“I realize that my close friendship to someone accused of something so serious will undoubtedly affect my life, and maybe even my life’s work,” she wrote in an online posting Feb. 14.
Today, people cheer her when she is spotted.
When California reopens from coronavirus lockdown, Breed’s first stop will be the hair dresser, she recently told a community forum. Then she will get her nails done, put on something pretty, and go dancing to live music.
But that might not happen for a while, she has repeatedly told San Franciscans. If the city opens up too soon, she warned, the virus could rebound, as the Spanish flu did in 1918.
For now, Breed said she is just grateful to be alive.
“I have been through worse in my life,” she said. “I come from nothing, and the fact that I am mayor is unbelievable to me and to the people I grew up with.”


latimes--2020-04-20--From quiet acceptance to 'crippling fear,' medical workers confront their own mortality

As the coronavirus tore through California in March , Dr. Amit Gohil bought his family a new board game : Pandemic .
A pulmonary critical care doctor at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center , Gohil has asthma and diabetes , risk factors for COVID-19 , and has been treating infected patients for weeks .
At age 43 , he is acutely aware his life could be cut short .
He hoped the game , with its heroes of scientists and researchers , could be a way to help his children feel a sense of control over the virus , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The kids say , ‘ Dad , are you going to die ?
’ And I say , ‘ Don ’ t worry about it , ’ ” Gohil said .
But he agonizes all the time .
He gets home from a shift at the hospital and thinks to himself , “ If I die next week what do I want to teach the kids ?
What haven ’ t I taught them ?
” Numerous Californians look forward to a loosening of social distancing , but many doctors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they feel caught in a state of perpetual danger and anxiety , with no end in sight .
Some are taking extreme steps not just to survive but to protect those they love .
They are making wills , sleeping in cars to self-quarantine , looking to buy life insurance and turning to prayer .
A flattened curve carries little relief for those inside hospitals or in places such as clinics and nursing homes .
For them , replacing a peak with a plateau portends a long , ominous line of coronavirus patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amid the reality that co-workers are testing positive and even dying .
More than 3,100 medical workers have tested positive so far in California , nearly 500 of those confirmed workplace exposures .
In nursing homes , nearly 1,300 staff have tested positive , and as of last week , 10 healthcare workers in California have died after contracting COVID-19 .
While some nurses have refused to work without adequate personal protective equipment , other healthcare workers say they feel reasonably protected , and remained committed to the job of saving lives , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often mixed with a sense of empowerment , as many see the novel coronavirus as the defining moment of their medical careers — a chance to put all of their training to use .
“ The world is saying we ’ re healthcare providers and we ’ re heroes , but I don ’ t know what to make of that , ” said Dr. Adjoa Boateng , a physician at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in Silicon Valley , one of the hardest-hit areas in the state .
“ I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job that I vowed to perform.
” But their pride is mixed with anger .
Some are baking masks in ovens to decontaminate them , sending children to stay with relatives and eking out control in private lives , since they have so little at work .
“ It ’ s like going on a battlefield and you don ’ t know if you are stepping on a mine , ” said a medical technician in West Los Angeles , who asked to remain anonymous because he fears retaliation from his employer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been frustrated by the constant shortfall of equipment — he has been interacting with suspected coronavirus patients with only a paper mask .
A few weeks ago , the 34-year-old contracted COVID-19 , as did another co-worker .
It hit him hard in the middle of a shift , with a fever and body aches .
He knew he couldn ’ t go home to his wife and twin 2-year-olds , so he called and had his spouse , also a medical worker , pack bags for him and leave them outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hotel for three days , which cost him about $ 450 , before moving into his brother ’ s back house alone .
His family left food outside the door .
“ I was crying , ” he said of having to tell his loved ones he was positive .
“ I told myself , I am going to survive this.
” But , he said , the illness got bad enough that he began to have doubts .
“ The first four days , it was one of the worst things of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ middle of the night , waking up every day throwing up , coughing , ” he said .
“ I felt like lava was burning up in my throat.
” The hardest part , though , was knowing his little kids didn ’ t understand why he was gone .
His daughter called him whenever she could get her hands on her grandmother ’ s cellphone .
“ To me that was very touching but very sad , ” he said .
“ I wanted to be there and hug them , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers are also aware of what the data are revealing : Physicians are seeing unexpectedly high numbers of people in their 30s and 40s admitted with severe COVID symptoms , greater than what was reported in China and Italy .
“ The idea that this is a disease of the elderly is totally debunked at this point , ” said Dr. Andrew Lim , a critical care and emergency physician working in Santa Clara County hospitals .
The 33-year-old doctor said he didn ’ t internalize it until he saw it himself .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , healthy patient who had followed the stay-at-home orders showed up in the ER .
Within hours , the patient became suddenly worse and required oxygen and intubation in rapid succession .
That was a turning point for Lim .
“ I thought , ‘ Oh , I ’ m vulnerable to this , too , ’ ” Lim said .
“ I felt my own mortality so acutely.
” At first , that meant planning for the worst .
He remembers thinking , “ Do I need to review my finances with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she has all of the information if I do get sick and pass away.
” But now he has entered a new phase of acceptance .
“ All of us healthcare workers know that it ’ s going to be like this probably through the fall , ” he said .
“ As things start opening up , healthcare workers are realizing they ’ re going to be in a possibly different ballgame [ than the general public ] for six months to a year.
” Kim Ballon , a home healthcare worker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respect for the difficulty of the job is one of her biggest challenges .
She gets paid a little more than $ 13 an hour to care for elderly clients in their homes .
“ I want people to know our work is at the forefront of this crisis , ” Ballon said .
“ We are changing diapers in these homes .
We are showering people ... .
draining catheters or colostomy bags .
The virus is everywhere ... it ’ s in the body fluids .
We ’ re doing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home , a rehab center , a hospital , but we are forgotten about , ” she said .
She receives one mask a week and sprays it with Lysol every night .
She would like the public to value her and other home healthcare workers more .
“ We are equal , period , ” Ballon said .
“ But we are at the bottom level of health service .
We are not important.
” Andrea Tuma , a respiratory therapist at Mercy Medical Center Redding , said she struggles to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while still doing her job .
Many questions are running through her and her colleagues ’ heads , she said .
“ How do I take care of everybody else and still protect myself and my family ?
How do I make sure that I protect my family while I ’ m taking care of other people ’ s families , and what does that look like ?
” Since she can ’ t stay home from work , she is finding other ways to minimize exposure to the virus both for herself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during each grocery store trip that she needs to go only once every two weeks , she said .
She also undresses in her garage and throws her clothes immediately in the washing machine so no one else in her family touches them .
For Dr. Christine Chen , an emergency room doctor at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center , and her husband , an ICU doctor , their toddler son has been the biggest concern .
They feared that they would infect the 15-month-old child , or their nanny .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chen said .
“ But her family includes elderly people , and we ’ d feel awful if they were to get sick.
” The couple made the hard decision to send the baby nearly two hours away to his grandparents in Sacramento , taking turns visiting every few days .
With the toddler gone , they tried to make their home impervious to the coronavirus , a different kind of baby-proofing than they ’ d ever imagined .
“ We ’ re at the age where everything goes into the baby ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They installed hooks and shelves to ensure potentially dirty items can ’ t be reached .
And they made a “ decontamination zone ” for shoes and dirty clothes .
The nanny ultimately decided it was too much of a risk to her own family to continue to care for their son .
But Chen and her husband found a small home daycare that ’ s staying open for the children of essential workers .
After three weeks apart , they were able to bring their baby home .
Family separations are becoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and aging parents .
A nurse at a Westside hospital said he stopped visiting his parents because he ’ s worried about infecting them .
He typically visits often since they live nearby , he said .
But they are both older than 60 , and he wants to be safe , he said .
“ Of course , they ’ re more concerned about me and I ’ m more concerned about them , ” he said .
A doctor at a large L.A. hospital said she and her partner , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sleeping in different rooms in their home so they don ’ t infect each other if one of them brings home the coronavirus .
Like the Westside nurse , she has stopped visiting her parents , who live an hour away , because they are both over 60 .
It could be months before she sees them again .
She said she and her partner recently updated their advanced directives , in case they end up on ventilators , and put their finances in order .
“ I wish I could stay at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months , ” she said .
“ I wish I had the same luxury of boredom instead of crippling fear because I have to go into the hospital every day .
”

Kiera Feldman, Anita Chabria, Soumya Karlamangla

Kim Ballon, an in-home support services care provider, attends to Marjorie Williams, 84, at her Thousand Oaks home. “I want people to know our work is at the forefront of this crisis,” said Ballon, who makes around $13 an hour.
As the coronavirus tore through California in March, Dr. Amit Gohil bought his family a new board game: Pandemic.
A pulmonary critical care doctor at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Gohil has asthma and diabetes, risk factors for COVID-19, and has been treating infected patients for weeks. At age 43, he is acutely aware his life could be cut short.
He hoped the game, with its heroes of scientists and researchers, could be a way to help his children feel a sense of control over the virus, a story they all know could end badly.
Advertisement
“The kids say, ‘Dad, are you going to die?’ And I say, ‘Don’t worry about it,’” Gohil said.
But he agonizes all the time.
He gets home from a shift at the hospital and thinks to himself, “If I die next week what do I want to teach the kids? What haven’t I taught them?”
Dr. Amit Gohil plays the board game Pandemic with two of his three children, sons Shaan, center, and Akaal. (Gohil family)
Numerous Californians look forward to a loosening of social distancing, but many doctors, nurses and other front-line medical workers say they feel caught in a state of perpetual danger and anxiety, with no end in sight. Some are taking extreme steps not just to survive but to protect those they love. They are making wills, sleeping in cars to self-quarantine, looking to buy life insurance and turning to prayer.
A flattened curve carries little relief for those inside hospitals or in places such as clinics and nursing homes. For them, replacing a peak with a plateau portends a long, ominous line of coronavirus patients stretching out for months or longer, amid the reality that co-workers are testing positive and even dying.
More than 3,100 medical workers have tested positive so far in California, nearly 500 of those confirmed workplace exposures. In nursing homes, nearly 1,300 staff have tested positive, and as of last week, 10 healthcare workers in California have died after contracting COVID-19.
Tracking the coronavirus in California The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.
While some nurses have refused to work without adequate personal protective equipment, other healthcare workers say they feel reasonably protected, and remained committed to the job of saving lives, despite the danger. Their fear is often mixed with a sense of empowerment, as many see the novel coronavirus as the defining moment of their medical careers — a chance to put all of their training to use.
“The world is saying we’re healthcare providers and we’re heroes, but I don’t know what to make of that,” said Dr. Adjoa Boateng, a physician at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in Silicon Valley, one of the hardest-hit areas in the state. “I’m doing the job I love and the job that I vowed to perform.”
California Coronavirus strikes California hospital workers hard, including 175 cases at UCLA Hospitals across California have been slow to reveal COVID-19 cases among medical staff, data that they are not required to disclose and that the state does not comprehensively track.
Advertisement
But their pride is mixed with anger. Some are baking masks in ovens to decontaminate them, sending children to stay with relatives and eking out control in private lives, since they have so little at work.
“It’s like going on a battlefield and you don’t know if you are stepping on a mine,” said a medical technician in West Los Angeles, who asked to remain anonymous because he fears retaliation from his employer. Like many of his colleagues, he has been frustrated by the constant shortfall of equipment — he has been interacting with suspected coronavirus patients with only a paper mask.
A few weeks ago, the 34-year-old contracted COVID-19, as did another co-worker.
It hit him hard in the middle of a shift, with a fever and body aches. He knew he couldn’t go home to his wife and twin 2-year-olds, so he called and had his spouse, also a medical worker, pack bags for him and leave them outside.
Then he checked himself into a hotel for three days, which cost him about $450, before moving into his brother’s back house alone. His family left food outside the door.
“I was crying,” he said of having to tell his loved ones he was positive. “I told myself, I am going to survive this.”
But, he said, the illness got bad enough that he began to have doubts.
“The first four days, it was one of the worst things of my life — waking up in the middle of the night, waking up every day throwing up, coughing,” he said. “I felt like lava was burning up in my throat.”
The hardest part, though, was knowing his little kids didn’t understand why he was gone. His daughter called him whenever she could get her hands on her grandmother’s cellphone.
“To me that was very touching but very sad,” he said. “I wanted to be there and hug them, but I couldn’t.”
Younger medical workers are also aware of what the data are revealing: Physicians are seeing unexpectedly high numbers of people in their 30s and 40s admitted with severe COVID symptoms, greater than what was reported in China and Italy.
“The idea that this is a disease of the elderly is totally debunked at this point,” said Dr. Andrew Lim, a critical care and emergency physician working in Santa Clara County hospitals.
The 33-year-old doctor said he didn’t internalize it until he saw it himself. During a night shift, a young, healthy patient who had followed the stay-at-home orders showed up in the ER. Within hours, the patient became suddenly worse and required oxygen and intubation in rapid succession.
That was a turning point for Lim.
“I thought, ‘Oh, I’m vulnerable to this, too,’” Lim said. “I felt my own mortality so acutely.”
At first, that meant planning for the worst. He remembers thinking, “Do I need to review my finances with my wife? Just to make sure she has all of the information if I do get sick and pass away.”
But now he has entered a new phase of acceptance. “All of us healthcare workers know that it’s going to be like this probably through the fall,” he said. “As things start opening up, healthcare workers are realizing they’re going to be in a possibly different ballgame [than the general public] for six months to a year.”
Kim Ballon, a home healthcare worker in Ventura County, said lack of respect for the difficulty of the job is one of her biggest challenges. She gets paid a little more than $13 an hour to care for elderly clients in their homes.
“I want people to know our work is at the forefront of this crisis,” Ballon said. “We are changing diapers in these homes. We are showering people .... draining catheters or colostomy bags. The virus is everywhere ... it’s in the body fluids. We’re doing the same things that happen in a nursing home, a rehab center, a hospital, but we are forgotten about,” she said.
She receives one mask a week and sprays it with Lysol every night. She would like the public to value her and other home healthcare workers more.
“We are equal, period,” Ballon said. “But we are at the bottom level of health service. We are not important.”
Andrea Tuma, a respiratory therapist at Mercy Medical Center Redding, said she struggles to do right by those in her personal life while still doing her job. Many questions are running through her and her colleagues’ heads, she said.
“How do I take care of everybody else and still protect myself and my family? How do I make sure that I protect my family while I’m taking care of other people’s families, and what does that look like?”
“We are all stressed.”
Since she can’t stay home from work, she is finding other ways to minimize exposure to the virus both for herself and them. She buys enough food during each grocery store trip that she needs to go only once every two weeks, she said. She also undresses in her garage and throws her clothes immediately in the washing machine so no one else in her family touches them.
For Dr. Christine Chen, an emergency room doctor at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, and her husband, an ICU doctor, their toddler son has been the biggest concern. They feared that they would infect the 15-month-old child, or their nanny.
“We have a wonderful babysitter,” Chen said. “But her family includes elderly people, and we’d feel awful if they were to get sick.”
Dr. Christine Chen, an emergency room doctor at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, worries about infecting her 15-month-old son, seen here. (Chen family)
The couple made the hard decision to send the baby nearly two hours away to his grandparents in Sacramento, taking turns visiting every few days. With the toddler gone, they tried to make their home impervious to the coronavirus, a different kind of baby-proofing than they’d ever imagined.
“We’re at the age where everything goes into the baby’s mouth,” Chen explained. They installed hooks and shelves to ensure potentially dirty items can’t be reached. And they made a “decontamination zone” for shoes and dirty clothes. The nanny ultimately decided it was too much of a risk to her own family to continue to care for their son.
But Chen and her husband found a small home daycare that’s staying open for the children of essential workers. After three weeks apart, they were able to bring their baby home.
Family separations are becoming more common, especially between adult children and aging parents.
A nurse at a Westside hospital said he stopped visiting his parents because he’s worried about infecting them. He typically visits often since they live nearby, he said. But they are both older than 60, and he wants to be safe, he said.
“Of course, they’re more concerned about me and I’m more concerned about them,” he said.
A doctor at a large L.A. hospital said she and her partner, who is also a doctor, have begun sleeping in different rooms in their home so they don’t infect each other if one of them brings home the coronavirus.
Like the Westside nurse, she has stopped visiting her parents, who live an hour away, because they are both over 60. It could be months before she sees them again.
She said she and her partner recently updated their advanced directives, in case they end up on ventilators, and put their finances in order.
“I wish I could stay at home and quarantine for the next few months,” she said. “I wish I had the same luxury of boredom instead of crippling fear because I have to go into the hospital every day.”